New Delhi

Within days of the European Parliament passing a resolution against Pakistan for its persecution of minorities under the Blasphemy law, a shocking incident of Muslim nurses raiding a church in a healthcare centre in Lahore has come to the fore.

The incident has happened in the church located on the premises of Punjab Mental health Institution, a 120-year-old psychiatric facility, the oldest and once touted as the largest in South Asia.

Punjab Mental  Health Institution, Lahore

The incident was highlighted as Pakistanis and others shared snippets from the video of the incident on social media where it has gone viral.

The video clip shows a group of Muslim women nurses inside a Church and close to the altar singing ‘naat’ (a prayer song in the name of Allah). One of them is heard shouting at the Christian women nurses.

The video ends with nurses and a group of men taking out a procession in the premises of the hospital shouting slogans like “we prefer death to the dishonour of Nabi (prophet), alluding to their connection with the ongoing movement against France in the country.

In Lahore’s Mental hospital a medical mob took siege of the in-house church. Muslim nurses seen reciting naats in the church. The Christian staff was threatened to convert or face blasphemy charges and the hospital administration asked to sack all non-Muslim workers. pic.twitter.com/kZO7If2Gr7

— Naila Inayat (@nailainayat) May 3, 2021

In another clip shared on the Voice of Pakistani Minorities on Twitter, three Christian nurses are seen sharing details of what happened inside the hospital that day. They say that Muslim nurses – who are less in numbers – had taken over the church after threatening them of making them lose their jobs and implicating them in legal cases under Blasphemy laws.

A Christian nurse says the ‘peace-loving Masih community’ is often threatened and framed in false cases and the nurses entering their place of worship was unacceptable to them.

They alleged that they have been asked to convert (to Islam) or face the eventuality of being booked under the blasphemy law. They have appealed to Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief Justice to take up their cases and punish the nurses who besieged the church.

A very powerful statement by the Christian nurses. ⁦@PakPMO⁩ ⁦@ShireenMazari1⁩ take your extremely weak faith which needs a blasphemy law to protect its integrity. Your faith loses its integrity when it violates an innocent person. ⁦@Europarl_EN⁩ ⁦⁦⁦ pic.twitter.com/lq3CVVQjrC

— Elaine Alam (@ElaineAlam) May 4, 2021

Writing about it a senior Pakistani journalist Niala Inayat wrote on her Twitter handle:

"In Lahore’s Mental hospital a medical mob took siege of the in-house church. Muslim nurses are seen reciting naats in the church. The Christian staff was threatened to convert or face blasphemy charges and the hospital administration asked to sack all non-Muslim workers. Nayla Inayat."

Outrage in Pakistan

The incident has evoked a strong reaction from the media and opinion-makers in Pakistan. Qamar Cheema, an expert of International relations and strategic affairs says on his Youtube Channel that the Lahore church the incident is shocking and definitely aimed at intimidating the already harassed minorities. He says Pakistan not only loses face but also the moral right of speaking against Islamaphobia in Europe through such occurances.

Another commentator said the videos of this incident make it clear that the mob inside and outside the church was part of the larger plan of those who are targeting France for Islamaphobia. She said they awere misusing the noble profession of nursing for extremism and terrorism.

The netizens have also condemned the outcome of the clash as Police manage to make both sides settle the dispute through a compromise.