JAMAT-E-ISLAMI TALIBAN!

“There is no right or place for the liberals in Pakistan. If they still persist, they`d better get themselves registered in the category of minorities”.

This declaration was made by the Jamat-e-Islami`s leader Mr. Munawwar Hassan while addressing a political gathering of his workers and supporters near the Quaid`s mausoleum in Karachi. In fact, the Munawwar Hassan`s message was very loud and clear to all those parties which were calling themselves liberal in comparison to the Taliban and their supporting parties. Of course, MQM was on the top of the hit list. The question is, if anyone speaks against the violation of the fundamental rights of the people no matter which community, ethnicity, sec or religion they belong to, will this be considered as a non-Islamic act? Does Islam anyhow allow such a victimization of one Muslim by the other even in case of the difference of opinion between them?

We know very well that the life, property and reputation of a Muslim have been declared as strictly prohibited (Haaram) for another Muslim. Then, how can an individual or a group be allowed to perform this non-Islamic act? If a group of Muslim soldiers (Jihadis), had started killing their own Muslims in the ear of the last Prophet (PBUH) in the way as in Pakistan, would he have had supported it anyway? When not, why to justify the Taliban terrorism and to criticize MQM, PPP and ANP on not accepting the evil acts?

According to a Hadice, killing one man by another is equivalent to killing the entire humanity in the world. Then, why are Taliban killing the innocent Pakistani Muslims? On top of it, if any individual or a group of Muslims raises its voice on such an evil act, will Munawwar Hassan ask them to leave the country or treat them as a (non-Muslim) minority? In fact, it was the prophet (PBUH) who forgave even his deadly enemies who were at his mercy after the great victory of Makka. Not only that, he also allowed them to worship their own Gods as per their beliefs. Then, who the hell Taliban and their supports are to brutally kill the Muslims who disagree to the extremism?

It is also a very open fact that the Muslims of the undivided India got united and formed All India Muslim League after facing the religious discrimination from the Hindus. This was the main cause due to which the Muslim League under the leadership of the Quaid-e-Azam struggled for a separate piece of land for the Muslims and finally got it. However, despite having faced the discrimination on the basis of the religion in the undivided India, he announced a very flexible policy for the all the people of Pakistan regardless of their ethnicity and religion. In his presidential address to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on August 11, 1947, the Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah said,

“No power can hold another nation, and specially a nation of 400 million souls in subjection; nobody could have conquered you, and even if it had happened, nobody could have continued its hold on you for any length of time, but for this. Therefore, we must learn a lesson from this. You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place or worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed that has nothing to do with the business of the State.” 

These words are clearly showing that he did not want to see any other non-Muslim community suffering from the similar discrimination in Pakistan that his own Muslim community had to face in the past. So, when this was the vision of the founder of Pakistan, who the hell is anyone to declare any Pakistani as deserving to death just because of the difference of opinion?

It is also a part of the history that the leadership of Jamat-e-Islami Moulana Modudi not only opposed the creation of Pakistan, but also severely maligned the personality of the Muslim League leadership especially the Quaid-e-Azam and used very abusive language for him. The question is, do the people who opposed the struggle of Pakistan deserve to be entitled to any rights in Pakistan? Should the JI leaders and supporters have been allowed even to enter Pakistan after their anti-Pakistan role in 1940`s? If MQM, ANP and PPP can be categorized as (non-Muslim) minority just because of showing their disagreement with Taliban, then do the JI leaders themselves not deserve to be treated in a worse way for the crime of opposing during the independence movement of Islamic Republic of Pakistan in the very crucial time? 

To tell truth, all the JI leaders including Munawwar Hassan should be thankful to the moderate policy of the Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah who not only allowed them to enter Pakistan despite their anti-Pakistan role, but also did not require them to be registered in the category of minorities. This was just because of the fact that he and his supporters were moderate, liberal and non-extremist,Muslims. Otherwise, all the anti-Pakistan elements could have faced the worse form of punishment than the one that their dearest Taliban are giving to the followers of the supports of the Pakistan movement just due to not accepting the Batten-led Shariya.

Therefore, Munawwar Hassan and all the other pro-Taliban elements must not forget that their presence in Pakistan along with the equal rights is the result of the liberal as well as non-extremist policy of the Quaid-e-Azam and their followers. However, if they do not reconsider their views, rather keep on adopting the same hostile attitude towards the true followers of the Quaid-e-Azam, then, their own status in the country will surely be at risk.