Who Will Raise a Voice?
Apropos the film “Of Gods and Men” the heroic witness of the French Trappist monks was celebrated. Here is another witness, assassinated today.
From the Associated Press:
Militants gunned down the only Christian in Pakistan’s government outside his widowed mother’s home Wednesday, the second assassination in two months of a high-profile opponent of laws that impose the death penalty for insulting Islam.Shahbaz Bhatti was aware of the danger he faced, saying in a videotaped message that he had received death threats from al-Qaida and the Taliban. In it, the 42-year-old Roman Catholic said he was “ready to die” for the country’s often persecuted Christian and other non-Muslim minorities.
The slaying in Islamabad followed the killing of Salman Taseer, a liberal politician who was gunned down in the capital by one of his guards. Both men had campaigned to change blasphemy laws in Pakistan that impose the death penalty for insulting Islam and have been loudly defended by Islamist political parties.
“They (the Taliban) want to impose their radical philosophy in Pakistan. And whoever stands against their radical philosophy, they threaten them,” Bhatti said in a video message, which was posted on the website of the First Step Forum, a Finland-based group that promotes religious harmony, rule of law and democracy.
“These threats and these warnings cannot change my opinions and principles. I’m living for my community and suffering people,” said Bhatti, who was an adviser to the group and had asked that his message be released in the event of his death.
The slaying robbed Pakistani Christians of their most prominent advocate.
“We have been orphaned today!” wailed Rehman Masih, a Christian resident of Islamabad. “Now who will fight for our rights? Who will raise a voice for us? Who will help us?”
The New York Times adds:
In Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called the assassination “an attack not only on one man but on the values of tolerance and respect for people of all faiths and backgrounds that had been championed by Muhammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.”
Mrs. Clinton, who recently met with Mr. Bhatti during a visit he made to Washington, called him a “very impressive, courageous man” who knew the danger he faced.
Shortly before his death, Mr. Bhatti said he knew extremists were after him. “I am receiving threats on speaking against the blasphemy law, but my faith gives me strength and we will not allow the handful of extremists to fulfill their agenda,” he said.
The Vatican also protested strongly, so it seems voices are being raised. I think the question is what is to be done?
Craziness about issues rules today.
It’s easily exploited in parts of the Muslim world.
Saw wherethe FBI arrested a prochoice crazy for threatening prolifers today.
That’s happened the other way.
There are crazy white supremacists, etc. in the good old US.
Bottom line: Stand Up Againmst Crazy Extremism on any issue of politics or religion, no matter what your belief!!!!!!
It’s time to cut loose Afghanistan. The only reason we are there is to keep Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal ‘safe’.
We also need to cut loose of Pakistan; the only down side is that Pakistanis will have to live under MAD {Mutual Assured Destruction] with India. We did MAD with Soviet Union for 50 years and we came out on the other side. Pakistan is not reformable under present conditions. Recovery does not happen to anyone as long as a co-dependent props it up. USA in keeping this situation going is what AA calls co-dependent behavior. No change is no change. Let the well educated Pakistani elite go it on their own. Let them experience the ‘bottom’ .
Saddam’s WMDs were only a glint in his eye. Pakistan is a country rife with stony religious fanaticism where murder seems to be sacralized — a country boiling with dangerous passions. How terrible if such a country got hold of WMDs!
What’s that? They already have WMDs? They’ve got the BOMB!?! How did we let that happen?
David,
though the question, “what is to be done?” is both pressing and laden with peril, I think a first step is to let one’s voice be heard in a sustained way. Now, you are far more adept than I at monitoring these matters, but it will be interesting to see how many voices are raised, even in Catholic press and periodicals, concerning this latest assault on Christians; and I don’t mean a short news item.
I find the London “Tablet” much more committed to covering “The Church in the World” than any Catholic publication this side of the so-called pond. Where is our Catholic Abe Foxman? (see, yet again, “Letters” in today’s “Times”) — and, with all due respect, I’m not talking about Bill Donohue, but our Catholic public intellectuals.
And, as Molly’s post below indicates, raised voices can sometimes lead to action, at least well-placed voices. For a tiny indication see the “Correction” posted on the “Times” editorial page this morning — the echo of a still small voice.
