Diya - a Hero's Daughter

Text & Photos by Fauzia Minallah

Diya with her father Pervez Masih's photograph

Diya 3 and her mother Shaheen

Diya is only three, she is lost and has many questions about her father Pervez Masih. Pervez was a janitor at the International Islamic University. On the fateful day when IIU was attacked by suicide bombers, he was the hero who stopped the terrorist from entering the cafeteria for female students. Pervez lost his life, while saving the lives of more than 300 students.
He will always be remembered as a true hero by us. Diya will always be known as a hero’s daughter by us.


The Minister of Interior, Mr. Rehman Malik, publicly announced that his family will receive a compensation of approximately $10,000. According to his widow Shaheen and sister Perveen, so far, the family has not been contacted by anyone from his office. The IIU administration helped the family with Rs. 10.000 for the burial costs, employed his widow Shaheen as a sanitary worker and promised to help with Diya’s education. Other than that there has not been any help from anyone for Pervez’s family. The only person who has helped this hero’s family so far is a young student of Behria University, Maham Ali. She motivated her friends to donate funds for Pervez's family. She collected Rs. 52,500 and bought toys and clothes for Diya.

Maham and Diya.

We might be going through tough times, but even in this darkness there is hope. And for me that hope is in young people like Maham. She was our pillar of support by collecting funds for our effort in helping the internally displaced Pakistanis.

As a society we need to recognize our heroes, we need to rise above our prejudices and name streets, buildings and squares after Pervez Masih. So what if he was a poor Christian sanitary worker, he saved the lives of 300 Muslim students. Shaheen is happy that the IIU administration have employed her, but we should ask ourselves, is it fiiting for a hero's wife to remain at the bottom of the social ladder? Doing the most menial job?

At least on November 16th on the 'International Day of Tolerance', Maham was there to cheer up Diya- a hero's daughter.

Here is a CNN story on Pervez Masih:
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/11/11/pakistan.hero/

Some letters to the editor in The News.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

This is in response to the couple of letters (November 23) published as a follow-up on Maham Ali's letter of November 20. The letters have made allegations on Maham and Islamabad's civil society which are patently untrue. Maham has single-handedly raised over Rs50,000 for the family of Pervaiz Masih. Details of her work can be seen here (http://funkorchildart.blogspot. com/2009/11/diya-and-maham.html). In addition Islamabad's civil society, particularly Fauzia Minallah and Ghazala Minallah, has been actively helping people affected by Taliban atrocities. The writers of the aforementioned letters should have double-checked their facts before pointing accusatory fingers.Samad KhurramHarvard University,Cambridge, US

*****

This is with respect to the letters by Umayr Sahlan Masud and K Hussan Zia (November 23) in response to Maham Ali's letter on Pervaiz Masih (November 20). Maham had lamented the fact that the government has yet to come forward with any assistance for the family of Pervaiz Masih and any serious acknowledgement of his sacrifice in saving the lives of about 300 students at the Islamic University bombing. Instead of acknowledging her point, Umayr Sahlan Masud and K Hussan Zia have criticised Maham for being critical of the government and have asked why she herself did not start a fund for Pervaiz Masih's family by asking her fellow students for donations. I just want to set the record straight by pointing out that Maham has in fact been doing just that, and she has already collected over Rs50,000. So the criticism directed at her is rather unfair.

Aqil Sajjad . Boston

UPDATE ON DONATIONS GIVEN TO PERVEZ MASIH'S FAMILY

RS: 52,500 GIVEN BY MAHAM ALI AND HER FRIENDS

RS: 70,000 BY A DONOR WHO WISHES TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS, WHICH WAS GIVEN AS A RS.56,000 CHEQUE TO THE WIDOW AND RS.14,000 CHEQUE TO THE MOTHER OF PERVEZ MASIH

