To all and sundry, religion is everything. With thousands of religions around the world, hatred based on religion in human beings with differences in faith is increasing by the day. Intolerance towards others’ beliefs has become a new normal. Where Islamophobia is a global reality, many Muslim-majority countries are facing serious socioreligious issues at home leading to mammoth problems for them in the international arena.
Among them, Pakistan is no exception. Hardly does a month pass that we do not hear about the alleged blasphemy and an unjustified reaction of people to it. As I mentioned in the first line of this article, to everyone his religion holds high value. This very line is lost on us all. People seek the dignity of their religion and belief in the disgrace of those of others. This ends up in numerous irresponsible and illegal acts. Not too far, just a week ago; in district Charsadda of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, an individual, who was alleged of desecrating the holy Quran, was arrested by police.
FIR was lodged against him under relevant sections of law. The job done, to that extent, by the police was perfect but it didn’t quench the thirst of an ill-informed, misguided, and charged mob. They demanded of the police to hand over the alleged person to them so that he might be subjected to mob justice what the police kept on denying. Subsequently, the supercharged mob reportedly set a police station and as many as four police posts on fire. A question arises: who benefited from that whole episode? Indeed nobody. Who suffered?
Blasphemy allegations are often used as a weapon against persona non grata but they can be true too.
The answer is simple: we all. The already tarnished image of this country suffered more blows both at home & abroad and the state’s properties were reduced to debris. Another incident came on its heel: in Sialkot on 3rd December 2021, a Siri Lakan man namely Priyantha Kumara, who was alleged of having committed blasphemy, was brutally kicked, stoned, and tortured to death and subsequently set his corpse on fire triggering hue and cry on social media.
In the aftermath, Special Representative of the Prime Minister on Religious Harmony Maulana Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi wasted no time in giving a statement condemning the harsh act. Similarly, from Prime Minister to Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Interior Minister to member of oppositions and that many stakeholders took to Twitter and excoriated the ghastly murder of the Lankan man. This is no secret that such barbaric acts earn Islamabad a bad name in international capitals. Following the Lankan man’s murder Amnesty International South Asia Region Office reprobated to what the Lankan man fell prey to.
The Sri Lankan Prime Minister in a tweet wrote: “Shocking to see the brutal and fatal attack on Priyantha Diyawadana by extremist mobs in #Pakistan. My heart goes out to his wife and family. #SriLanka and her people are confident that PM @ImranKhanPTI will keep to his commitment to bring all those involved to justice.”
Fortunately, the Punjab Police succeeded in apprehending the prime perpetrator and efforts are underway for tracing and arresting more. But what is of concern is: this was neither the first nor does it appear to be the last incident of its kind.
This ilk incident, what I believe, has two phases: commission of alleged blaspheme and reaction to it. As a matter of fact, allegations of blasphemy can neither be untrue nor factual all the time. Blasphemy allegations are often used as a weapon against persona non grata but they can be true too. Both kinds are sensitive and require more than the prompt response from Law Enforcing Agencies (LEAs).
There is a common perception in our society that those committing blasphemies get off the scot-free. This very perception is one of the major contributory factors to such barbaric incidents. Separate complaint cells should be established for dealing with and responding to such matters without wasting a single second. This shall help change the perception of laymen to a great extent and save the lives of those falling prey to the so-called mob justice.
De facto, the very few minutes in such incidents are very crucial which can decide the fate of the matter. Sections of law that deal with blaspheme ought to be showcased and advertised via mainstream and social media with a view to convincing people that the law of the land has a legal remedy for such offenses as well as nobody is allowed to take law in hands. Clerics and prayer leaders of both urban and rural areas should be taken on board to explicitly talk about these sensitive matters in every sermon as they are the ones who can better bring tolerance and awareness home to people.
Member of the mosque is a powerful forum that can be utilised to shift the extremist mindset of the public at large. Condemnation alone will never work, the shift in approach towards this most sensitive social issue is the need of the hour.
The writer holds a degree in International Relations and Sociology. He tweets @Numanbacha20.