By: Zeeshan Yaqoob
Religious discrimination in Pakistan is a serious issue for the human rights situation in modern-day. Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Shias and Ahmadis are among other religious minorities often face discrimination and at times are even subjected to violence torture or even assassination like Nadeem Joseph in Peshawar. This is the most recent incident where a Christian man assassination took place. Though he may be at fault and had ups and downs in a Muslim locality. Discrimination is an element that cannot be erased from the mindset of the Muslims at large. Mr. Augustine Jacob, Peshawar based Social Activist said that Muslims take minorities for granted who cannot proclaim justices being vulnerable and weak, but we want justice for the murder of Nadeem Joseph. There is discrimination towards religious minorities in all walks of life, especially when minority children are being schooled.
A Christian girl studying at a Government school in Pakistan has been told by her Muslim teacher that, if she refuses to take a class of Islamic Studies, she should not be in the state school. We deny the fact of ‘All persons are equal before the law means that everyone will be given justice by treating them equal, from the president of the country to the common people’.
Muqadas Sukhraj chose to study Ethics instead of Islamic studies, an alternative subject for children of religious minorities. It is opted by children who do not have an Arabic learning at early stage and often preferred choice of Christian children. This incident took place at Hazro Government School in Attock, 50 miles from Mardan’s Abdul Wali Khan University, where staff was arrested in April in connection with the murder of a student for allegedly posting blasphemous content on Facebook. Her Muslim teacher Zahida Parveen unnecessarily began creating problems for her and expressed her displeasure for choosing Ethics. Parveen argued over the textbook of the Ethics and sent her out of the class as punishment. Later, she told her that if she could not study Islamic education, then why she study in a Muslim school.
Religious minorities in Government schools face persistent problems with the content of textbooks. The 2016 report by Pakistan’s National Commission for Justice and Peace said that the government had failed to keep its promise to eradicate religious “hate material” from school textbooks. It confirmed another 2016 report (sponsored by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom) that said “The trend to a more biased curriculum towards religious minorities is accelerating” in Pakistan. It added “These grossly generalized and stereotypical portrayals of religious minority communities signal that they are untrustworthy, religiously inferior, and ideologically scheming and intolerant”. However, it is normal practice in school to held Christian children after school to clean the classrooms and toilets.
Babhu Lal, Educationist (his real name is being held for security purposes) said that he completed his bachelors, studying B.Ed. applied for a job but was hired as a housekeeper with a promise to promote when a position vacate. He worked for ten years but never got any promotion on the basis of discrimination by the local authorities even though many positions got vacant. Though he got a job in the Education Department and posted in a school about 40 kilometers away from his house, but still he works under fear by the Muslim staff for any false accusation. He requested the EDO for transfer, who asked him to get a recommendation from any school nearby but no headmaster is willing to take him as being Hindu considered inferior or infidel. Hence his life will remain under pressure for the rest of his service at the Education Department.
Ms. Shireen Aslam, Educationist said that she joined Government College as lecturer, notice that her tea cup is different than other staff. One day she hid her cup so the next day she was not served the tea, upon asking for tea, she was not served. The Muslim lecturers would never greet her in return this is the level of discrimination in the Government Colleges in Attock. At last, the Principal was good who asked me to have tea at her office on a regular basis, but this deed of her was condemned by the other staff. I felt humiliated for discrimination on the basis of my faith. I was astonished observing the educationalists dealing inhumanly a staff of their caliber, how wonder they treat their lower staff especially minorities. I have noticed discrimination in all state departments, publishing sanitary jobs only Christians can apply. The State must take serious notice of such incident and urge to develop policy whereby no discrimination is done on the base of faith.
Mr. Khalil Tahir Sandhu, Chairman Standing Committee Human Rights and Minority Affairs Department said that he was abused by Inayat Ullah Lak, Director Legal Department which is against the Article 25 and 36, that says, all citizens are equal. Our Great Founder Quaid-e-Azam in his speech of 11 August, 1947 said ‘You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place or worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed that has nothing to do with the business of the State’. The greatness is to forgive, like Christ asked us to do. I know that there are many Christians working as sanitary workers, but a large number of Muslims are also doing the same job as well. Christians are marginalized public at large. Human Rights are not refused but abused here in Pakistan. A number of Pathans are also working as sanitary workers in KPK. People like Lak consider all Christians doing are doing sanitary work. What is bad about sanitary work, Muslims consider ‘cleanliness is half the faith’. There are people like Pervaiz Allahi, Provincial Speaker and some other fundamentalist are against construction of Hindu Temple in the capital city of Islamabad after the regime of Zia-ul-Haq. This is the piece of land allotted by the Ex-Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawas Sharif, who stands not a fundamentalist.
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