17-year-old Sharoon Masih was ruthlessly murdered on 28th August 2017.
He fell victim to faith-based barbarism by his own classmates, that too within the walls of his own school. ProperGaanda has been following the story and detailed initial reports here two days ago. We have now managed to speak to Sharoon’s parents with the help of the British Pakistani Christian Association and will continue to follow the story closely.We also tried to get in touch with the relevant police authorities but the DSP’s office did not return calls. Meanwhile, here are 11 things we’ve uncovered so far about Sharoon Masih and his gruesome murder:
1) Sharoon was a high achiever at school
Sharoon Masih was a top student at his previous school, 461 EB, before joining MC Model Boys Government High School Burewala for high school (Grade 9th) on August 25. Due to Sharoon performing so well academically, everyone convinced his family to enrol him for further studies. That’s how he landed up at the Burewala high school where he was killed.
2) The deceased belonged to a poor family
Sharoon was the son of Elyab Masih and Razia Bibi. Elyab Masih is a labourer who despite all odds saved money to pay for Sharoon’s admission fees at the high school where he met his death. Sharoon’s father is currently jobless and has now lost his eldest son. Elyab and Razia Bibi have five other children. Their oldest daughter Samina is in 8th grade. This means soon she will have to be enrolled in a new school, the MC Model Girls branch, as her previous school only has classes up til grade 8th. Unsurprisingly, her parents are afraid that their daughter might face the same fate as their son.
3) Everyone has a conflicting story to offer
Upon talking to Masih’s parents, ProperGaanda realised the extent of the conflicting versions of this story that have emerged. The school guard says that the fight was over a broken phone but Masih’s peers said the suspect’s phone was broken days before the incident. The supervising teacher has changed his story a couple of times as well. Initially, he denied even being present but later admitted he was there but said he was busy reading a newspaper so he might have missed the fight happening (seriously?). According to the parents, the doctor at the hospital also tried to change the story. Masih’s mother claims that the hospital maintains Sharoon died after he was brought to hospital, whereas according to his peers who took his to hospital, he died in the school.
4) The main suspect is a known bully
The main suspect is said to be Mohammad Ahmed Raza who allegedly instigated the whole thing. Though Ahmed Raza has been taken in by the police for investigation, his parents haven’t yet been informed of anything even ten days . after the incident. According to Sharoon’s parents, Mohammad Ahmed Raza is known for being a school bully and was on Sharoon’s case from the first day he joined the new high school. Being the only Christian kid in the class, Sharoon was an easy target.
5) Postmortem Report Shows No Use Of Weapons
The postmortem report shows that no weapon or object was used and that Sharoon was killed by punches and kicks.
6) Sharoon was being discriminated against at MC Model Boys from day one
The very day Sharoon joined the new high school, insults and derogatory remarks began. The first-day, Sharoon was slapped and told to stand outside the class for an entire day day for not wearing the school uniform. His parents say he didn’t wear the uniform because they simply didn’t have the money to buy it. The insults continued till his last breath literally. He was called “Chura” (a derogatory word for Christians) multiple times. Ahmed Raza and his friends did not even let Sharoon drink water from the cooler.
7) None of the school staff took Sharoon to the hospital
Sharoon died inside his school during official hours but no one from the staff bothered to take him to the hospital. The parents got a call from the school that their son passed away because of a fight in school and that they can pick the body from the hospital. His classmates took him to hospital.
8) No one was suspended from the school
No teacher or staff member has been suspended from the school as yet. This is alarming since Sharoon’s peers claim that the teachers did not pay heed to their complaints of the fight and cries for help as the violence unfolded.
9) He only spent 4 days in the school
Sharoon only spent 4 days in the school, ultimately getting murdered on the fourth day, i.e August 28.
10) No major news outlet has covered the case
Despite efforts by Sharoon Masih’s parents and the British Pakistan Christian Foundation, most main stream news networks like The Nation, Express Tribune or The News have not reached out to them. Dawn carried a small report on the incident but did not follow-up.
11) You can help Sharoon Masih and others like him
BPCA is calling for a reform of the educational system in Pakistan, for the removal of the bias within the national curriculum which openly demonizes and caricatures minorities. We are also calling for an end to the bullying and discrimination of minority children that leads otherwise brilliant minds to fail to reach their potential. If you want to sign their petition (click here)
Their Appeal:
BPCA is providing advocacy and aid to the family of Sharoon. If you would like to donate to their appeal please click (here).
“Such poor governance has inculcated generations of Pakistani citizens with false stereotypes that undermine the basic human rights of the non-Muslims in their midst. This miseducation has reciprocally also made Muslims more susceptible to the hate ideology espoused by the many rogue Imams in Pakistan following hardline sects of Islam.” — Wilson Chaudry, Chairman BPCA
Source: AsiaNews.it
