The maddening uproar against the murder attempt on Malala Yousafzai would have seemed fitting had this attack been perpetuated by the Taliban in a perfectly peaceful society. The outcry would have made sense had our children had access to education and health facilities without discrimination based on class and creed. It would have sounded even humane, and not just a gut reaction, had our families lived in a safe and secure Pakistan. But alas, this is not the place we often wish it to be.
Readers must still remember the uproar and protest in the country against the blasphemous film. What followed was a mad reaction on social media, and later the demons of mayhem were set free on the streets of Karachi, Peshawar, and elsewhere. Nobody then talked about how to properly respond to the film and express love for the Prophet (pbuh). Because what our people did on the streets was far from an expression of love and respect.
Somebody aptly said on social media that the notorious filmmaker only released a trailer of a blasphemous film, but the Muslims actually made sure that everybody noticed it – thus making the film a premier watch for everybody. This alone caused more disrespect to the Prophet (pbuh) than the film itself. But that's how those who believe in a political religion deal with such situations. Sanity was absent back then, and sanity is absent now. How?
The attack on the bold and brave young Malala Yousafzai has led our so-called educated and liberal people to call for more war and more drones. Their line of argument is that, since drones did not cause even 5 percent of civilian deaths compared to what the Taliban have done to Pakistan – that is, an approximate of 40 thousand deaths, both civilian and military – it is okay to send more drones to the Taliban until they are erased from the surface of the earth.
They find it appropriate to support every drone strike by CIA and are demanding that Pakistan must go full throttle against the extremists and Taliban in the tribal belt. This behaviour is leading to a war frenzy that we will never be able to recover from. Although it's true that the army is doing what it can to deal with the Taliban in a tough way, the people must not make demands that will further drag us into a foreign country's war.
Yes, it is our war as well. But we shall deal with it in our own way, and not become a mere tool in the hands of a superpower. The liberals' outcry does not offer any solace to the attacked girl except that she will be again rewarded with another medal, and sent back to Swat. But her life will remain at stake.
Now what should be our apt response? Imagine, just for a while, that in our next fiscal budget the allocation for education is multiplied 10 times – and we build new schools, enroll every child (poor or otherwise), and teach her/him to become a brave soul like Malala. It would be perfectly appropriate to name these schools after her. Also, a complete overhaul of the curricula would be the icing on the cake. It will hit the extremists in the gut. More children in schools are much better than outrage over one incident and increasing the military budget. Because the more you fight with weapons, the more they will fight back. Therefore, the demand we make should be for education, not arms. This is the only way to fight back. Here I am compelled to coin a phrase: if you breed war, you do not reap peace.
The writer is a freelance contributor. Email: enam.hasan@live.com
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