Unwarranted
Mob Hysteria again!
By Perwaiz Ahmad
Fullerton, CA
The uproar in Pakistan and elsewhere against
Salman Rushdi's award of knighthood is nothing
but satanical in itself. Salman Rushdi is a sick
man and we should pray to God to give him guidance
and compassion to understand the religious and
human sentiments of others. Leave the rest to
God. We cannot police the whole world. What if
a billion people get ticked off against us? Are
we going to demand a billion heads on a pole?
The same thing happened after the Danish cartoons
appeared some time ago. We make a mockery of our
own religion when we go to extremes to press for
the so-called justice. A tooth for a tooth or
an eye for an eye is permissible only in a dire
situation when a person had no recourse left to
defend himself..
Sorry to say but more Muslims bring bad name to
their own religion than anyone else outside Islam
when they demand the blood of any one who offends
their religious feelings. The news flashed today
across TV screens that the business community
has offered a reward of Rs one crore to anyone
who kills Salman Rushdie is nothing but a matter
of shame for all of us who are trying to bridge
the gap between Muslims and non-Muslims.
Back in 1989, Ayatollah Khomeni did the same after
leading a historical revolution (biggest in the
20th century) against a tyrant, the Shah of Iran.
On the one hand we preach to the world that Muslims
are a peaceful people and would not even hurt
a living plant, let alone a human life and on
the other hand our so-called religious leaders
waste no time in coming out on the streets and
demanding blood. Isn't there a civilized way left
to protest one's grievances? No wonder there is
a clash of ideologies, more so lately than in
the past.
The response from the British government is rather
amusing: if you don't like it, then don't accept
our aid! I believe we have enough brainy people
in Pakistan who can come up with a better way
to communicate with the British people and the
world at large that hurting anyone's religious
sentiments is uncivilized and hypocritical because
we are an extension of the same faith. We can
condemn acts like the knighthood award to Rushdi
or the publication of the blasphemous cartoons
in the strongest words but to demonstrate mob
hysteria is unbecoming and quite the opposite
of how the Muslim Umma behaved when Islam was
flourishing.
If these businessmen are so rich, resourceful
and religious and are willing to spend Rs 1 crore
so readily, my question to them is: how can they
sleep at night peacefully when they know that
thousands of people (children and mothers included)
in Pakistan alone go to sleep at night with hungry
and starved?
Let God be the ultimate judge when it comes to
faith. This is the only way to bring peace and
harmony in the world. .
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