By: Murtaza Haider
Source: dawn.com
Imagine the state of mind of the person who wore a suicide vest and boarded the bus carrying young women whose bright faces were lit with the pride of being educated. There was no reason to attack these innocent women who were unarmed and unrelated to any conflict. But that did not deter the suicide bomber who proceeded to kill them and herself in a suicide attack.
Moments before the blast, the young women were ignorant of the pain that would soon be inflicted on them. They must be smiling and talking to their friends, planning for the rest of the day and for what lay ahead in their lives. The suicide bomber looked at the faces of the women who, if given the opportunity, would most certainly have improved the plight of their impoverished nation.
And then the blast. Some died instantaneously. Others must have suffered the agonising pain of the wounds and the resulting fire that engulfed the bus and consumed its riders. Those who survived the blast must have heard the cries for help emerging from deep inside the bus. The rescuers must have rushed to the bus, but could not assist the victims since the leaping flames kept everyone at bay.
Somewhere in or near Quetta a group of men chanted with pride, Allah-u-Akbar (God is great), eulogising the female suicide bomber for killing the very women who held the most promise for Pakistan. Their spokesperson called the news outlets to claim responsibility for the attack on unarmed women. Later, at the Bolan Medical Complex in Quetta, another group of men, armed with AK-47 and wearing suicide vests, engaged the security personnel in a standoff that left several more dead, including four nurses who were attending to the wounded from the earlier blast.
This was all done in the name of Islam. This will be repeated sooner than later. Some would argue this is not the “real” Islam. Does it really matter what real Islam is when its true followers cannot stand against those who use religion to commit genocide?
The views expressed in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of MuslimVillage.com.