Pakistan: Citizens take to the streets to demonstrate against rising fundamentalisms
Source:
Daily Times Rights activists, feminists, and concerned citizens demonstrated in four Pakistani cities yesterday, denouncing the recent examples of a 'Talibanization' of the country.
(1) Thousands of Pakistanis staged rallies in major cities on Thursday [19 April] to condemn extremism and exploitation in the name of Islam.
Rights activists organised simultaneous protests in Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi and Peshawar to denounce extremist actions by students of the Jamia Hafsa and Jamia Fareedia madrassas, affiliated to Lal Masjid, in the capital.
Several thousand Lahoris marched in blistering heat on The Mall - the first time a large crowd has rallied against religious extremism in the city - in a rally organised by the Women's Action Forum (WAF) in collaboration with other non-governmental organisations.
The protestors - including civil society and human rights activists, minority groups, political workers, lawyers, trade unions, journalists and students - gathered at the Lahore High Court building and began marching towards the Punjab Assembly building at 2:00pm.
"Mullahism murdabad. Lay kay rahen gay azadi," they shouted. One youth wrote "No to Taliban" with spray paint on the road.
Hall Road traders hailed the rally as it passed by, putting up banners reading: "Stop blackmailing and exploiting traders in the name of Islam," and "We condemn mullahs' operation against CD shops."
The City District Government of Lahore had relaxed Section 144 to allow the rally amidst a large police presence. One side of The Mall was temporarily closed for traffic.
Asma Jehangir, chairwoman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, said the military was using mullahs to exploit people in the name of Islam. "We, the people of Pakistan, are not oblivious to this mullah-military alliance," she said. "There can be no democracy in Pakistan unless GHQ-backed mullahs stop issuing decrees to exploit people in the name of Islam."
"This mullah is defaming the most beautiful and peaceful religion in the world and wants to hamper the prosperity and progress of Pakistan," said a WAF activist addressing the rally. "But the people of this city will continue to confront this mullahism and religious extremism."
PPP Punjab President Shah Mahmood Qureshi also suggested that the government had engineered the standoff in the capital to present Gen Pervez Musharraf as a bulwark against extremism and divert attention from the judicial crisis.
Hundreds staged a peaceful protest in Islamabad against extremists trying to force their version of Islam on others. Most of the protestors were women.
Shirin Mazari, a strategic analyst, led the protestors, who gathered a kilometre away from Constitution Avenue and walked up to the roundabout in front of Parliament House.
"Where's the writ of the state?" asked a big placard at the protest. "No to religious extremism; yes to life and music", and "Free the children's library", said other placards.
"Concerned citizens have been watching with anger and frustration the terrorism being inflicted on them by an extremist fringe within the society," said one speaker as the protestors gathered at Parade Square.
She was appalled at the state's "inability or reluctance" to deal with violations of the law committed by Jamia Hafsa and Jamia Fareedia students. "Their attempt to challenge the writ of the state by establishing what in effect is an alternate governing system in the area under their control poses a threat to all law-abiding citizens," she said.
Hundreds of Christian women from Qayyumabad, filmmakers, social workers and university students rallied against religious extremism outside Quaid-e-Azam's mazaar in Karachi. "It would be difficult to find a single woman who has not at some point in time faced religious extremism," said Karachi's Naib Nazim Nasreen Jalil, who also took part in the protest.
Gang-rape survivor Kainat Soomro was also at the rally.
In Peshawar, hundreds of women's rights campaigners - including some 60 burqa-clad women from the tribal areas - staged a rally near the press club, denouncing threats of suicide bombings by Lal Masjid clerics and baton-wielding madrassa students.
"No religion in the world allows their faithful to use sticks in places of worship," Tribal Women Welfare Association Chairwoman Dr Begum Jan said.
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(2) 'IT'S OUR PAKISTAN TOO!'
KARACHI: Christian women from Qayyumabad, filmmakers, social workers and university students gathered at a protest rally against religious extremism Thursday outside Quaid-e-Azam's mazaar. 'Hum dekhain gay!' ['We will see'; a poetic reference ed.] they sang out in a mood that would have made Faiz proud.
The rally was called by the Joint Action Committee, a group of NGOs, with Aurat Foundation, Women's Action Forum, Action Aid, PAWLA, Helpline Trust, and others in attendance. Naib Nazim Nasreen Jalil also took part.
It would be difficult to find a single woman who has not at some point in time faced religious extremism, said Jalil when asked about her personal experience with religious extremism. "Some years ago I reached Karachi from Islamabad. At the airport there was an entire group of religious extremists from the Jamaat-e-Islami. They surrounded me as savages do when they capture their prey. Someone pushed me to one side, while another pulled me in another," she said. "If the people who came to receive me hadn't saved me, I'm not sure what would have happened."
