Lahore, playing cricket to build harmony between religions
Yesterday the Pakistan Peace League final was held. The tournament was won by the team of St. Francis Church in Lahore, headed by a Muslim student. The agonistic passion "creates team spirit, which strengthens ties". Fighting religious discrimination in sport.
Lahore (AsiaNews) - Playing cricket to build harmony between religions. This is the goal of the Pakistani Peace League (PPL), a tournament in which engages eight teams composed of 11 members each, all of different faiths. Yesterday, the final was won by the team of St. Francis Church in Lahore, which also won the first prize of 10,000 rupees (about 80 euros). Muhammad Saqib, a Muslim student, who for the first time played with young Christians led his comrades to victory. Speaking to AsiaNews he says he has never supported a competition with other Christian players "not because I'm against Christianity, but because I have never met them in cricket groups. Our victory, was a team win. I appreciated the public's support and cannot wait to meet my comrades again. "
Saqib studies economics and admits to "not knowing Christianity". He is not a new face to cricket, a sport in which he has twice emerged as a "man-of-the-match" of the T-20 Championship of the Disabled National. In 2000, the young man lost his right arm due to a car accident, but did not abandon the game. His overwhelming passion yesterday dragged his comrades to the finish line. "I do know nothing about St. Francis," he says, "but I have made so many new friends. I will visit the church at some stage. And my comrades are welcome to the mosque. "
The Pakistan Peace League is sponsored by various human rights organizations, including the United Nations. To open the games, songs and theater performances on the theme of "Youth Building Peace", which was the theme of the 2017 World Youth Day. Alyas Rehmat, operational director of Community Healthy Advocacy Network at Nation (Chanan), sponsor of the event , States: "We believe that sport is more important than organizing seminars and marches on interreligious harmony. Our young people love cricket and passion can lead to team spirit, which strengthens ties. Moreover, the cricket game attracts Christians, who are generally not given opportunities in our Islamic country. "
The director mentions the example of Yousaf Youhanna, the only non-Muslim captain to get a place in the national team, who then converted from Christianity to Islam. Likewise, Danish Kaneria, of the Hindu religion: he was the second player to be admitted onto the team, but he has been banned from it since 2012. "Kaneria was caught up in politics - says Rehmat - the religion of the majority dominates all spheres, including sport. There is really little room for players who profess a different faith. They need great support. "
Pakistan's Caritas is also at the forefront of organizing programs that stimulate the creation of a climate of peace. Its sporting competitions usually involve thousands of young people and children from the dioceses of Multan, Lahore and Hyderabad. According to the social arm of the Catholic Church, "sport can be used as a low-cost instrument, but with great impact on humanitarian efforts, development and peace-building."
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23/09/2005
23/05/2019 11:55
