LAHORE, Pakistan — Christians are living in tents in Pakistan after Muslims destroyed more than 175 homes following a blasphemy accusation. They are disillusioned that authorities have not compensated them, but for some the greatest pain is what cannot be replaced.
“I am still unable to recover from the trauma after seeing my house burned down completely,” one elderly woman said. “It takes ages to build a house and make it into home, but these cruel people shattered our lives within minutes.”
The two streets leading to Joseph Colony are packed with white and yellow tents, most donated by the Al-Khair Foundation, a British Muslim charity, and the Sindh-based “secular” political party, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement. Joseph Colony is an impoverished Christian area of nearly 200 families.
Christians of Joseph Colony lost their homes after police ordered them to leave the area in anticipation of rioting by local Muslims in early March. About 3,000 Muslims gathered outside Joseph Colony on March 9, furious over an alleged remark against Islam by a Christian, Sawan Masih, in an earlier discussion with his Muslim drinking buddy, barber Shahid Imran.
In spite of Masih’s arrest in the early hours of March 9, the mob robbed and torched more than 175 houses, two church buildings and dozens of shops and vehicles.
The Lahore district government has set up 185 tents for the displaced families. Layers of coiled barbed wire and a heavy police contingent protect the entrances to the camps set up for the residents of Joseph Colony. Residents are determined to start their lives afresh, but they say the most difficult challenge is getting free of fear.
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