SINNERS AMONG SAINTS
(The Christians Of Pakistan)

- SCRIPT -
By Aliya Salahuddin
© 2010 Moonweed Digital

On the 6th of May, 1998, the Catholic Bishop of Faisalabad in Pakistan made his
final journey.
He drove 120 km to the courthouse where a young Christian man had been
sentenced to death on the charges of Blasphemy against Islam.
With the sun setting behind him, Bishop John Joseph stood outside the gates of
the Court House, held a pistol to his neck, and shot himself.
The Blasphemy Law that he protested against still remains unchanged in
Pakistan.

Title: “SINNERS AMONG SAINTS”

Headlines declare it the most dangerous country in the world. It is known,
internationally, for its strict Islamic laws and growing religious militancy. A
nuclear power, with many enemies.
All this may be true of Pakistan. But how are the lives of Pakistanis affected as
they dangerously confront these horrors – fighting - for the survival of their
cultural and religious diversity?
Born in 1947, for the last six decades, Pakistan has witnessed wars, separation of
the homeland, continuing poverty and illiteracy and competing nationalisms as it
now recovers from the ravages of the recent floods.
With the continuing battle with growing religious extremism and militancy
Pakistanis are tuned into an internal debate:
Was Pakistan meant to be a religious Islamic state or a secular democratic one?
To a great extent, the fate of the 3 million Christians living in the country will be
determined by the outcome of this national question. Christianity is the second
largest religion here after Islam.

On the whole, Christians in Pakistan freely practice their religion in the
hundreds of small and big churches spread across the country. But within the
community, many different stories emerge. Some people face discrimination
where they live; others integrate with the majority community without a
problem.

Evarist Pinto was appointed the Auxiliary bishop of Karachi by Pope John Paul
the second. Now the Archbishop of the Karachi Diocese, he has long witnessed

this both sides to the relationship between Pakistani Christians and Muslims.


(COMMENT by Archbishop Pinto): I see there is a great spirit of respect, not only
tolerance, but living together, sharing life together... what we call a dialogue of life.
But in the Punjab and all and interior Sindh also, there could be, what we call if not
persecution, then discrimination, harassment, oppression. So we see two kinds of
pictures of our people here or our relationship with people here.

Punjab: A densely populated province of the country, said to be home to almost
90% of the Christians of Pakistan. While this is where Christianity thrives,
ironically, it is also in the Punjab where Christians are most persecuted.

Till the 1st of August 2009, Gojra was little known.
A cross-country train cuts through this town dividing the Muslim settlement on
one side from the Christian colony on the other. This division is now etched in
blood.
In the long lingering moments of silence, these tracks stand witness to a day that
marked a brutal crime of religious hatred and exposed the failures of the
Pakistani state.
It all started with this man. Talib Masih, a Christain from a village 6km from
Gojra, was accused of desecrating the Holy Quran.

(COMMENT by Talib): They said, ‘you tore these pages from the Quran. I kept
saying No, I don’t know about the pages, I haven’t done it.” They put the entire blame
on me. They said “you have sinned’
They kept threatening me. They kept saying: “You have done this”. I kept saying, “I
haven’t”.

Talib now lives in hiding. And spoke to us from an unidentifiable location

(COMMENT by Talib): I don’t leave the house. Neither in the day, nor at night. Of
course, I am scared. If they catch me, they will kill me.

The rumour that Talib had desecrated the Quran, spread far and wide. It gave
an opportunity to militant extremist groups to use this allegation as an excuse
and charge upon the Christians of Gojra in an attack.

(COMMENT by GUY 1): There was only a sea of people, and nothing else was
visible.
(COMMENT by Pastor): Announcements began from several mosques... They said
we will not spare the Christians of Gojra. They are agents of America. They tore the
pages of the Quran! We will tear them to pieces.

Within hours the entire colony was burnt to ashes, furniture and belongings
looted and the locals made to run for their lives.

By the time the horror was over, 8 people had died.

