Daily Times

Humans are considered social animals, but have we ever been more human than social?

Lamenting growing intolerance in society, it is painful that religious intolerance, bias, discrimination on ethnic background, terror, militancy and divisive thinking is alarmingly growing in Pakistani society.

Every society and its institutions are intolerant of some sort of behaviour. Unqualified toleration is not only nonsensical, it is impossible and lethal. A society’s toleration can be either coercive or non-coercive. Since coercion is the exclusive province of the state, the state’s intolerance is necessarily coercive. There is, of course and there must be a non-coercive intolerance: society can shun or frown on certain behaviour or attitudes that it deems sinful, unjust, or in some way inappropriate.

The first question to be asked is specific controversies aside: is intolerance really increasing or decreasing in society or is it only appearing to do so thanks to extended media coverage? And if so, is this intolerance really getting boosted due to inaction by the state? The truth is that man has been intolerant of his fellow man from time immemorial and clashes between different groups, castes and religions have always been going on and may continue to do so forever. The only thing that has differed throughout history is the state and the laws. Most of the countries of the world are no longer dictatorships and monarchies that can harbour whatever prejudices they feel like.

In order to understand intolerant behaviours in Pakistan and if its justified or not we need to examine the reason why people turn away from moderation and become victims of extremism. Considering the arrival of the Mughals in the South Asia, this was the era when Muslim attitudes changed in different periods of the subcontinent’s history. After the start of the Muslim rule in India, the great mystic Syed Ali Hajveri arrived to settle in Lahore. His teachings paved the way for religious tolerance and humanistic behaviour. These teachings helped rulers rule. But the Muslim elite could not settle with them as they hurt their sense of superiority. The clerics came to the rescue and lay importance on religious differences, leading to an atmosphere of religious intolerance and a social rift. This rift had its toll on people where someone having a different faith would be a threat to society.

Any man who has upheld the banner of revolution in this country has been victimised and put to silence before he had a fighting chance against the narrow minded counterparts. Pakistan’s current political and social scenario shows us many examples of the increased intolerant behaviour of our peaceful people where the tragic murder of Salmaan Taseer, Shahbaz Bhatti and burning of properties in Shanti Nagar, Bhamiwala and Gojra are a direct result of the brutal efforts by those who, in order to legitimise their rule over Pakistan, have pursued an internal as well as a foreign policy that promotes sectarian hatred, religious intolerance and theocratic barbarism. Was Taseer’s quest to change the blasphemy law just? To some yes and to others it was not but does it give allowance to extremists to take vigilant methods? If it was not just then why was not the matter put into the hands of the law and a trial should have deliberated the fate of the man in question?

Religious intolerance is defined as “the acceptance of a faith or belief different from one’s own.” All religions be it Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism or Islam have been in a tug of war since the day they came into existence and in order to suppress each other, intolerance in each of their respective rule has been evident in many forms. The battle against intolerance cannot be fought just by guns but also by ideologies.

After the Badami Bagh ensuing protests, Lahore’s Christian community is furious. Just five years ago, lawyers, political parties, civil society activists and students were marching to establish the rule of law in Pakistan. We, as a country, stood united behind the belief that the law must take its due course and the rule of law must reign supreme. We promised not to bow down to the pressures of dictators or external forces. But today, those who stood on the frontlines and made these promises are nowhere to be found to condemn a man who scorned the rule of law, broke sworn oaths of duty and murdered a man.

I am confused and angry at the situation. This is a country where a murderer was crowned a hero by some and the man he slaughtered was the villain. We live in a society where a murderer of this ilk proudly walks down every street of Pakistan, waiting to slay anyone he, in his own head, accuses, tries and convicts of blasphemy. There are scores who will defend and glorify him. Then there are those who will sit in their drawing rooms and say the murderer should not be glorified, but the victim was asking for it. They will then tell you that Pakistan is a failed state, spiralling into the abyss of religious fanaticism. Some will incite you to take to the streets against the illiterate cleric propagating intolerance and violence. Others will invite you to a candlelight vigil or a Facebook group.

Yesterday evening I was crossing Sector I /8 in Islamabad, where Shahbaz Bhatti`s monument had been constructed and on March 2, we celebrated his second death anniversary. I was shocked to see that his picture has been sprayed with paint and the poster was torn; this happened in broad daylight in the capital of Pakistan and at one of its busiest hubs. Dramatic? For sure.

Oh yes, this happened at the same time when over 150 houses were being torched in Lahore over a blasphemy accusation; despite the fact that the accused was arrested, the innocent were brutally victimized.

Tragically, I was taken aback as I stood at the place where Shahbaz Bhatti was assassinated two years ago; now his picture was sprayed. Why? They cannot even tolerate his picture being there? Is it the failure of the state to protect the religious minorities?

“I am ready to die for a cause, I am living for my community… and I will die to defend their rights…I will prefer to die for my principles,” said Bhatti in a video floated on the internet, filmed apparently some four months before his assassination.

I am dismayed this whole situation has given me a lot of things to think about now.

The writer is a human rights activist based in Islamabad, and can be reached at xave_william@yahoo.com