This post is dedicated to Mashal and other heroes like him who didn’t/don’t use a mask when speaking out for they possessed/possess courage I do not yet.

Last Wednesday, the Anti-Terrorism Court in Haripur announced its long-awaited decision on the Mashal Khan murder case; the prime suspect was sentenced to death while 30 others were handed out time behind bars. Rather unsurprisingly, protests by religious factions were announced soon after and a large group of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) workers gathered at the Mardan Motorway Interchange chanting slogans against the deceased and vowing to appeal the decision in the Supreme Court. The release of “ghazi’s*” was celebrated by many as well. By the time this gets published, multiple protests will have undoubtedly taken place across the country to avenge this clique of “lovers of the Prophet (P.B.U.H)” with plenty of mullah’s spewing absolute crap in the name of religion.

I cannot help but think of the assassination of Salman Taseer, former governor of Punjab, several years ago. It seems as if we, as a nation, learned nothing from it and certainly did nothing to avoid another incident like the aforementioned one. Religious extremism and fanaticism are still at large and any effort to put an end to them hasn’t even dented the festering problem. Can we really not see what the future withholds? How long is it going to be till another one bites the dust for committing “blasphemy”? Though God forbid that anyone should even remotely consider an amendment in the blasphemy laws! That in itself would be “blasphemy”, no?

These incidents don’t only highlight the ineffectiveness of the gormint, the pulce, the boys, or whoever you want to blame. They highlight the conflicts this nation faces, the divide that has widened over the years and most importantly the increasing amount of intolerance. Perhaps then it’s time to start changing the mindset of the nation. I realize it’s not a short-term solution but considering the frequency of such news can we afford further inaction?

In my humble opinion, the most effective way to curb religious extremism and intolerance is by educating the masses. I see no other way yielding better results. The fact is our education system is absolute crap (more on it in a separate post) which is why we’re still facing such problems. It might take a generation or two till this nation gets to an age when we can finally describe such horrific events as singularities. This all but emphasizes the need for immediate educational reforms.

I started blogging under an alias for reasons mentioned here. However, I might continue to do so because I don’t want to end up being lynched by a mob or shot by a gunman in broad daylight. Anonymity for me, then, is no longer a luxury. I wish to see this nation usher in days when I don’t feel like hiding behind a mask, for safety, before expressing my sentiments anymore. And even then, if someone takes me down, I hope the masses condemn the action.

-TBB

* In the Islamic faith, the survivor of a holy war (Jihad) is given the title of a ghazi.