by Usmann Rana
In Harper Lee’s much celebrated novel ‘To Kill A Mocking Bird’ , my favorite character is not that of the children but of their father, Atticus. Atticus Finch, the brutally honest, highly moral, an extremely opinionated tireless crusader for good causes (even hopeless ones).
Today I can say that at least a fragment, if not whole, of my fictional hero Atticus Finch, came to life in the form of Salman Taseer, the late Governor of Punjab, who lost his life defending a forlorn Christian woman, Aasiya Bibi, accused of blasphemy after an argument broke out between her and the Muslim women she had offered water to and who had refused, their excuse being that she is a Christian.
What was the reaction of society at large? While a certain number of sane people dreaded the death of a Liberal hero, majority of the people celebrated the death of a blasphemer who had dared to call the spade a spade. What had he said after all? Nothing new, I believe.Something that human rights activist and liberal class of lawyers have been saying for long now : change the language of section 295(C ), blasphemy law, as it is ambiguous and can be easily misinterpreted to settle personal grounds.
The besmirching words of the Pakistani people depress me. It shows how much emotions plays part in our lives and the mentality is clear indicator of how far the neck of one of the most modern Muslim nations has been grappled by the grip of extremism and fundamentalist mindset. First I heard the excuse that Taseer spoke out totally against the blasphemy law. Utter Nonsense. He had clarified it in an interview with Meher Bukhari that he had not intended the repeal but the refining of the language of law so that it could not be misused against non-Muslim minorities. When people run out of this pretext to save the name of Malik Mumtaz Qadri, the security guard who shot him 27 bullets ,as the true lover of the Holy Prophet, another one comes as Salman Taseer was protecting Aasiay Bibi, a blasphemer. Protector of blasphemer deserved such a death. And since when was it that Aasiya was found guilty? She is still awaiting her hearing. In majority of cases higher courts acquit the accused, although the ‘true Muslims’ in the outside would surely get them to hell. What to make of that? Lets bring down the higher court buildings now?
And what kind of message are we, as a nation, sending out to the rest of the world by sending pro-Qadri text messages and creating FaceBook fan pages of a murderer? We have given anti-Islam forces yet another reason to label Islam as a backward and anti-modernist religion all thanks to the immaturity of its followers. And then we blame the Mullahs for the misrepresentation of our society? Who are we to loathe Taliban if our own children are taught to look at Qadri as Ghazi Ilm-Ud-Din of today and a hero?
Finding faults in the personal life of Salman Taseer would not sway me to other side of the line for if that be the case then we have no heroes left as they are supposed to be human and thus imperfect. Never have I heard a rape charge against him nor was he on trial for murder, so what he did in his personal life is not our concern. This for all those who take subterfuge in proving Taseer’s personal life repugnant because he did not have a beard and was Liberal minded.
Pakistan has once again shown that it deserves more Qadris and Mullah Omars and not Salman Taseers. But for those of us who are still sane and humane in Pakistan, we do need heroes like him and Atticus Finch.
Secular Pakistan 
asim syed
January 7, 2011
It has been more than 40 hours since Salmaan Taseer, the courageous liberal governor of the biggest Pakistani province, Punjab, was brutally gunned down by one of his own elite body guards in Islamabad on the 4th of January.
The confessed assassin, the 26 years old Malik Mumtaz Qadri, shot and killed the governor because of his very vocal and principled opposition of the controversial blasphemy law in Pakistan, and because of his support for Asia Bibi, the Christian woman who is sentenced to death on charges of blasphemy.
Salmaan Taseer was a 57 year old veteran leader of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party, and was considered among one of the most enlightened, moderate and progressive voices in Pakistan who had outspokenly supported women’s rights as well as those of religious minorities and the down trodden. He was the governor of the Punjab province since 2008.
Although his murder has been extremely shocking, but keeping in view the recent tide of religious fanaticism in Pakistan, it was really not that unexpected. In fact, in view of the number of death threats being received by other prominent leaders who are vocal on this issue, and the potential religious impetus spurring from this very event, a repeat performance is not unlikely.
When Asia Bibi, the poor Christian woman, was sentenced to death in November 2010 by a court in Nankana district in Punjab, it was thought of as yet another case of the abuse of the notorious blasphemy law to settle personal scores and terrorize religious minorities. Although it did carry a distinction as no other woman had ever been convicted and sentence to death for blasphemy in Pakistan before, but no one could have imagined the general uproar this case has caused, and the extent to which it has polarized the public opinion in Pakistan, and around the world.
Never before has such a case caught so much attention from the global leaders and general populace – from the Pope in Vatican to the US secretary of sate and numerous other political leaders have demanded the release of Asia Bibi as well as amendment or repeal of the blasphemy law. Not to forget the numerous petitions, signature campaigns and ideological wars being waged on the web and social media each and every hour ever since.
Pakistan has historically been a moderate and relatively liberal society, as compared to other puritanical fundamentalist theocracies like Saudi Arabia, Iran, etc. No religious party has ever received any sizable number of votes in any elections, till very recently. Most of the votes have gone to either the Peoples Party or the Muslim League, both relatively secular and liberal parties.
