Stop Shia Killing: IfNot Now, When?

After reading a post about Israel’s aggressive attacks in Gaza on BBC Facebook page, when I took a look at the comments, there were many voicing the anger over the grave situation. Not much to my surprise, I found a comment (of a Muslim) condemning the killing of Palestinian Muslims by Jews. The comment which caught my attention was lying just after that, poking that guy to take a look at Pakistan where Muslims are killed by Muslims. The comment was bitter but true. Being drowned in embarrassment I quit the page and began to think about the sectarian violence escalating in the country day by day.

Malala Yousafzai is enjoying the limelight since long, but there is another innocent girl who was attacked on the way to school, but is not discussed as widely as Malala. I am talking about Mehzar Zehra, a 12 year old child who fell a victim to sectarian violence about half a month ago. The assailants attacked Nazar Abbas and his daughter, Mehzar when they were going to school, the 45 year old father died on the spot while the little girl is still fighting for life. Now tell me how many of you have heard about Mehzar Zehra before-- a few? Many? But not everyone!

Actually, a common man can not be blamed- it’s the media that make public aware. If people are unaware of Mehzar, Nazar Abbas, Dr. Iqbal Hasan & his wife Dr. Kaneez Fatima, Agha Aftab Haider Jaffery, Mohsin Rizvi and other 600 Shia Muslims killed this year, then it’s the media that should be questioned. When it can cover Baldia town tragedy so courageously, why can’t it give a little more attention to such brutal incidents which occur daily? Are these lives less valuable?

We have been taught since childhood that Muslims are brother to one another, so these sectarian attacks are done on all of us, on a particular community. It’s the high time to stand and speak for each other. A peaceful protest held by Shia community members against the genocide is going on at Numaish. If you truly believe and remember the brotherhood lesson, join them! Or if you have any other way to condemn the target killings then do it, but please don’t be silent. Give some voice to your love and compassion- I think there can be no better way to condole Mehzar and others like her, than it.