Christmas in Pakistan

[farhan_9909]

This is how we celebrate Christmas in Pakistan with our dear christian brothers

Hyderabad: Sain Bonaventure School students busy in their religious rituals at Saint Xavier Church in connection with Christmas celebration. — Photo by APP

A young girl decorating the Thomson Cathedral Church. —Photo by APP

Christian busy in religious rituals during Christmas eve at a church in Lahore. — Photo by APP

 

[farhan_9909]

Visitors look at model of Santa Claus displayed at a local hotel ahead of Christmas celebrations. — Online Photo

Members of Christian community performing religious rituals as they celebrate Christmas at a local church in Faisalabad. — Online Photo

Christians busy in their religious rituals during special service in connection with upcoming Christmas celebrations at Cathedral Church. — Photo by APP

 

[farhan_9909]

A man dressed as Santa Claus waves to people in street on the eve of Christmas celebrations in Lahore December 24, 2012. — Reuters Photo

Minority Pakistani Christian children walk past Christmas decorations at a slum area of Islamabad on December 24, 2012. Pakistan is overwhelmingly Muslim and at around two percent of the population, Christians are among the country's most marginalised citizens. — AFP Photo

ISLAMABAD: A view of preparation at G-7 kaachi basti in connection with upcoming Christmas celebrations. — INP Photo

A Pakistani man dressed as Santa Claus distributes gifts to children at a local church in Lahore, Pakistan. — AP Photo

Pakistani Christians celebrate Christmas on a truck in Karachi on December 22, 2012. There is a tiny Christian minority in Pakistan, where only three per cent of the population of 167 million are estimated to be non-Muslim. — AFP Photo

Pakistani Christian youths celebrate ahead of Christmas as they stand atop a truck on their way to Karachi. — AFP Photo

 

[farhan_9909]

Muslim brothers are deployed for the security of christian brothers during the event of Christmass in pakistan

a symbol of Natural brotherhood between common christian and muslims
@ashdoc

 

[farhan_9909]

Christmas lights, ornaments and trees

KARACHI:

Crammed with red and green decorations on trees, malls and hotels are ready for Christmas festivities. What one does wonder, however, is where these Christmas trees come from. To answer this question, The Express Tribune ventured out to the crowded Bohri Bazar in Saddar; it turns out, most people prefer plastic trees over original ones.

"These are not original trees grown from the ground but are fake plastic ones made in China," says shop assistant Irshad Ahmed Attari at Afzal Decorations, who has been selling these trees for the past 15 years. "We get our supply of these trees from Lighthouse around November every year but display them in December when Christmas is approaching."

"The price range depends largely on the size of the tree being purchased," he adds. The smallest one, hardly two feet tall, costs around Rs400 and the tallest one, which is eight feet tall, costs around Rs 3,500. He reveals that customers specifically come looking for plastic trees and that is why that is all that is available in Bohri Bazar.

Apart from being a piece of decoration in numerous homes and malls, hotels across the country also place them in their lobbies to bring about feelings of joy and merriment. "We are an international chain and since Christmas is being celebrated all over the world at the same time, we feel we should participate in the festivities too," says Schaz Khan, the public relations manager at the Marriott Hotel. "At Marriott, loads of foreigners are spotted and in order to give them a feeling of celebration, we place the Christmas tree every year." They have been doing so for the past 15 years.

"Kids of all age groups instantly fall in love with the decorated tree," she says, adding that it's not only foreigners who love it but children residing in the city as well. "It's definitely the colour and decoration which attracts them." Taking pictures next to these trees is also a must for these kids so they can later upload them on Facebook.

The appearance of Santa Claus at these locations adds to the festivities. "In order to make children happy, the hotel makes such arrangements," Schaz adds.

Swat

Apart from its dazzling beauty and rich cultural heritage, Swat valley has a vast array of thick pine trees growing in the forests in the upper belt. The pine wood is usually used for timber, beams, rafts and furniture.

