Muslim mob beats Christian man for selling 'unclean' ice cream to kids

A Christian man who was riding his bicycle around selling ice cream in Kasur, Pakistan was beaten by at least 20 Muslim men who claimed that the goods he was selling were "unclean."

Khaleel Masih said two men, Muhammad Rizwan and Muhammad Farman, started to insult him and called him "Chora" before accusing him that his ice cream was defiled by an evil spirit.

After some time, about 20 other men joined the two men. Masih said somebody shouted that he was "untouchable," a label used by many Muslims for Christians, who are considered by many Pakistani Muslims to belong to the lowest caste of society.

The person incited the group to "beat the evil spirit" out of Masih, and the angry mob then began to beat him in order to purge him of the evil spirit.

"I wanted to argue and make them understand that this wasn't true but they didn't listen to me. Instead, they began to beat and torture me," Masih said, according to International Christian Concern.

After torturing him, they destroyed his bicycle and the other materials he's using to sell ice cream before leaving him lying in the street.

Masih sought help from the police, naming the two men who started the violence. However, the police did not conduct an investigation but forced Masih to sign an agreement that he had forgiven the men.

The International Christian Concern said Muslim community leaders tried to convince Masih to convert to Islam, promising him safety and security. However, he refused the offer.

ICC explained that what happened to Masih reflects Pakistani Muslims' treatment of Christians. Many Muslims consider Christians to be unclean; thus, everything they touch are also unclean. Muslims believe Christians should not sell food because it is defiled.

"Those deemed untouchable in Pakistan are often ostracised by the majority community and are condemned to work sanitation jobs, cleaning and removing human waste," ICC said.

Pakistan falls on number six of the most dangerous places in the world for Christians, according to the World Watch List released by Open Doors. The persecution, which is classified as severe, is driven by Islamic extremism.