Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Karachi (Agenzia Fides) - The campaign of civil society in Pakistan to curb Islamic extremism in Pakistan is also supported in the world of art, music, literature.
A song titled "Aalu Anday" ("Potatoes and eggs") released by a pop band called "Beygairat Brigade" ("Brigade without honor"), formed by three young Pakistani has had great success, especially among young people. The song, through musical satire, quite openly criticizes episodes of the country’s recent history, where Islamic extremists have conditioned the country. The song cites the case of the assassination of Governor Salman Taseer (who, according to the authors, inspired the composition of the song), and the killer Mumtaz Qadri, who for the extremists has become "a hero". Young people have made a video and have posted it on Youtube: thanks to the power of the web, the video has reached over 350 thousand contacts in a few weeks, becoming a "cult", also multiplied thanks to social networks like Facebook and many blogs. So much so that, according to observers, the three young men’s lives could even be at risk.
Literature also provides support to those who defend the rule of law in Pakistan and the condition of religious minorities. The young writer Mohammed Hanif, who lives in Karachi, one of the most famous writers of the English language in Pakistan, has just published a novel entitled "Our Lady of Alice Bhatti". The novel’s main character is a Catholic girl, Alice Bhatti, who comes from a poor and marginalized family, and lives a troubled and tragic love story. The story of the protagonist, Hanif focuses the attention on social problems and religious Christian minorities living in Pakistan, highlighting abuses and harassment of which Alice is a victim, because she is a Catholic and a woman.
"Where politics fails, it is the world of art or the web to open new roads and to bring out the untold truth. Today, many musical programmes on TV and radio, made by young people, criticize politics. It is a very interesting phenomenon in Pakistan", underlines Fr. John Shakir Nadeem, Director of "Radio Veritas" in urdu and Secretary of the Commission for Social Communications of the Catholic Episcopal Conference in Pakistan in an interview with Fides. "These are the channels through which young people express their hopes and their desires for change, for a better country, more humane, fair, free and respectful of the rights of all. But unfortunately do not have a big impact on politics, which seems deaf", he concludes. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 14/11/2011)
