Recently I came across an interesting Facebook discussion in the aftermath of Abbas Town Karachi twin blasts which killed nearly 67 people including 21 Sunnis while the prime target were Shia residents of the neighborhood. A lot of people, specially Sunnis have been concerned that they are getting the blame for killing Shia, while another radical group thinks there is some Sunni Genocide going on in Pakistan too. Another common narrative goes like this – “Sunni and Shia are killing each other. We are neither Sunni nor Shia“. The facebook discussion is an interesting read in this regard.

Transcript

• Mohammad Munaf Alishba Zarmeen Not 100% true. Lot of sunnis died there too and why you think it was done by sunnis. Its done by terrorist who wants to Ignite shia sunni hatered. My friends relatives house got destroyed too (KK) and they were sunnis.

  Monday at 19:13 · Like · 1
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  Pio Bello aren’t they belong to the same religion ?

  Monday at 19:23 · Like · 1
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  Alishba Zarmeen No shit, Sunnis died because they were probably in the vicinity. It was targeting a Shia neighborhood near an Imam Bargah. Ignite Shia Sunni hatred? The hatred is THERE. Have you looked at the ahl-e-sunnat facebook pages? The way common people talk against the Ahmadis and Shias? That is an apologetic comment, Munaf. An attempt to deny the real horrors. 
  Ale Natiq

  Monday at 23:10 · Like · 1
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  Mohammad Munaf Alishba Zarmeen Have you ever saw me dishonouring them ? There is a huge difference between ahmadis and shias from religious point of view. Ahle Tashi are part of us just have differents school of thoughts simple. The easiest way to spread hatered is to bring them into religious hatered. Very easy to provoke and very easy to spread…. Isnt this just happened ? Both groups do have haters group which exists and both have extremist action group who think its allowed to kill other sect thats where they are wrong …..

  Yesterday at 05:39 · Like
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  Javeria Fawad Alishba how come u can claim they were sunnis.. they are the 3rd party who are creating haters among us.. I support them and i even stand for Shias while they were protesting… u have to realise this.. its not about shia sunni its about people who are dying .. we have to support each other rather raising and highlighting such issue and hatered.. and i agree with Mohammad Munaf

  Yesterday at 05:43 · Like
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  Alishba Zarmeen You are not a Sunni terrorist. LeJ, SSP, & TTP are all Sunni terrorist organizations.

  Yesterday at 12:21 · Like · 1
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  Alishba Zarmeen And it IS about the Shia genocide in Pakistan. Pls don’t be so blind. No one is systematically targeting innocent Sunni civilians.

  Yesterday at 12:22 · Like · 2
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  Alishba Zarmeen Ale NatiqSee Translation

  Yesterday at 12:22 · Like
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  Ale Natiq My dear Sunni friends, I can not only say for mysely and my fellow Progressive Shia Activists but also for the wider Shia Community that we have never blamed the Sunnis for Shia Genocide. We have done our best to direct our blame where it is due. Shia Genocide is a joint venture of GHQ and Takfiri madressahs (Deobandi primarily and some Wahhabi). Now don’t take it personally but the fact of the matter is that almost all militants in Pakistan are Takfiri Deobandis. There is no denial to this possible. I am yet to find a Barelvi Sunni Takfiri militant or a Shia militant. We have also used the word Takfiri and have recently started using Takfiri Deobandi to put pressure on Deobandi Ulema to reclaim their identity from these militants but it has been useless so far.
  
  The point remains, how many Sunnis have attempted to reclaim their Sunni identity from these militants? We call them Takfiri Deobandi or Takfiri Wahabi to not blame the entire Sunni community, but what has the SUnni community and Ulema done to reclaim their identity? Sipah Sahaba, the bastard child of GHQ has changed several names and operates as Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat, show me a statement from a Sunni Alim disowning them. They kill the Shia and hide under Sunni identitiy because it gives them protection in a majority Sunni country. This Sunni identity gives them acceptance. I am yet to find a Sunni Aalim disowning them. How many Sunni Ulema have taken a bold stance against these Takfiri Deobandis and Takfiri Wahhabis? Naeemi Sahab did, he was killed. Ghamidi did, he was made to leave the country. The fact remains, whether Deobandi or Wahhabi are Sunni at the end of the day. We do not use the word Sunni however, because we do not want to blame the entire Sunni community. It also remains a fact that 50% Sunnis of Pakistan consider us Shia as infidels, we yet do not blame them.
  
  Yes, 21 Sunnis have been killed in Abbas Town blast as part of total 67 Shia. 3 more Shia were killed as SHia funerals were fired upon and 20 left injured. But to say that there is no Shia targetted violence is dishonest at the least. They targetted Abbas Town knowing it was a Shia neighbourhood. Haider Abbas Rizvi of MQM has lost bhabhi and a 3 year old nephew. Shehla Raza of PPP has lost brother in law and 2 more relatives. 200 flats/shops have been damaged. They could have attacked just anywere if they are rouge criminals and just wanted to randomly kill a few dozen people. But, they choose a SHia neighbourhood where Sunni died are collateral damage for them.
  
