Extrajudicial Killings | ماورائے عدالت قتل

The topic I am about to write a blog on is highly sensitive, and for any Pakistani living in Pakistan, even commenting on it can be fraught with danger. However, I believe it is essential to bring such topics into discussion so that at least the people with a sense of understanding are not influenced by the mentality that causes common people to violate religion, law, and ethical values. Today, I intend to present some thoughts on the subject of religious extremism. In reality, this extremism is not rooted in religion, nor does religion endorse it. Instead, those who consider themselves the guardians of religion have adopted this self-created extremism.

Some Incidents:

As an introduction, I will present a few incidents that occurred in Pakistan, or rather, it would be more appropriate to call them tragedies. Just a few days ago, a man in Quetta was accused of blasphemy. The allegation was that he had disrespected the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). He was arrested, but before the accusation could be proven or he could be brought to court, a so-called police officer killed him in jail. People hailed the officer as a true lover of the Prophet and many other things. It's possible that the man's crime would have been proven, and that Pakistani courts might not have punished him, leading the police officer to take the law into his own hands. But it was equally possible that, had the case gone to court, it would have been revealed that the man was mentally unstable or that he hadn't committed blasphemy at all. Killing the accused before the trial or decision was not a wise move, but rather an act of extremism. A similar incident occurred last year with a Sri Lankan manager. He prohibited the posting of stickers in his factory. Despite this, some individuals pasted stickers on the factory walls during their specific religious days. When the manager saw this, he tore them down, not realizing what was written on them in Urdu language. How could he have known that, despite his ignorance, fanatical individuals would kill him? And that’s exactly what happened. The so-called Muslims found peace by executing this unaware Sri Lankan man. A similar case took place just this week in Umarkot, where a man named Dr. Shahnawaz had his Facebook account hacked. Some blasphemous posts were made from his account, and the poor man kept explaining that the account was not under his control and that he could never even imagine disrespecting the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). But who was willing to listen in this fanatical society? So, he too was burned to ashes.

Religious Extremism:

This religious extremism is neither endorsed by religion nor by the law. Just as Pakistani law does not allow any citizen to take the law into their own hands and deliver their own justice, Islam also does not permit an ordinary person to decide who is guilty of blasphemy, who deserves death, and who should be punished. If everyone were granted this authority, the result would be that one person would kill another for personal reasons and justify it by claiming the victim had committed blasphemy, and the matter would be dismissed. This has already happened in the past, where many people have fallen prey to this religious extremism and met their fate before God. Their final judgment will be made by the Almighty. Whether they are forgiven or not is in His hands. Who gave humans the right to decide who goes to heaven or hell? Just two or three days ago, a well-known Pakistani religious scholar and preacher was in Canada for an Islamic event. During his speech, he misspoke and said a few things that were misunderstood by the general public. As a result, fanatical individuals began calling for his death. Think about it: a person who has dedicated his life to serving Islam, who day and night preaches the greatness of monotheism, faith, the Prophet, and the Quran, would you really consider him a blasphemer for a single misunderstood statement? This delusion and poison have been instilled in the minds of people by these overzealous religious zealots. Agreed, the scholar made a mistake while speaking. He recorded an explanation and even issued a formal apology, stating that he considers it an honor to sacrifice his life for Islam, that he can’t even imagine disrespecting the Prophet, and that his words were misinterpreted. Yet, even now, fanatics are ready to kill him the moment he sets foot in Pakistan.

Punishment for Blasphemy:

Undoubtedly, blasphemy is unacceptable to any person of sound nature. Everyone must respect the feelings, beliefs, and views of others. To my knowledge, no other country, apart from Pakistan, has such clear Islamic provisions in its constitution, for which many lives and sacrifices were given. Now, since the punishment for such acts is already enshrined in the law, the law should be allowed to take its course. Ask any scholar, and they will say that it is the responsibility of a Muslim judge or court to implement the punishment, not the general public. I believe it is necessary to inform and educate people about what constitutes blasphemy and what is a mere slip of the tongue. If we look at the life of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW), we clearly see that even the staunchest hypocrites were not publicly sentenced to death. When it comes to enemies of Islam, we find individuals whose lives were dedicated to mocking and condemning Islamic teachings. When they attacked Islam and insulted the Prophet (SAW), they were given appropriate punishment. But this does not mean that if a devout Muslim who spends day and night in religious duties makes an inappropriate statement by mistake, without any intent of disrespect, you will take it upon yourself to deliver justice. If you do this, or support those who do, then you seriously need to reflect on yourself. For God's sake, do not turn religion into a joke. Think carefully, understand the gravity of the situation, and avoid getting caught up in emotional mobs. What should guide your actions are the true teachings of your religion, not societal pressure or herd mentality.