Some Christians in Pakistan convert fear into safety

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Some Christians in Pakistan convert fear into safety

(26 posts)

yahya
Member

LAHORE, PAKISTAN—Dog-eared and tattered, the blue book is an inch thick and sits on a dented metal table in the corner office of Jamia Naeemia, an Islamic school tucked in a scattering of cement-walled homes and roadside shops.

Many believe the book offers the promise of safety and perhaps even a better chance at prosperity.

The book is a registry used to document religious converts to Islam and officials at Jamia Naeemia say business is brisk nowadays.

At least 20 to 25 former Christians adopt Islam each week by pledging an oath and signing a green and white document in which they accept Islam as “the most beautiful religion” and promise to “remain in the religion of Islam for the rest of my life, acknowledging that blessings are only from God.”

Human rights advocates say it’s no surprise some of Pakistan’s 3 million Christians are adopting Islam. These are vexing and dangerous days for the country’s religious minorities.

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/925715--some-christians-in-pakistan-convert-fear-into-safety

No wonder clerics don't want blasphemy laws repealed; it helps in conversions.

Posted 1 year ago on 22 Jan 2011 11:27 #
LifeH2O
Member

There is no 'jabar' in Islam but if you are not Muslim, you have no right to live peacefully.

Posted 1 year ago on 22 Jan 2011 11:44 #
dildar
Member

life

are you high.....

or i'm missing ur sarcasm

Posted 1 year ago on 22 Jan 2011 15:31 #
barackosama
Member

@LifeH20

There are lots of traces in the annals of other cultures on "forced" conversions through out the world. The conversions might not have been forced but assumed by the defeated to avoid Jizya. Interestingly, the conversions attributed to Muslim armies weren't quite to the proper Islamic level such as Babar's army. I have a Jain (Indian) friend whose name is Shah, he said his family adopted this name centuries ago to escape Muslim persecution.

Posted 1 year ago on 22 Jan 2011 15:43 #
pirbodla
Member

It is nothing more than false propaganda against Pakistan. No non-Muslim is under any threat more than is any Muslim. We should bear in mind that because of our nuclear capability, the 'lslamophobia lobby' is pumping millions of dollars through NGOs to damage Pakistan by any meas.

There are many Christian and even some oddments of Sikh families in villages of Sialkot i, who own lands and live without any intimidatio. In fact, I noticed that the Muslims usually treat them with lot of affection, for their decision be the part of Pakistanis. However, they too like to go abroad and improve their living, and for quick asylum in western countries they would not hesitate to use the pretext of religious persecution.

I think no non-Muslim would be so foolish to revert to Islam just for fear, when he has a better option of getting asylum.

In fact, the opposite is more true, for I am aware of some people in UK, who embraced Christianity to get asylum and even financial help from the churches. Asylem is a dream of every crook Pakistani. ONce they are in west, they would curse Pakistan and call their invocations, 'blessed are these countries which adopted them'.

Posted 1 year ago on 22 Jan 2011 15:46 #
nota
Member

@pirbodla
"It is nothing more than false propaganda against Pakistan."

Plain propaganda of course. And they are forgetting their own side i.e. a lot of converts to Christianity convert for their economic well-being and money is offered them by missionaries. As for asylum, that too is a very valid point and qadyanis too are experts at that.

BTW: As to who is spreading the anti-Musli propaganda, this headline alone speaks volumes:
Pakistani Church comes under attack of Muslim Land Mafia

Now we all know land mafias and there is nothing "Muslim" or "Christian" or "Hindu" about them. So why label it as "Muslim" land mafia?

Posted 1 year ago on 22 Jan 2011 15:59 #
yahya
Member

It is nothing more than false propaganda against Pakistan. No non-Muslim is under any threat more than is any Muslim.

So Islamic Republic of Pakistan is bad for both Muslims and non-Muslims? Who is responsible for this threat to all? Surely not non-Muslims. So they have a legitimate cause for complaint against the Muslim majority.

Why not make the republic secular to get rid of all this sectarian tussle?

