LAHORE, Pakistan, Aug. 3 (UPI) -- The killing of Christians in Gojra in Pakistan's Punjab province is part of a larger pattern of growing intolerance toward them, some say.
At least seven Christians died when a mob of Muslims attacked their community during the weekend, apparently enraged over an alleged desecration of a Koran.
Many Christian homes were torched and Faith Bible Pentecostal Church was destroyed, the Washington Post reported.
Federal Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti denied any Koran had been desecrated, the report said.
Some residents told the Post the violence is further evidence of the growing power of the Taliban and other Islamic militant groups in the Punjab.
"They have made up their minds to crush Christianity. They always call us dogs of America, agents of America," Romar Sardar, an English teacher in the area told the newspaper. "There has been no protection by the police. Nothing."
"I know one thing. They want to destroy Christians," Atiq Masih, 22, a janitor who was shot in the right knee, was quoted as saying. "They were attacking everything."
The Post said Christians, who represent about 2 percent of the province's population, have been targeted in other recent cases. In June, Christian homes in the Kasur district were attacked for allegedly dishonoring Prophet Mohammed.
"The provincial government is not accepting that a large part of Punjab is suffering from religious intolerance due to the Taliban and religious outfits," said Peter Jacob, executive secretary of the National Commission for Justice and Peace. His group issues an annual report on religious minorities in Pakistan.
The Post said Pakistan's president and prime minister have called for investigations into the violence.
