(Lahore) Staff at a hospital in Lahore, Pakistan, have gone on strike after a Christian member of staff was slapped for refusing to attend a morning reading of the Quran. The superintendent of Mian Mir Hospital, Dr Muhammad Safraz, slapped a Christian paramedic. On hearing about this assault staff went on strike in solidarity and shut down all the medical facilities at the hospital.
Since the story broke it transpires that non-Muslim staff are forced to recite verses of the Quran at morning meetings and those who refuse are marked absent and lose pay. For some very strange reason. Dr Muhammad Sarfraz has been unavailable for comment.
At only 1.6 per cent of the population, Christians are a tiny minority in Pakistan and frequently face discrimination and intimidation. The country's repressive blasphemy laws, are used to punish Christians and other minorities for any perceived slight on Islam and are frequently used to settle scores against minorities.
Since the story broke it transpires that non-Muslim staff are forced to recite verses of the Quran at morning meetings and those who refuse are marked absent and lose pay. For some very strange reason. Dr Muhammad Sarfraz has been unavailable for comment.
At only 1.6 per cent of the population, Christians are a tiny minority in Pakistan and frequently face discrimination and intimidation. The country's repressive blasphemy laws, are used to punish Christians and other minorities for any perceived slight on Islam and are frequently used to settle scores against minorities.