Posted 1 year ago on 22 Jan 2011 17:53 #
semirza
Moderator

Go ahead. Take a step to make the republic secular...

Posted 1 year ago on 22 Jan 2011 18:02 #
yahya
Member

No need to force anything down anyone's throat. If people want to kill each other to extinction in the name of religion then let them. Given time, problem will solve itself.

Posted 1 year ago on 22 Jan 2011 18:10 #
LifeH2O
Member

@dildar you are missing sarcasm. I don't know how those christians decided to accept Islam, if you say they were influenced by the 'good muslims' of Pakistan and just decided to accept. It is not possible, it could be any other reason/purpose but not this.

Posted 1 year ago on 22 Jan 2011 18:26 #
semirza
Moderator

@nota
Agreed to all you have said but alas the Islamophobes, the seclibs have a different view.

@pirbodla
I have a passion for History and archaeology. You mentioned Sialkot where many Sikh families live (post partition) and are happy, is correct. Once I happened to visit one such family who are caretakers of a Temple I wanted to see. What I observed was they were quite happy living in Pakistan as Pakistanis.

Posted 1 year ago on 22 Jan 2011 18:47 #
pirbodla
Member

@ S.E.Mirza
You are right, all those Sikhs and Hindus who had decided to stay in Pakistan are as happy as anyone else being Pakistanis.

Sialkot city has quite few of them, one I know deals in sports goods, but there are some landowners and farmers who live in villages. One Sikh Bajwa family, which I know personally, had their ‘Hawaii’ opposite Chawinda Railway Station, which is known as the graveyard of Indian centurion tanks.

Few years back, I had a chance to meet one of their youngster who was a grain merchant and had come to our house to buy some wheat and basmati rice. I was very pleased to know from him that they were doing very well in their business and were very happy to be Pakistanis.

There are some Hindus as well. I had one friend by the name of Lal Chand, a thorough gentleman, who used to be a school teacher in my village, but I have lost contect with him.

As regards Christians, Sialkot has more Christian than any other part of Pakistan with best medical and educational facilities for them.

Although, I am only an occasional visiter to that place who never had a chance to lived there, but I know that everybody lives amicably and happily with Muslims as equal citizens.

Posted 1 year ago on 22 Jan 2011 21:33 #
yahya
Member

Where are these Sikhs and Christians who are happy in Pakistan? Why are they not coming forward and saying it for themselves? The fact that someone else is speaking on their behalf and is putting words in their mouths speaks for itself. Either way why would a Sikh or Christian risk his life and say he's not happy here? Have they not seen Gojra, Shaanti Nagar and Asia Bibi case? They are samrt enough to understand what is good for them.

Posted 1 year ago on 22 Jan 2011 21:38 #
pirbodla
Member

The only sickness in Sialkot were qadianis, but thanks God they running away.

Posted 1 year ago on 22 Jan 2011 21:47 #
rhyme
Members

there are also many shops in super markets run by Sikhs and i have personally been to such shops with family to buy clothes etc and never saw or heard any kind of problem or the sikhs being complaining about the muslims mistreating them...

there are hindus as well living and doing small businesses in small cities and celeberating their festivals and muslims in large having no problem with it....

i know many christian families,especially few of them were my teachers in school,they and their kids mingled very well with muslims and muslims again here showed a very respectful behaviour in return....

one of my classmates was Parsi and we and she never had any sorta issues both in and out of institute...we all were really good friends...

I have studied with christians,shiites,ahmedies,parsi even hindus...sum ismailies,ahmedies were even our neighbours...we or they or anyother above referred ppl never expressed feelings of prejudice or pain for eachother because there werent any!

So kindly stop spreading this false propaganda here! do not believe everything that Media tries to feed ur mind with! not everything they portray is true!....minorities in Pakistan are still living in better condition atleast better than India!

Media is busy depicting "Pakistan a place like HELL" where nothing good has ever happened or is happening!

