Killings in Data Darbar, Lahore
It is deeply distressing news that there has been a bombing attack at the Data Darbar shrine in Lahore, killings dozens of innocent people. See news here.
LAM members condemn this attack, as they condemn all such attacks, and as they condemned the attacks against Qadiani mosques in Lahore in May. All those killed are entirely innocent.
We must also say that the causes must be tackled, the main one being the glorification of such violence by religious leaders who present it as jihad and claim preposterously that those who perpetrate it are received by Allah into heaven as a reward.
I hope I am not offending anyone by calling for “introspection” and self-searching by all Muslims of Pakistan, as to whether they have allowed such religious leaders to prosper by not challenging them, by turning a blind eye to them, or, worse, believing that they are true spokesmen for Islam.
I personally suggest that the bereaved and injured of the attacks against the Qadiani mosques and the bereaved and injured of the Data Darbar attacks meet each other and hold a joint meeting to express condolences to each other. I suggest that at that meeting each party prays for the forgiveness of the souls of the dead of the other party. Of course each party will have already prayed for the dead of their own party, so now is the time to extend their prayers to the deceased of the other side. They need only raise their hands in prayer. In any case, they can share feelings and experiences, and find common ground.
From ikram:
The dog that did not bark!
One of the most popular of the stories, “Silver Blaze” by Arthur Conan Doyle and its main character Sherlock Holmes, focuses on the disappearance of the eponymous race horse named Silver Blaze, a famous winner, on the eve of an important race and on the apparent murder of its trainer, John Straker. The tale is distinguished by its atmospheric Dartmoor setting, and late Victorian sporting milieu. It also features some of Conan Doyle’s most effective plotting, hinging on the famed “curious incident of the dog in the night-time”:
Gregory (Scotland Yard detective): “Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?”
Holmes: “To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.”
Gregory: “The dog did nothing in the night-time.”
Holmes: “That was the curious incident.”
As part of the plot progression, before the mystery could be solved, the core question about the very basis of mystery and scheming of mystery has to be asked. In “Silver Blaze” it goes like this:
Of course, the “curious incident of the dog in the night-time” is now easily explained: the dog made no noise because no stranger was there. As Holmes explained, “. . . . I had grasped the significance of the silence of the dog, for one true inference invariably suggests others . . . . Obviously the midnight visitor was someone whom the dog knew well.”
Similarly, Pakistani society is facing its own “mystery.” Everyone is asking who is responsible for the mayhem in the society, with Rabwah Jamaat Mosques and Daatta Durbar carnage as recent examples.
Answer is in the silence, the paradoxical deafening silence from the loudest mouthpieces in the society. The same mouth pieces who are the defenders of the “virtues” in the society which entails no more than a “lotta and mussala” (pitcher and rug) and suppression of women and minority point of view, for whom everyone one else is impure and infidel, everyone else is hell bound but themselves, opposing or alternative view from them must be suppressed even at cost of human lives; for these very people (singular – ) loss of life means nothing anymore, even dozens means nothing, has to be lost in scores to have some “heavenly impact” and for them murder is an old adage; the new “in thing” is mayhem.
So the question arises – Who is silent in all this mayhem?
To find the answer, one does not have to be Sherlock Holmes. Pakistani society knows the answer, i.e. the individuals, the institutions and the mindset that pervades Pakistan. In Pakistan they do not eat swine nor wear skirts because the general mindset is that not doing these is naturally virtuous. Similarly, not speaking against these carnages seems virtuous because they are inflicted on minority or alternate points of view, be they be Ahmadis or Sufis.
But, how can one blame a Mullah and his silence? The poor Mullah is no more than “Iblis” who cannot but do evil, as it is not a matter of free choice for him and on the contrary he is programmed for it. Only Ata Turk can solve mullah problem. No wonder they all hate the Pasha.
On the contrary, it is the society that creates a need for a Mullah, then funds it, makes building (Mosques) for it to dwell and conscript its breed therein, ascribes to the such a man and institution the “Holiness” and then follows it blindly. How can then the society turn against its own moral conscious? That will be a total destruction of the Freudian “ego.” So the society chooses – The Silence, the Deafening Silence for itself and its Mullah.
In the end, Sherlock Holmes comes to mind “Obviously the midnight visitor was someone whom the dog knew well.”
