Countering Violent Extremism by Christian Community: A Case of Yuhanabad Mob Violence

Abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate the mob violence and killings of Christians in Yuhanabad, Lahore, in the context of religious intolerance based on the blasphemy allegations resulting in suicide attacks. This article explains the crisis state by looking at Christian victimization. The purpose of this study is to decipher the type of mob violence in Yuhanabad. This categorization is based on the liability system and the organizational level. Within that framework, three theoretical viewpoints are examined. First, a thick-and-thin view of religion is needed to understand the rising radicalization and the resulting attacks on minority Christians. Second, the deliberate targeting of Christians and ensuing sectarian strife through the well-planned framework of violence and oppression. Third, the deliberate process of scapegoating demonstrates the plurality in-and-out group discourse leading to the castigation of, and persecution of, minority Christians. The study attempts to comprehend the sociological concept of mob violence as a marginalizing mechanism, which was examined at Yuhanabad. In this study, lynching by mobs is interpreted as a process of marginalizing Christians.