Probe call in Afghan 'convert' row

A former Afghan prime minister has called for an inquiry
after Al Jazeera broadcast footage showing Christian US soldiers appearing to be preparing to try and convert Muslims in Afghanistan.
Ahmed Shah Ahmedzai said there must be a "serious investigation" after military chaplains stationed in the US air base at Bagram were filmed discussing how to distribute copies of the Bible printed in the country's main Pashto and Dari languages.

In one recorded sermon, Lieutenant-Colonel Gary Hensley, the chief of the US military chaplains in Afghanistan, tells soldiers that, as followers of Jesus Christ, they all have a responsibility "to be witnesses for him".
"The special forces guys - they hunt men basically. We do the same things as Christians, we hunt people for Jesus. We do, we hunt them down," he says.
"Get the hound of heaven after them, so we get them into the kingdom. That's what we do, that's our business."
Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest ranking officer in the US military, told Al Jazeera he was not aware of the details of the footage but that the US army was not involved in promoting religion.
"From the United States' military's perspective, it is not our position to push any specific kind of religion," he said at a Pentagon briefing in Washington on Monday.

'Very damaging'

Under the US military code of conduct, armed forces on active duty are prohibited from trying to convert a person's faith. Ahmed Shah Ahmedzai told Al Jazeera from Kabul on Monday: "This is a complete deviation from what they [the US military] are supposed to be doing.
"I don't think even the US constitution would allow what they are doing ... it is completely against all regulations.
"This is very damaging for diplomatic relations between the two counties ... everyone knows people are very conservative here, very faithful to Islam. They will never accept any other religion.
"Someone who leaves Islam is sentenced very severely - the death penalty [is imposed].
"There must be a serious investigation now that it has come out into the public and [into the] press," he said.
Sayed Aalam Uddin Asser, of the Islamic Front for Peace and Understanding in Kabul, told Al Jazeera: "It's a national security issue ... our constitution says nothing can take place in Afghanistan against Islam. "If people come and propaganda other religions which have no followers in Afghanistan [then] it creates problems for the people, for peace, for stability.

Local language bibles

The footage, shot about a year ago by Brian Hughes, a documentary maker and former member of the US military who spent several days in Bagram near Kabul, was obtained by Al Jazeera's James Bays, who has covered Afghanistan extensively.
In other footage captured at Bagram, Sergeant Jon Watt, a soldier set to become a military chaplain, said during a Bible study class: "I also want to praise God because my church collected some money to get bibles for Afghanistan. They came and sent the money out."
It is not clear that the Bibles were distributed to Afghans, but Hughes said that none of the people he recorded in a series of sermons and Bible study classes appeared to able to speak Pashto or Dari.
Hughes said: "The only reason they would have these documents there was to distribute them to the Afghan people and I knew it was wrong, and I knew that filming it … documenting it would be important."

Guidelines

It is not clear if the presence of the bibles and practice of calling on soldiers to be "witnesses" for Jesus continues, but they were filmed a year ago despite regulations by the US military's Central Command that expressly forbid "proselytising of any religion, faith or practice".


But in another piece of footage, the chaplains appear to understand their actions were in breach of a regulation known as General Order Number One.
"Do we know what it means to proselytise?" Captain Emmit Furner, a military chaplain, says to the gathering.
"It is General Order Number One," an unidentified soldier replies.
But Watt says "you can't proselytise, but you can give gifts".
The footage also suggests US soldiers gave out bibles in Iraq.
In an address at Bagram, Watt is recorded as saying: "I bought a carpet and then I gave the guy a Bible after I conducted my business.
"... the expressions that I got from the people in Iraq [were] just phenomenal, they were hungry for the word."
Questioned about the footage, Greg Julian, a US colonel in Afghanistan, told Al Jazeera: "Most of this is taken out of context ... this is irresponsible and inappropriate journalism.
"This footage was taken a year ago ... the bibles were taken into custody and not distributed.
"There is no effort to go out and proselytise to Afghans."
The footage has surfaced as Barack Obama, the US president, prepares to host Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan's president, at a summit on Tuesday and Wednesday focusing on how to tackle al-Qaeda and Taliban attacks along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

(Courtesy Al-Jazeera)

Growing abhorrence for Taliban

A full-scale military operation is underway in Swat. The operation was launched after the peace deal with defunct organization Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (movement for the implementation sharia) collapsed. This organization basically worked as an intermediary between the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the government. The West was quite opposite to the operation. The deal was for implementing shariah only in the Malakand division. As soon as the Nisam-e-Adl Regulation (NAR) was approved by the government, the Taliban openly confessed that they had no intention to contain themselves within the Malakand division. After that they took control of Buner which is only 100 kilometers away from Islamabad.

