Today’s Good News post is brought to us by Dr. Alfonse Javed (bio below). This is so good. It can be easy to think that our world is only angry, divided, and fighting. But these stories! These stories highlight how much beauty, goodness, and cooperation there is all across the planet and in places some might not expect it. This is why I do Good News Fridays because we need to point out and celebrate the good things that can unite us. This is a post of hope.
As a Pakistani Christian living in the US, keeping up with the news about the severe persecution my fellow Christians back home endure every day can become extremely discouraging. While it is important to take note of these events, it is even more crucial to celebrate positive news, the good developments that bring hope and encouragement to this dark world.
In Pakistan, religious minorities, including Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, and minority Muslims such as Ahmadis, suffer from discrimination in all aspects of their lives. Textbooks and schools promote division from a young age, employment opportunities are limited, and blasphemy laws provide an easy way to dispense of any unliked person.
There are many programs and initiatives to improve these conditions. However, ultimately any change will need to originate from within to influence public opinion. Some Muslim Pakistanis are doing just that.
Sahil NGO, an organization that fights against child sex abuse, has started a Truck Art Initiative that supports girls’ rights to education, sports, and freedom from child marriage. The initiative commissions paintings of girls playing sports or reading on Pakistan’s famous “jingle trucks,” as they have come to be known. The art of truck painting is “phool patti” in Urdu.
On the subject of jingle trucks, check out this great project in the Chattanooga, TN where the Jingle Trucks Initiative helps to share Pakistani culture and combat fear after a shooting by a young Muslim killed 6 US service members.
This jingle truck (below) depicts both Tennessee’s and Pakistan’s flags.
Arafat Mazhar is another Pakistani Muslim working to change the blasphemy laws, which are often enforced by vigilante mobs. His animation studio, Puffball, produced an award-winning short film, Swipe, that depicts the harm an extremist mob mentality can inflict. The medium of an animated film has allowed for much internal discussion on blasphemy laws.
Saif-ul-Malook, a prominent lawyer who represents many blasphemy victims, has started a series, Live with Saif, that delves into the legal background of issues religious minorities are facing, such as forced conversions and marriages of young girls and the blasphemy laws.
Also encouraging is the recent release on bail of two Christians accused of blasphemy, and the acquittal of one Christian who was imprisoned for 10 years for a blasphemy allegation. I refrain from sharing their names, as public attention can often harm the cases.
Some other good interfaith stories from South Asia:
In India, Hindu extremism is on the rise. In one city, Gurugram, some government-designated sites for Muslims to offer collective Friday prayers (Jumma Namaz) have been revoked. However, this encouraging story shares how one Hindu has offered his shop as a space for some local Muslims to gather.
In Bangladesh, Hindus are the minority. Yet one Muslim mason, Taher Ali Khan, has been faithfully crafting Hindu tombs for 35 years despite criticism from hardline Muslims. Khan says, "I consider Hindus to be my brothers and sisters. […] They love me because of my work. I pour my heart out into constructing tombs because everyone wants to build something beautiful for their dead."
Lastly, as a strong proponent of education, I share good news from Afghanistan and Syria:
Despite the Taliban currently preventing girls from going to school in Afghanistan, the Afghan-led PenPath initiative is working hard to get girls back to school. PenPath’s founder, Matiullah Wesa, has also started a book-reading campaign. So far, he has established 39 public libraries in remote villages, “in order for them to be informed about their rights, women rights and how to live in harmony and end violence.”
In Raqqa, Syria, after five long years, more than 45 schools have reopened for the first time since the defeat of ISIS. 42,000 children are now back in school! That is something to celebrate.
Despite the severe discrimination I experienced firsthand growing up in Pakistan, I believe that Christians are called to love Muslims, and I have devoted much time to promoting love of Muslims since coming to the US. As Rachel writes frequently, Christians can learn much from our Muslim neighbors. To learn more about how Christians can build relationships with Muslims, check out The Muslim Next Door and the Heart for Muslims Conference.
If you would like to support Pakistani Christians and religious minorities, please check out RAM Foundation. We provide vocational training, legal assistance, and soon medical care to those in need. We also fight for those trapped in brick kiln slavery. This holiday season, you can donate on behalf of a loved one through our gift and sponsorship program.
Lastly, if you are in the metro NYC area, have an interest in missions and urban ministry, or simply want to listen in on unique perspectives from urban ministry in NYC, please check out my podcast, Our Urban Voices. We talk about ministry to unreached people groups right in the US, church planting and pastoring during the COVID-19 pandemic, and addressing local issues such as gentrification, injustice, and diverse congregations.
I would love to connect with you. Feel free to contact me here at my website where I blog or stop by First Baptist Church in Metuchen, NJ on a Sunday.
Born and raised in a Christian family in Pakistan and educated in the West, Dr. Alfonse Javed holds a unique perspective on culture, religion, education, and politics. His advanced theological training is from the Greek Bible College, Davis College, and Liberty University. He has earned three undergraduate, three graduate, and three doctoral degrees. He lives with his wife and four children in Metuchen, NJ, where he is the senior pastor of First Baptist Metuchen.
What is your good news this week?