ANYONE WHO WISHES TO DONATE DIRECTLY: WIDOW SHAHEEN 0301 535 5933 MOTHER 0344 522 7253

Helping Children in Crisis

Pakistan is going through testing times. In early 2009, the military operation against Talibans started in Malakand division, due to which nearly 2.5 million people were displaced. Funkor Childart Center, organised special activities with nearly 1500 displaced children, using art and book reading to exorcise their fears. In collaboration with Civil Society Islamabad we distributed relief goods to nearly 3000 displaced families in Mardan, Swabi, Dargai and Islamabad. We also provided relief goods to the minorities, Sikhs, Christians and Hindus who had to flee the area because Talibans had imposed a tax, 'Jizia' on non-Muslims.
Funkor plans to organise more activities for the displaced children from Waziristan, where the military operation has started recently.

Distributing books in Mardan Church.

Distributing books in Mardan Church

Art activity in Islamabad

Art activity in Mardan Church

Helping the traditional craftsmen

Some embroidery from Kanju, Shah Deri and traditional Swati shawls and scarves from Islampur and Fatehpur are available at Swat Valley Handicrafts, in craftsman village near Mobilink flower shops, F6 Islamabad. Thanks to the CDA, we helped a craftsman from Swat to get this shop, because his market was destroyed by the conflict in Malakand. It is a space specifically to promote traditional cratfs from Swat and craftswomen and men from Swat keep their hand made crafts in this shop for sale.

Artwork of students of Khushal Public School for Girls Mingora

by Nosheen Malik

Shajar-e-Ilm an emerging youth organisation, dedicated to promoting creative and progressive education throughout Pakistan, and creating networks of support for youth in the spheres of education and social activism, hosted a summer-retreat for 26 girls from Swat Valley from 14th to 20th August 2009. For more information please visit http://swatvalleygirls.com/

To hold this retreat, Shajar i ilm collaborated with a respected and progressive educationalist from Swat Valley, Ziauddin Yusufzai, who has been working selflessly for female education in Swat Valley despite tremendous opposition and threats. The award winning New York Times documentary “Class Dismissed in Swat Valley” documents his tireless efforts, which is available for general viewership on the New York Times Website.
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/02/22/world/1194838044017/class-dismissed-in-swat-valley.html

As a healing experience for the girls of Swat Valley who suffered tremendously over the past few months Fauzia Minallah organised a painting activity, 'Painting Colours of Education', in which these promising young girls painted their hopes and aspirations about education.

They painted a mural as well, in which they depicted three girls, one in a black 'Burqa' who dreams of going to school, 'If only I could learn' is written next to her. Two girls are depicted in school uniforms with one holding a placard of 'IQRA' a word from the Holy Quran, highlighting the importance of education for both boys and girls. They wrote messages i.e
It is a duty of all Muslims to Educate themseves!
No one can Stop our Education!
Rebuild Our Schools!
We love Pakistan!

These young girls and thousands of girls in Swat have experienced immense trauma. They have seen violence of terrorism and war, shelling and bombing of their homes and destruction of their schools. For these promising young girls progressive individuals like Ziauddin are a ray of hope. His school Khushal School for Girls, Mingora needs help from all those who believe in enriching the lives of hundreds of girls who are enrolled in his schools with the gift of education. Against all odds he kept his schools opened, but three months of conflict made it impossible for him to pay salaries to his teachers. On urgent basis teachers have to get paid for 3 months the school remained closed due to the conflict. parents are not in a position to pay for the salaries. Private intiatives such as Khushal Public School need to be supported for a brighter future for children. Whoever wants to donate should do so in the following bank account:

Khushal Public School

Askari Bank Mingora,

Account No. 61 01 01 00 48 07 Current Account.

THANKS TO FOTON BUS SERVICE FUNKOR CHILDART CENTER DONATED RS. 100,000 WHICH WILL BE ENOUGH TO PAY FOR 3 TEACHERS' SALARY FOR 3 MONTHS. KPS NEEDS MUCH MORE THAN THIS DONATION INORDER TO PAY ALL THE TEACHERS.