Every year, hundreds of thick branches of these pine trees (and whole trees themselves) are sent across the country when Christmas arrives — they are added to the ornamented Christmas trees in homes and other places.

However, what's surprising is that these trees (and branches) are not sent officially from vendors to consumers in the cities but are actually sent as presents — as a goodwill gesture. "I send 20 to 25 pine trees before December 25 to my Christian friends," says Hazir Gul, a civil society member. "I participate in their celebrations by gifting them these Christmas trees."

Several people from the Christian community in various parts of Pakistan prefer using these pine trees from Swat as they feel the trees are more beautiful and greener than those found in other areas. "Our relatives in Rawalpindi always wait for trees from Swat because they are thicker and greener. Thus, we send them trees every year," says Yousaf Masih, a resident of Mingora.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 25th, 2012.

Christmas lights, ornaments and trees – The Express Tribune

 

[Blackwater]

A dark Christmas for Pakistani Christians.





Christians celebrate Christmas amid growing fear of persecution and rampant economic and social discrimination in Muslim-majority Pakistan. The year 2012 was one of the worst years for them in the country.
In many parts of the world, Christmas means a time of celebration. But for Christians in Pakistan, who live under constant fear of persecution by the state and majority Sunni Muslims, there is not much to celebrate.
Christians make up about two percent of the 180 million people living in Pakistan. Rights organizations say that like any other religious minority, they face legal and cultural discrimination in the Islamic Republic.
Pakistanis protested the arrest of Masih, who they believe was innocent
Pakistan's non-government human rights commission, HRCP (Human Rights Commission of Pakistan), reported that the year 2012 was one of the worst years for Pakistani Christians; a number of them were charged with blasphemy, their churches were burnt and houses looted in many parts of the country.
Blasphemy is a sensitive topic in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, where 97 percent of the population is Muslim. Controversial blasphemy laws introduced by the Islamic military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq in the 1980s make life for Christians more difficult. Activists say the laws have little to do with blasphemy and are often used to settle petty disputes and personal vendettas; they say the Christians are thereby often victimized.
Living under blasphemy laws
On August 16, Rimsha Masih - a Christian girl aged between 10 and 14 - was accused of committing a blasphemous act by a religious cleric in her town. The cleric said she had burnt pages upon which were inscribed verses from the Koran. Masih was promptly taken into police custody.
Pakistani officials claimed the girl suffered from Down's Syndrome, a genetic disorder causing major learning disabilities. Western governments expressed serious concern over her arrest. After numerous protests by rights organizations and Western governments, a Pakistani court ordered her release from custody.
But Asia Bibi has not had such luck. In 2010, Bibi, an impoverished farmer, was sentenced to death after her neighbors accused her of insulting the Prophet Muhammad. She is still languishing in prison. The liberal Pakistanis who chose to support Bibi were also not spared by Islamists.
A few months after Bibi's conviction, former governor of the Punjab province, Salman Taseer, was murdered by his bodyguard, Mumtaz Qadri. Qadri said he killed Taseer for speaking out against the blasphemy laws and in support of Bibi. In March 2011, Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan's former minister for minority affairs, was assassinated by a religious fanatic for the same reason.

A dark Christmas for Pakistani Christians | Asia | DW.DE | 25.12.2012

 

[Blackwater]

A dark Christmas for Pakistani Christians.