Now more than 140 Taliban have been killed and more than 1 million people have fled from the Malakand division in the wake of this operation. This is largest number of internally displaced people (IDPs) in Pakistan’s history.

Today the Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had an emergency cabinet meeting to review the operation. After the meeting he said that Taliban had been caught with an “element of surprise” because they were not expecting such a swift action. “In the past, they attacked and then ran away but this time they have been surrounded,” he added. To learn more about Taliban in Pakistan a very good analysis has been made by Ahmed Rashid. It is given below. I am sure it will make things understandable for us. AA

Pakistan is facing galloping Talibanisation

By Ahmed Rashid

On Monday, April 4, veteran journalist Ahmed Rashid addressed a select crowd at Karachi’s Mohatta Palace Museum. Not surprisingly, the subject of his talk was ‘Afghanistan and Pakistan: Quest for Peace or Recipe for War?’ He argued that Pakistan was facing a major existential crisis: ‘I no longer say that there’s a creeping Talibanisation in Pakistan, it’s a galloping Talibanisation.’ Here, Dawn.com’s Huma Yusuf presents the salient points from Mr. Rashid’s presentation. (Photograph: Fahim Siddiqi/White Star)

Where did the Taliban come from?

The myths about the Taliban need to be clarified. They are not an extension of an external threat, they are not being funded by Russia or India. In the 1990s, the Taliban in Afghanistan were fighting the Northern Alliance, and thousands of Pashtuns went to fight as foot soldiers on behalf of the Taliban. In 2001, the Afghan Taliban fled to Pakistan. Pakistani Taliban, who previously had little clout, became hosts of the Afghan Taliban and earned much money for their assistance. From 2001 to 2004, the Pakistani Taliban grew in numbers and influence and became radicalized because of their proximity to the Afghan Taliban. They planned and mobilized to establish a Taliban ‘emirate’ or state in Fata and the expansion of that idea of statehood is what we see happening today.

Pakistani Taliban expanding
The leadership of the Taliban is now in Pakistan and they have stated their intention of overthrowing the government here. The Taliban are linking up with groups in Pakistan and the Pakistani Taliban movement is turning into a multiethnic movement. Groups cultivated to fight in Kashmir have joined up with the Pakistani Taliban, and include Punjabis with organizations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Harkatul Mujahideen. Now, some 40 groups in Pakistan are loosely affiliated with the Pakistan – the several years of progressive diplomacy with India exacerbated the rise of different Taliban-affiliated factions. For that reason, Pakistan faces a more dangerous situation than Afghanistan, where Tajik and Uzbek fighters were not permitted to join the Afghan Taliban movement.

Issues in Pakistani governance
Pakistan is also weaker because of a raging economic crisis, the ongoing insurgency in Balochistan, and a political crisis. The PPP government has wasted one year vying with the PML-N for power rather than tackling the Taliban threat. Meanwhile, ANP, which was supposed to serve as secular face of Frontier province, has collapsed (ANP officials are being targeted by Taliban in northern areas).
Before 2008, the Musharraf government allowed the Taliban to resettle in Pakistan from Afghanistan. Musharraf wanted to maintain the jihadi nexus as a force against the Indians. Also, the emphasis then was on getting rid of Al Qaeda, the Taliban were not seen as a major threat.
After 2004/2005, when military operations did begin in Fata, the government pursued a stop-and-start policy, which involved several peace deals that did not hold. In the meantime, the Pakistan government and army failed to protect the people of the Fata and the traditional tribal hierarchies that were pro-Pakistan. About 300 maliks of tribes were killed and by 2007, there were half a million refugees from Fata in Pakistan. Having lost the goodwill of the population in Fata, the government will find it hard to reenter the area and rebuild traditional tribal structures.

American failures
How did we get from 2001 to where we are today? The Bush government got distracted by Iraq, which provided a diversion of attention and resources from the situation in Afghanistan. Instead of having an on-the-ground plan for capacity building in Afghanistan, the US supported warlords – instead of empowering the centre, regional powers were bolstered. Plus, little was done about the drug trade, which is now the main source of funding for the Taliban (it is estimated at 300 million dollars, but Rashid believes the real figures are triple that amount). Instead of defeating Taliban in Afghanistan, Americans routed them to Pakistan.

