ICC Note:

A Christian teacher in Pakistan shares his experience of discrimination and persecution in Pakistani schools. This testimony once again shows how Pakistan school system continues to be a breeding ground for both extremism and religious intolerance. According to the Christian school teacher, bullying of Christian students and teachers has increased as has the used of derogatory language against religious minorities. With the next generation in Pakistan being taught to hate, how can the country’s Christian community plan for the future?

09/27/2016 Pakistan (Premier) – A Christian teacher in Pakistan has been given a choice of converting to Islam or being killed after he spoke out about hate preaching.

43-year-old Musa Atique (above, left) works at Kot Radaha Kishan School in Kasur, in the east of the country.

He has worked there for seven years as a primary school teacher and gives classes on English, Urdu, Social Studies and Islam – a compulsory subject.

However reports from the country suggest that the government of Pakistan has proposed changes to the school syllabus, which now requires compulsory learning of the Quran and Islamic prayers as well.

The British Pakistani Christian Association (speaking with Mr. Atique, below) says that some teachers took this opportunity to preach hatred to children about minority groups in the country, like Christians.

Mr. Atique overheard two teachers using derogatory terms like “kafir”, meaning infidel, and saying that Christians are supporters of Jews and spies for America.

He reported the incident to the head teacher but nothing was done.

Musa Atique told the BPCA that there has been an increase in bullying of minority children since the classes began.

Details emerged in March that one Muslim teacher came into his classroom and beat up Musa Atique in front of his students, calling him names.

He was threatened with death if he continued to speak out about the language and content of Islamic classes.

Since then children have also been encouraged to shout abuse and spit at him.

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