A Pakistani journalist has resigned after reportedly being harassed by colleagues over her Christian faith and her refusal to convert to Islam.
The only Christian registered with the Lahore Press Club, Gonila Gill has been working as a journalist for nearly twenty years. Covering health, education and minority rights, her job at Dunya News became a nightmare after she married a Muslim co-worker in 2014.
In another example of religious intolerance in Pakistan, a Christian journalist was harassed by colleagues for her faith and insulted for not having converted to Islam after marrying a Muslim man. Gonila Gill had to resign from Dunya News. https://t.co/Bndg4yJwOs pic.twitter.com/DPsAb9Lb2F
— Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (@OrderStAndrew) November 20, 2019
Their marriage led to Gill being criticized at her workplace for not adopting her husband’s religion. The discrimination only grew worse after she gave birth to her first son – who was baptized and named Abraham. Ironically, she recounted, her co-workers had told her that she would never get pregnant until she converted to Islam.
Speaking to local media, the journalist said that her husband never pressed her to change her religion. She also added that her Christian faith remained unshaken, despite the abuse she endured.
Her story was met with outrage on social media, with many citing her experience as proof of widespread religious intolerance in Pakistan.
People are vile when they talk rubbish about my faith. However, I will not lose hope and remain steadfast in my religion. She expressed fears that her son will “never have a good future in Pakistan” because of their Christian beliefs.
“I feel insecure and not respected by society,” she said, demanding that the Pakistani government “guarantee protection for families like ours, so that we can live with due respect and dignity.”
Read more: Pakistan’s resilient Christians: Kamran Michael
Her story was met with outrage on social media, with many citing her experience as proof of widespread religious intolerance in Pakistan.
Recently, a Christian girl was reportedly forced to convert to Islam by her school principal. In another incident from August, a Sikh girl was allegedly abducted and forced to marry a Muslim man in Pakistan.
RT with additional input by GVS News Desk.