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Nathalie Bardou / AP
Pakistani Christians chant prayers during Sunday Mass at a church in a Christian neighborhood in Islamabad on Sept. 2.
In the wake of the international furor over the case of a young and reportedly mentally handicapped Christian girl arrested in Pakistan after she was accused of insulting Islam, AP photographer Nathalie Bardou took a closer look at the Christian community in Pakistan through the lens of a Christian neighborhood in Islamabad, the capital city.
EDITOR'S NOTE: These images were received by NBC News on Sept. 6.
Nathalie Bardou / AP
Soraya Zafar, 30, hangs an image of Jesus and Mary on the wall of her home before her house receives blessing from the local parish priest.
Christians are believed to make up two to three percent of Pakistan's population of 190 million people, and many face daily discrimination and hold low-level jobs, such as street sweeping. They often live in slums and celebrate their religion in humble, makeshift churches.
Nathalie Bardou / AP
Pakistanis pass a cross on a sign in a Christian neighborhood in Islamabad on Aug. 30.
Nathalie Bardou / AP
Nazia Mansoor, 26, wears a cross around her neck as she adjusts her hair at her home on Sept. 3.
Nathalie Bardou / AP
Pakistani men and children attend Sunday Mass on Sept. 2.
Nathalie Bardou / AP
Pakistani Christians perform their daily prayers on a rooftop on Sept. 2.
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Images of daily life, political pursuits, religious rites and deadly violence.
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Per usual the lame scream media spends more time, money, and energy pontificating about the tamping down of religious freedoms everywhere in the world EXCEPT America. Christianity and Christians in AMERICA are under attack by its own government. Past misdeeds and recent court filings by the Obama Administration support the claim.
Gimmie a break. Christians in America are only griping because they're not allowed to legally murder gays and Muslims.
I'm an atheist, and while in my own personal experience I have found many Christians to be insular and insensitive to non-Christians (and for the record, being insular and insensitive to other ideologies is certainly not unique to Christians either- I have met atheists, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, etc of which the same can be said), making a blanket indictment like "Christians in America are only griping because they're not allowed to legally murder gays and Muslims" is inflammatory and beyond the pale. The laws of this nation which protect the populace, whether members of minority or majority groups, don't exist in a vacuum. They work because they are upheld (for the most part) by all peoples of the United States.
I see where your coming from rock but we (Christians) enjoy more freedoms here than any where else in the world... would I don't appreciate is the Media and libs "lumping" Christians with Muslims... the above article really outlines the differences. Christians are persecuted every where.
Muslim Martyr: Strapping bombs to themselves (and others) to express there beliefs.... (there "holy book" tells them You get a reward for doing so.
Christian Martyr: Burned at the stake, imprisoned, crucified, beheaded, stoned... crime: Preaching or just believing.
Burn our "Holy Book": We pray, forgive, move on.... Burn theirs... it is a international incident in which the Pres of the US has to apologize for... There is no comparison between Modern Muslims and Christians.
A viner posted and said: "Modern Muslims don't have a problem with Christians..... You need to read what happen when the DNC tried to "change" there platform and what the Muslim delegation felt about Israel and DNC felt about God. We Christian do Identify with the Jews.. after all Our Lord was a Jewish carpenter... The promise of God (according to the Bible) was never "taken away" from the Jews.. it was extended.. (by Christ) to us gentiles.
Considering how much Christians in America persecute gays, atheists, witches, and people of other faiths, all I can say is "what goes around comes around".
Typical Progressive nonsense.. I thought that Islam was an inclusive faith.. at least that is what the progressives have been preaching for the last 10 years or so. Don't blame all muslims for what just a minority do.. sort of like the 190 M in Pakistan.
BYW Butterfly Mange: are you talking about Catholic Hospitals, or Catholic Charities, or the Salvation Army, or the numerous other charities that provide food and help for the poor? What have you personally done in this area?
What a dope.Really?You are persecuted?Waaaah.10,00 years of humanity and we come up w America,a christian nation.I suppose you think the world would be better w/o it?Maybe you'd like a godless nation.The closet we have on this planet is china.Go there for free thinking.I'm sure you can do what you want when you want,and blab and bitch all you want
Yet another example of tolerant and peaceful Islam.
Butterfly bring your progressive a** over here to Afghanistan and take a look first hand at Islam. And you better learn about Apostasy and Taqiyya. Just wait until a substantial Muslim population is entrenched in the U.S. and you see how things will start to change...just look across the pond at the UK.
This is what the Partition of 1947 has created.
These people are literally like the early christians,they are heroes
Glaring examples of why America was founded on the separation of church and state. We must maintain that freedom at all costs. It's hard to imagine in this modern world it's even up for discussion! No religion should dominate or control any populous! If so we are back to the Dark Ages.