By Abid Ali Narejo
While Christians go to bed in trauma given by recent Muslim extremist mobs, let us not forget the Independence Day we celebrated this August. Let us not forget the racist people who claimed Muslims are free in this country and hence should be thankful to Pakistan, unlike Palestine and Syria. The concerning question that arises here is, “Is freedom religion based?”
Freedom has no religion; it is a fundamental right that everyone deserves, regardless of colour, creed, or race. We are not free as long as the white in our flag is violated. We are not independent as long as the Christians, Sikhs, and Hindus are not considered equal to Muslims in this country.
While our hearts are triggered by the blasphemous remarks of a Christian scholar, let us now explore the pain of our minorities that are titled as traitors and sinful people in our academic books instead of being regarded as mere humans. While our blood boils with anger for the Swedish government, let us not forget the minorities’ pain caused by extremist Muslim mobs that vandalized five churches and set up two homes in destruction on 17 August 2023.
Interestingly enough, Pakistani Muslims wholeheartedly condemn the discrimination against Muslims by Islamophobes and become social activists in times of need. However, this activism and philanthropy burn into ashes as soon as minorities in Pakistan are victimized. As much as one Muslim terrorist does not make the entire Muslim nation a terrorist nation, one Christian also does not make the entire Christian nation blasphemous. Our hearts should mourn equally for the violation of our minorities. We should stop validating Pakistan’s freedom based on religion. In 2022, 21 cases of forced conversions were witnessed in Sindh only. Each year, hundreds of girls belonging to Christianity and Hinduism, aged 12-25, are forcibly converted to Islam through abduction and married to old-age Muslims. Moreover, the court also hands these girls to their Muslim husbands despite clear-cut evidence of abduction and forced conversions. Furthermore, these communities’ minor boys and girls are subjected to rape and never provided justice.
Such is the country’s condition that sings anthems of freedom on 14 August. What freedom is this? Why is the narrative of Pakistan’s Independence Day limited to Muslims only? Why are Pakistanis so religion-centred when it comes to justice and peace? It is high time we confess the falseness and inaccuracy of our famous slogan, “Azaadi Mubarak!” Pakistani Muslims need to reshape their ideology of freedom. The Pakistani flag does not belong to Muslims only; it is incomplete without the white colour in it.
Freedom is not for Muslims only; it is for everyone who has breathed earthly air. To clarify Pakistanis actual narrative of freedom, let us remind Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s words when he said, “You are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of 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.” in his Presidential Address. Pakistanis might have forgotten his words, but there is always time to bring a change. We must join hands to shelter our minorities, embrace their differences, and form strong bonds. We must allow freedom to transcend the boundaries of religion, caste, and colour. Let us not be the reflection of the famous saying, “Freedom is harder to protect than earn!” We must protect our minority’s freedom at any cost!
