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Pakistan is home to major places of worship that reflect its strong religious diversity. We will follow several families belonging to the Christian minority as they prepare for the Christmas festivities. We will witness their daily religious practices and the challenges they face.
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00:30Despite the Sharia rule, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a multicultural and multi-religious
00:37country in which peoples and empires of the past have left a rich legacy.
00:55Christmas festivities are there to remind us of the secular presence of which there are
00:59over two million followers of Christianity.
01:01Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Jesus, happy birthday to
01:19you.
01:26Here, there are about 100 to 150 Christian homes.
01:41During the Christmas period, we decorate the street.
01:44We collect monies and we also distribute cakes.
01:48On Christmas Eve, we cut the cake together and it's a party, a time to share.
01:56At 11 a.m., we hold a mass.
02:09When we go to these people's homes, they are also Christians.
02:16They are our neighbors and we can return home without fear.
02:20But we cannot go like this among Muslims.
02:23On the one hand, because their women are veiled, and secondly, we have no contact with them.
02:29We say hello and goodbye, and that's about it.
02:35Good morning.
02:36Good morning.
02:37Good morning.
02:38Good morning.
02:39Good morning.
02:40Contrary to the opinion conveyed by Western imagination, you can go quietly to your neighbors,
02:45to your friends.
02:46In terms of the Catholic obedience, women, girls, wives are not veiled.
02:51They are pretty and even wear makeup.
02:54The time to come for Christians will be very bad.
03:11Every day, Muslims find an excuse.
03:14They are struggling against the Christians, so Christians are suspicious.
03:19Even if there is a riot or a conflict between Christians and Muslims, they always bring up
03:24the history of blasphemy by saying, ah, they burned a Koran.
03:27They insulted the prophet.
03:29And because of that, we are always scapegoats.
03:35Josephine and her family are going to their neighbors.
03:38On Christmas Eve, tradition dictates that one goes around to the neighbors' houses,
03:42where many discussions are held over tea and pastries.
03:46The courtyards are richly decorated, and as women are veiled, we still feel that we
03:51are indeed in the heart of the city of Peshawar.
03:57In larger towns and areas, protection is provided by Christians.
04:01They are between 10 and 20, in which they do rounds, and they even go on the roofs to
04:06ensure that no one touches us.
04:08In addition to this, the government also put in place a security police.
04:19But still, we do not trust the police.
04:22Because too often, as the police are Muslims, they are the ones that give information to
04:27the fundamentalists.
04:29In this case, no one protects us.
04:31In smaller places frequented by Christians, they cannot leave their homes.
04:36They are so afraid that they are really hidden.
04:43As Josephine said, in the future, things will get worse.
04:47It is because of madrasas.
04:50People only see the benefits to their children in madrasas.
04:53They will be fed and educated, but it will also teach them to be anti-Christian.
04:58They are taught that all the others are impure.
05:02That those who kill the impure are performing the work of true Muslims.
05:06They will go to heaven.
05:08Who is a traitor then?
05:10One who is not a Muslim.
05:13In our education system until the 7th grade, despite the changes, the first thing that is
05:18quoted in the books is, we are Muslims and Pakistan is our country.
05:36It is good to believe in Islam, but if it is a history lesson or a science course, this
05:41does not happen to be.
05:43Whatever the discipline, it always starts like this.
05:46So students are unaware of other religions.
05:50And so there may be a Muslim sitting beside a Christian, but they don't know who he is.
05:55The Christian must also say and write this sentence.
05:58Initially, the Muslim does not know I am a Christian, and as soon as he knows,
06:03he may distance himself from me asking what is a Christian.
06:10When he did not know that I was a Christian, he was perhaps my friend.
06:14We ate together and we laughed.
06:16And the problem here is because of education.
06:19The only improvement was evident on the commercial side, because people wanted to do business
06:24with each other.
06:25Pakistan, and particularly the Punjab region, have long been at the religious and civilizational crossroads.
