Brutal attacks prompt call for protection of Pakistan’s Christian minority

by Charlie Boyd
Monday, May 17, 2010

The former Bishop of Rochester is calling on the Pakistani government to protect its Christian minority after brutal attacks by extremists last year.

His call comes after Release International investigators met Christians who told of relatives who were burnt alive by militants in their homes in Gojra, near Lahore, and others who had been falsely accused of blasphemy.

Pakistan-born Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, patron of Release, said: “The blasphemy law needs repealing, but it is a symptom of a much wider drive to enforce Islamic orthodoxy. It's not just Christians, but Muslims themselves who suffer as a result of Islamic law - especially the women.
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