A child dies every minute, we
remain silent, we stare on. A democratic system comes to power, it is corrupt
and fraudulent, and we remain silent and stare on. A women is beaten and burnt,
a crime is committed around us every other second, we remain voiceless and look
on.
With each step towards
advancement, conflict and violence is growing, but we go about the daily
business of our lives without caring, not wanting to know until trouble knocks
on our own doors. Even then, words of protests are mumbled, not shouted; sounds
of anger are muffled, not loud; voices are hushed, not raised. We watch, wait
and we look on. We are not a mob, not a demonstration, not a march, just a
crowd. Silent… staring!
The blood path in Palestine
continues, we issue statements of regret and condemnation and yet we continue
to pay to the enterprises of Jews. Foreign trademarks are so cool! Aren’t they,
eh? We are a crowd – silent, heartless and staring.
The massacre in Kashmir
continues, we show films and documentaries on TV, take out a procession or two
after Friday prayers and then sit down comfortably at night to watch Indian
movies and shows. Real heroes, away from families and friends, in freezing
weather are ready to sacrifice their lives for their country and its people,
while we get high on New Years Eve and complain about the traffic jams caused
by military movements. We are a crowd, silent, uncompassionate and staring.
War in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Bloodshed, innocent kids running for their lives.. fires, screams! There are
blasts that cause a fire so intense that it leaves the outline of the victim on
the ground as souvenirs for the powerful victor. The whole family sleeps in the
same room so that they survive together or die together. They are our Muslim
brothers but we are unmoved. We stare on silently as a crowd.
The Shia Genocide and the sectarian
violence in Karachi. The genocide and complete abolition of Balochis and their
brutal murders and disappearance. The plight of minorities in radical Punjab
and the sufferings of people in KPK who went through the traumatic destruction
of breath taking northern areas along with rivers of blood. Yes, we all have
felt every inch of their agony. Yet we’re all unable to reach out for maximum
audience and our social stigmas and responsibilities don’t allow us to
contribute practically. We are a crowd who just stares on silently. There was Qarbala where Hassan (R)
and Hussain (R) were killed. Today there's Pakistan, Gaza and Afghanistan and
yet we aren't united to fight the aggressors, only divided along communal
lines. I mourn the death of our Prophet's (S) beloved grandsons and you don't
have to be from a particular sect of Islam, or be a Muslim at all really. Just
like I don't have to be a Palestinian to be rattled by their loss. What made us
so inhumane, so oblivious to the pain all around us? How long are we going to
ignore the carnage just because we’re not members of the targeted communities?
Judges
suspended, independence of judiciary is at stake, no security of one’s life and
rights, lawlessness… We disapprove of it but we still stare on speechlessly as
a crowd. If there are protest rallies, we kick up a fuss at the roads being
blocked and the ‘inconvenience’ caused.
No true
leader rises amongst us, anyone who does, it’s not for the people but for his
owl personal gains. If a man of integrity does come to lead, others pull him
down and ensure his downfall. Nothing moves us, nothing makes us feel except
for money; its charm, its magic. We try to get it by any means possible. We
will work for it, steal, beg, lie, and sacrifice for it, for only that stirs
our spirits. For everything else, we are silent and staring.
Bomb blasts
in mosques, rallies, trains and markets… We stare on! Consequences of
operations in Swat; a dozen people crammed together in a single tent for
shelter, who have to sleep on the ground. While, we rest in our luxurious
bedrooms with air conditioners switched on thinking about parties, food,
outfits, fashion, latest DVD’s or the recent gizmo that we aren’t ‘blessed’
enough to have. There are kids who wait helplessly, knowing something bad will
happen, they are confused because they don’t know what they did wrong. We
remain a silent, indifferent crowd.
Imagine YOUR
brother screaming from the agony for a severed limb but you can’t do anything
to ease the pain. What if you were one of them; wandering in streets hungry and
alone while people watch as a silent, staring crowd?
Muslims are
being labeled as terrorists, Islam is being misinterpreted internationally The
west is working for its own benefit and blaming us for everything. Western hold
on the media is so strong that even protecting our rights is thought to be
‘terrorism’ now. If I stand before the court, demanding my rights while the
legal system slowly churns out my privileges, you will all be there, silent and
staring, always a crowd.
If I get hit
by a car being driven by alcoholics and die, you will all be there. Silent and
staring. A crowd! If I stand here, take out a gun, point it in your direction
and pull the trigger. You will STILL be there, silent and staring. You’ll be a
crowd, a dead crowd! And then on your funeral we’ll all be a crowd, silent and
staring! Whichever angle, whichever thought, whichever view you are perceived
from; you, me and we all are nothing else but a crowd.
