Religious leaders of Pakistan condemned the murder of young Christian man
The killing of a young Christian man in Pakistan a few days ago created tensions in the country. Saleem Masih was brutally beaten after taking a bath in a tube-well belonging to a local landlord in Punjab province.
As S4C has reported three days ago, Saleem Masih, a young Christian was killed in Pakistan. He took a bath in a tube-well, which was noticed by some local Muslim people. Accusing him of “polluting” the water, they tortured him, causing several fatal external and internal injuries.
According to Vatican News, the killers kept him for about three days, after they returned the body to the family of Saleem. Not long after that, the young man succumbed to his injuries.
His death created tensions and religious leaders of Pakistan condemned the brutal murder of the perpetrators. The National Commission for Interreligious Dialogue and Ecumenism (NCIDE) and the Church of Pakistan (part of the Anglican Communion) appealed to the state to guarantee justice for Saleem Masih.
Several Christian and Muslim religious leaders met two days ago in Lahore, addressing the issue and discussing what to do. The meeting was chaired by Mgr. Azad Marshal, Anglican bishop of the Diocese of Rawalpindi, in the Church of Pakistan, in the presence, among others, of Fr. Francis Nadeem OFM Cap, NCIDE Executive Secretary, Fr. Emmanuel Khokhar and Islamic leader Muhammad Asim Makhdoom, Agenzia Fides reported.
All those present “expressed deep regret” for the events that had taken place, a sign of widespread intolerance towards Christians, and also for the behavior of the police who did not take harsher measures by stopping and immediately releasing the perpetrators of the crime.
“It is the State’s responsibility to provide security to all citizens of the country without any kind of discrimination. All citizens, of all religions, are equal, contribute to the development of their beloved nation and deserve equal rights. We are a nation and live under a single Constitution and a single flag. The State must enforce these fundamental principles”, Fr. Francis Nadeem OFM told Fides.
The assembly of religious leaders expressed pain and bitterness for the persecution suffered by Christians in Paskistan, also recalling that suffered by the Muslims of India, inviting, for both scenarios, to avoid any discriminatory law and behavior, respecting the “principle of citizenship”.
As reported to Fides, the assembly made the following decisions: launch an appeal to world human rights organizations “to take immediate action to stop violence against Muslims in India and against religious minorities in Pakistan”; launch an appeal to the government of Pakistan so that, “instead of proclaiming empty slogans, take practical measures to avoid this type of incident in the future”, bringing the perpetrators of Saleem Masih’s murder to justice and actively promoting interreligious harmony in Pakistan.
Photo is courtesy of Pixabay.