Albeit small in number, the rally's participants represented a small but significant portion of secular society. Many of the women taking part, such as Anis Haroon, have long battled anti-women forces. "We are here thanks to Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa," joked Dr Aqila of the Aurat Foundation while speaking to a colleague as Justice (retd) Majida Rizvi embraced Prof Shahista Zaidi. "At least that's one good thing that they've done," she said while referring to the joy many women expressed upon meeting old colleagues and friends. "In Karachi, things are still much better if we compare it with the rest of the country," she said. "One day, when I was working at the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, my colleagues and I decided in Ramazan [period of fasting, ed.] to have a cup of tea. We made the tea in our room and sat down to drink it. Then some mullah-type people found out about it and cursed us. They went to the extent of printing a pamphlet against us."
Professor Shaista Zaidi said that she had battled religious extremism for thirty years at the University of Karachi. "I faced it each day from [the student wing of a particular religious party]," she said.
What was apparent was that almost all the women present had had some brush with extremism. For example, Justice Rizvi said that once in a legal case she faced extremism. "I was threatened against taking a decision against the accused," she said. This was the same thing that happened to a famous activist who took part in the rally and often comes in the media to talk about women's issues. She told Daily Times that in her personal experience she often received threats on her cell phone after she had been particularly vocal on some issue. "They call me up and say 'Hum dekh lain ge tumhe' ['we will see you']," she said.
When asked about her personal experiences documentary filmmaker Nazli Haque laughed and said that mostly young women faced a tough time. "No one really bothers you when you're menopausal," she said. "Although, now that [I'm older] I wish they did."
Citizen Naeem, who was taking photographs of the rally for his own records, said that religious extremism was evident everywhere. "Even if you go for a walk in a park you'll see four people spring up to say their prayers there," he said. "Then it becomes very problematic for any woman to proceed with her walk near them. They taunt her and berate her for not wearing a dupatta."
Zaib Advocate said that her personal observation had been that if you are in a public place the person who looks like a maulvi is more likely to stare at you than anyone else. "From the cases that come to me I feel that maulvis are usually behind sexual harassment cases and not young men. In fact, people call maulvis to their house to teach their children less and less."
Gang-rape survivor Kainat Soomro was also at the rally. "It was after my personal experience that I began to understand how women are really treated. Even after the case, I still have to listen to people taunt me and say terrible things. But I will remain firm until the accused are brought to justice."
Journalist Zubeida Mustafa recalled that in 1985 or 1986 her daughter, who was then about 13 years old, wanted to go out onto the street to welcome Benazir Bhutto upon her return. They went out but some men shouted at her for not wearing a dupatta and scared the young girl. "Eventually she took my dupatta and took off," Mustafa said. "And I was left with none."
Several thousand Lahoris marched in blistering heat on The Mall - the first time a large crowd has rallied against religious extremism in the city - in a rally organised by the Women's Action Forum (WAF) in collaboration with other non-governmental organisations.
The protestors - including civil society and human rights activists, minority groups, political workers, lawyers, trade unions, journalists and students - gathered at the Lahore High Court building and began marching towards the Punjab Assembly building at 2:00pm.
"Mullahism murdabad. Lay kay rahen gay azadi," they shouted. One youth wrote "No to Taliban" with spray paint on the road.
Hall Road traders hailed the rally as it passed by, putting up banners reading: "Stop blackmailing and exploiting traders in the name of Islam," and "We condemn mullahs' operation against CD shops."
The City District Government of Lahore had relaxed Section 144 to allow the rally amidst a large police presence. One side of The Mall was temporarily closed for traffic.
Asma Jehangir, chairwoman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, said the military was using mullahs to exploit people in the name of Islam. "We, the people of Pakistan, are not oblivious to this mullah-military alliance," she said. "There can be no democracy in Pakistan unless GHQ-backed mullahs stop issuing decrees to exploit people in the name of Islam."
"This mullah is defaming the most beautiful and peaceful religion in the world and wants to hamper the prosperity and progress of Pakistan," said a WAF activist addressing the rally. "But the people of this city will continue to confront this mullahism and religious extremism."
PPP Punjab President Shah Mahmood Qureshi also suggested that the government had engineered the standoff in the capital to present Gen Pervez Musharraf as a bulwark against extremism and divert attention from the judicial crisis.
Hundreds staged a peaceful protest in Islamabad against extremists trying to force their version of Islam on others. Most of the protestors were women.
Shirin Mazari, a strategic analyst, led the protestors, who gathered a kilometre away from Constitution Avenue and walked up to the roundabout in front of Parliament House.
"Where's the writ of the state?" asked a big placard at the protest. "No to religious extremism; yes to life and music", and "Free the children's library", said other placards.
"Concerned citizens have been watching with anger and frustration the terrorism being inflicted on them by an extremist fringe within the society," said one speaker as the protestors gathered at Parade Square.
