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Happy birthday, Salmaan Taseer

Solomon2

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The writer is a lawyer and hosts “24 Seven” on Business Plus ayesha.tammy@tribune.com.pk

A person is all about memory. It’s what we are. I remember, as a child, a ditty about 10 little Indians, today the politically correct term is Native Americans, in one bed and the little one said roll over, so they all rolled over and one by one, they all fell off until there was just the little one left. It never occurred to me until recently, that in pushing everyone else off, he had managed to take all their space. And that is what is happening to us in Pakistan.

I heard and read the transcript of an interview a foreign journalist did with a former Pakistan ambassador. When asked about extremism in Pakistan and Salmaan Taseer being murdered by his own guard, the former ambassador, a man of considerable dexterity with the English language, said “You have to distinguish the killing, the assassination of one man, like Salmaan Taseer, who would stick his neck out in the cause of blasphemy and various other religious causes. I’m sorry to have to say this, he was asking for it from the extremists.”

Salmaan Taseer was a lot of things, but he was not an apologist. He stood up for the weak, the underprivileged and the ones who had been dropped off the bed and forgotten. He knew that silence was condonation and knew that he risked losing his space if he turned apologist or went silent. He knew that injustice doesn’t just go away; it’s this huge bogey you have to fight to keep away, otherwise it eats away at your world every minute that you don’t fight it.

He knew all this but it appears we do not. We shed tears, look askance and say what a terrible thing, but then these are the consequences of those actions. Of course, they are the consequences because we have allowed to them to be so. By our condonation, by our silence, by our deluded sense of self-preservation, we quietly surrender — only to delay our turn on the chopping block.

The quieter we stay, the more difficult it becomes for people to say anything. We need to lend our voices and hearts to those who still have the courage to speak. The strength is numbers line is not a cliche, it’s a reality. Speak before you are required to cut your own tongue out of your mouth. We have stopped speaking.

We think that by keeping our heads low, we will escape, we will survive the bombs. Well, we are quiet and keeping our heads low and the bombs continue. There have been dozens of cases like Aasia Bibi’s, we have stayed quiet with bowed heads but the bombs continue. The government has stayed silent, its promises to Aasia Bibi and all those who suffer injustice and persecution, are forgotten and the bombs continue. It does not call Salmaan Taseer, a shaheed or honour him in any way and the bombs continue.

Everyday so many die and we call each one of them a shaheed. His murderer is hailed as a hero. Salmaan, however, we do not hail. Out of fear we do not call him a shaheed. He was a martyr for all because he had a quality that made him human; he was not afraid.

So what if the government has taken this line. Since when have we blindly followed them like sheep? We have pushed them to listen to us in the recent past and we can push them again. The cue for courage will have to come from both of us. They are brave enough to sit in office we must be brave enough to give them a voice. Collectively we can change things. We can stop being apologists and cowards. We can get out from under our beds now.

So no. Like the child abused, raped and murdered, the little boys and girls sold into prostitution and slavery, the countless rape victims, all those murdered in the name of piety and all those who die fighting for ideals and principles, no, he wasn’t asking for it. We, on the other hand, by our silence are asking for it. Today he would have been 67-years-old but we have silenced him and with him, killed hope.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 31st, 2011.
 
He was and is my hero until I and the like minded moderate muslims I represent in Pakistan are alive. A martyr/shaheed who fought for minority rights in Pakistan and tried to diminish the draconian laws that are demeaning and represent bigotry in our country.

Those laws must be repealed or amended.
 
wats so nice abt his birthday

the intentions of author and OP are very noble. but pakistani memebers need to ask themselves wat have they done to prevent further rise of extremism. the murderer of salman taseer has almost become a hero. we have read reports of sweets being distributed in streets of pakistan by extremists. wat has govt /military done to stop this.

if some measures are not taken his sacrifice will go waste.
 
He was and is my hero until I and the like minded moderate muslims I represent in Pakistan are alive. A martyr/shaheed who fought for minority rights in Pakistan and tried to diminish the draconian laws that are demeaning and represent bigotry in our country.

