Epigraph:
I asked the Messenger of Allah: “Who is the most excellent among the Muslims?” He said, “One from whose tongue and hands the other Muslims are secure.” [Al-Bukhari]
Pakistan map and flag. The white is supposed to represent the minorities
Source: Friday Times
Any action against mudslinging apostasy accusations should begin with the Pakistani Constitution, writes Kunwar Khuldune Shahid
While Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan’s statement on Monday on taking “action against those calling others kafir (non-Muslim)” has been lauded on multiple fronts, the state’s duplicity on takfir (excommunicating a person or sect) was simultaneously called out. It is ironic that the government’s arguably refreshing stance against mudslinging accusations of apostasy was highlighted on the 41st anniversary of the Second Amendment to the Pakistani Constitution, which ‘officially’ excommunicated the Ahmadiyya sect under the auspices of Pakistan’s ‘first democratically elected leader’ Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
In his press conference on September 7, while discussing potential madrassa reform, Nisar claimed that the government had ‘already tackled hate speech and [the] glorification of terrorists in the first phase’ of the National Action Plan (NAP). The Punjab Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Rana Sanaullah declared a couple of weeks ago that, “not a single madrassa in (Punjab) was reported to have any links with militancy.” So where is hate speech being ‘tackled’ if the hubs are being given the state’s green signal?
With the state play-acting a no-nonsense approach towards hate speech, will it first address its own bigotry?
If the federal ministers believe that none of the “13,787 geo-tagged seminaries” in Punjab deem the Shia to be infidels and, in turn, wajib-ul-qatl (worthy of being murdered), the state is clearly not serious about tackling internal militancy. To claim that none of these madrassas calls for the murder of Ahmadis is tantamount to burying one’s head in the sand, leaving one’s neck exposed to the mercy of the machete. To link the spread of wajib-ul-qatl edicts to the ensuing militancy really is a simple equation. And yet our federal ministers fail to find the most obvious of links.
To give the madrassas a clean bill of health means that the government is not interested in tackling takfir, which is something embedded in our social setup. According to a Pew Survey in 2012, when Shia killings in Pakistan had peaked, only 50% of the surveyed Pakistanis accepted the Shia as Muslims – 7% for Ahmadis.
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Categories: Asia, Secularism, Separation of Church and State, The Muslim Times
I want to thank Dr M.S Boodhun for drawing our attention to this very useful Op-Ed.
You are very welcome.
بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم
If Government of Pakistan is so scared to Address our issue and don’t want to open more fronts to deal with other aspects of Terrorism and while simultaneously dealing with two external threats of India an Afghanistan, its fine we have been facing cruelty for 41 years now and in the better interest of the country we will be further patient for some time more, however I want to record two crucial points over here that is: (1)The root cause of promotion of Terrorism in the Nation is the 2nd amendment in the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, while the same is an open revolt to the guidance of the Holy Prophet Mohammad p.b.u.h. and as long it exists Action Plan neither is complete nor it will be fruitful (2)irrespective the 2nd amendment stays or goes, it is the responsibility of the Government to safeguard the rights of all its citizens, whether Muslims or none Muslims, Majority or Minority, they are equal citizens of Pakistan in the Eyes of Law, their lives, properties wealth and honor is sacred and must be safe guarded at all costs and none should be permitted to take the Law in his own hand and the government must stay impartial and never part with any extremist faction of the society. All are human beings if the feelings of Majority are delicate and injured so have the Minority and it is not stone or Mattel. Zarif Ahmad