Daily Times

There are times when one says a little prayer for small mercies. In a climate where frequent terror attacks and brutal murders in the name of a warped religious ideology are the norm, it is a blessing to be able to breathe a sigh of relief now that the Easter weekend has come to an end without any untoward incident occurring against our besieged Christian community. We had the traditional round of Easter mass and prayers offered in every church around the country yet the occasion passed by without any battle cries and bloodshed, which we are so accustomed to hearing and seeing. After the suicide bombings of two churches in Youhanabad, Lahore, and the subsequent riots that ended up in the sad lynchings of two innocent passersby a few weeks ago, it is heartening to see that at least for this occasion, security was beefed up in and around most of the churches in the country. It gives us weary citizens a little hope that precautions are taken and efforts made to ensure some modicum of security and dignity to those the state usually neglects: our minorities.

However, this good work is more likely to be a one-hit wonder rather than a sustained attempt at keeping our Christian community safe. The Youhanabad incident clearly demonstrates the bias with which our authorities and law enforcement agencies operate. After the deadly bombings in the two churches that killed tens of people, members of the Christian community were rounded up and charged by the police for the lynching of two Muslim men. The Punjab police have rounded up as many as 200 Christian protestors for daring to veer away from their usual stance of turning the other cheek whenever they are attacked. The death of the two lynching victims seems to have overshadowed the attack on the Christian churches in Youhanabad. While one can never condone mob violence and one’s heart goes out to the men who were killed so barbarically, one can never lose sight of the fact that the first to suffer was the Christian community who have always remained quiet whenever their churches and homes have been burnt to the ground and pillaged. It cannot reasonably be expected that they will remain silent forever. To add insult to injury, Chief Minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif visited the families of the lynching victims but failed to visit the bereaved relatives of the many who were killed in the Youhanabad church bombings. It is this mindset that needs to change, this harsh attitude that reminds our minorities that they do not matter. Easter has come and gone but our Christian brothers and sisters are here and they still need our protection. *