SOCIAL INTOLERANCE IN PAKISTAN

INTRO

* Social intolerance is epidemic in Pakistan * Philosopher’s view of society distasteful of accepting heterogeneity of ideas * Our society wants to eliminate obnoxious elements rather than developing intellectual arguments against them * Islam and Tolerance * Our hypocrisy has turned a country into a holocaust

MAIN BODY

CAUSES OF SOCIAL INTOLERANCE IN PAKISTAN

* Pak geo strategic position and foreign policy * Role of Islam * Madrassa myopic education * Lack of good governance and true democracy * Inadequate judicial system * Sectarian disharmony * Unethical practices of media

Impacts of Social intolerance

* Inter creed hostility * Tarnished country image * Threatened financial viability of country * Lack of Socio-Economic development

Recommendations to instill social tolerance in Pakistan

* Formal Education to all * Rejuvenate madrassa education * Induce democratic values at family level * Independent Foreign Policy that serves our national interests * Media should acknowledge its social responsibility * Address the grievances of masses * Set up a society on pluralistic philosophy

Conclusion

Country can get rid of this menace of social intolerance but it needs systematic overhaul

Pakistan is increasingly revolutionizing into a country where dissent is repelled and disagreement is penalized in almost every sphere. Currently, Pakistani society is beset with intolerance. Certain incidents are taking place that are indicative of the fact that the intensity of violence is increasing while there is a proportional decrease in the intensity of tolerance. The range and types of violence indicate that intolerance is endemic. One of the indicators of this is that the members of society do not oppose violent incidents. Instead, they remain hushed up. Perhaps the majority considers violence the right way to mete out justice called vigilantism. An English philosopher J.S. Mills once noted that the most serious threat to civic liberties stemmed not from the government but from society itself, which could not bring itself to accepting diversity of views and heterogeneity of ideas. This astute observation is perfectly applicable to Pakistan. We want peace and security but promote violence and fanaticism and enthrone sentimentalism and sensationalism. It seems that our society has become a holocaust.

Examples of societal radicalization abound, are not limited to the silent tolerance of violence against religious minorities. A few months ago, Pakistan shut off for some time access to the social networking website Facebook, which had a link to content regarded as blasphemous. According to poll conducted by the Propakistan nearly 70 per cent of the Pakistanis wanted a permanent ban on Facebook. Similarly College campuses around the country provide further evidence of creeping radicalism. Kinnaird College banned jeans and other western dress on campus few years back after the reported harassment of female students by burka-clad women who threatened violence. The affinity for bans suggests that our society wants to eliminate obnoxious perspectives, rather than develop intellectual arguments against them.

Islam teaches tolerance on all levels: individual, groups and states. Tolerance is the mechanism that upholds human rights and the rule of law. It allows every human being to profess its religious preference. It teaches that there should not be any compulsion in the religion.
Be forgiving: "Show forgiveness, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the foolish (i.e. don't count on their doings" Forgive and show indulgence to them!

From the complex web of factors, the first is Pakistan’s strategic position and its capricious foreign policy. Pakistan never tried to keep herself out of its neighbors’ affairs. On one hand it was America’s enthusiastic ally in the war to eject the Soviet Union from Afghanistan in the 1980s, on the other hand the unresolved tensions with India have dogged the country since its birth. Pakistan used religion as an instrument of change and still paying the price. When the Soviets went away the battle hardened people redirected towards India, and on the western front, Pakistan helped to create the Taliban in the 1990s to try to exert some control over Afghanistan. By fiddling with India and Afghanistan, Pakistan has undermined its own stability. After 9/11, the army decided to wind down the policy. This whimsical foreign policy led to emergence of a multi-polar society at home and owing to ineffective approach and lack od political sensibility, the poles gradually became stronger.

Secondly it’s the unresolved question of Islam’s role in the state. Quaid made it clear that he thought Pakistan should be a country for Muslims, not an Islamic country. But since then every government that has failed to deliver has used Islam as a crutch. Unfortunately starting from the 1949 Objectives Resolution, Successive rulers in Pakistan have used religion to consolidate their position, and power seekers to satisfy their ambitions. To most of the scholars and religious groups, the root cause of all our problems is the existence of more than one sect or creed and the panacea for all problems is simply the elimination of all rival sects and creeds.

