PAKISTAN
Christian schoolboy was beaten to death by Muslims at school
A 17-year-old Christian boy was beaten to death by his Muslim classmates in Pakistan on his fourth day at a new school. His father had saved money to send Sharon Masih to a prestigious, private high school because the boy had performed so well at his previous, predominantly Christian, school that his teachers encouraged him to aim high.
However, Sharon was immediately isolated, physically abused and urged to convert to Islam by Muslim fellow students at the new school because he was the only Christian among them. “Sharon and I cried every night as he described the daily torture he was subjected to,” said his mother, Riaz Bibi “He only shared details about the violence he was facing. He did not want to upset his father because he had such a caring heart for others.”
Sharon’s parents didn’t have much time to react to the violence against him because of just four days after he started at his new school, he was beaten so badly that he died in the classroom. Reports from some pupils claim that the teacher overseeing the classroom ignored the brutal attack.
One boy, Muhammad Ahmed Rana, has already been arrested in connection with Masih’s murder. He reportedly confessed to the crime but did not name the other students involved.
Sharon’s parents believe the wall of silence reveals the contempt that these students have for Christians and the low value placed on their lives. His mother said, “My son was a kind-hearted, hard-working and affable boy. He has always been loved by teachers and pupils alike and shared great sorrow that he was being targeted by students at his new school because of his faith. The evil boys that hated my child are now refusing to reveal who else was involved in his murder. Nevertheless one day God will have His judgment.”
Wilson Chowdhry, Chairman of the British Pakistani Christian Association which paid for Sharon’s funeral, stated “Christians are despised and detested in Pakistan; they are a constant target for persecution. This killing of a young Christian teenager at school serves only to remind us that hatred towards religious minorities is bred into the majority population at a young age, through cultural norms and a biased national curriculum. This devastated family will have to cope with the immense emotional pain of a totally avoidable incident.”
This tragic attack is by no means unusual – Pakistani Christian children expect to suffer abuse and violence during their school years.