(COMMENT by Guy 1): we were witnessing our own destruction right in front of our
eyes
(COMMENT by Guy 3): Just like in your dreams, you cant run when you are in
trouble. That’s exactly what happened. I couldn’t run. The terrorists caught up with
me and held me at gunpoint. They said, “we will kill you and take your son with us”.
We will make him one of us.

A year later, the streets of the Christian colony bear no semblance to the
butchery they once witnessed. The roads have been paved, some smiles have
returned.
All visible reminders of the tragedy have been erased. Except for one monument
of resistance that bore the brunt of this horror. A black flag flies over this house
– a living symbol of protest by a family that suffered seven deaths.
Its survivors, brothers, Almas and Shabaz live to tell the tale.

(COMMENT by Shahbaz): As a joint family, everyone lived here.
(COMMENT by Almas): They burnt 7 people from my family. My wife, two kids.
They shot my father.
(COMMENT by Shabaz): My father was standing by the door...He went to give water
to a policeman who got shot. Someone fired from the side. He got a bullet in his head.
They said, if you come out, we will shoot... lets just burn them inside... they are
infidels” Then they attacked suddenly and everyone hid in the room.
There was fire everywhere... and shooting from all sides. The whole house was on
fire. So much heat built up that everyone just died inside.

Almas’s wife Asifa was burnt to death. His two children aged 11 and 3 burnt to
death. His brother Akhlas burnt to death. His other brother Mohsin’s wife:
Asiya, also dead. Asiya’s mother, burnt to dead.

(COMMENT by Almas): If one person is killed they catch the murderer. Here there
are seven deaths and nobody cares. Looks as though we are the criminals, not them.
They roam free.
(COMMENT by Joseph Coutts): we kind of live in this tension, you know, what’s
going to happen next, where is to going to happen next. Its not a question of is it
going to happen but when is it going to happen and where is it going to happen
because we have seen it happen so many times.

(COMMENT by Pastor): they burnt our houses, our church, and the Bible. They took
down the cross and urinated on it and they danced on it. I can never forget that
time...It really is so painful. We have been humiliated. The women and children ran
for their lives, and even then so many people were burnt alive. Where can we go?
Muslims are everywhere.

Muslims, indeed, are everywhere. This country of 170 million is 97% Muslim.

But the problem is neither fully Muslim versus Christian not Islam versus
Christianity. The new battleground of this religious divide is a creation of a
powerful extremist minority that has hijacked the majority religion. And most
Christians recognize this.

(COMMENT by Asher): In Gojra they said that the Muslims have done it. Although
this is not true. Look at how well the media has highlighted the issue. Its not like
those who work in the media are all Christian. All outside help was not only coming
from Christians,. It is just some people and some organizations that are spreading this
hatred. It’s not just the Muslims. It’s some people who do this.

This is the other side to the story of Christians in Pakistan.
On a hot summer evening in Karachi, it is extraordinary to find such a large
public gathering of Christians, celebrating a religious festival. Despite the
obvious security concerns, it is surprising to find a visiting group of preachers
from the United States, leading this event.
Well guarded and protected, religion here takes on a modern language.
But for most people present, this congregation, may be, an act of freedom and
defiance.

(COMMENT by Alan Greene): We try to do both mission trips and music events and
do those in a culturally relevant way and pretty much wherever we are invited.
(COMMENT by Girl singer): We were asked to come here and my first thought was
Pakistan... and you know that’s definitely different. It’s a new place but you know we
feel that God definitely was calling us here and now we can see that that was very
true because we saw a lot of fruit out of it and a lot of great things happened.


For those traveling from distant lands where religion may no longer be a
dominant force, Pakistani Christians are poor, ready and willing followers.

