Back to basics (by Youth Magazine US)

	Counter opinion
	By Ali Suleman
	The recent incident of lynching in Sialkot that claimed the lives of two young brothers has been in news for quite a while now. I would very briefly describe the incident. On the afternoon of 15th August, two boys, Muneeb and Mughees, when returning from the village were mistaken as dacoits by the residents of the village, caught, and then brutally clubbed to death in front of the Sialkot Rescue 1122 office publicly. The reporter of a TV channel caught the whole incident on tape. The video, when aired on TV, caused extreme rage through all circles of the society. First the Lahore High Court, and then the Supreme Court took suo motu notice of the case. Throughout the popular media, the incident was overly repeated and the negligence of the law enforcement agencies censured. The Federal Interior Minister and Punjab Chief Minister separately visited the home of the deceased, and condoled with their parents. Protests at all levels were launched by the active civil society members. In a word, the incident was greatly and rightfully disapproved of by everyone. Now when luckily an incident of such an extreme violation of human rights also gained an attention of the whole nation, in a society where such incidents daily happen and mostly go unnoticed, one expected some opinion-sweep. Whereas the incident should have sparked enough shock and anger to have everyone leaving them with their heads scratching, groping about for the basic reason behind the incident; and whereas it should have been a beginning of an end to oppression and tyranny in the society; and whereas it should have been a silent pledge from the whole society to denounce brutality in all its forms and genres; and whereas it should have been an unwritten resolution to disallow any act of unlawful killing of no matter whom, again in this land; and whereas it should have been an a revolutionary paradigm towards the comprehension of the importance of law and justice and what could a society become in the absence of the same; and whereas it should have been an actual eye-opener and should have caused a volte-face from the sentimental mob justice to rational legal justice; sadly so, we had to witness the exact opposite. In a small survey I conducted about how the perpetrators of the crime should be punished, the majority was in favour of publicly clubbing them to death the same way the boys were. The fact is that if in place of those pious, Hafiz e Quran young students, some mature, sinful, illiterate, actually robbers were lynched the same way, not only the hype created by the episode wouldnít even reach half of what it is now, but most would have openly advocated the act too (not to forget that the life of a boy from the opposite party was lost as well). Why did this incident happen at first place? Why didn't those who caught the 'burglars' simply filed an FIR against them in the local police station and let them have a judicial trial? Simply because they do not realise the importance of the law and legal justice. Neither do we, the 'educated' lot, for that matter. So, what's the big deal? If an incident so vicious, so brutal, so inhumane, so wicked, so heartless, so ruthless, so callous, so ferocious, so atrocious and so heinous could not even make us understand one simple thing: the importance of law and legal justice, then this enormous sacrifice of those two innocent brothers has gone totally in vain. Oh yes, and then we also have those pathetic excuses like 'they are not Muslims; a Muslim can never do this'. Wake up. Smell the coffee. Those who killed Muneeb and Mughees are very much Muslims. And yes, they were fasting at the moment too. Also, for that matter, were who became the part of Lord Clive's small British army were Muslims. Those who showed Shah Alam Sani his fate were also Muslims. Those who exiled Babar from Mongolia were also Muslims. Those who stitched Muhammad Bin Qasim in camel-skin were also Muslims. The one who beheaded Ibrahim Lodhi was also Muslim. The one who betrayed Tipu Sultan was also Muslim. The one who conspired against Nawab Siraj ud Daula was also Muslim. The one who caged his own father, Shah Jehan, was also very much a practicing Muslim. And no, I am not an Indian agent trying to prove anything here; I am just calling a spade a spade. If we are not even ready to acknowledge our mistakes, their redress is something utterly unimaginable. It is time we start getting back to basics. Stop at red light, drive at green. Look right and then left before crossing a road. Don't throw wrappers on the floor. Don't cheat. Don't lie. Don't backbite. Don't break the law. Don't support brutality of any form, against anyone. Let this incident really be the beginning of an end to brutality of any kind, and a pledge to never support extrajudicial killings in any case, in any shape, of anyone. And if you don't get the importance of law and justice even now, then please continue with your norm of mob justice, and get ready to witness more of such demonstrations, where no prosecution, no reply to accusations, no review petition is possible. Only 'speedy justice' there and then.