Portraits of Justice #9: Milka {Lahore, Pakistan}

This week's Portrait of Justice features Milka, from Lahore, Pakistan. Being a Christian in Pakistan means that she is among the <2% minority in her country. Being a Christian woman in leadership, in a predominantly muslim and patriarchal society, makes her even more of a more of a minority. I'd estimate she represents less than .1% of the Pakistani population.

Milka is a strong and beautiful person who has not let her constant encounters of injustice prevent her from laughter and the pursuits of equality in the heart of Asia. Her story is one that encounters injustice much more than justice, something more unfamiliar in Western context. This is a story that the will promise to linger in your mind as you walk on

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[In] the "Pakistan context we are not finding the justice being a christian, being a minority. In Pakistan the majority are Muslims, 97% are the Muslims. Only less than 2% are Christians. There is no justice, every thing is according to the Islamic law. Christians don't have a right to speak. If they have a right in any case, they need a witness. One muslim witness is equal to two christian witnesses. Even in the constitution we have blasphemy law, and the blasphemy law is this: if you say any single word against prophet Mohamed, you are the blasphemer. Nowadays the Muslim people who are in the majority are taking advantage of that law. For personal reasons they are falsely blaming the minorities, even assassinating and torturing them. One of our christian ministers was assassinated by the majority."

"There is no justice. If we are raising our voices, they (the Muslim majority) are saying 'no, they are blasphemer!”. They are facing false witnesses, in false cases. Still the government is supporting the Muslims, not the Christians. They are behind this. They started to burn the churches, they started to burn the christian communities. If we are saying that the Muslims are doing these things, we are showing them evidence and names. Our police and army, our government are not taking action against this. They are saying they will work on it, that they will find those persons and who is behind it, and until now they have not found those persons. They are saying "they are not muslims, they are the fundamentalists who are doing those type of things."

"The government structure should be changed. We are raising our voices that the constitution should be changed. While you are burning churches, that is also blasphemy. If you are abusing Christians, that is also blasphemy. But they are not taking attention on this"

"We are working, and having dialogues with the Muslims on these issues, on the blasphemy laws. We are talking and trying to figure out these things."  

"In Pakistan Christians are less educated. They use to work in the Muslims houses as servants. While they were working in the houses as a servant , the Muslims have the power. They are torturing them, they are raping them. They are forcing them to convert and accept it."

"While I was in school I was the only Christian girl in my class. The girls use to say to me, why are you not accepting this? You should accept Islam, you should be a Muslim. I use to say to them, you should be a christian, would you accept it? They are saying no, ours is the best religion of the world. In our colleges and schools we are facing discrimination. That justice we do not have."

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Tell me something beautiful you have witnessed:

Milka doesn't need to think about this question, and launches in to a story, "They have let me lead SCM Pakistan. I am very blessed and happy that God choose me for this purpose. I have studied theology, and living in Pakistan, I thought that I will never go anywhere, I will just stay and my whole life will be in Pakistan. Through the SCM that changed."

"I have a good family who always support me." The emotion this statement was said with causes Milka to shed a tear as that support has been so life giving.

 Hind, from Jordan, who is sitting with during the interveiw leans in. "Milka, you have a family here as well that supports you"

"That is so true!" Milka responds.

With that our conversation found laughter. It found the joy that community offers, and that our strange and beautiful gathering had given us. We represented Canada, Jordan, and Pakistan, 3 countries from 3 different regions that were telling very different stories, but had found solidarity and a family all the same. To me, it was nothing less one of those #beautifulpeoplemoments, the ones you never forget. 

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Milka was interviewed and photographed in Bogota, Colombia

(c) Bthatlovelyphotography 2015

Portraits of Justice #8: Rachel {County Waterford, Southern Ireland}

This week I introduce Part II of a Portrait of Justice featuring Ireland. Rachel is a Masters student from the sunny Southern part of Ireland, and is engaged in interfaith/interdenominational dialogue in her home community. Her experience of conflict in Ireland is drastically different than what was shared in Part I  of a Portrait of Justice in Ireland. 

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For me justice is very equality based. When I study every thing is the same, everybody is treated the same, there is not much of a difference between a man and a woman. I could do the exact same job as a man even though I am a woman. That's what justice is for me anyway.  

Something beautiful for me is becoming a part of SCM (Student Christian Movement) Ireland. Something that I have witnessed, that I have never witnessed before, is that we have so many people coming from different Christian traditions. To be able to come together and dialogue is an amazing thing, especially because of the troubles up North.

