Christian leaders and civil society activists condemned the incident, urging tolerance, respect and acceptance for people belonging to all faiths.
Asif Aqeel, director of Lahore-based Christian non-government organization Community Development Initiative, said, “Christians are told to turn the other cheek. They are also told not to take revenge rather pray for their enemies. The act of burning the Quran by Terry Jones and Wayne Sapp has no biblical basis and does not represent the teachings of the Christian faith. The Christians of Pakistan are facing the repercussions of their heinous act.”
He said that Muslims should realize that the act of two individuals should not be considered a collective act of all Christians. “At the same time we would say that no civilized person can imagine to repay these so-called preachers by burning the Bible… we condemn this act as uncivilized and similarly devoid of respect of others,” he said.
Several protests against the Quran burning were reported across Pakistan after the Friday prayers. The angry protesters shouted slogans against Jones and Sapp and burnt their effigies, and also targeted the government for “not strongly protesting against the incident internationally.”
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