Over 24 Christian families in Pakistan were compelled to leave their homes in Jhulan village, Gujranwala division, Punjab province, due to accusations of blasphemy against Pastor Sajeel Robin, who currently resides in the US. The tensions arose on July 3 following claims that Robin shared videos on social media deemed offensive to Islam and Prophet Muhammad, as reported by The Christian Post.
Joseph Nayyar, a human rights advocate, mentioned that Pastor Sajeel Robin, who moved to the US a few years back, often posted videos engaging in religious debates with Muslims and discussing Islam. His relatives in the village, Shamaun Masih and Nabeel Robin, shared some of these videos in WhatsApp groups, leading to allegations of blasphemy by local clerics, who incited action against what they termed as ‘blasphemous content.’
Following announcements made through mosque loudspeakers, advising action against the alleged blasphemy, the police recommended that Christian families vacate their residences as a precautionary measure against potential violence. The majority of Christian families left the village with minimal belongings, while Pastor Sajeel’s father, Robin Masih, and uncle, Shamaun Masih, were taken into protective custody by the police, and his brother, Nabeel Robin, went into hiding to evade arrest.
In a positive turn of events, after Pastor Sajeel’s family members issued an apology and distanced themselves from him, local clerics and Muslim community leaders pardoned them, allowing the Christian families to return to their homes in Jhulan village, as per The Christian Post’s report.
