Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Robin Basselin.
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And I’m Ryan Geertsma. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
It was a normal day at the International Islamic University in Islamabad, Pakistan. On the women’s side of the university, hundreds of girls gathered in and around the cafeteria. This large room is where the female students gather each day to eat their meals. This day was no different. The room was full of girls talking and eating. Then there was an explosion. The explosion broke windows and doors. It caused panic - people ran screaming from the cafeteria.
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On that day, in October of 2009, four innocent people died. Today’s Spotlight is on this bomb attack and its unlikely hero.
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Pervez Masih was the International Islamic University janitor. He cleaned the buildings. And he kept things in good working order. Masih was uneducated. And he did not make very much money from his job. He was a new worker at the University. In fact, when the bombing happened, Masih had only worked there for less than one week. However, even in this short time, people noticed Masih’s nature. A University worker talked with DAWN news about Masih.
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“He was very simple and, by nature, he was quite different from other workers in the university,”
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This simple man made an amazing sacrifice on October 20th, 2009. A sacrifice that saved the lives of hundreds of female students.
Voice 1
On that day in October, a man entered the women’s side of the International Islamic University. He was not supposed to be there. And he did not come for good reasons. The man was wearing women’s clothes. He was covered from his head to his feet with a black, traditional Islamic covering called a burka. A security guard, named Mohammad Shaukat, noticed the man. Shaukat recognized that something was wrong. Few female students at the University wear head to foot burkas. So, he walked to the man in the burka. Suddenly, the man shot Shaukat.
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Pervez Masih saw what happened. He recognized that the man had come to do harm. So, he moved in front of the man. He told the man that he could not come into the girls’ cafeteria. The two men argued. Masih blocked the man from entering the room. Suddenly, the man exploded bombs that were hidden under the burka. The attacker and Masih died right away. So did two other female students. However, if Masih had not kept the man out of the cafeteria, many more people would have died.
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Two students from the University talked with the news organization CNN. One student, named Afsheen Zafar said,
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“If he did not stop the attacker, there could have been great, great death and damage.”
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Another student named Sumaya Ahsan said,
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“He is now a hero to us because he saved our lives and our friends' lives.”
Voice 1
Masih acted with great courage. He is a hero. However, he is an unlikely hero. He was not a security guard like Shaukat. Masih’s job was only to clean. He also did not know the people at the University very well. He had worked there less than a week. And he had never met many of the people whose lives he saved.
Voice 2
Masih was also not a Muslim like most of the people at the University. He was a Christian. In Pakistan, there is a small Christian minority. Most Christians are poor. And relations between Muslims and Christians in Pakistan are not always good. The fact that a Christian died to save Muslims surprised many people. Professor Fateh Muhammad Malik told CNN,
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“Masih crossed the barriers of social class, religion and terrorism. Even being a Christian, he sacrificed his life to save the Muslim girls.”
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However, many Christians say that Masih’s sacrifice is not surprising. They say it models his faith. As a Christian, Masih believed that Jesus the Messiah was Lord. In fact, Masih’s name means Messiah in the Arabic language. Christians believe that Jesus the Messiah made a major sacrifice. They believe he died so that all people could live.
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In the Christian Bible, Jesus says,
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“I tell you that you must do this: You must love each other, as I have loved you. A person really loves his friends if he dies for them. No person could love anyone more than that.”
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Masih showed this great love toward the people at the International Islamic University. It was a love that represented his faith. It was also a love that crossed the barrier of religious difference.
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Masih’s sacrifice has caused people in Pakistan to talk about Muslim-Christian relations. His act is causing many Pakistani Muslims to talk about the positive things Christians do for the country. On November 3rd, the government of Pakistan announced that they were going to honor Masih for his act of courage. And they gave his family a $12,000 award.
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In the announcement, the Minister for the Interior, Rehman Malik said,
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“The sacrifice made by Masih has added a new chapter of service by the minorities for the country.”
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The government is not the only group that is recognizing Masih’s service. The International Islamic University has offered to give Masih’s daughter, Dia, a free education. They have also offered Masih’s wife a job at the school. While nothing can replace Masih’s life, the Muslim community is crossing the barriers of religion to care for this Christian family.
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Masih made the greatest sacrifice for the people of the International Islamic University. It often takes such sacrifices to break down the barriers of conflict. And Masih’s sacrifice did encourage Muslim-Christian relations in Pakistan.
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However, all people can make small sacrifices in their situation to break down barriers. Some times, it is as easy as talking to someone or apologizing to an enemy.
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