Publisher's Synopsis
NEGLECTED CHRISTIAN CHILDREN OF INDUS is the ground-breaking work that illustrates the socio-psychological conditions of the beleaguered Christian community of Pakistan that has to face multi-level discrimination in every facet of life. It will be of equal interest to the Asian diaspora and readers concerned with the condition of hard-pressed minorities worldwide, as well as those interested in the mechanics of South Asia's overlapping multi-cultural, multi-confessional and multi-ethnic communities. NEGLECTED CHRISTIAN CHILDREN OF INDUS shows how successive conquests created outcast communities whose Christian descendants now suffer from a sense of inferiority and exclude themselves from their macro society. They carry the burden of a self-destructive attitude towards their society, which is the central issue of this book. Yet, while drawing attention to weaknesses, this book also focuses on the strengths and opportunities available to Pakistani Christians in their society - a survival guide relevant to all hard-pressed minorities. These true stories lead to conclusive SWOT analyses of the Christian community in Pakistan's overwhelmingly Muslim-majority society. However, the book is neither restrictive nor exclusive to a single minority. It is a case study relevant to all minorities, irrespective of the country or system they find themselves in. We would like this book to further enrich the minds of European readers, living in an overlapping multi-cultural space.The writer, Azam Mairaj, is a renowned author, poet, philosopher, philanthropist and business leader of Pakistan, widely respected for dealing with communal alienation for over two decades. As a member of the beleaguered and alienated Christian community of Pakistan, he is uniquely placed to study the subject. He has been addressing the issue of Christian youth alienation with the conviction that individuals can only grow in their overpoweringly Muslim-majority society if they are integrated within it. NEGLECTED CHRISTIAN CHILDREN OF INDUS is the English translation of the book Dharti Jaye kyun Paraye, a collection of heart-wrenching stories illustrating the alienation of Christian youth in Pakistan, and offering solutions to redress it. The real-life stories exemplify social discrimination suffered by the children of the Indus Valley in present-day Pakistan. Social exploitation, suppression of history and discrimination by caste and creed, have bred a regrettable attitude among these citizens. Alienation caused by this attitude is at the heart of "Neglected Christian Children of Indus" the first in a series of seven books on the issue, which is also a stand-alone case study relevant to minorities in all countries. According to the December 18, 2016 issue of Dawn, Pakistan's oldest and largest circulation English daily, "this anthology of true stories ... aims to answer an omnipresent question ... why has the youth of today become apathetic? The author discusses the breakdown of interpersonal conduct, societal injustice, exploitation, oppression and wrong-doing ..." Mohammad Hanif also gave a positive review of this book on BBC Urdu. In his review, he said "The bitter stories narrated in this book are not available in any TV news or newspaper." Hajra Rehan in her review about the book for Dawn, Books and Authors, wrote "Mairaj also points out that the discrimination is not exclusive to one specific faith: "Even though this book only focuses on a particular group of the children of the soil - the Christians of Pakistan - the condition of the rest needs the same attention and sympathy. After all, the nomads of the Cholistan desert and the Indus Valley natives in the Thar Desert, [such as] Kohli or Bheel tribes are still forced to live like the shudars of preceding centuries."Dr. Nicholas Evans, LSE Fellow, Department of Anthropology views about the book"Neglected Christian Children of Indus is composed of deeply moving and personal stories that engage the reader