Obama policy
US President Barack Obama is now doing what Bush should have done in Afghanistan (troop surge, capacity building, securing the ground to ensure that presidential elections can take place this August). In Pakistan, however, American options are limited. There was a hope that after February 2008 elections, there would be a strong coalition government that could serve as a civilian partner for Obama to partner with. After all, army has proved unreliable ally (especially since it still thinks that India is the main enemy; army officials dislike Indian presence in Afghanistan; and army officials don’t like Karzai and other Afghan leaders). However, there is no one for America to partner with. PM? President? Opposition leader? They have all proved too weak.
As a result, US is asking for aid to help Paksitan, but there is very little trust and faith in Pakistan amongst the Congress. The aid that will be given will be packed with conditionalities that Pakistan won’t be able to accept. Congress is asking, who will we give this aid to?

India question
There is a tit-for-tat game between India and Pakistan whereby they support nationalist insurgencies in each other’s countries (so while India may be giving funds in Balochistan, Pakistan is helping out rebels in Assam). But India is not funding the Taliban. India realizes that the Taliban will be at their border next and they have nothing to gain from supporting the militants.

Regional strategy
New focus of Obama administration is regional policy – get Afghanistan’s six neighbors involved and make them sort out regional stability and set a common agenda. But first, bilateral issues will have to be sorted: Indo-Pak will have to clear the air, Pakistan and Central Asian states will have to reach understandings, and Iran and the US will have to start negotiating. This way, Afghanistan is not only a problem, it becomes a trigger for regional problem solving. This is one of the most doable and productive aspects of the Obama policy for Af-Pak.

Fallacies of Swat deal (Nizam-i-Adl Regulation)
The ANP thought that the deal would be contained within Swat, but that was very misguided thinking. The Taliban have an expansionist agenda. They make deals in one areas so that they can secure it and then move into other areas. There has also been no cessation of their killing of ANP and other government officials and they have not agreed to lay down their arms. Instead of achieving anything, the Swat deal formalises a different form of law and governance for one part of Pakistan, thus weakening the government.
The law in Swat is Taliban law, and it’s nonsense to say that the Swatis have been practicing Sharia for decades. The Taliban law has nothing to do with the mild form of Sufi-influenced Sharia that Swatis have had from 1960s.
Government was definitely taken by surprise by the speed with which Taliban moved on from Swat to Buner, Dir, etc. They will not stop and government should realise their ultimate goal of toppling Islamabad. To that end, the operation in Swat is welcome. But the question is: will it be a sustained offensive?
Also, there are already one million IDPs who have escaped from Fata and northern areas. If the army is seriously going to tackle Taliban menace, it must learn counter-insurgency tactics and get the right equipment to target Taliban without damaging entire villages.

(Courtesy Dawn)

