“Loutna – A Journey of Acceptance” is the personal journey of Pastor (Priest) Ghazala Shafique , the first female priest in Pakistan who took an initiative to set up a Church in her residence in Karachi, Pakistan for Christian transgenders.
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”. Psalm 68:11 ESV
Ghazala Refique “a hero’s journey” begins when she initiated the idea for the church for transgender. In the world she grew up in, she has faced, experienced and observed injustice being part of the Christian community in Pakistan. She and her husband have bought in to most of the classic stereotypes and misconceptions about female priests.
Pastor Ghazala who always had a soft corner for the transgender and in Pakistan she is trying to find Christian transgender. As the city was struggling through COVID-19 during March 2020, she came to know that the Christian transgender hide their last name (Christian name) because in Pakistan Christians are amongst one of the most powerless and marginalized people. According to the 2017 census, the country has about 10,418 Christian transgender, of whom about 2,000 live in Karachi. Every Friday about 30 of them visits Pastor Ghazala in the makeshift church to perform their prayers and other religious rituals.
