View from Dawn: After the attack on Christian homes, will Pakistan stand up to the mob?

Unless both state and society decide on a practical way of tackling extremism, and go beyond clichés and condemnations, the monster of obscurantism will continue to devour Pakistan’s vitals.

Another shameful incident was witnessed on Wednesday in Faisalabad’s Jaranwala area when a mob torched several churches, ransacked Christian homes and vandalised a graveyard. The apparent provocation for this assault was blasphemy, as the house of a Christian man allegedly involved in the offence was razed.

Clearly, in Pakistan, evidence is not required where the issue of blasphemy is concerned, and mobs take it upon themselves to dispense “justice”. This is the second such event in recent days; just a few days ago, a teacher in Balochistan was murdered because of blasphemy allegations against him.

There has been the usual round of denunciation by the political elite, including the interim prime minister. Yet the question is: do the rulers – politicians and establishment – as well as clerics and prominent society figures have the courage to confront this madness? Past precedents do not inspire confidence as murders, riots and lynchings in “defence” of religion testify.

This is not a situation that developed overnight; it has been decades in the making. For over 40 years, the state has itself been either promoting obscurantism, or using...

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