Reflections on Baabusar Tragedy and the Rimsha Blasphemy Case
By Humaira Masihuddin
Islamabad, Pakistan
‘The cost of standing up to one’s own people when they do wrong pales in comparison to standing before your Creator to explain why you didn’t.’ (Lee Weissman)
What happened at the Bubusar Pass on the 27th of Ramadan and the subsequent treatment of an eleven-year-old special child in Islamabad was truly regrettable.
As the first news started coming in, followed by the video clip of the pure savagery that took place at Babusar, anguish and depression knew no bounds; everything appeared, much like the dark smoke emitting from the buses set on fire. The only hope that loomed in that dark hour was the reminder of hell-fire, the destined abode for murderers and oppressors. Then the News ran a report by Taqi Akhunzada ‘Babusar Killings , Sunnis refused to identify Shias in front of terrorists.”
Eye-witnesses recounted how four brave souls, and indeed there were others, fought and protested, ultimately giving up their lives for fellow human beings. Suddenly the month of Ramadan, the month of the revelation of the Holy Qur’an, saw in operation one of the greatest edicts of the Qur’an: “O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, (4;135). But it was not the so called ulema , the pseudo-religious/political parties or the media maulanas, but ordinary people with extra-ordinary souls who epitomized this great and everlasting message of the Qur’an. The majesty of the Babusar pass suddenly paled in comparison to the majesty of those unknown, unnamed individuals whose souls abounded with that precious quality called COURAGE.
I had tried very hard to analyze the concept of courage while watching the guards of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad when it was bombed in 2008. What compels the human spirit to take a stand in the face of adversity was something I wanted to investigate and understand; the following words are from an article I wrote at that time titled “Monumental Courage”
“But one is compelled at this juncture to try and understand this phenomenon called courage. Where does it come from? How does one dissect a courageous moment and study the anatomy of a courageous act? That courage is inextricably linked to integrity is certain… The courageous person has a strong sense of right and wrong and a single-minded devotion to stand up for the truth and what is right, come what may ….. The truest test of courage is when one is in a weak and vulnerable position and facing a daunting and insurmountable task. Last, but not the least, courage is born out of the womb of faith. Faith in a higher order as well as an immense sense of self-worth. All these then combine in a deadly combination when an ordinary mortal becomes a hero and performs the unthinkable and the undoable which are the ultimate products of courage...”
What those few heroic moments at the Babusar tragedy embody in terms of human values and supra-human conduct can never be articulated. Who but God Himself can comprehend the majesty of that Mystic moment? The ashes of Babusar have given birth to a great and monumental story of courage.
Unlike Babusar, the incident of a blasphemy case against an 11- year-old girl in Islamabad a day or so later, holds no such hope. Rather, it forebodes a terrible time to come, God forbid, if we don’t watch out and take notice. The police should have had the courage to lodge an FIR against the miscreants who had asked that the girl be handed over so they could punish her. That clearly attracted section 506 of the PPC related to criminal intimidation; in fact, a case of assault and/or attempted murder should have been lodged against those people (if what has been reported is true). A lot of police officers during our workshops on policing of vulnerable groups explain why they immediately arrest the accused in a blasphemy case. They say it is done basically to take them into protective custody and to avoid a law and order situation. But they need to draw the line somewhere as their apparent conduct somehow validates the sentiments of the mob. The law and its enforcers must lead and not be led. The public should not be allowed to dictate to them. Any violation of the law by the complainants must also be taken cognizance of with the full force of the law.
The sheer absurdity of bringing a case against a person for burning religious text is highlighted by Islamic law itself as there are three methods of respectful disposal of religious texts: by putting the text in water, burying it and yes, by burning it.
In fact, Hazrat Uthman (RA), in order to preserve a single unified Medinese codex of the Qur’an, ordered that all copies that were not in the standard format be burnt, for which he is called Jami ul Qur’an. There is no blasphemy in burning for respectful disposal. Case closed. There is no controversy here. But does a single scholar highlight this for our uninformed and mala fide public? Does a single Maulvi quote the hadeeth of the Prophet (PBUH) that whosoever harms a non-Muslim harms me, and whosoever harms me harms Allah?
Finally, an appeal to the uncontrolled and unaccountable anchors of evening talk shows who bring in uninformed individuals, who parading as religious scholars, misguide the already ignorant public. Please desist from this practice even if your ratings go down. The situation prevailing in the country at the time of Asiya Bibi’s case was exacerbated by your very shows and their poor standards of discussion, ultimately leading to the murder of Salman Taseer.
No alim worth his salt can be oblivious of the several ahadeeth on the subject as well as the conduct and role of our great Prophet (PBUH) but not one alim brings forth these points. Let me narrate for the benefit of the readers the little special girl child in Madinah who would come up to our Prophet and take his hand and would lead him here and there, and he would quietly follow her and duly give her time and importance.
If the religious lobby wants to talk religion, well here is a hadeeth for them that we studied in Islamic law at the Islamic University. The Prophet said that the pen is lifted from three people (that means the law is not applicable on three people): the insane till he gains sanity, the one who sleeps till he wakes up, and the one who is a child till he becomes an adult……So there! Little Rimsha is innocent on all scores. The only ones guilty are the complainant, his supporters and allies. (The writer practices law and is a visiting faculty at the Police College Sihala and Federal Judicial Academy Islamabad)
Back to Pakistanlink Homepage
