{"id":2086,"date":"2013-01-23T11:03:00","date_gmt":"2013-01-23T11:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/pakistani-official-society-flourishes-with-religious-freedom\/"},"modified":"2013-01-23T11:03:00","modified_gmt":"2013-01-23T11:03:00","slug":"pakistani-official-society-flourishes-with-religious-freedom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/01\/pakistani-official-society-flourishes-with-religious-freedom\/","title":{"rendered":"Pakistani official: Society flourishes with religious freedom"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

New York City, N.Y., Jan 23, 2013 \/ 04:03 am (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- Paul Bhatti, Pakistan's Minister of Minority Affairs, called religious liberty a Christian value that can enhance life in the country and impart stability to society at large.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWith religious freedom societies are more likely to flourish, because people can express their deepest belief and highest ideas, so societies are more stable,\u201d he said in a Jan. 19 interview with CNA.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cIt's the wrong concept that religious freedom leads to instability, but actually it leads to more public order and more economic empowerment, so this is the Christian teaching.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tChristianity can also offer to Pakistani culture its emphasis on compassion and the works of mercy, Bhatti observed.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cJohn Paul II said that Christian teaching\u2026should be some kind of assistance to the human being. We don't assist only (one) who is Christian, we have to assist a human being who is suffering, who needs your help, who should be honored and respected for his dignity, for this is the teaching of Christianity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cSo if we follow the teaching of our Gospels, that will bring\u2026the real message of freedom,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

\tBhatti made his remarks at the New York Encounter, a three-day cultural festival in the city \u2013 sponsored by the Catholic ecclesial movement Communion and Liberation \u2013 which explored the theme of \u201cExperiencing Freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tHe discussed \u201cFreedom in Politics,\u201d reflecting on his brother Shahbaz who was killed in 2011 for his support of Pakistani Christians and his opposition to the country's blasphemy laws, which are chiefly used to persecute non-Muslims.<\/p>\n

\tAfter Shahbaz' death, Paul was appointed to his brother's post as Minister of National Harmony and Minority Affairs, again the only Christian in the Pakistani government. He said it was a \u201cchallenge\u201d to take on this position.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI found myself in a situation, though it was very difficult to accept it, because before I was living a very routine, normal life,\u201d he said. As minister of minority affairs Bhatti at times must travel with a security entourage and suffers threats to his life.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cBut next to that, if you feel you can make some difference and change this culture or at least give your small contribution to this culture, which can grow and can extend on a wider basis in society, I think I must dedicate my life for this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tHe offered a hopeful vision for Pakistan, saying \u201cthis is the encouragement I get from this kind of situation, and I feel there is space for change, there is a possibility that this culture can become a tolerant culture, we can bring harmony in this society, but we have to start from somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tOn the current movement to have his brother Shahbaz canonized, Bhatti said he has \u201cno doubt he is a martyr, because his whole life was dedicated to the teaching of the bible and he was a strong believer of Our Lord Jesus Christ\u2026we are getting help from him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cHe never negotiated his faith, and he expressed his faith openly everywhere, even when he knew he could be killed. So in that context, I think he has all the possibilities\u201d of being a saint, Bhatti said.<\/p>\n

\tThe Pakistani minister recounted going into his brother's room after his martyrdom and described it as \u201cvery small\u201d with \u201ca corner where he used to pray every morning, and there was only a simple carpet, a rosary, a statue, and a bible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cHe believed so strongly that he laid down his life for his Christian principles and for Jesus Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tBhatti said his experience of freedom has been shaped by having lived in both Pakistan and in the western world. He is by training a surgeon, and studied in both Belgium and Italy.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cYou appreciate the value of freedom when you see a country like Pakistan where freedom of expression and faith is violated, and people are living under oppression, so then you start realizing the value of freedom, what freedom means.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tHe said it is important to promote freedom in Pakistan because without it, people can get involved in such problems as terrorism and sectarian violence.<\/p>\n

\tBhatti pointed to illiteracy and poverty, as well as \u201cinstability in government and politics\u201d as factors which contribute to a lack of freedom in such places as Pakistan.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWhat I can do now is only the analysis, and the next step will be how to get that real kind of freedom which a human being must have, in a society where it is violated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tIn Pakistan, these violations come often from blasphemy laws, which strictly prohibit defamation of Muhammad and the Koran. The laws are often used to settle personal scores or to persecute minorities.<\/p>\n

\tBhatti was able to assist a Christian girl who in August was accused of blasphemy. Rimsha Masih is a 14-year-old girl with Down syndrome who was arrested Aug. 16 after she was accused of burning pages of the Koran.<\/p>\n

\tIt later emerged that an imam from her neighborhood planted pages of the Koran among burnt pages in Masih's bag.<\/p>\n

\tBhatti said that he was informed of the case soon after by local Christian families, because after such an accusation is made, mob violence will often flare up against minorities in the neighborhood.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThey had a clash between Muslims and Christians\u2026they were wanting to get them out from that community, and they found this solution, blaming somebody, accusing them of blasphemy; this is a tool often used in Pakistan, some people use it for personal benefit, as it happened in this case.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tBhatti said that as soon as he was told of the situation, he phoned \u201call those involved in security\u201d to ensure protection of Masih and local Christians, but \u201cthey were not sure if they were able to control the mob.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI went to the mosques, I talked to the imams,\u201d he said, asking them not to encourage violence against the local Christians.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThey understood and\u2026it was quite amazing, the first time that they promised they would not do this, to support me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe Islamabad High Court dismissed the charges against Masih Nov. 20, and on Jan. 15 the Pakistani Supreme Court dismissed an appeal by her accuser.<\/p>\n

\tMany hope that Masih's suit might lead to a relaxation of the blasphemy laws. \u201cI was lucky, and am honored to be part of this case,\u201d Bhatti reflected.<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New York City, N.Y., Jan 23, 2013 \/ 04:03 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- Paul Bhatti, Pakistan's Minister of Minority Affairs, called religious liberty a Christian value that can enhance life in the country and impart stability to society at large.<\/p>\n

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