Shia Genocide in Pakistan over the past few years

Living in the 21^st Century has never been easy so far. They named it Islamic Republic of Pakistan yet the people who come under the fold of Islam face tremendous difficulties in following their Deen. 1400 years ago Muslims started dividing and that one pact was scattered into 70+ sects. However, people built their own rituals and religious gatherings to revive the events of the past (that left a major mark in the history of Islam) in the remembrance of some prominent religious personalities as a tribute to their sacrifices and patience. These specific people come under one sect, Shi’ite. In common language they are known as Shias which is a Persian word meaning: ‘followers’.

Over the past few years Shia genocide has increased 75% in different areas of the world. Countries including Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen etc have been a victim so far.

Talking about our country Pakistan Shia killings have been increased over the past few decades after the rise of untrue fatwas and forceful imposition of rules due to which many become intolerant and things like these come into existence. From twin bomb blasts in Quetta to target killing of Shia scholars, yet NO compensation was funded by the government to the families of the victim because in this way the failure of the system would be declared.

On May 5^th, 2016 four Shia professionals got martyred D.I.Khan among which two were lawyers and two were teachers. This killing was accepted by Saudi funded notorious terrorist group AhleSunnat-Wal-Jamat (ASWJ) yet no action was taken against them. Basically, it has become a tradition here in Pakistan that whoever is a killer (terrorist groups specifically), when accepts his crime there is no technical step taken towards him and the reason is still a big question mark. Maybe because you need weapons and a large force of military to compete them BUT we do not lack these resources even. So is it fair if I go back to the times of Zia-ul-Haq and explain how and why these groups came into existence and why there is no certain action being taken against them? I THINK YES. The reason is pretty much clear to you and to me and to all of us then why we do not come forward and unzip our mouths?  Because everyone wants to live and nobody wants to die by the hands of tyranny, if our media starts a campaign against these ‘Enemies of God’ I don’t think they will spare any single individual dwelling in that country or state, which is one of the reasons we do NOT speak the truth.

 Situation got so crucial in 2013 that many Shia families migrated from Pakistan to different state or countries. To mention the incidents:

1. Abbas Town – March 3^rd, 2013 – about 50 people died and 140 were hurt physically. This area is dominated by Shia residency and not even a single Sunni body was found that proves it was only targeted to kill Shias and spread terror. In the summers of 2011 over 300 people died of the same area.

2. Alamdar Road – This too happened in the start of 2013 in Quetta. More than 90 Shias were martyred and 120 injured in a suicide bomb attack. After this incident, many protests were held in every nook and corner of the country. It was more like a wakeup call for people to stop dozing, open your eyes and see. And if you find it wrong then speak against it. 

3. Hazara Shia Killing – The most deadly incident in the history when families protested and sat on the roads of Quetta in front of the dead bodies of their loved ones. A number of causalities were reported.

So many other Muharram processions and Imambargahs are attacked because technically they are seen as Shia institutions and if I do justice to my words so I can say let us accept the fact that it’s not sectarian violence BUT only Shia genocide. Because honestly speaking can you calculate how many Sunni graves have been dug and there have been bombings during Taraweeh? NO. Because they have never been targeted, the only sect that comes under threat as soon as Muharram starts is Shiite.

A very well-known Shia scholar Khanum Tayyaba was heavily threatened by ISIS and ASWJ, as a result she had to migrate from her own country. She left Pakistan a few years back and is now a Canadian citizen. Organizations whose mandate is to kill Shia and other religious minorities such as Tahreek-e-Taliban (TTP), Sipah –e-Sahaba (SSP)/ Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LEJ), Jundullah, Jaish-e-Islam and other extremist splinter groups falling in the legal system. The reported number of Shia killings in past 7-8 years is more than 3,500 excluding the number of people who have been injured badly.

Shia genocide is on its peak not only in Pakistan but in every other part of the world where they reside their existence becomes a problem for terrorist groups. Here is a link to the website from where you can get further information about Shia genocide around the world.

http://shiapost.com/tag/shia-genocide/

All the information stated in this website is accurate with proof.

In conclusion to this, 2016 has been a better and peaceful year for Shias comparatively. Although there have been bombings in Imambargah but the loss was not too extreme. Strict security has been provided for jaloos and majalis now. At least, this country has taken it as a serious issue and has started working on it practically (rather than just changing their facebook profile pictures to black) to eliminate Shia genocide completely. Let us hope for a peaceful Muharram ahead. May Allah protect every Muslim be it Shia or Sunni. Peace!

Breast Cancer - FACE IT! FIGHT IT! CURE IT!

Cancer – Its not just a word but one complete cycle of life and death. Its not just a disease but endless pain which sometimes lead to happiness and sometimes sorrow. Its hard for people like you and me to understand the exact amount of pain because we have not been through it so maybe that is why sometimes we neglect this issue or maybe consider it less important to talked about.

