Freedom for all religions

In a country founded on the idea of providing religious freedoms against oppression faced in pre-partition India, it is tragic to note the cruel twist of fate where a minority community is prohibited to perform their religious rituals. Unfortunately, however, this is exactly what happened with the Sikh community in Lahore last week, citing a most insensitive excuse.
According to news reports, the Sikh community holds an annual ceremony in July at the Gurdwara Shaheed Bhai Taru Singh, Lahore, to commemorate the martyrdom of their saint Taru Singh. This year, the ceremony fell two days before Shab-e-Barat, a holy night for the Muslims. Some local men, allegedly belonging to Dawat-e-Islami, stopped the Sikhs from entering the Gurdwara. The reason given was that the grave upon which the Gurdwara was situated, is in the 'courtyard' of the Badshahi Mosque and it is more important for the Muslims to observe Shab-e-Barat than for the Sikhs to hold their religious festival in their own Gurdwara. Not only that, the men managed to convince the officials at Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) that controls the Gurdwara, that the Sikhs should not be allowed to hold a religious ceremony that night. Once the Sikhs were prohibited from entering their worship place, police were deployed forcing them to postpone their ceremony till after Shab-e-Barat.
This outrageous incident is a small reflection of the intolerant ailment gnawing at the roots of our society. It is the same kind of rabid intolerance, which is attempting to drown out rational dissenting voices, alternate thought and pluralism in Pakistani society. This rigidity is a far cry from the message of peace and tolerance given to the Muslims by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and to the Pakistani citizens by Quaid-e-Azam.
Looking back at Islamic history, when a Christian delegation from Najran came to see Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the Holy Prophet (PBUH) allowed them to pray in the Masjid-e-Nabwi alongside the Muslims. By doing so he set a pristine example for his followers from which we should draw inspiration. It must be noted that this is only one of the numerous examples where the Holy Prophet (PBUH) displayed compassion for the followers of other religions. This message was followed and strictly adhered to by the four caliphs just as well. These examples of interfaith harmony and peaceful coexistence are the true face of our religion.
In the Lahore episode, the government officials acted in an outrageous manner by heeding to the preposterous demands of a small group. The ETPB officials, representing the government of Pakistan, did great injustice by forcing the Sikhs to postpone their ceremony. Jinnah's country was founded on the ideals of freedom of religion and religious practices. Jinnah encapsulated his vision for Pakistan in his remarkable speech to the first constituent assembly on 11 August 1947. His famous words need be repeated again and again because a section of this society tends to conveniently ignore his ideology: "You are free to go to your temples; you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in the state of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed. That has nothing to do with the business of the state."
In the last 60 odd years, we have derailed from the pluralistic vision Jinnah had for this country. Our sense of entitlement has pervaded the space of other minorities, whether religious, ideological or philosophical. In the face of extremism in today's Pakistan, crippling under a militant threat which uses religion to defend itself, we must stand up for pluralism and equal rights for every citizen, regardless of their religion, ethnicity and caste. Now is the time to strengthen our bonds across religious and ideological divides, not act to weaken them. The manner with the provincial government handled the affair must be condemned and protection for minorities' rights must be provided by the state apparatus so that nobody dare impinge their right to perform their religious rituals.