Romana Bashir is a Pakistani community activist for women and minority rights and religious tolerance. Bashir is a past executive director of the Peace and Development Foundation in Rawalpindi and was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as a consultor for the Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims.
Romana Bashir | |
|---|---|
| Citizenship | Pakistani |
| Occupation | Activist |
| Employer(s) | Peace and Development Foundation, Rawalpindi |
| Known for | Promoting interfaith harmony and women's education |
| Board member of | Vatican Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims |
Activism edit
Bashir, a Catholic woman, began working in 1997 at the grassroots level, working with the community to promote interfaith harmony and women's education.[1] She was a member of the Christian Study Centre, which promotes freedom of expression, justice, dignity and equality.[2] In Rawalpindi, Bashir joined the Christian Study Centre as a trainee and was later promoted to head of programs in 2009.[3]
In 2012, she was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as a consultor of the Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims within the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue of the Vatican.[4] She is the first Pakistani Christian lay woman appointed to such a position.
In 2013, she was Executive Director, Peace and Development Foundation in Rawalpindi.[5][6]
In 2021 she was listed in Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's White In The Flag project as a human rights defender.[7]
Speaker edit
In 2012 she was a member of a panel of five speakers at a press conference by Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS). The panel called for the blasphemy law be revised to prevent its misuse, abuse and exploitation.[8] In November 2012, she spoke at a workshop organised by Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies for young religious scholars representing all sects of Islam and members of the Sikh, Baháʼí, and Christian communities.[9] In 2013, she was a speaker at a seminar on “Tolerance in Pakistan” held at Quaid-e-Azam University’s (QAU). The seminar urged people to speak up against the rising levels of violence and intolerance related to ethnic and religious differences in the country.[10]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Asian handbook for theological education and ecumenism. Antone, Hope S. Eugene, Or.: Wipf & Stock. 2013. ISBN 9781625643551. OCLC 859046163.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "Pakistani (and Christian) women lead the defence of minority rights". AsiaNews.it. 26 November 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
- ^ "Pakistani Woman in the Front Line to Defend Rights of Minorities, Romana Bashir - Salem-News.Com". Salem-News.com.
- ^ "News from the Vatican - News about the Church - Vatican News". www.news.va.
- ^ Ahmad, Mahvish (16 April 2013). "Minorities: "We want elections, not selections"". Dawn. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
- ^ "Civil Society Organisations demands the government punishment for only those, involved in lynching". Lahore World. 10 July 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
- ^ Dawn March 30, 2021
- ^ "Blasphemy law: Protection to Christians, law amendment demanded". The Express Tribune. 10 September 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
- ^ "Fear of the other: 'Dispelling misconceptions must for social harmony'". The Express Tribune. 29 May 2015.
- ^ "Rising intolerance: Time for peace campaigners to make their voices heard". The Express Tribune. 17 April 2013.
