Scene After The Blast
Dr.Mazhar Naqvi
The killing of 21 Imamis by Boko
Haram in Nigeria on November 27,2015 has gone almost unnoticed. Except Iran, no other nation has
condemned the terrorist attack on Imamis marching from Kano to Zaria to mark ‘Arbaeen’
(40th day of Imam Hussain’s martyrdom) in the strongest terms. The indifference towards the deadly and
cowardly suicide attack on peaceful mourners exposes the double standard of
powerful nations towards the problem of terrorism. The whole world had plunged
into shock and grief after Paris blasts. Every nation has condemned the killing
of innocent people in Paris by so called ‘Jihadis’ and demand for eradication
of terrorist outfits without further delay was raised. Air-Strikes at the
hideouts of IS were also immediately initiated. But the same world seems to be
least bothered about what happened with Imamis in Nigeria. There has been neither
widespread condemnation nor demand for any campaign against Boko Haram. Why it
is so? The answer lies in the circumstances leading to emergence of terrorist
outfits in various parts of the world only. ’Islamic Terrorism’-a phrase coined
by westerners, is much talked out became Muslims happen to be the second
largest community of the world after Christians and some Arabic countries have
been harboring terrorists in countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Syria,
Iraq and to some extent even India.
It is a
well-known fact that such Muslim countries also enjoy the backing of America
and its allies. When world became admirer of Iran after revolution of 1979, America
used General Zia- Ul- Haque to encourage sectarian violence in Pakistan. The General
turned Madarsas into factories producing Talibanees. After disintegration of
Soviet Union, America lost interest in the region but by then a whole generation
of fanatics had emerged to unleash a reign of terror in the name of Islam. As a
result, terror continues unabated in many a countries. Initially, it was Afghanistan,
followed by Nigeria and now as many as 40 countries are funding IS to remain
unhurt from its barbaric activities. Penetration of fanatics is also on the
rise in countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and several
European nations. The trend does not augur well for world peace. The alarming needs
a firm policy with no space for any sort of double standard. A terrorist is a
terrorist and he should not be associated with any religion. He should be
regarded as an anti-social animal and no one should protect him. Terrorist
outfits also deserve condemnation from all quarters. There should not be any
difference between Paris and Nigeria. The reaction should be at the same level
to keep fanatics at bay.
The March Continues After the Attack
Unfortunately, the world is not doing so. It seems united after Paris blast but least bothered towards what Boko Haram is doing with Imamis in Nigeria for the past several years. The world should remember that such indifference was witnessed among Muslims when Yazid killed the grandson of their holy Prophet. Since then, there has been no unity or peace in Islamic world. By preferring to remain mute spectator to terrorist attacks like Nigeria, powerful nations are simply encouraging IS, Al- Qaida, Boko Haram and their counterparts active elsewhere. Terrorism is an international problem and can be tackled with the active cooperation of all countries in a collective manner. Nigeria deserves more attention as Boko Haram is on a killing spree. The outfit had attacked a Muharram procession in 2014 also. It had struck again and shamelessly taken responsibility of suicide attack on Arbaeen procession. There is lurking danger of similar attacks in near future as well, for Imamis had also declared that such dastardly acts can’t deter them. They continued their march even after the attack. Rather, their numbers swelled as more people joined them following the attack. Their spirit is truly amazing and reflects how deeply Hussaini ideology has captured their hearts. All those who believe in peace and humanity should salute their courage in braving the attacks of the most dreaded terrorist organization to discourage them for undertaking 75 km long symbolic trek in memory of survivors of ‘Karbala Tragedy’ every year. (Photo Courtesy-Google Image)
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