Under the Radar
On Wednesday 12th August the BBC reported on “Sectarian violence hits Pakistani town” an event that took place on 1st August. However, it was tucked away in the South Asia news section and was not deemed significant enough for the main world news page. It is an event that has gone largely un-noticed in the UK media and on the blogosphere. Even a post on the subject published on our own Red-i forum was withdrawn an hour or so later.
It was brought to my attention by a local activist who happens to be a Pakistani Christian and he attended the protests outside 10 Downing Street and later outside the Pakistani Embassy in London. Also, as far as I can tell, not reported on mainstream media.
The story has been picked up since, [after I prodded an email discussion list] and Adrian gives a far more eloquent summary than I could, so just go and read that.
It is of course distressing that such events take place at all, even in far away places, but that’s not what is worrying me right now. Given the amount of column inches devoted to other conflicts and injustice around the world, it seems strange that this event and its background has had so little in the way of commentary from the mainstream media or those in authority. It’s almost like they don’t want to talk about it.
Is it because we don’t want to upset the Pakistani government or we don’t want to upset the Muslim community here? As for the former they can take care of themselves. As for the latter, why should they be upset? The Muslims who live here don’t behave like that and are just as likely to condemn such behaviour as anyone else.
This is just the sort of sweeping under the carpet that fuels division, racism, fascism and Islamophobia. Let these things out into the open. Only through open and accurate information, comment and debate can understanding and trust be developed and the diversity of our population live side by side in harmony.
4 comments:
This sort of incident There were reports of attacks on a Christian community shortly before I went out to Faisalabad and Lahore in 2005. Media news values being what they are, I can't help wondering whether that would have been reported in the UK media had it not happened while England were touring and not that far from where one of the games was scheduled. In Faisalabad, Pakistani Christians would approach people going to the 'permit room' (three barred windows round the back of the city's only international class hotel which was the only place other than inside the hotel for hotel residents where alcohol could lawfully be purchased - i.e. where they would be unlikely to be approaching members of the majority muslim community) and hand out letters detailing ongoing mistreatment and abuses.
In the interests of completeness, while in Pakistan the warmth and hospitality extended to me and everyone else who was there for cricket was amazing. We were treated as honoured guests, not suspicious foreigners. Pakistan is not without its problems but it is much misunderstood and a country to which I would very much like to return.
NICK HAYES
Fullwell Ward
Your very kind.
I'm glad you sent this out, I wouldn't have noticed it.
Complex posting, written by many, so, lots to take on board.
I am concerned that Wilson Chowdry has not mastered the powers of punctuation because I am sure that part of what he has written is not what he meant to write.
(Don't ask me to point it out, work it out!).
I am concerned also that the idea that not joining in complaining about every despictable activities carried out in the name of religious conviction is the root of other evils as racism and fascism and other ill-wishing organisations.
Human nature is the cause and also the fact that a few 'thinkers' can lead the many, ever so easily, to do wrong. ( And when I say wrong, it's wrong in my eyes so, somebody will disagree with me, universal law!)
I am glad the post was removed from the redbridge-i website.
And I am glad that Barkingside 21 has given me the opportunity to express my thoughts.
annesevant
lets not politice this, but rather publicise this atrocious behaviour - its nothing short of murder - of the type seen in the partition struggle in 1948. Why am i not surprised that pakistan is still living in that age - 60 odd years later the country has not progressed its basic education standards to allow the common man ( such as is in Gojra, a town I am familiar with ) to see that this attitude and behaviour is socially unacceptable and just downright criminal - but they are pakistanis.... they rule from the heart and emotions and not their heads or logic or compassion or other behavioural norms the rest of 'civilised' society live by..... so we should not be surprised this has happened.
from an english muslim ( second generation pakistani) who travels to Pakistan every year and returns home thanking Allah he is english ...who lives in barkingside
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