O artigo que se segue foi-nos enviado por Joel Amir Sahotra.
Joel Sahotra desempenhou funções como deputado na assembleia regional do Punjab, enquanto cristão representante dessa minoria. Pode ler aqui uma entrevista de Joel Sahotra à Rádio Renascença.
Num país com cerca de 96% de muçulmanos, os 1,6% de cristãos são cerca de dois milhões de pessoas que sofrem diversos tipos de perseguição, como nos tem reportado Joel Sahotra.
O acesso ao trabalho é condicionado, mesmo por entidades públicas, geralmente a trabalhos mal pagos. O acesso ao ensino também lhes é dificultado, quer por pressões para forçar a conversão religiosa, quer por limitação das opções em função da Fé professada. Raparigas menores são raptadas, forçadas a converter-se e casadas com homens mais velhos, tendo as famílias grande dificuldade encontrar acolhimento nas autoridades para que se faça justiça e proteja as crianças.
Quando esteve em Portugal, Joel Sahotra lançou as bases para uma programa de cooperação com universidades Portuguesas para trazer alunos cristãos Paquistaneses a estudar por cá, dando-lhes acesso a um ensino de qualidade e que não limite o seu potencial por causa da Fé.
Christians in Pakistan
THE SUFFERING CHURCH
If you travel in Pakistan you are bound to see Churches all over the country. Behind this open witness there is the heavy cost that 2 million Christians pay to survive in 96 percent Muslim Pakistan. The rest of the population is Hindu. They, like Christians, suffer boldly.
This write up became easier to pen as an obvious injustice has come to light.
On October 13, 2020, Arzoo Raja came home from Catholic St Anthony School. She was a student of Class VII. Her elder two sisters and younger brother are studying in the same school. Her parents being poor both were at work. When they came home they found 13 year old Arzoo missing. Her sisters said that she went out to play and did not come back. Her brother and the parents went in search of Arzoo. There was no sign of her. They phoned neighbors and friends to find out if they had seen Arzoo. Friends said that she was playing in the lane but then she went away. They thought that Arzoo had gone home.
When all efforts to find Arzoo failed, the parents decided to report the incident to the police that 13 year old student, Arzoo Raja, was missing. An obvious case had to be registered in the police station. They refused to register the case and instead scolded the parents and sent them home. The next day went in frantic efforts to find Arzoo.
Two days after the sad incident, on October 15, this year, the police called the parents and gave a marriage certificate of Arzoo. They said that she converted to Islam and married a 44 old Muslim man.
The police was not willing to do anything saying that their daughter was now a Muslim and was free to marry. The Civil Court ruled in favour of the 44 year old man and the girl was allowed to live with him.
Official state records also proved that Arzoo Raja was only 13 years old. Social media spread the news and Christians started protesting. Other Civil Society organisations joined the protest. Social media gave coverage to the tragic incident. The protests spread to the rest of the country. At long last, as protests grew, the Court took a Suo Moto notice and the case was put up for hearing again. At this stage the Provincial High Court has ruled that the age of the girl, namely 13 had to be proved, we had to prove that Arzoo, a minor, was forcibly converted and that the marriage was invalid.
An obvious injustice had to go through a legal process. We had to hire very good lawyers to fight the case.
This injustice will tell the readers how Christians had to care for themselves in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and suffer from day to day.
There are no separate jails for the Religious Minorities but the number who suffer from injustices is growing daily.
The type of discrimination varies. Sometimes, a good hardworking man loses his job only because he is a Christian. In other cases, people do not give their house on rent because the Muslims do not want Christians in the locality.
Discrimination exists when people apply for jobs. In fact the office openly states the jobs in their firm are only for Muslims.
Yes Christians are free to practice their religion but the social and economic injustice is what the Christians have to live with. We will. We will continue to produce our own priests and nuns, even though it costs a lot. We will educate our youth though it is very expensive.
Yes we need your prayers and more support. Do look for avenues how you can support the few million Christians of Pakistan.
Joel Aamir Sahotra.
Former Christian Member of Punjab Assembly Pakistan.
PAKISTAN.
Comentários
Enviar um comentário