(Tory on stage): Hey my name is Tori. One of the things I have noticed is that
traveling around the world...people love to play football
(COMMENT by TORY): The football is called a mission ball. We always have seen
the common uniting factor of football. Or as in America we say, Soccer.
(Tory on Stage): Has anyone tried to juggle with a flat football? It doesn’t work!
That’s because a football is designed to be filled with air.
(COMMENT by TORY): So we created a football that actually has scripture and
contains bible verses right on the ball. And we translate them into different languages.
(Tory on stage): and just like the football won’t work when its flat, we as people don’t
work either. See, your creator designed you to be filled with something. He designed
you to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

For centuries, this missionary path from the West to the East has been followed
by many others. In fact, it is believed that one of Jesus Christ’s own apostles was
found traveling here.

(COMMENT by Bishop Ijaz): This is a replica of the Taxila cross which was found
near the ruins of Taxila near Islamabad. It relates to the tradition of St Thomas who
came to Pakistan to preach at the end of the first century.

But Christianity truly became a dominant religion during the time of the British
rule.

(COMMENT by Roland D’Souza): Christianity is probably introduced into this part
of India by the chaplains of the troops that had come with the British. Among the
British the officers were generally Protestant. The troops were probably
predominately Irish and therefore, Catholics.

Spread across the country, a little less than half of these Christians are Catholic,
while 60% belong to various Protestant denominations. It was in
the years of colonial rule that the Christian missionary community built
churches, schools, hospitals and bible societies that would translate the work into
local languages for easy dissemination of the message – sometimes working
closely with the Muslims in the region.

(COMMENT by Anthony Lamuel): in Pakistan we have now 72 languages and
dialects. So we are producing now, printing already in the fill new testament is
available in Pushto, in Yousufzai dialect, this one in Baluchi. This was the first book
ever produced in the languages. The good part about the book is that it carries the
Greek text also. The current Urdu that we use was done in 1936. And people like
Maluana Fitrat a Muslim scholar was one of the translators of Urdu bible.

In the heart of the Punjab, the textile city of Faisalabad hosts the second largest
Catholic Diocese of the country, covering over a 150,000 people.
Bishop Joseph Coutts - successor to the Late Bishop John Joseph - has been
instrumental in continuing a dialogue with Muslims.
The Faislabad Convent is one such meeting ground for both religions. Disabled
children from all religious denominations find some hours of joy here thanks to
the sisters of the convent.
For the last 45 years, the convent has been host to an Italian nun, Sr. Allesia –
now struggling with old age and poor health.

(COMMENT by Sister Alessia): I arrived in Pakistan on the 13th of December 1951.
Muslims have always been like a family to me...They’ve always come to us, like the
Christians did.. They would give us their best fruit and vegetables as gifts. Both
Christians and Muslims did this. No matter how poor, they would give us what they
have. I’ve always been happy, after all these years spent here, I have no complaints. I
am so grateful for all that I have accomplished. I’ve asked the Lord to help me
because being a doctor...I needed a little divine help. And I’ve been blessed. Thank
god I have never had any sorrow.



(Peter Masih on screen) Hello my name is Peter and I’m your guide here. I’m going
to brief you about Pakistan, the land of purity...

Peter, a tour guide, is a Christian from the old city of Lahore and shares a
special relationship with this Mughal mosque.

(COMMENT BY PETER): I am sitting in the mosque and it is my pleasure. I’m very
pleased sitting here. Many people know I am a Christian. And I am sitting here. I
come here everyday for ten years. Because this is a very good place for study, very
peaceful place and doctor advises us to study in the open air. So early in the morning,
there’s nobody here, it’s a very peaceful place for study.

Peter is a proud Pakistani and his professional success depends on how well he
understands the story of his country.

(COMMENT BY PETER): I love Pakistan because I was born here and you know
wherever you go, you love the place you were born. But I Don’t know if Pakistan
loves me or not.

Where in it’s history did Pakistan reach a point where the Christians began to
question their identity as Pakistanis? What happened to the story of Pakistan for
an incident like Gojra to take place?

At the time of Partition from India and the creation of Pakistan in 1947, most
Hindus migrated from the new country. But the Christians stayed.

