Fire is still burning

By – Shamim Masih

During the candle vigil

ISLAMABAD: On November 04, a Christian married couple, who tried to get released from their bondage labor agreement at a brick kiln was beaten, stripped and tossed them into the burning kiln oven.  At a factual level, there was a protest against a Christian couple in different cities of the country. Due to some reasons, I went there after a week and found that fire was still burning at the place where Christian couple was burnt alive. When the Christian couple wanted to get rid of the labor bondage, the owner demanded an insoluble amount for their release. There were around fifty families living and working at Yousaf Gujjar Bricks Company in Chack no. 59. Five of them were Christian, Shahzad (his real name is Sijjad) and his three brothers and one other family. Late evening on November 13, 4 Christian families came there to take their belongings and went in search of better livings.

Iqbal Masih, Shahbaz Masih and Saleem Masih, three brothers of deceased couple are now displaced from the place where their brother and sister in law were burnt alive. Around 30 members of four families are displaced recently. Sohail Johnson, chairman Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan – SLMP said that this is not the end, not only these Christian families are displaced there are ten Christian families living in the same village are under extreme threats. He said we are planning to provide shelter to directly affected families in this incident.   

displaced families taking their belongings

Although Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited the family of the deceased Christian couple and announced a compensation of Rs. 5 million and 10 acres of land for the family. But I didn’t see, anything done in practical from the either side. Mr. Sharif, please don’t tag the death with money, try to improve law and order and give protection to minorities of the country. A sordid, disgusting and hate filled tragedy incited by a mullah. Should there not be laws forbidding mullahs to sermon such demagogic language from mosques? Their relative, Javed Shahzad have been taking caring of these families since the incident happened but for how long he will do as middle class member of the society.

Even if we believe that Islam is peaceful religion, how can we forget the fact that Muslims are persecuting and butchering minorities especially Christians left and right in the Muslim dominated countries?  Most recently, the atrocities of the ISIS terrorists committed against the ever decreasing Christian minority in the area they control in Iraq and Syria. The situation is not different in Egypt, Nigeria and Sudan. We have observed that Pakistan has given ample and repeated proof of its inability to protect minorities.

with three brothers of deceased Christian couple

In this situation, President Barak Obama, while heading Christian State, is reportedly making Muslimsresettlement in Christian majority country to a dangerous proposition for his vested interests. He is allowing Muslims with an Islamic supremacist mentality to America. Not only this Australia and England have been reportedly settling thousands of Muslims families including Afghan and Shia Hazara community. While Christians in Pakistan experienced abuse of murder, rape, forced conversions, church burnings and more. But Christian majority countries in EU, UK and American are strict to grant even a visit visa to any Pakistani Christians. Most recently National Cathedral, a landmark Christian church in the US capitalwas opened for Muslims to say Friday prayer. On the other hand, way to Makah & Medina is out of bound for Non-Muslims.

Pakistan (the State) has been witnessing a rising tide of moral policing in recent times with vigilante group of both the left and right and the majority taking upon themselves the job of policing neighborhoods, harassing minorities and running campaigns of calumny against chosen targets. It will continue until you stop the mullahs. The maulivis used the mosque loudspeakers to fan the winds of hatred. They do and keep on doing because there is no one to stop them. It will not stop until Christian started to teach them the virtues not of passive but active resistance as MQM did in the past.