Why do we have to be apologetic?
By syed Qamar Hasan.
Doubts and lack of confidence in one’s own self, one’s own beliefs, faith and one’s identity, become instrumental in giving birth to apologies and conciliatory attitudes towards those who do not share our values and morals.
An apology means, “I am sorry. I was/am wrong. ”That’s OK, with individual philosophies and ideologies of life, but it does not suit more than billion strong followers of a Universal Faith and its divinely revealed tenets put successfully to governance for several hundred years to be sorry, regretful and embarrassed at the shallow, baseless and biased criticism of Shariah laws, by those ignorant of their own faith and beliefs and for whom religion is an affair to be kept at home away from the rustle and bustle of life.
Death in itself is tragic, be it of friend or foe. If not for onlookers, it is for the dear and near ones of the dead. In principle Mumtaz Hussein Qadri cannot be condoned for killing Salman Taseer, despite Taseer being provocative and disrespectful to a very touchy and sensitive issue.
Mumtaz Qadri ‘s action was doctrinaire driven, rather than terroristic . Nobody, come what reason, has the right to take the law in his hands. But, when there is no law and order in a country, where crooks, criminals and murderers are let off the hook, there are no options, but take the law in hand. That’s what Mumtaz Qadri did.
Now going beyond that, developing a gloomy picture and building an imagery to portray the killing as Islamic terrorism and bigotry and a naming a whole nation of 160 million people bigots, intolerant and fanatics is unfair.
We forget that Pakistanis are being battered from within and without. Within Pakistan there is no law and order, the weak and the poor are at the mercy of the rich and powerful. There are day light robberies and killings. Uncontrollable price hikes, food is not available, no electricity, no gas, no cooking oil. Recent floods have devastated millions of people and homes. From the other side innocent men, women and children are being killed daily by the ruthless and incessant drone attacks by the Americans fighting insurgency in Afghanistan, they have occupied since the last nine years. What does one expect from such a mass of people?
It is easy, sophisticated, polished and a fashion to call for restraint and tolerance from comfort zones. Our sympathies are skin deep. It is easy to preach and pontificate about tolerance from distance. One cannot fathom and experience the pain and misery of the people of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine, unless we experience the same.
Some of us have become so obsessed, and enamored with western governance and corporate board room transparencies. That our love and infatuation is inclusive of the decadent social and moral values of the West.
We speak from a behind a screen of hypocrisy, hiding our real feelings of despair, hopelessness and frustration at being booted everywhere, by our own tyrant and despot rulers and regimes, and by our sworn enemies under the leadership of the Americans. In public and media we shower praise on them only to be labeled enlightened, progressive and tolerant, a civilized lot, citing and singing hymns of western justice, social equality and human rights.
They say, “it is the onus of the accused to prove his innocence”. We say “One is innocent till he is proved guilty”.They say,” Turn a state approver we will let you off the hook lightly”. We say, “if, guilty, even Fatima bint Muhammed’s hand will not be spared.”
QHUDD BADAL TEY NAHIN QURAN KO BADAL DE TEY HEIN.
Qheesas, blood money, stoning for adultery, cutting of hands, lashing, four wives, Hijab, Jihad, have come to be barbaric acts and laws and source of embarrassment for many of us. We succumb to western pressure and taunts of reviving 7th century Islam and go on a spree shelling away excuse after excuse, apology after apology. “No, no, it is not like this.” No it is so and so, no it was this and that etc, etc.”
Have the British and other European nations apologized for the crimes they committed against the people of Africa, India and the East Indies. Have the Americans repented on Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq. Have they even verbally condemned Israel for killing hundreds and thousands of Palestinian men, women and children raining phosphorus bombs on them. Has Israel apologized for supervising the killings thousand of unarmed Palestinian men, women and children in Sabra and Shatilla camps.
What impudence from Hillary Clinton to comment on Taseer slaying. While her country, the pseudo champion of human rights and freedom broke all international norms when its Cowboy president George Bush invaded Iraq saying, that man Saddam wanted to kill my dad. Hundreds of men, women and children were killed for the ego of one paranoid man.
And here we are ashamed and embarrassed of our cultural, social, political and moral values and governance, that take its strength and roots in knowledge revealed?
Shaitan ko rajeem jo khey dia tha ek din.
Ek shoor macha kilaf –e- tehzeeb hai yeh.
