As many as 800 Christians fled a neighbourhood in Pakistan this week, after a violent Muslim mob demanded capital punishment for the 'blasphemy' of a 20-year-old Christian man.
Patras Masih, from the Dhair neighbourhood of Shahdara, a suburb of Lahore, was accused of posting blasphemous content on his Facebook page in January. Masih's uncle, Arif, told World Watch Monitor that Masih had shared a picture of himself and other individuals, in a group comprising both Christian and Muslim members.
According to the First Information Report accusing Masih, he refused to delete the post when asked, prompting anger from local residents, ultimately spawning a violent mob on February 19. A crowd which according to the British Pakistani Christian Association, numbered as many as 3,000, included vocal calls for Masih to be publicly hanged for his alleged blasphemy. Crowds blocked roads, and threats were reportedly made that if Masih was not given up to the authorities then Christian homes would be burnt down.
Subsequently 800 believers fled the Dhair neighbourhood to seek protection with friends and relatives. Police came to the area, with Muslim clerics, in order to try and calm tensions. Ultimately Masih's family handed him over to authorities.
'In the evening, when the angry mob was getting out of control, we went to the superintendent of police's office and handed Patras to them,' Arif said. 'Since then we don't know what is taking place with him.' Masih has been charged with blasphemy under the controversial section 295c of the Pakistan Penal Code, he is currently under investigation but is expected to face imprisonment.
A joint press conference was held yesterday evening between Christian and Islamic leaders at Shahdara Police Station, calling for dispersed Christians to return to the neighbourhood. The statement said that 'the Christian community has guaranteed that they would not interfere in the religious matters of Muslims any further. And neither would any such incident [of disrespect] take place anymore. [Christians] will respect the religion of Muslims and holy places and their religious festivals and they [the leaders] will teach this to the members of their community'.
