2011 A year for Extremists

Syed Foaad Hassan

Last year (2011) was kind of year of extremism in Pakistan as past few years but in 2011 some really thought provoking incidents took place and growing extremism in our society is strengthening its roots in Educational Institutes too . Many cases of blasphemy law were lodged against little kids on spelling errors or for having minority background, Police registered cases under the blasphemy laws against a student and his father in Khushab and a headmaster in Gujrat, all three of them belong to a minority sect, A student at the Sir Syed Girls High School in Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) colony Havelian, accused of blasphemy for erroneously misspelling a word in an Urdu exam while answering a question on a poem written in praise of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and some more incidents too but major incident of 2011 was murder of Governor Punjab Salman Taseer and hatred among Mullahs and various religious parties against those who were speaking against self-confessed murderer  of Salman Taseer , Favorists of Mumtaz Qadri (self-confessed murderer of Salman Taseer) organized rallies in whole country and defended the murderer , This hatred started a new discussion among masses and then people who tried to favor Taseer were threatened and forced by favorists of Qadri. So after Two major sectarian differences that are commonly discussed in schools and colleges another religious difference caught us and it was Pro-Qadri and Anti Qadri and children asks questions about murder after they discuss  about this issue in school , parents are afraid of telling their children that you have to condemn murder because they are afraid of reaction of extremists because in Pakistan now extremists are majority and liberals and moderates are minority and in Pakistani democracy , Majority is like Zeus of Minorities and for those who think in a different way so they have to bow to masters . This issue was not over when Minister for Minorities affairs Mr Shahbaz Bhatti was gunned down in Islamabad and same discussions started again, Few people condemned this too but majority of Mullahs , Religious parties did not even condemn this act of barbarism . Why we have such extremist mind set in our society and now this extremism is diffusing into educational Institutes of Pakistan, Recently a student of COMSATS University Lahore was forced to quit and officials were forced by protesting students in campus to struck off this student , she belong to a minority sect and blasphemy charges were lodged against her too. Atleast educational institutes could be made secular so that children from any background, religious cast and sect can study and serve Pakistan. Incidents of Punjab University when a religious group attacks another group of students who belong to different sect threaten future generation and is a sign of Lack of Moral Courage among society, Parents, Teachers and Government should jointly ponder upon this situation and can teach Morality.

Syed Foaad Hassan

Bureau Chief Lahore

Weekly "Education Informer"