Mourning loss of life has a special significance everywhere, especially in the Eastern cultures. “Missing a wedding reception is excusable, but not a funeral,” you are reminded every now and then. That is why elaborate rituals and prayers are conducted on the funerals and cremations, three days, 10 days and even 40 days after the death. And then there are followed by annual memorial services.
Societies suffering oppression and terrorism use funerals as a means of collective healing and protest – Ireland, Bahrain, Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine and Pakistan are examples from the recent past.
[quote]Funerals are a means of collective healing and protest[/quote]
When the then-president Farooq Leghari failed to offer a word of sympathy after the whole Christian village of Shantinagar was burned and 14 churches destroyed in 1997, it saddened all people of good will. The PML-N had won the elections a few days ago, failing to sympathize with the Christian community in clear terms until they settled in the saddle of power comfortably. This moral failure to respond became a part of the collective memory.
In 1998 when Bishop John Joseph laid down his life in protest against the death penalty given to Ayub Masih, the ministers for Information and Religious Affairs gave provocative and misleading statements.
In 2009, when six Christians were burnt alive and several dozen houses were robbed and set ablaze in Gojra, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif only scheduled a visit to the site after the Christian MPAs from his party threatened to resign en bloc. The MPAs remembered that the Judicial Inquiry report on Shantinagar under their party’s government had remained inconclusive. The mention of this fact by some Church leaders during his visit to Gojra extracted some pledges from the chief minister. The Judicial Inquiry report of the Gojra incident was completed and handed over, but it was finally released by the caretaker government of Punjab in 2013. There hasn’t been even a single conviction in court.
The burning of around 80 houses in Joseph Colony in Lahore in 2013 received an immediate response. Lahore has a large Christian population and the elections were only on a month away, so it is easy to be skeptical about the motive. Perhaps we can deduce that the PML-N chief minister had learned from the past.
[quote]The PTI had no clue how to respond[/quote]
It was a colossal loss for the Christian community where in this one single incident in Peshawar 84 lives were lost and over a hundred were injured. The PTI simply had no clue how to respond, especially when the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had already faced criticism on his naive proposal of reserving sanitation work for Christians in his province.
The reaction of the Christian youth, which so far lived by the image of ‘healers and teachers’ set by the generations of Pakistani Christians, was anger. They were somewhat aggressive in Peshawar and Karachi.
Discrimination institutionalized on the basis of religion has taken its toll. Treating painful realities with arrogance adds insult to injury. The opinion of the minority Christians may not matter a lot politically speaking, but defying fairness will deprive the leadership of their legitimacy as duty bearers of the common good.
An amazing article – dignified & restrained, despite the suffering our Christian citizens have faced in their own country – Pakistan.
They have shown us how to behave with dignity & restraint in the face of adversity, hatred and absolute madness of the Muslim killers, as well as total lack of State responsibility, criminal negligence of Governments and denial of many Muslims who keep repeating that Islam is a religion of peace despite the spate of killings. Is this their idea of a peaceful Islam? If they truly believe that Islam is a religion of peace then let them take action against those who are doing the opposite in their name!
As a Pakistani Muslim Citizen I cannot be forgiving towards those who have committed these shameful atrocities & murders in the name of Islam and Pakistan. I want every one of those involved to face the consequences of their actions.
If we don’t rid the country of these criminals, it would be us Muslims who would be responsible for the massacre of our citizens in the name of Islam. It is for us as a State & as individuals to stop these killers.
The religious parties who have taken ownership for killings need to be behind bars – especially their entire leadership for propagating hate crimes. All religious groups & political parties, who find justification for the extremists using excuses must also be behind bars. These are crimes against the State and as such they must be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
It is also for us Muslim Citizens to strategize to ensure that all those involved in these criminal activities are unable to escape our justice system. If it means the State needs to prosecute, then it should.
If we need to form a human shield to protect our non-Muslim citizens, then we citizens individually & collectively should. Let us all join in!
It is Muslims who should feel most upset that our religion is being abused by criminals. Are we going to let them?
Each incident has given rise to a worse one & to greater impunity. And each time we have remained silent, we have lost a little more of our humanity!
Great article as usual, proud of you
Thanks, NCJP and Nuzhat. You are so right, Nuzhat– but this nation has become so deadend. Sometimes I wonder if we’ve lost the ability to think. Only too often I feel as if I’ve lost all hope….All non Muslims are being hounded out, and yet the state is so weak that it can’t say or do a thing
Great article sir, actually situation of Pakistan become so dangerious but still we have hope, I proud of you and proud to be a part of NCJP.
Dear christians ,
Before this christmas pl migrate to India. we have as many churches as we have the temples and mosques. free to worship.