Papal Visit to Jordan Prompts Diverse Muslim Response

Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Amman, Jordan, on May 8 at the beginning of an eight-day Holy Land pilgrimage. Besides Jordan, the pope’s tour will include visits to Israel and the Palestinian territories. The spiritual leader of the world’s 1.1 billion Catholics had barely set foot in predominantly Muslim Jordan, however, when it became apparent that the reaction to his visit among followers of Islam would vary widely.
The pope was met at Amman's Queen Alia airport by King Abdullah II and his wife Queen Rania, who extended the Christian religious leader a warm welcome. Both the king and queen are Sunni Muslims and quite Westernized. Abdullah attended prep schools in England and the United States, as well as the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in Britain. He also completed graduate studies at Georgetown University in Washington. Rania earned a degree from the American University in Cairo, and after her graduation, worked at Citibank and Apple Computer in Amman. AFP reported that hundreds of Christians, many wearing T-shirts bearing the portraits of the king and the pope, gathered at the airport to welcome Benedict. Jordan's elite royal guard and army forces were posted along the road to the airport, which is about 18 miles south of the capital. There are about 200,000 Christians in Jordan — including Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox — out of a total population of about six million. “My visit to Jordan gives me a welcome opportunity to speak of my deep respect for the Muslim community, and to pay tribute to the leadership shown by his majesty the king in promoting a better understanding of the virtues proclaimed by Islam,” Benedict was quoted by AP shortly after landing in Amman.The Jordanian King responded by praising the pope and said the world must reject “ambitious ideologies of division.”“We welcome your commitment to dispel the misconceptions and divisions that have harmed relations between Christians and Muslims,” said Abdullah.The pope’s itinerary in Jordan included a stop at the Regina Pacis center for the handicapped , followed by a visit with the Jordanian royal family at the Al Husseini palace. During his time in Jordan, the pope was scheduled to visit Mount Nebo, from which Moses saw the Promised Land from a distance. He was to celebrate a Mass for an expected 30,000 worshippers at the international stadium in Amman and will also visit Bethany Beyond the Jordan, the site of the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist.The Al Jazeerea news network cited a Jordanian government that it is “taking the visit very seriously to reach its economic objectives for the year and to present itself as a model for inter-faith co-existence and peace in the region.”Though he was cordially received by the Hashemite royal family (who trace their ancestry to the prophet Muhammad), Benedict’s visit was vehemently protested by other Muslims. Jordan's hard-line Muslim Brotherhood said shortly before the pope arrived that its members would boycott his visit because he had not issued a public apology as they demanded for statements he made concerning Islam during a September 12, 2006 speech in Regensburg, Bavaria. During the speech, made at the University of Regensburg, where he had previously been a professor, Benedict quoted a passage written by the Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus in 1391, making clear that they were the Emperor's words, not his own. The part of the passage that many Muslims found offensive was: “Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.”During his lecture, the pope characterized the Emperor’s words as being of a “startling brusqueness, a brusqueness which leaves us astounded.”However, what Benedict intended as a simple illustration in a lecture intended for scholarly ears was taken out of context and broadcast across the Muslim world, producing strong and immediate outrage. The pope was even burned in effigy in Basra, Iraq.Al-Qaeda and the Mujahideen Shura Council threatened Benedict and all of Christianity in a joint statement: “You and the West are doomed as you can see from the defeat in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya, and elsewhere.... We will break up the cross, spill the liquor and impose the jizya tax, then the only thing acceptable is a conversion [to Islam] or [being killed by] the sword.... God enable us to slit their throats, and make their money and descendants the bounty of the Mujahideen.”On September 17, 2006, before his regular weekly Sunday Angelus prayer, Pope Benedict made the following statement:
At this time, I wish also to add that I am deeply sorry for the reactions in some countries to a few passages of my address at the University of Regensburg, which were considered offensive to the sensibility of Muslims. These in fact were a quotation from a medieval text, which do not in any way express my personal thought. Yesterday, the Cardinal Secretary of State published a statement in this regard in which he explained the true meaning of my words. I hope that this serves to appease hearts and to clarify the true meaning of my address, which in its totality was and is an invitation to frank and sincere dialogue, with great mutual respect.
On October 12, 2006, 100 respected Muslim scholars and clerics published an Open Letter to the Pope. The 38 signers to the letter declared that they accepted the pope’s “personal expression of sorrow and assurance that the controversial quote did not reflect his personal opinion.” They also responded to some of the main issues raised in the pope’s lecture about the relationship between Christianity and Islam.The dialogue indicated that many moderate Muslims had accepted the Pope’s explanation, but Islam is by no means a unified faith. (For that matter, neither is Christianity, where divisions also exist.) Therefore, reactions from some Islamic segments in Jordan to the pope’s visit cannot be construed as being representative of every Muslim. Zaki Bani Rusheid, head of the Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, the country's largest mainstream Islamist party, told Reuters: “The present Vatican pope is the one who issued severe insults to Islam and did not offer any apology to the Muslims.”Reuters quoted another Islamist figure, Jamil Abu Baker, who said: “Ignoring Muslim sentiments will only block the healing of wounds his statements caused.”And the outlawed, radical Hizb ut-Tahrir Party urged Jordanian authorities to withdraw their invitation to the pope: "All Muslims should raise their voices high to say that any one who insults our Prophet is not welcome on this land in any way.” Given the present instability in the Middles East, as fighting continues in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, it is hardly surprising that a visit by a prominent Christian religious leader in an overwhelmingly Muslim country has generated some heated controversy. But peaceful dialogue between the pope and the king surely inspires greater hope for eventual peace in the Middle East than a never-ending series of terrorist attacks and military invasions.

