Had you heard this powerful story from a couple of weeks ago?
As reported by Ivan Watson on CNN’s website:
“On October 20, two suicide bombers launched near simultaneous attacks on both the men’s and women’s side of the campus (Islamabad’s International Islamic University in Pakistan)….
Afsheen Zafar, 20, is in mourning. Three of her classmates, girls she describes as “shining stars,” were killed on that terrible day.
Still, she says the carnage could have been much worse if not for the actions of a lowly janitor, who was also killed….
“Between 300 to 400 girls were sitting in there,” said Professor Fateh Muhammad Malik, the rector of the university. “[Pervez Masih] rose above the barriers of caste, creed and sectarian terrorism. Despite being a Christian, he sacrificed his life to save the Muslim girls.”
Masih was a member of Pakistan’s Christian minority, traditionally one of the poorest communities in the country. When the attacker struck, Masih had been on the job for less than a week, earning barely $60 a month. Masih lived with seven other family members, in a single room in a crowded apartment house in the city of Rawalpindi….
“He is a national hero because he saved the life of many girls,” said Shahbaz Bhatti, minister of minorities in the Pakistani government. “As a Christian, a person of minority, he stood in front of the Taliban to protect the university.”
To read the entire article and see a CNN report on video, go here.
thanks for the link, great story, what sacrifice
Isn’t that the challenge for us, to lay our lives down even for those who we don’t agree with,and even persecute us. I wonder if I would do that??
My query is what is happening for the family now that they have lost there father and bread winner?
Apparently, Garry, the family has received some money from the government to help them, but it isn’t enough. Sad situation.