Abstract
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a multi-racial and multi-religious nation, with Muslims being in the majority. Its 1973 Constitution guarantees religious freedom to all religious minorities, including Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs. This is mainly because Islam itself ensures religious freedom to the whole of humanity. Unfortunately, some Muslim clerics seem to be attempting to deny religious freedom to other faiths in Pakistan. Their opposition to the plurality of faith contradicts Islamic principles. This research paper identifies such Islamic principles and examines the undesirability of the mistreatment of religious minorities in Pakistan, focusing on the arguments for and against religious freedom in Pakistan on the one hand, and the religious rights and freedoms of non-Muslim minorities from an Islamic perspective on the other. The methodology applied in this discussion is critical analysis. The conclusion drawn is that both the Constitution of Pakistan and Islam guarantee religious freedom to the country’s religious minorities. Finally, this study suggests some practical mechanisms to reconcile the different religious groups in Pakistan.
Highlights
The freedom to change and choose one’s religion is protected by international law.in any circumstances, people’s core rights cannot be breached
Christians were compelled to worship fire instead of Christ. In such an environment, when the King of Rome, Harqal, tried for reconciliation with Khusraw Parvēz, the reply of Emperor of Persia revealed his intolerable tolerable thought: “No, I want Harqal the King of Rome, imprisoned in chains under my throne, I will not reconcile until he denied the Christianity and embraced the religion of Persian Empire” (Shibli 1985)
Pakistan was established on 14 August 1947, based on the ideology of Islam
Summary
The freedom to change and choose one’s religion is protected by international law. in any circumstances, people’s core rights cannot be breached. A Parliamentary Human Rights Group (2010) found that religious minorities are under threat and that they have no freedom to practice their religion. The Human Rights Watch country representative Ali Dayan Hasan stated that it was “the deadliest attack on a church and the Christian community in Pakistan’s history” (Saiya and Manchanda 2020). The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF 2013), in its Annual Report, focused on Pakistan, mentioning the 200 attacks on religious groups in the country and the 1800 documented fatalities resulting from religion-related violence (among the highest in the world). Minority Rights Group International (2013), in its report, highlighted Pakistan, ranking the country top in its “People under Threat” global ranking. Pakistani religious minorities are victims of institutional, social, and legal discrimination, as reported by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF 2019).
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