WHISK

Over the past 5 days, we’ve seen the face of clerical ‘Islam’ in Pakistan: a hypocritical movement by power-hungry individuals who are willing to send our sons and daughters to their death, rather than face it themselves. If Abdul Rasheed Ghazi is not afraid of death, why is he so afraid of arrest? If we were to give this man amnesty, then I believe this form of justice should be shared among all murderers, terrorists, abductors, and anyone in our prisons who have been charged with the same crimes as Abdul Rasheed Ghazi. If you are to let this man walk, then our prison doors should be opened, and we should allow our criminals to roam free among us. Why should Ghazi be the only one to be allowed to break the law, after all?

The truth is that the Ghazi brothers took extreme action over beliefs shared by the vast majority of our Ulema. Just because their colleagues lack the guts to take these steps themselves does not mean they condemn the actions. The calls from so many people (and the actions of the MMA, notably Qazi Hussain’s daughter, in bringing Ghazi food and supplies in the face of a government seige) to allow Abdul Rasheed safe passage only indicates their own feelings: that his actions were justified. For many years now, Jamaat-e-Islami has asked new recruits to recite the kalima as proof of their affiliation to Islam - is this not exactly what the Lal Masjid clierics have done? They also believe that their own version of Islam is the only true Islam, and everyone else is a kafir.

I believe the government is acting judiciously and prudently in establishing a seige, especially after the constant, unrelenting criticism in the press of the use of ‘military might’ in other, similar operations (Bugti, for instance, who did much the same thing as the Ghazi brothers, though not, thankfully, in the name of Islam). They need to send a message to other factions similar to the Ghazis, and at the same time, they need to show the public that a Pakistani life is worth every day of waiting patiently outside the mosque. They are doing that, and we should be thankful for it. We need to take sides, NOW. Please stop giving Ghazi air time, or listening to his demands. He has taken children hostage, and is playing with their lives. He does not deserve clemency.

The next step that we as a nation must take, is to abolish our so-called ‘religious’ parties from politics. We are a Muslim country, let’s accept that we do not need to ‘represent’ Islam in a Muslim parliament. We do not need religious representation in the government. We need people’s representation in the country, regardless of faith. I really don’t understand why clerics are entering politics. If we are so worried that our government will enforce non-islamic laws, then we can establish an advisory panel of Islamic Scholars that must qualify all Laws before they can be passed.

To this end, let us remember that Islam does not believe in priesthood. The Christian Church used priesthood to attain incredible power in the Middle Ages, and Islam is headed the same way. We do not need people to enforce Islam, we need people to teach it, and it is time we stopped bestowing the honor of ‘ Imam‘ or ‘Maulana‘ to anyone who has learnt the Quran by heart. We have an Islamic Council of Advisors. They should become a regulating authority for Imamhood, and men applying for the post of the Imam of a mosque should be assessed on their knowledge of the Quran, of Islamic History, of Sociology, Philosophy and, most importantly, should be judged on their own actions. The Prophet (PBUH) spread Islam by being a shining example of Honesty, Justice and Excellence in everything he did, not by creating fear among his followers. Let us raise the standards of our scholars, and begin a process of social development, rather than religious retardation. Islam does not need to go back to 7th Century principles to flourish, it is a religion meant for all ages, and it is time to embrace that wisdom with open minds and eyes.

The trouble is that Islam in this part of the world is heavily influenced by cultural factors - we have many Hindu and Afghani traditions that have been repackaged as Islam, and only reasoning and education will show us how to separate the two. There is no need to sacrifice either culture or religion - I believe it is possible for the two to co-exist, if we put our minds to it.

Finally, let us step back from the idea that ‘Sharia‘ is the answer to all evils in our society. As long as we are corrupt and self-serving, Sharia is just another tool for the powerful to subjugate the weak. For Sharia to be implemented effectively, those dispensing the law must be scrupulously honest, impartial and free of any suspicion on their own conducts. Where in this country do we find even one man of whom we can say that? As we have already seen, the Hudood Ordinance and the Blasphemy Law have become a very useful way for men to terrorise their women, for eliminating enemies and carrying out vendettas, for torturing those we dislike, or to feel powerful. This is not because the Law is too harsh, its because we are not an honourable nation. And that is the first thing we need to address.