She was appalled at the state's "inability or reluctance" to deal with violations of the law committed by Jamia Hafsa and Jamia Fareedia students. "Their attempt to challenge the writ of the state by establishing what in effect is an alternate governing system in the area under their control poses a threat to all law-abiding citizens," she said.
Hundreds of Christian women from Qayyumabad, filmmakers, social workers and university students rallied against religious extremism outside Quaid-e-Azam's mazaar in Karachi. "It would be difficult to find a single woman who has not at some point in time faced religious extremism," said Karachi's Naib Nazim Nasreen Jalil, who also took part in the protest.
Gang-rape survivor Kainat Soomro was also at the rally.
In Peshawar, hundreds of women's rights campaigners - including some 60 burqa-clad women from the tribal areas - staged a rally near the press club, denouncing threats of suicide bombings by Lal Masjid clerics and baton-wielding madrassa students.
"No religion in the world allows their faithful to use sticks in places of worship," Tribal Women Welfare Association Chairwoman Dr Begum Jan said.
----------------------------------
(2) 'IT'S OUR PAKISTAN TOO!'
KARACHI: Christian women from Qayyumabad, filmmakers, social workers and university students gathered at a protest rally against religious extremism Thursday outside Quaid-e-Azam's mazaar. 'Hum dekhain gay!' ['We will see'; a poetic reference ed.] they sang out in a mood that would have made Faiz proud.
The rally was called by the Joint Action Committee, a group of NGOs, with Aurat Foundation, Women's Action Forum, Action Aid, PAWLA, Helpline Trust, and others in attendance. Naib Nazim Nasreen Jalil also took part.
It would be difficult to find a single woman who has not at some point in time faced religious extremism, said Jalil when asked about her personal experience with religious extremism. "Some years ago I reached Karachi from Islamabad. At the airport there was an entire group of religious extremists from the Jamaat-e-Islami. They surrounded me as savages do when they capture their prey. Someone pushed me to one side, while another pulled me in another," she said. "If the people who came to receive me hadn't saved me, I'm not sure what would have happened."
Albeit small in number, the rally's participants represented a small but significant portion of secular society. Many of the women taking part, such as Anis Haroon, have long battled anti-women forces. "We are here thanks to Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa," joked Dr Aqila of the Aurat Foundation while speaking to a colleague as Justice (retd) Majida Rizvi embraced Prof Shahista Zaidi. "At least that's one good thing that they've done," she said while referring to the joy many women expressed upon meeting old colleagues and friends. "In Karachi, things are still much better if we compare it with the rest of the country," she said. "One day, when I was working at the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, my colleagues and I decided in Ramazan [period of fasting, ed.] to have a cup of tea. We made the tea in our room and sat down to drink it. Then some mullah-type people found out about it and cursed us. They went to the extent of printing a pamphlet against us."
Professor Shaista Zaidi said that she had battled religious extremism for thirty years at the University of Karachi. "I faced it each day from [the student wing of a particular religious party]," she said.
What was apparent was that almost all the women present had had some brush with extremism. For example, Justice Rizvi said that once in a legal case she faced extremism. "I was threatened against taking a decision against the accused," she said. This was the same thing that happened to a famous activist who took part in the rally and often comes in the media to talk about women's issues. She told Daily Times that in her personal experience she often received threats on her cell phone after she had been particularly vocal on some issue. "They call me up and say 'Hum dekh lain ge tumhe' ['we will see you']," she said.
When asked about her personal experiences documentary filmmaker Nazli Haque laughed and said that mostly young women faced a tough time. "No one really bothers you when you're menopausal," she said. "Although, now that [I'm older] I wish they did."
Citizen Naeem, who was taking photographs of the rally for his own records, said that religious extremism was evident everywhere. "Even if you go for a walk in a park you'll see four people spring up to say their prayers there," he said. "Then it becomes very problematic for any woman to proceed with her walk near them. They taunt her and berate her for not wearing a dupatta."
Zaib Advocate said that her personal observation had been that if you are in a public place the person who looks like a maulvi is more likely to stare at you than anyone else. "From the cases that come to me I feel that maulvis are usually behind sexual harassment cases and not young men. In fact, people call maulvis to their house to teach their children less and less."
Gang-rape survivor Kainat Soomro was also at the rally. "It was after my personal experience that I began to understand how women are really treated. Even after the case, I still have to listen to people taunt me and say terrible things. But I will remain firm until the accused are brought to justice."
Journalist Zubeida Mustafa recalled that in 1985 or 1986 her daughter, who was then about 13 years old, wanted to go out onto the street to welcome Benazir Bhutto upon her return. They went out but some men shouted at her for not wearing a dupatta and scared the young girl. "Eventually she took my dupatta and took off," Mustafa said. "And I was left with none."
