Every year, as Muharram arrives, an old anxiety creeps in. Will this year pass peacefully? The fact that we still ask this question says something uncomfortable about where we stand as a nation. Pakistan has paid dearly for sectarian violence. Attacks on processions, bombings at Imambargahs and targeted killings were not spontaneous. They were carried out by organised groups who know that dividing Muslims along sectarian lines keeps a society weak. The state must provide security during Muharram without compromise. But it must also confront the hate speech spreading on social media in the days before Ashura, because that is where the fire often starts.
The vast majority of Pakistanis, regardless of sect or orientation, want peace. They want to pray, mourn, fast and go home safely. The small violent minority that hijacks sacred occasions for sectarian agendas does not speak for Islam and does not speak for this country. Imam Hussain (a.s) did not die so that his followers would spend centuries fighting other Muslims. He died standing against injustice. The least we can do is honour that by treating each other with dignity because Muharram was never meant to divide us. It was meant to remind us of what it costs to stand for what is right.
Syed Ibrahim Zaidi
Lahore
