LAHORE, Pakistan — A Pakistani Christian was arrested on an accusation of blasphemy, prompting many other Christians in the area to flee their homes in fear.
Zafar Iqbal was arrested Nov. 3 in Ward No. 12 in Pakistan’s Punjab province, having been accused by Muslims of burning pages of the Quran at his home, a rights activist told Christian Daily International and Morning Star News.
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The media outlets say an imam of Noorani Mosque in Kahna filed the accusation against Iqbal. The iman said he and two other Muslims saw that the burning papers were from the Quran.
As news of the arrest spread in the area, members of the Islamist extremist group Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan gathered. Because of Iqbal’s arrest and the Isalmists’ presence, many Christians feared violence would ensue and fled as a precaution, the news outlets report.
Iqbal is in prison and is charged with Section 295-B of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. This section concerns desecration of the Quran. Conviction on such a charge carries a life sentence, the news services state.
Iqbal’s family is in hiding, the media sources say.
Pakistan is No. 7 on Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of places most difficult to be a Christian.
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