The real enemy

An empty stomach leaves one open to exploitation. People become puppets in the hands of those with the message and the money.

In order to survive in Pakistan, one must possess a very unique sense of what is right and wrong. It is generally considered kosher to execute criminals such as rapists and kidnappers through extra-judicial means, but butchers such as Malik Ishaq must be allowed to walk free. It is quite acceptable for blasphemers to be mobbed and strung up the flagpole, but one must never lynch thieves, robbers and protection racketeers, because they may hail from one of the two major ruling parties of our country. Minorities must be protected, but it is quite alright to let innocent Muslims suffer the wrath of violent and intolerant bigots.

You may not agree with most of what has been said above. But the reality is that you or someone you know has endorsed this point of view at some point or the other. And it is only natural. In a society where the rule of law is shaky, at best; and the only ones with a guarantee of coming back home alive are those who can afford to pay for burly guards armed to the teeth, cynicism will thrive.

Following last week’s column, I have been called many nasty things. By arguing that widespread economic uplift is more important than pointlessly screaming oneself hoarse over ‘inaction on violence against minorities’ and other related evils, it appears I have aligned myself with murderers and terrorists. I must, in fact, be a closet Lashkar-supporter. Why else would anyone argue with those who are up in arms about the injustices perpetrated against their Shia brethren?

Actually, they’re my Shia brothers too.

The largest minority group in Pakistan, the Shias are lucky in that the state does not discriminate against them as it does against Ahmedis. As a proportion of the population, they outnumber all other minority groups in the country. Yet, despite such impressive numbers and economic affluence, Shias continue to be targeted. Why is that? Why are good people with money dying at the hands of AK-47-toting masked gunmen who claim to be members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban or a related group? Aren’t terrorists and intolerant extremists more concerned with the flocks of lesser, more pagan gods?

The problem with looking at violence as a manifestation of intolerance in society is that it offers us mere snapshots from a veritable motion picture. You could analyze numbers, geographical patterns, population demographics and even certain qualitative variables and still know as much about the problem as that little boy on the street selling flowers. For example, between 2001 and 2011, out of a total of 82 attacks against places of worship or religious gatherings, nearly half have been perpetrated against mosques and shrines of mainstream Sunni (Barelvi and Deobandi) Islam. If this figure were to be taken at face value, it would greatly outnumber the instances of attacks on Shia or Ahmedi places of worship. But that would not lead you to conclude that Muslims, and not minorities, are under threat in Pakistan. Indeed, one must look at these phenomena in terms of the proportion of a particular minority group in the overall population. Therefore, if six churches were attacked in the same 10-year period as 40 mosques and shrines, one must also consider that Muslims outnumber Christians by about 10:1.

But it’s not just the violence that is worrying. What is even more frightening is the mainstream endorsement of values such as “It is acceptable to kill blasphemers” or “Ahmedis are liable for summary execution because of their beliefs”. It was bad enough that they were outlawed from calling themselves Muslims, now they have no right to exist either. At least not in the minds of a large number of Pakistanis.

You see, not everyone in the country is a card-carrying member of an extremist group. But when members of such a group show up in your community, dressed in starched white shalwaar kameez and preaching a message of hate against those who are different, it is easy to be swayed if you have an inclination towards the message itself. You may have been slighted by a Shia shopkeeper; your lover may have run off with an Ahmedi and your annoying landlord may be a Christian. But you’ve never really put your negative feelings towards them into action. Until now.

The catalyst here is the extremist few, who incite others to violence. And because things are bad, really bad in the country right now, violence seems like a good escape for many. It serves as an outlet and it seen as a release. “If you chase the unbelievers out, good fortune will descend upon you” is the message that is gobbled up readily by the hapless, veritable sheep.

There are only three ways to prevent such gross injustices: the presence of a better, more vigilant and proactive law enforcement apparatus; the repeal and reform of intolerant laws; and the socio-economic uplift of everyone at large. Face it, an empty stomach and a family of mouths to feed leaves one open to exploitation and susceptible to indoctrination. People become pawns, puppets in the hands of those with the message and the money. They are the real enemy, not the everyman brandishing a pitchfork. The everyman can be made to see the truth: their handlers cannot. The everyman is as much a victim as a dead Shia or Ahmedi.

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