And ‘someone’ has to tell them
They must be taught and brainwashed that houris are not meant for terrorists. This alleged concept of virgins’ companionship of the faithful in paradise has done more damage to the basic spirit of Islam than doing anything good to it
After the Quetta massacre last month, where more than 54 lawyers were killed mercilessly and one generation of black coats was completely eliminated, another suicide blast was carried out on Mardan’s sessions court last week, claiming lives of another five lawyers besides four constables.
The terrorist organisation Jamatul Ahrar claimed responsibility this time too, perhaps countering the claim of the establishment that they have broken the backbone of terrorists. But they demonstrated that are there with full force and power and can attack at whim. Earlier, they targeted areas like military establishments, public places, hospitals and parks. This time, they have chosen the legal fraternity to fail the state and its machinery, so that people could be harassed and frightened.
After the Peshawar attack, the state reacted very strongly. Military courts were established through a constitutional amendment and a National Action Plan was formulated, but no substantial change could be brought on record. And finally, the civilian government was held responsible for all failures in this direction.
One thing that the state must have pondered over was the root cause of terrorism – lack of ‘religious education’ – through which a changed narrative could be imparted to the fundamentalists.
Apparently this seems a paradox. How study of religion could be leveraged to change the narrative in context of terrorism would be startling for many. But it is a fact which needs to be materialised.
The state-owned religions institutions and qualified scholars could be of great help in this regard. In religious seminaries, the students must be taught what an Islamic state considers appropriate and apt as per its foreign policy. Firstly, the concept of jihad must be clarified to all: Islam no more be spread through war and sword. The citizens of any state must restrict themselves to the borders of their territory as crossing it illegally for any purpose whatsoever falls under the ambit of crime and violation of international and indigenous laws. However, if the state announces a state of emergency against any belligerent country or group, only then the citizens may take up arms that too if they are commanded. Otherwise, international and state laws throughout the world have settled once and for all that interference into any other independent and sovereign country would be considered as aggression.
Secondly, they must be taught and brainwashed that houris are not meant for terrorists. This alleged concept of virgins’ companionship of the faithful in paradise has done more damage to the basic spirit of Islam than doing anything good to it. Originally, its symbolic significance was meant to woo the faithful to good deeds as a reward but it proved otherwise. Here the faithful wanted to go to paradise overnight and have the company of beautiful women in the hereafter to have the feel of this divine pleasure. And this has made us fools in the eyes of people across the world.
Thirdly, the believers should be taught that killing in the name of belief or religion is uncalled for and is tantamount to killing all mankind.
The ultimate aim of such education is to install a new narrative in the minds of those who desire paradise right from the crime scene – mutilated bodies and severed heads of victims – to janat (paradise) in great wish of the houris.
But, unfortunately, the military and the state seem achieving their targets only through guns and tanks. As goes the well known maxim by George Orwell that ‘power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely’. Similarly, suppression rebels and complete suppression rebels completely. The more the power will be exploited to crush dissenting voices, the more they will emerge in the society. Giving vent to emotions and sentiments too is a treatment of the ailing minds. It brings more psychological relief to them than being in opposition and enmity with the usurpers.
Bringing incentives and benefits to the misguided youth playing at the hands of terror outfits should have been the supreme and foremost duty of the state including the establishment. Failing this, tanks and bullets unfortunately remain the only option for dealing with such a situation.
According to an estimate of ISPR’s DG Asim Bajwa, Pakistan has suffered more than $107 billion loss in the war on terror besides fifty thousand civilian and military deaths. Had the state put this money and the force on changing the narrative and brining into mainstream the militant groups and deprived sections of the society, circumstances could have been far different.
Unluckily, this did not happen, and seems unlikely in the future.
We know how nations always instill certain ideologies and philosophies to tilt minds of its subjects towards achieving successes and certain missions
The state was required to formulate a two-pronged policy. If they are engaging the militants militarily, they must also be confronted on psychological fronts since the terrorism is all about the state of mind. History is witness to the fact that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, considering the uprising in Balochistan, dissolved the provincial assembly soon after he assumed the office of premiership. Could it be, accounting for his state of mind after the fall of Dhaka, that the new PM was traumatised by the prospect of another secession?
Coming back to terror attacks on lawyers and courts, if the state and the security agencies consider that only war will bring change, it does not seem to be working. Bombs can be exploded anywhere anytime except highly sensitive areas, though they too have not be an exception, and for security officials the task to frisk all suicide bombers at public places, roads, educational institutions and such other areas can never be achieved.
We know how nations always instill certain ideologies and philosophies to tilt minds of its subjects towards achieving successes and certain missions. If guns and tanks remain the only option, it must be used across the board irrespective of political and religious considerations, and status in the functioning of the state or the security agencies. There must be a clear policy and the mantra of good and bad Taliban has also to be done away with.
But, unfortunately, that too is not happening. Selective targeting is likely to make people disillusioned about targeted operations, which can in turn impact the willingness of the people to back the state.
If the civilian government has failed in achieving a satisfactory law and order situation in the country, so did the military despite enjoying unbridled power and abrogation and suspension of constitutions repeatedly. One lethal era was of General Zia’s when jihadi and weapons culture was introduced in Pakistan, though apparently in favour of the state, spoiled the very state and its youth whom he wanted to bring prosperity to. General Musharraf started rowing the boat the other way round in the name of enlightened moderation, only to get it stuck in a quagmire – which way to take?
The situation finds apt description in a verse of the late Parveen Shakir:
aqb me gehra sumandar ha samnay jungle
kis intiha pe mera mehrban chor gaya
(In front of me is dense jungle and deep sea behind
My lover ditched me in between)
The state must realise without any further delay that only changed minds bring about a changed society with a changed narrative. It should send a very strong and argumentative message to the terrorists that what they would find after their souls will fly to the heavens is only bottomless perdition where they will ‘dwell in Adamnatine Chains and penal Fire.’