Ahmadiyya Times Note: Kailash Satyarthi is an Indian children's rights activist. Kailash Satyarthi won 2014 Nobel Peace Prize along with Pakistani child activist Malala Yousufzai. Mohammad Zia-Ul Haque, mentioned in the above post, is uncle of Imran Jattala, Chief Editor of Ahmadiyya Times.
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| Kailash Satyarthi (R) and Mohammad Zia-Ul Haque seen at an anti-child labour campaign meeting in Nepal. |
Source/Credit: Kailash Satyarthi
By Kailash Satyarthi | July 8, 2010
Seven of us were standing speechless in deep sorrow and tears; four were women who had come all the way from USA and UK to spot a place where exactly their dear ones- brothers and nephews took their last breath. The rest of the three were my brother and dear friend Mohammad Zia-Ul Haque, Sheikh Riyaz Mehmood and I. (I had never seen Zia bhai so lost and sad before. I will write a full blog on him later on, as it is a two decade history of our friendship.) It was exactly a month after the brutal massacre at the Ahmadiya mosque at Garhi Shahu, Lahore, Pakistan. This was one of the two Holy places where more than a thousand innocent worshipers were praying for peace and humanity on that fateful day, 28 May 2010. I was taken to the prayer hall, verandah, basement, and courtyard by Sheikh Riyaz who himself miraculously escaped death. He explained how six terrorists took over the mosque for about four hours. Marks of bullets and blood tell how barbaric we are in year 2010. At the same time another mosque in the city, at Model town was also attacked. About hundred people were assassinated in this heinous act of terror. Youth who tried to save elders were shot at point blank range or were hit by grenades.
Sheikh Riyaz who had become a full time volunteer at the mosque after giving up his lucrative business, along with other volunteers collected the dead remains of the people who had come to pray. I have no words to express my feelings to see hundreds of shoes lying in the corner of the big courtyard. They were smeared in blood which soon dried and gave a ghastly look to the strewn shoes. The relatives of the deceased kept on coming to take those shoes if they could recognize them.
Once again, a deadly act has been committed in the name of God. Once again two mercenaries blasted themselves to kill others claiming to be the saviors of Islam and once again the humanity has been ashamed. What madness! Which God will allow this to happen? And for how long?
As far as I know, Islam is based on the principles of humanity, love, compassion and peace. What else could be more shameful than those who abuse the great religion are still patronized, supported and even respected among certain sections of the society? Otherwise, how can these Islam-abusers, the terrorists live, eat, move and survive?
These outfits, tendencies and the mindset which breed terror are a crime against Allah- the God. They must not only be condemned, but challenged strongly. Their supporters must also be equally condemned. Such miscreants kill innocent people every other day, which are followed by condemnation in the media as a ritual. I spent four days in Lahore during this visit. I travelled in Pakistan widely in the past. I have had many organizational and personal friends for decades, as good as I have in India. But for the first time I saw that people are frightened and disillusioned. Of course, on the other hand I could observe more openness among educated people. At several occasions in international fora, I advocate for more financial support to Pakistani children for their education- good quality, scientific and rational education. I strongly believe and advocate that education is one of the most powerful weapons to fight fundamentalism and terrorism.
Pakistan is under fire. This beautiful nation with beautiful people has to flourish for the sake of well being of her people and for the peace and sustainability of others. Only a strong, sustainable and prosperous Pakistan will be good for its neighbors. But unfortunately, things are not as easy as we wish. A deep-rooted Mullah-ism or Maulvi domination is so intrinsically embedded in all sections of the society which is not easy to handle by any progressive Government. A large number of madrassas are engaged in spreading hatred and act as a building ground for terrorism. They are perhaps the most damaging obstacles in the making of a progressive democratic state. Unfortunately I don’t see many open voices against this. This silence is suicidal.
It could be a surprise for many that a particular community, Ahmadiya or Kadiyani, has been notified as non-Muslims for years. One will definitely be impressed by the progressive and open-minded attitude of this Muslim sect. They do not only preach education for all of their followers, particularly for girls and women, but practice it. Obviously, their literacy rate is more than 90%, which clearly reflects in their lifestyle. They not only preach international brotherhood, harmony and peace, but prove it in their deeds. Ahmadiyas had a long history of state repression and the attacks by the fundamentalist forces like the recent one. But, there is no hard evidence of any violence or retaliation by them.
I had a very good time with Zia-bhai and Zakia-aapa staying with their family with my wife, Sumedha. It was just personal. But an evening with Chowdhary Hameed Nasrullah Khan and his son Chaudhary Mustafa Khan was memorable. Chowdhary Hameed is the nephew and son-in-law of Sir Zafarullah Khan, a renowned scholar and statesman of our subcontinent. Chowdhary Hameed is not only a prominent leader of the Ahmadiya community but also very well respected in Paksitani society. I was quite impressed by the in-depth knowledge and understanding about religion, society and politics and concern for people that these two gentlemen had.
I really wish to see a strong and vibrant civil society in Pakistan- the civil society which has the courage to speak truth to power, a civil society which can lead the people to break their silence. A civil society which has moral power to condemn and challenge the reign of terror and help in building a strong democratic and progressive society with all the essence of culture and the values of humanity.
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Ahmadiyya Times Note: Kailash Satyarthi is an Indian children's rights activist. Kailash Satyarthi won 2014 Nobel Peace Prize along with Pakistani child activist Malala Yousufzai. Mohammad Zia-Ul Haque, mentioned in the above post, is uncle of Imran Jattala, Chief Editor of Ahmadiyya Times.
Read original post here: Perspective: God can never have a face of terror | Kailash Satyarthi
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