Daily Times

Hazrat Imam Hussain and his followers were martyred on the scorching sands of Karbala on the 10th of Muharram some 1337 years ago. This travesty concerns us all. The tragic events that unfolded in Karbala were not just about a cowardly war crime committed by an unjust ruler. It was also about the fearless defiance of the martyrs who refused to bow down. It was about pure faith that — despite all warnings — led Hazrat Imam Hussein and his family towards the city of Kufa. It’s about unfailing adherence to one’s principles that despite being starved for days none of them chose to concede or escape. It’s no wonder that Mohandas Gandhi recalled the spirit of this sacrifice in the following words, “If I had the 72 soldiers of Hussein, I would have [freed] India in 24 hours.”

There was a time when I did not know a lot about the tragedy of Karbala because having been born and raised in a Sunni Muslim family, I never felt inclined to learn about it. Somehow I felt it was an exclusively Shia tragedy and slumbering away on the Ashura holiday was a Sunni perk.

I had heard so much criticism and disapproval of Shia beliefs and practices that I was nervous to read and learn about the tragedy on my own, fearing that I may commit some sin in doing so. There lies one of the greatest tragedies of modern day Islam in Pakistan. Somehow those born and raised in Sunni tradition have been led to perceive Shias and their beliefs as foreign. Every year more clerics and so-called scholars spew their vitriol to such a point that occassionaly it even incites violence. Instead of tolerating our differences with them, we tolerate the criticism against them.

Pakistanis need to be urged to participate with an open mind in events promoting inter- and intra- faith harmony — like Ashura processions and majalis and Sunday Mass

We are told that they say their prayers incorrectly, distort history, wear forbidden colours, and so on and so forth. Such biases and stereotypes only lead Shias to cluster even tighter together and thereby increasing ever growing expanse between sects.

The situation is a classic case of a self-fulfilling prophecy that achieves nothing except artificially dividing Muslims around the world. The key word here is ‘artificial.’

This sectarian division is primarily a consequence of geopolitical power struggles of the Middle East where petty conflicts of nations are perceived to look like noble conflicts of faiths. If the Shias were actually that different from Sunnis, why would all Muslims stand shoulder to shoulder at Hajj time? Why would all fast during the month of Ramazan? Why would all pray towards the Kaaba? The answer is Sunnis and Shias are elements of a single religion, not religions unto themselves. Like two leaves on the same tree.

Discriminating against an entire group, turning them into villains and then diverting all the frustration of the masses towards them is often called by those in power as ‘the oldest trick in the book’. Hitler did that to the Jews, the Burmese are doing it to the Rohingyas and Donald Trump masterfully executed this tactic to win the presidency. It’s not hard but it is dangerous. The hate and intolerance injected into society may give short-term gains but in the long run they will have ramifications of historic proportions. Together, we need to stop this cancer of ignorant intolerance from spreading any further. We can do so in two simple ways.

First, we should reject any message that encourages division and intolerance. Surah Nisa (4:59) says if you disagree with those in religious authority you should refer back to what the Quran and the Messenger have to say on the subject. On this issue the Quran, in Surah Imran (3:103), clearly decrees all Muslims to “hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. And remember… when you were enemies … He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favour, brothers.” That is actually what the Quran and the example of the Prophet (PBUH) expect from us. Not bombings, denouncements, and discrimination.

Second, Pakistanis should participate with an open mind in inter and intra faith events like Sunday Mass or Ashura, and see for themselves so that they may think for themselves. This will surely help bring muslims closer to their own faith all while making them more accepting of another’s. I can demonstrate this with a personal example.

Every year, my neighbour’s in Lahore hold a major procession on Ashura. The police cordon off the road and thousands of mourners descend on foot. Through out the day they are offered ice-cold sherbet and warm food. In the evening when the mourners return from their mosque they are offered refreshments, tea and iftari (since many of them fast).

For the last eight years, my family and friends, with a few helpers, have been managing this portion of the event. None of us identify ourselves as Shia. We start preparations the night before and work nonstop for 24 hours to serve 8,000 plates of haleem and 10,000 glasses of Sherbet (sabeel).

My father started this beautiful experiment to prove that sectarian harmony can easily exist if we see ourselves as friends and neighbours rather than as Sunnis and Shias. He was right.

When we were initiated into this tradition, my grandmother would occasionally hurl archaic insults like calling my brother and I ‘crows’ because we donned dark colours on the day of. My Quran teacher, a scholar in his own right, calculated that, according to him, the sin I was committing by serving the sherbet was the same as having served 10,000 glasses of alcohol. Some Sunni policemen stationed on the road refused to eat or drink anything from our place because they thought we were also Shia. Nonetheless, every year we continue with our service. Now, my grandmother and teacher both willingly volunteer for the event. Sometimes when we get overwhelmed or tired, the same policemen step in and help. We led by example and defied the ideology of hate. It took years but we softened at least a few people’s polarized thinking.

That is the lesson we should take away from the tragedy of Karbala and its observance every year. We should love each other like we do our friends and family. We should tolerate what we can and forgive what we can’t. We must hold tightly to the rope of unity like companions, and ferociously and proactively resist any voice that tells us otherwise.

The writer is an agriculturist with degrees in Economics and Mass Communication. He can be reached at Skhanzada@ymail.com

Published in Daily Times, October 1^st 2017.