ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Christians were closing their schools across the country for three days starting Monday to protest the killings of eight members of their community by Muslims, violence that drew condemnation from Pope Benedict XVI.
Hundreds of Muslims, allegedly spurred on by a radical Islamist group, stormed a Christian neighborhood in the eastern city of Gojra on Saturday, burning dozens of houses after reports surfaced that some Christians had desecrated a Qur’an.
Six Christians died in the flames, while two were killed by gunshots, as police did little to stop the attackers.
Christian leaders and Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said an initial probe had debunked the Qur’an defilement rumor.
“We are closing the schools to show our anger and concern,” Bishop Sadiq Daniel told The Associated Press, noting the move was a peaceful tactic. “We want the government to bring all perpetrators of the crime to justice.”
In a telegram Monday, the pope said he was “deeply grieved” to hear of the “senseless attack.”
Paramilitary troops and other security forces were patrolling the city Monday. Farhatullah Babar, a spokesman for Pakistan’s president, said a judicial panel will probe the incident. It was not immediately clear exactly how many schools would be shuttered.
Christians make up less than 5 percent of Pakistan’s 175 million people, and they generally live in peace with their Muslim neighbors.Extremists, however, have made Christians and other minority religious groups a target.
Officials have blamed the attacks on the banned extremist group Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan.
