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| Carnage in Gojra |
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Tuesday, August 04, 2009
According to the media and from eyewitnesses there were veiled persons in the mob that attacked Christian Town, Gojra, burning seven persons alive and creating tension both for the public and the government. The police, the administration and the people said that the crowd could not be handled. The question is who were these masked men and why did they need to hide their faces while they were protesting the desecration of the Holy Quran? Before coming to the answer of the question it is good to relate this incident with those happening previously which started with the burning of Shanti Nagar in February 2009 and later consumed the trust of the people living in Sangla Hill, Bhamniwala, Korian and the latest victims were the poor innocent Christians of Gojra.
A situation was created, exploited and used by certain people yet to be identified by the government – and it was these people who agitated the innocent Muslims by spreading rumours about the desecration. The second vital question is why do the police and the agencies allow the situation to simmer in spite of a very large history of such incidents in Pakistan? The Punjab law minister and other senior officials have said that no desecration of the Quran took place in Korian.
When are the nation and its leadership, especially of the religious parties, going to take note of such terrorism? How long will it take the government to establish its writ? Is mere compensation enough to uproot extremism and will it be enough to create a peaceful society that respects the basic human values and rights of its citizens? I personally ask the federal minorities minister and the Punjab minorities minister to resign in order to open the eyes of the government to this bitter reality.
Bishop Ijaz Inayat
Bishop House, Holy Trinity Cathedral
Karachi
*****
The Holy Quran emphasises chiefly on two things among others. One is justice and the second is our attitude towards society and our fellow human beings. By burning alive seven people, was justice served in Gojra? Were all of those torched to death were responsible for the desecration of the Quran, if that even happened in the first place? Even if all of them were accused, did they get a chance to respond to the charges and if they claimed innocence were they given a chance to prove their innocence? Which court or jirga was conducted before dispensing this kind of justice?
Now the second teaching: the Quran stresses a good and orderly behaviour to your fellow human beings especially those who belong to minorities. The majority community has been given the responsibility to provide protection to the minorities -- but what did we see in Gojra? Essentially on both counts the Muslim mob itself, by its actions, violated the teachings of the Holy Quran.
Also, I can say that the Holy Quran is desecrated, almost on a daily basis, when witnesses take oath in our courts and give false testimony in exchange for a price. My question is that who is going to dispense justice against the mob given that the latter acted in clear violations of Quranic injunctions? The answer, I suspect, is no one -- which proves how we have become a stone-hearted, ruthless and a cruel society. God help us.
Bahadar Ali Khan
Markham, ON, Canada
*****
I condemn the brutal act of ruthless violence meted out to the Christian community in Gojra. The government should take immediate steps to bring the culprits to justice, and in a way that no one else in future may dare to repeat what has happened in the city over the weekend.
Hina Noureen
Baidarie,
Sialkot
*****
I condemn the barbaric attack on unarmed and peaceful Christians of Gojra. It is a shameful act which reveals an alarming mindset emerging out of the environment of extremism that has been brewing in Pakistan for decades especially after the advent of the Zia era. Rightwing political parties and state agencies are equally to blame for the creation of such an environment of intolerance and bigotry in the country.
I urge progressive forces in Pakistan to come forward and play their role in neutralising the forces of obscurantism and bigotry. Let us make Pakistan an inclusive country -- a nation of many nations. Let us promote brotherhood and sisterhood to stand like a shield of steel between the forces of pillage and destruction and the noble causes of 160 million innocent people of Pakistan who are yearning for peace, prosperity, individual and collective dignity, justice and democracy. The time has come to take politics out of the business of religion and religion out of the business of politics.
Iqbal Tareen
Washington, DC
*****
The print and electronic media gave extensive coverage to a scuffle between lawyers and a policeman and the plight of a rare Siberian tiger destined to endure Pakistan. Hopefully, the law shall take its course and the Siberian tiger shall be returned and the lawyers be punished appropriately. Meanwhile, talk shows have been silent about the incident in Gojra where it is reported that 50 houses were gutted and seven were burnt to death. Communal violence is seldom a random act and it should be investigated in depth as it is organised and supported by various forces in society. Bringing these forces to task is important in protecting the rights of all Pakistanis.
Adnan Cyprian
Riyadh
*****
I would like to ask Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif where is his good governance? When he first received initial report of the looting and burning of the Christian community's homes and property in Gojra what was his reaction and what directions did he issue to his ministers and to the police and the local administration?
After destruction of several houses and damage to property the fact that preventive measures should have been taken is quite clear -- but this wasn't done. Merely suspending the DPO and the local SHO will not be enough. If we talk about good governance then a high-level inquiry should be ordered to probe carelessness and slackness of the local administration. Mr Sharif needs to ensure that those responsible for this incident are brought to justice.
Dr Alfred Charles
Karachi
*****
The offences related to religion under Pakistan Penal Code specifically 295 B, 295 C, 298 A, 298 B, and 298 C are clearly directed towards the minorities of the country. These one-sided laws targeting the minorities should be repealed as it will only deteriorate the already volatile situation of the country.
Looking at the past there are several incidents reported where this law has been misused. The sad events of Shanti Nagar and now at Gojra are a clear indication that this law has loopholes and should be reviewed by the government.
Anam Gill
Lahore
*****
Every time democracy takes root in the country, the minorities suffer. It is the Christians whose houses are torched, their women beaten, killed and their property looted. No one is arrested or punished. For how long will this go on?
Ifrahim Mathew
Secretary,
The Evangelical Alliance of Pakistan,
Lahore
*****
We should drop the prefix 'Islamic' from our national name. We not only kill and burn our fellow Muslims, we also, at the slightest provocation, kill our minorities. The president and the prime minister may be saying now that the culprits who took part in the mindless violence at Gojra will be caught and brought to justice but we know that this will not happen. No one will ever be apprehended, tried or punished. That's the way it happens in this country.
Mohammad Irshad Piracha
Islamabad
*****
Every true Muslim will feel deep sadness and revulsion after reading the report of the burning alive of seven Christians in Gojra. If there was evidence of blasphemy, the Muslims of Gojra should have taken the matter to court instead of forming a lynch mob.
Sajid Abbasi
Murree
*****
The events of Gojra are a very sad reminder of the intolerance and bigotry that has gripped us. I can only hope and pray that the culprits are punished.
Ghulam Wahab
Faisalabad
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ISSN 1563-9479 
