Religious Intolerance

In the picture above a young man pictured is about to throw a cross - a potent symbol of the Christian faith - onto a burning fire.

In the background is an angry mob in Lahore (Pakistan) - which has just attacked, looted and burned the homes of the local Christian community - in the wake of a dispute between two local men - one a Muslim the other a Christian.

The Muslim man accused his Christian friend of blasphemy after a disagreement and brawl - following a night of drinking apparently - then the local religious enforcers did their work.

Now as far as I know there have been no reports of violent retaliation - in Christian communities across the world.

Religious leaders and politicians have not risen up and roused crowds of angry men to acts of violence against Muslims and their property - for the behaviour of other people over whom they had no control.

Yet that is exactly what happened last year, when a lunatic Christian Pastor in America threatened to burn the Koran - a very powerful symbol for all Muslims, of course.

So it seems to me that in certain countries across the world the Islamic faith has a terrible tendency to turn to violence - in response to some perceived insult to Islam.

Which is a real problem because much of it is 'whipped-up' quite deliberately by religious and civic leaders - as in the case of Salman Rushdie and The Satanic Verses.

In a similar incident in 2009 in Gojra where eight eight Christians were burnt alive and 60 houses torched - the Punjab government was quick to register a case against 1,000 men accused of the attack - but none of the men have ever been convicted.

Which tells its own story - I suppose.