By Worthy News Special Correspondent Jawad Mazhar, reporting from Pakistan
UPPER DIR, PAKISTAN (Worthy News)-- A man selling compact discs in Pakistan's war-torn North West Frontier Province remained in critical condition Monday, November 23, after suspected Islamic militants blew up his CD shop because its collection included a film about Jesus and other Christian movies.
"Thirteen neighboring shops were also partially damaged," during the bomb blast in Saleem Commercial Plaza in the Kas town area of Upper Dir District, said the still bed-ridden shop owner Muhammad Taos Khan in an interview with Worthy News and its partner agency BosNewsLife.
Khan, 41, said a child had given him a threatening letter some 30 minutes before the explosion on November 11.
He said he initially "shrugged off the threat laughing over the letter" but soon became " extremely stunned when noticing that a boy was staring" at him "with great fury." "When I tried to call him he ran away and disappeared in the crowd," Khan said.
"It is evident from the threatening letter that I was attacked for keeping the Jesus Film [about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ] in the Pashto and Urdu languages as well as Islamic and Christian films about [the Biblical persons] Abraham, Isaac and Adam and Eve. We have many such movies on CDs," he added.
MILITANT GROUP
Police and Khan have linked the blast to the 'Ideological Supremacy to uphold Islam in the World', one of several groups fighting to establish strict Islamic rule in the North West Frontier Province.
It was not immediately clear whether the group had officially claimed responsibility for the attack and no arrests were reported.
"Allah is the greatest and hail Islam," said the letter shown to BosNewsLife which also included slogans such as "Death to the U.S, Christians and all the Jews in the world."
Khan said the letter also accused business people selling CDs of "disseminating vulgarity in Pakistan society." You, "not only view the movies of the prophets yourself but also rent out those among the masses..."
ISLAMIC VALUES
Khan said the letter also demanded that he and other business people “instead of attacking Islamic values should teach the Koran” deemed a holy book by Muslims, “to children.”
He and others were also “cursed” in the letter. “They are all destined to go to hell and deserve divine retribution...by the orders of the Allah the Almighty,” added the letter, shown to BosNewsLife.
Khan isn't the only attacked these days. In Pakistan's turbulent Punjab province a Christian security guard was recovering Monday, November 23, after being attacked in the industrial city of Gujranwala.
Police told BosNewsLife Younus Masih was injured after trying to stop robbers stealing 1,470,000 Pakistan Rupees (some $18,600) at a branch of United Bank Limited.
Christians in Pakistan have expressed concerns about what they say are increased attacks against them, often involving Islamic militants.