NYTimes | With its Muslim-style minarets topped by a large black cross, the All
Saints Church in Peshawar has for more than a century offered a daring
architectural expression of Muslim-Christian harmony and cohabitation.
This is how the Taliban destroyed it: two suicide bombers rushed the
church doors as worshipers streamed out on Sunday. One attacker exploded
his vest inside, the other just outside.
The death toll had risen to 85 by Monday evening, when Christians across
the country protested the worst atrocity their community has suffered
in Pakistan’s history.
Crowds blocked roads, burned tires and waved wooden crosses as they
marched in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar. Many shouted demands
for government protection, while voicing skepticism about whether Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government could stave off attacks. Mission
schools announced they would close for three days.
For government critics, the atrocity highlighted the continuing failure
of the state to protect minorities against hate attacks. Hundreds of
Shiites, in particular, have been killed in devastating attacks over the
past year. But it also further stirred a debate about a recent
political decision to start peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban,
billed as an attempt to stem the bloodshed.
“Pakistan’s politicians are failing at the most basic of questions —
about what kind of Pakistan they want to shape and lead,” said Cyril
Almeida, a writer with Dawn newspaper. “Whether out of sympathy, fear or
cowardice, no one is willing to stand up to radical Islamists and say:
‘No, enough is enough. We are taking our country back.’ ”
Christians in Pakistan already contend with deep-rooted prejudice. Most
are poor and traditionally carry out menial work like sweeping street
garbage and cleaning sewers. Muslim mobs, enraged by rumors of
blasphemy, occasionally rampage through Christian slums, and have burned
hundreds of houses. Extremists killed the Christian minorities minister
Shahbaz Bhatti in early 2011.
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