Christianity in Pakistan
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Punjab and Islamabad Capital Territory | |
Languages | |
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Around 75 percent of Pakistan's Christians are rural
Punjabi Christians
As Punjabi Christians are mainly
History
Part of a series on |
Christianity in Pakistan |
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Background |
People |
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Churches |
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Thomas the Apostle is credited with the arrival of Christianity to the Indian subcontinent, establishing the community of Saint Thomas Christians on the Malabar Coast; Saint Thomas Christian crosses (Mar Thoma Sleeva) have been found all over the Indian subcontinent, including one near the city of Taxila in what is now Pakistan.[14]
In 1745, the Bettiah Christians, the northern Indian subcontinent's oldest surviving Christian community, was established by the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin under the patronage of King Dhurup Singh; the Hindustan Prefecture was raised in 1769 at Patna and later shifted to Agra, which was elevated to the status of a Vicariate in 1820.[15] The Capuchins, through their Agra Diocese and Allahabad Diocese, expanded their ministry and established in the 1800s Catholic churches in colonial India's northern provinces including Rajasthan, UP, CP, Bihar and Punjab, the latter of which now includes Pakistan.[15]
In 1877, on
The Christians of colonial India were active in the
When Pakistan was created on 14 August 1947, the organization and activities of the Christian community changed drastically; the Catholic Union of India granted independence to its branches in Sind and Baluchistan in its Second Annual General Meeting in Bangalore in October 1947.
In 2016, it was reported that Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) had banned all of the Christian television stations. PEMRA doesn't allow landing rights for religious content, allowing airing of Christian messages only on Easter and Christmas.[26]
Since 1996, the small community of
Deterioration of relations
According to journalist
Pakistan's Christian community developed a "growing sense of concern", particularly over the
In 2009, a
On 16 August 2023, rumours began to spread in the Punjabi city of Jaranwala, Faisalabad, that a Christian had desecrated pages of the Quran. The resulting riot led to the destruction of 26 churches in the Christian quarter of the city, and thousands of Christians fled, with some spending the next few nights in open fields, afraid of returning to their homes.[37] Local Christians complained of inaction by security forces in Jaranwala, but eventually reinforcements were called in[37] and around 100 Muslims were arrested for participating in the violence.[38] No Christians were killed in the riots, as most managed to flee due to warnings from Muslim neighbours. On the Sunday after the riots, mass was celebrated in the street outside the burned-out St. Paul's Catholic Church.[39] The Pakistani Catholic Bishops' Conference denounced the act and asked that the Government bring the culprits to justice, regretting that "the Christian community has been terrorized and frightened by a small group of miscreants to make them believe that Christians are in fact second-class citizens of Pakistan and will remain so".[40] Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need helped address the emergency needs of those whose livelihoods was destroyed, providing a support package for 464 families, including replacement rickshaws and motorcycles for drivers who had lost their vehicles.[41]
Demographics
Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
---|---|---|
1981 | 1,310,426 | — |
1990 | 1,769,582 | +3.39% |
1998 | 2,092,902 | +2.12% |
2017 | 2,637,587 | +1.22% |
Source: [42][43][1] |
While Christianity in Pakistan is growing fast, it is growing more slowly than the population as a whole, causing it to decline in percentage terms. This is due to low fertility rates among Pakistani Christians. Today, most Pakistani Christians live in Northern Punjab.
Apart from Catholics, Christians of other denominations re-organized themselves, in India, into the Churches of North and South India respectively, and as the Church of Pakistan in 1970. Politically, groups like the Pakistan Christian Congress have arisen. The New Apostolic Church also has followers in Pakistan.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) reports over 4,000 members in 13 congregations throughout Pakistan. LDS members are most prevalent in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.[44]
According to the Pakistan's National Council for Justice and Peace (NCJP) report 2001 the average literacy rate among Christians is 34 percent compared to the national average of 46.56 percent.[45]
Persecution
After the
Many churches built during the colonial Indian period, prior to the partition, remain locked, with the Pakistani government refusing to hand them over to the Christian community.[47] Others have been victims of church arsons or demolitions.[47] In 1971, East Pakistan became independent as Bangladesh, and the majority of Pakistan's Hindus, who lived in Bangladesh, were severed from Pakistan. Pakistan became a culturally monolithic, increasingly Islamic state, with smaller religious minorities than ever.
With the governments of
Gallery
The Europeans won[
Notable Pakistani Christians
This section needs additional citations for verification. (August 2016) |
Christians in Pakistani military services
The Christians in Pakistan have long been active in various fields of public service. Many Christians have served in the Pakistan Armed Forces, civilian services and other organizations. Some have received high civilian and military awards.
