This is part of a limited series, “14 Days, 14 Stories”, about ordinary Pakistanis who are doing extraordinary things in order to give back to Pakistan.
Muslim and Christian community in Kalsabad, near Gojra in Toba Tek Singh district is exemplary in their interfaith harmony, unlike many areas in Pakistan that have fallen prey to religious hate crimes. Since April 2016, the residents have embarked on a unique fund raising effort to help out their fellow residents.
Thousands of rupees in donations have been collected by Muslim villagers to build a church for their Christian friends and neighbors.
Monsoon rains swept away the previously erected mud chapel and since then, the Muslim villagers have been collecting donations to re-build with what little they are able to afford. The idea was taken up after observing the Christians worshiping at home or renting a private space to congregate for Christmas, Easter and other religious holidays.
A local villager, Faryal Masih, was caught saying that the longtime dream of his community had come true. When the announcement was first made by the local Muslim community leaders, it was met with disbelief but the construction started shortly after to the excitement of many.
“A church is also a house of Allah; praying is what matters. We worship the same God.” Dilawar Hussain, a Muslim shopkeeper said.
He donated Rs. 10,000 towards the cause.
The donations varied depending on the affordability of the villagers, ranging from a farmer who contributed 2,000 rupees to a businessman who donated 30,000 from personal incomes. The local community managed to raise 150,000 rupees within a short period of time.
Another local observed that their mosque still stands and that their Christian brothers also had a right to worship in their own church. In this village, most of the residents are Muslim, save the eight Christian families that have always lived there and call Khalsabad their home. Father Aftab James Paul, a parish priest from an outreach that caters to the area tagged this episode with a poetic footnote: “This is what life is about.”
“We are thankful to our Muslim brothers for this wonderful gesture. It makes us feel proud,” he also added.
“Since my childhood we have all lived together in this one place. We live with love, attend each other’s weddings and festivals,” a local Christian resident stated.
The town was subject to a brutal tragedy back in 2009. Ten Christians were murdered by a Muslim mob under accusations of blasphemy, seven of which were mercilessly burned alive in their own homes. Four churches were also burned as a consequence.This act of love is in efforts to heal the memories of this bizarre attack on the religious minority. A Muslim resident recounted the occurrence saying, “We are together in times of happiness and grief. I pray that we never have to go through what happened in Gojra ever again”.
This story of interfaith harmony illustrates what Pakistan can achieve only if we set our minor differences aside and exercise a “live and let live” policy. Christians constitute Pakistan’s largest religious minority, making up for about 3% of the total population. The foundation of Pakistan was laid based on the injustices Muslims faced as a minority population in India, among other things. It is extremely disappointing to see that we have turned out no differently.
In order to honor Jinnah’s legacy, we must protect our minorities and offer them the very freedom we set out to seek on Independence Day in 1947.
For more stories from our series about extraordinary Pakistanis check out ‘14 Days, 14 Stories‘.