The increased religious intolerance in India is a top news item on Pakistan’s TV channels and in print media. Every other day, we see prominent Indian intellectuals, scholars, writers, scientists, Bollywood artists are returning their esteemed national awards to record their protest against growing intolerance in the country. This week Booker Prize winner novelist Arundhati Roy also joined the protest on state-sponsored (or encouraged) polices against religious minorities and low-caste communities by stirring up Hindu nationalism. It’s a long list of personalities who are still able to call a spade a spade, not hiding behind religious or caste bias. Few prominent names are Uday Prakash, Dalip Kaur, Ajmer Singh, Anil Joshi, Pushpa Mittra, Ganesh Devy, Saeed Mirza, Kundan Shah – the list goes on.
As I watch and read with interest long discussions on Pakistan TV channels and in newspapers articles wherein one after the other anchor and writer celebrate the Indian scholars standing against religious fascism. But I always wonder: Why can’t I find these people returning their awards when the religious and sectarian minorities are targeted in their own country? Where were these people when state assumed the role of ‘God’ to pass on verdict who is and who is not is a Muslim, when a military dictator amended the blasphemy laws and introduced Hudood Ordinance, when successive governments encouraged religious militancy to achieve foreign policy goals, when sections of society were targeted by religious extremists?
It’s always easy to talk about others but when it comes on oneself, very few pass the test. Of course, there are exceptions — Salman Taseer, Mukhtaran Mai, Malala Yousifzai — who stood tall against dark forces. But where are our writers, scholars and artists? Perhaps busy in condemning events across the border.
MASOOD KHAN
Jubail, Saudi Arabia
