Why framing Shia genocide as a sectarian conflict only trivialises the problem


For example, in the US, the debate around abortion is often framed as pro-life by Conservatives

This is a very powerful and effective construct as it creates the impression that those who choose abortion are anti-life and hence some kind of murderers

Unfortunately, this framing has been successful and many, including a substantial percentage of women, have ended up assuming that abortion is some sort of a sin

By framing it as pro-life, conservatives in the US have bagged a moral advantage which they exploit as well

Framing is not always deliberate, since sometimes an issue gets framed by the media inadvertently also

Once an issue is successfully framed in a particular way, either deliberately or unintentionally, the entire discourse is shaped by it

One key issue in Pakistan, which in my opinion is affected strongly by framing, is the widespread killing of Shias

Currently, the issue is often framed as an inter-communal conflict between Shias and Sunnis supported by Iran and Saudi Arabia

Some also say that Pakistan is another battle ground of the ongoing proxy war between the two countries

I believe this framing is seriously flawed as it trivialises what in reality is actually a slow-moving Shia genocide

 The scale of violence is alarming

According to data compiled by the South Asian Terrorism Portal over the last 15 years, violence against Shias has resulted in more than 7,000 deaths and injuries

This is not a sectarian conflict, because a conflict would involve active participation of both sides

In Pakistan, Shias are overwhelmingly the recipient of violence and do not have the capacity to respond, and in fact, they hardly respond in the same manner

Pakistan is a different case from countries like Syria and Iraq, where Shias and Sunnis are vying for territorial control as well as political power

Even their militant groups are backed by Iran and Saudi Arabia

What is taking place there can be termed as proxy wars, but in Pakistan, Shias are not vying for any sort of territorial control as they are thinly dispersed throughout the country

Violence against Shias in Pakistan is not communal but ideological and is perpetuated by religious fringe organisations who consider them as apostates

Let’s not forget that Pakistan has witnessed target killings of Shia religious scholars, doctors, lawyers and other professionals

There have also been incidents where buses were stopped and Shia passengers were killed after confirmation of their religious affiliation

The basic impetus for killing of Shias springs from the Takfiri obsession about who is a true Muslim and who is not

Even though actual violence is conducted and perpetuated by militant organisations, according to me, the general mind-set of the population is also a contributing factor

Let’s not forget that as a society, we are obsessed with veracity of religious beliefs

 Unfortunately “kafir kafir Shia kafir” (Shias are infidels) is a slogan which is quite pervasive and not just restricted to militant groups

As mentioned before, the current framing of the issue seriously obfuscates and in fact trivialises the nature and the scale of the problem

Instead of looking at growing ideological extremism and the spread of hate-filled literature, we start looking at the issue in terms of global power play

Moreover, this framing also creates a misconception that this is a two-way conflict which has active Iran-backed Shia involvement in it

While this may be true in Syria and Iraq, the reality is that in Pakistan, there is no conflict, only unidirectional violence against a minority

 Of course, Saudi Arabia’s funding is playing a role in Pakistan, but the outcome is not a conflict, rather genocide

Although I am a Sunni, about 70% of my maternal family is Shia

I have seen them become increasingly terrified in recent years with some choosing immigration

Right now, there is a lot of fear in the Shia community and we need to address it immediately

The first step in addressing any problem is recognising its true essence

Let’s recognise the real problem here and not get obfuscated by faulty framing of the issue



Date:22-May-2017 Reference:View Original Link