(COMMENT by M.A. Jinnah): “The creation of a new state has placed a tremendous
responsibility on the people of Pakistan. It gives them an opportunity to demonstrate
to the world how a nation containing many elements can live in peace and amity, and
work for the betterment of all its citizens, irrespective of caste or creed”.

The father of the new nation, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, had given assurances for
the status of non muslims as equal citizens. And with green representing the
Muslims and white, the non-Muslims, the national flag of this new nation was
unfurled.
But it wasn’t long before everything changed.
Within ten years of its creation, Pakistan had become an Islamic Republic. And
in the years that followed religious discriminations were set into its legal system.

(COMMENT by David Irfan): Your identity here is through your religion. And your
rights depend on what religion you are. Religious discrimination exists from the
alleyways to the Parliament. It doesn’t make a difference to me whether you like this
or not. Discrimination exists and its reason is the constitution. The entire Constitution
is all about: Islam or non Islam. Islam or non Islam. Just go 10 km out of Lahore and

wear a cross around your neck, Nobody will eat food with you. This is the level of
discrimination even today.



Discrimination and poverty go hand in hand and this is visible in Christian
dominated slums like Isa Nagri or the Land of Jesus.


(COMMENT by MAN 1):We are struggling to survive. It’s not a good life.
COMMENT by Bishop Ijaz): The real picture of the Christians that will be found
among the slums. And you will find out how the people in the slums get abused. How
they are living, how they are surviving. They are just living. They are like, going
through their life cycle. They don’t have vision, they don’t have openings. They don’t
have promises.

Poverty is widespread in Pakistan regardless of religious identity. But here
poverty comes with another significant deprivation: being non Muslim in a
religious state.

(COMMENT by WOMAN): Nobody cares about us, and our voice is not heard.
Why? Because we are a minority! We are being crushed and one day this is how we
will die.

Every one here knows that they are a minority – a word, used by all to define
their disempowered relationship with the state.

(COMMENT by WOMAN): This is an Islamic country, so they give their religion
preference over Christians. Why are you saying this on TV? No no, I am not saying
anything against them. It’s their country, of course they will prioritise Islam over
Christianity.

It is very clear. This is someone else’s Pakistan.

(COMMENT by MAN 3): Nobody speaks openly; I may be in danger if I talk to
media. The media people will come for an interview, then go home. I, on the other
hand, have to live and die here. And even if I am killed, my family will still have to
live here. Nobody will come forward and talk openly, but if you ask... there are many
problems.

It was in the nineteen eighties when the project to hijack the ideology of the
Pakistani state was completed. Gen Zia ul Haq, a military dictator for eleven
years used religion for political power and let the religious right dominate.
In 1986, he made an announcement that changed the nature of the Pakistani
state forever.

(ARCHIVE CLIP of ANNOUNCEMENT BY ZIA): In the name of Allah the most
Beneficent, most merciful. All praise to Allah, the Lord of the World. All prayers and

blessings to the last Prophet of God. My dear fellow countrymen. Peace be upon you.
I am here today to announce a historic decision on an important matter. This
important decision is the enforcement of the Shariah and it comes into effect
immediately.

Islamic laws were introduced which worked against women and minorities.
Islamic Shariah courts were established. They allowed only Muslim male
evidence, argued by Muslim lawyers, arbitrated by Muslim judges. Only
Muslims could vote for Muslims, non muslims could vote only for non Muslims.

(COMMENT by Bishop Malik): If you can forgive me, with due apologies, The
Islamists throughout the history have always kept the minorities just to themselves, in
their shell. They have not allowed them to play their part. They would say, yes we are
giving them equal rights. Where are the equal rights? Minority member cannot
become the President of Pakistan, why not?
(COMMENT by Bishop Malik): A Muslim can represent me and a Christian can
represent a Muslim. Why not? We are a nation. We played our part to create Pakistan.
We voted for it. And only it was Zia ul Haq who separated us.