[Silver Blaze – link]
From Rashid:
@Dr. Zahid Aziz
“I hope I am not offending anyone by calling for “introspection” and self-searching by all Muslims of Pakistan, as to whether they have allowed such religious leaders to prosper by not challenging them, by turning a blind eye to them, or, worse, believing that they are true spokesmen for Islam.”
Pakistan’s Islamic Scholar has expanded on Dr. Zahid Aziz.
Policy Matters, July 2, 2010
Dunya TV
http://pkpolitics.com/2010/07/02/policy-matters-2-july-2010/
Please start at 20minutes 30 seconds
From A:
It reminded me of these verses:
22:73 O people, a parable is set forth, so listen to it. Surely those whom you call upon besides Allah cannot create a fly, though they should all gather for it. And if the fly carry off aught from them, they cannot take it back from it. Weak are (both) the invoker and the invoked.
21:63 He said: Surely (someone) has done it. The chief of them is this; so ask them, if they can speak.
There is a lesson for those who go there to ask for things which they should hope from only Allah.
There had been numerous attacks on shrines in Iraq and TTP also attacked some shrines in NWFP. Such tactics ensure maximum loss of human life (in case Rabwa mosques attack they chose a certain date and in this attack they chose a certain day), ignite passions and give chance to mullahs to shed crocodile tears instead of speaking about root causes.
i think everyone has to read this essay cos we can’t learn such things from mullahs. Its amazing what was written so may years ago still make sense.
http://aaiil.org/text/books/mga/britishgovernmentjihad/britishgovernmentjihad.shtml
It is astonishing that there r certain ppl who justifies the certain image of islam which a faction of west want to promote in world.
From Zahid Aziz:
On the PTV Global programme ‘Sunday Lounge’, 4th July, presented by Salman and Samina Pirzada, guests were Dr Javed Iqbal, Shafqat Tanweer Mirza, Shahzad Ahmad Shahzad.
Dr Javed Iqbal referred to Nawaz Sharif’s comment that “Ahmadis are our brothers”, and he deplored the fact that Nawaz Sharif had been attacked for saying this. He said: As human beings, aren’t Ahmadis our brothers?
Then Shafqat Tanweer Mirza said that Ahmadis had played a great role in the creation of Pakistan, and he added that the country had later turned against all those who had supported its creation.
From ikram:
‘Some ulema reluctant to condemn suicide attacks’ [Dawn]
Excerpt:
Federal minister for religious affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi on Sunday said that a majority of ulema do not favour suicide attacks but some of them are reluctant to condemn them unconditionally…
VIEW: Extremists’ war on people’s Islam —Yasser Latif Hamdani [Daily Times]
Excerpt:
…For 1,000 years, Hajvery’s shrine has fed Lahore’s hungry, clothed its naked and given shelter to the shelter-less. All that was brought to a halt when the night jackals in straitjackets struck like the cowards they are. It was Ahmedis last month, sufis now and Shias probably next. Pakistan’s Islamic pluralism is now the target…
Technical note by Editor: Links to pages in Daily Times use the back slash character as in “2010\07\05”, which I have never seen at any other website. It should always be the forward slash (/). When one of these links is submitted in a comment, the back slash gets treated as an “escape character” so that when the message reaches the moderator the back slash and the following character (“\0”) have disappeared, and the link doesn’t work. Now knowing this, I put them back in!
From Muhammad Ali:
An article written by Sheri Rehman in Jang newpaper:
http://jang-group.com/jang/jul2010-daily/05-07-2010/col9.htm
Unfortunatley such voices are not heard in our society here.
From Rashid:
The funniest comment made after May 28, 2010 massacre in Qadiani Jamaat Mosques, in Lahore was: There is great animosity between two groups of Ahmaids i.e. Qadianis and Lahoris. And Lahoris perpetrated carnage done in Qadianis mosques. This comment was made in TV program in Pakistan, in which ulema were participant.
Another comment has come to my information: In Friday July, 2, 2010 sermon Imam in Jamiah Naimiah has accused Qadianis for massacre in Hazart Ali Hajvari’s shrine in Lahore. Qadianis are blamed for taking their revenge of May 28th massacre.
Similarly, I have received another information that police officials at the rank of SPs has started informing important Qadianis in Lahore that safety to their lives and properties cannot be assured so it is better if they leave the country.
From Usman Khan:
“I suggest that at that meeting each party prays for the forgiveness of the souls of the dead of the other party.”
The whole of the last paragraph is wise and wonderful suggestion! Thank you!