You’d think that living right there among Muslims would give the Christians of Pakistan a deep awareness of Islam’s love and tolerance, such that they would welcome and applaud Islamization. Why aren’t they doing so?
“Pakistani activists reject ‘another Islamic body,'” by Kamran Chaudhry, UCA News, March 4, 2022:
Catholic priests in Pakistan have joined activists in voicing their concern over the National Rehmatul-lil-Alameen Authority in what they describe as an attempt to increase Islamization.
The name of the agency, which means “Mercy for all the Worlds,” comes from a phrase in the Quran.
Prime Minister Imran Khan on March 3 inaugurated the authority with a mandate to research the life and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad and to supervise the education system and the media to ensure that they confirm to Islamic values.
Another objective of this body is to provide global awareness on Islamophobia and to take practical steps to tackle it. Khan termed it “a journey of transformation towards morality and ethics.”
Father Bonnie Mendes, former executive secretary of the Catholic bishops’ National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), called for other solutions.
“We don’t need another body. Instead, the authorities should focus on implementation of the law. At present, they are not doing their job properly. Resources should be spent on countering the fundamentalist groups and addressing the very problem,” he told UCA News….
In 1980, a federal Shariat Court was established with the power to nullify any law on grounds of being repugnant to Islamic injunctions. The Council of Islamic Ideology, founded in 1962, advises parliament about the Islamization of laws.
Last year the government formed a Mutahida Ulema Board to review textbooks before publishing.
Sabir Michael, a lay Dominican, termed the latest body a political stunt.
“Instead of promoting one religion, the premier should address structural issues of extremism, inflation, poverty, economic disparities and increasing class differences. We demand an alternative ‘love to all’ or ‘love your neighbor’ authority,” he said.