Gen. Zia ul Haq stamped this separation with the final blow of the Blasphemy
Law. It’s requirements for evidence, unclear; it’s punishments – possibly death.
And its misuse: for personal enmities.

(COMMENT by Hina Jilani): This is not Blasphemy against God, it is Blasphemy
against the holy Prophet of Islam. The law says that even if there is no intention but
anything that is said about the holy p of Islam, which the person who hears it
subjectively interprets to be insulting and derogatory, the person who said those
words or made those gestures could be charged and this law has really given rise to
both the use of the law and the abuse of the law.

The Blasphemy law itself did not cause the Gojra attack. Talib’s alleged
desecration of the Quran wasn’t even taken to court for a legal sentence. But the
mere existence of this law created an environment where a mob felt free to do as
it pleased as long as the values of safeguarding the religion were upheld.

(COMMENT by ROLAND D’ SOUZA): The amount of Blasphemy seems to have
increased after the law was passed. Before that apparently, nobody committed
blasphemy but now that the law is there, everybody decides that they are going to
commit blasphemy. Probably 99% of the cases, it is people who want to get
something, they want to take over somebody’s land, or they want to settle a score of
some type and the easiest simplest thing to say is that this man has committed
blasphemy. That seems to charge everyone else around. ADD: Its very easy to incite
people out here because people are already so frustrated.
(COMMENT by DAVID IRFAN): The blasphemy law is a like a sword hanging over
the non Muslims. Any man with any consciousness would never insult any Prophet of

God Especially is he knows that the punishment is death. Minorities who have been
loyal to this country and have shed their blood in serving this nation, now feel
insecure.

And of those who gave their blood, one man made an extraordinary sacrifice to
protest this discrimination.

(COMMENT by JOSEPH COUTTS): Bishop John was in the forefront of this
struggle against this infamous Blasphemy law. He wanted this BL to go. And just
when we thought after all these years that something was going to happen, another
Christian, young Christian called Ayub Masih was sentenced to death. Bishop John
said our voice as a minority will never be heard in Pakistan unless we do something
dramatic. So, he chose the place and time and he told his driver, take me to the
courthouse where AM was condemned to death. He got out of the car, he went to in
front of the gate of the court and that’s where he shot himself. So he did it very
symbolically. It was a very powerful statement.

Bishop John Joseph’s cousin, Mariam Francis, is still trying to come to terms
with what happened.

(COMMENT by Mariam Joseph): what has happened to him, is a terrible tragedy.
The vicar General of Multan called to tell me what had happened. I yelled at him, I
told him he was crazy. I was out of my mind. We are still I pain...when we talk about
him, we still cry. Take the Gojra incident for example, had John Joseph been alive
then, he would have gone there as soon as he got news. All our other priests showed
up only once the incident was over. But he would have gone to true and calm people
down

Just 20 Km from where Gojra burned was where Bishop John Joseph was born.
Khushpur is also called the Rome of Pakistan for a surprising number of priests
in the country who were born here. In Bishop John’s family home, his surviving
sister is still haunted by his memories.

(COMMENT by Carla Joseph): The news came... I cried...But till today, I do not
know what really happened. He always wanted to serve the Christian community.
And in this service, he ended his life. And... look what he has done to me. I wasn’t
like this. I am happy that you are here. I am sad... and happy.


(COMMENT by Mariam): Everyone who remembers him asks: WHY? I think his
gesture has only had a negative effect on us Christians. That was a good way to held
others, really. What have we achieved through his death, in the end?

Bishop John Joseph’s death did not change the Blasphemy law. Religion is
serious business in Pakistan and usually not open to dialogue.

(COMMENT by Bishop Coutts): I don’t think it is going to change so easily because
there is going to be a big emotional reaction. Many would see it as an attack on Islam,
which it is not. And to make that distinction that it is not an attack on Islam but it’s
the non-Muslims who are feeling so threatened by this law being misused, we are
talking about our own self defense. And the right use of a law, rather than attacking
Islam. We are just talking about justice and fair play. If you’re emotional you can’t
make that distinction.

