Drawing the right lessons
What happened was a tragedy and no one is saying that Mr Jamshed’s life is any more valuable than the rest of the lives we lost, even if it feels like the contrary to many
There is a massive trend going all over the planet this year and it’s pretty popular on social media. Almost worldwide, 2016 is being vilified as one of the worst years in modern times. If one was to critically analyse this, there would probably be no rational argument in support of this notion. Years prior to 2016 must have been mostly costly in terms of lives or bad for the world economy, but a trend is a trend and who are we to question this collective belief?
On that note, 2016 has been pretty cruel for Pakistan too. We lost Amjad Sabri to violence, then we lost Mr Edhi and now along with some 56 other passengers and six crew members, we lost Mr Junaid Jamshaid to a recent PIA plane crash. Our nation is no new comer when it comes to shocking incidents of having innocent lives being snatched away from us, and where some would argue that over time, we as a people have grown apathetic to loss but then once in a while, a loss awakens the nation’s beating, crying heart. Junaid Jamshed’s death has been no different. A cultural icon for an entire generation of Pakistanis; Junaid Jamshed jumped into the scene decades ago, serenading us with musical gems that we not only swayed our heads too but our hearts also grew up on those rythms. Then Junaid Jamshed left behind that life and turned towards religion, becoming a high profile preacherof Islam. At the same time he also made his mark in the fashion world, launching a chain of shops that popularised colourful and fashionable kurtas for men.
There is no question about it, what happened was a tragedy and no one is saying that Mr Jamshed’s life is any more valuable than the rest of the lives we lost, even if it feels like the contrary to many. A public personality, especially an artist, has a special place in the hearts of people; by the nature of their work, they touch so many lives using their talent and hard work, that their loss always feels personal. That is also true for a preacher of the caliber of Junaid Jamshed. But if you were look at the media and social media of Pakistan as an outsider, it would seem to you that Pakistan is mourning two different people called Junaid Jamshed. One Junaid is the young and handsome clean shaved popstar wearing faded jeans and a t-shirt who wrote songs on love, patriotism and friendship, defining the entire youth scene for an entire generation of this country. One Junaid is the old, soft featured, long bearded pious looking preacher who undertook the mission of spreading the message of Islam across the planet, shunning his old life of ‘sin’ to dedicate his life to God and to philanthropy. There is another Junaid as well by the way, a shrewd businessman and fashion mogul who launched a successful chain of clothing franchises but many in this country do not focus on that, maybe because funnily enough that sits well for all of us.
And it’s strange how even in death of the person who brought us ‘DilDil Pakistan’ and brought Dawa culture into the mainstream still showcases our country’stwo contradictory identities. One swathe of people remembers, celebrates and mourns the singer, while the other remembers, celebrates and mourns the preacher. It does not matter what Junaid Jamshed wanted to be remembered by or in which area he was a bigger influence as both proponents from both sides argue. People remember that of their heroes what they wish to remember, what of their heroes resounded most with them, will be what they will take away. But then who does Junaid Jamshed belong to? To the ‘liberals’ who remember him as a pop icon and vilify his years as a preacher? Or to the ‘conservatives’ who vilify his years as a singer and remember him as a preacher? This question, if looked closely, is not a simple or silly one, this is a bigger question which is a question of the identity of this country.
Then there are also those who condemn this process of ‘martyr-formation’of a man who they remind was, in their opinion, full of flaws. And the funny thing is, those people exist on both sides. The ‘liberal’ dissenters remind us of his misogynistic views on women and his inaction in reducing religious violence against religious minorities in this country while in some ‘conservative’ circles we are reminded that he is still a blasphemer who cannot be forgiven and someone who used religion for monetary purposes.
It’s all a bit too strange and yet, we Pakistanis are used to this. Why? Why so much divergence in viewpoints? Is this because we as a nation, even after more than 70 years of independence, are still a nation confused about our identity?
Maybe.
Why so much divergence in viewpoints? Is this because we as a nation, even after more than 70 years of independence, are still a nation confused about our identity?
But this author’s humble submission in this matter would be however to is not to focus on our differences. For his all his flaws, Junaid Jamshed had an impact in all of our lives, good or bad, and has become immortalised as a legendary icon of Pakistan: he would not want us to fight over the definition of his legacy. Or at least, we shouldn’t want to do. Let us share his legacy. Let us, as a nation, celebrate the singer, the preacher and the successful fashion entrepreneur. Let us also criticise the misogynist and the blasphemer. Let us do it not in an independent and alienating way, where we build our walls and divide his legacy amongst us. Let us not do that anymore. Let us no longer make a nation where two citizens feel cognitive dissonance as soon as one crosses over from their comfort zone to another. Let us however celebrate our diversity. I know it is easier said than done, especially in the present case and at this time of our history where Pakistan is more divided than ever. But maybe the first step in that direction would be to look at what unites us as a people rather than what divides us. Rather than fighting amongst each other over his legacy, let us share our grief and recognise that at the very least, we all agree that this is a major moment and loss for the nation. Just with that acceptance, we are recognising a very important point, which though is so simple that it might actually make me look stupid, But if we look at it carefully, for its simplicity, it is one of our most complicated causes of strife: we are one nation. For all our differences, for all our alienation amongst our people, for all the violence, name calling, vilification of ‘The Other’ and prejudice as to what the values of this nation should be…we are still one nation. Let us just for a second recognise that and stand together. Let us take the death of this singer, preacher, fashion mogul, philanthropist, misogynist and blasphemer and extract this out of it. Let us make that his legacy.