06:40The Katas Temple is the timeless witness to this phenomenon.
06:44The Mandir is a grand center of the Hindu religion.
06:48Built there over 1200 years ago, it is still the place of pilgrimage.
06:53In Hindu mythology, when Shiva's wife Parvati left, Shiva was very sad.
07:00He cried a lot, and one of her tears fell here.
07:03The Shakwal district is very dry.
07:07The tear that fell in this place formed a lake, and became the source of which the entire region feeds from.
07:13For political reasons dating back to the independence, it is now very difficult to reach this place of worship.
07:19Despite the promise of the Pakistani government to include the site as a world heritage in 2007, the Katas Temple remains abandoned.
07:29Archaeologists and restorers are denied access to the Mandir.
07:34The Hindus, who migrated to the East Punjab, however, refused to give up the Katas.
07:39Today, the faithful of all faiths are allowed to enter the building complex only once a year.
07:45For pilgrims, bathing in the sacred pond will lead to the renunciation of sins and achieve ultimate salvation.
08:06Until recently, the belief was that the source of water had unlimited depth.
08:11However, the intensive use of groundwater for industrial purposes has led to the gradual drying of the land.
08:19The
08:47Peshawar is considered
09:17to be the center of international terrorism, yet it has at its heart a church and a Christian
09:23cemetery dating from 1821.
09:28The Peshawar Catholic Church was once a synagogue erected in 1883 by Worthington Jukes.
09:47When this church was built, there were eight deaths that day.
10:02The mark of their martyrdom is in the cross.
10:05We can still make out the bullet holes.
10:08In the past, people here thought that with the minaret, the building was going to be
10:15the same.
10:16In the past, people here thought that with the minaret, the building was going to be the
10:21building.
10:22But no matter how the church was designed, the plan represents a cross.
10:29When we wanted to raise the cross, the locals attacked us, and that was in 1883.
10:37In my experience, people in Punjab are much harder.
10:52Here, Pashto are men of honor.
10:55They never caused us problems.
10:57You see the houses there?
11:00Shiites live there.
11:01This is the hardest area of Peshawar.
11:04This really is their center.
11:06This is where all the events take place.
11:08Everything happens here.
11:10And we live here.
11:12Even when there is a big party, I open the church every day.
11:16People come to pray nine, even ten hours.
11:19We are always present regardless.
11:21We are always present.
11:32Peshawar, December 24th.
11:35Far from the rumors in the media in the West, there is neither an Islamic terrorist nor a
11:40woman veiled on every corner.
11:51A couple does their Christmas shopping easily.
11:56Together, they experience the excitement of the city from one store to another.
12:21At the heart of the hustle and bustle of the city, women buy beauty products in a cosmetics shop.
12:38Here is a family choosing new clothes in a shop run by a very primed seller.
12:58The choice of sweater is an overall debate.
13:01The first month is a wedding to the people in a community of Peshawar.
13:22Like the western community,
13:24the Catholic community of Peshawar prepares to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
13:28On Christmas Eve, one tries to be beautiful and elegantly dressed.
13:58Back at home, preparations are done in absolute joy.
14:07The girl has recently won a henna contest.
14:10She draws the careful patterns on the hands of her aunts.
14:16The women display their shopping on parade.
14:30They are enchanted by their new outfits.
14:33I bought it to hide from the cold.
14:38They do not hesitate to tease the only man left to contemplate their joyful day.
14:43It is now time to prepare the Christmas Eve meal.
15:13Everyone helps in the preparation of the meal.
15:20When it is time to eat and sit at the table, everyone laughs together.
15:27When it is time to eat and sit at the table, everyone laughs together.
15:33Everyone finds a most serious and solid thing.
15:40When it is time to eat and sit at the table, everyone laughs together.
15:48Everyone finds a most serious and solemn moment to say grace.
16:05Except perhaps an uncle who prefers to prepare his camera.