However, many Muslim human rights activists have been engaged in the struggle
to reclaim justice and not allow extremists to win.

(COMMENT by Hina Jilani) –The civil society organisations in this country,
especially the human rights community has been very deeply and consistently
engaged in the struggle to change the law, to amend it or to repeal the Blasphemy law.
There are two views here. I cannot say at the moment which I would like to say at
some point that it is possible to repeal the law politically but in principle I still insist
that it needs to be repealed.

In 2006, another Islamic law that discriminated against women, was brought
into the Parliament after a long national debate calling for its repeal. The
political religious lobby showed its moral might by throwing the torn pages of
the amended document into the government’s face.
To appease the mullahs, many amendments had to be tempered down.

(COMMENT by Hina Jilani): I think the civil society is doing its job.
But that makes us more vulnerable in the hands of the extremists but that I think is a
cost we are willing to pay.

In this environment, can the Blasphemy law be changed? Some Christians
believe discrimination lies beyond the law itself.

(COMMENT by Asher): EVEN If the Blasphemy law is repealed or amended, it will
not make any difference. Because the hatred is all in your mind. People don’t wait for
a court sentence. Instead they start off on their jihad. That will take them straight to
heaven.

This hatred and intolerance is not towards the Christians alone. Further
complicating the story of Pakistan is this fact: more Muslims are victims of the
Blasphemy law than other religious groups. Reports say that until 2009, in over
900 cases of Blasphemy, Almost 500 of the accused are Muslims whereas just
over a hundred Are Christians.

(Comment by Hina Jilani): Many Muslims have now come under the hatchet of this
law – academics who have tried to engage in a discussion on Islam, something has
been picked up out of what they have said and they were given death sentences. There

have been several such instances. Fortunately none of these death sentences were ever
executed because the superior courts have not upheld the death sentences and
convictions in these cases. But the problem persists and so this is a wider problem
than just a minority problem.

Pakistani Muslims for centuries have been following the religion of Sufi Islam.
The Islam practiced in shrines, through love and words of the stories of Sufi
saints, is now under attack by another kind – the same enemy of religious
minorities - the more orthodox, militant Islam.

These shrines were places where people from all religions met. Now, for the
Talibans, these men and women, sharing a union with God in trance, represent a
sin as great as blasphemy.
In a country so emotionally charged with militant religion, where even Islam is a
contested territory, creating tolerance will be a challenge.

(COMMENT by Coutts): Religion is very strongly related to emotions in Pakistan. So
I think this will be long struggle.

It is perhaps for this reason that many Christians have been forced to surround
themselves only with each other for the sake of greater security and freedom.

(COMMENT by Hina Jilani): I had never heard when I was growing up, a
phenomenon where there were Christian villages and Muslim villages. Now you can
hear that and see that and I think this has led to this segregation between the Muslim
and the Christian community which had never happened in this country before the
1980s.

Consider Youhannabad. The largest Christian colony in Pakistan, lying on the
outskirts of Lahore. There is no fear of Blasphemy here. A Gojra would not
happened here. Youhannabad provides safety in numbers.


(COMMENT by Pastor): Here we are safe. Everyone has a weapon – revolver or
something else, but they have kept them at their homes. How? They bought them. It is
necessary against the Muslims.

Some people say there are close to a hundred churches in this one
neighbourhood. This unique sense of freedom in both the display and practice of
the Christian faith is, for some, a right that can finally be exercised, but for
others, it isn’t enough for the community to live on.

(COMMENT by SAMI): We can’t compete with the Muslims in Pakistan. Because
according to my mind you cant compete unless you are financially sound.

Nazir A Sami is a thriving businessman and lives on a road named after him.

Mr. Sami proudly displays the fruit of his success. It is hard work, he says, and
not only prayer that gets you this far.

(COMMENT by SAMI): No pastor, no politician, no political leader teach them to
become financially sound. In this way, the Christian community has gone many many
years reverse.

