Pakistani liberals and #ShiaGenocide: Nazis redux
We are the champions of liberalism and human rights in Pakistan.
From late 1980s to 2013, we have remained silent on Shia genocide at the hands of Deobandi militants (ASWJ-LeJ) supported by certain elements in Pakistan army. If at all we spoke, we tried to misrepresent or rationalize the murder of more than 21,000 Shia Muslims in Sunni-Shia sectarian violence terms, Hazara specific ethnic terms or Iran-Saudi proxy war terms. We tried to hide the fact that Deobandi militants have also killed thousands of Sunni Muslims, most of them Sunni Barelvi Sufis, and hundreds of Ahmadis, Christians and other communities. Our names will be remembered in history along with those who kept silent on Nazi’s crimes against Jews and those who tried to rationalize the Holocaust and humanize the killers.
پاکستانی میڈیا اور سیاست میں لبرل خیالات اور انسانی حقوق کے علمبرداروں کی اکثریت نے سعودی پروردہ اور پاکستانی فوج کے پالے ہوۓ تکفیری دیوبندی دہشت گردوں کے ہاتھوں اکیس ہزار سے زیادہ شیعہ مسلمانوں کی نسل کشی پر خاموشی اختیار کر رکھی ہے اگر کبھی یہ اپنی خاموشی توڑ بھی دیں تو ان کی کوشش ہوتی ہے کہ سپاہ صحابہ لشکر جھنگوی کے تکفیری دیوبندی دہشت گردوں کے ہاتھوں شیعہ مسلمانوں کے قتل کو سنی شیعہ فرقہ وارانہ تنازعہ یا ہزارہ نسلی معامله یا سعودی ایران جھگڑا کہ کر اس کی پردہ پوشی کی جائے تاریخ ہمیشہ یاد رکھے گی کہ یہ لوگ شیعہ نسل کشی پر اسی طرح خاموش رہے جیسے نازی جرمنی میں یہودی ہولوکاسٹ پر یورپ اور دنیا بھر کے دانشور خاموش رہے تھے
Honourable exceptions and mentions
The following progressive authors, activists and groups have boldly and accurately highlighted Shia genocide in social or/and mainstream media in Pakistan and abroad.
Saroop Ijaz
Rusty Walker
Dr. Mohammad Taqi
Farahnaz Ispahani
Abbas Nasir
Baqir Sajjad
Yousuf Nazar
Kunwar Khuldune Shahid
Mohsin Sayeed
Zafar Mehdi
Ayesha Siddiqa
LUBP Blog
Asian Human Rights Commission
Pakistan Blogzine
World Shia Forum
Shia Killing
Karbala-e-Quetta
and several others.
Reaction on Twitter
A different response:
One day, perhaps 50 years down the road, there will be a museum in all civilized countries on Shia genocide in Pakistan. I am sure this picture will be a part of that museum.
Great work, Sarah. The Silent Nazi Mafia should be named and shamed.
Besides conservative antisemitism, there existed in Germany a rather silent anti-Judaism within the Catholic Church, which had a certain impact on immunising the Catholic population against the escalating persecution.
Shias are Jews of Pakistan. Silence of Sunni population on massacre of Shias by Deobandi militants is understandable.
Salute to the people mentioned in the honourable exceptions.
The silent mafia comprises anything but liberals.
For months we have witnessed the inhuman massacre of the Shia Community while we all knew who the culprits were. We all knew the ones who pulled the triggers. However, we stood on the sidelines- the silent majority, the silent media, the silent politicians and institutions of this country. This song is about us and the blood we have on our hands.
Please join us at http://www.facebook.com/topidrama
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151446663728909
For you guys, its ok when writers like NFP accuse Wahabi Saudi monarchy for funding and encouraging militant Sunnis, but not ok when the same writer also takes to task the myopic Islamic regime in Iran.
Being fair and balanced does not mean being ‘silent.’