16:09When it is time to eat and sit at the table, everyone laughs together.
16:19Dinner is primarily a moment of exchange and sharing between men and women, young and old.
16:24When it is time to eat and sit at the table, everyone laughs together.
16:44Before leaving for midnight mass, everyone dresses up and is perfectly quaffed.
16:50This is an important moment and it is a great moment to celebrate.
17:03Arriving at the church, one must take off their shoes.
17:07The faithful are far from resembling the Christian stereotypes rooted in the Western tradition.
17:30Yet the liturgy remains the same.
17:33And that will take a moment and the perfect moment to say gratitude.
17:39Episode 5
17:46So .
17:54For the power of the woman and woman and woman
17:58There were differences during the elections and it had been decided to be given the need
18:03to vote.
18:04The English told us, unite.
18:10So the Muslims went to see S.P.
18:12Singha who told them, me and my fellow Christians will vote for you.
18:17If Christians had largely voted for India, there would be no Pakistan.
18:21They mostly voted for Pakistan and hence the country was born.
18:26And today, the Pakistani authorities are trying to erase the name of S.P.
18:29Singha despite all he has done for the country.
18:32There were two groups.
18:33There was a minority of Christians.
18:35There was a place in Pakistan.
18:37There was a place in this history and many people wanted to vote for S.P.
18:43Singha's name.
18:44Lord, the Lord, this, 성pенera!
18:45Lord, the Father, that God of May, today's
19:14Everyone in Pakistan must first think about Pakistan.
19:17Stories of religion must take second place.
19:20Religion is good, but it has its own place and function.
19:24In my case, I went to the United States in 2002.
19:27I went with my cleric's clothing and the Americans did not want to give me a visa, yet I am a
19:32bishop and my name is Sebastian.
19:38The people who live abroad have increased the reach of our nationality even stronger
19:42than religion.
19:43That's why these nations are strong.
19:45I was treated more as a Pakistani than as a Christian, and I think it's great.
19:50The Americans said, we better check out this guy to see who he really is.
19:55They did not let me go before the end of an investigation.
19:58And I think that is what is lacking in Pakistan.
20:01When we meet, we say, where are you from?
20:04I come from such and such region.
20:06Me?
20:07I am from another.
20:08Someone will tell me, I am from Balochistan.
20:14Until we get out of this regional division, we will not create a united nation.
20:18God of humans.
20:25God of ladies.
20:28I am from others.
20:29God of ladies.
20:31God of ladies.
24:50We were happy with that.
24:53To you the world comes,
25:04To you the world comes,
25:08To you the world comes.
31:09progressing. Before that, they were lower than dirt. The country should take advantage
31:16of that. The more people who work the land, the more there will be agriculture. The government
31:23should take advantage of this situation. Working the land is a vision for the long term. More
31:28agriculture causes more irrigation which increases more work. Yes, we are Christians. We were
31:37like them. We were nobodies. As we progressed a little, they found it unbearable. There are
31:54attacks. It is a small group that did this. They have their own philosophy. I think these
32:00people do not like Pakistan. If they continue like that, how do you expect the country to
32:05progress?
32:06When I go abroad, I am proud to say that I am Pakistani, whether I am in Italy or Germany.
32:12There are some problems in Pakistan. Do not worry. We manage ourselves. We want peace.
32:13When I go abroad, I am proud to say that I am Pakistani, whether I am in Italy or Germany.
32:30There are some problems in Pakistan. Do not worry. We manage ourselves. We want peace.
32:36Last year, a father had organized a contest for peace card wishes. There were plenty of
32:56schools that took part. He also asked a madrasah to participate. And young people who were there
33:04had made greeting cards representing people with folded hands chanting, God, grant us peace.
33:12This proves that everyone wants peace.
33:17This proves that everyone wants peace. But when a social problem is transformed
33:22into religious conflict with anger, people are able to do things beyond their control. And
33:28then they are able to do everything and anything. They must take time to understand.