Now when we talk about Cancer there are many times of Cancer that has been discovered, among which the most common type that has widely spread worldwide in women is ‘Breast Cancer’. After its discovery for almost decades it was not taken seriously because such an issue was considered as a taboo. Now why any disease would be considered as a taboo? What is so bad about it? Is it worse than deaths of people? The answer is very simple and straight to the point, just because the issue included private organism of a female body which is why people have always been hesitant to speak on this.

I have come across almost 5-6 families who lost their loved ones due to breast cancer and on the other hand I have come across more than 10 families who faced it and cured it. These families are a living proof of how human life is far more important than any other taboo or societal norm.

If we talk about breast cancer then it’s a little scary to know that the victim of this disease has to go through numerous and countless number of chemo-therapies and radiation treatments and believe me its eye witnessing painful. A lot of care is required and since it’s a tumor that has grown inside the breast so in that case, the respective breast of a patient is cut off to remove that tumor or lump.

 During this process while a women loses her physical shape of body, hair and becomes really weak, there’s another thing that she loses too – her self-confidence and self-love. She no longer feels beautiful and affectionate, there is a wave of self-pity inside her that constantly tells her how ugly has she become and how terribly she has changed both physically and psychologically.  In these circumstances the only support she looks for is her family. If she is a wife, her husband should be there. If she is a daughter her father should be there. If she is a mother then her son should be there. And why these men should be considered? To make her believe in herself again, to make her realize she is beautiful regardless the disease, to make her sure that she is going to be just fine in no time and they are in this together. A support, a hand to hold and a shoulder to cry on is all she needs to bring back her faith in life and beauty.

Let us join hand and tell our women that they are not alone in this. Let us talk about it and raise awareness among people for its not a taboo to save a life! One life can save one house. If we keep on considering it a taboo we will stop our youth from discovering more cures to such diseases. A disease is NOT a shame and must not be taken lightly. The moment you get to know about its existence, start your treatment without having any second thoughts. FACE IT! FIGHT IT! CURE IT!

You can not do it because you are a girl?

    

Almost every single girl living in a male dominant society has heard this sentence a million times. You can't stay out till late because you are a girl. You can not go abroad because you are a girl. You can not sit at dhabas with your friends and crack jokes because you are a girl. You can not laugh oh-so-loudly because you are a girl. You can not marry a guy of your choice because you are a girl. And so many other countless statements like this spare no girl even in 21st century. Its basically sad to know this gender discriminatory society in a country who holds Oscar Awards because of a girl. In a country where a woman was the first lady Prime Minister in the whole world. A country where thousands of girls are pilots and officers. A country where female literacy rate is increasing day by day. But is that all? Because Ladies and Gentlemen, we are talking about the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Alas! It is the country where hundreds of girls/female infants are raped brutally every single day and sadly the ratio here is increasing too.
My question is why a girl, a victim has to face all the consequences of any misfortune that is known or unknown to her? Why is the world so unjust? Let me give you an example of every day life a girl has to go through. Imagine an 18 years old girl walking on a street on her way to home and she is followed by a group of boys x-raying her body, whistling and passing inappropriate comments (Let me add here its very normal for a girl in the world of today). Then when she gets home all sweating in torture and nervousness, she is the one to be blamed because at the end of the day 'she is a girl'. Her mother will ask her to start wearing a Hijaab, her father will scold her because she should have covered because it is never a guy's fault and her siblings will taunt her and forget the society it has never been so fair.
Here I am not debating about how a woman is harassed or in what ways men are wrong or society is terrible. My only concern here is how a girl has to suffer about the things she has never done.
I believe there is nothing a girl can not do. The formation of both the genders is different and therefore, God has divided work between the two of them but that doesn't make any one gender superior over the another in fact, it should lead to equality. Equal rights socially, domestically, physically, politically, religiously and psychologically. Tell a girl she can not do something and I bet she will prove you wrong there and then.
I am very proud of myself being a woman and of other people of my gender who have made it more than just possible to prove their existence in patriarchal society. I am emotionally and spiritually strong. I stand for the rights of my gender not because its superior but because its the most neglected and overlooked issue in our society. I can go without or with makeup, formally dressed or in pj's whole day, read books and loves to cook. I demand equality for both the genders to empower them in all aspects of life, nourish and polish their future. Girls I just have one message for you, you are strong, independent and a very beautiful creation of Almighty. Don't let this world convince you that you're not worth it. Your father is proud of you, your brother brags about you, your husband loves you and your son adores you! You are Fatima Jinnah. You are Benazir Bhutto. You are Abida Parveen. You are Muniba Mazari. You are Arfa Kareem. You are Bilqees Edhi. You are the Oscar Lady! You are Me and I am You. Be proud of who you are and cherish your womanhood forever for the hand that ROCKS the cradle is the hand that RULES the world!