(International Christian Concern) – On Nov. 4, a mob of armed Muslims stopped Christians from constructing a church building in the village of Chak 211/EB, located near Arifwala, in the Pakpattan district of Pakistan’s Punjab province. According to local Christians, they are being denied their basic constitutional rights by village leaders.
The incident started when a mob of armed Muslims, led by a local landlord named Chaudhry Saleem Gujar, confronted the Christians erecting a boundary wall and gate that would surround a new church building. The mob then demolished the wall and beat the Christians present.
A mason working on the church building claimed in a video post to Facebook, “I was working when Muslim men stopped me from completing my work. They said, ‘We cannot allow you to build the church because when you pray, we get disturbed.’”
“The Christian community has been struggling to build a church in the village for about 20 years,” Naseer, a local catechist, told International Christian Concern (ICC). “We had several meeting with local officials and the religious leadership of the Muslim community. We haven’t seen encouraging results.”
Continue reading this story >>