Someone always to kill

[T-Faz]

Someone always to kill – The Express Tribune

At some point in time, a lot of the citizens of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan quietly renounced their citizenship to become ‘Takfiristanis’. They took upon themselves the right to declare anyone they willed a non-Muslim and gave themselves the right to murder.

I was always under the impression that ghazis in history were men and women of valour, who stared death in the face and didn’t flinch because the mettle of their belief was so strong. So as it emerges that the killer of Salmaan Taseer, Malik Mumtaz Qadri, is a ‘ghazi’ to many, it’s odd that he allegedly requested the other guards not to kill him. That he killed an unarmed man in cold blood is cowardly, that he wanted his life spared is cowardly. That doesn’t sound courageous to me.

After the killing of Salmaan Taseer, the silent majority of Pakistan finally spoke. They liked it. It didn’t matter what class they were from, what clothes they wore, how many years of education they had. They agreed with murder most foul. But they are still silent on their secret identity as Takfiristanis.

Salmaan Taseer’s record as governor Punjab isn’t exemplary; he was a willing participant in the uncomfortable ‘allies, but not really’ dance between the PML-N and PPP. But whatever the specifics of his tenure, he put his life on the line because he saw an act of injustice and wanted to correct it. It was a morally brave and intellectually honest decision.

He only wanted to amend the law to make sure the honour of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) is not used by people who want to settle personal scores. There is nothing he said that can justify the murder. I wonder how much research Malik Mumtaz Qadri did on the late governor before deciding to extinguish the light from his eyes.

This murder is not an isolated incident. A mosque in Karachi has announced that Sherry Rehman is not a Muslim, no doubt the prayer leader is hoping that there is another Malik Mumtaz Qadri waiting in the wings somewhere. Yet, I am absolutely sure that the imam has not read the private bill tabled by Sherry Rehman. He wants to be able to decide who is, or who is not, a momin by hearsay.

In November, I wrote a piece about the blasphemy law, arguing that the law could be applied to anyone who was made aware of the teachings of Islam yet still remained a non-Muslim. I got a lot of critiques for that interpretation. But then, three weeks later, a doctor was charged under the same law for throwing a man’s business card into the dustbin — the man’s name was Mohammad Faizan.

The man in question, Mohammed Faizan, should have been charged for insulting the name of the Holy Prophet (pbuh), for wrongly accusing another of alleged blasphemy. But no, that’s inviting potentially lethal wrath.

I have heard from many that what Pakistan needs is a real counterterrorism strategy, one that is based on more guns, Kevlar and troops. True, but what happens when there is fanaticism in those charged with countering terrorism? It won’t do anything to tackle the real problem, the mindsets. The plague is very real.

If America leaves Afghanistan tomorrow, the drones stop humming, the Jews of Israel drown in the sea, will that stop the bloodlust? No, they will find new causes and kill Pakistan in the process. And the new cause will be Pakistan itself, if it isn’t already.

There is no easy solution. But we can start incrementally. The media needs to be first. If Meher Bokhari nods her head in approval when someone describes Malik Mumtaz Qadri on the just side of morality, if Hamid Mir and Javed Chaudhry suggest that Salmaan Taseer brought it upon himself, it feeds the monster further.

Rehman Malik unconsciously is also one of them, happily proclaiming that he, too, would kill anyone for an alleged act of true blasphemy. The PML-N has always been a moral pygmy, but one expects better of the PPP after this tragedy.

 

[Meengla]

There is a strong parallel between the murder of Taseer and the shooting of Congresswoman Giffords: In both cases the right wing media stirred up violence. We have seen the damaging role of Pakistan's media aplenty. Look at what some of the 'Highlighted' Comments are saying about the role of the right-wingers like Glenn Beck and Bill Oreilly in America.
These right wingers are indeed a breed apart! Cancerous. In the quote below, replace 'Democrats' with Pakistan's liberals and 'Republicans' with the fanatic religious brigade. We liberals in Pakistan hold candle light vigils. These fundos shoot and then threaten to have a Mumtaz Qadri at 'every corner' to greet us.
Replace the likes of Glen Beck with a range of the media persons gracing Pakistani scene.

Climate of Hate - Readers' Comments - NYTimes.com

I'm happy to see that Paul Krugman has taken on the rhetoric already coming from the right, to the effect that the Arizona killer was merely "mentally disturbed," rather than motivated by political hatred. A climate of violence does not merely agitate the mentally unstable, but directs their violence at specific targets. The Republicans have not merely provoked such violence, but have placed bulls-eyes on the heads of Democratic representatives. The combination of vicious rhetoric and mental illness is not merely toxic, but explosive. As Gail Collins writes today, coupled with the irresponsible attitude toward gun control adopted by the Republican right and the unwillingness of many Democrats to take on the NRA, this toxic mix detonated in Arizona on Saturday afternoon, killing, among others, a federal judge and nine year-old girl.

The Democratic party has never countenanced such rhetoric or sanctioned violence. Back in the nineteen sixties, every Democratic running for or holding public office denounced violence on the left; and specifically, condemned the Weatherman and other radicals who embraced such tactics. I was there, and I remember. With the exception of the radical left, whose actions were widely condemned, Democrats criticized the Vietnam War, marched in protest and conducted moratoriums; but they stuck flowers in soldier's rifles. They didn't buy Glocks and shoot people.

The Republicans had better turn down the volume, and do it now. We Democrats have been saying for over a year that, if bulls-eyes, threats, gunslinging, and other calls to arms by Palin, Bachman, Limbaugh, Beck and others did not cease, somebody was going to get hurt. Now a Congresswoman is in critical condition, and six innocent people are dead.

Have the Republicans no shame? Every Republican should call his or her Senator or Congressman and say, "Enough!"