Madiha Syed, Ghazala Minallah and Sara Mehmood Akhtar distributed Rs. 500 among all the girls to buy gifts for their parent.

Funkor Childart Center gifted paints and canvas to the young artists at Khushal Public School, for an art exhibition on 'Peace' held in Mingora on the occasion of International Day of Peace.

Artwork of Internally Displaced children

Fauzia Minallah, an artist who has encouraged the children to draw and paint, says they need help to exorcise their fear of both the Taliban and of army shelling...Barbra Plett, BBC

To read the article click on the following link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8079496.stm

Visiting Mardan Church

by Tajrin Midhat

Tajrin Midhat with Christian children in Mardan

Sometimes I wonder who we are. It’s perhaps not so facile a question to be perceived by the mind that utilizes only one percent of its ability to think. For the mysteries of the universe and our existence within, is not a matter as self-explanatory as we may like to think with our limited intellect.


But what really is the significance of man in this limitless universe, in which there are far more galaxies than people? The vastness of the universe is incomprehensible. The starry heavens above us, the celestial order, and the imagination that can take one places that are magical…I am barred by my limited perception to explain something that my mind is incapable of fully perceiving.


And back on ground, there is Gojra, so much for man being the microcosm of the universe. What have we learnt from history? What has science and technology given us except a mathematical precision guaranteeing the accuracy of targeting arsenals at those who have taken no part in this course of modernity? Cynical, and disturbed, yes my thoughts are, but they only epitomize the hollowness of the times that we are living in.


The ‘Internally Displaced People’ are supposed to be the subject here, a term that evokes nothing but a feeling of indifference perhaps. No matter how disconnected it may sound from the reality of those who come to be defined under this term, it is yet another example of how the powerful has dictated the life course of the weak, the dominated, the suppressed. It’s not a story of today, but a fact that represents the primitive instinct of man to dominate, to control territory, exposing the dual face of globalization.


The Christian IDPs in Mardan are yet another story, same old story, we should say of a people whose lives are turned upside down by a political upheaval, not based on any ideology but that of relentless materialism, a war in which there is serious money involved. The uprooted victims are of course struggling well, for what choice do they have but to go on living, living for the sake of just living, perhaps in hope of a better tomorrow, not knowing perhaps that those in power are too blinded by the temporary pleasures of the world to abide by any universal principles of justice and righteousness.


We happened to visit a part of Mardan that has long been buried in some deep dark corner of the city’s soul. The 120 years old church built in the colonial time stands still. How indifferent is the land to the fate of the creatures that inhabit it. Those rulers are gone. The trees remain there, alive; they have survived the vicissitudes of time.


Perhaps it is only nature that takes a just course, whether it’s the ruins of a bygone power in the deserts of Egypt, or the lost glories of a sunken empire, time levels all. For in the end we are all made of the same clay and shall return to it.

It was Beautiful! Art Activity by Funkor in PODA IDPs Resource Center

Funkor Childart Centre distributed 40 ' Amai & Sadako Gifts' among children.

By Afshan Bibi and Nazia Taj

Funkor child Art is an organization works with children for art activities. They visited Potohar Organization for Development Advocacy (PODA) IDPs Resource Center, at Pirwadahi Rawalpindi.
They facilitated children to make a mural. 38 children participated in this activity. Children were divided into two groups. Then Miss Nosheen Malik asked them to make beautiful environment on white cloth. Children were provided with painting material.
Pirwadahi, the slum area of Rawalpindi has the world’s most beautiful mind like any where else!!! Proved by Art Activity by Funkor. Children were enthusiastic extremely happy while painting trees, butterflies, flowers, sun, moon and houses the white cloth turned into a beautiful painting. Later on juices,biscuits, painting colors and drawing copies were distributed among children.
Thank you Fauzia Minallah and we wish you all the best!

Afshan Bibi and Nazia Taj work for the Potohar Organization for Development advocacy (PODA)