Over 100 people arrested

JARANWALA, Aug 17 (BBC): More than 100 people have been arrested in an east Pakistan city after thousands of Muslims burned churches and vandalised homes. The violence in Jaranwala was sparked by claims that two Christian men had torn pages from the Quran.
The historic Salvation Army Church was still smouldering on Thursday, one day after the riot. The ruins have been surrounded with barbed wire as the situation remains tense.
Public gatherings have also been restricted for seven days in Faisalabad district, which includes Jaranwala. The two men accused of damaging the Quran, Islam's holy book, have not been arrested though they have been charged with blasphemy, which is punishable by death in Pakistan.
Even though Pakistan has yet to sentence anyone to death for blasphemy, a mere accusation can result in widespread riots, causing lynchings and killings.
Two years ago, a Sri Lankan man accused of blasphemy was killed by an enraged mob and had his body set on fire. In 2009, a mob burned down about 60 homes and killed six people in the Gorja district in Punjab, after accusing them of insulting Islam.
Pakistan inherited the blasphemy law from the British in the 19th century. In the 1980s, Islamabad introduced stiffer penalties, including the death sentence for insulting Islam.
Around 96% of Pakistan's population is Muslim. Other countries, including Iran, Brunei, and Mauritania also impose capital punishment for insulting religion.
Religion-fuelled violence in Pakistan has risen since the country made blasphemy punishable by death, as it "bolsters violent behaviour," Iftekharul Bashar, a researcher at the think-tank RSIS who focuses on political and religious violence in South Asia, told the BBC.
"The Pakistani society has experienced increased fragmentation, driven by widening economic disparities, leading to an upsurge in violence directed towards minority religious groups," Mr Bashar said.
"The emergence of extremist and vigilante factions within Pakistan, some of which exhibit significant financial backing, also contributed to this trouble trend," he added.
A local official told BBC Urdu that authorities received calls about protests and fires early on Wednesday morning after reports of the two men allegedly desecrating the Quran, the holy book of Islam, circulated on social media.
Authorities said torn pages of the the sacred text with blasphemous content allegedly scribbled on them in red marker ink, were found near a Christian community.