Who will protect the minorities?

Letter April 10, 2014
This is a crucial time to come forward and stay united and foster religious harmony.

SHIKARPUR: Islam is a religion of peace and that Sindh is the Land of Sufis. But peace in Sindh, which is the land of Sufis, is nowhere to be found.

The question is why peace has not prevailed via the message of Islam or that of the Sufis. And why religious extremism spilled over in Larkana, where a Hindu Dharamshala was burnt by extremists.

However, this is not for the first time in Sindh that minorities are suffering and their freedom to worship is being compromised. The Hindu community is facing severe problems such as security concerns, forced conversions, forced marriages, kidnappings for ransom, looting and all the while, their places of worship remain vulnerable to attacks. Given all the hydra-headed problems, the Hindu community is compelled to migrate to India as they have done in the past because there is simply no one to help them. The Sindh government has been a complete failure when it comes to correcting this sorry state of affairs. Moreover, even elected representatives of the Hindu community have been of little help.

It is the responsibility of the state to protect the life and property of every citizen, regardless of what caste, creed or religion he or she belongs to.

This is a crucial time to come forward and stay united and foster religious harmony.

It is of dire need that the true message of Islam must be conveyed and followed as cited in the scripture. The state should play its role in protecting the minorities living in our society and give practical shape to Quaid-e-Azam’s speech on July 14, 1947 about minorities.

Imran Ali Detho

Published in The Express Tribune, April 11th, 2014.

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