Author:
Publication: Asian News
Date: July 10, 2010
URL: http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Christian-students-in-Pakistan-are-victims-of-violence-and-discrimination-18900.html
Minorities Concern of Pakistan denounces a
climate of intolerance and exclusion in the classroom. Most of the violations
are committed in government institutions, due to a "fragile" system
that associates Pakistan to a "Muslims-only country". An association
of teachers demands action from the Chief Justice against the Federal Ministry
of Education.
Students of Pakistan's religious minorities,
including Christians, are victims of exclusion, discrimination and acts of
violence because of their faith and their status. The complaint comes from
Minorities Concern of Pakistan (MCP) which says that most of the violations
take place in government run institutions and is committed by both classmates
by teachers. The system to protect minorities, they add, is "fragile"
and fails to safeguard their rights.
On 8 July the Pakistan Minorities Teachers'
Association (Pmta) sent a letter to Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, head of the
judiciary, inviting him to take a "personal initiative" against
the Federal Minister for Education. He is accused of having "violated
the rights of students from minorities, including Christians, Hindus, Sikhs
and Ahmadis.
MCP activists cite two cases of discrimination
against Christian students, confirming the climate of intolerance. On 28 May
a dozen armed men attacked the pastor Mubarak Masih and his family. The violence
against the Christian leader was sparked by his 13 year old grandson Shaid
grandson to recite verses from the Koran in the classroom. The incident occurred
in a school in Smundri, Punjab. The police did not initiate any investigation
into the attacks, despite the complaint lodged by the pastor.
Last year eleven year old Christian Nadia
Iftikhar suffered violent beatings at the hands of her teacher in a school
Dharema, also in Punjab. The teacher reacted to the girl's claim to be both
"Christian and Pakistani". According to Ascari Hasan Rizvi, a political
analyst in Lahore, the government has never wanted to start a serious reform
of school curricula. And despite what is stated in the Constitution, in textbooks
"Pakistan is associated with the Muslims ... and says that Pakistan is
a country only for Muslims".
Rebecca Winthorpe of the Washington based
Brookings Center for Universal Education, adds that "Historically education
in Pakistan has been used as a tool by successive regimes in pursuing narrow
political ends". Activists in defence of minorities, however, call for
reform and a change of mentality that allows even the Christians, along with
other minorities, to enhance the level of education (only 19% literate) and
improve their quality of life.
