This Week's NATIONAL ETIQUETTE AWARD goes to... Pakistan!

Pakistan Page in Wikipedia

Welcome to Pakistan

Government of Pakistan

I hereby grant the National Etquette Award to Pakistan, as it is customary in that country to remove shoes when entering homes.

This week a court in Pakistan gave its verdict in the custody case of Molly Campbell, now calling herself Misbah. This teenage girl was the child of a Scottish mother and a Pakistani father. Earlier this year, it was believed that the girl had been abducted to Pakistan by her father. It turned out that she had in fact gone voluntarily to Pakistan and wished to remain there with her father. However, the court announced yesterday, that she must be returned to her mother's custody in Scotland. To my mind, I think it would probably be better for her to remain in Pakistan and I am surprised the court reached that decision. The girl has chosen to adopt the Islamic religion and identify with her father's culture. Her wishes ought to be respected.

Pakistan was part of the British Raj, but became independent in 1947. It has become a great military power with nuclear weapons. It has come close to war with India in recent years over the disputed territory of Kashmir. Pakistan is a strategic ally of the Britain and the United States in their opposition to Islamic terrorism and the Taliban.

Pakistan is a Muslim country, but it has a significant Christian minority. Christians are respected by much of the population, but they are often the victims of persecution, sometimes officially. For information on the suffering church worldwide, please visit:

Barnabas Fund

Open Doors International

There are many Pakistanis living in the United Kingdom. There are certainly a lot in Worcester. There are a number of Pakistanis active in Worcester Conservative Association. We actually had a Muslim mayor in Worcester a couple of years ago (and as a result, a Muslim chaplain for Worcester City Council at that time). He was a great chap.

Our next door neighbours are from Pakistan. I have never visited their home, but they have visited us. I do get the impression from television that a lot of Pakistanis living in Britain wear shoes in their homes, though this is not the custom back in Pakistan.