Written by: Karen Faulkner
Article source: www.worthynews.com
Christians in Pakistan are cautiously celebrating a major victory for religious freedom as the Pakistani government has decided that non-Muslim children will be exempt from previously required Islamic studies in school and will be able to study the Bible instead, the International Christian Concern (ICC) aid and advocacy organization reports.
In an announcement on Jan. 23, Pakistan’s Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training said it had approved the “Curriculum for Religious Education 2023” for non-Muslim students in grades 1 to 12; the curriculum will replace the previously compulsory Islamic studies. Notably, the curriculum includes a comprehensive study of the Bible, the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, core Christian beliefs, Church history, and a study of key Christian figures.
The decision is remarkable given that a harsh Islamic regime rules Pakistan and ranks 7th on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
In a statement seen by ICC, the Chairman of the Pakistan Minorities Teachers’ Association, Anjum James Paul, said: “This is a great victory for Pakistan’s religious minorities as we have been fighting for equitable education for the last two decades. After appealing to various governments, institutions, and the superior courts, the Pakistan government has finally recognized this right of minority students and exempted them from studying Islam as a compulsion.”
ICC was more guarded in its response but welcomed the announcement, saying in its report: “This decision is a small win for religious freedom in Pakistan, where Christians are routinely subjected to blasphemy laws, mob violence, and forced marriage and conversion.” However, ICC cautioned: “While the new curriculum offers some relief for Pakistan’s religious minorities, many challenges lie ahead. Since Pakistan is a Muslim-majority country, it will take time for teachers to be adequately trained on the new curriculum and for a Christian studies textbook to be approved. ICC prays that Muslim students, teachers, and administrators would come to know Christ through this.”
Click here to KEEP UPDATED on the latest news by subscribing to our FREE weekly newsletter.
> Please support Christian media and journalism in South Africa. Help us to spread the Word of God and take a stand for the truth by making a donation to our ministry. We appreciate your support. Click here to take hands with JOY! Magazine.
Date published: 16/02/2024
Feature image: Image for illustrative purposes only. Artwork adapted from pixabay.com
DISCLAIMER
JOY! News is a Christian news portal that shares pre-published articles by writers around the world. Each article is sourced and linked to the origin, and each article is credited with the author’s name. Although we do publish many articles that have been written in-house by JOY! journalists, we do not exclusively create our own content. Any views or opinions presented on this website are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the company.
