Pakistani Christians and the interfaith community are facing serious challenges and need our prayer support.
The ecumenical community in Pakistan has had more than its share of challenges recently. The National Council of Churches in Pakistan has been working with Church World Service in Earthquake relief since October. As spring approaches, the news is generally good – the winter was milder than expected – and most of the relief camps have been able to provide livable conditions for the hundreds of thousands that sought help. However, many of the relief camps are likely to be shut down in the next month or two. Authorities now want the people to return to their villages and to rebuild over the spring and summer. Many have nothing to return to. Some report that their land was scarred by the earthquake and may no longer be tillable. Many will need assistance to begin their livelihoods again. Local economies will only recover as villagers begin to recover their lives. Homes, schools and businesses will have to be rebuilt and furnished. There is much work to do in the mountains of Pakistan and Kashmir this summer. Please continue your support and your prayers.
The Church organizations in Pakistan are also struggling to support local congregations who have been targets for the violence that has erupted in recent months. Christians in Asia are often seen as agents of “the west” and when there is anger at the U.S. or other western governments, local Christians often feel the heat. In recent months the violence against churches and Christian schools has increased. The publication of the Danish cartoon which was disrespectful to the Prophet Mohammed heightened tensions and increased the incidents of violence. Several churches and Christian schools in Pakistan have been damaged or destroyed. This photo shows the burning of a church. Rev. Victor Azariah of the National Christian Council of Nepal has issued an appeal:
“We appeal to the West and American Press that act of disgracing the Holy Prophet of Islam be condemned, no one has any right to disgrace the Prophet of other religions. Freedom of Expression or Press should not be misused for inflaming and injuring the sentiments of the Islamic World.”
The Christian communities are understandably traumatized by these attacks. Bishop Rafiq Masih writes that “We seek a Pakistan that is secure and at peace with all religions, a voice for tolerance and capacity of forgiveness. We anticipate and pray for a new wave of Interfaith Harmony in our Pakistan.”
The World Council of Churches, at their recent Assembly in Porto Alegre, issued a “Minute on Mutual Respect, Responsibility and Dialogue with People of other Faiths.” The full text is available at the Assembly website: www.wcc-assembly.info. In one excerpt the Minute “calls on member churches and ecumenical partners to address racism, caste, stereotyping and xenophobia, and reaffirms the commitment to the right to freedom of speech while calling member churches to contribute to a reflection on ‘how to uphold the need for ethical behavior and good judgment in using this right.’” Please take this opportunity to invite your own congregation to recommit to the mission of working toward interfaith harmony and to pray for the Church in Pakistan.
