Jaranwala riots marked a turning point for interreligious dialogue in Pakistan

A decade and a half ago, Archbishop Sebastian Shaw encountered much skepticism and little interest in dialogue from Muslim leaders. After years of building trust, he asserts that Islamic leaders themselves are now taking the initiative to speak up for persecuted Christians.

The Archbishop of Lahore, Sebastian Francis Shaw, believes that the key to encouraging the government to crack down on extremists who persecute Christians in Pakistan lies in the pressure exerted by Islamic scholars.

In a recent visit to the international headquarters of the pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) in Germany, the Archbishop spoke about the outcomes of interreligious dialogue in his home country. He highlighted a recent incident of persecution against Christians, which appears to have marked a turning point in relations between the Catholic Church and Islam.

On August 16, a Muslim mob in Jaranwala, Faisalabad, forced thousands of Christians to flee their homes, fueled by rumors that two Christian brothers had desecrated the Quran. Dozens of churches were torched, and hundreds of families were left homeless as their houses were looted and burned. Although no fatalities occurred, Christians had to sleep in fields for several nights due to the danger of returning.

“The next day, we held a press conference in Lahore with six or seven Islamic leaders, or ulemas, who are members of our dialogue group. I showed one of them pictures of children sleeping in the fields, and I said, ‘We are only 2% of the population, and you are 97%. Why are your people doing this to us?’ He was very upset, and during the press conference, he became very emotional, turning to me and said, ‘Bishop, I ask for pardon on behalf of all our people.’”

Archbishop Sebastian Shaw emphasizes that the creation of Pakistan aimed to provide religious freedom, allowing non-Hindus to escape the strict caste system prevailing in India. However, the rise of radical Islam has been a longstanding issue, and the government often hesitates to crack down on extremists due to the potential for unrest across the country.

“Pakistan tolerates every evil, but the problem is that this evil then becomes so big that it is difficult to control. Many people were arrested after the riots, mostly members of the extremist TLP party. But the government finds it difficult to punish them, as there could be repercussions in other cities. Traditionally, they force reconciliation between Christians and the aggressors so that we forgive them, and that might be what they will propose this time as well.”

Despite these challenges, Archbishop Shaw believes that change is underway. “The voices of Muslim scholars have become very important, especially where the government and the armed forces find it more difficult to intervene. One of the results of our dialogue is that for the first time, many Muslim scholars stood with us, and they are still supporting us.”

The Archbishop, heavily involved in interreligious dialogue for many years, hopes that the voices of prominent Muslim leaders denouncing persecution of minorities in Pakistan might give the government the encouragement it needs to protect Christians and other faith groups and punish those who attack them.

ACN has been supporting interreligious dialogue in Pakistan for many years, including co-financing Christian-Muslim dialogue at the "Peace Centre” in Lahore and other activities for young people to promote education on peace, solidarity, and dialogue.

In 2023, ACN supported the Don Bosco Football Tournament in Khuspur, which aims to foster an atmosphere of dialogue, mutual respect, and understanding between young people in Pakistan from different religious communities, and the participation of young people at the Interfaith Council for Peace and Harmony in Islamabad.

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