<i>Why this intolerance? </i>
Photo: Munir uz Zaman / driknews
We know that since the beginning of the Pakistani era, the act of breaking the images of the Hindu goddesses and defiling their places of worship has been the favourite pastime of some people. It happened last year despite the Rab deployment (we shall not talk about the years of the 4 party alliance rule when those acts were rampant) and it has happened this year. We can understand it when a madmen in a fit of insanity breaks into the mandap and shatters the pratima heads in a remote village, away from the reach of the law enforcers. However, when such examples of intolerance are witnessed in a place like Gulshan, we really have reasons to be worried. The Gulshan residents wanted to hold a puja in the Gulshan playground this year. Though approved by Rajuk, is was denied by the DCC. The reason given for the denial was that the venue was too close to the Azad mosque. I would like to pose the mayor this question-- does he know of one, just one, minority citizen of this country who will commit the suicidal act of playing the dhak near a mosque? In the world of this century, let us no longer bury our heads in the sands. Let religion be where it belongs--in the heart of the individual.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments