Adil Najam
The news is developing by the moment. But the bottom-line is clear. The security forces have taken control of the Lal Masjid from militants after a severe gun-battle. But the story is far from over.
It will continue to unfold. There are too many unanswered questions. They will certainly be asked and discussed threadbare; here at ATP and elsewhere. But the real story of tomorrow remains the same as the real story of yesterday. Can a society that is so deeply divided against itself learn the lessons of tolerance? This question will continue to haunt us well into the future, in multiple shapes, in multiple forms, in multiple contexts.
This is a question that we at ATP have confronted from our very beginning and will continue to confront. But now is not the time to ponder on this. Even though what has happened had become inevitable over the last many days, I am too heartbroken to be able to do so.
Right now I can think only of Muzammil Shah (photo, from Associated Press, above). This photo was taken as he waited for his son who was inside the Lal Masjid. I do not know whether his son was there voluntarily, or as hostage. But I do know what the look of Muzammil Shah’s face means. The more important question is whether his son came out alive or not. I pray that he did.
Analysts – me included – will discuss what happened at length. They will try to understand the meaning of all this. What does this mean for Pakistan politics? What does this mean for Gen. Musharraf’s future? What does this mean for Islam? For Democracy? Does the fault lie with Abdul Rashid Ghazi and his militant supporters for creating a situation that could only end this way? Why did he not surrender? Is the blood of everyone who died not on his head for his stubboness and arrogance? Or, maybe, it is the government that is to blame because it did not act earlier? Act differently? Waited just a few days more for a negotiated solution?
Right now all these questions seem really petty and small. This is not the time for scoring cheap political points. This is not the time for spin.
Moreover, there are too many questions to ask. To answer. The head hurts as you think of them. But the heart hurts even more as you look at the face of Muzammil Shah.
Maybe the only really important question is the one that you can read between his wrinkles: “Why? Oh God, why? Why must things happen this way?”
Adnan,
The majority of maulvis are good decent people as individuals. They do their jobs and restrict themselves to what they know the best- the spiritual and academic upliftment of their wards.
But they are the silent majority. It the likes of Abdul Rashid Ghazi who beat their chest and become the defacto spokespersons for the maulvi community.
Until the majority draws a line in the sand and takes a stand, they deserve the derision and scorn of the Muslim Ummah.
Ayesha,
Furtheron, until the majority in those countries rise up and take a stand, we will have further “versions of Lal masjids” in each and every one of those countries.- As pakistanis, its neither here nor there, just wanted to make a point.
NaaPak :
I agree with you …Countries like Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon and so on are generally more concerned about what is happening in thier own premisis and would much rather concentrate on setting thier own house in order than interfere in the matters of others. Rightly or wrongly, they keep to themselves , UNLIKE us who will not make the matter of others more ours then they will themselves. Cartoons, Rushdie, Headscarves, etc will be dealt with higly emotional rantings and chest beatings. Perhaps if we had been so charged and sincere about our own home , we would be left with half the problems we are facing today.
Adnan :
You will justify your own words for or against anyone and yet you will not show the same tolerance for anothers point of view. In your long posts, sometimes you make sense , most times you contradict yourself eg; you will defend the mullah and brandish anyone saying anything against them as lesser muslims, you will consider anything against even one of them as blasphamous and intolerant and yet you will not apply the same check on yourself when you talk of “the others” ( the others being anti militants in Islam )
On a lighter note , are you on Red Bull ??
The Jamia Hafsa should be raised to the ground to set an example for all those madaris that are harbouring militants and arm bearing extremists. Madaris are the seat of learning and should not as a rule be used for a misguided vendetta.
The Lal Masjid should remain wehre it is and used for prayer purposes only. Ideally every masjid should be locked after every prayer (as done in Saudi)
Br. Adnan, you misunderstood the essence of my post. I agree with you that the label “Mullah
btw talking of creation, current bread of mullahs were created by Army and US to fight communism and later Russia. Now the true creators of Mullahs – Army and US – are out to eliminate their own creation.
ADNAN SIDDIQUI SAHIB, You are getting too emotional about your mole-o-vie. No comparison can be made between maulavies and educationists (school/college/university teachers). There are black sheep in the teaching profession but they constitute a tiny minority. While the maulavies have got mainly black sheep with the tiny exception of good sheep – still sheep!
Give me few example about maulavies contribution in making our planet a peaceful place! They have committed many crimes in the name of religion that we are ashamed of our religion today! The list of these criminals is very long. Yes in rare cases some mole-o-vie influenced professors have take the role of Maulavies and caused mayhem in the society, examples: many professors/engineers in Afghanistan’s holy war turned their guns on their own people immediately after the withdrawal of Soviet forces, massacring their own people becasue of their ethnic, sectarian and linguistic differences. Few names:
Engineer Gul Badeen Hikmatyar of Hizb-e-Islami
Professor Abdul Rasool Sayyaf of …
In Pakistan there are these regressive professors in the rank and file of mullah hierarchy!
Just answer to this question:
Why Pakistan is in a total mess despite thousands of Madrassaas and hundreds of thousands of maulvi’s involvement in our social lives?
If you replace all these sectarian maddrassaas and regressive mullah with modern educational institution, you will see a real socail change in our society.
Please keep in mind I am not against Islam or anti-muslim, I am against all these illiterate mullahs and their military backers who are directly responsible for our plight and chaos in our society!