Yesterday, another citizen striving for change was charged with blasphemy allegations by the self-proclaimed zealots of piety in the country. Muhammad Jibran Nasir, while at a corner meeting in Karachi’s Delhi Colony, was reprimanded by a group of religious extremists for not denouncing Qadianis and Ahmadis as non-Muslims.
Check out the video, below.
https://www.facebook.com/MohammadJibranNasir/videos/954784841383056/ Jibran remained calm in the face of the endless tirade of allegations leveled against him on a religious front. His calm and collected nerves and his responses at the scene are noteworthy for several reasons. His demeanor at the meeting was a refreshing break from the barbarism our politicians often resort to in order to get their point across. He insisted on the same behavior from his supporters as well when slight unrest ensued on their end. This makes him a candidate who actually practices what he preaches.
Moreover, the incident revealed how religious allegiances trump socio-political development, even though elections are a purely political agenda.
Jibran left a lasting impact with his questions regarding this. He urged the mob to stick to his mandate and question his policies, as opposed to his religious beliefs and what he feels about Ahmadis. Particularly thought-provoking was Jibran questioning if there is a logical co-relation between being a Muslim and whether it ensures the socio-economic betterment of the constituency’s people. Or, whether being a Muslim and labeling Ahmadis as non-Muslims, absolves you of corruption by default. Completely owning the mob, he questioned whether him fasting for 30 days or going for Hajj automatically ensures clean water for the inhabitants of the constituency. To this, the mob had no rational answer. 
Furthermore, when constantly reminded of the “ Aain ” (constitution), Jibran Nasir had the perfect response.
Our favorite retort no doubt is to claim that anti-Ahmadi laws exist in the constitution. It’s as if that one clause is illuminated in our understanding of the constitution and all other clauses are in the dark. Jibran followed the same line of reasoning, claiming that the same ‘ aain ‘ allowed him to stand in front of the people and contest the elections.
The mob consequently went on to declare him as outside the folds of Islam. Surprise surprise.
Labeling anyone a kafir comes as easy to us as buying ice-cream. The mob declared Jibran ‘ Islam se kharij’, citing the fatwa that was just declared against him. Nasir’s patience in the wake of this was exemplary. He ended the debacle with a notion to agree to disagree. Jibran did not make any lasting claims or give in to the mob at that moment to advance his political agenda. And, that is perhaps the key takeaway from this. Politicians making hefty claims at the expense of minorities run the risk of alienating them even further, once they come to power. Jibran Nasir is an NA-247 candidate with his heart in the right place. His grassroots activism and an attempt to include that into politics is something we all need to support unabashedly. And, on that note let his following words about his party resonate loud and clear:
“We will remain strong in our mandate, will fight for equal justice and democracy for all. We do not wish to be God, but because we believe in Him and fear Him, we will remain tall in opposing you as well [religious extremists]”