  More than 12,000 Shia have been killed in Pakistan as part of targetted violence against them. The Shia killed as part of general terrorism in country which has claimed 45,000 lives is a seperate count (nearly 9000 Shia killed as part of this). We are target of a specific campaign of Genocide. In 2012, 1450 were killed. In this year, only in 62 days so far, 370 Shia have been killed. We have dig three mass graves in less than 60 days of this year. 200 SHia doctors have been killed in Pakistan. Lawyers, Politicians, Poets, Writers, Academic, Olympic Gold Medalists you name – we have given hundreds of lives of professionals. What else is a genocide? 
  
  They stop 6 buses enroute Gilgit, ask passengers to get off the buses. Check their ID cards for Shia names. Still in doubt, check their backs for marks of self flaggelation, still in doubt so ask them to recite 6 Kalimas. When sure that Shia have been picked – they fire them on spot leaving several shot dead. This was repeated 3 times in year 2012 alone. They stop buses enroute Iran for Ziyaraat, they shot all of the passengers or set buses on fire. This was done atleast 6 times in last 5 years. They fire or bomb SHia processions or Imambargahs – this has been done 100 times in Pakistan. Still not a Genocide?
  
  I fail to understand why everyone is so keen on the fake notion of unity but none is interested in tolerance and pluralism? This state ideology of unity is nothing but denying and suppressing all identities including a Shia identity, a Baloch or Pashtun identity. Why do I have to be a Muslim? Why can I not be a Shia or a Sunni – what is the problem? If a religious Muslim identity is acceptable why a Shia identity is not acceptable? A nationalist Pakistani identity is okay but shameless attempts to suppress Pashtun, Hazara or Balti identity. 
  
  Everytime Shia are killed like Chicken, I hear this nonsense: “We are not Shia, we are Not Sunni. We are just Muslim” or that “no its no Shia Sunni, its Muslim problem”. No damn it. I want my Shia identity. Don’t take it from me. We are killed because we are Shia, not because we are Muslim. Being Shia is a belief for the religious ones, but for many like me who are not religious, its an identity, its a protest against established Islam. There is a reason non religious Shia feel compelled to go to Azadari Jaloos – that’s because it reinforces our identity. Killing us like Chicken has only made us close to our Shia identity. What Pakistan needs is not fake unity, but coexistance through acceptance, tolerance and respect for diversity. Diversity of identity, opinion and belief. Nothing will be achieved by these fake unification attempts of trying to paint everyone with the Green brush of ProudPakistanis and Muslims. We are all different.

  Yesterday at 12:37 · Like · 7
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  Ale Natiq And before someone comes with the accusition that Shia are not that innocent or call it a tit-for-tat violence or a sectarian conflict, let me challenge you to find me a single attack in Pakistan by a Shia suicide bomber. Find me a single incident, only one will do, where Shia attacked indiscriminately – that is killing men, women, children, innocents alike. There is not a single example.
  
  The only violent retaliation from the Shia came from a militant group formed in 90s named Sipah Muhammad. It has been dysfunctional for nearly 15 years now. Has Shia Genocide stopped? No, it has gone worse. Sipah Muhammad only did targetted retaliation attacks by killing Sipah Sahaba leadershiop or members and there is not a single indiscriminate attack done by SM recorded. Data by Stratford can be studied as evidence. When the state leaves you to yourself, refuses to protect you and gives a pat on the back to your killers, you are left with no choice to defend yourself with arms. We have been doing all we can to resist peacefully and discourage all violence in our community, but sometimes you can not control people and that is why SM was formed. 
  
  There is no tit-for-tat Shia Sunni violence in Pakistan. It was been one way extermination of the Shia supported by Pakistani state institutions which includes Military, Intelligence Agencies, Judiciary and other security appratus.
  
  We are killed because we do not fit in the grand scheme of things of Pakistani state – the Jihadi security state and all. That is because we indiscriminate attacks or suicide bombings is not allowed by Shia Ayotullahs. The Shia community is useless for the state because we have not contributed a single Suicide Bomber, a single Jihadi for them. We don’t have a single terrorist producing madressah from where the state can recruit for their global Jihadi operations. They use Sipah Sahaba (which works in coordination with Taliban and AlQaeda) for its Jihadi aims, and when they kill us, the state turns a blind eye – collateral damage!

  Yesterday at 12:49 · Like · 3
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  Alishba Zarmeen Though Iran produces some hardcore Religious Police.

  Yesterday at 12:51 · Like
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  Ale Natiq Pakistan’s Shia community votes for secular parties like PPP and MQM almost unanimously. Majority of Shia community believes in Najafi schoo lof Shiism (political aloofness of clergy and Sistani’s secularism) which is traditional Shiism and not the Qom based Velayat-e-Faqih model which is an innovation in Shiism. Anyway, let’s not bring Iran here. We have too many problems of our own to solve and Iranians can take care of their oppressive theocracy themselves.

  Yesterday at 12:53 · Like · 3
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  John Elliott Like Saturn who ate his children

  16 hours ago · Like
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  Sam Zafar Ale Natiq…. very well said, I fully agree with you. It is unfortunate that neo con saudi islamist brought by Zia wants to implement theirbrand of islam by force, I am sharing one of your comments on my wall. Please feel free to add any thing if you like to.

  13 hours ago · Edited · Like

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