Adil Najam
The cowardly suicide attack on the Danish Embassy in Islamabad which has led at least eight people dead is not just an attack on a foreign embassy in Pakistan, it is an attack on Pakistan.
There is and there can be no excuse for this dastardly action, and to make excuses is to become part of the apparatus of validating the terror itself. There are those who will make misplaced claims about this being an act of ghairat (honor). Let us be very clear, this is a bay-ghairat (dishonorable) act, no matter what the concocted excuse or justification might be.
The Associated Press pictures above (and below) tell the story of hate and destruction; here are the details, from The News:
The death toll in a huge blast near Danish embassy in F-6 II area in the Red Zone of the federal capital Islamabad on Monday has reached to eight, while seven wounded said to be in a critical condition. The car blast near the Denmark embassy damaged a boundary wall of the building, while nearby UNDP office premises were also damaged in the blast. According to sources 10 to 15 kilogram explosives were used in the blast, which also shattered the vehicles parked in the area. Huge clouds of smoke were seen over the area. The blast created four feet deep crater sources said. Police have cordoned off the area to collect evidence about the incident. Relief operations were underway and the wounded being transferred to hospitals.
While leaders in Pakistan as well as Denmark have condemned the dastardly act, we the people of Pakistan also need to condemn and be outraged at this. These acts of venom and hate are being done in our name. And no matter what the cause we need to stand up and say that this cannot, must not, be allowed to happen in our name.
This is just the latest in a string of hate blasts across Pakistan, including in Islamabad. We at ATP have been worried and have been warning against this culture of violence that has been festering in Pakistan. ATP commentator Deeda-i-Beena has provided some thoughtful ideas of steps that can be taken to begin addressing this cancer. It is time we think of them seriously.
“Societies that tolerate hate and violence breed more hate and violence. The first step is for all of us everywhere to stand up”
Well put Afzal. Those who fail to realize that God has made human life sacrosant and inviolable, and no ‘if but’ cartoon argments deserve to get mentioned in the same line as suicide attacks do not deserve to live in a peaceful society.
To be honest, there is no easy solution to this problem, maybe there is no solution. Evil exists intermittently intervowen with good. For example, some religious leaders in mosques do teach this hatred but there is nothing that can be done about it as majority preach peace.
Moreover all these bombings will just make the West more critical and determined and WILL lead to more cartoons and anti-islamic films in the name of freedom of speech. That in the future will be used as a justification of more bombings by the Taliban. This is a never ending cycle. I am afraid this has no solution.
@ Eidee Man-
I respectfully disagree about your point re: gruesome images being published. While the media should by no means shield our eyes from what is occurring on the ground, there is a fine line that must be drawn on how gruesome the imagery should be. First of all, in war reporting, most news agencies cannot show images of people’s faces to be sensitive to the victims’ families – this same logic should be applied to the aftermath of violent attacks. Second of all, while it is important to cringe at horrific images in order to process the gravity of a situation, it is also important not to desensitize viewers. We have seen this phenomenon already occur through the dominance of violence in the media and through 24-hour news coverage – why exacerbate that even more? If we were made to view horrific images constantly, after awhile we would no longer process the gravity of those images, and conflict situations would not seem as dire. This is not to say they should not be published at all – just that there is a fine line that journalists must be careful to not cross.
Secondly, yes Bin Laden’s popularity is at a low point – but it’s not nonexistent. What some fail to realize is that while there is not a countrywide movement supporting Al Qaeda, the organization still enjoys pockets of support that are still dangerous, because all it takes is one AQ splinter group or Taliban-linked organization to stage an attack that 1. influences perceptions of their influence in Pakistan and 2. reinforces negative overarching perception of Pakistan’s security situation. Just because their support is only at 5% doesn’t mean that number won’t act to the detriment of Pakistani society.
I do not think this is just a matter of education or religion. There are plently of uneducated people who do not blow themselves up. And there are plenty of educated people who do. Similarly most religious people in all religions are actually peaceful and there are people in all religions who are not.
The question is of tolerance for hate and violence. Societies that tolerate hate and violence breed more hate and violence. The first step is for all of us everywhere to stand up and say that if we do not like hate and violence to be directed towards us then we will not tolerate it being directed against anyone else. No matter why and no matter by whom.
No body needs to be educated but those who are behind this nonsense. Beghairat as it is said is well placed in the opening paragraphs.
Bravo Adil bravo!
Its not poverty or lack of education..India has more poor and uneducated than Pakistan