Punjab Christian manager killed with acid by a rival
Faraz Ahmed Badar was a 26-year-old pharmacist. He worked at the DHQ Hospital in Gujaranwala. He was harassed by a Muslim colleague who did not accept the fact that a Christian could hold a position higher than his own. His father: "Many Muslims believe that all Christians should be scavengers, not managers"
Lahore (AsiaNews / Agencies) – Disfigured with acid because of the jealousy of colleagues and because of his Christian faith: This is the story of Faraz Ahmed Badar from a small village in Punjab, Pakistan. The 26 years old Christian, who had recently graduated in pharmacy, had been working for about two years as a manager at the DHQ Hospital in the city of Gujaranwala.
On 5 September, while he was ending his shift around 2 am, he was attacked with acid by a man with a covered face, who is still untraceable. He was found and transported first to a private hospital, then to the Mayo Hospital in Lahore, where he eventually died on September 15 after 10 days of agony.
Both hospitals could not do much to save the young life of the Christian. In addition to very serious burns on his face, the doctors found signs of earlier torture on his body. His father Badar Masih told the British Pakistani Christian Association (Bpca) that it was not the first time that Faraz had been attacked. "There was a lot of jealousy at work – he reports - We live in a culture without mercy where Christians often become victims because of their vulnerable status ".
The man tells of repeated episodes of religious discrimination: "He was regularly harassed by a Muslim colleague who did not accept the fact that a Christian could hold a position higher than his own. Ours is a bigoted country and many Muslims believe that all Christians should be scavengers, not managers. They call us 'Chura', which means 'untouchable scavangers' ".
Faraz's family reports that a few months ago the young man had been the victim of another episode of violence. Encircled by a group of men wearing masks, they had stuck their boots in his mouth, claiming that "a Christian is not even able to lick their shoes". His father adds: "They threatened to kill him unless Faraz left his job. They said that his spiritual impurity contaminated the health of 'pure Muslims' ". "We have informed the police of the incident but they have ignored us because we are Christians", he concludes.
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15/01/2009
