Christians Under Attack

The Khatm-e-Nabuwat Conference, an international Islamic organization, has put up banners saying “Jews, Christians and Marzai (Ahmadis) are enemies of Islam,” along several roads in the city.

“We pray to the Lord to protect us as we are helpless otherwise. We condemn Facebook for holding the competition and hope that the banners are taken down quickly”, said Archbishop Lawrence J. Saldanha of Lahore.

One of the anti-Christian banners is displayed close to the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Lahore, he said.

Father Aftab James Paul, director of the Diocesan Commission for Interreligious Dialogue in Faisalabad was also fearful. “It is a dangerous reaction and a failed method to change the Western mindset. The Khatm-e-Nabuwat Conference constitutes people from banned militant organizations and has been involved in several Church attacks in the past”, he said.

The commission is to organize a press conference against the social networking site’s competition at the Faislabad Press Club on May 28, he added.

Anger in Pakistan over the competition is growing over a Facebook competition inviting users to draw caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. Muslims held “a day of protecting the Prophet’s honor”  on May 26 in Lahore, while Religious groups planned to hold protest rallies.

The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority has also extended its crackdown on “sacrilegious content,”  blocking 800 websites including Facebook and YouTube.

PA09833/1603 May 26, 2010 (269 words)

Pakistan blocks YouTube after Facebook
Facebook Prophet plan enrages Pakistanis