Posted 1 year ago on 23 Jan 2011 9:57 #
scandinavian
Member

This is not a question about belonging to one faith or the other. In general Pakistanis are a very tolerant nation re. that. The real problem is having resources. The people who are strong can/will oppress people who don't have resources/connections. That's what is happening in Pakistan.

Posted 1 year ago on 23 Jan 2011 10:34 #
yahya
Member

"In general Pakistanis are a very tolerant nation re."

Let someone else besides Pakistanis say that. Self certification is hardly worthy.

A nation whose educated and especially lawyers celebrate murderers is hardly tolerant, in fact exactly the opposite; barbaric. How many signs do we need to accept the reality?

Posted 1 year ago on 23 Jan 2011 12:36 #
pirbodla
Member

Some Pakistanis learned the art of self certification from Mirza Ghulam Qadiyani, a certified imposter.

Posted 1 year ago on 23 Jan 2011 14:29 #
barackosama
Member

Oh man! are Sikhs, Hindus, Xtians, Qadiyanis happy and kicking in Pakistan?

Of course they are! As much as the Muslims/Arabs are fearless in the West, and no less than the Muslims in India who pretend they are reigning. Their good way of showing non-existence of their insecurity is by flying Indian flag when ever an eventful act of terror is connected to the Indian Muslims and in America how can someone Muslim not raise stars and strips in front porch on 4th of July.

Posted 1 year ago on 23 Jan 2011 14:39 #
scandinavian
Member

@Yahya

"Let someone else besides Pakistanis say that. Self certification is hardly worthy."

You picked this one, but obviously didn't pick the point. Maybe because you don't want to.

Posted 1 year ago on 23 Jan 2011 21:14 #
saqib55
Member

There is no doubt that anyone who is not of the majority sect in Pakistan, lives in a state of perpetual fear from the mullah hordes.

Just remember that mullahs of the deobandis and barelvi sects even attack themselves and occupy each others mosques and even kill each other. In this hateful environment, even shias, sufis are in constant threat if they are too open with their opinions, what to speak of hindus (fleeing from pakistan to india right now), christians (under mob attack, economically deprived and false blasphemy charges constantly).

The facts speak for themselves, that Pakistan as an islamic country is a cesspool of intolerance. You need to go to the poor localities in the cities and the villages to really see the true intolerance and hatred.

Posted 1 year ago on 23 Jan 2011 22:45 #
sasherwani
Members

Next the mullas will request to take the "white" portion off the Pakistani flag.

Posted 1 year ago on 24 Jan 2011 8:00 #
yahya
Member

Muslims in Italy tell those concerned over Christianophobia: Convert to Islam!

"Islam is the true religion; convert to Islam!” was the demand issued by a Pakistani radical Islamic organization, led by Malik Shaib, to promoters of a demonstration to be held on January 26 in Rome. The demonstraters express concern over Christianophobia in Muslim-dominated countries and, in particular, the case of Aasi Bibi - a Pakistani Christian woman who was sentenced to death for blasphemy according to Islamic law.

http://www.energypublisher.com/article.asp?id=47098

Posted 1 year ago on 24 Jan 2011 8:20 #
yahya
Member

@Scandinavian: I have no interest in proving again what is already proven. You can keep defending the indefensible if you like.

Posted 1 year ago on 24 Jan 2011 8:22 #
semirza
Moderator

@Scandinavian

This is not a question about belonging to one faith or the other. In general Pakistanis are a very tolerant nation re. that. The real problem is having resources. The people who are strong can/will oppress people who don't have resources/connections. That's what is happening in Pakistan.

Spot on brother. Appreciated.

Posted 1 year ago on 24 Jan 2011 19:48 #
quaidkamazaar
Member

the only credentials for full rights in Pakistan should be

1) you are human
2) you are human
3) you are human

qadianis, christians, jews, hindus, aga khani if you have noticed are all human.

the question of secular vs nonsecular bla bla does not even come into the picture.

to all Mullahs who make life for minorities hard, my message is jump in a well and die.

Posted 1 year ago on 24 Jan 2011 23:50 #