Until the provincial government renamed Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (NWFP), travelling north-west along the Grand Trunk Road or on the new motorway to Peshawar could be romantically described along the lines of “To The Frontier”. Crossing from Punjab over the Attock Bridge at the confluence of the Kabul and Indus rivers, we now enter Khyber Pukhntoonkhwa (KPK), a name that denotes the majority ethnic group in the area and most famous geographical landmark. Non-Pukhtoons protested the name change but the British Raj-era NWFP is now consigned to history.
In Peshawar on Sunday 30 I attended both the main Urdu and English language services at St John’s Cathedral. I had several conversations with people about the protests that erupted on Friday 21. In response to the by now notorious anti-Islam film released on the internet, the government had announced a holiday, Youm-e Ishq-e-Rasool (Day to Love the Prophet) and in several cities these had degenerated into violence. Businesses and banks were attacked and looted. One church, St Paul’s Church in Mardan along with the school and accommodation were burned down. There were more protests in some major cities on Friday 28, mostly peaceful but Peshawar saw more looting. The violence has been condemned in the press as being completely wrong-headed, damaging to the country and indefensible as way of expressing devotion to Islam or the Prophet Muhammad. Christians in Peshawar told me this is what their Muslim friends, colleagues and neighbours feel about the violence and destruction.
I have just visited St Paul’s Sarhadi [Frontier] Church in Mardan. Rather, I visited the burned shell of the church. My family and I lived in Mardan for 11 years from 1986 and this was our local church. It was harrowing to see the damage caused by the mob 10 days before. Scorch marks on the walls, furniture and fittings reduced to charcoal, Bibles, hymn books and Christian literature burned to ashes. The pews, pulpit, communion table, windows, all destroyed. One friend I met there said “This church has stood for 80 years, it is our heritage.” I was lost for words and struggled to express my deep, heartfelt sorrow.
Not only the church but the diocesan school and houses of the pastor and head teacher were torched. I was introduced to Tariq Mehmood, Deputy Registrar of the local Abdul Wali Khan University. I was amazed that the school has already reopened. Repairs had been done, burnt walls whitewashed and doors replaced. The university had donated chairs and other furniture and has pledged to replace all the books lost from the library. People said that many Muslims had expressed their condolences.
Conversations are just beginning about what would be an appropriate response to the destruction of the church, school and accommodation in Mardan. The Chief Minister of KPK announced the provincial government would give £200,000 to help rebuild the church. Somehow money and rebuilding seem inadequate despite the good intentions. Relationships need be restored, trust be rebuilt and the Christian community needs to have confidence that they can live securely and with dignity, just like every other citizen.
Jesus’ radical teaching that the Law could be summarised thus, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with mind and love your neighbour as yourself” (Luke 10:27) seems like a starting point for the ministry of reconciliation, restoration and forgiveness that needs to happen.