Bibi and her family await justice
Farzana Bari, director of Center for Women's Studies at Islamabad's Quaid-i-Azam University, believes discrimination will persist until the government reforms its legislation.
"It is high time that Pakistani government reform these anti-blasphemy laws. These laws are even against the spirit of Islam and are a cause of notoriety for the country," she told DW.
The government of President Zardari's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) was heavily criticized by domestic and international rights organizations for failing to reform the laws after the assassinations of Taseer and Bhatti.
But Karachi-based journalist Mohsin Sayeed does not only blame the government. He told DW in an interview that what used to be a small section of society had now become mainstream.
"The days are gone when we said it was a small group of religious extremists, xenophobes, hatemongers and bigots who commit such crimes. Now the venom has spread to the whole of Pakistani society," he said, adding that those who condemned such "barbaric crimes" were now a minority in Pakistan.
He also criticized the Pakistani judiciary for its alleged sympathetic behavior toward the right-wing. "Asia Bibi is still in jail, while Qadri (Taseer's assassin), is still alive," he said.
Living in fear
Before the rise of Islamic extremism and religious intolerance in Pakistan, Christians celebrated Christmas with much enthusiasm. They would put stars on their houses and decorate their towns with lights and flags. But many now worry about the risk of being conspicuous.
"We are scared. We are frightened. We cannot sit together, we cannot speak loudly, we cannot celebrate openly. We receive threats," Ashraf Masih, a street sweeper, told AFP. "If we sit together and talk, all of a sudden the Muslim owner of the house will come and ask 'Why are you here, what are you talking about?'"
Qadri was celebrated by extremists for the murder of a governor critical of blasphemy laws
Aslam Masih, a 37-year-old gardener, told AFP in an interview that previously they used to celebrate Christmas in the town church but now it it had been closed.
Attacks on churches
Experts say that the worshipping places of Pakistani minorities are also being increasingly targeted - not only by Islamic extremists, but also by common Pakistanis.
Abdul Hai, a senior official of the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan in Karachi, told DW that while there were also commercial reasons behind the attacks on the minorities' places of worship, most of the time, the temples and churches were attacked for religious reasons. "Religious fanaticism is growing in Pakistan and religious extremist groups are getting stronger by the day. Unfortunately, the government is not doing anything to protect minorities and their places of worship," Hai said.
One of the most violent attacks on Christians and their places of worship in Pakistan was carried out in 2009 in the central Gojra town of the Punjab when Muslims burnt more than 70 Christian houses and many churches, killing seven people, after a rumor that the Koran had been desecrated.


A dark Christmas for Pakistani Christians | Asia | DW.DE | 25.12.2012

 

[JBH22]

"Religious fanaticism is growing in Pakistan and religious extremist groups are getting stronger by the day. Unfortunately, the government is not doing anything to protect minorities and their places of worship," Hai said

@ Blackwater you are posting inaccurate articles. Is there more growth prospects for fanaticism in this country I believe the peak has already been reached.

Hindus are forced to convert,Sikhs are beheaded and Christian are blown on rumours of blasphemy

What makes it worst is that country some years back it could have easily become an economic powerhouse in this region too bad they chose radical Islam,but cool for us.

 

[Blackwater]

@ Blackwater you are posting inaccurate articles. Is there more growth prospects for fanaticism in this country I believe the peak has already been reached.

Hindus are forced to convert,Sikhs are beheaded and Christian are blown on rumours of blasphemy

What makes it worst is that country some years back it could have easily become an economic powerhouse in this region too bad they chose radical Islam,but cool for us.

:shocked::shocked:

 

[JBH22]

:shocked::shocked:

You did not get the sarcasm point.. did you?

Read bold part is it still growing

"Religious fanaticism is growing in Pakistan and religious extremist groups are getting stronger by the day. Unfortunately, the government is not doing anything to protect minorities and their places of worship," Hai said

 

[Blackwater]

You did not get the sarcasm point.. did you?

Read bold part is it still growing

 

[farhan_9909]

@ Blackwater you are posting inaccurate articles. Is there more growth prospects for fanaticism in this country I believe the peak has already been reached.

