Red, White and Black

Two Idols of the Old Days

Born-again Muslim singer Junaid Jamshed told a gathering at a girls’ college in Lahore on Monday that the Muslims had reacted to the Danish cartoons in a most “shameful way”. He said the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) would have expected the Muslim to behave as he did in the face of insult, and “not like barbarians”. He was referring to the damage the mobs had inflicted on public property in Pakistan in the wake of the cartoons.

Ironically, the same day Pakistan’s other born-again Muslim hero Imran Khan was actually protesting — in his own words — against Denmark on the streets of Lahore. Imran Khan has supported the MMA-opposition line that Islamabad should have recalled its ambassadors from the offending countries. On the other hand, Junaid Jamshed has focused on the decline in public behaviour that the protest has caused in the country. Instead of blaming the government he has appealed directly to the people to desist from violence. Many among the shopkeepers of Lahore will heed his message.

posted by Ayesha @ 22:04 Comments: 2