@Yawaralibhatti
You are mistaken by assuming that LUBP has not criticised Shia clerics or Iran:
http://criticalppp.com/archives/tag/criticism-of-shia-clerics
You also seem to be unaware of Nadeem F. Paracha’s routine promotion and defence of Najam Sethi, Ejaz Haider types and his convenient silence on Shia genocide:
http://criticalppp.com/archives/73814
I agree that most ignored the problem till it turned into a huge monster. I still think it was never their problem nor will it ever be. We should focus more on internal strength than to get support from elite wanna-be Revolutionaries.
Yawaralibhatti,
Iran is not funding the massacre of Shias, Sunnis, Ahmadis, Christains etc in Pakistan. They have a human rights problem but so does Turkey but I have hardly seen NFP talk about Turkey brutal treatment of Kurds or the growing influence of Ikhwan in Turkey or how Turkey is sponsoring Al Qaeda in Syria. Opportunistic flatterers like NFP tie their wagons to any horse that will take them.
When it looked that PPP will win 2008 elections, he was sucking up to them. Then it was MQM and now it includes everyone but the PPP who are down. When I think of NFP, I think of rats jumping a sinking ship.
Also, I wish Iran was helping us fight the Taliban and Jihadis but they are not. Iran has human rights issues but Iran is not funding terrorism in Pakistan or any part of the world. Only dishonest opportunists like NFP can equate Iran and Saudi Arabia.
@Maheen,
Why are you wasting ur time in talking to this NFP chumcha Yawar Bhatti. My generation of student activists of 1960’s are now opportunistic reactionaries and they and their next generations are cashing in through NGOs, literature festivals and social media summits in 5 star hotels.
There is only surface level difference between the Ansar Abbasis and the NFP’s. But the Ansar Abbasis are more transparent about their anti-Shia bigotry. These NFP’s and Raza Rumis and Ejaz Haider’s will always take a few digs at Shias, paint them as Iranian fifth columnists and then water down their genocide. Disgusting, insensitive creeps they are. My associates both Sunni and Shia suffered in Abbas Town and their memory is being defiled by the rubbish written about Shia Genocide in Pakistan.
When I was young, we did not have social media but this is great and after reading LUBP atleast we get alternate media perspective. Before social media, these urban liberals could write whatever nonsense and the newspaper would filter out the criticism. Now we have LUBP and we can take on these liars. Don’t let them fudge issues and misrepresent us.
@maheen zaidi
Maheen, how old are you?
NFP went to jail and was tortured during Zia’s time only because he was agitating for PPP and democracy. He remained associated with PPP from the 80’s well up till recently. In fact for 5 years he vehemently defended this PPP government which was a tough job considering what a shoddy and incompetent government it was.
To LUBP the world has become as black and white as it is to mullahs. Ali Dayan is right: We should now call it Ayatullah LUBP.
@Zahid
You are perfect example of a keyboard revolutionary. In reality people like you are just disgruntled losers. I’m sure you’re writing your tirade from a poverty stricken area, sitting inside a crumbling hut and suffering from hunger and angst.
“History”, even your criticism is tinged with sectarian hatred. Calling LUBP an “Ayatullah blog” is low but I think for you people, it is normal. Actually LUBP has been one of the most vocal blogs against Iranian influence among some Shia scholars. You can ignore it but I ask others to google LUBP tag “Criticism of Shia clerics” to see how dishonest “History” is in his comment.
If anyone are the Ayatullahs/Qaris/Muftis, it is your elites who think only they have the monopoly on truth. All they do on twitter, including your NFP, is suck up to ASWJ promoters like Najam Sethi. You can duck that issue all you want but that is a FACT that you cannot run away from.
whatever my age, I hope that when I get older, I am not half as dishonest or selective as you. Politically, as long as secular ppl like Faisal Subswari and Haider Abbas Rizvi are central in MQM, my vote will be for them.
My comment about NFP stands. What he did in his past, is, pun not intended, History. I find him to be a very inconsistent supporter and I will advice MQM ppl to mantain a distance from him. If MQM faces a hard time, he will ditch it just as he ditched PPP. And as an MQM supporter, I know clearly that PML N and PTI will never share power with MQM the way this PPP President did. I disagree with PPP on most things but I think Zardari is still better than Nawaz and Imran Khan.
