The murder of a Christian couple yesterday in Pakistan due to the perception that they had desecrated a Quran, shines another light on the treatment of minorities in Pakistan. What is even more shocking is the level of anger that is targeted at minorities and which has led to many deaths in Pakistan.
There is nothing more powerful than hearing about the lives of the affected by those who knew them.
Reverend Rana Youab Khan is a Pakistani priest who grew up in Pakistan and who in 2003 worked as a Parish Priest in Kot Radha Kishen and now serves a parish in London. Rev. Rana is a Patron of Faith Matters and co-lead of the Connecting Communities project with Fiyaz Mughal OBE, the Director of Faith Matters. His words are listed below which all those who are interested in the future of Pakistan should read.
“Pakistan was built on tolerance and on the protection of minority rights. A lack of good governance, proxy wars, policy ‘blow-backs’ caused by the support of the Afghan Taleban and proxy groups in the 1980’s and 1990’s and even until early 2001, meant that those very groups have now made Pakistan a battleground and spread their hatred against the very minorities who helped to form Pakistan out of the mud and destruction of Partition.
Over the last 10 years, the vast majority of people killed by extremists in Pakistan have been Muslims. Yet, fear, violence and threats have been used to stifle the voices of minorities like Christians, Shias and Ahmadi communities and this gone unchecked by a weak Government more set on appeasement that an outright position on things.
A nightmare story; we ask God for some justice and we hope that this will be the case, though sadly, this may be unlikely given the current climate in the country.
I have wonderful memories of Chak 59 where this couple were murdered.I know people there very well and they are poor, but pure and unpolluted with the greed of wealth and popularity. I pray for all the villagers and all those who seek to resist the mindless brutality that is taking hold of so many.
Let these words ring out to those who care for Pakistan. It’s soul must never fall to those who hate, but to those Sunni and Shia Muslims, Christians, Hindus and Sikhs who believe that Pakistan should be a safe home for all.”