(Sargodha, Pakistan) Reported by the International Christian Concern (ICC), Inspector Muhammad Afzal Lalli, leading a squad of Pakistani Police, chased two suspected drug dealers into the unoccupied home of a Christian widow on February 9th.
After crashing through locked doors, officers allegedly stole jewelry and cash. It's not known whether the suspected drug dealers were apprehended.
However, news of the police raid and theft sparked violent protest in the Christian neighborhood. About 300 young men flooded the streets.
Inspector Lalli, allegedly a radical Muslim, and several police officers returned and reportedly opened fire on the Christian protesters. Police also charged the crowd and starting beating protesters with batons.
At this, the crowd lost control and began throwing bricks and stones at the police. The officers called for backup, and an additional law enforcement team known as the Elite Force arrived to help put down the protest.Interestingly, no casualties from gunshots and beatings have been reported. Nevertheless, it doesn't make the record of the episode any less believable. For instance, having the Pakistani Police form a Pakistani Police committee to investigate the Pakistani Police is quite believable and it's a given that Muslims regularly persecute Christians.
An ICC correspondent overheard one of the members of this Elite Force say, "How dare these Chooras [literally, "street sweepers"; a pejorative term for Christians] protest against the police." For three hours the police went back and forth with the infuriated mob.
Finally, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Malik Manzoor Awan and a Christian representative, Mr. Farrukh Tanvir, intervened and appealed to both the police and the angry mob of Christians to cool down. DSP Awan promised the Christians that justice would be served and that the police officers responsible for the raid would be prosecuted. Police then formed a committee to investigate the incident.
In reporting this incident, however, all the Pakistani print and electronic media portrayed the event in a prejudiced manner by concealing the facts and claiming that "all Christians are drug runners."
Incidentally, expectations that a Muslim police force will adequately protect and serve Christians are arguably naive. Although the followers of Islam are generally celebrated as moderate (whatever that means), Muslim leaders have repeatedly proven themselves to be intolerant and belligerent toward Christians.
The naivete regarding Islam also appears to be infectious. How else can anyone explain the general trend throughout Europe and North America to allow Muslim practices and ideology to permeate traditionally secular societies and governments? Answering my own question -- political correctness, that's how.
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