Down where I am from we don't judge based on our religion. Everybody is the same. I don't say 'oh, I'm Rachel, I'm a Catholic!' And my friend wouldn't say, 'oh, I'm Victoria, and I'm a Protestant!” We're just friends and we get on. Where as on the other side, where Johnston is from, there was no friendship basis there at all. So that is something beautiful you would see – that something so bad could happen up in one end of the country, but something so amazing down at the other end.

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Say something about this portrait and story, or about this project! I look forward to it!

Portraits of Justice #7: Johnston {Belfast, Northern Ireland}

This week I introduce Part I of a Portrait of Justice featuring Ireland. Johnston McMaster, professor at Trinity College in Dublin, is a wise soul who has been witness to the cycles of violence and pursuits of peace in Northern Ireland his entire life. I had the opportunity to meet, laugh with, and photograph Johnston after hearing him speak in Bogota, Colombia. 

Stayed tuned for next week's Part II, as a very different perspective from Southern Ireland will be shared. 

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"What is justice like in my country? It is about equality, about sharing of political and social power. It is economic justice and it is justice related to gender equality as well."

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"While in Cork (Southern Ireland) I could have been in Toronto, it was that far removed from what was going on in Northern Ireland. It's a life time. Let me put in another way - in terms of my professional work, the context has never been anything else than the conflict and the violence. Even though it's meant to be peace process now, it's fragile, and has a long way to go. We are not all together post conflict, not just yet."

"There is a sense in which I think the churches generally in Northern Ireland have taken flight. They are struggling to engage in reconciliation and peace building because they have not worked out a theological praxis of reconciliation and peacebuilding. Reconciliation and peace in the church has very much been reduced to the vertical, without a horizontal dimension, a social dimension."

Does this have to due with Protestant and Catholic divide in community?

"It has to do with the sectarian division, but it also a conservative division. Ireland as a whole I think is socially and theologically and morally conservative. So when working out a public theology is difficult for Irish churches generally. I think they're all in a situation now where there has been a retreat from the public square. There is an inadequate or no real public theology, or knowing how to engage with the public on social issues."

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"One of the amazing things after 35 years of violent conflict, or during violent conflict, is how many people have refused to be victims, and in a very real sense have become survivors. The beautiful thing in many cases has been the number of people who somehow or other, maybe for different motives, have been able to come to a place of forgiveness. It has been liberation for them and has been part of their journey out of victimhood towards survival and more than survival. They are also in many cases people who are making positive contributions to peacebuilding."

Is this what justice looks like in your country, in your home? Does Johnston's story remind you of your own? Leave a comment below and let us know! We'd love to hear from you!

Portraits of Justice #6: Louis {Chicago, United States of America}

As a part of my Beautiful People Moments project, I've launched this album entitled "Portraits of Justice", looking at justice around the world.

 Today I gladly introduce this week's Portrait of Justice as a dear and hard working colleague of mine, Louis of {Chicago, USA}. Both pastor, student, and advocate, Louis shares a perspective on theological justice that comes from urban grassroots experiences, including racial violence, police violence, and food injustice. His prophetic voice of hope opens windows to us all. This is his voice: 

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"Justice is a place where the police serve and protect, rather than fight and neglect. Our food justice is seen within the community in the forms of community gardens, supplemental nutrition assistance programs, and providing hot meals to senior citizens without access to nutrition."

 "We believe that Christ’s church is for all people, and it is not our job to sort, divide, categorize or exclude. But as “saints and sinners,” we know and experience God’s work of healing and restoring as well as the persistent human pain and injustices of racism in the world."

"This is where God has put us, in the thick of life, insisting on justice and upholding human dignity for the inclusion of all people in the life of the church and society. "

"We are called to be a church that embraces each person and confronts racial, ethnic, cultural, religious, age, gender, familial, sexual orientation, physical, personal and class barriers that often manifest themselves in unjust treatment, inequalities, exclusion and violence."

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Tell me about something beautiful you've witnessed

"One of my most recent projects through the Kenosha Community Health Center was an event called the Convoy of Hope. It was a beautiful experience of justice  The Kenosha Convoy of Hope Outreach is a collaborative effort involving dozens of local churches, social service organizations, businesses, and Convoy of Hope, Inc. An outreach of this scope in our community provides thousands of people with a message of hope through groceries, health screenings, job fairs, family portraits, haircuts, prayer, and games and activities for children. All goods and services were absolutely free of charge."

"This all-volunteer event mobilizes hundreds of area residents to serve and make a difference in their community. Strong participation by local businesses, churches, community agencies and individuals is crucial to the success of this event. Through this collaborative effort, we can do together what no one could do alone."

"Our goal was that every guest be valued, respected, and treated as a Guest of Honor. We must unconditionally love, accept, and serve each guest without regard for age, race, physical appearance, or spiritual condition."

 - Louis {Chicago, USA}

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What you think about what Louis has to say? Make a comment!