(Courtesy to The New American )

1200 Pakistan Sikhs displaced by unrest

Islamabad: About 140 Sikh families, comprising 1,200 people, have been displaced by fighting between militants and Pakistani security forces in Buner district of the restive NWFP, officials said on Wednesday.
The officials said the North West Frontier Province government will provide Rs. 20,000 as aid to each Sikh family displaced by the operations by security forces.
They said the 140 Sikh families had taken shelter at Gurdwara Panja Shahib in Hasanabdal. — PTI

(Courtesy to The Hindu)

Terror creep

From a base in the Swat Valley, Taliban influence and infiltration are spreading through a nuclear-armed nation Jill Nelson

The Pakistani government may have sincerely believed it could contain the Taliban by giving the extremist group a district to rule, but Pakistani Christians understand the Taliban's ultimate agenda. Taliban militants in Karachi's Taiser Town—hundreds of miles from the Taliban's newly obtained Swat Valley—chalked the homes and churches of local Christians with threats and slogans demanding that they pay the jizra, an Islamic tax for the protection of non-converts. When the Christian community washed the slogans from the buildings, dozens of armed militants arrived and shot three people execution style on April 22, including 11-year-old Irfan Masih, who died a few hours later.
Pakistan's Taliban—once limited in power to the semiautonomous tribal belts—has made daunting advances in recent months, emboldened by the government's abdication of the Swat district. The idyllic valley is now under Shariah law, and the Taliban has used its new base to infiltrate the districts of Lower Dir and Buner—just 60 miles from Islamabad. These advances, coupled with new signs of Taliban infiltration in the strategic southern port city of Karachi, have raised global alarm over the prospect of a nuclear-armed Pakistan falling into the hands of the Taliban, and analysts question the country's capability and will to fight the growing threat within its borders.

(Courtesy to WorldMag)

Taliban Extort Protection "Tax" from Christians in Swat Valley

Hundreds of religious minorities, including Sikhs and Christians, fled Swat Valley because the Taliban had imposed "jizia tax" required by Islamic law on religious minorities. Christinan and Sikh families living in an area similar to the Swat Valley, the Orakzai Agency, left their homes after the Taliban demanded 50 million rupees [$622,200]. The Taliban announced that they would provide protection for religious minorities if they paid the amount, but the tax is so financially debiliting that minorities had to flee.

(Courtesy to International Christian Concern)

Taliban's Popularity Linked To Perception It Will Lift Pakistanis From Poverty

by Emi Foulk
The swelling power of the Taliban in Pakistan - or "Talibanistan," as The Nation so pithily put it - has caused much alarm amongst American politicians, journalists, and coHuffington Post mmentators; and in Pakistan, too, the educated classes condemn the Taliban's repressive and violent policies.
In both countries, so-called champions of democracy are quick to cast blame. The majority cite the efficacy of ruthless intimidation - a sort of gunpoint diplomacy forcing women to stay indoors and DVD stores to shutter - unchecked by Pakistan's weak civilian government. The United States exacerbates the trend, some say, by pushing the Taliban further into Pakistan's heartland with their ill-conceived drone attacks in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, simultaneously rallying support for those who oppose the "evil Empire."
Others point to the Pakistan military, still seeking to wield the Taliban as an asset against rival India, as progenitor and promoter of the country's militant jihadism. On at least one point, these proponents of Western liberalism agree: As Parag Khanna of the New America Foundation recently wrote on nytimes.com, "Only a democratic Pakistan can reduce the Taliban threat."
Oddly, then, the question of what constitutes democracy in Pakistan has been almost entirely neglected. A New York Times article reporting the ways in which the Taliban "exploit class rifts" came close, but shied away from highlighting what is glaringly obvious to anyone who has spent time in Pakistan: if democracy in Pakistan implies the status quo, the Taliban is here to stay.
Socio-economic disparities run rampant, and corruption, classism and an entrenched feudal system all but ensure that the poor - more than 30 percent of Pakistan's 170 million citizens, according to the World Bank - remain poor and marginalized.
Nine percent of Pakistanis lack access to clean water, according to the UN, and 38 percent of Pakistani children are underweight. Bonded labor continues unhindered in the most densely populated provinces of Punjab and Sindh.
Given the little that Pakistani governments, both civilian and military, have provided by way of land reform, education, health care and equitable justice over the past few decades, it's not entirely surprising that an alternative - any alternative - holds appeal for Pakistan's lower classes and peasantry. The Taliban in Swat have forced wealthy landowners out, and, in an ersatz land reform, passed the abandoned plots to the tenants who manned them.

(Courtesy to The Huffington Post)

Taliban rampage in Pakistan

Political, social, and religious groups have denounced the imposition of a traditional Muslim head tax on Christians and Sikhs living under the Taliban guns in the Swat region of Pakistan.

