One of the recent incidents of violence against minorities is the accusation of blasphemy against an 8 year-old Hindu child for involuntarily peeing on the carpet in a mosque, when a local cleric reprimanded him. The cleric registered a case against the child, and got him arrested. The boy was released after a week on bail which infuriated the conservative vigilantes who set the gate of a temple on fire.
Police arrested some of those hate mongers later on, and took the child under protective custody to save his life. This is just one example of how people are becoming increasingly intolerant for minority religions.
The incident of this kind once happened at the time of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) when a Bedouin started urinating in a mosque which made the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) angry and they wanted to teach him a lesson. To this, the Prophet (PBUH) interrupted them and asked the companions to let him be. When he was done, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said to him, “Any kind of urine or filth is not suitable for these masjids. Instead they [these spaces] are only [appropriate] for the remembrance of Allah, the Prayer, and the recitation of the Qur’an,” (Muslim, 285).
Furthermore, people belonging to other religions are deprived of their basic social, political, economic and employment rights. Forced conversions also take place frequently. By resorting to these acts, Muslims explicitly negate the commandment of Allah, “There is no compulsion in religion. The right direction is henceforth distinct from error” (The Holy Qur’an, 2: 256).
Besides Islamic teachings, the constitution of Pakistan also clearly endorses the freedom of religious practices by all nationals. Article 5 of the constitution maintains that “adequate provision shall be made for the minorities to freely profess and practice their religions and develop their cultures”. And the same was stated by the founding father of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, after the creation of Pakistan, “You are free; you are to go to your temples. You are free to go to your mosques or any other places of worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed that has nothing to do with the business of the State”.
Besides Islamic teachings, the constitution of Pakistan also clearly endorses the freedom of religious practices by all nationals. Article 5 of the constitution maintains that “adequate provision shall be made for the minorities to freely profess and practice their religions and develop their cultures”.
Introspecting the reasons behind the repudiation of all these notions holds the religious clerics responsible in the first place. A number of these people tend to twist the meaning of religious scriptures as per their half-knowledge, and present the religion as a draconian entity. These people actuate the masses to opt to acts that are irreligious and immoral in reality. A number of alleged blasphemy cases have been observed to be given unnecessary hype because of the local clerics. Out of this, most of the incidents are reported to be based on personal tussles.
Another group of religious scholars belongs to the idea of state politics. They amalgamate religion with politics and play the religion-card to serve their political interests. A number of religious, fanatic protests and processions have been carried out under their orders against the ‘alleged’ perpetrators of blasphemy, to date. So, these people are also behind the aggravating condition of religious extremism in the country.
The curriculum at school level instills a sense of out-group in the children in relation to religion. Religious teachings are also presented out-of-context and tend to increase religious intolerance.
Professor Pervez Hoodbhoy wrote in Foreign Affairs, "Pakistani schools–and not just madrassas–are churning out fiery zealots, fuelled with a passion for jihad and martyrdom."
Pew Research Center reported that the state of Pakistan is not doing enough to protect religious minorities and their rights and is reluctant to give them equal citizenship in the country. This also depicts the negative role of state in religious affairs and is a manifestation of a well celebrated political analyst, Ahmet Kuru’s, idea of 'ulema-state alliance' which focuses on misuse of religion by the state to pursue political aims.
The government of Pakistan can use different strategies to protect interfaith harmony. Education system needs to be inclusive to promote religious harmony. Blasphemy laws need to be revisited as allegations based on differences and grudges are common.