Hindus are forced to convert,Sikhs are beheaded and Christian are blown on rumours of blasphemy

What makes it worst is that country some years back it could have easily become an economic powerhouse in this region too bad they chose radical Islam,but cool for us.

better late than never

with someone like asad umar as our finance minister and imran khan as our pm...there is no doubt we will repeat the history

by history i mean making our per capita twice of your once again

 

[Blackwater]

better late than never

with someone like asad umar as our finance minister and imran khan as our pm...there is no doubt we will repeat the history

by history i mean making our per capita twice of your once again

 

[JBH22]

better late than never

with someone like asad umar as our finance minister and imran khan as our pm...there is no doubt we will repeat the history

by history i mean making our per capita twice of your once again

Hopefully and Pakistan will no longer be synonym for Terrorism,but its highly improbable.

 

[farhan_9909]

Hopefully and Pakistan will no longer be synonym for Terrorism,but its highly improbable.

we will try our level best.

remind me this under IK.i dont want to be too optimistic but under IK govt if WOT is directly stopped which is his primary agenda.

not in 2013 but in 2014 expect a growth rate close to 6%.

current tax to gdp ratio is just 9%.
since majority probably more than 95% of his team are not landlords or ppp and mqm kinda badmash

but rather people like ex HEC chairmain dr atta ur rehman and ex engro ceo asad umar

alone increase in tax collection will increase the revenue several folds and many prblem with just tax collection will be solved..if i am not wrong indian tax to gdp ratio is about 18%

 

[Rage]

better late than never

with someone like asad umar as our finance minister and imran khan as our pm...there is no doubt we will repeat the history

by history i mean making our per capita twice of your once again

There is zero chance of that happening.

---

As far as IK becoming President, there is no chance of that happening either unless he aligns with 'secular, liberal' forces (I can't believe I'm saying that) in Pakistan, like the ANP in KPK and the MQM in Karachi.

There are already signs of that happening:
MQM, PTI may form coalition with Dr Qadri - thenews.com.pk

This after this:
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

Imran Khan's politics is all over the place.

We all know where their traditional support bases lie.

Pakistan's problems are not those that require a 'one-man-solution'. They are endemic, and in the end they all boil down to the fact that Pakistan's a security state, not a nation.

 

[Rage]

Christmas in India

 

[chase]

better late than never

with someone like asad umar as our finance minister and imran khan as our pm...there is no doubt we will repeat the history

by history i mean making our per capita twice of your once again

I think if pakistanis gets it head out of the shit then it can really become the next "breakout economic nation" but 2x/capita of india is highly improbable because the india you are comparing to is the socialist india and now india's per capita incomes doubles in 9 years and this rate can increase further if more economic reforms are carried out.

Furthermore pakistani is a very backward feudal country,most of the pakistan is under the control of feudal lords and until this problem is solved pakistan won't progress.

 

[Ray]

This is how we celebrate Christmas in Pakistan with our dear christian brothers

Peace on Earth till the next fudged blasphemy case!

 

[Ray]

better late than never

with someone like asad umar as our finance minister and imran khan as our pm...there is no doubt we will repeat the history

by history i mean making our per capita twice of your once again

I agree.

There is no embargo on dreaming!

This should cheer the Pakistanis

If I were Lord of Tartary

If I were Lord of Tartary,
Myself, and me alone,
My bed should be of ivory,
Of beaten gold my throne;
And in my court should peacocks flaunt,
And in my forests tigers haunt,
And in my pools great fishes slant
Their fins athwart the sun.

If I were Lord of Tartary,
Trumpeters every day
To all my meals should summon me,
And in my courtyards bray;
And in the evening lamps should shine,
Yellow as honey, red as wine,
While harp, and flute, and mandoline
Made music sweet and gay.

If I were Lord of Tartary,
I'd wear a robe of beads,
White, and gold, and green they'd be --
And small and thick as seeds;
And ere should wane the morning star,
I'd don my robe and scimitar.
And zebras seven should draw my car
Through Tartary's dark gleades.

Lord of the fruits of Tartary.
Her rivers silver-pale!
Lord of the hills of Tartary.
Glen, thicket, wood, and dale!
Her flashing stars, her scented breeze,
Her trembling lakes, like foamless seas,
Her bird-delighting citron-trees,
In every purple vale!

Walter de la Mare