By Saeed Qureshi
In his landmark speech of August 11 1947 delivered before the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan proclaimed:
that:
that:
"We should keep that in front of us as our ideal and
you will find that in course of time Hindus would cease to be Hindus and
Muslims would cease to be Muslims, not in the religious sense, because that is
the personal faith of each individual, but in the political sense as citizens
of the State.”
“You
are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your
mosques or to any other place or worship in this State of Pakistan. You may
belong to any religion or caste or creed that has nothing to do with the
business of the State.”
He announced that
despite Pakistan being a Muslim majority state, all minority religious denominations
would be treated as equals in observance of their religious obligations.
This speech outlined the freedom of all non-Islamic religions as well as
denominations within Pakistan.
But
later the guidelines set out by the father of the nation were set aside in the
Objective Resolution adopted by the same Constituent Assembly on 12 March 1949. The Objective Resolution
proclaimed that “the future constitution of Pakistan would be modeled on the
ideology and democratic faith of Islam.
The resolution, in its entirety, has been made
part of the Constitution of
Pakistan under Article 2(A).
Subsequent to the passage of the Objectives Resolution, all of Pakistan’s
constitutions contained religious provisions. The name of the country was
changed from the Republic of Pakistan to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
There are
contradictions in the Objective Resolution. In Article 25 it is written that
all citizens are equal before law. However, Article 2 says that Islam shall be
the state religion. Also, the denial of the right to non-Muslims citizens to become
the head of state or government also negates Article 25, which requires
equality before law.
By virtue of being
in majority, the Muslims in Pakistan naturally have the benefit and upper hand
to elect the Muslim members of the parliament which is in accord with the basic
ingredient of the democracy. Yet it blocks the possibility of any non-Muslims
to become the prime minister or the head of state which in fact is the denial
of the basic principle of the democracy. In India We have seen that head of the
government were Muslims despite that country being a Hindu majority State. Moreover,
in India the majority being those of Hindus, the name of the country was not
changed to Hindu Republic of India.
But in Pakistan
over a period of time not only that the religion Islam has been politicized but
made part of the constitution which obviates religious freedom for other sects
and religious denomination. It is essential in Pakistan to be a Muslim for
being the president or the prime minister.
Various Islamic religious
parties and sects opposed the creation of Pakistan one of which is the Jamaat-e-Islami.
Yet despite their opposition in the creation of Pakistan they succeeded in
changing the nomenclature of Pakistan to Islamic Republic of Pakistan. It
should have been the Democratic Republic of Pakistan or simply the Republic of
Pakistan.
Although Pakistan,
by any definition, is an Islamic state yet the urge, efforts and activities of
the religious demagogues and parties have turned Pakistan in an intolerant bigotry
ridden and non-democratic state. With branding Pakistan an Islamic state, the
question arises which sects or denomination’s Islam? India under the colonial
rule of the British was more peaceful as there was sectarian and religious
harmony than one cannot witness now.
There is such an
unbridgeable rift between the sects within Islam that their coexistence in an
Islamic state has always been at risk after the demise of prophet Muhammad(pbuh).
The minority sects such as Hinduism, Sikhism, Christianity, Bahais, Sikhs,
Parsis or Zoroastrianism, Ismaili and others look like culprits and remain the
target of the onslaughts from the main Sunni sects including Qadria, Chishtia,
Wahabi, Naqshbandi and generally Brelvis.
The main religious
groups have the street power to threaten the governments, harass their religious
opponents and force the people to adopt a rigid mold and style of Islam which
should be in accordance with their perception of Islam.
Now in Pakistan we
have Brelvis and Wahabi fighting each other and branding each other as infidels
and out of the pale of Islam. Pakistan has always been a fertile ground for
clashes between Sunnis and Shias which are the main sects opposing each other
from the day the first caliph of Islam Hazrat Abu Bakr succeeded the final
prophet of Islam.
That irreconcilable
tussle has been running through islamic history causing horrendous slaughter,
wars, massacres and genocides of the people and populations on both the sides.
The faith-based and clannish animosity between Banu Hashim on one side and Umayyads
on the other and later between Ommyads and Abbasids is dripped in Muslims’
blood. Presently this rivalry continues between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Coming back to the
camping at the Faizabad vantage interchange or crossroads, one can imagine the
power and resourcefulness of the religious parties to stage such a prolonged
protest hampering the normal life of the citizens and crippling the government
and state functioning.
Now the finality of
the prophet-hood of Hazrat Muhammad is not a big issue because all Muslims
profess that belief. But under that pretext, paralyzing the entire country,
entailing huge loss to the economy and disturbance of normal life is
frightening.
Let us compare that
situation in India which is patently a Hindu State. It is majority Hindu state,
yet it is secular and nowhere in the Indian constitution it is written that it
is a Hindu state. Why don’t the Wahabi and Deobandi and Brelvis sects fight
each other there. In India, Shias and Sunnis perform and observe their religious
undertakings with peace and without any fear or confrontations.
It means a secular
state ensures the religious peace and coexistence without labeling each other
Kafirs (non-believers and enemies). If in a Hindu state and in Islamic Bangladesh
state there is religious harmony why it can’t be brought about in Pakistan.
The Demagogues and
vested interests of professional clergies, spiritual figures and so called self-styled
saints, witch doctors, Shamans and mediums claim to pray to God directly. These
people have been exploiting the common folks by being closer to God than the
common man. This a not a real Islam but a travesty of Islam.
Saudi Arabia is the
birthplace of Islam. Yet in Saudi Arabia, no one can claim to be more pious and
nearer to God than the common man. There are no peers, no saints no religious
or spiritual healers and no worshiping of the graves and mausoleums. Then why
is this religious pattern in Pakistan? This question must be answered by those
why are religious scholars and who can guide the faithful to unite upon a
common Islam and live with each other and with minority faiths.
We can see that culture in Europe where the Catholics
and protestants live together and don’t indulge in religious or sectarian
battles. They used to do so in the past but the papacy has been confined to the
premises of the church and catholic Pope to a small portion of Rome.
Finally, the state
of Pakistan has got to be serving the people including the minority religious
or social communities generally. The religious harmony is the dire need in
Pakistan. otherwise the country would remain hostage to the religious goons and
ruffians. Common believers are used by the religious fanatics, preachers and
custodians of their branch of faith to keep the cauldron of sectarianism boiling
so that they can maintain hegemony and inflow of the perks and privileges unhindered.
The State must be
out of the religious confrontations and deal with the trouble makers with ion
hands for the sake of the sovereignty and stability of Pakistan as well as for
peace and safety of the people.
I shall mention
only some measures which can improve such appalling state of affairs. Religious
madrasas (institutions) should be integrated with regular educational system. The
opening and closing of the mosques’ hours should be strictly maintained. The
prayer leading imams should be selected like other services.
All the self-
appointed or family oriented saints sitting on graves or self-styled peers
(spiritual solicitors or healers) should be ousted and these places should be
brought under the control of the government and state institutions. The hate or
sectarianism-tinged speeches and sermons should be banned and severely punished.
The rest can follow.
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