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Pakistani Christian youth take first step to overcome bias

Denied free education, a batch of 25 are undergoing vocational training thanks to a parish priest’s initiative
Father Morris Jalal with Catholic students studying at the Punjab Vocational Training Institute in Lahore

Father Morris Jalal with Catholic students studying at the Punjab Vocational Training Institute in Lahore. (Photo supplied)

Published: August 23, 2022 11:19 AM GMT
Updated: August 23, 2022 11:19 AM GMT

When a batch of 25 young Pakistani Christians was enrolled at the Punjab Vocational Training Institute last month, it was hailed as a step forward in the struggle against religion-based discrimination.

The institute, supported by the Zakat and Ushr departments of the Punjab government, offers monthly scholarships to Muslim students only as the funds come from the obligatory taxes required of Muslims.

“Christians are not entitled to it by Shariah law,” says Father Morris Jalal, parish priest of St. Columban’s Church, which is barely a kilometer from the institute.

Aqsa Perwaiz, a 23-year-old from Lahore, recalls visiting the institute a year ago looking for admission.

“I was told it’s not free for Christians and since I was already studying grade 11 at a tuition center, I couldn’t afford to pay another fee," she told UCA News.

Perwaiz is among the seven Christian females pursuing a computer operator course at the institute now.

"We are very thankful to our parish priest,” she said.

The 25 students admitted this year are members of the Good Samaritan Youth Group formed by Father Jalal to help youngsters from a semi-rural parish, which is home to 2500 Christian families.

The parents of most students are employed as sanitary workers or housemaids.

The average annual fee for a course at the institute is Rs 5,500 (approximately US$ 25), which is beyond means for the poor families.

But with Father Jalal having arranged for funding their education, the students’ parents only have to bear Rs 1,000.

“We look for school dropouts. Our youth have no clue about the future due to poor socio-economic conditions and lack of resources. This initiative is an attempt to save their lives and make them financially independent,” the priest told UCA News.

Church leaders say many young Christian Pakistanis grow up confronted by religious discrimination.

In 2020, Church groups reported how Covid-19 emergency aid teams refused to help non-Muslims as the Zakat charitable offerings had to be spent in accordance with Shariah law.

“Zakat fund is meant for the poor and deserving Muslims living below the poverty line,” states the Punjab government’s website while disclosing that Rs. 4,750 million had been set aside during 2020-21 for funding education, hospital expenses, and even marriages.

As noted by a survey conducted by the organization, Health and Rural Development (HARD) Balochistan, discrimination affects young members of minority communities like Christians.

“A majority of the Christian responders fall in the lower wages category and earned less than 10,000 rupees per month,” it said. "Only 20 percent of the respondents were graduates or masters."

More than 90 percent of respondents were of the view that persons belonging to minorities find it difficult to find jobs. Around 73 percent said that they had to work harder than persons from the majority community for getting a job, the survey revealed.

The lack of education is proving a major hurdle for Christian youth in qualifying even for the 5 percent quota for minorities in government sector jobs.

Human rights organizations claim that most of them end up doing menial jobs or getting hired as sanitary workers in the Muslim-majority nation.

Albert David, a member of the National Commission for Minorities, says Christian youth cannot rely on quotas alone.

“Our youth repeatedly complaints of lack of opportunities but they must educate themselves and qualify for the jobs on offer,” he said.

The batch of 25 enrolled at the Punjab Vocational Training Institute is just the beginning, Church leaders believe.

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