The news that the Safoora Carnage (the heinous shooting of innocent
Ismailis on the bus) and the murder of Sabeen Mahmud (The T2F Director who was
brutally shot recently) was conducted by Saad Aziz (a business graduate from IBA) and Muhammad Ishrat Aziz (an engineer
from SSUET) has sent shivers down the spine of all of us living in the affluent
upper middle class "bubble" of Karachi. My friend who has migrated to
Canada had posted on his social media account that we all have to look at the
little Taliban hidden inside all of us. Sadly he is right.
These cold hearted killers a very violent example of the religious extremism
that now lurks in the middle and upper classes. This thought process which
justifies the claiming of innocent lives for the greater good is in fact the manifestation
of evil.
We all have forgotten the basic tenets of humanity and that to respect
human life is the first and foremost principle of any civilized society. So
what is the solution then to this growing violence of extremism?
The only solution is to follow the path of the Sufi and to start loving
everyone around you regardless of sect, creed or faith. For it is in only love
that the true beauty of human existence lies. We all should listen to the
beating of the heart and start listening to God's greatest gift of love. Love
respect and tolerance shape us forever.
To resort to violence and to kill innocent people in retaliation to
atrocities of the state is not a proper response. Instead love, respect and the
value of human rights must be spread to everyone. Following the path of the
heart is not an easy task and one must be willing to face the difficulties that
flow through these decisions. However, in the long term it is only through
humanity, peace and love that we can improve as a nation.
I conclude this with the quote of Shams Tabrizi:
"It’s easy to love a perfect God, unblemished and infallible
that He is. What is far more difficult is to love fellow human beings with all
their imperfections and defects. Remember, one can only know what one is
capable of loving. There is no wisdom without love. Unless we learn to love
God’s creation, we can neither truly love nor truly know God."
