Don’t bury your head in the sand

Shamim Masih writes about Islamic Supremacist prejudice in education in Pakistan.

JRH 2/26/13

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Don’t bury your head in the sand

Memorize the Quran for twenty extra marks; educational bias

By Shamim Masih

Sent: 2/26/13 5:42 AM

Islamabad Pakistan (Shamim Masih): In the month of January, the news was printed in “Daily Nai Baat” Islamabad/Rawalpindi that forty three (43) Christian students [were] compelled from the examination hall [to memorize the Quran for educational marks] in 4 different Christian schools, Sainte Marry Cambridge School (8), Sainte Patrick School (16), and Sainte Teresa’s Girls High School (19) in a just Rawalpindi city.

Haroon Arif, a student from DG Khan in Punjab, couldn’t get high enough marks to get into medical school, which [he] missed the grade by less than 0.1%, would have earned 20 extra marks if he was Hafiz-e-Quran [SlantRight Editor: this is a reference to one who has memorized the Quran]. He tried to claim his knowledge of the Bible was equivalent, but this made no impact.

This is a standard situation for many young Pakistani Christian students. When you can’t afford private school and Christian’s schools do not own you, tell me where shall we go?

Christian minority believed to be much more than the estimated figures of 13% (http://www.pakistanchristianpost.com/vieweditorial.php?editorialid=18) of Pakistan’s 180 million populations. However Pakistani census internationally keeps minority figures low to deny them greater representation. The unabated killings and persecution of religious minorities and smaller sects of Islam raise questions about Pakistan’s regressive direction. The audacity of the killers and state inaction are even more worrying. Many Christian girls were kidnapped, raped and converted to Islam by force and even killed.

Recent statistics about education facilities and its status is alarming. It said that Pakistani Christians are the least educated Pakistanis:

a)     6% have a primary education

b)     4% have a high school education

c)      1% has a college education

d)     0.5 have a professional education

If we use these statistics as a benchmark to get some perspective on the seriousness of the problem and make a few further calculations the conclusions are mind blowing. If we assume that 2.5% of the total population is Christian there are about 4.5 million Pakistani Christians in total. Taking the statistics given 11.5% or five hundred thousands have some kind of education which means that 4 million Christians do not have any kind of education what so ever. That’s more people than the population of many countries and requires urgent attention:

http://www.pehchaanfoundation.com/index.php/dr-jordan-patrick/

In the present scenario, we a group of likeminded people [have] taken initiative to provide books, stationary, school bags and uniforms to the deserving Christian student of the area. Before starting the new term (new classes) in Rawalpindi/Islamabad, we have selected 25 Christian colonies in and around the twin city. In each colony quite a number of Christian students [are] willing to go to school but due to the lack of resources the drop [out] rate [is] becoming higher and higher, parents do not have proper source of earnings and can’t afford high school fees and [the] feel burden on buying books for their kids.

They usually engage their kids to add in earnings instead [of] sending them to school and colleges. Existing institutions Christians [are] following [are] adding classes [for the socially] rich in their schools and thus discouraging the poor Christian students; this situation is not only creating inferiority complex in their minds but also pushes them to go for some unethical activities like drugs etc.

So I request the Christians in the world to support the Pakistani Christian Students for their better future.

_______________________

Edited by John R. Houk

Bracketed words indicate the editor’s thoughts on greater clarity for American readers.

Shamim Masih

Christian Rights Activist
Freelance Journalist 

President

REAP
Public Affairs coordinator

UMJI

Shamim Masih’s Donate/Support info:

FOR USD TRANSFER
Intermediary Bank :                         MASHREQ BANK, NEW YORK
Intermediary Bank SWIFT BIC :         MSHQUS33
Beneficiary Bank :                         JS BANK LIMITED
Beneficiary Bank SWIFT BIC :                 JSBLPKKA
Bank A/c # at Intermediary bank :         70008227
Title Of a/c                                Shamim Masih
Beneficiary Account Number :                 405527

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IBAN #                                        pk80jsbl9530000000405227


FOR GBP TRANSFER.
Intermediary Bank :                         MASHREQ BANK, LONDON
Intermediary Bank SWIFT BIC :         MSHQGB2L
Beneficiary Bank :                         JS BANK LIMITED
Beneficiary Bank SWIFT BIC :                 JSBLPKKA
Bank A/c # at Intermediary bank :         00010855
Title Of a/c                                Shamim Masih
Beneficiary Account Number :                 405527
IBAN #                                        pk80jsbl9530000000405227



FOR EURO TRANSFER.
Intermediary Bank :                         MASHREQ BANK, LONDON
Intermediary Bank SWIFT BIC :         MSHQGB2L
Beneficiary Bank :                         JS BANK LIMITED
Beneficiary Bank SWIFT BIC :                 JSBLPKKA
Bank A/c # at Intermediary bank :         10847
Title Of a/c                                Shamim Masih
Beneficiary Account Number :                 405527
IBAN #                                        pk80jsbl9530000000405227