Thread by @Muslim_Scientst

[THREAD]

#Pakistan continues to demonize its minorities unabated, thanks to the draconian blasphemy laws. While clerics may show a flavor of animosity against each other, this act of persecution under the pretense of "Khatme Nabuwwat" sows the seed of unity among them.

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Naturally, this culture of intolerance and extremism has trampled every avenue of progress in #Pakistan.

And so this Muharram, I wish to share a similar story of my grandfather and perhaps shed some light on the most common thread that unites us, #Humanity.

So here goes.../2

My grandfather was a migrant from Dalhousie (India) to the newly born #Pakistan. He chose Karachi as his new home, a place unknown to him. But till his last breath he remembered it with a sense of longing, showed great admiration for its people, and the Empress Market ❤

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He was a people's person and always felt a duty to serve mankind. During Ramadhan or special occasions, he would distribute free bags of flour to the destitute, offer monetory assistance, and arrange shelter for the needy - a practice he carried out into his final days 🙏

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One thing I distinctly recall was his dislike for Mullahs or rather extrimists. He considered Mullah an open enemy of Pakistan and always referred to them as "Munafiq" or hypocrites!

Mind you this was the 80's and 90's but now extremism has gone mainstream!

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My grandfather, at a fragile age of 80+ was charged under blasphemy law for greeting someone with "Assalamo Alaikum", simply means "peace be upon you" (it sounds ludicrous when I put it down in words) and for using Quranic injunctions on letterheads.

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A case like this is so far removed from reality and the collective conscious thought that on one of his hearings, the sessional court judge couldn't hold back his emotions and gracefully inquired from my grandfather "Molvi sahab aap ne Salam kyun ki? Lanat kyun nahin bheji?"

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"Molvi saheb why did you greet this person with the salutation of peace? When all he deserved was a curse".

There are so many instances when non-Ahmadi friends of my grandfather sympathized with him but never broke their silence. Even his lifetime neighbors abandoned him.

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At that age, while tackling a hip fracture, he would need to travel to courts every month with agonizing pain. Finally, my family had to make the difficult decision of moving him out of #Pakistan. He then came to live with us in Abu Dhabi. During his short stay with us..../9

...he applied for a UK tourist visa. Naturally, my father took him to the British embassy. The visa officer (a British lady) was shocked to see my grandfather & instantly remarked to my father, "he is so old and fragile, why did you you feel the need to bring him.../10

...in person? Next time just bring the passport along with the paperwork and we will issue him a visa in absentia".

This. Is. Humanity. ❤

The common thread that binds us all together into one big human family.

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This single most crucial element of unity is so lost on Pakistanis - they express blatant disregard of human emotions, almost lacking sympathy.

How then, can you claim to follow a religion of peace? Where is the disconnect? 🙄

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All my grandfather ever did was to love his country, its people, and never turned his back on them. All he ever got in return was hate, persecution and resentment.

No one, absolutely no one can monopolize over or coerce in matters of faith, at least so says the Quran 🙏

/END

@threadreaderapp please compile