We at Isa and Islam are copying this report on the bombing of Al Saints Church in Peshawar, Pakistan. We only have one question, “Where do ‘some’ Muslims get the idea that bombing churches is a good idea, supported by God?” We would like our Muslim friends to answer that question.
By W. S.
Worst Attack on Pakistan’s Christian Community
Worst Attack on Pakistan’s Christian Community Behind the staggering death toll of the worst-ever attack on Pakistan’s Christian community are many faces that I knew personally, having grown up in All Saints Church, Peshawar, where my relatives continue to worship. The church was targeted in a double suicide bombing on Sunday (22 September), which left scores of Christians dead and injured.
The official tally stands at 85 dead, but is almost certainly much higher, as some relatives recovered the bodies of their loved ones before they were accounted for. And more may yet die as some of the injured remain in a critical condition and the local hospital struggles under the strain of so many severely wounded.
Yesterday (25 September), the Archbishop of Canterbury described them all as “martyrs.”
Stories of Intense Tragedy
Each statistic tells an individual story of intense tragedy. William, a man of a similar age to me, with whom I remember playing cricket as a lad, was killed along with his son and daughter. His wife is in a critical condition in hospital and does not yet know that her family has been murdered.
Their son, Noel, aged around 22/23, was a medical student, having worked extremely hard to gain the qualifications necessary to train as a doctor. William himself was a very intelligent man; he was the principal of the local government school. It is very rare in Pakistan for Christians, who are heavily discriminated against and generally restricted to low-paid menial work, to rise to such a position. This family was a credit to the Christian community and a blessing to wider society.
Khalid, a good friend of mine – we grew up on the same street – was also taken from us in this horrific attack. He was the main breadwinner for his family, and I do not know how they are going to cope without him.
Naiher (8) was killed along with her brother, Eshan (11), both pictured, and their grandmother. Children are the future for their families and the Church; what will tomorrow hold for them?
Recovering from Trauma
It will take some time for those involved to recover from the trauma. Zaveria (22) was momentarily blinded when something hit her on the head during the blast. The impact knocked her to the ground. She described the dreadful scene she saw when her vision returned: dead bodies on the floor, body parts flying through the air, her own mother lying on the ground unconscious. Zaveria suffered a severe head injury, and her mother is in a serious condition. Their psychological scars may well run deeper than their physical ones.
Christians have this week staged protests across Pakistan, understandably calling for better protection in the wake of the All Saints bombing, which was the single greatest tragedy to have ever afflicted the Church in Pakistan.
It has brought with it a growing sense of despair as to the future of the Church. We face not only discrimination, marginalisation, persecution and violence but also endemic poverty; our Christian community is one of the poorest in the country.
In the midst of their grief however, victims of the All Saints bombing have also talked of forgiveness and expressed determination to continue practicing their faith, despite the danger. Pakistani Christians have remained faithful to Christ over the years, seeking to worship Him, follow Him and serve Him.
All Saints will hold a service on Sunday morning as usual, in defiance of the extremists who are trying to suppress Christianity in Pakistan.
The church has asked us to pray for healing and peace for everyone affected by Sunday’s attack. Please continue to remember them in your prayers as the news agenda moves on to other matters.
[We invite you to visit us at https://www.isaandislam.com/way-of-salvation to learn more about God’s gift of Salvation. God loves you and waits to hear from you. Isa clearly said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (Injil, John 14:6) For a deeper understanding of Isa we suggest you subscribe to “Isa, Islam, and Al-Fatiha” at this link.]
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I’m not a Muslim, but perhaps this surah explains it: http://quran.com/2/191
I would like an explanation of this surah from any Muslim, please.
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Pharoah,
I am not a muslim either, but when I made an observation, I found that the context of the verse was when Muslims in Madinah were under attack from the Makkans. This verse applies to those who initiate the attack against Muslims. However, this verse are often misinterpreted by those in order to fight disbelievers.
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Thanks for this report. Grieving with you. As Christians and true Muslims, we must understand the ultimate significance of our suffering & martyrdom as revealed to us by our “Kalimat-ullah” in the Holy Injil,especially in these last days:
Injil, Revelation 6:9 “When the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of everyone who had been killed for speaking God’s message and telling about their faith. They shouted, ‘Master, you are holy and faithful! How long will it be before you judge and punish the people of this earth who killed us?’ Then each of those who had been killed was given a white robe and told to rest for a little while. They had to wait until the complete number of the Lord’s other servants and followers would be killed.
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Stefan,
You are welcome. Yes, we are grieving on what has been happening to the Pakistani church. Despite this sad tragedy, the suffered and martyrdom people have blessed us with their strong faith in Isa Al-Masih. Also, despite the persecution that the martyrdom had, they are right now rejoicing with the Lord in heaven! No more suffering and pain! Let us pray to God for the strength and protection over the suffering people and also to the current situation in Pakistan, in order God to be in control in everything.
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Those who commit acts of violence are not applying the verses of the Quran. The Quran upholds peace.
“And if they incline to peace, then incline to him and put thy trust in Allah. Verily He is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing” (Qs 8:61).
If it really is the religion of Islam that teaches to kill non-Muslims, of course, the non-Muslim minority in Indonesia would have been exhausted.
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Dear Halaby,
Those who commit acts of violence are actually applying the very verses of the Quran. The Quran upholds peace only if the other party submits, or starts the peace process. Please read carefully what you posted:
“And if they incline to peace, then incline to him and put thy trust in Allah. Verily He is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing” (Qs 8:61).
Other translations say…
(Yusuf Ali)But if the enemy inclines towards peace, do thou (also) incline towards peace, and trust in Allah:…
(Dr. Ghali) And in case they are bent on submission, then be bent on it and put your trust in Allah;…
Here, the Taliban doesn’t stop attacking innocent civilians through suicide bombers until the Americans stopped the drone attacks against them. They do follow exactly what the Quran says. Yes or no? Please read also the context of the verses in Sura 8. They are about warfare, not peacemaking.
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Dear Halaby,
Despite the verse that you quoted, the fact is that Christians there were killed, discriminated, marginalized, and forced to live under poverty. And it happened in a country such as Pakistan, where the majority of the people are Islam.
From the news, we know that the Pakistani Jundullah wing from the Taliban is responsible for this. They also said that they target non-muslims by being martyrs in order to kill the “infidels”, the non-muslims. If we look at the Quran, this kind of action is permitted by Muhammad. Qs 4:74 says “So let those fight in the cause of Allah who sell the life of this world for the Hereafter. And he who fights in the cause of Allah and is killed or achieves victory – We will bestow upon him a great reward.”
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That act was really satanic. I don’t think that God can approve that kind of reaction. All people belong to God, we should leave revenge to God.
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Samuel,
Yes, you are right that God cannot approve that kind of action. It’s sin and it’s not from God, but from the devil. However, Isa Al-Masih came for all people and wants to forgive them if they believe in Him.
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