There is no need for an introduction. You do not need to know my background. You do not need to know anything. You do not need to know whether I am Deobandi, Shia, Sunni, Wahabi, Ahmedi, Bohri or anything for that matter. Pretend I do not have a sect. Pretend you do not know me at all. I am going to get to the point right away. Shia killings. Ooh. Controversial. I really need to put this out there, because no one else seems to be doing it. And I know that if I get enough people to see this, maybe someone will notice yet another cry for help by a distressed human being and give the issue the attention it deserves. I am also sick of watching it in silence like the rest of this nation and not doing anything about it. I never realised how serious things had become until today. The world is a terrible place. Shia Muslims are being killed because of their beliefs and actions. Because they exist, basically. The way they have been killed, without any reason, without any justification, might just be the only reason why I have completely lost my faith in humanity. Men. Women. People with families, homes, places to see, ambitions. Doors to unlock, lights to turn on, relatives waiting anxiously, food to eat, jobs to return to. Going back to their homes, going somewhere important to them, excited about Eid, about meeting someone they missed after several reassurances on the phone, or by post, yes, yes, I am on way, I can’t wait to see you. Pilgrimage. Thank you so much Allah, thank you Maula Ali, thank you Bibi, these are your doings, you have blessed me and my family. I have collected money for this. I have rounded up my family in a bus and I am on my way to you. Like a man wrenches chickens out of a cage to slaughter them. Jo haath main aajaye (whoever you can grab). An old man was begging for his life, reciting the Kalima, “Main Musalman hoon, main Musalman hoon” (I am a Muslim, I am a Muslim). They killed him. Women afraid of being dishonoured actually committed suicide — women who might or might not have children, little babies, teenagers. Have you ever heard of a Shia appearing at someone’s doorstep with a gun threatening to kill him or her for his or her beliefs? I have not. Have you ever heard of a group of Shias open fire on innocent people, because of their names on the ID card? No? Me neither. Have they ever stood up and denied someone else to practice their own religion? Exactly. For the past several years, all I have ever seen Shias do is risk their lives to carry out an obligation, cry for loved ones lost in a heartless, shameful terrorist attack, or beg for justice. Beg. So they can practice. I have not heard of Shias shoving their faith down someone’s throat, forcing someone to convert, hurting someone else intentionally whilst carrying out a procession. Never. Imagine living in perpetual fear because of your beliefs. Even those jawans (soldiers) who brace themselves for martyrdom, who have been prepared to flaunt their Shia-ness, who seem unafraid of dying in the name of their religion, have a little bit of fear in them. Everyone does. All those tearful mothers proud of their sons attending their first procession with their fathers have fear in them. Every child reaching out a hand from the suffocating throng of people to touch the Zuljinah has fear in them. Every soldier standing at the borders of their respective countries, armed with the most sophisticated of weapons, have fear in them. Everyone does. But only some people manage to understand that fear. Some people don’t want to understand it, but they are forced to. Like Shias. They are aliens in their own country. Imagine. Wake up, leaders. Your own citizens are seeking asylum in another country. Why don’t they leave, then? Media is so silent about it. It is too controversial, too dangerous. No, no, tiptoe around this one. Be tactful, now, don’t say something wrong. But you’re talking about Burma, aren’t you? People are so clueless. If they actually knew what was going on, maybe some of the hatred and selfishness would subside and everyone would be more compassionate towards their own countrymen. Only if they knew the gory details. If they realised that they are not just ‘other people’, that they are other people with lives very similar to our own, with parents who brought them into this world, with food in their tummies and ambitions and a language to speak and a religion to follow and choices to make, weddings to attend, people to meet, a world to see. Forget about which sect you belong to for a minute. Forget about the beliefs your parents follow, or what you believe, or what your Qari sahib (Quranic teacher) has told you. Think about it like a human being. Life goes on. Meanwhile, hatred for the Shia ‘kaafir’ grows stronger and stronger every day. Hopefully, they will all be wiped out from this country very soon, and everything will be okay again. Everything will be normal and fine because Shias and their existence is a problem. Once they are gone, something great will happen. Something wonderful. Everything will be normal. The goal that I am trying to achieve will be fulfilled, the goal that only I can understand, the goal that requires ultimate pitilessness. Your own view is superior to that of the rest. Something that someone might have said to you once, many, many years ago, changed your perspective and made you think, think, think, overthink too much. Thinking you are powerful, wealthy and prestigious among some people might well change their point of view too, turning them all into ruthless, mindless, heartless creatures. Shameful. The writer is a freelance columnist and can be reached at katakho@gmail.com