Five Christian Nurses Under Threat in Pakistan

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In Pakistan one Christian has been sentenced to death after a brownshirt neighbor turned him in for making comments derogatory to the prophet during an argument. The Christian sentenced to death won’t be the last as the religious extremists like Maulana Ghazi from Lal Masjid/Jamia Hafsa and others in Pakistan search for scapegoats and victims.

The authorities in Islamabad have closed a nurses hostel due to “disrespect to the holy Quran” and put five Christians on suspension while they investigate.

The charge?  Two nursing students with connections to Jamia Hafsa reported that a Koranic verse on a water cooler was defaced.

Jamia Hafsa quickly sent a flying squad of 30 baton-wielding crows and ten male students to “investigate.” Luckily the police turned them back after heated arguments and negotiations. The charge is serious, if there is an actual cross over the verse then the Christian hospital workers could get sentenced to death as well. The question is: who really put it there?

The backdrop to this is the Pope’s recent call to Pakistan for religious tolerance. Original article from the Pakistan Daily Times:

ISLAMABAD: The administration of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) has suspended five Christian officials including Staff Nursing College Principal Stella Nazir and instructor Fazeela Piara after Muslim nursing students alleged that Christian students had desecrated verses of the holy Quran inscribed on a water cooler in the college.
The PIMS administration has closed the nurses’ hostel for 15 days and deployed security guards and policemen to prevent any untoward incident. The Margalla police station has registered a case against unidentified persons under Section 295B of the Blasphemy Act on the complaint of PIMS Deputy Executive Director Dr Amjad.
Dr Amjad told Daily Times that a cross was marked on translations of the holy Quran and Hadith written on a water cooler in the college. He said the hostel boarders had been sent to their homes on summer vacation. The PIMS administration has formed a three-member committee under the supervision of Prof Anwarul Haq to investigate the matter and submit a report within 48 hours.

Meanwhile, the district administration foiled an attempt by Jamia Hafsa students to occupy the nurses’ hostel after Muslim students of the PIMS nursing college told them about the alleged desecration of Quranic verses.
The Jamia Hafsa administration sent 30 female and 10 male students to PIMS for action against the alleged desecrators and to occupy the nurses’ hostel. The district administration and a heavy police contingent rushed to PIMS and cordoned off the hostel. Sources told Daily Times that baton-wielding students of Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa had a heated argument with the police, but were not allowed entry into the hostel.