Is it all worth it?

I am not trying to rattle any cages with this blog post. Or perhaps it is a sign of my weakening faith, but I've found myself asking some real basic questions over the last couple of days, most notably: Is it all worth it? I mean religion. Did God create one of the most beautiful things in the verse so that so many people could one day abuse it and kill their fellow beings in their attempts to be closer to Him? They say terrorists have no religion, I say every religion has its terrorists - people who are so blinded by their faith and devotion to God that they forget the most basic principle there is: the sanctity of a human life. Is religion just a tool to kill other people in a society with such alarming levels of poverty and illiteracy? Or alternatively, if there were no religion, would people still kill like they do today?

We all believe in leading good lives and going to jannah (paradise), but I ask: at what cost? Is it not a collective responsibility of a religion and a society based on one to condemn injustices and speak up against them. Do you really want your paradise so bad that you're willing to stay stilent on every injustice and act of barbarism you see around you? What good is paradise then? I keep referring to paradise, because frankly we're obsessed with it. We're far too obsessed with being "good" Muslims individually that we've forgotten perhaps the most basic Islamic principle there is: Husn-e-Ikhlaq. Someone asked the Prophet (PBUH) to define Islam in two words, and thats what he said: "Husn-e-Ikhlaq". Islam is nothing but husn-e-ikhlaq, in every aspect of life, individual and collective. That is all, and alas! how badly we have failed at it.

The attacks on Ahemdis two days ago are nothing new in the context of our history, they are another persecuted minority in Pakistan. What has truly been sickening has been people's reaction. How can so many people be devoid of humanity? How can you condone the killing of an innocent human being? Is everything that we practice somehow more important than whether another person lives or dies (regardless of their beliefs)? Time to put things in perspective and root out the proponents of this venom who seem to think all this is OK, all in the name of God and paradise.

If we must ban something, it should be these poison-spewing madrassahs and maulvis spreading such hatred and blatant disregard for human lives. Facebook may have partaken in blasphemy but there's plenty of it going on in our cities and society. How about cleaning our own house first?

Speechless

Literally speechless about what happened in Lahore today. Mortified at the fact that they were guaranteed security yet this still took place. So much for our guarantees now. I just don't know what else to say. I'm glad no one from their team got hurt and I salute the brave policeman who died protecting them, not to mention the driver who drove them away from the scene.

Things just seem to be going from bad to worse for us. For once, I hope the investigation reveals the perpetrators of this heinous act. Those animals should be caught asap and brought before the courts, and their masterminds should be exposed no matter who they are!

Related Links:

Sangakkara's account of events

Younis - Kill cricket, create terrorists

Who is responsible for all this carnage?

Another day, another suicide attack! As frail as the law and order situation is in Pakistan, it would be naive to think our enemies would not want to take advantage of this opportunity and seek to further destabilize us. Today's attack (combined with others recently) is aimed at weakening Pakistan's strong institutions and furthering the gulf between the people and the state, not to mention make Pakistan one of the most dangerous places in the world to be. No wonder the Aussies don't wanna come here.

It stands to be reasoned that the likes of India, Israel and the US would have their vested interests in the destabilization of Pakistan. They already have an alliance, and all claim Pakistan harbours terrorists and that they'd wouldn't miss the chance to take out some given the opportunity. If the fiascos of May 12 and Dec 27 are anything to go by, things could get real ugly in a matter of minutes if someone prominent is gunned down. The suicide attacks have left the nation reeling - not a week goes by when we hear of such attack in some part of the country. Will they even stop with the new government in place? I don't think so, especially if some foreign hand is involved.

Here's an aptly drawn cartoon by Carlos Latuff that I came across while visitng The Olive Ream:
There are more from the same artist here. Also, please be sure to check out his fantastic collection, most notably his images denouncing Israel's latest assault on Gaza.