Attack on Junaid Jamshed: Where does the Quran state we should abuse and humiliate others?

Allah (swt) and our Prophet (PBUH) don't require our protection. They don't require us to kill or abuse in their...

Zawarah Asad March 27, 2016
Our country has seen so many lows in the past few years that good news, in any form, is hard to digest and celebrate. Having said that, we all have to admit that the last two months have been good for Pakistan.

It started off with the Punjab Protection of Women against Violence Act 2016, which is a massive milestone for the country in general and women in particular. Then came the news about Mumtaz Qadri’s death sentence and his ultimate hanging, which strengthened my belief that the justice system, albeit the delay, might be a little transparent after all. Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy then went on to win her (and Pakistan’s) second Oscar.

This streak of good news continued when Shahbaz Taseer was recovered safely and reunited with his family after five years in captivity. Our men’s national team may be out of the World T20 but Pakistan women’s national cricket team under the brilliant captaincy of Sana Mir is receiving numerous accolades from every Pakistani.

However, my optimism and elation was short lived when I came across a rather disturbing video this morning where musician turned religious preacher, Junaid Jamshed, was brutally attacked and beaten up by an angry mob of four to five men at the Islamabad International Airport during early hours on Sunday morning.

Junaid Jamshed came under fire last year for his sexist remarks against our Prophet’s (PBUH) youngest wife, Hazrat Ayesha (R A). This, along with accusations of blasphemy, prompted him to issue an apology to the nation but when the threats continued, he had to flee the country. He has also been criticised for taking and sharing selfies with females which have been circulating over social media recently.

PHOTO: TWITTER

The video in question shows a group of angry men kicking and punching Junaid Jamshed after accusing him of blasphemy. When Junaid Jamshed asks them why they are attacking him one man angrily exclaims,
“Will you sit quietly if someone curses your mother?”

The irony of this whole situation is that the man filming this whole incident is encouraging all the other men to beat him more and not a single security official is in sight during the entire episode. After beating him, these so called pious people and saviours of the religion use some filthy and foul language to curse him, something that our religion definitely prohibits us to do. The video ends when Junaid Jamshed has to run back inside to save his life.

I came across a rather apt quote last night which said,
“If your religion requires you to hate someone, you need a new religion.”

The only problem here is that it is not our religion that requires us to hate someone; it is our mindset and our man made laws which are interpreted at one’s own convenience and understanding. Accusing someone of blasphemy and beating someone up and killing them over these allegations has become such a norm and a deep rooted problem that I wonder if we will ever manage to break free from it.

Till then, we just need to understand our religion teaches us tolerance, not violence. Allah (swt) and our Prophet (PBUH) do not require our protection. They do not require us to kill in their names. According to my limited understanding of Islam, all they require is for us to be forgiving and tolerant.

I hope we do not ever get to witness such an incident again and people stop taking the law in their own hands. I wish for a tolerant, peaceful and a happy Pakistan.
WRITTEN BY:
Zawarah Asad The author is a business graduate, an educationist and a real estate enthusiast. She loves traveling, swimming, cricket, reading and writing. She particularly enjoys reading about and watching air crash investigations.
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

COMMENTS (31)

Hammurabi | 7 years ago | Reply i agtree pervaiz.He is tasting his own soup.
Patwari | 7 years ago | Reply A sage sadhu did give this advice...he said, stay upwind of Bharat, the stench emanating is the BJP, RSS, Shiv Sena, Vishwa Hindu Parshad's foulness. He said the Old India is dead. Now it is inhabited by the likes of Modi, Safron Brigade, Hindutva Brigade, Jai Hind.. Plus there are roving bands of murderous hindus who will hang anyone who does not look like a Dravidian...[Dravidian, being the national face of Bharat He mentioned, that India now has it's own hindu extremists, who are ten times worse than Pak's. Why? I asked. Because they have Mughal branded on their backs. He meant the shame of 1200 plus years of Muslim Rule.
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