33:32They are able to understand. They are able to understand the issue. But they are able to understand what
33:38they have done.
33:49In Lahore, the Christmas festivities are in full preparation. The Remit family belongs to
33:54a most favored social class and great importance is given to the education of each of its members.
34:01the beautiful girl prepares a meal.
34:22The beautiful girl prepares a meal.
34:24The smell emanating from different foods is more than enticing. Dinner consists of various
34:35recipes using chicken and raw vegetables in salads. Everyone settles in, ready to share
34:46a moment of conviviality around a beautiful table.
34:57Today I am a teacher in a graduate school and teaching in higher education is only second
35:02to my greatest pride that I am a Christian. I am highly qualified and my school is a Christian
35:09school.
35:10Despite this, 90% of our students are Muslims. As their teachers, we are very happy. However,
35:24when it comes to talking about religion, we are very wary because Pakistan has the 295 law,
35:31which is the law of blasphemy. In this case, I tell the students that I am not a Muslim in
35:39order to not express anything against Islam. So I ask other Muslim teachers, how should I
35:48talk about this? And I add, if there is a problem, please tell me. We must always keep this law
35:58in mind.
35:59The 295 C law must keep this law in mind.
36:26The 295c law means that no one can speak against the Prophet or against Islam, whether in a written or oral fashion.
36:39If someone dares, there will be a court trial and people will be sentenced to death.
36:48Until now, whether a Christian or a Muslim, no one has ever been hanged.
36:53They will be killed long before.
36:55They will be killed in front of the police station, even before the trial takes place.
37:07The first trial took place because of a public water problem.
37:11Witnesses certified that there was never any profanity, it was just a conflict.
37:20However, the person was sentenced to death.
37:25As this will continue, as the majority in the Assembly is Muslim, we are only four at a meeting, and again, they are not chosen by the people, but by the party.
37:39They do choose someone to make multicultural strides, but this law can never be repealed.
37:46So far, I have never seen anyone sentenced to death.
37:50That person would be killed well before, either outside the police station or the courthouse.
37:56Changing style here, it's Christmas morning, December 25th, and the better-off families go to the temple in Lahore.
38:14In Pakistan, one can attend both Catholic and Presbyterian churches.
38:21So, I have never been 무laji and Mohab Kral inивалis in the seeing of women in India.
38:31Good morning,เรา Pikra's place, Earthpikra's room, friends.
38:34Thanks again.
39:06When missionaries arrived here, they started to convert us.
39:16We will never forget the first priests who came.
39:19They gave birth to Christianity here in Pakistan.
39:24It started in the area of Sialkat.
39:28Those who converted the first ones were untouchable among the untouchables.
39:32It is those who were lower than lepers who were converted.
39:41We quickly realized that it is whites who would solve our problems.
39:45And every time we would see them and held out our hands, they found a solution.
39:50They put something in our heads, and we began to praise the white man.
39:54This system has become well established here.
39:59I am from a Sikh family.
40:01My father and my grandfather were Sikhs.
40:03We became Christians in 1947.
40:08There were those that no one wanted to touch, but it was not the fault of the missionaries.
40:13They helped us whenever we had a problem.
40:38We could make a little disappointed face, and the priest was there.
40:45He approached us, and the first thing he did was give us money.
40:48He said, you take the money, and now what exactly is your problem?
40:53Once he had given the money, there was no problem.
40:57It is a bad habit we have undertaken.
40:59If I have two children, the church will say, do not worry, I will raise them.
41:08If I have five children, no problem, the church will do it.
41:12There are families who have found themselves with up to 16 children.
41:16The church responded, it doesn't matter, but none of them were educated.
41:22Someone became the chauffeur of a priest, and another worked for him as a carpenter.
41:27Small jobs, so that there is no progression, and that Christianity can continue,
41:33and that one is always below them.
41:38Today, too, we are still used to begging, yet we do not know how to give 10 rupees to the church,
41:44even though we know how to ask.
