The fate of Sharafat Masih, a resident of Mardan is no less tragic than those 29 people who were killed in clashes with the riot police on the Day of Love for the Prophet (PBUH) officially announced by government. Thousands angered by an anti-Muslim film, made by some lunatic in US, ignored pleas for peaceful rallies. The violent crowd rampaged through banks, ATM machines and jewelers’ shops. The blood soaked day ended as 29 people were killed and scores injured in several cities in battles with police.
The film produced by some harebrained US producer, wanted by authorities on several counts including forgery and bank fraud, pours scorn on the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and his domestic life. Pakistani authorities not only banned the film and its trailer, the entire YouTube has been shut down owing to the unavailability of modern filters.
Pakistan has seen the most sustained violence, driven by a deep well of anti-American sentiment and only strengthened by a strong cadre of hard-line Islamists who benefit from adding fuel to the fire of US hatred. The enraged mob that confronted with the riot police resulting in the death of 29 precious lives, has already earned worldwide ire for Pakistani government for pandering to extremists by declaring Friday, September 21, to be an official holiday calling it a ‘Day of Love for the Prophet’.
Pakistan came into headlines the world over on the alleged blasphemy case of one Rimsha Masih from the outskirts of Islamabad. Later on, it was transpired that the case had been deliberately cooked up. As the story unfolded, the imam of the mosque in that area, Khalid Jadun had been held by law enforcing authorities for deliberately tearing the pages from the Holy Quran and secretly putting the torn content amongst pages allegedly burnt by Rimsha.
The incident draws several parallels with the murder of the former Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer who was murdered in cold blood by one of his own bodyguard, hailing from the ELITE group of Punjab Police in broad daylight in the F-7 area of Islamabad. The culprit later showed no regrets and hundreds of lawyers converged at his home to defend him in the court of law. Even the secretary general of the Pakistan People’s Party chapter of the Punjab who led his funeral prayers in Governor’s House was threatened with dire consequences and had to leave the country to save his life. The same saga cost the former minority affairs minister, Shahbaz Bhatti, his life in Islamabad.
Although government appealed the public to remain peaceful, the move of declaring Friday as the Day of Love for the Prophet helped unleash the worst violence yet caused by the film. The fanaticism into Pakistani society crept more rapidly when the former dictator General Ziaul Haq took measures to Islamise society on the heels of the former USSR invasion of Afghanistan. Few believe it was Pakistan’s war on any account. Hapless and illiterate populace was indoctrinated and sentiments exploited in the name of religion with the financial backing of the west and Gulf monarchies.
Amongst other highly controversial laws, General Zia introduced the blasphemy law that carries death penalty on insulting revered Islamic personalities but its critics maintain the law is mostly served for harassing the tiny minority in the country that is already at sixes and sevens. The definition of religious intolerance is a mirror to a deeply polarised Pakistani society. The mere statement on the part of a religion that its own beliefs and practices are correct and any contrary beliefs are incorrect constitutes intolerance. Obscenity and immorality issues were being used as an instrument to intimidate minorities and pave the way for religious intolerance and fascism in the country; vested interests try to turn a non-issue into an issue so that they can increase the sphere of their influence.
The law is the worst form of human right violations and no government in Pakistan could got rid of the despicable use of this law, the seeds of which were sown in 1949 when Liaqat Ali Khan, the country’s first prime minister made the Objectives Resolution preamble of the constitution. The Objectives Resolution passed by the first Constituent Assembly in 1949 including 280 articles and six schedules became its preamble. The power to amend the constitution was contained in Article 239.
The ironical part of country’s checkered history is that despite the two constitutions of 1956 and 1962, the movers and shakers could not do away with the Objectives Resolution, which many believe to be in direct confrontation with the ideology of the Quaid-e-Azam who in his landmark address to the First Legislative Assembly on August 11, 1947 had said:
“You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed — that has nothing to do with the business of the State.”
It is surprising as to why a staunch supporter of secularism like Bhutto could not do away with the controversial resolution while he is credited with giving a consensus document.
Like all other modern tactics religious protests tend to be timed for best gains in our country. Instead of being unobservant to objectionable content in the form of caricature, books or web portal, they are deliberately highlighted. The polarisation in Pakistan stems from the ‘us vs them’ approach. Children in schools are taught distorted and out of context versions of history and the various records of Muslim rulers are eulogised and ludicrously exaggerated. The west’s rise rather than the Muslim decline receives far greater attention in Pakistan, and resultantly, the whole narrative of the so-called Islamic ummah gets blurred that gives rise to the false notions of narcissism amongst youth. It is programmed to believe that Muslims were the pioneers of every branch of science and the present dismal state owes it to the west that cunningly colonised the sub-continent. The contribution of non-Muslims is purposely down played and belittled.
(To be continued)
The writer can be reached at e-mail:[email protected]