Today, hundreds of millions of Muslims all over the world celebrate the Birthday of the Holy Prophet. In the softer strains of Islam that many of us grew up with, the Holy Prophet was a blessing to ALL mankind and not just Muslims.

Unfortunately, since the Saudis started pumping billions of dollars in mosques and madrases all over the world, the softer strain of religion that we grew up with has been replaced with a harsh and intolerant ideology that seeks to dominate.

Sunni and Shia Muslims in Pakistan have given great sacrifices to resist these harsher strains. Both sects actively cooperate and participate in Eid Milad Nabi celebrations and processions that take place all over Pakistan. One of the central feature of this celebration relates to the reading of Naats (Poetry in praise of the Holy Prophet) and such poetry is an important component of all the languages spoken in Pakistan.

Due to Saudi and the black sheep of the establishment support to extremist militants belonging to ASWJ/LeJ and TTP, Eid Milad Nabi celebrations are frequently under threat from these very same militants. The 2006 suicide attack on one such celebration in Nishtar Park Karachi lead to the martyrdom of over 60 moderate Sunni Muslim scholars. Their only fault was that they were celebrating the birthday of the Holy Prophet in a peaceful and respectful manner. As in the overwhelming majority of terrorism cases, the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi were found to be involved in this atrocity.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C07%5C10%5Cstory_10-7-2007_pg12_2

http://archives.dawn.com/2007/06/16/local9.htm

Pakistan’s biased media does its best to obscure the role of these groups in perpetuating violence in Pakistan. The media misrepresents these situations and presents them as Sunni-Shia sectarian war whereas the violence is entirely one sided. It is done by Takfiri Deobandi Millitants and against Barelvi and moderate Deobandis, Shias, Ahmadis, Christains, Hindus and Sikhs.

On this day, we wish to remind Pakistan and the world of the spiritual, tolerant, inclusive and joyous traditions of celebrating the Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) birthday. We also wish to remind everyone that scores of Muslims have given their lives to continue this tradition and request our readers to remember how this joyous day was turned in to a tragic one in April 2006.

We also wish to remind everyone that scores of muslims have given their lives to continue this tradition and request our readers to remember how this joyous day was turned in to a tragic one in April 2006.

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