Ref.No PMTA/41/13 Dated:
October 24,2013
To
Mr. Mian Muhammad Nawaz
Sharif
Prime Minister of
Pakistan
Minister for Law, Justice
& Human Rights
Prime Minister’s
Secretariat
Islamabad.
Subject: SUBJECT OF RELIGION FOR THE MINORITY
STUDENTS
Honourable Sir,
Greetings and peace from Pakistan Minorities Teachers’ Association (PMTA).
Pakistan Minorities
Teachers’ Association would like to draw your kind attention on the subject
cited above.
Sir, Article 25 (1) of
the Constitution of Pakistan guarantees equal citizenship to all Pakistanis as
it describes” All citizens are equal before law and are entitled to equal
protection of law.” It is a sorrowful state that there is the violation of the
constitution in this regard. There is discrimination with the fundamental
rights of the students of the religious minorities. There are biases and
propagation on the religious basis against Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism,
Christians, Hindus and Sikhs in the contents of the present curriculum and
the textbooks. Muslim students have been
provided the facility of the subject of Islamic Studies and of the teachers but
the minority students have been have been deprived of their fundamental right
to study their own religion/s. It is the responsibility of the state to provide
equal opportunity to all citizens without any discrimination. Due to this the
parents and students from the minorities are in oppression and depression. They
feel insecure to send their children even to the public sector educational
institutions because anything wrong can happen to them. The minority students
have to suffer due to the biased curriculum, biased textbooks and biased
environment of the educational institutions.
Sir, the subject of
Ethics has been introduced only for the minority students though it is the utmost
need of all the students to have the human values such as tolerance, patience,
human dignity and human rights. The minority students have to study mythology
and comparison study of religions from grade 3 to grade 11 which is a master
level course while the majority students have to study only the fundamental
teachings of their own religion. The subject of Ethics is like a poison for
these innocent minority students of the age 6 or 7. This is the age for them to
know their own religion/s but they are going to be confused in the
forthcoming textbooks. The
curriculum in the subject of Ethics is biased and even there has not been any
role of Christians, Hindus, Sikhs to develop the textbooks according to their
beliefs. The subject of Ethics is being imposed on the minority students. The
minorities have always demanded the subject of “RELIGION” for their children as their constitutional and
fundamental right but unfortunately no government has paid heed on this genuine
demand.
Sir, Pakistan Minorities
Teachers’ Association has the following demands on behalf of the religious
minorities of Pakistan.
1.
The subject of ‘Ethics’ must be replaced into the subject of ‘Religion’.
2.
There must be separate textbooks and teachers for Christian, Hindu, Sikh,
Baha’i, Parsi and other minority students as it is in the case of the majority
students.
3.
The curriculum and textbooks in the subject of ‘Religion’ must be
developed by the educationists and the theologians of the relevant religion/s.
4.
The biased and hate promoting material against Christianity, Hinduism,
Sikhism, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs and other religions must be abolished from
all the textbooks.
5.
Comparison between or among religions must be abolished from all the
textbooks as it is described in the instructions of the Curriculum Wing, but
deliberately violated while the textbooks are developed by the publishers.
6.
There must be chapters on peace, human rights, human dignity, social and
interfaith harmony at all levels.
7.
The role of all the Pakistani heroes in different fields must be included
in the textbooks without the distinction of race or creed as all the Pakistanis
have played their role in the creation and construction of Pakistan.
Sir, the rights of child
are guaranteed not only in the Constitution of Pakistan but also in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Convention on the Rights
of the Child, International Covenant on the Civil and Political Rights, International Convention
on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and Declaration on the Elimination of
All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief .
PMTA would like to
present a brief description of the Articles that safeguard the rights of the
child in this regard. We are sure the there must be proper implementation on
the voice of the religious minorities of Pakistan.
Constitution of Pakistan 1973
Article 22: Safeguards as to educational
institutions in respect of religion, etc
(1)
No person attending any
educational institution shall be required to receive religious instruction, or
take part in any religious ceremony, or attend religious worship, if such
instruction, ceremony or worship relates to a religion other than his own.
(2)
In respect of any
religious institution, there shall be no discrimination against any community
in the granting of exemption or concession in relation to taxation.