“Get Religion’s” Terry Mattingly reviews some of the Press coverage and includes a moving video of Mr. Bhatti:
http://www.getreligion.org/2011/03/dying-on-the-cross-in-pakistan/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+getreligion%2FDmXm+%28GetReligion%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
Mr. Bhatti’s death is certainly a terrible thing. But Christians raising voices about the assassination of a fellow Christian isn’t going to cut much ice with Muslim extremists. Somehow, tolerance and dismantling heresy laws that encourage vigilante groups to gun down “infidels” needs to arise from these nations themselves.
On the other hand, I think we should think carefully about whether that great big foreign aid package we give to Pakistan constitutes collusion in the evil of intolerance. The aid, from accounts I’ve read, been a great big failure at improving infrastructure funding the projects it’s supposed to. It amounts to walking around money for a regime that cannot or will not control fringe groups who commit these atrocities.
Yes, I think voices do need to be raised, and I agree it is not enough or consistent enough. Pakistan is both a special case in that the Christians and particularly Catholics there are subject to terrible persecution — the late associate pastor of our parish was from Pakistan and built the same church THREE times. Each time it had been razed by a mob. Jean makes a good point about aid to Pakistan. But it is a lever as well. I’m not sure we need a Catholic Abe Foxman since we’ve got Bill D. The Vatican should and can fill that role to some degree. I think the US needs to do much much more — not having an ambassador for international religious freedom two years after Obama took office is inexcusable. Never having given the religious freedom office in the state department a higher profile and real sway is just as bad. Tom Farr at Georgetown is my rabbi on these things, and I think he’s bang on. Religious freedom should be our selling point and pressure point, diplomatically. There, that’s my sermon.
But there is also an obvious issue of this around the Muslim world, not just Pakistan. I think the Egypt uprisings and others offer some hope, maybe the realization that there is a common enemy to all religions in dictatorships. But it is going to require a long cultural and political transforamtion, I fear. Best to start now.
Religious Freedom is the starting point, although it is important to note that any religion that is coercive to begin with, would thus be in direct conflict with the freedom to practice one’s religion.
This is encouraging:
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2011/03/03/pakistan-media-warn-of-growing-chaos-after-christian-minister-slain/
David,
thanks for that link. The “Times” follows up its front page coverage of the assassination with an editorial this morning that begins:
“Another courageous Pakistani official has been assassinated because he stood for tolerance. We increasingly despair over the hatred and extremism that has Pakistan in a death grip.
The official killed on Wednesday was Shahbaz Bhatti, the minister of minorities and the only Christian in the cabinet. Gunmen ambushed him outside his house in Islamabad. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility, saying he was punished for being a blasphemer.”
The NYT has an article about Mr. Bhatti’s funeral earlier today. The prime minister of Pakistan attended, but, unfortunately, no other senior officials of the government were in attendance. In light of the killing of Salman Taseer by one of his guards, it’s perhaps not surprising that there may be evidence that Mr. Bhatti’s government security detail tipped off his Taliban killers about his whereabouts.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/05/world/asia/05pakistan.html?_r=1&hp
Given the rise in Taliban violence in Pakistan and the failure of the government to impose any semblance of law and order, the lives of the religious minorities in Pakistan will likely get worse in the wake of Mr. Bhatti’s senseless death.
About the Muslim horror of blasphemy –
I kind of understand that. I don’t see how insulting Muhammed is blasphemy — that turns him into an diol). Still, If anything is offensive, it’s blasphemy. But how would you argue against the Muslim position that it is so awful the blasphemer deserves to die? How would you appeal to them?
“How would you appeal to them?” Easy: become a Muslim. Now, how would you appeal to a NYT editorialist, who sees every struggle as a morally-equivalent conflict between “tolerance” and “extremism”?
I’ll believe in some kind of dialog with Islam when enough Islamic leaders endorse the principle of reciprocity. As to dialog with NYT editorialists, I am less optimistic.
Regarding an advocacy role for Catholic intellectuals: I’m not sure who they would appeal to. The fate of dhimmi Christians is studiously ignored by the State Dept. and by more influential secular liberal intelligentsia. And when the Vatican issues any statement critical of Islamist outrages against Christians, the result tends to be further outrages.