Taliban strike Christians with a vengeance

The Taliban has turned on Christians with a vengeance for the ongoing army offensive against the Islamic militants in Pakistan.

Furious over the U.S. and Pakistan's military operations in Swat Valley, the Taliban attacked a Christian colony, causing fear and panic among its members who are joining 200,000 others leaving the town.

In Karachi city, a growing foothold of the Taliban, there were reports of attack on a Christian slum, where the hardcore extremists indulged in violent acts.

Pastor Salim Sadiq of Holy Spirit Church in Karachi, during a telephonic conversation with Christian Today, said Christian homes were pounded by the Islamic extremists who have vowed to avenge for "the suffering of their brotherhood in NWFP area."

"They barged into our homes shouting "death to infidels” and beat us, hurling murderous threats if we don’t convert to Islam," he said.He lamented that, "Christians have no voice here. We have been suffering from ages like this under the staunch Muslim militants who rape our daughters, burn our churches and raze down our homes."

"Although the majority Muslims need not worry about the military offensive on Taliban, for Christians who are so microscopic and fragile, it is a serious concern, as it will amplify the Taliban and foment dreadful violence on us."There is rising fear that Taliban insurgents will spread to main city with Swat being just 100 miles from Islamabad, Pakistan's capital.Sadiq predicts that a ruinous wave on Christians is in the offing.

The Associated Press on Thursday quoted Rev. Richard D'Souza of St. Jude Church in Karachi, saying, "In Pakistan today there is a lot of feeling of fear by all the minorities."In D'Souza's church after young Christians protested the anti-Christian graffiti on the church walls, 25 strong men with long beards went on a rampage, beating Christians, pelting stones and setting fire to homes. An 11-year-old boy was killed during the violent spree.

"The police never helped. None of us had weapons. The police just stood there," AP quoted 26-year-old Imran Masih, who spent 10 days in the hospital after a bullet pierced his neck. The U.N., meanwhile, said it had registered more than 800,000 Pakistanis fleeing fighting between the army and the Taliban.

Calling for massive aid operation, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, hinted that plights of displaced people might spark further conflict."If you are not able to cope with the challenges posed by such an overwhelming number of people displaced, in communities that have not the economic capacity to absorb them, and if the very serious humanitarian response is not organised, this population will become a huge factor of destabilisation."