Pakistan Air Force
- Air Commodore Patrick Desmond Callaghan (1945-1971)[51]
- Group Captain Cecil Chaudhry[51]
- Squadron Leader Peter Christy[51]
- Air Vice Marshal Eric Gordon Hall (1947-1977)[51]
- Air Commodore Nazir Latif[51]
- Wing Commander Mervyn L. Middlecoat[51]
- Air Vice Marshal Michael John O'Brian
Pakistan Army
- Brigadier Daniel Austin
- Brigadier Mervyn Cardoza
- Lieutenant Colonel Derek Joseph
- Major General Noel Israel Khokhar
- Major General Julian Peter
- Brigadier Samson Simon Sharaf
- Rear-Admiral Leslie Mungavin
- Commander(r) Saleem Akhtar Mathew
Religious ministers
- Rt. Rev. Samuel Robert Azariah[52]
- Bishop Andrew Francis, former Bishop of Multan in Pakistan
- Anthony Theodore Lobo, awarded the Presidential Pride of Performance Award in 1990 for services to the cause of literature and education[53]
- Bishop Azad Marshall (Moderator of the Church of Pakistan and Bishop in Raiwind) (President of the National Council of Churches of Pakistan)[54]
- Francis Nadeem, awarded Tamgha-e-Imtiaz for Public Service[55]
Civil services and police
- Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs from 2008 - 2011[57]
- Cincinnatus Fabian D'Abreo, administrator and politician
- Kamran Michael, senator who served as Minister for Statistics and a member of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N)
- Manuel Misquita, former mayor of Karachi[58]
- Dilshad Najmuddin ex IG Police and former ambassador
Education
- Riffat Arif, teacher, women's activist and philanthropist from Gujranwala.[59]
- Bernadette Louise Dean, academic and educator.
- Jacqueline Maria Dias, professor of nursing at the Aga Khan University.
- Tamgha-i-Imtiaz for her services to education.[60]
- Sitara-e-Imtiaz in recognition of her services to education.[61]
- Yolande Henderson, veteran high school teacher.[62]
- Oswald Bruno Nazareth, high school teacher for 50 years.
Politicians
- Naveed Aamir, Member of National Assembly (2018-2023)
- Clement Shahbaz Bhatti, Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs
- Kamran Michael, Federal Minister and Senator
- Aasiya Nasir, Member of National Assembly (2002-2018)
- Shunila Ruth, Member of National Assembly (2013-2018)
- Khalil Tahir Sandhu, Minister for Human Rights and Minorities Affairs (2008-2018)
Human rights defenders
- Romana Bashir, Member, Punjab Commission on the Status of Women (2014-2018)
- Dr. Rubina Feroze Bhatti, Member, National Commission on the Rights of the Child
Entertainment
- Bohemia, Rapper
- The Benjamin Sisters, Singer band consist of three sisters Nerrisa
- Alycia Dias, Playback singer
- Azekah Daniel, Actress
- Shae Gill, Pakistani singer and cover-artist, mostly known for her Punjabi duet song "Pasoori"
- Sunita Marshall, Television actress and model
- A. Nayyar, Playback singer
- Irene Perveen, Playback singer
- Nirmal Roy, Musician and singer from Lahore[63]
Sports
- Jack Britto, Olympic field hockey player.
- cricketer, coach and a sports journalist from Karachi.[64]
- Jacob Harris, first class cricketer and sports coach from Karachi.
- .
- John Permal, sprinter, once known as fastest man in Pakistan
- Sidra Sadaf, woman cyclist who won a silver medal at the 11th South Asian Games in Dhaka, Bangladesh in January 2010.
- Yousaf Youhana, first class test cricketer who used to openly use the sign of the cross before starting his innings. He was one of the most successful batsmen of the Pakistan cricket team. He later converted to Islam.
Writers
- Cyril Almeida, journalist and an assistant editor for the daily newspaper Dawn.[65]
- Kanwal Feroze, scholar, poet, writer and journalist.
- Nabeel Qureshi, former Ahmadi who converted to Christianity, wrote three books. Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity, Answering Jihad: A Better Way Forward and No God BUT One: Allah or Jesus.
- Late Begum Bilquis Sheikh was an aristocratic Pakistani lady who converted from Islam to Christianity and wrote her famous memoirs about this.
Other
- Quentin D'Silva, former Chairman & Chief Executive of Shell Pakistan Limited.[66]
- Sunny Benjamin John, singer from Karachi.[67]
- Erica Robin, model and first ever winner of Miss Universe Pakistan, Top 20 at Miss Universe 2023.[68][69]
Candidates to sainthood
- Akash Bashir, former student of the Don Bosco Technical Institute in Lahore, security guard and martyr. On 31 January 2022 Pope Francis declared him a Servant of God. He is the first native Pakistani candidate for sainthood in the history of the Catholic Church in Pakistan.[70]
See also
- Christianity in Punjab, Pakistan
- List of churches in Pakistan
- Demographics of Pakistan
- 2009 Gojra riots
- Asia Bibi blasphemy case
- Blasphemy in Pakistan
- Religion in Pakistan
- Freedom of religion in Pakistan
- Persecution of Christians in Pakistan
- Forced conversion of minority girls in Pakistan
- Religious discrimination in Pakistan
References
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- ^ Ghani, Faras (14 Dec 2015). "Islamabad's Christian slums face demolition". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
- ^ Telushkin, Shira (31 March 2018). "The Americanization of an Ancient Faith". The Atlantic. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
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At [Pakistan's] inception in 1947, Pakistani Christians could be divided in three categories. a) Punjabi rural working-class Anglicans, (b) Catholic urban middle-class Goans in Karachi, and c) White Anglo-Indians who lived in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Quetta and this included both Irish Catholic and English Protestants.
