The blood of how many do you need, O motherland
That which will brighten your colorless earth
How many sighs will soothe your heart
How many tears will make your deserts bloom — Faiz Ahmed Faiz
(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Witchcraft purges were carried out in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. A practice, every bit as inhumane, has been in effect in Pakistan. Members of the Isna Ashari sect are being killed brutally. These cruel incidents are performed in a structured, impersonal manner. According to genocide sociologists, this systematic way of administering deaths indicates the existence of a ‘centralized bureaucratic authority’ capable of destroying human lives on a large-scale. Thus, it can be concluded that these horrifying massacres are not the result of sectarian conflicts.It is true that religious intolerance prevails in our country. The self-proclaimed ‘champions’ of religion (read: religious bigots) who appear on television, tend to believe that their version of religion is superior and everyone else is gumraah (misguided). The Quran says: “To you be your Way, and to me mine”. However, the so-called ‘purveyors’ of religion, insist on propagating hatred. This fanatical mindset which has been cultivated over the years prevents us from co-existing in harmony. This attitude can be attributed to the long years of martial law, which resulted in the Islamisation of Pakistan and have destroyed the social fabric.According to Stanley Wolpert’s Jinnah of Pakistan, Jinnah himself was an Isna Ashari. He, however, believed that religion belonged to the private sphere of life. This is evident in his much-quoted speech of August 11, 1947 to the Constituent assembly. In the same book, Wolpert says that in October 1946, a Congress-League federation was formed to rule the Indian Federation. Of the League’s five members, put forward by Jinnah, one was a Hindu, J N Mandal, who later on became the first law minister of Pakistan.The mass media, employing its tactics of ‘gatekeeping’ and ‘agenda setting’, has not adequately covered the plight of the Shia community. We live in country where Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza’s wedding overshadowed the passing of the 18th Amendment. We need to revisit our priorities and stop turning a blind-eye to this grave issue of Shia genocide.The Shia community has not been provided any security. They continue to be persecuted. The website ‘Shia Killing’ was blocked by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority. The Supreme Court of Pakistan too fails to take notice. Although, two bottles of wine are sufficient to trigger a suo moto notice, the numerous lives that have been lost are not.The individuals responsible for the horrendous murders of innocent Shia Muslims need to be psychologically treated. For such sickening, atrocious acts can only be done by diseased, mentally-ill people. This issue requires our immediate attention. Concrete measures need to be taken to put the innocent Shia Muslims out of their misery. Criminals need to be caught, and justice, dispensed.Religion does not teach us to bear ill-will among ourselves;We are of Hind, our homeland is Hindustan — Iqbal /129
