Sialkot and Sri Lankan Muslims

Would or could the Pakistani authorities, especially Prime Minister Imran Khan ‘Walk the talk’ in respect of eradication of religious extremism as they vowed following the barbaric attack on the Sri Lankan factory manager Priyantha Kumara Diyawadana on December 3 in the eastern city of Sialkot. 

Khan’s response to the brutal lynching of Priyantha Kumara by a mob so far is commendable. We use the terms “so far” and “commendable” in the light of our cognizance of power and extent of religious extremism in Pakistan, Afghanistan and some countries in the Middle East. The possibility of turn of the tide, though less this time, cannot be ruled out given the issues – real as well as perceived – involved in the incident.

An allegation of blasphemy, an issue that is threatening the survival of the Imran Khan’s government is also involved in this issue. But the investigations conducted so far indicate that it is a concocted allegation to justify the barbarism meted out against the innocent man allegedly following an industrial dispute. Blasphemy is a major issue in Pakistan which has drawn international criticism due to certain famous instances of its misuse. The outlawed extremist political party Thehrik-e- Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) that made Imran Khan’s government to cave in to some of its demands recently by a massive demonstration has made the blasphemy its signature issue.  

"Also, some Muslims attempted to save face by claiming that the Sialkot incident was primarily an industrial dispute where the blasphemy issue was used as a cover. Even then, one cannot defend the misuse of blasphemy allegations"

Pakistani Prime Minister’s stance on the incident pushed the police to arrest hundreds of people who were involved in this heinous crime within 24 hours, using CCTV footages and some of them were remanded. Khan held a condolence meeting for Priyantha Kumara at his office on Tuesday and announced that the colleague of the Sri Lankan manager Malik Adnan who singlehandedly attempted to save his friend from the clutches of the angry mob endangering his own life would be bestowed with the Pakistan’s second highest civilian award “Tamgha-e- Shujaat.”  

Also, the Pakistan Prime Minister announced that the Sialkot business community had already raised a sum of US$ 100,000 to help Priyantha Kumara’s family while announcing that his monthly salary would also be paid continuously. At the same event he vowed that he would not leave room for anyone to use religion to justify violent acts. Interestingly, the TLP too had condemned the mob attack, in spite of the allegation of blasphemy. This might have further emboldened Khan to take action against the perpetrators of this crime. 

He assured President Gotabaya Rajapaksa that “full severity of the law” would be used on those responsible for the last Friday’s “vigilante killing.” All these facts indicate that Priyantha Kumara’s killing has been an exceptional incident for the government and the people of Pakistan, a country where blasphemy is a hot topic and even something that can decide the fate of the government.  

"Although extremism is a phenomenon common to every community, one cannot deny the fact that extremism among Muslims is the high-profile deviation of religion in the contemporary world (at least for the past decade) and its vile faces are real and not imaginations. It is the one of the prime culprits threatening peace in many countries"

On the day of the incident Imran Khan described it as Pakistan’s day of shame. And he took action accordingly. However, his Defence Minister Pervais Khattak downplaying the brutality of the act of lynching of a man countered Khan’s stand. He also atrociously justified the inhuman act by saying “Please explain to people that it is a matter of faith. Even I can come under its influence and commit a crime. But it does not mean that Pakistan is en route the road to destruction.”  However, during the condolences meeting Khan said “we are heading in a complete different direction.” 

Though Khattak said that Pakistan was not heading towards destruction, what would be the final outcome if his Prime Minister and the large majority in Pakistan who stood for Priyantha too take his stand?” Khattak likened the incident to an ordinary misdemeanor committed by kids. Also, he went on to justify the crimes in the name of religion which is itself blasphemous to Islam. He was uttering these words on the very same day when Imran Khan vowed not to leave room for anyone to use religion to justify violent acts. His outrageous statement casts doubt on the possibility of Prime Minister’s firm statement on ending killings in the name of religion.

As has been the case subsequent to the terrorist attacks on Christians on the Easter Sunday in 2019, Muslims especially in Sri Lanka (and may be in other countries) are in a psychological predicament, as Imran Khan stated about the Pakistanis in other countries. He said during the condolence meeting “Pakistanis living abroad cannot show their face to others after this incident”.  For Sri Lankan Muslims, the situation is more acute as the victim of the Sialkot lynching is a Sri Lankan and the incident is linked some way or other to their religion. It has occurred in the backdrop of a virulent demonizing campaign against them that started soon after the Easter Sunday carnage having just begun to subside. 

"Blasphemy is a major issue in Pakistan which has drawn international criticism due to certain famous instances of its misuse. The outlawed extremist political party Thehrik-e- Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) that made Imran Khan’s government to cave in to some of its demands recently by a massive demonstration has made the blasphemy its signature issue"

They, with the first flash of the news breaking on Friday anticipated another round of demonization, but the sensitivity that was attached to the incident by the Pakistani government and the people as well as the highly intelligent response to it by the family of the victim seem to have brought it to a very low level. Only a very few high ranking government politicians had made unacceptable remarks. However, with apparently this anticipation some people had posted on social media the video footages of gory incidents that had happened during the recent communal violence in Sri Lanka. 

That may be treated as a good defence, yet one cannot deny that such comparisons would amount to be a justification of the beastly Sialkot incident and trivialize the gravity of it, especially among Muslims. Even some Tamils had posted the famous photograph of people dancing around a horrified man taken at the Borella bus stand during the 1983 pogrom against Tamils. Unless Muslims, in that case any community understand the gravity of brutality, the possibility of persuasion for introspection plummeting would be high. 

Also, some Muslims attempted to save face by claiming that the Sialkot incident was primarily an industrial dispute where the blasphemy issue was used as a cover. Even then, one cannot defend the misuse of blasphemy allegations. Imran Khan during his condolence speech on Tuesday said “some people are falsely accused of blasphemy and are thrown in jail to rot in them, as neither any lawyer, nor any judge wants support them… This kind of sham justice cannot be found in any humanitarian society in the world.” 

That does not mean that very vivid intentional insults are not happening in the world against religions. The depiction of a comical and vulgar caricature of a naked man as that of a founder of a religion followed by billions of people is not the civilized way of practicing freedom of expression. The motive of such acts is nothing but insulting. Yet, who - which God has given authority or permission to mobs to deliver justice over an offence allegedly committed by an accused? Muslims are psychologically sandwiched between the real time blasphemy and the way laws pertaining to it used. 

True, no society can claim moral high ground when it comes to cruelty. Also no society can be treated as having monopoly over cruelty, despite the extent of repercussions of cruelties of various societies having varied. True, media, locally and internationally are selective in highlighting barbarities. Also true that people insult other’s religion and religious figures. Yet, mob justice or institutionalized racism cannot be accepted. 

Although extremism is a phenomenon common to every community, one cannot deny the fact that extremism among Muslims is the high profile deviation of religion in the contemporary world (at least for the past decade) and its vile faces are real and not imaginations. It is the one of the prime culprits threatening peace in many countries. Seepage of it into Sri Lanka was evident with the attacks on Christians in 2019. Only a genuine, well-planned and continuous long-term introspection by political and religious leaders would eradicate for good or minimize this dangerous trend in any community. Unfortunately, the healthy introspective trend that was created among Sri Lankan Muslims by the horrors of the Easter Sunday attacks was watered down and diverted towards self-defence with the anti-Muslim riots that followed.