- ^ ur-Rehman, Zia; Abi-Habib, Maria (4 May 2020). "Sewer Cleaners Wanted in Pakistan: Only Christians Need Apply". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
In Pakistan, manual sewer cleaners are known as "sweepers". - ISBN 978-1-4443-9260-9.
For example, 90 to 95% of Pakistani Christians are Punjabi of the chura (dalit) group converted from Hinduism rather than from Islam or local religious systems.
- ^ Sara, Singha; Ariel, Glucklich (23 April 2015). "Dalit Christians and Caste Consciousness in Pakistan". Retrieved 22 September 2020.
This study explores caste discrimination in Pakistan against untouchable (Dalit) converts to Christianity. During the nineteenth century in India, many Dalits converted to Christianity to escape caste persecution. In the 1870s in Punjab, a mass movement to Protestant Christianity flourished among the Dalit Chuhra caste. The Chuhras were the largest menial caste in Punjab and engaged in degrading occupations including sweeping and sanitation work. By the 1930s, almost the entire Chuhra caste converted to Protestant Christianity. In 1947, during the partition of India, the majority of Chuhra converts in Punjab became part of the Protestant community in Pakistan. After Partition, many uneducated Chuhras were confined to menial jobs in the sanitation industry. Today, the stigma of Dalit ancestry is a distinct feature of social discrimination against Chuhra Christians in Pakistan.
- ^ Hussain, Abid. "'I don't feel safe anymore': Pakistan Christians in fear after mob violence". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
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In December 1921, the Punjabi-dominated meetings of the All India Conference of Indian Christians in Lahore was more cautious in their proposals but less cautious in the rationale they offered. They passed resolutions, first indicating that the Protestant missions 'should be completely merged in the Indian Church and that in future all Foreign Missionaries should be related to it,' and then urging the missions in the meantime to 'appoint Indians of ability and character on an increasing scale.' Among their supporting arguments were that 'Indian Christians are not going to put up with colour and racial distinctions', that foreign missionaries could not solve the community's problems 'because of lack of sympathy', that the missions were too divided by denominational differences to bring about a united Indian Church, and that 'In these days Indians look up to Indians and do not pay much attention to foreigners.'
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- ^ "Partition Affects Catholic Union Of India". Bangalore: Indian Daily Mail. 21 November 1947.
A resolution that, in view of the partition of India into two separate Dominions and the result of the Catholic Associations of Sind and Baluchistan--the only associations, in Pakistan affiliated to the Catholic Union--to sever its connection with the Union, the jurisdiction and activities of the Union be confined to the Dominion of India and necessary amendments be made in the Constitution was passed at the Second Annual General Meeting of the Catholic Union of India held at St. Joseph's College Hall, Civil Area, last week. Mr Ruthnasamy, President of the Union was in the chair.
- ^ Anugrah Kumar (November 2016). "Pakistan Bans All 11 Christian TV Stations, Arrests Cable Operators in Crackdown". The Christian Post.
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- ^ Bakhsh, Madeeha. "Burgeoning songster Nirmal Roy hits a home run with her exquisite Coke Studio debut". www.christiansinpakistan.com. Archived from the original on 2020-11-26. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
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Works cited
- Gabriel, Theodore (2021). Christian Citizens in an Islamic State: The Pakistan Experience. Taylor & Francis.
Further reading
- Church of England (1908). Urdu version of the Book of Common Prayer, and administration of the sacraments and other rites and ceremonies of the church, according to the use of the Church of England: together with the Psalter or Psalms of David ... and the form and manner of making, ordaining, and consecrating of bishops ... Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. p. 274. Retrieved 2011-07-06.
- "Christmas sweetens religious ties in Pakistan". ucanews.com reporter, Lahore. Union of Catholic Asian News.
External links
Christianity by country |
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Christianity portal |
- Media related to Christianity in Pakistan at Wikimedia Commons
- British Pakistani Christian Association
- Pakistan Christians demand help
- Open Doors USA's information about Pakistan
- Open Doors USA's information about Pakistan
- World Watch List - Pakistan
- Pakistan Christian News - Christians in Pakistan
- Centre for legal aid assistance and settlement
- Forced conversions in Pakistan: A dark reality