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From the Washington Times:
Christians in Pakistan are feeling increasingly insecure after several violent attacks by Muslim extremists in the past two months.
In one case, eight Christians were burned to death by a Muslim mob after reports that the Muslim holy book, the Koran, had been desecrated.
Growing Talibanization of the country and a blasphemy law in place for two decades make non-Muslims, especially Christians, easy targets for discrimination and attacks, Christian and human rights activists say.
"The attacks on Christians seem to be symptomatic of a well-organized campaign launched by extremist elements against the Christian community all over central Punjab since early this year," Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Chairwoman Asma Jehangir said at a press conference last month.
2 comments:
I discovered years ago, when I started researching this kind of thing, that Americans do not give a single thought to the fate of foreign Christians. Not even one tiny hint of caring. Not even a little bit. Foreigners may be drinking rivers of Christian blood overseas, and it does not seem to register.
I am not totally sure why, but I have a couple theories. I think it may have something to do with the fact that non-Christians control the news cycle. It also flies in the face of the dominant narrative of Christians DOING all the historical persecutions, so the liberal minds in charge of the news simply do not register it.
But even then, on Christian radio, Christian websites, and other media, it does not seem to register. So why would establishment media cover it if Christians don't even care?
I feel like a stranger in a strange land.
Justin:
That is an astute observation. Certainly you are correct that persecution of Christians goes under- and mis-reported, but let me add a couple of other possibilities.
1. Parochialism. Most of the Christian victims of persecution are eastern rite Christians with whom American Christians have very little cultural or (as far as they know) theological affinity. (Here I am speaking of conservative believers, obviously.) If we can barely concede that they are really Christians in the way we use the word, then it's harder to take personally what happens to them.
2. Isolationism. We're wrapped up in our own culture war and domestic conerns. We notice what's happening in Europe, perhaps, but after that our capacity to care about other countries is exhausted. With one exception:
3. Dispensationalism (or whatever we're calling it now). The misinterpretations of Biblical prophecy of the Left Behind variety that invest apocalyptic significance in the modern state of Israel probably distort our understanding of what goes on in the Middle East. But either way, our concern for Israel also sucks up the oxygen available for worrying about other people.
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