Eye on the Sparrow: The Remarkable Journey of Father Joseph Nisari, Pakistani Priest

"On a blistering Punjabi morning, Father Joseph approached the group of village headmen gathered in a courtyard. Seated on charpoys in a semicircle, the men did not look happy. Eyes glared and turbaned heads stared, their enmity palpable as they fingered their swords. Suddenly, an old man with a dirty turban approached him nervously. 'Are you the priest who reported this problem?' Joseph said that he was. 'You have done a very bad thing. These are dangerous men. If somebody points a finger at them, they will cut off that finger. Calling them to come here is a big insult. This cannot have a happy ending.'"

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Eye on the Sparrow chronicles the extraordinary journey of a young Indian-born boy who overcomes poverty, discrimination, and horrific historical events to become one of Pakistan's first indigenous Catholic priests. Growing up amid mosques and madrassas, often walking twenty miles for a holy day celebration, Joseph's story is an insightful (often humorous) account of how a darkskinned Bhatti from Hindu's lowest caste, aspiring only to serve his God, succeeds beyond anything he could have ever imagined.

Set against the background of Pakistan's rich and complex history, Eye on the Sparrow reveals a unique and compassionate culture that has been torn asunder by the subjugation of foreign rule, the agony of partition, and the oppression of a politically turbulent Islamic state. As Western governments struggle to balance democratic ideals with religious extremism, Father Joseph's story offers a compelling message of faith and hope in the face of terrorism and ignorance.