Pakistan’s Persecuted Christians

Forman is Pakistan’s leading Christian educational institution, now celebrating its 150th anniversary. Only 600 of its 6,000 students are Christian; what’s remarkable is how fully integrated into campus life they are.

Like many non-Christian Pakistanis, I owed my education to Christian teachers, both at Forman and at my previous school, Burn Hall in Abbottabad, which was run by Roman Catholic priests. We loved and respected our Christian teachers, and they us. We never doubted that harmony and cooperation between faith groups were not only possible, but also completely normal. It was the reality of our lives.

Times have changed. Today, Forman is an island of tranquillity for Christians in a troubled sea. With increasing frequency, Christians have been attacked and their churches vandalized.

Attacks on Christians in Pakistan have nothing to do with Islam or religious intolerance, for most people vie with each other to enter educational institutions run by Christians.

These attacks are caused by a general breakdown in law and order, growing resentment of poverty and American interference in Pakistan. If Pakistanis hated religion they would not have vied with one another for admission of their children into Christian educational institutions.

Original Source: NY Times