In the last 20 years, Pakistan has witnessed a steady decline towards religious extremism, bloody violence and general intolerance. This surge of religious extremism in Pakistan is not a phenomenon occurring in vacuum. In the 80’s, the brutal military dictatorship of Zia-ul-Haq, the ISI (the infamous Inter Services Intelligence agency) with support from the US and Saudi Arabia, provided direct political, military and financial support to the Afghan Mujahideen after the soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Enter Mr. Charlie Wilson and his ‘holy’ war. The war and the resulting displaced Afghan refugees brought the drugs and gun culture, sowed the seeds of Talibanization, turned small time war lords like Osama bin Laden and Gulbadin Hikmatyar into religious heroes, and nurtured the politics of violence, intolerance and hatred in Pakistan like never before. The first US invasion of Iraq, 9/11, and the following and ongoing illegitimate and murderous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have jointly played and are still playing a vital role in furthering the catastrophe. Also, the military dictatorships have carefully kept the democratic and secular influences from India from spilling into Pakistan by covert terrorist operations in Kashmir. The resulting economic meltdown, every day violence, lack of political stability and ever hanging sword of the military coup has shaken the country to the core.
In spite of the above, the thousands of Pakistanis killed every month as a result of suicide bombings by the Taliban and other Al Qaida brand of terrorist organizations is a proof that still a large majority Pakistanis do not buy in to the hate philosophy of Islamic fundamentalist monsters.
It seems that the only way to change the course in Pakistan, which at the moment seems close to impossible, is to let the democratic institutions take hold, end the war in Afghanistan (thanks but no thanks Mr. Bush), strengthen economic and political and social relations with neighboring countries especially India and Afghanistan, check the political and cultural onslaught of the intolerant Saudi brand of Islam, attract national and foreign investment, focus on education, create jobs, and enforce law and order. Less than any of these will just not do it.
Poor Asia Bibi unfortunately became the spark to the explosive mix ready to ignite. Let’s hope that she, and we all, will live to see a peaceful and prosperous Pakistan.
Lalita Ramdas
January 7, 2011
Wonderfully written – thoughtful, balanced and provides so much hope for all of us who would echo the sentiments in the last paras of the comment by Asim Syed on thte Atticus Finch article.
It is critical for us – be we Indian or Pakistani – to do all we can to help the original visions for our region to take stronger roots and to see fruition.
Nirmal Singh Maunder
January 7, 2011
Secular pakistan? A mirage.Non of us are going to see in our life.
Nadia
January 7, 2011
I share your feeling of hopelessness. It really dark out there.
Nadia
January 7, 2011
A very nice piece written.
I think thin incident has clarified to the world that liberalism has no space in our region. We can never defy extremist forces rather and on teh cotrary who will speak for justice will be doomed to brutal death.
jawwad
January 8, 2011
No body has a liscence to kill any one in any case.
Hussain
January 8, 2011
Pakistan is the state of peace and we don’t allow extremism and ignorant at all
Humayun
January 9, 2011
I believe in a secular Pakistan and I share the sentiment in this article. Whilst I have a high regard for the author’s views and writing, I have to take umbridge at the emotive comparison that I’d drawn between Atticus Finch and Salmanazars Taseer. Anyone who is familiar with the Harper Lee classic and with Mr. Taseer will know that the latter was not like the former.
Atticus Finch would have called for the abolition of the archaic Blasphemy Laws; he would not have denied the existence of his Indian child to protect his political career and he would not have taken religious offense when that estranged child grew up into a prize winning journalist only to rail against the 2nd generation British muslims. He would not have done the last thing because that would have made Atticus a bit hypocritical.
Do not get me wrong. The governor and Sherry Rehman are the best politicians Pakistan has. And the murder of anyone is abhorrent. But Atticus, he ain’t.
The blasphemy law should be abolished; not amended. State and religion should not mix. I am told that the people of Pakistan are generally tolerant and liberal. But it is apparent that is sadly a mythWhat a shame. Not what Qaid wanted.
Humayun
January 9, 2011
By the way, the author is right that what he did in his personal life is no business of ours. I also think that no man can judge another. My point is that he was no Atticus; that’s all. He was, however, a great man.
FYI, Hussain, my apologies but I think your view is wrong. Pakistan is not “the state of peace”. To suggest so is simply empty rhetoric. And not only does the state allow extremism. It encourages it. The islamisization of the state destroyed it.
Ali Shery
January 11, 2011
this incident shows the illiteracy rate in Pakistan. This incident could grab the attention of the entire world and it’s possible to recieve huge amount of donations to educate people!!!
Shame on such jackass people who’re celebrating their own Muslim brother’s murder.
AllahkaBanda
January 12, 2011
Salman Taseer had no right to poke his nose in the legal process
and act as a keeper of the convicted blasphemer. There are thousands of such poor women who are living worse than dead and Taseer’s over-the-board sympathy was utterly due to ”political’ ambitions. He got what he invited…………….and that’s all for an opinionated imprudent man!.
Muhammad Umair
March 23, 2011
He and all his likers lovers fans and advocates deserve the same death as no one has right to bark and bellow such freely in this sensitive issue as it is abuse to whole muslim community.
And government is sleeping to take even the notice……….
Hence to stop other dogs to cross the last threshold of ISLAM it was necessary
cricehighlights
September 22, 2011
salman taseer is one of my favorite
Islamic Secularist
August 7, 2012
SALMAAN TASEER ki BAHADURi ZINDABAD !!!!!!!!