(3)
Subject to law
(a)
no religious community or
denomination shall be prevented from providing religious instruction for pupils
of that community or denomination in any educational institution maintained
wholly by that community or denomination; and
(b)
no citizen shall be
denied admission to any educational institution receiving aid from public
revenues on the ground only of race, religion, caste or place of birth
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Article
26 (2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the
human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship
among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities
of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
(3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of
education that shall be given to their children.
Convention on the Rights
of the Child
Article 2
States
Parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that the child is
protected against all forms of discrimination or punishment on the basis of the
status, activities, expressed opinions, or beliefs of the child's parents,
legal guardians, or family members
Article 14
1. States Parties shall respect the right of the child to
freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
2. States Parties shall respect the rights and duties of the
parents and, when applicable, legal guardians, to provide direction to the
child in the exercise of his or her right in a manner consistent with the
evolving capacities of the child.
3. Freedom to manifest one's religion or beliefs may be subject
only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect
public safety, order, health or morals, or the fundamental rights and freedoms
of others.
International
Covenant on the Civil and Political Rights
Article 18
1. Everyone shall have the right to
freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom
to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either
individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest
his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.
2. No one shall be subject to coercion
which would impair his freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his
choice.
3. Freedom to manifest one's religion or
beliefs may be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and
are necessary to protect public safety, order, health, or morals or the
fundamental rights and freedoms of others.
4. The States Parties to the present
Covenant undertake to have respect for the liberty of parents and, when
applicable, legal guardians to ensure the religious and moral education of
their children in conformity with their own convictions.
Article 27
In those States in which
ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities exist, persons belonging to such
minorities shall not be denied the right, in community with the other members
of their group, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practise their own
religion, or to use their own language
International Convention
on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
Article 7
States Parties undertake
to adopt immediate and effective measures, particularly in the fields of
teaching, education, culture and information, with a view to combating
prejudices which lead to racial discrimination and to promoting understanding,
tolerance and friendship among nations and racial or ethnical groups, as well
as to propagating the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United
Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations
Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and this
Convention.
Declaration On The Elimination Of All Forms Of Intolerance
And Of Discrimination Based On Religion Or Belief
Article 1
1.
Everyone shall have the
right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include
freedom to have a religion or whatever belief of his choice, and freedom,
either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to
manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.
2.
No one shall be subject
to coercion which would impair his freedom to have a religion or belief of his
choice.
3.
Freedom to manifest one's
religion or beliefs may be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed
by law and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health or morals or
the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.
Article 2
1.
No one shall be subject
to discrimination by any State, institution, group of persons, or person on grounds
of religion or other beliefs.
2.
For the purposes of the
present Declaration, the expression "intolerance and discrimination based
on religion or belief" means any distinction, exclusion, restriction or
preference based on religion or belief and having as its purpose or as its
effect nullification or impairment of the recognition, enjoyment or exercise of
human rights and fundamental freedoms on an equal basis.
Sir, we request you to
kindly address the demands of the Pakistan Minorities Teachers’ Association
(PMTA) and provide the constitutional, fundamental and legal rights to bring
the minority students from oppression and depression. There must be the
supremacy of law and all citizens must be treated equally as guaranteed in the
Article 25 (1) of the Constitution of Pakistan. There will be good a gesture to
the community of nations as Pakistan is already signatory of the above
mentioned Covenants and Conventions and has ratified them. It is utmost need of
the time to promote the culture of peace, harmony, tolerance, human rights and
social justice. Such a culture can only flourish when education system is fair
and unbiased and according to the guidelines of UNESCO. Secure minds can secure
the nation but not the arms.
With best regards
Prof. Anjum James Paul
Chairman
PMTA
Latif Nagar, St.2,
Qasim Road
Samundri
Distt. Faisalabad
Copy to:
1.
Mr. Mamnoon Hussain,
President of Pakistan, President’s House, Islamabad.
2. Mr.
Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, Federal Minister for
Religious Affairs & Inter-faith Harmony
3.
Minority Members of the National Assembly and the Senate of Pakistan
4.
All the Governors of the provinces of
Pakistan
5.
All the Chief Ministers of the provincial
governments of Pakistan
6.
All the Human Rights Ministers of the
provincial governments of Pakistan
7.
All the Secretaries( Schools) of the provincial
governments of Pakistan
.
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