Pakistan: Archbishop Joseph Arshad – Education Tool Combat Accusations Blasphemy
False accusations of blasphemy against Christians and other vulnerable minorities can only be prevented by improving education, according to the head of the Church in Pakistan.
The importance of education cannot be overstated in a country where 40 percent of the population is illiterate, Archbishop Joseph Arshad of Islamabad-Rawalpindi Diocese, Pakistan told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
Speaking during a visit to ACN’s (UK) national office, in Sutton, Surrey, the President of Pakistan’s Catholic Bishops’ Conference said that there are dozens of Catholic schools in the diocese, providing quality education and forming students with good human values.
These schools also foster better relations between Christians, Muslims and other faiths in Pakistan.
The archbishop said he believes that education is key for the improvement of the situation as “through education, a sense of justice develops in human beings”.
He stated that the country’s Christian community is “poor and marginalised”, and families “struggle to provide a good education to their children.”
Source: ACN