Various social, religious, political and trade organisations have given a dawn-to-dusk bandh call May 8 to protest against the imposition of jazia (a religious tax imposed on non-Muslims) on the minority Sikhs and Christian communities in the Swat Valley and Karachi of Pakistan, respectively. The shutdown call was given at a meeting of over 20 organisations in Jammu, including the All Jammu and Kashmir Catholic Sabha. The representatives of these organisations met at the Press Club Jammu May 7 evening to take stock of the situation after the imposition of jazia on minority Sikhs (Swat Valley) and threatening to Christians (Karachi) in Pakistan by the Taliban. The meeting was arranged by the Jammu Bar association. Voicing their concern over the harassment meted out to the minorities in the Swat Valley and Karachi, the meeting said over one billion people of India would not tolerate such acts at any cost. Expressing their solidarity with the Sikh, Hindu and Christian minorities in Pakistan, the meeting sought the intervention of international community in the matter and safety and security of minorities in the neighbouring country.
The meeting also decided to take out a march to the United Nations Observers Group for India and Pakistan’s Office here during the bandh where a memorandum will be submitted to its representatives seeking the world body’s intervention in stopping atrocities on minorities in the Swat valley and Karachi. The Talibanization of Karachi began with an attack of the armed Taliban on a Christian colony. The attack was well organised and heavy firearms were used by hundreds of Taliban to threaten unarmed Christian elders, women and children. The Taliban wrote slogans against Christianity on the church walls in Taseer town April 19 night, which horrified the Christian residents. On April 21, the local Christians took out a peaceful procession in vicinity of Taseer town to attract the attention of local administration for protection of residents, but no action was taken nor police guard were provided for the protection of church. On the same night, more than one hundred masked Taliban invaded Taseer Colony and attacked Christians with guns. The terrified Christians locked themselves in their homes but the Taliban pulled the elders out at gunpoint and dragged women by their hair into the streets. They loudly cried: “You infidels have to convert to Islam or die. Why you did you erase our warnings written on the walls of church and home doors? How dare you take out a procession against Taliban?” Two Christians who resisted were killed, execution style, before their families. In a two-hour-long raid on Taseer town, the Taliban also brutalized dozens of people. Nazir S Bhatti, president of Pakistan Christian Congress, condemned the attack and killing of Christians in Taseer and urged the government to provide protection to Christians in Pakistan who are unarmed and peace-loving citizen. Bhatti said though there were apprehensions of a Taliban takeover for months, no action was taken to stop the Talibanisation of Karachi.

PCC concern on enforced migration of Christians from Swat Valley and NWFP draws attention.

Karachi: May 4, 2009. (PCP report) The international forums are expressing concerns on mass enforced migration of hundreds of thousands of Christians from Swat Valley and other parts of NWFP where Taliban uprising and Sharia law have empowered religious extremists and militants to demand Jizyia from Christians and other religious minorities. The voice of Pakistan Christian Congress PCC was also heard in a session of Standing Committee on Minorities of National Assembly of Pakistan when members of NA Committee met chaired by Hindu selected member of National Assembly by Pakistan Peoples Party PPP Dr. Mahesh Kumar Malani, here today in Islamabad.NA Standing Committee on Minorities advised organs of Federal Minority Ministry to provide shelter and food to displaced minority community members from Swat, Dir, Malakand, Boneir, Mardan, FATA and other parts of NWFP.The recent developments and actions taken by government of Pakistan are happening after Pakistan Christian Congress PCC filed petition with UNO Offices in New York to grant Refugee Status to Pakistani Christians in February 2009, unless government of Pakistan denied any mass migration of Christians to Punjab and Sindh provinces after Taliban imposed Jizyia “Islamic Tax on non-Muslims” and threatened to ‘Convert to Islam or die”Nazir S Bhatti, President of Pakistan Christian Congress PCC welcomed International Communities’ assurances to provide assistance in rehabilitation of migrated Christian families from Swat and NWFP.“The NA Committee meeting is good sign by government of Pakistan to accept facts on ground but Pakistani Christians do not trust promises of administration because Federal Minority Ministry of Pakistan is led by one very weak minister who have been claiming that Christians are enjoying equal rights in Pakistan” said Nazir BhattiDr. Nazir S Bhatti said “20 million Pakistani Christians have not confidence in Shahbaz Bhatti, Federal Minister for Minorities because he have damaged cause of Christians and misled international community with his statements on behalf of government while he is not elected by Christian voters but selected by PPP”In a telephonic address to PCC members in Karachi, Nazir S Bhatti advised PCC workers to contact displaced families and manage data for International Forums which are ready to assist displaced Christian families of Swat valley and NWFP.Nazir Bhatti appealed remainder Christian families in Swat, Malakand, Bonir, Dir, Mardan, Sawabi, Charsadda, FATA and other parts of NWFP where Taliban insurgency is on uprising to migrate to safer places.

