(WASHINGTON DC – March 4, 2022) The Shia Muslim Foundation condemns today’s attack on a Shia mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan and mourns the lost lives of the innocent worshippers killed in the attack. Terrorist attacks like these are a scourge on the entire world, and attacks upon innocent lives directly contradict the teachings of Islam.
According to CNN, “A blast struck a Shia mosque during Friday prayers in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar, killing at least 56 people and injuring another 196.”[1] Reports indicate that the attack began with gunfire, followed by a suicide bombing. Peshawar police were also injured in the attack.
Shia Muslims in Pakistan have regularly been the victims of terror attacks, and Pakistani authorities have with equal regularity failed in their duty to protect their citizenry in this regard. The Shia Muslim Foundation calls upon the government Pakistan to investigate this incident as an act of terrorism against all Pakistanis, and to prosecute those responsible to the fullest extent of the law.
Shia Rights Watch tracks worldwide incidents of anti-Shiaism, and in a May 2021 report said “Despite promises of protecting Shia Muslims against violence, Shia Rights Watch notes no explicit security or counterterror measures have been announced across Pakistan. Shia Muslims report experience living in fear of being targeted by terrorists which run rampant all over the nation.”[2]
Nearly 4,000 Shia Muslims are estimated to have died in sectarian attacks in Pakistan between 1997 and 2007.[3]
[1] Saifi S. Dozens killed in blast at Shia mosque in Pakistan’s Peshawar. CNN. Published March 4, 2022. Accessed March 4, 2022. https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/04/asia/pakistan-peshawar-blast-intl/index.html [2] Zahraa Akhwand. Incidents of Anti-Shiism, May 2021. Shia Rights Watch. Published June 10, 2021. Accessed March 4, 2022. http://shiarightswatch.org/incidents-of-anti-shiism-may-2021/ [3] Montero D. Shiite-Sunni conflict rises in Pakistan. The Christian Science Monitor. Published February 2, 2007. Accessed March 4, 2022. https://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0202/p01s02-wosc.html
Comments