Anglican Communion News Service

Following the rioting and destruction of three Christian villages in Pakistan earlier this month by Muslims, leaders of the Christian and Muslim communities in the City of Bradford spoke out deploring the violence. In a letter sent to the Pakistani Acting High Commissioner in the UK they urged Pakistan's new Government to restore the confidence of religious minorities in the country and ensure that their basic rights as citizens are protected, and to commit itself to helping make good all the losses. The letter was signed by leaders of both Christian and Muslim communities including the Bishop of Bradford and the General Secretary of the Bradford Council for Mosques.

Christian and Muslim leaders in Manchester also issued a statement which deplored the persecution. Neither Islam nor Christianity gives any encouragement to hostility to those of another religion. Those who seek to oppress religious minorities, of whatever belief, are acting against the true spirit of both Islam and Christianity.

Related News Entries

• Christian Villages Destroyed (February 14, 1997)