LAHORE, Pakistan (UCAN) -– Muslims in Pakistan have protested the caricature of Jesus Christ in neighboring India. More than 60 Muslims on Feb. 21 demonstrated at the Lahore Press Club demanding “death for the blasphemers” as they carried a huge banner which stated, “We shall sacrifice our life for the honor of Prophet Isa Masih.” Muslims consider Jesus Christ or Isa Masih as a prophet of God. The protest comes in the wake of a school textbook in India carrying a picture of Jesus Christ holding a can of beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other. “It is a religious obligation for a Muslim to safeguard the honor of all prophets,” said Maulana Ameer Hamza, an organizer of the protest. “We want to tell the whole world that we are the first to protest at the insult of Prophet Isa,” he added. Jesuit Father Herman Roborgh, an expert in Christian-Muslim dialogue says the reaction in Pakistan was predictable. “Jesus Christ is highly regarded in the Qur’an and thus it offends Muslims as well,” he told UCA News, adding that “Jesus caricatures are wrong and detestable.” Auxiliary Bishop Sebastian Shah of Lahore told UCA News: “Nobody has the right to insult any prophet. This is insanity.”
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