PAKISTAN ALLOWS CHURCH IN UNIVERSITY

High Court permission has been given for the reconstruction of a church in the campus of the University of Peshawar, according to reports from The Barnabas Fund.The church had been attacked and ransacked in the 1980s by Islamic extremists. After building work began in December 2006 two Muslim students filed a petition against the church, stating that minority religious groups could not be allowed to build places of worship within institutions which were Muslim majority, and that to allow the church would give rise to an "unending series of demands" by other minorities, which they contended could be a trigger for sectarianism among the students.However, only a few weeks ago the High Court in Peshawar gave the decision that the construction of the church should not be stopped. The Court held that there were no legal obstacles to building places of worship and pointed out that Pakistan's constitution protects religious minorities. The Court also highlighted that Muslims can build mosques and spread their faith without obstruction in non-Muslim countries."It has been a miracle indeed," commented the Bishop of Peshawar. There are 38 mosques on the University campus; the church, once rebuilt, will be the only church, serving 1,500 families.