South Asian Forum of the Evangelical Alliance"

A March in March – speaking out for oppressed Christians in Pakistan

In Pakistan, minority groups such as Christians are treated as second class citizens by being kept impoverished by a matrix of discrimination across the justice, education, employment and welfare systems. Road-sweeping and sewerage workers are often advertised as 'Christians only'. Now the government is trying to ban the phrase 'Jesus Christ' from mobile texts. Last year, Muslim governor Taseer and Christian federal minister, Shahbaz Bhatti, were assassinated. Both spoke out against the blasphemy laws, which are being used to target Christians in particular.

The British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA) exists to highlight the persecution of Christians in Pakistan and to oppose the injustice of the blasphemy laws.

This is why on 10 March, BPCA will be holding a protest march and a peace concert. BPCA has released a provisional list of the speakers and performing artists, which highlights the diverse nature of the support this event is gathering. 

Speakers include the Armenian Bishop Vahan Hovhanessian, Baroness Cox of Queensbury, Dr Helmy Giurgius, president of the UK Copts, along with fellow Copt Dr Peter Bibawy, the Holocaust survivor Dr Martin Stern and Lyn Julius from HARIF (Middle Eastern and North African Jewish group), John Pontifex from the papal charity Aid to the Church in Need, Canon Toby Crowe and Anglican theologian Rev Dr Darrell D Hannah. Also Julia de Blaauw from the Global Human Rights Defence group at The Hague is coming, and Muslim speakers include Imam Dr Taj Hargey, Kasim Hafeez of The Israel Campaign. From the US Irshad Manji of the Moral Courage project will be attending.
 
Performers at the afternoon concert at Trafalgar Square include a choir from the UK Coptic church, Asian drummers from the Dholl Academy, Catholic singer songwriter Gerry Coates along with the electronica-fusion band Ooberfuse and Pakistani singer-songwriter Hamad Baily.

Wilson Chowdhry, chairman of BPCA, said that he was "amazed at the breadth and depth of support". He added: "I've had people contacting me out of the blue asking to come and speak at the event. We hope that this will be a breakthrough event in the campaign to oppose the blasphemy laws and support minorities and genuine human rights and religious freedom in Pakistan."

BPCA are inviting all to come and support our persecuted brothers and sisters. The march starts at 11am with worship and speeches outside the Pakistani Embassy, Lowndes Square. The march will proceed to 10 Downing Street where at 2pm a petition will be handed in and further speeches will be heard by both Christian and other minority faiths who also suffer. This will be followed by a multi-ethnic peace concert in Trafalgar Square from 3pm to 6pm.

For more information go to http://britishpakistanichristian.blogspot.com

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