In breeding and nurturing religious militancy, the madrassas have played a lethal role. The pen is bloodier than the sword and this is perfectly applicable to our madrassas, which teach negation, and hence repudiation of doctrines, rituals and moral standards different from theirs. Hence, those who profess a different creed or have a different moral standard are looked upon as an evil. The students are taught that only their creed is based on truth, whereas the rest are an incarnation of evil, whose elimination is a most sacred duty of theirs.

Intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit. – Mahatma Gandhi

Democracy in Pakistan has been subverted by patronage. The big landowning families dominate parliament and Parties have nothing to do with ideology, they are family assets. Owing to either fear or opportunism, political leaders have shown no resistance to intolerance. The absence of true democracy is a significant reason for nurturing intolerance in the country and Social intolerance is itself an impediment to bolster the democratic setup in the country.

The judicial system is slow to alleviate the grievances of the people. When the genuine problems of the people are not redressed, they get frustrated and become intolerant on trivial matters. Dialogue is not considered a positive way to settle inter-faith or inter-sectarian issues in the sphere of religion.

The electronic media and the anchors competing for improved ratings are equally responsible for such society. People must be informed what is happening to pre-empt speculation and rumors. But what is questionable is the manner in which this information is conveyed. The viewer can be informed without packaging the news with a lot of excitement and sensationalism. But these unnecessary frills are essential to attract a large viewership hence these unethical practices are detrimental to the mental health of the nation. In a situation that is already so fraught with uncertainty and crises creating anxiety, what purpose does the media serve by reinforcing a sense of hopelessness? The talk shows are no better. What we have is the meaningless discussion on issues with no prolific outcome, adding woes of society.
Terrorists will not overthrow the Pakistani state, but the combination of a small number of terrorists and a great deal of intolerance is changing it. People are beginning to watch their words in public. There is an increase in Brain drain owing to lack of opportunities and social unrest. The country is already very different from the one Jinnah aspired to build.

Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding-Mohandas Gandhi
Intolerance propagates mistrust and chaos in society leading to the collapse of the social, economic and political order. When people are victimized for their religious affiliations, they develop antipathy towards the other creed, leading to inter-creed hostility. The victimization on religious grounds often begets social unrest and violence, which if goes unchecked may shake the entire social order. This intolerance has brought home criticism from all over the world and has tarnished the image of this country and resultantly, shattered the confidence of foreign investors augmenting the financial woes of this country.

Intolerance is a common resentful thread joining politics, religion and society in Pakistan. The contrary to this malevolent bond is an uninterrupted supply of democracy, unhindered electoral accountability of politicians and unlimited dissemination of education among the masses. Pakistan has a multi-ethnic society composed of people professing different creeds and speaking different languages. The edifice of such a society must rest on the pillars of a pluralistic philosophy and full religious freedom, which accepts diversity of beliefs, practices and codes without trying to reduce the diversity to a unity. Intolerance cannot be checked without providing justice to all segments of society. The rule of law, expedite justice and independence of institutions is vital for discouraging the rampant intolerance.

The government must ensure that the interpretations of the faith are in the contextual parameters, so that religious sentiment cannot be used as a tool for projecting one’s own vested interests. There is a dire need to reform the Madrasah education. Tender-age boys having only Madrasah certificate are unable to find a formal job. They become disillusioned and take a view that this world is evil and resort to violent acts, when the terrorists prod them. Revamping the Madrasah education will not only bring peace and stability but will also provide young and healthy workforce. We must introduce democratic values and dialogue as a mean to resolve conflicts, to a family, a basic societal unit, so that every individual imbibe these credentials from his cradle.
The media houses must realize their social responsibility and must evolve a comprehensive code of ethics with a special emphasis on the current scenario to check unethical practices, so that it can truly become a sound pillar of the state.
There come moments in the lives of nations when dark clouds of despondency and despair obscure the ways to moving forward. During such testing times nations are faced with multifarious crisis, which could only be overcome by positive national narrative based on sagacity, prudence and ofcource resilience. Pakistan has been wobbling at the edge of abyss, but has not tumbled into the calamity. The process could be reversed; but for that to happen, all of us would have to try.

“The greatest Glory lies not in never falling, but rising every time we fall “ – Nelson Mandela