Those laws must be repealed or amended.
0.5 he is hero of only this percent people and what was done to him he asked for it if you are good at barking doesn't give your the license of speaking against people believes and hurt them especially in a muslim country
 
Salman Taseer was A great loss for Pakistanis , he was one of only few out spoken people who condemned this medevil laws and its practising. He was shot unarmed and unchallenged by his guard qadri ,Unfortunatly Qadris cowardly act is considered bravery by some of us however Salman did not die in vain his brutal murder was yet another loud alarming call for a sleeping nation
 
I miss you Mr. Salman Taseer.

He was a business tycoon, his death created a gap that will never be filled. May your soul Rest in Peace.

Lanat on all mullahs who give such kind of Fatwas without having knowledge of essence of Islam.

I would like to share a story about the mentality of Fatwa Faroosh Mullahs.

Few years back Mr. Osman Pirzada divorced his wife Samina Pirzada in a drama. Fatwas came from almost every side that the divorce in drama constitute divorce in real. City page editor of Jang Rawalpindi told me that he was fed up with the mullah who came to him on daily basis that 'FATWA' with their name should be published in Paper that 'Divorce has taken place'. Another day a Mullah came to him with around 10-12 books and asked for publishing the same fatwa. The editor asked him, forget about this fatwa, you bring the FATWA with evidences that "Divorce has not taken place', I will publish your FATWA with your picture on Front Page. The Mullah went back and came back after 15 days with around 20-25 books and said 'oooh ji lagain fatwa keh talaaq nahi hui, main aap ko hawalay deta hoon' (Please publish the fatwa that divorce has not taken place, I have full references to support my fatwa).

This is the level of our Mullahs. :lol:
 
Well,if Imran khan gets elected he will remove the blasphemy law for good.

Not necessarily. There is no problem in blasphemy law itself. The problem is the way it used for harassments of non muslims.
 
A martyr/shaheed who fought for minority rights in Pakistan

Can you give some examples of his actions in support of minorities, or even ordinary people, through his life?

The only example I can find is a vague, unsubstantiated claim that he allegedly made some comments in support of the Ahmadi community at some point.

From all accounts, he was the consummate elitist snob who looked down his nose at ordinary people and spent all his time hobnobbing with the rich and famous. The one time he bothered to concern himself with the masses, he decided to grandstand by lecturing down sanctimoniously on an issue without bothering to understand the complexities.

Real moderates with far better credentials than him reacted more maturely and offered realistic solutions instead of political grandstanding.

The reason few people shed a tear for him was not because they supported the mullahs, but simply because their reaction was "Salman who?"
 
Can you give some examples of his actions in support of minorities, or even ordinary people, through his life?

The only example I can find is a vague, unsubstantiated claim that he allegedly made some comments in support of the Ahmadi community at some point.

From all accounts, he was the consummate elitist snob who looked down his nose at ordinary people and spent all his time hobnobbing with the rich and famous. The one time he bothered to concern himself with the masses, he decided to grandstand by lecturing down sanctimoniously on an issue without bothering to understand the complexities.

Real moderates with far better credentials than him reacted more maturely and offered realistic solutions instead of political grandstanding.

The reason few people shed a tear for him was not because they supported the mullahs, but simply because their reaction was "Salman who?"

What were those COMPLEXITIES which he wasn't able to understand? the barbarism that our Mullahs possess? to Kill whoever talks about the beliefs. At least he had the courage to talk whatever he had in his heart, he wasnt a dual face personality.

The real moderates with better credential are living in state of fear. Remember what Sheri Rehman / Rehman Malik said, just to ensure that someone like that Qadri might not kill them.

Few days back i was wathching Kamran shahid's program on murder of Sialkot brothers.

In that program there was a molvi, who was quoting some hadiths justifying the act.

He quoted "A person came to Rasool (PBUH) and said what should i do if someone tries to take my things, He (PBUH) said dont let him, he further asked what if that person fights, He (PBUH) said, you fight with him, and during fight if he dies (i dont remember), but if you are dead you are shaheed".

The question in my mind came that why did he go to Rasool (PBUH)? Bcaz he was Judge (Qazi) at that time. Molvi just justified the act, but was least bothered to say that if any such thing happens Go to Courts / Police rather than taking decision at your own.

This kind of mentality is slow poision for us.
 

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