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Hate campaign root of violence against minorities, say Pakistan churches
2003-009-4
Friday, January 17, 2003
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[Episcopal News Service]
Church leaders in Pakistan say ongoing attacks on Christians and other minorities is a fallout of unchecked hatred.
The National Council of Churches of Pakistan (NCCP) has endorsed a statement by the Commission for Justice and Peace of the Roman Catholic Church, expressing 'deep concern over hate speech and provocation of religious frenzy against non-Muslims.'
'We share the fears expressed by the Catholic church,' Victor Azariah, NCCP general secretary, told ENI from Lahore.
The statements followed an attack on Christmas Day by assailants clad in traditional Muslim dress who hurled a hand grenade into a small Protestant church in Chianwala, killing three girls and seriously wounding more than a dozen worshippers. Christians have expressed fears that the Chianwala attack was the result of continued hate speeches against Christians by the cleric in charge of the local mosque.
Religious minorities account for less than 5 percent of the 140 million people in Muslim-dominated Pakistan.
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