Islam as a state religion.
We may have our reservations regarding the intervention of state in religious affairs of its citizens and argue that the state should be secular, in order to treat all its citizens equally, regardless of the differences existing between different fractions of populations existing in it. Nevertheless, we do remember that the country was created on the basis of religious differences in the British India, where the Muslims felt threatened by the overwhelming Hindu majority and demanded a separate state for themselves. They wanted to have a homeland where they could live and practice their faith freely. What the founding fathers had in their heads regarding that state is not an easy task for us to comprehend, but we presume that they had a vision of a modern country where they could practice their faith without outside interventions or suppressions.
The proclamation of state of Pakistan as an Islamic republic is one of the salient feature of the constitution of Pakistan. We still need to know what Islam as the religion of the state of Pakistan entails. The article 2 is very brief. Just by glancing at the ground realities of the country, we can discern that despite the claims the state has nothing to do with Islam. Its institutions in every sense, are as secular as can be anywhere else in the world. We will discuss the matter in somewhat detail later as we proceed further. Most of Pakistani laws stem from the British colonial period and are merely altered to suit the needs of the country since independence. According to definition and assertions the laws of the country aren’t designed in harmony with Quran, Sunnah or Islamic jurisprudence. All vices forbidden in Islam are widely practiced by those sitting in power and the elite groups of the society. The social ills are purposely ignored or accepted as a necessary evil. The Islamic state of Pakistan is completely blind to social injustices, economic exploitation of the masses and all other principles that make Islam a superior doctrine. The welfare of the people is not the prime goal of the state of Pakistan as it’s run by the devil worshippers, who prostrate before the Golden Calf every second of their waking life. We will not elaborate the subject, fully aware that we all are conscious s to how the poor of this country fare. The Islamic state of Pakistan has utterly failed to live up to its name. The rich of this country have failed even to pay the meager 2.5 percent of their wealth to the poor, as it’s asked by the religion. The state is unjust, unwilling to provide internal and external security to the country and its citizens, unable to take care of the needs of its population and most of all is corrupt into its very bone marrow.
The question is why these ungodly members of our constituent assembly tried so hard to include this article in the constitution? The obvious reason could be that they wished to give the false impression that everything in Pakistan moves according to the will and command of Allah, the Almighty. Such assertion was sure to bring tranquility to the people who were already used to the tyranny of the rich and powerful for centuries. Islam was to be used as a drug, to make people endure the hardships of life with patience, while the elite could live the lives of luxuries and abundance. Islam was just the pretext to convince the people that their miseries were all due to the will of the creator and that there was no reason to seek a change as the affairs of the state were being run by the representatives (His khalifas,the humans) according to the laws made in light of Quran and Sunnah.
Even though many of the Mullahs had been the opponents of the creation of Pakistan, they saw new possibilities of asserting their power and influence, once the state of Pakistan became a reality. It didn’t take long before these started demanding a theocratic Pakistan, where Shariah laws were implemented. These groups have been on the surge for a long time, though these were not strong enough to challenge he writ of the state till very recently. How and why they were allowed to get wind under their wings is a separate issue, which needs another discussion. Right now we will stick to the subject of the constitution of Pakistan and see if it is a real document or is just a mockery of it. To conclude the ongoing point, it can be easily declared that Islam, though the practicing religion of the majority of our countrymen, has nothing to do with the religion of the state of Pakistan. This subtle body remains secular and devoid of Divine qualities and that is to speak most mildly. It wouldn’t e an exaggeration to state that in worst cases this noble and mother-like entity has been dominated by the ungodly and profane people, who are the worst kind of beings who ever existed the face of earth.
Continued