Faith and Reason: Of fear and hate

The recent killings of Ahmedis in Lahore and the attacks on the Christian community over the last few years, the well-entrenched Sunni mistrust of Shia and vice versa and the Wahabi suspicion of all that is non-conformist are nothing short of deep-rooted prejudice and hatred.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Staff | Opinion
Source & Credit: The News International | Pakistan
By Talat Farooq | Leicester, UK | May 30, 2010

Not all insecure people are haters, but all haters are insecure people.

Once again the blasphemous sketches of the Prophet have raised their ugly head not only in a Facebook competition but also in Sweden where posters, prepared by a political party ahead of the forthcoming general elections in September, portray an insulting depiction. The Skane Party is reportedly anti-Muslim and anti foreigners in general and has resorted to this cheap tactic to garner attention and cheap popularity.


In the first instance, the Lahore High Court taking notice of the Facebook competition directed the federal government to lodge official protest with the US since Facebook is governed by the American legal jurisdiction. Later, Facebook was blocked in Pakistan along with YouTube. In the second instance, the Swedish Prosecutor of Justice decided that an investigation should be launched since the posters quite obviously show contempt for Muslims and can, therefore, be counted as a hate crime. The criminal proceedings will be initiated by the deputy chief prosecutor and the findings of the investigation will be presented to the prosecutor for further action. Both the Pakistani and the Swedish legal minds in question have found the respective actions unacceptable. To its credit the Swedish media has largely ignored the poster and denied the Skane Party any political mileage that they were hoping to gain.

Sensational situations are obviously reported for the sake of commercial gains. Sane reactions of millions of rational, secular human beings all over the globe go unreported, for lack of sensationalism. This is not to say that prejudice does not exist in the secular world; it sure does but then it is hale and hearty in Pakistan too. The recent killings of Ahmedis in Lahore and the attacks on the Christian community over the last few years, the well-entrenched Sunni mistrust of Shia and vice versa and the Wahabi suspicion of all that is non-conformist are nothing short of deep-rooted prejudice and hatred. How many of us have actually studied the aforementioned belief systems to comprehend their points of view even if we don’t agree with them? More often than not we are happy to borrow preconceived notions and ideologies from authority figures and follow them blindly for it makes life easy. Many in the West do the same. Attainment of in-depth knowledge of a subject in order to derive dispassionate conclusion is a tough job; it is far easier to fight a coward’s battle by resorting to below-the-belt tactics.

Hatred in all its forms is linked to existential fear of the ‘other’. Westerners are no more immune to it than we are. Bombings of their embassies and killing and hostage-taking of their citizens are facts of their everyday reality too. Modern-day terrorists are becoming more and more adept at manipulating exactly this particular human insecurity to their advantage. Research however shows that self-aware individuals can choose not to give in to such devastating emotions; they can choose not to hate or not to respond in kind when hated.

The question of blasphemy is a touchy issue for the Pakistanis. However, it is time for us to realize the ground realities of the internet age. For the first time in human history ordinary people have access to mass global social networks where they can articulate innermost emotions in everyday language while choosing to remain anonymous. The internet revolution is not a fad; it is here to stay. Our younger generation in particular is comfortable in making it an integral part of their lives. Actions such as banning an otherwise popular site will, in the long run, prove to be counterproductive. There are many ways of countering blasphemy; personally I find “dismissive disregard” to be the most effective. However those wishing to actively neutralize such propaganda must remember that self-pity and self-righteous anger will not resolve the issue. They will have to look for more dispassionate modes of action.

After the recent Facebook debacle a group of Lahore based youngsters has created a Facebook-like networking site, aiming at connecting the Muslims to give vent to their grievances while simultaneously inviting people from other religions to join in. How technically sound is the website and how effectively it can fulfill the need for catharsis remains to be seen. Nonetheless, this action by our youth is far better than burning public property and rioting or killing those perceived to be different from us.

Hatred is a complex subject that merits professional study in the prevailing environment in Pakistan so as to find constructive coping responses. One thing is for sure though; hate begets hate and the vicious circle can consume the hater and the hated with the same ferocity. It is, therefore, not surprising that the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) was full of compassion and forgiveness toward his detractors while focusing his energies on strengthening the weak areas of his community with objective and rational strategies. This he did in compliance with the Quranic injunction that states a simple psychological truth: Lo! Good deeds annul evil deeds.

The writer is a PhD student at Leicester, UK. Email: talatfarooq11@gmail.com

Read original post here: Of fear and hate

About the writer: 
The executive editor of Criterion Quarterly, an Islamabad based research journal, Mrs. Talat Farooq holds an M.Phil. in American Studies and has written two Urdu poetry collections. Mrs. Talat Farooq is a committed educationalist and social worker.