SpecialFeature |
| Interview with a missionary in Pakistan |
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Special Feature |
| Interview with a missionary in Pakistan |
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In this article, MaltaMedia's Martin Debattista interviews Fr. Pierre Bonnici, a Maltese missionary of the Missionary Society of St. Paul in Pakistan. Could you explain the nature of your mission in Pakistan, how you ended up there, how many members of MSSP are there and your location? Last summer, an airport guard in Australia singled me out from the passport queue to double-check my passport [probably he thought I looked a bit like the Fundamentalist type]. He was very surprised to find out that I was a Catholic priest and his first question was, "What are you doing in Pakistan anyway?" Pakistan is an Islamic country but it does have a Christian minority. Not a big minority percentage-wise [about 3%] but in a country of 140 million that means close to five million Christians. The Missionary Society of St. Paul was invited to come for a short time here in 1981 by the late Archbishop of Lahore, Armando Trinidade. The Society felt that there was a need for our work in this country and decided to stay. Our work is mainly with the local Christian community here. We are ten missionaries at present - two Maltese priests, one Maltese Brother, four Pakistani priests, two theology students and one novice. Two more priests are preparing themselves in Malta to come here later next year. We have two parishes - one in a rural district near to the city of Faisalabad, another in a suburb of Lahore. Besides providing pastoral care the parishes also are centres for social work - schools, clinics, hostels for orphans and other social uplift projects. We also have two formation houses, that is houses that train future members of the Society - one in Lahore and another in Karachi. Did you ever believe that Pakistan could end up right in the centre of international events after the 11th September attacks on the United States? We knew that would happen as soon as we heard the news of the attacks. Remember Pakistan had the closest ties to the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, who are sheltering Osama Bin Laden. It was also obvious that any raids on Afghanistan would have to pass over Pakistani airspace. Is it true that Muslims are extemists? How are the relations of Christians and Muslims in Pakistan? Certainly not all, or even the majority, of Muslims are extremists. There are extremists in Islam just as there are Hindu, Jewish and even Catholic religious fanatics. Muslim fundamentalists are in the limelight right now but actually there have been substantially more attacks on Christians by Hindus in India these past few months than by Muslims anywhere else. Islam tends towards closer ties between state and religion so Muslims may find it more difficult to integrate in a pluralistic society but again this is a problem common to all extremists. The thing is that it is very difficult for a common Muslim to disassociate himself or herself from the radicals. Again, this is not very surprising when one thinks about it. The Crusaders still figure as Christian heroes and most Christians are still reluctant to condemn what they did even though most of them were little more than opportunistic brigands and thieves. Christians in Pakistan enjoy more religious freedom than in Saudi Arabia for example. They are a minority and frequently have to face the suspicion and discrimination that minorities around the world face everyday. Furthermore during the time of General Zia Ul Haq, two discriminatory laws were introduced. One was the separate electorate that can be described as a form of religious apartheid. The other was the so-called Blasphemy law whereby a person may receive the death penalty on the basis of a simple accusation that she or he had insulted Islam. The West is associated with Christianity for most Muslims, so whenever there is tension between the West and a Muslim country, as at present, the Christian minority in Pakistan feels itself threatened. Otherwise, Christians are usually left in peace to practice their religion and people tend to live quite peacefully with each other. How are the U.S.-led attacks on Afghanistan affecting the MSSP's mission in Pakistan? So far it hasn't affected us much really. Like all the Christians here we are being cautious and not organising large gatherings. There was a nasty moment when President Bush mentioned the word "Crusade" but thank God he never did that again and has been very careful to refrain from similar statements. During the Gulf wars there were protest marches in which Christians and churches were targeted. This has not been the case so far. Our work goes on as usual but the Maltese among us are in contact with the Consul here so that they would have some protection if things take a turn for the worse. What's your opinion of the Afghan people? We work mainly among the Punjabi most of whom consider the Afghanis [or rather the Pathans] as both dangerous and rather backward. Punjabis generally seem to be more laid back, fun loving types than the Pathans. These on the other hand are very hardworking. They are usually scrupulously honest and loyal to their own tribe or to any other person with whom they enter into any agreement but they can be very violent towards others especially if they are perceived as enemies. They are also generally stricter Muslims and most extremist groups recruit their people from among them. How do you think the whole story will end? The whole scenario seems to point to a never-ending story. One can anticipate the endings of some chapters but not of the whole story. Probably the Taliban government in Kabul will fall but then the Taliban will take to the hills and keep up a long guerrilla war for the next few years. Osama Bin Laden seems to be the type who will probably do what he has asked others to do if he is cornered - commit suicide in such a way as to take the largest number of victims he can with him. World governments will need to live with the fact that the terrorist Pandora's box is now open and cannot be closed again. One hopes that the US and the West will not repeat the same mistake they did after the retreat of the Soviets from Afghanistan. At that time they simply abandoned Pakistan and Afghanistan because they had no further interest in the region. That only served to sow the seeds for the present situation. As a Christian missionary, what's your message to the Maltese and to the world about the events in the United States and Asia? Ultimately both the Terrorists and the World Governments rely on violence. As a Christian, I believe that that is simply fighting fire with fire. It is a pity that there was a blunt refusal to dialogue and try to find a solution other than war. In the end we will all have to sit down and talk [if any are left] . the difference will only be in the number of victims before that happens. Extremists tend to divide the world in friend and foe. President Bush also sounds like a character in a classical Western film. We Maltese have a saying about armpits and the fact that everyone shares a part of the blame .. Real peace will not come about when we beat the "baddies" into pulp but when we address the root causes of the problem. People whose economy has been given a substantial boost through the sale of armaments should really not be so surprised when these are used against them. An illiterate, hungry, unemployed person is more likely to join a terrorist group. Nobody and no country will simply accept being a loser. The way out is for more dialogue and for more justice. Peace and justice go together for a lasting solution.
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