Pakistan Today. com: Six minarets falling to the ground should generate some tremors and cause a lot of noise. Yet the demolition of a mosque run by the Ahmadi sect in Kharian generated barely a murmur in this country. It seems as if the dust rising from the debris obscured our vision and collective conscience. This isn’t the first time—and this will not be the last. So should I even be wasting any energy on this injustice and the subsequent silence?
Sure, a state has an interest in ensuring public order. Particular use of religious symbols (defining these is of course tricky) can cause offence to a population and laws cannot be entirely divorced from such realities. But how much space are we willing to concede to those who claim offense? Where does this stop?
Our chosen religion or sect is more often an accident of birth so anyone of us could be at the mercy of mob mentality in this country. Pakistan’s treatment of its minorities damages the dignity of entire groups. Writing a piece in an English language newspaper is definitely not “the” panacea. But it is part of a series of efforts. There isn’t enough speech about these issues. The much celebrated judiciary’s deliberate stance and refusal to confront injustice against minorities, particularly Ahmadis, is reflective of the fact that this is an unpopular issue. Your vote bank, whatever it may be, will not like it.
The electronic media’s self-righteousness does not help. Like hatred filled textbooks, the electronic media pretends as if certain parts of our history do not exist. In many ways the textbooks now have an audio/visual guide. The electronic media has consistently refused to celebrate our only Nobel laureate; an Ahmadi. TV channels spend hours reporting the DPC rallies, threats by PTI to protest drones et al but little has been devoted to this latest injustice against Ahmadis, the systematic killings of Shias or the burning of one mentally challenged man by a raging mob in Bahawalpur.
Categories: Asia, Discrimination, Extremism, Faith, Human Rights, Pakistan
my Letter published in Pakistan.com:
When Switzerland prohibited the construction of new minarets Pakistan (rightfully) protested – and then goes and pulls down minarets in Pakistan itself. A strange world. (by the way: Switzerland’s first minaret was constructed by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at in Zurich – and is still standing tall and proud)
when one keep quite on an injustice ……a part of one humanity dies with it. Let us hope we gather courage to call a spade a spade.
Whenever and wherever Religion is politicized the persecutions like this happened. This is misuse of Religion. Islam is a Secular Religion when The Holly Qur’an Says ” La Iqrah Fi Din ” i,e No completion in Religion. The Founder of Pakistan was a liberal Muslim Leader. He was totally against the Theocracy. But The present Government of Pakistan , especially the Provencal govt of Punjab is sporting Theocracy and giving them Govt. Funds to politicize the Religion to take a political mileage but they should remember this Theocracy will put them in the hell of Fundamentalism and Terrorism day by day.