Pakistani Christian stage protest in Holland against attack on Churches in Karachi by Taliban

Den Haag, Netherland: May 5, 2009. (Prevez Iqbal and Watson Gill report for PCP) The Peaceful and silent protest took place on May 4, 2009, at 3.00 PM in front of Pakistani Embassy in Den Haag, Holland. The Pakistani Christian in Holland were carrying play cards and Banners to protest with slogans of “Stop desecration of Church and killing of Christian in Pakistan” “We condemn injustice with Minorities” “Pakistan government shall protect Christians”The Pakistani Christians in Netherlands took lead to stage protest while Pakistani Christian Diaspora in UK, USA, Canada and in other countries of EU is planning to launch campaign against attack of Taliban on Churches and killing Christians on April 22, 2009, in Karachi.The Holland protest was organized under banner of “The Good Shepherd” by community leaders Zafar Maqsood, Anjum Iqbal, Kaleem Saleem, Watson Gill, Gulbaz fazal. Silvestor Bhatti and Micheal William. The demonstration attracted more than 125 people which mark this protest as one of biggest in EU, so far staged by any Muslim or Christian from Pakistani origin on any issue. The peaceful procession in front of Embassy of Islamic Republic of Pakistan in Holland expressed oneness and collaboration with Pakistani Brothers and Sisters attacked by the Muslim extremists in Taseer Town Karachi Pakistan and attack on Churches in the same location last month. Protest hugely participated by the Pakistani Christians in Holland. For this peaceful demonstration, Law and enforcement agencies in Holland very well cooperated for peaceful, protection and traffic flow in the city.Before arriving to the Embassy, participants peacefully passed through the main streets of the city carrying banners and play card containing demands for the Protection of Christians and their civil and Religious properties in the Pakistan as well as their right. In start of the Rally special prayer was offered for those who lost their lives in the incident and a minute silence was observed as a respect to the deceased.Talking to the PCP correspondent, participants of the rally in their individual messages demanded from the Government ok Pakistan, that if they cannot full fill the promise of founder of Pakistan H.E Qaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah which he made to the minorities for their rights and protection, they must remember their own promises which they made during their election campaign. They also demanded that Government of Pakistan not only stop the terrorism and attacks on Christian Minorities and their belongings but also to bring those who are responsible and culprits of the attack to court of law for strict trial and punishment. Government of Pakistan was also asked to provide legal and financial assistance those who lost their love ones, properties and got injured.In a message to their brothers and sisters in Pakistan, Pakistani Christian’s from Holland asked them to please remain united, calm and peaceful. Associate with Government and Law enforcement agencies to maintain law and order situation in Pakistan and for Pakistan. They are not alone but whole nation even across the seas is with them.On arrival to the embassy gate of Islamic Republic of Pakistan in Holland, the leaders of the procession tried to submit their petition to the Embassy officials but they were refused to get in the Embassy by saying that no consent or prior permission for taking this petition is agreed by the Embassy. On this situation, participants started to protest against the behavior of the embassy official. Keeping in view the importance and situation, print medial representatives came forward and talked to the leaders of the procession and requested to stay calm and Media Representative will contact Embassy officials to handle the situation because this is a fundamental right of you to hand over your Petition and the Embassy official are to receive this. A delegation of three Print Media Representative contacted the Embassy officials and after an unanimous agreement, the leaders of the procession Micheal William, Watson Gill, Gulbaz Fazal, Sylvester Bhatti, Zafar Maqsood and Kaleem Saleem were allowed to came in the Embassy of Islamic Republic of Pakistan in Holland and they handed over their Petition comprising upon 8 points. Embassy official assured that they will forward their petition to the relevant authorities and will recommend to consider on issues mention in the petition very seriously.At the ending point of the procession Pakistani Christian in Holland sung Pakistani National Anthem with loud voice in front of the embassy to show their honesty and love toward their country and demolished peacefully. The protest was ended with the prayer of Azim Masih.

