http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/editorial/14-born-of-superstition-310-zj-06
Born of superstition
Dawn Editorial
Wednesday, 13 Jan, 2010
Superstition and gullibility must be countered in Pakistan at every level for
they affect the rich and poor alike. -Photo by AFP
It is symptomatic of the retrogression in Pakistani society that heinous crimes
are committed under the influence of misplaced notions of culture, religion and
superstition.
The recent case of infanticide in Karachi is an example. A raid on a Korangi
house led the police to the remains of a six-month-old girl buried in a shallow
grave and her four-year-old sister trussed up and starved. The girls' parents
told the police that their house had fallen under the influence of 'evil
spirits' and that a 'pir sahib' had appeared in their dreams to guide them
towards this course of action. A case of premeditated murder has been
registered against the couple, and further investigation may well lead to other
reasons - such as poverty or insanity - which led to the crime.
However, there is no doubt that in Pakistan's deeply conservative, illiterate
society, holy men and pirs often exercise a pernicious influence over the
credulous. There have been cases where such so-called religious men have raped
and tortured or incited followers to commit inhumane crimes - the victims have
generally been women and children. At the very least such pirs use their
influence to extort money or goods. Unfortunately, only a few cases are
highlighted, and even then little action is taken.
A two-pronged strategy is needed to counter this phenomenon. First, the public
must be made aware of how they can be taken advantage of by crooks or sadists
masquerading as holy men. Superstition and gullibility must be countered at
every level for they affect the rich and poor alike. Secondly and more
importantly, the role of the pir in the perpetration of violent or criminal
behaviour must be recognised and treated as collusion in or incitement to a
crime. The pir in the Karachi case may have been a figment of the couple's
imagination, but there are too many real pirs at work in the country.
Tags: Pirs,holy men,evil spirits,religion and superstition,Pakistan
superstition
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
