SEVERAL Christian children and women were reportedly burnt to death when a Muslim mob set on fire 40 homes of Christians in Korian village in Toba Tek district of Punjab province in Pakistan on July 30.

According to Pakistan Christian Post, the Faisalabad-Gojra Road has been blocked by a Muslim mob that is preventing any help to reach village Korian where homes of Christians are burning.

The trigger to the violence, it was reported, was that Christians had given shelter to a boy who was accused to have torn down pages of Koran.

On Sunday night Muslims were searching for one boy in a large gathering of a Christian wedding ceremony; they accused that the boy accused had burnt down pages of the Koran, the Pakistan newspaper reported.

Though the Christian and Muslim elders in the village defused the tension on clarification of the Christian youth that he had not burnt pages of the Quran, the mob came back on Thursday night at 9:00 pm (Pakistan time). The Muslim mob is said to have given a call to the locals from a mosque’s loudspeakers asking them to gather and teach a lesson to ‘infidel Christians.’

Police forces have left Lahore for Toba Tek after call from Christians in Gojra who are also hiding in homes on fear of attack by Muslims.

The nearby villages also made same announcements from mosque and Muslims gathered before homes of Christians in large numbers. Women and men with fear locked their doors to hide inside.

It is second incident of burning homes of Christian in Punjab province when Muslim mob on accusation of blasphemy attacked village Bahamin Wala in district Kasur on July 1, 2009.

There is widespread fear among Christians in Punjab province on safety and security of life from attacks of extremist Muslims and misuse of blasphemy laws, Pakistan Christian Post added.

Related stories: | US body wants Pak notified as worst violator of religious rights | Pak girl raped for being Christian | Pak Christian killed for drinking tea from 'Muslim cup' |

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