Romana Bashir
CitizenshipPakistani
OccupationActivist
Employer(s)Peace and Development Foundation, Rawalpindi
Known forPromoting interfaith harmony and women's education
Board member ofVatican Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims

Romana Bashir is a Pakistani community activist for women and minority rights and religious tolerance. Bashir is a past executive director of the Peace and Development Foundation in Rawalpindi and was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as a consultor for the Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims.

Activism

Bashir, a Catholic woman, began working in 1997 at the grassroots level, working with the community to promote interfaith harmony and women's education.[1] She was a member of the Christian Study Centre, which promotes freedom of expression, justice, dignity and equality.[2] In Rawalpindi, Bashir joined the Christian Study Centre as a trainee and was later promoted to head of programs in 2009.[3]

In 2012, she was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as a consultor of the Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims within the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue of the Vatican.[4] She is the first Pakistani Christian lay woman appointed to such a position.

In 2013, she was Executive Director, Peace and Development Foundation in Rawalpindi.[5][6]

In 2021 she was listed in Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's White In The Flag project as a human rights defender.[7]

Speaker

In 2012 she was a member of a panel of five speakers at a press conference by Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS). The panel called for the blasphemy law be revised to prevent its misuse, abuse and exploitation.[8] In November 2012, she spoke at a workshop organised by Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies for young religious scholars representing all sects of Islam and members of the Sikh, Baháʼí, and Christian communities.[9] In 2013, she was a speaker at a seminar on “Tolerance in Pakistan” held at Quaid-e-Azam University’s (QAU). The seminar urged people to speak up against the rising levels of violence and intolerance related to ethnic and religious differences in the country.[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Asian handbook for theological education and ecumenism. Antone, Hope S. Eugene, Or.: Wipf & Stock. 2013. ISBN 9781625643551. OCLC 859046163.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. ↑ "Pakistani (and Christian) women lead the defence of minority rights". AsiaNews.it. 26 November 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  3. ↑ "Pakistani Woman in the Front Line to Defend Rights of Minorities, Romana Bashir - Salem-News.Com". Salem-News.com.
  4. ↑ "News from the Vatican - News about the Church - Vatican News". www.news.va.
  5. ↑ Ahmad, Mahvish (16 April 2013). "Minorities: "We want elections, not selections"". Dawn. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  6. ↑ "Civil Society Organisations demands the government punishment for only those, involved in lynching". Lahore World. 10 July 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  7. ↑ Dawn March 30, 2021
  8. ↑ "Blasphemy law: Protection to Christians, law amendment demanded". The Express Tribune. 10 September 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  9. ↑ "Fear of the other: 'Dispelling misconceptions must for social harmony'". The Express Tribune. 29 May 2015.
  10. ↑ "Rising intolerance: Time for peace campaigners to make their voices heard". The Express Tribune. 17 April 2013.
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