Pakistani Muslims act as Human Shields to Hindus celebrating Holi

Thanks Amalada and Imran for sharing this heart warming story.

Pakistan has just established Interfaith commission, someone has interviewed me and has asked me if I would go there and speak on Pluralism and Interfaith, indeed, I will.  We have to create such societies where no human has to live in fear of the other. I am glad to see this.  There is also an interfaith institute and some one had asked permission to reprint my articles, and have given them the ok..  

Amalda, I am proud of you for standing up and condemning a few rotten Hindus among us in India. All of us have to do that. We should not shield the bad guys in preserving the false honor of the country. Bad guys are bad guys and good guys are good guys.

It is like the classroom bully, or a bully in the Hindu Temple committee, or a bully in the Mosque committee.. or a bully in civic associations. One single individual can shut the whole group down and no one wants to deal with him/her. All it takes is a few men and women to speak up, and speak out loudly. It will make the bully run. 

Does anyone of you have a story like this to share...how one person spoke and the bully ran... I want to write about it in conjunction with this- and add my interview with them.

Re-published at:
mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com
redeemingpakistan.blogspot.com/
foundationforpluralism.blogspot.com/Thank you

Mike Ghouse

Women from the Pakistani Hindu community celebrate Holi,
the spring festival of colors in Lahore, Pakistan, on Thursday.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/south-asia/pak-students-act-as-human-shield-for-hindus-celebrating-holi/article6966472.ece?utm_source=Vuuklemail&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Newsletter#comments

They formed the shield at the Swami Narayan Temple to promote interfaith coexistence. 

Pakistani students formed a human shield for Hindus celebrating Holi at a temple in Karachi on Friday to protect and show solidarity with the minority community. 

The National Students Federation (NSF) formed the shield at Swami Narayan Temple as part of an attempt to promote interfaith coexistence and cooperation among different religious and ethnic groups. 

A member of the NSF describes the union as a “progressive leftist organisation” dating back to the NSF of the Ayub Khan era. 

“When we showed solidarity with Shias at the Imambargah... 

it’s only fair that as a group, we extend the same courtesy to all Hindus in Pakistan who face a lot of persecution of different kinds,” General Secretary NSF Fawwad Hasan was quoted as saying by the Dawn. 

Hasan cited the desecration of Hindu temples, forcible religious conversion of girls and suppression of culture and religious practices as reasons for showing solidarity with and protecting Hindus. 

“We are not religious fundamentalists who take religion into our own hands, that is not what we do,” Hasan said. 

“Society as a whole has to show change and be a part of that change. If you don’t stand up for someone else’s rights today, tomorrow you will also be targeted and there will be no one to stand up for your rights,” he added. 

Sectarian violence in Pakistan has been on rise with banned outfits like Lashkar—i—Jhangvi and Sipah—i—Sahaba Pakistan killing scores of minority Shia muslims.

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