Capuchin friars hold prayer meeting in solidarity with Christians in Iraq and SyriaLahore — The group of Pakistani Taliban "Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan" has announced its open support for the Islamic State jihadist group operating in Iraq and Syria, ordering all members of the region to "unite against the enemy."
"These slogans and the lust for dominion are the main threats to coexistence and religious freedom in Pakistan, the mission for which we, human rights activists, work tirelessly," said lawyer Sardar Mushtaq Gill, expressing the concerns of the Christian community in Pakistan.
"In Pakistan we continue to organize seminars and meetings to promote interreligious harmony, we seek to build peace and to live in a climate of dialogue and respect among different faiths. Coexistence and religious freedom are good not only for Christians, but for every Pakistani citizen and for every believer."
"Pakistan is a country born from the union of faiths, different cultures and values, and the idea that members of religious minorities are full citizens of this country. Now, faced with the threat of ISIS, it is time to strengthen this vision in the Pakistani society," said the lawyer.
Pakistani Christians look at the suffering of Iraqi and Syrian Christians with concern and solidarity. The "weapon" with which they intend to fight the spread of ISIS’s poisonous ideology is prayer. Franciscan Friar Francis Nadeem reported to Fides that the Pakistani Capuchin friars have organized a special prayer meeting for Iraqi and Syrian Christians in recent days in Karachi.
"The militants of the Islamic State mercilessly kill innocent people, they kidnap, rape and behead. "The Capuchins have raised a heartfelt prayer to the Almighty God so that he protects innocent Christians and other religious minorities in Iraq. We also prayed for peace and harmony in Pakistan," he said.