For a community marginalized by the state, the influence of the Church has now
stepped beyond just the religious into the political.

(COMMENT by BISHOP MALIK): Church has a political role. Why because there
are no other strong voice and since church is a strong body here as far as the
minorities are concerned, so we must play our role.
(COMMENT by BISHOP MALIK): We are influenced by the majority and for the
majority religion and politics go together, they are mingled.

Some people within the community see the role of a powerful Church, as
problematic.

(COMMENT by David Irfan): The Church should do its work and not become
political. And engineer should do a doctors job and vice versa. They should do what
their own jobs.
(COMMENT by Bishop Ijaz): I feel that the Church because of corruption and so
many other abuses, has not fulfilled its duties. I have learnt that I must be a servant of
the people, we are here to serve the people, not rule them.
(COMMENT by DAVID Irfan): Churchanity and Christianity are two different
things. Christianity belongs to Christ and Churchanity belongs to the Church only.
Those who lead churches, mosques and temples are running after the money. If
the Church wants, it can allow for the intellectual growth of its people, socially,
economically and politically. But the Church doesn’t want that.
(COMMENT by Bishop IJAZ): The Church has over a 100 billion worth of property
in dollars. And it is being abused. Corruption is tolerated in this society, even within
the Church.

Just like the rest of Pakistan, the Christian community is also divided on class
and ethnicity. Those more integrated into urban Pakistan, are the Goans who
started arriving in Karachi from the port city of goa near Mumbai over a 150
years ago.
While India was a british colony, goa came under the Portuguese. The Goans,
almost all Catholic, kept their Portuguese names, spoke English, and lent
Karachi its great diversity in religion and culture.

(COMMENT by MAXWELL DIAS): When we were young, in those days we had no
problems being a Christian in the city. Our Muslim neighbours would treat us like we
were one of them. So we didn’t know if there was any difference in our lives and

theres. It was just that we used to go to Church and they used to go to mosque.

But as Pakistan and Karachi began to change, this group of middle class,
educated Christians began to disappear, opting for a solution that perhaps is not
available to poorer Christians. They left Pakistan in large numbers.

(COMMENT by ROLAND D’SOUZA): it is unfortunate that a lot of these people
have left the country. And left the community poorer and left the country poorer I
believe.
(COMMENT by Roland D’SOUZA): One of the reasons I have stayed in Pakistan
despite the fact that all my boyhood friends and my family have gone is I felt that not
only would I be of service to the country, I would be of service to the community and
I think my presence here has been as such.
(COMMENT by MAXWELL DIAS): I never thought of leaving Pakistan, I don’t
know why. Maybe I love this country.

In the seventies, Maxwell Dias, was a sought after musician. Most Goan
musicians have now left the country, but Maxwell continues to play...

(COMMENT by MAXWELL DIAS): I am one of those few old musicians who is
still playing in a hotel. Slowly, there will be very few goans left in KHi. And the
music that we used to play is also slowly coming to an end. What we have contributed
during our time will not be there anymore for the next generations.


Louise John Pinto known to all of Pakistan as GUMBY belongs to the new
generation of Goans. A star drummer of the nation, Gumby’s future is tied to the
fate of the country.

(COMMENT by GUMBY): There are a lot of things that minorities go through, not
just here but I guess everywhere. I don’t look at it from the community perspective
anymore. I look at it as the whole nation. I want to give back to the place that I call
home, despite of a lot of thing may not have gone right for me. We live here, this is
home. This is all we have, there is no such thing as quitting.

A changing Pakistan is not enough for Gumby to give up.

(COMMENT BY GUMBY): Our dictator has banned music, one of our democratic
leaders had banned music, so if the Taliban ban music it wouldn’t make much of a
difference would it?
I think its very important for citizens like ourselves to do exactly what we do and to
continue doing that.

Growing extremism in the country means that Pakistani Christians will have to
find creative avenues to reclaim their place in a religiously diverse Pakistan. The
Church understands the needs of the time.

