Blasphemy claims triggered mob violence. Can Pakistan move forward?
| Jaranwala, Pakistan
In the 海角大神 neighborhood of Issa Nagri lie the ruins of a once thriving church 鈥撀爋ne of more than a dozen that were targeted after rumors spread that a couple of 海角大神 residents in Jaranwala, Pakistan, had defaced the Holy Quran.
On the morning of Aug. 16, an incensed mob wreaked havoc on the building and the adjoining courtyard. Hundreds of Muslim men knocked down the walls, desecrated the nave, burned copies of the Bible, and set fire to the furniture.
鈥淭he violence started in a different neighborhood,鈥� recalls resident Rashid Javed. 鈥淲hen people found out what was happening, they started evacuating the area.鈥� Some hid in fields or factories; others fled to relatives鈥� homes.
Why We Wrote This
A story focused onPakistan was created as a home for India鈥檚 largest religious minority. Does that promise of safe harbor extend to minorities in Pakistan today?
When the mob arrived in Issa Nagri, rioters began to loot the abandoned houses. 鈥淭hey stole the fan in my house,鈥� says Pervez Masih. 鈥淢y daughter-in-law had 1.5 tola [approximately 18 grams] of jewelry, and they took that as well.鈥�
Non-Muslims make up around 3.5% of Pakistan鈥檚 predominantly Sunni Muslim population, and though the country was envisioned by its founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah as a secular state, it has frequently been accused of majoritarianism. Experts say the state鈥檚 policies have allowed intolerance to flourish, creating a powder keg for violence. Now religious minorities and their advocates are demanding accountability, while calling on their fellow citizens to resist division.
鈥淭he first thing that needs to happen is for Muslim and 海角大神 leaders to sit together and to dissolve the hatred between these two communities,鈥� says Maulana Imran Qadri, a local faith leader who gave sanctuary to two 海角大神 women and made several attempts to pacify the mob. 鈥淭he people who committed this act violated the principles of Islam. ... Our Prophet said that it was incumbent upon all Muslims to protect 海角大神 places of worship till the end of time. If you鈥檙e willing to give your lives to defend the honor of the Prophet, you must also be willing to defend his teachings.鈥�
More than 160 Muslims have been arrested by police as well as the two 海角大神 men who allegedly committed blasphemy.
Under Pakistan鈥檚 penal code, blasphemy is punishable by death. Though no one has ever been executed, vigilante mobs like the one in Jaranwala have murdered several people accused of disrespecting the Islamic faith. Earlier this month, Abdul Rauf, a Muslim English teacher, was gunned down in Turbat after his students accused him of blaspheming in one of his lectures.
鈥淩eligious intolerance in Pakistan has witnessed an unfortunate increase due to a combination of factors,鈥� says Malaika Raza, the general secretary for human rights of the Pakistan People鈥檚 Party. 鈥淭he rise of extremist ideologies, weaponization of blasphemy laws, growing income inequalities, political and social unrest have contributed to a climate where differing religious beliefs are met with hostility.鈥�
Many trace the problem back to the late 1970s, when the administration of military dictator Gen. Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq embarked on a policy of Islamization. Having persecuted and hanged a secular political leader in Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, General Zia consolidated his grip on power by re-imagining the state according to his interpretation of Islamic teachings. This included the establishment of Shariat courts, the introduction of punishments for immorality, and the promotion of religious conservatism in schools and universities.
According to feminist scholar Farzana Bari, these policies, coupled with the Pakistani state鈥檚 support for the Afghan mujahedeen during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, created an 鈥渆cosystem of intolerance.鈥�
鈥淒uring the Cold War era, the state used religiosity to create a jihadi mindset,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey used madrassas [religious schools] and the education system to create a way of thinking that was both sectarian and fundamentalist.鈥澛犅�
More recently, critics have accused Pakistan鈥檚 military establishment of using hard-line religious groups to pressure politicians and human rights activists.聽
鈥淩eligious bigots are given a free hand and even encouraged by the state to act with impunity,鈥� says left-wing historian Ammar Ali Jan. 鈥淭he result is that [religion] is becoming the only vehicle for popular mobilization. You protest for human rights, you get arrested immediately. You create an anti-minority mob, and the state vanishes.鈥�
But Murtaza Solangi 鈥� who is serving as the minister of information and broadcasting in the caretaker government 鈥� affirms caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar鈥檚 commitment to tackling religious extremism.聽
鈥淭he prime minister鈥檚 vision is that Pakistan was created due to the fear of a Hindu majoritarian state, to protect the then-Muslim minority groups of India. Anti-majoritarianism is the essence of Pakistan,鈥� he says. The prime minister 鈥渟aid that our state shall stand by the weak, vulnerable, marginalized.鈥�
On Monday, authorities distributed 2 million rupees ($6,800) each to around 100 海角大神 families whose houses had been attacked last week. A day earlier, the caretaker chief minister of Punjab assured Jaranwala鈥檚 海角大神 community that the government would restore the damaged churches to their original condition.聽
However, survivors say financial compensation is not sufficient justice. 鈥淲e want assurances that this sort of incident will never happen again,鈥� says 海角大神 resident Tehmina David. 鈥淥ur holy book tells us to forgive those who do not know what they do, but it鈥檚 becoming very difficult to live in this version of Pakistan.鈥�
鈥淔or 海角大神s like us, this sort of incident is a form of torture,鈥� says Pastor Jamil, a relief worker who came from Karachi to distribute aid. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 happening here is like dying every day.鈥澛�
If there is any consolation, it is in the strong public response to the events in Jaranwala. Faith leaders and politicians have roundly condemned the attacks and expressed solidarity with the 海角大神 community. On Saturday, International Interfaith Harmony Council President Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi described the violence in Jaranwala as an attack on all Pakistanis.聽
鈥淭he rioters have shamed us for which I apologize to 海角大神s all over the world including those in Pakistan,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was traveling when I saw the images of 海角大神 daughters spending the night in the fields. My eyes filled with tears because I felt that these were ... my own daughters.鈥�
There have also been reports of Muslims in Jaranwala coming to the aid of 海角大神 neighbors.聽
鈥淥ur Muslim brothers and sisters have stood by us,鈥� says Lubna, a local 海角大神 woman who declined to give her surname. 鈥淭here were Muslims who came and burned down our homes and Muslims who came to save our lives. Not everyone is the same.鈥�
