A 14-year-old Christian boy, Nauman Masih, was burnt alive and beaten on his way to the tailor’s shop where he worked on April 10 in Lahore. Nauman and other passersby managed to put out the fire and he was taken to the hospital. In his initial statement to the police, Nauman reportedly said that he was approached by two men who asked him what his religion was. They doused him with kerosene and set him on fire when he told them that he was Christian. This incident comes on the heels of the bomb blasts on two churches in Youhanabad, Lahore, after which there were mass protests on the streets by the Christian community and two men were lynched by a mob of protesters. The case has however become controversial because Nauman’s grandfather speculated that he was attacked by a family member due to an internal dispute. It does not seem like the police is doing enough to investigate the attack or to arrest the suspects and the facts of the case are not becoming clear. The police has not yet caught the suspects or even discovered their identities.
The lynching of the two Muslim men after the Youhanabad incident was met by strong condemnation from government officials. The Chief Minister of Punjab himself visited the home of one of the lynching victims to offer his condolences, yet the government has not even issued a statement upon the attack on Nauman or after his death. The killing of any Pakistani citizen is condemnable, regardless of his or her religion, and should be properly investigated by the authorities. The silence after this tragedy sends the message that the lives of Christians are not as important to the state as those of Muslims. While the lynching incident was regrettable, one can understand the outrage of the Christian community after being persecuted for so many years. The Youhanabad bombing may just have been the last straw. The overly sensationalised coverage of the lynching has only fuelled anti-Christian sentiment amongst Muslims further. We seem to be heading into an endless cycle of violence and the mainstream media and government need to seriously rethink the way that they shape the narratives of sectarian and religiously motivated terror attacks. When civilians start to attack each other on the basis of religion, society as a whole begins to dissolve into violence and chaos. The resentment and hostility of communities against each other are far more difficult to stem than a few terrorist organisations. Social narratives can only be conducive to peace and harmony if they celebrate the diversity of Pakistan and unite the people.
No comments:
Post a Comment