The writer is an adjunct professor at the Howard University School of Law and holds a Juris Doctorate and LLM specialising in international law. He tweets @warishusain
Pakistan does not have a monopoly on violent bigotry; rather, there was a period in American history where African-American citizens were subject to similar abuses as Christians in Pakistan. In 1963, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) bombed a church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four African-American children. Much like their kindred brethren, the Pakistani Taliban, the KKK enacted violent murders and terrorist attacks on anyone who was different from them. For the KKK in southern American states, this meant African Americans, whom they would rape, kidnap, lynch or murder with impunity from the law. Just as Christians in Pakistan are falsely accused of blasphemy, African Americans were also once subject to false accusations of supposed crimes, which led to deadly punishments. This includes the case of Emmet Till, a 14-year-old boy beaten and shot to death on being accused of flirting with a white woman, in 1955. His killers were acquitted of his kidnapping and murder but later admitted to the crime.
Fast forward 50 years to Pakistan and one sees that a Christian man was killed last week in Karachi for allegedly committing an act of blasphemy, and Aasia Bibi languishes in jail appealing her death sentence for the same charge. Much like African Americans in the South during the early 20th Century, life for non-Muslim Pakistanis is a gift that can be revoked at the hands of a jealous neighbour or an angry mob that won’t be stopped by the police. In the US, African-American activists and their supporters worked for several decades fighting racial discrimination. However, racist apologists for white terror groups, much like their Pakistani Taliban apologist counterparts, claimed that these activists were part of a foreign conspiracy.
In the US, these apologists were pushed aside by a public and legislature that was increasingly shocked by the brutality of white terrorists groups in the South. The Civil Rights Act was passed in order to provide social and cultural rights that minorities could enforce through the court or the federal government. The Act criminalised discrimination in the employment or service of minorities in public places like hotels, restaurants and theaters. The FBI was authorised to investigate, arrest and prosecute white terrorist leaders, which disempowered those groups, leaving them incapable of carrying out massive terror attacks against African Americans.
If the government of Pakistan, or its people, wish to remedy the factors that led to the Peshawar Church bombing, they must recognise the expansive nature of discrimination that non-Muslims endure. This discrimination often comes at the hands of the outliers, such as extremists or their apologists, but some of it is engrained in the laws themselves. Non-Muslims are prohibited by the Constitution from becoming President of the country; they are often relegated exclusively to hard labour or sanitation employment. Changing existing laws is essential for any progress to be made. However, this will mean nothing if the police continually fail to protect non-Muslim citizens and bring their killers to justice.
Social discrimination can only be remedied if the state adopts an expansive legislation for cultural, civil, and political rights that allows minorities’ easy access to the courts for remedies to their discrimination claims. Like in the US, the fight for equal rights and tolerance will continue in Pakistan for several generations. However, there is no better time than the present to realise the violent trajectory the nation is headed towards with regard to non-Muslims. Sweeping legislation and proper enforcement by the police and court systems will be the only way to ensure that the survivors of the Peshawar Church bombing can live to see justice and equal protection under the law.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 27th, 2013.
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It is true prejudice and discrimination existed against coloured people in the west,in my opinion that was nothing compared to what minorities are suffering in pakistan. after the second world war thousands of mirpuris(ajk) came to UK to work in the mills, most often they were paid less than whites for doing similar type of work, but it was the white civil society who fought for equal pay for coloured workers. my father came to UK like thousands of other mirpuris in 1960, he worked in a steel plant spread over 10 sq miles in sheffield, over 2 thousand mirpuris worked in the night shift, but were paid 1/3 less than whites, but none of them complained because they were earning a lot more than they were back home, some members of the white management protested and some even resighned saying this is wrong there should be equal pay for every one regardless of colour, eventually equal pay was introduced for every one.
@author Was every thing in Alabama done in the name of religion?
@author,
An excellent article and I agree with most of your thoughts and analysis.
"Like in the US, the fight for equal rights and tolerance will continue in Pakistan for several generations"
But, on this statement, first, there is no real "fight" for equal rights and tolerance going on in Pakistan. Also, unlike in the case of the US, in Pakistan, intolerance and discrimination is rooted in religion. As long as Pakistan remains an official religious-ideological state, some people will continue to be less equal than others and continue to face intolerance and discrimination.
The Americans did not have to fight god to implement constitutional changes to implement human-rights laws. America is a secular state with a secular constitution. But, as an Islamic state, Pakistan is mandated to fully implement Islamic laws, edicts, codes and practices, blasphemy law being one example. You can't get out of the religious box.
We do not have to compare ourselves with any other countries to justify our actions. We must feel right of our actions. The fact is the minorities in Pakistan- Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Ahmadi and Hazra in our country are systematically either by constitutional decree, laws or hate killed and denied of their basic human rights. It is really sad and shameful. If we claim to be Muslims, we have the Qur'an or as Pakistanis, we have the founding father's words for instructions how to treat a fellow human being. Unless we as a nation seriously honor, respect and protect the white portion of our national flag, we all will perish together. Allah is neither blind nor deaf. Our actions are being watched and heard.
So you have uplifted yourself. All these days you were comparing with India.
While the comparison is valid on certain points, the outcome will certainly be not. Fifty years ago the black population of the US stood at 10% of the total population. It has been growing ever since and now stands at 15%. Minorities in Pakistan make up 2 or 3 percent of the population. Do you think Christians have a few generations to spare? With the persecution, the killing and the forced conversions in Pakistan, there won't be any left in the decades to come. In 50 years from now Pakistan will have run out of its minority groups.
We always talk or point out the untouchables in the Hindu cast culture but never look into our own culture and religion, the fact is that those who are elected on minority seats also perpetuating this unending discrimination, they always side with those who are ruling the country at the time. I grew up in the late 50s in Mardan and we always intermingled with people who had different faith then me and it was not only me but all of us friends were the same way. Yes, Christians were the poorest and the weakest among us but we were friends. Recently, to repeal or to amend the blasphemy laws were brought up in the National Assembly by two parliamentarians, Mr.Hashmi and Ms.Mazari, but it was shameful that no body else carried on the topic,they just skipped it , they are scared of these monsters who are threatening everyone and anyone day in and day out in the name of Islam. Unfortunately the current outfit in Islamabad in not very keen to repeal the blasphemy law and make other changes in the constitution that anyone could become PM or President regardless of their faith. Look, what the state has and is doing to the Ahmedis, the police is either abetting or looking the other way. It is so sad that this country is on the slippery slope to oblivion and it will be done by it's own people in the name of God or Islam.
The same apologist attitude that many in Pakistan take cover behind it. Since it happened in USA decades ago,we have to emulate them.And it might be reasonable if Pakistan was moving forward in this regard.But look at the history and see how the rights of minorities have been eaten bit by bit by the Government at the instigation of mullahs.Laws have been enacted to excommunicate millions,and daily calls for their extermination continues without as much as a notice by the authorities.Each day new demands to sideline minorities in national life is growing,and gaining momentum. Many other countries attained independence or came into being about the same time as Pakistan,but all are moving forward in human-right issues,except Pakistan.