Stay strong Hamza, we support your stand against religious intolerance in Pakistan

So, it’s settled then. Anyone in Pakistan having an opinion that either slightly or devastatingly deviates from the popular one with reference to Ahmadis or the Blasphemy law, all their previous pro-Islamic stances shall be ignored and thrown out the window without a second thought and they’d promptly be declared an enemy of the State/Ummah/Happiness.

The same recently happened to our darling of desi social media – Hamza Ali Abbasi.

As we all know, Hamza has always come off as an upstanding citizen, a proud Pakistani Muslim. He was the one who said let’s talk with Taliban, they aren’t that bad. His beliefs weren’t questioned then. His stance against gay marriage earned him a backlash from the liberals but splendid support from the rest. He was still a proud Pakistani Muslim then and there was no question about it. He resigned from PTI Cultural Wing because of his role in Jawani Phir Nahi Ani and apologized like a trillion times for doing that movie and people not only forgave him but lauded his honesty.

He speaks from the heart.

He says the truth.

He is the true voice of Pakistan.

Yes, our pretty boy had it all going very smoothly for him, hence, it was only natural he would speak his mind, from the heart, as a true voice on issues that aren’t just political or media-related. Who knew his latest posts will earn him death threats and ridicule like no liberal may have dished out for all those times when he came off as a typical right-winger.

Hamza Abbasi’s social media presence is huge. He has about 62.8K followers on Twitter while he follows only 7 accounts, and that too since a few weeks ago. Before that it was only 2 accounts. He is the kind of guy who posts a status and has about 1.1K likes within seconds. His Facebook status likes easily accede 20K; comments doing an average of 1,000 per post. His current profile picture has 22.9K likes and 9,000 comments. His cover photo boldly boasts the Kalima, the declaration of Islamic faith,in anon-frilly font.

However, all that seems to have gone down the drain now for the past few days – or since the day he posted his first status speaking out against the persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan. His undoing, he didn’t stop at that. While continuing with his bold rejection of any violence against minorities, Ahmadis in particular, he jumped straight into the snake pit of issues – the Blasphemy Law.

As the comments transitioned from being insulting to threatening, the likes, an obvious measure of post favorability, dipped from being 10K+ to a mere 4K. This may not necessarily mean he has lost followers but it sure is an indicator of a speed bump that comes in our thought process as a nation when dealing with such controversial issues.

I find it extremely baffling when someone’s faith is put up for questioning on a social forum that has no legal or religious authority to deliberate on such matters. Why am I constantly being asked to voice my stance (stance of a common person) on whether Ahmadis are Muslims or not? Why is my opinion (opinion of a common person) even important on the subject? Do we think that by declaring all Ahmadis as Muslims we’ll put an end to their persecution? Then, perhaps, we haven’t been paying attention to whatever hell’s been breaking over Shi’ite heads all this time. And if we, the public, deliberate that Ahmadis aren’t Muslims, should that justify persecution and violence against them? If we think it is rightful for a mob to forcefully take over Ahmadis’ ‘mosque’ and turn it into a Sunni masjid, then, why in God’s name did we weep and cry and still curse India for the demolition of Babri Mosque so extremists there could build a Mandir instead?

We have a government, a justice system, a police system that we can take our grievances to. No matter how corrupt that all may be, it’s still in place for us average Pakistanis to avail. If we don’t like a mosque or an act committed by a person, why must we think it necessary to deliver justice ourselves? Why not let the law decide? If somebody has committed blasphemy, the law is in place to punish that. Ahmadis are declared non-Muslims by the Constitution, then, why is there need for a mob to attack their ‘mosque’? You don’t like it, find a freakin police station to launch a complaint, and then, freakin go home!

Going back to Hamza, the question he posed about blasphemers, why do we find it so offensive?

When a non-Muslim turns to Islam, we hail them and curse anyone of their previous clan who might pose a threat to them, plead for sympathy that ‘oh look, evil Kafirs being mean to Muslims!’ Why then can we not extend the same courtesy to someone who might have questions and doubts with regards to Islam and perhaps needs more time to figure out the truth? Moreover, when does acceptance of Islam come? At birth? By childhood indoctrination? Or when you are really old enough to understand what it was that you were made to follow? If then, someone cannot find peace with the teachings handed out to him and wants to step away to seek knowledge elsewhere, should we force them to stay so they may stay out of fear and resentment and may never even follow Islam truly? Is it okay to have apostates pose as Muslims simply because they are too afraid for their life to come out but they will continue to be who they are behind the mask of Islam while defiling it all the while?

We know for a fact that the blasphemy law of Pakistan was ‘made’ by a panel of scholars. If the law was clearly stated in the Quran and Hadith, why did we need a panel to discuss for about a month over what should the law be in the first place? They discussed the fiqh of the four Imams and then came up with their own ruling that they thought suited Pakistan. That means there was room for discussion then, so why can’t there be room for discussion now?

Hamza Abbasi may have gained new fans with his brave stance on problems-that-must-not-be-discussed-in-Pakistan, the fact that he was subjected to death threats is vastly worrisome. We have lost a governor – a GOVERNER – to the same debate. Yeah, we’re that kind of country and as I am writing this piece, I’m praying for Hamza.

My advice to him: Stay strong and stay true. Pakistan needs voices of reason and here’s to a future that will be better because of them. Amen!