05/15/2020 Pakistan (International Christian Concern) – According to Aleteia, religious NGOs and Muslim leaders in Pakistan stand accused of refusing aid to Christians and other religious minorities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This is in spite of the fact that religious minority communities are among the worst hit by the pandemic and its economic effect.
Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need, Cecil Shane Chaudhry, Executive Director of the National Commission for Justice and Peace, reported that Christians and other religious minorities have been explicitly denied access to aid by religious organizations and mosques. Chaudhry went on to explain that religious minorities are particular in need of assistance as many are dependent on the daily labor jobs that have disappeared due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
“COVID-19 knows no boundaries,” Chaudhry explained. “Everyone is at risk, irrespective of their religion. How can it be fair to deny food and other emergency help to Christians and other minorities, especially when they are among those suffering the most at this time?”
For Pakistan’s Christian community, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented new ways in which they experienced persecution and discrimination. Since late March, International Christian Concern (ICC) has documented at least four separate instances in which Christians were either denied aid because of their religious identity or were asked to convert to Islam in order to receive aid.
For interviews, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org.
