Living in our own self created cocoons of safety, we have become blasé enough to take the rising intolerance around us in stride. Secure in the belief that it can only happen to the “other.” The unfortunates who exist only to fill newspaper columns.
However every so often, incidents occur that are so appalling, so utterly shocking in nature that we are jarred out of our collective stupor. Our patina of complacency.. Rent asunder
Farzana’s death was one such case. Though honour killings abound. This one was different. Farzana was murdered not in some remote rural hamlet. But practically outside the steps of the AIwan-e-Adl (House of Justice) the high court building… In broad daylight… On a busy street… In the metropolis of lahore… In front of armed cops, lawyers and other onlookers… Methodically bludgeoned to death, with stones and bricks and what ever implements her dozens of family members could pick up from the road side… She was pregnant.
Her crime. She had dared marry a man of her own choice.
No one amongst the Ak-47 toting police officers paid to protect the people.. Or the lawyers paid to help seekers of justice.. Bothered to even attempt to stop the murderers from their grisly task. Doubtless they listened to her tortured, anguished cries. Saw her life blood gushing from her body.. But not with empathy for this nation as a whole is seemingly devoid of the emotion. Rather, with cynical amusement. A “wayward” woman… getting her just chastisement. Getting exactly what she deserved.
What were her final moments like? What was she thinking when she saw all those people standing around as she begged. As she pleaded..As she prayed… Doubtless, she cried out.. To the man she had given her all for. Her husband… He did not answer though. He was too busy running away and hiding under a car from where he saw the spectacle of his beloved wife being hacked to death in front of his eyes.
Yes, her beloved husband.. While his Farzana screamed his name again and again. He understood well enough the bleak reality that killing a woman is easy..He had after all killed his first wife with his bare hands simply because she had tried to stop him from going to meet his “beloved” Farzana. He was not going to risk his precious hide to protect a mere pregnant wife!! (Under Pakistan’s highly controversial Qasas laws he was ‘forgiven’ for the murder of his first wife by his family)
The whole world (from the UN to the international media) has expressed their outrage. The government is making the usual placatory noises. But once this ‘storm-in-a-teacup’ dies down. What then? Will the drawing-room chattering classes move on to more juicer topics? Yes of course.
As I mentioned earlier, we seem to have lost all sense of empathy. What to make of the Septuagenarian New Yorker of Pakistani origin who clubbed his wife to death simply because she served him Daal (lentils) instead of mutton. The council for the defense put forth the argument that since, wife bashing is part of Pakistani culture so it should not really be classified as cold blooded murder in the first degree!!
Our moral compass is bereft of all sense of direction and the fault clearly lies in our absolute inability at feeling any pain other than our own. On regular basis couples get married here and spouses go abroad only to send divorce papers back, as the respective hubbies/wives realize that they can do a lot better. Disregarding the emotional horror they have so callously inflicted.
Witness, if you will the very public lynching (again in the presence of armed police officers) in 2012 of the two teenaged bothers Muneeb and Mughees Butt who were beaten to death in Sialkot while bystanders made videos of the “Tamasha”. Videos which were then aired by virtually all the major networks irrespective of the effect they would have on the family members of the two unfortunate brothers.
Wither empathy.. Wither compassion? Do these two qualities lie dead and buried amongst us? No not completely. When Muneeb and Mughees Butt’s family was presented with a million-rupee cheque as compensation by the Punjab government, they added a hundred thousand rupees to the amount and returned it, to have it deposited in the Chief Minister’s flood relief fund.
* Display is an Art work by Aegis Mario S. Nevado
Religious intolerance in a Pakistan is full of violence and bloodshed, which has eventually become fatal and has gone beyond our hands.
In our country and even in Asia (especially Pakistan and India) religion is an extreme weapon, which can be used as one of the most powerful instrument of deflecting empathy from those outside the faith and sectarian affiliation.
We, so called civil society and young generation are silent about these Islamist groups (TTP, LET and JM), the cost of this silence has been enormous.
On the other hand over religious leaders (Mulas) and scholars rather give clarity with one voice are scattered in different sects.
Don;t called Islamic groups to TTP, LET, JM. These are not belongs to Islam. If any one called him or her a Islamic person it doesn't mean he or she is working for Islam. Every one knows who were created these groups and still who are paying for them. Review 1980-90 time period, Soviet Union War. These groups were created against Islam not for Islam.