Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options

Christians and other minority groups in Pakistan have been warned to be on their guard in the wake of the killing of Salman Taseer, governor of Pakistan’s Punjab Province. Auxiliary Bishop Sebastian Shaw of Lahore said that across Pakistan people were “shocked and horrified” by the assassination on Jan. 4. The late governor had been a critic of Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy law. Bishop Shaw said he was calling on the faithful to avoid public comment or action that could be misinterpreted and used to justify acts of violence and intimidation. “All of our people need to be very careful. Saying anything can incite the mob. We must not live in fear. We must have faith in God. But if we go on the streets to express ourselves at this time, it will create a negative reaction.” Pakistan’s blasphemy law has been increasingly criticized as a pretext for violence and intimidation of minority groups, particularly Christians.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

Delegates hold "Mass deportation now!" signs on Day 3 of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee July 17, 2024. (OSV News photo/Brian Snyder, Reuters)
Around the affluent world, new hostility, resentment and anxiety has been directed at immigrant populations that are emerging as preferred scapegoats for all manner of political and socio-economic shortcomings.
Kevin ClarkeNovember 21, 2024
“Each day is becoming more difficult, but we do not surrender,” Father Igor Boyko, 48, the rector of the Greek Catholic seminary in Lviv, told Gerard O’Connell. “To surrender means we are finished.”
Gerard O’ConnellNovember 21, 2024
Many have questioned how so many Latinos could support a candidate like DonaldTrump, who promised restrictive immigration policies. “And the answer is that, of course, Latinos are complicated people.”
J.D. Long GarcíaNovember 21, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris delivers her concession speech for the 2024 presidential election on Nov. 6, 2024, on the campus of Howard University in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Catholic voters were a crucial part of Donald J. Trump’s re-election as president. But did misogyny and a resistance to women in power cause Catholic voters to disregard the common good?
Kathleen BonnetteNovember 21, 2024