41:47We still have the custom of reaching out.
41:49They have not explained to us that we must also give.
41:53Because of this, Christians are still too far away to improve their lot properly.
41:58This is why I have learned that Christians don't have a lot.
42:02The church sayeth, all those who are being called,
42:04I hate your boys who are being called.
42:06Amen.
42:07Amen.
42:08Amen.
42:09Amen.
42:10Amen.
42:11Amen.
42:13Amen.
42:22Amen.
42:27Pakistan was created 60 years ago.
42:57Nevertheless, we are still not considered true Pakistanis.
43:04See this Presbyterian church?
43:06These are Christians who have a social status.
43:10These are people who have dedicated everything to their education.
43:14Those you see in other churches are poorer.
43:16They are poor because they are not educated.
43:21People always have in mind to say, if I'm not educated, so my child does not need to
43:26be either.
43:27If they do not find a job, it doesn't matter, they will become cleaners or a garbage collector.
43:33That has become a family occupation.
43:36Those who have realized that ideal have sent their children to school.
43:46After the mass, the family is having fun at the Iqbal Park.
43:53Today is Christmas Day.
43:56The whole family is here.
44:03We went to church this morning.
44:09We saw all the people in our neighborhood and we welcomed everyone there.
44:16It has become a tradition.
44:22After mass, we have a picnic with family and then we go about our business.
44:29We had already come here with our parents when we were not married.
44:35Now I am married with children.
44:51Even they tell me that later, they will come here after the Christmas mass.
44:58We are very happy and we are very happy.
45:02We are very happy.
45:05We are very happy.
45:06We are very happy.
45:07We are very happy.
45:08We are very happy.
45:09We are very happy.
45:10We are very happy.
45:13We are very happy.
45:14But if you look at the other people's children who have had a lot of freedom, it's
45:20If you look at history since its independence, we cannot say with pride and willingly that
45:38we are Christians. We always make a difference between Christians and Muslims.
45:55I'm Romeil. If I go to an office, the officials will say that I have to wait. If I were called
46:02Mohamed Yousaf, they would have received me immediately.
46:15We as Christians, we are treated like Americans. We are not considered as Pakistanis while our
46:20roots are here in Pakistan. They are very old.
46:30Whenever there is a problem with the United States, France or Britain or any Western country,
46:36the people here get together and pick on the Christians. If there was an event there, there
46:44would be revenge here. In the cities, it's a little less true, but in the villages, it
46:49is terrible. People invent songs to tell the Americans to withdraw from Afghanistan and they
46:55add, and you Christians, get out of here. Go with them.
47:02We are Pakistanis. We love Pakistan. We love Pakistan. Despite this, others consider us to be foreigners,
47:09as if we came from abroad and we had parachuted here. It is as if we had no link with the land.
47:16It's very disappointing. Until now, when there was an attack, not one Christian was involved
47:23in that. For 40 years, we have never seen that. This proves that we love Pakistan.
47:30I don't care. I too could blow myself up with explosives if I did not love my country.
47:37I don't care. I too could blow myself up with explosives if I did not love my country.
47:43We must continue to be secular. We must continue to be secular.
47:50We must continue to be secular.
47:53For 40 years, we have never seen that. For 40 years, we have never seen that.
47:56This proves that we love Pakistan.
47:59I don't care. I too could blow myself up with explosives if I did not love my country.
48:04We must continue to be secular. We must be Pakistanis. Pakistan must always be a secular country.
48:18It belongs to us all, not just Muslims.
48:27With education, I am sure that people will change.
48:30We must continue to be secular.
48:33We must continue to be secular.
48:34But we must continue to be secular.
48:36Because we are one.
48:42Because we are one.
48:46Because we are one.
48:52Because we are one.
49:17I wanna always pray Cha Cha to guide me on this blue heart path
49:22And fill this inner silence space until I see God's face.
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