In Pakistan there are those who ask “why do you say Shias are being murdered? Or Ahmadis are being murdered? Why dont you say that Pakistanis are being killed?” Yes, it is true that these are Pakistanis who are being killed , but if a particular group or community is targeted for a particular reason, then it is important that the reason is mentioned. Generalising as “Pakistanis “ does not help the issue, infact it takes us away from finding a solution. If a bus falls into a ditch, or a bomb explodes in a market place, and 10 people are killed, we would never say that 5 sunnis, 3 shias and 2 christians died in the tragedy. But if a bus is stopped, the ID cards are checked, and all those who appear to belong to a particular community are executed, then it is important that the reason for the executions is mentioned. A crime cannot be solved till one is clear about the particular identity of the victim and the motive behind the crime. Secondly, mentioning the sectarian nature of a crime does not promote sectarian differences. In Fact it promotes feelings of empathy for the victims, and reassures the victims and their families that the nature of their problem is being understood. Omitting to mention the reason behind a hate crime would simply obfuscate the issue and create feelings of frustration for the victim. For Instance, if a Pakistani suffers a racist hate crime in any country outside Pakistan, it would create anger and frustration for that Pakistani if it were not mentioned that this was a racist hate crime. So please remember, generalizing does not help. Based on an update by Taimur Rahman.
Posted on: Sat, 25 Jan 2014 14:18:08 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015