ASIA/PAKISTAN - Sowing peace and hope in the face of incitement to violence and religious hatred

Monday, 17 July 2023 peace islam religious minorities

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Islamabad (Agenzia Fides) - "Our mission is to sow peace and hope in this life, in which the Lord Jesus Christ is our hope and our peace", says Msgr. Joseph Arshad, Archbishop of Islamabad-Rawalpindi, speaking about the burning of a copy of the Koran that took place in Sweden on June 28. The Stockholm incident sparked outrage and protests throughout the Muslim world. In response, Muslims from the Tehreek-e-Labbiak Pakistan (TLP) movement painted the Swedish flag on latrines and publicly threatened retaliatory gestures. Archbishop Arshad recalled that "respect for all religions, in Pakistan and in all other nations, is the only way to build a peaceful society and world".
In recent days, thousands of Muslims have gathered in the streets of various cities in Pakistan and have burned the Swedish flag. Given the tense atmosphere, Christian communities in Pakistan have been alerted by the government as possible targets of reprisals, despite having no connection to the matter, as has already happened in Sweden. Christians in Pakistan immediately distanced themselves and condemned this offense against the Koran, stating that they were also offended by this gesture and calling for respect for all religious symbols of all denominations.
The Catholic bishops of Pakistan expressed their disappointment and condemned the desecration of the Koran, urging the Swedish government and the international community to stop any act that could incite religious hatred. The Ecumenical Commission for Human Development, a body that unites Christian leaders of different confessions in Pakistan, has expressed its solidarity with Muslims in Sweden and, at the same time, has urged the civil authorities to monitor the ongoing protests in Pakistan so that they do not become unjustified attacks against churches, institutions or people from Christian communities.
"As the Catholic Church in Pakistan we have the responsibility to contribute to the educational, political, social and collective improvement of the whole society", insisted Monsignor Joseph Arshad, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Pakistan. "In our daily mission we aspire to hope, peace and the unity of families and society. Peace and hope are fundamental to human life. For this reason, any Christian and any human being must spread and live the values of peace and hope, and these are the seeds that we are sowing in our beloved Pakistan", explained Arshad, thus confirming the commitment of the baptized to interreligious harmony and the diffusion of a culture of tolerance, solidarity, mutual acceptance and fraternity among believers of different religions in the country.
"We are very aware of the current delicate situation and the problems that our country and society is facing. We need people who, both in leadership and in ordinary everyday life, among ordinary people, know and want to nurture a new hope and a thought of peace in society", he concluded. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 17/7/2023)