St. Thomas’ Church, Wah Cantt
Encyclopedia
St. Thomas’ Church, Wah Cantt
is a Catholic church located about 50 km from Rawalpindi
, Pakistan.
The church was attacked by a group of armed men on 28 March 2011 which resulted in damages. About 6.30 pm six armed men broke into the Church's courtyard, throwing rocks and trying to force open the church door. An attendant alerted the parish priest and the police. The attackers, who were not able to force the door, instead tried to set it on fire and then fled. The parish priest at the time was Fr Yusaf Amanat.
It is felt that these acts of intimidation are perhaps related to the recent episode of the burning of the Quran by Pastor Terry Jones
in the U.S.
The bishop of Islamabad-Rawalpindi
, Rufin Anthony
, visited the scene shortly after the incident. He met the police and asked for more protection for churches.
This is the third attack against churches in Pakistan within a week, an indication of a climate of intimidation against religious minorities. The extremists look for pretexts to attack Christians who live in a state of insecurity and fear.
The area has a history of enimity between the religious groups. In 2004 the family of Tasneem Dean left the locality of Wah Cantt after an agreement between the Saint Thomas Church and the leader of the Central Lala Rukh Mosque, after an 11-year-old girl accidentally threw a copy of the Quran in the garbage. The family had been threatened that their house would be burnt.
Wah Cantt
Wah Cantonment is a military city located in the Punjab province of Pakistan, to the north west of Rawalpindi/Islamabad.-History:...
is a Catholic church located about 50 km from Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
, Pakistan.
The church was attacked by a group of armed men on 28 March 2011 which resulted in damages. About 6.30 pm six armed men broke into the Church's courtyard, throwing rocks and trying to force open the church door. An attendant alerted the parish priest and the police. The attackers, who were not able to force the door, instead tried to set it on fire and then fled. The parish priest at the time was Fr Yusaf Amanat.
It is felt that these acts of intimidation are perhaps related to the recent episode of the burning of the Quran by Pastor Terry Jones
Terry Jones
Terence Graham Parry Jones is a Welsh comedian, screenwriter, actor, film director, children's author, popular historian, political commentator, and TV documentary host. He is best known as a member of the Monty Python comedy team....
in the U.S.
The bishop of Islamabad-Rawalpindi
Roman Catholic Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Pakistan....
, Rufin Anthony
Rufin Anthony
Rufin Anthony is a Pakistani Roman Catholic Bishop. He completed his primary and secondary school in Khushpur. He received his religious training at the St. Pius X Minor Seminary in Quetta and the Christ the King Major Seminary, Karachi and was ordained a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of...
, visited the scene shortly after the incident. He met the police and asked for more protection for churches.
This is the third attack against churches in Pakistan within a week, an indication of a climate of intimidation against religious minorities. The extremists look for pretexts to attack Christians who live in a state of insecurity and fear.
The area has a history of enimity between the religious groups. In 2004 the family of Tasneem Dean left the locality of Wah Cantt after an agreement between the Saint Thomas Church and the leader of the Central Lala Rukh Mosque, after an 11-year-old girl accidentally threw a copy of the Quran in the garbage. The family had been threatened that their house would be burnt.