Father Arthur Charles has taken on a difficult task. Supported by the Catholic
Church he heads a new television channel challenging itself to bring Good News
to Pakistanis.

(COMMENT by Father Arthur Charles): There are good things happening in
Pakistan, I must say. Good things. But we only highlight something which is
negative. To counter that I need to bring good news. Allow me to say, the Good news
of Jesus Christ.
(ON SCREEN):Television channel cannot exist without the marketing or something,
so I have got a team sitting here...
(COMMENT by Father Arthur Charles): So, I invited people, now the team with me...
I have..Hindus with me, a parsi, Muslims, Christians.. all working together. All
working together in harmony and peace.
(ON SCREEN): This I want to retain, the natural beauty. And I will make a beautiful
lawn with flowers and we will do certain shows here in the open.
(COMMENT by Father Arthur Charles): Any television channel in Pakistan, / they
give Islamic programs. / I say I also have the right to do that. I also have the right. My
people, they want that. /And I used to feel.. how could we feel like we are a part of
Pakistan and just like others, they can share their views, I can too.
(ON SCREEN): Still we are doing it up and hopefully we will do quite many
programs…
(COMMENT by Father Arthur Charles): So this is a Great step forward where a
church has thought this is the way to reach the people to tell them that they have a
dignity to live...that they have something to offer Pakistan.
(ON SCREEN): Un-authorised people are strictly not allowed but I will allow you.
This is out MCR.

Father Charles is very enthusiastic about what the channel can achieve for the
community and the country. But in this search for positive news, he may have to
shy away from discussing Gojra or the death of Bishop John Joseph.

(ON SCREEN): St. Patricks school is celebrating 150 years. So for that we are giving
the countdown. 6th of May is the anniversary of 150 years. So they have created some
sort of teasers and things like that.

The day the Catholic Church will be celebrating St Patrick Cathedral’s 150th
birthday, is incidentally, also the 12th anniversary of the death of Bishop John
Joseph.

(COMMENT by Mariam Francis): He died on the 6th of May 1998. Where does
Pakistan’s history say that this was the day when Christians started to have a better
life?

This is a question many Christians still ask. They seem to be unable to deal with
the Bishop’s death in protest. Some say it has divided the Christians from the

Muslims even further. Some uphold his heroism. And many others in Pakistan,
don’t even know his name.
But sometimes, big changes start from little places. It may take a man from the
other side of the divide to honour the late Bishop.
This may be an unusual sight for many – an Islamic cleric and a Bishop walking
the grounds of an Islamic seminary. Today they are remembering their mutual
friend, the late Bishop John Joseph.

(COMMENT by Pir Ibrahim): There’s a little canal running between Samindru and
Thandla. On one side there are Christians and on the other, the Muslims. The fact is,
the school was on the Christian side. The Muslims wanted to send their children to the
Bishops school. So Bishop John had a bridge constructed over the canal. He named it
the connection bridge. The Muslims then cheered and said, He is our Bishop! I was
there, I heard the slogans.

With limited resources at hand, Pir Mohammed Ibrahim is now constructing an
educational hall in the memory of the late Bishop. This space will be called the
Bishop John Joseph Memorial Hall.

(COMMENT by Pir Ibrahim): In all of Pakistan, within any institution or near any
mosque, you will not find a memorial to honour any Christian religious leader. There
is only one such place in all of Pakistan that has been constructed in the memory of
Bishop John Joseph.
(COMMENT by Bishop Coutts): I think after what Bishop John did, many many
people in Pakistan and even outside Pakistan have become aware this infamous
Blasphemy law. And the Christians are much ready now to raise their voices, to come
out and to know that we do have rights in Pakistan and that we should also raise our
voices and protest if we are not getting our fair share. Bishop John taught us to do
that.


END
SLIDE
(on
screen
before
credits):
“Less
than
a
year
after
the
Gojra
incident,
two

Christian
charges
of
blasphemy
against
Islam.



Two
court
in
Faisalabad.



Both
brothers
died”