In Kahna Nau, a suburb of Lahore, the joint intervention of the Franciscans, the imam and the police prevented the act of a deranged man who burned pages of the Koran and the Bible from causing new riots. Meanwhile, in Faisalabad, a Sufi group once again organized a Christmas ceremony. Bishop Rehamt: “Let us join hands to show the world that we are a peaceful nation.”
Faisalabad () – The Franciscans of Pakistan are deeply committed to promoting interreligious dialogue, which they consider a “path to peace.” And in recent days a very significant gesture has taken place.
In the last week of November 2024, Fr. Lazar Aslam – a Capuchin friar – led an interfaith delegation to the Kahna Nau area, a southern suburb of Lahore, Punjab. The visit was aimed at addressing tensions sparked by a blasphemy incident earlier this month.
Zafar Masih, a drug addict with mental problems, had set fire to his house, burning pages of the Koran and the Bible. The incident sparked accusations of blasphemy against Islam, leading some young Muslims to threaten a mass attack against Christians in the area. The incident terrified the Christian community, which has faced similar incidents in the past, such as the one that occurred in Jaranwala, Punjab, in August 2023.
The interfaith delegation, comprising Father Lazar Aslam, Pastor Asif Ehsan Khokar and Islamic scholar Mufti Syed Ashiq Hussain, met local security chief Maaz Ul Rahman (ASP) to explain the situation and ask for protection for all. the residents. Thanks to the quick and impartial action of the authorities, the situation was controlled and the person responsible for the fire was arrested.
The intervention prevented outside groups from exploiting the incident and increasing tensions. For his part, Mufti Ashiq Hussain stressed that the relationship between Muslims and Christians is an integral part of the common history of Pakistan and must be protected. And Fr Lazar Aslam noted that the delegation’s efforts had contributed to maintaining peace between the Muslim and Christian communities in Kahna Nau.
As a result, Deputy Inspector General of Punjab Shahzada Sultan convened a meeting of religious leaders, peace advocates and community representatives on December 14, 2024. The senior official praised Father Lazar Aslam’s efforts to achieve peace and said he also wanted to reward Maaz ul Rehman for the police’s conduct.
Meanwhile, another important interreligious moment was the Christmas celebration ceremony organized in Faisalabad at its sacred place by the LaSaani Sarkar, a Sufi Muslim religious group that has been carrying out this event for 27 years. The Catholic bishop of Faisalabad, priests, pastors of different confessions, Christian lawyers, journalists and social workers were invited to the event. The proposed theme for this year was “The paths of peace: humanity first, religion later.”
Shahzada Shakil Nawaz Siddiqui, successor of the Sufi Masood Ahmad Siddiqui LaSaani Sarkar, founder of the community, said in his Christmas greeting to the participants: “There is an urgent need to light a small candle of peace, because a small candle can end the darkness, and we are all here to diminish the darkness of hate and bias. We are celebrating the birthday of the Prince of Peace, Jesus and Mother Mary are very sacred to us, they both united us and built a relationship of peace and unity between people. So we must be united, remain peaceful and always spread humanity.
Bishop Indrias Rehamt, bishop of Faisalabad, responded: “Jesus came to earth not only for Christians, but for all humanity, and celebrating his birth is very beautiful for everyone. Today I visited LaSaani Sarkar for the first time and I enjoyed this great celebration. Sufi saints have served all nations and spread the message of peace and unity. Our nation needs to be united despite different beliefs and religions. Let us join hands to show the world that we are a peaceful nation and we always stand by each other in all difficult times.”
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