Ahmadi in America: Why Shahbaz Bhatti’s death gives me hope

[Dance]

My life in America has been a breeze compared to the life I would have had in a Pakistani village had we stayed there after I was born. But try telling that to a misfit outsider transplanted to Texas.

I happen to be an Ahmadi by birth and by practice.

It is common knowledge that in Pakistan, where I still have family, anti-Ahmadi conferences take place regularly.

During these conferences, audiences are taught that they have a religious duty to kill Ahmadis. As a result, some uneducated Muslims who are unable to read the Holy Quran for themselves, are misled to believe that the blood of innocent Ahmadi is something that will be rewarded in the After Life.

My family in Pakistan fears much more than the mockery and taunts I experienced on the playground at school in America, as the following incident will elicit.

In America, my name, my appearance (especially when I wore a kurta with blue jeans before Vogue said it was okay), and my spoken English were different to my conservative classmates in grade school.

To add to the drama, America was at war with Iraq. Needless to say, being different meant I was the target of classroom jokes and cafeteria pranks.

One day as I was being teased as usual, the unimaginable happened. Kasey, one of the more popular girls in school, martyred her celebrity reputation by scolding the ‘cool guys’ for mocking me.

For an immigrant boy who was never too good at witty comebacks, Kasey’s help felt like divine intervention.

Fast forward to 2011

Even today, protesting Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws is political suicide. But more than just a career ended when governor of Punjab and outspoken blasphemy law critic Salman Taseer was shot to death.

And with the assassination of Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti this week, more than just his life has ended if his death does not jolt the conscience of Pakistan out of its coma.

It is just too bad that advice is least heeded when it is most needed. Bhatti has been buried, but I have to admit, this has left me thinking: who’s funeral is it?

When he died, Shahbaz Bhatti became my Kasey all over again. Though I am not a Christian and he is not a Muslim, he made the ultimate sacrifice to be my outspoken protagonist in the face of bullies.

It really doesn’t matter whether I am an immigrant in America or Ahmadi in Pakistan. Bhatti strove to safeguard the basic human and civil rights of minorities and was killed for it. Is it any surprise other countries try to limit visas from Pakistan?

As unexpected as it may seem, however, there is hope in the deaths of Taseer and Bhatti. Their life and death show that good-hearted men can emerge from the corrupt circus of Pakistani politics and even challenge the violent religious orthodoxy with their lives.

For this cherished, hope-granting knowledge, they did not die in vain.

Ahmadi in America: Why Shahbaz Bhatti’s death gives me hope – The Express Tribune Blog

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

We live in a democracy lets vote on it , oh wait ... I just remembered we did , that is why the laws stay as they are tough luck

Death of a civilian servant is tragic but he should not have incited his comments to aggravate local population by expecting to change a law that is well defined.

Respecting Local Laws is important if you want to be Citizens of Pakistan - if you don't respect the laws you can always go out of the country

The law should be challenged in Law or Parliament

Now is killing people correct no of course not , but a compromise has to be found

But I don't see why its wrong to not have a law to protect abuse of freedom of speech against beloved prophet


Now of course , there is abuse , 1% of time we will find ppl abusing laws , ok we need better handling of situation and protection so that is a matter for law and parliament to decide on

They did , so next election just vote on political party that favors your agenda

The problem is "education" and lack of it ... in abundance in Pakistan - its a social issue

 

[mehru]

Yes some people have finally woken up from their deep slumber. So there is some hope?

Maulana has changed his position but it took two murders to make him realize that.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, chief of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-Fazl), has apparently shifted his stance on the misuse of the blasphemy laws. He said, “If a law is being misused against minorities we are ready to discuss this (matter).” It took the deaths of two political leaders, Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer and federal Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti, to make the maulana realise that the blasphemy laws are indeed being misused and have also led to such mindless mayhem. Maulana Fazl also condemned the murder of Mr Bhatti and said, “Such acts (of violence now) amount to taking the law and constitution in one’s own hands.”

It seems that Maulana sahib is now reconsidering his previous hardline position on the blasphemy laws and extrajudicial killings in this regard. The religious right and the religio-political parties supported the blasphemy laws to such an extent that it had become difficult to even debate on this issue. The extreme lunatic fringe resorted to killing those who were only talking about amendments in the law to stop it from being misused. The climate is so heated that Ms Sherry Rehman is now under grave threat. The cases of blasphemy have increased over the years, especially since the death penalty was made mandatory under General Ziaul Haq’s ruthless regime. The law has now become a travesty of justice. It is time that a rational solution be sought to this issue. Political will and consensus is needed to amend the blasphemy laws in order to protect it from being misused.

On another note, Maulana Fazl hosted a dinner for the opposition parties at his abode in Islamabad. PML-N’s Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, PML-Q’s Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, MQM’s Farooq Sattar, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Professor Khursheed Ahmed and some others were present in the meeting. It is of course the democratic right of the opposition parties to form an alliance and if this alliance is made in parliament to hold the government accountable, there is nothing wrong with it. But if this alliance is being formed to pursue any extra-parliamentary agenda, like the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) of yore, then there is cause for worry. The opposition parties should stick within the democratic parameters and not try to destabilise the government. Pakistan needs democracy to counter extremism and to achieve long-term stability. *

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

 

[Skeptic]

We live in a democracy lets vote on it , oh wait ... I just remembered we did , that is why the laws stay as they are tough luck

Death of a civilian servant is tragic but he should not have incited his comments to aggravate local population by expecting to change a law that is well defined.

Respecting Local Laws is important if you want to be Citizens of Pakistan - if you don't respect the laws you can always go out of the country

The law should be challenged in Law or Parliament

Now is killing people correct no of course not , but a compromise has to be found

But I don't see why its wrong to not have a law to protect abuse of freedom of speech against beloved prophet


Now of course , there is abuse , 1% of time we will find ppl abusing laws , ok we need better handling of situation and protection so that is a matter for law and parliament to decide on

They did , so next election just vote on political party that favors your agenda

The problem is "education" and lack of it ... in abundance in Pakistan - its a social issue

I think both gents were doing the same - respecting the law.

Trying to formulate opinions and voicing their views to general public so that votes could be swayed. In a democracy it is not unlawful to oppose a law it is unlawful to break a law. They were respecting all the laws and breaking none.

They were treading the lawful path of change in law by advocacy of a different stance and some are defending / justifying their murder by killing the very essence of justice, democracy and Law.

This is something as basic as freedom of speech.