(Courtesy Pakistan Christian Post)

Christian girl is gang-raped and murdered in Pakistan

A nine-year-old Christian girl in Pakistan was gang-raped before being killed and dumped in a canal and outrage is growing amid reports that almost a month later nobody has been arrested. Nisha Javid was walking close to her home when she suddenly disappeared, prompting her panic-stricken parents to mount a search for her. Barely two days later, with a police-led search underway, her body was found in a canal not far from the Javids ’ home in Essangri village, outside the town of Jaranawala, Faisalabad. A post mortem revealed Nisha had been gang-raped and had died after repeated blows to the head. More than three weeks later, police have been accused of inaction and refusing to follow up allegedly compelling evidence identifying the guilty party. Fr. Yaqub Masih, parish priest of Jaranwala, said: “ People here are very sad especially the family. ” He explained that Nisha ’ s mother is “ ill with grief ” and that her father is unable to work and is devoting every hour to win justice for his daughter ’ s death, working with police and lawyers. Fr. Masih underlined the impact of the attacks on other Christians. He said, “ If nothing is done about this, where can our children go to feel safe? Everyone feels very insecure and very afraid. ” The crime took place on April 9th (Maundy) Thursday in Holy Week and Christians believe the attack was intended as an insult to their faith. Fr. Masih said, “ Our people are very poor and they have no status in society. What can they do to protect themselves? ” He reported that the police have been publicly accused of corruption and failing to intensify their inquiries. “ police action has been very slow. And that has made the people here feel even more powerless. ” His comments come amid an upsurge of anti-Christian violence and intimidation in Pakistan. Nisha ’ s death follows on from a narrowly-averted attack on Christians in Jaranawala, prompted by accusations that a man had allegedly damaged a banner containing words from the Koran, thereby breaking Pakistan ’ s controversial blasphemy laws. Meanwhile, in the southern city of Karachi, four people including an 11-year-old boy were injured in attacks on Christians that took place on April 22nd.
(Courtesy to Aid to the Church in Need)

Taliban resurgence worries Pakistani Christians

The Taliban resurgence in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) has jeopardized the lives of thousands of Christians who fear "abductions" and the imposition of "jiziya" tax that has already forced the Sikh community to flee for refuge.Last week, 150 Sikhs and Hindu families in Pakistan's NWFP and tribal areas moved to Punjab after the Taliban demolished houses and threatened to kill non-Muslims who failed to pay the religious tax sanctioned by shariah law.According to Pakistan Christian Congress (PCC), there are more than 500,000 Christians in NWFP province who are living in fear of life and property.PCC said Taliban bombed Christian Schools in Swat Valley and forced thousands of Christians to convert to Islam or to pay tax levied to non-Muslims.This has led to scores of Christians from the Peshawar, Nowshera, Mardan, Sawabi and Charsadda districts of NWFP province to flee for refuge.Some Christians were also attacked and executed after they peacefully protested against the anti-Christian slogans Taliban wrote on the walls of churches and homes. Some read: “Taliban Zindabad,” “Pay Jazia,” “Christians are infidel,” and “Convert to Islam."Nazir S. Bhatti, president of PCC, said he was disappointed in the killing of Christians and the mass migration of Christian families. He also condemned the silence of India and international forums.“PCC shall write a letter to India through Indian Ambassador in USA, President of EU and President Obama to press upon Pakistan to secure life and property of millions of Christians in Pakistan before President Zardari-President Obama meeting of May 6, 2009, in White House, Washington DC,” Dr. Nazir Bhatti said.Obama met with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the White House on Wednesday and said all three have committed to dismantle and defeat al Qaeda and the Taliban.Zardari of Pakistan last month approved a deal that allows local Muslim leaders with close ties to the Taliban to administer justice based on shariah, or Islamic law, in the Malakand area, which includes terrorist hotspot Swat Valley, in exchange for an end to fighting. Taliban militants, however, refused to disarm. A Taliban spokesman recently said they will push to have shariah law throughout the country.On Monday, Pakistani Christians in Holland protested against the attack on churches and killing of Christians.The protesters carried play cards and banners that read, “Stop desecration of Church and killing of Christian in Pakistan,” “We condemn injustice with Minorities,” and “Pakistan government should protect Christians.”During the protest in front of the Embassy of Islamic Republic of Pakistan in Holland, they demanded that the government curb terrorism and arrest those attacking Christians and their belongings.Similar campaigns are underway in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, where the Pakistani Christian Diaspora will protest against the Taliban attacks.Last week, the Asia Evangelical Alliance called on the Pakistan government to "provide adequate protection to the minority groups within the country and to take necessary action to stop the rise of militancy in the county.""AEA also urges Christians across the globe to pray for political stability in Pakistan and for adequate and effective measures to be taken to check the rise of militancy in the region."

(Curtesy to Christian Today)