I am very worried that PML N will launch another bloody operation after winning the elections like they did the last time.
@History, tsk tsk tsk
If you want to use strawmanning tactics and sarcasm to distort my comment, atleast do a better job. I am no revolutionary. Just an old man approaching professional retirement. I come from a previleged background and have a nice laptop where I get a chance to read both NFP and LUBP and see them on twitter.
Unlike some, I actually have to work hard for my living. I have made many mistakes but I hope the day never comes where I become a lifafa activist sucking upto the Najam Sethis of the world to get a piece of the NGO and consulate fundings.
Thanks to Ayesha Siddiqa’s articles in ET, Pakistan Today and Outlook India, the world knows how compromised KLF is and Nadeem is a part of that.
While Nadeem and the rest of this sordid gang was misrepresenting the situation and using sweeping terms like “Sunnis” to discribe the militants, it was LUBP that provided specific frames of reference. LUBP isolated those ISI backed ideological extremists Takfiri Deobandis who are conducting mayhem in Pakistan.
As for losers, we all know who that is. Nadeem sucks up to the same Najam Sethi who used such disparaging language against Shaheed Mohtarma in the BBC documentary. It is Nadeem who talks of secularism on one hand while flattering Ludhianvi promotors like Najam Sethi on a regular basis. He calls PTI as one of the two hopes for a secular future at the same time that PTI announces an electoral alliance with Jamaat Islami! What a joker.
@History, the fact is that your fako “liberal” Mafia is history! Now there dishonest rubbish will be challenged. You can curse and abuse alternative voices like LUBP all that you want but those who read both sides will see through the rubbish. And they are.
LUBP, just forget about Nadeem Paracha. You misjudged him when you went out of your way to promote him and publish his articles and interviews. You made the same mistake with Marvi Sirmed.
The Nadeem Paracha of St. Patricks and PSF is long gone. When I read some of more recent stuff and when I saw some of his quotes on Twitter, it became obvious that LUBP was backing the wrong people. At last year’s Karachi Literature festival, I have it on good authority that Nadeem Paracha was blaming LUBP for getting slammed and attacked by those whom it has exposed and critisized. “They have run out of friends” is the phrase that was probably used. Disappointed that this blame the victim tactic was used by Nadeem against LUBP but not surprised.
LUBP has to understand the compromised nature of these urban liberals. They attach themselves to urban centers of power (MQM, PML N, PTI) without any regard to principles or consistency. For Nadeem Paracha, LUBP was no longer in his control.
LUBP, you people have to understand that when you abandon selective standards and use specific terms to attack the establishment and its minions, people like Nadeem Paracha will never be in your corner. Forget about it. He has now gone over to the Najam Sethi-Ejaz Haider school of journalism which lashes out at politicians (especially from PPP) while being softer on the military establishment and its civilian proxies. It is the same school of journalism that will make sure that the victims (Shias) are critisized and misrepresented even as they are being blown to bits.
Just move on and don’t expect integrity in the discourse of Nadeem Paracha.
My advice to you all is to move on and continue with your bold voice. Instead of critisizing Paracha, view him as an example that allowed his discourse to become compromised.
Interesting twitter debate between Ada K on one side and Ali Dayan and Kidvai on the other.
It seems that Ali Dayan is batting for his friends who got exposed in this post. Calling LUBP an “Ayatullah” blog is not just below the belt but ridiculous. Has this Dayan never heard of google? LUBP has published against Iranian theocracy just like LUBP has earlier on critisized Ali Dayan Hasan when he was also being wishy washy or insensitive on Shia Genocide. LUBP also was probably one of the few, if not the only blog, that recently defended and supported Dayan. He was being harassed by the military establishment after improving his reporting on human rights atrocities in Pakistan.
Must say, he comes across very poorly in this twitter conversation.nearly as poorly as some of his twitter friends who got exposed for their obfuscations.