“I’m extremely proud of my son that he could do what he did in France,” has said the seemingly proud father of the Paris attacker.
On September 25, A Pakistani teenager had attacked two people with a meat cleaver around the area near the former Charlie Hebdo office. Neither of the two persons belonged to the controversial newspaper that is notorious for its satirical pictures.
More recently, the satirical newspaper has drawn global criticism from the global community, in particular from the Muslims, for mocking the Prophet Muhammad. It has also been shifted to a secret place. The office site is now used by a television production company, and the victims of an undirected attack worked in that company.
Currently, Zaheer Hassan, the accused in the attack, is under custody.
However, the incident rips open an irreconcilable divide between the west and the people with the conservative interpretation of Islam, which is rife in Pakistan.
The “Proud Father” of the Attacker
Arshad Mehmood, the father, said he is proud of his son because “He attacked the blasphemers of the Prophet Muhammad.” He further explained that it is a ticket to heaven when one kills a blasphemer of the Prophet of Islam. “Not only the killer but all of his family will be guaranteed paradise.”
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Ahead of the attack, the accused also recorded a video message in which he seemed to justify the act.
He said, “I’m here in France. Let me explain if I’m being sentimental. Here in France, the prophet’s caricatures were being published.”
The Illegal Arrival
The accused confessed in the French court that he arrived in France on the forged documents. The French authorities said that the 25-year-old had been charged with attempted murder in relation to a terrorist enterprise.
On the other hand, in Pakistan, people, including his family, are proud of him in his town.
A neighbor of the accused said, “All the village is proud of our son. We’re very happy. Wherever we go, he is praised. He’s the talk of the town.”
Religion, Ignorance, and Hypocrisy? Analysis
Is religion all about hurting or killing others after accusing them of blasphemy? All religions claim to have a complete code of life as they seek to cover each aspect of the individual’s existence. Following any aspect, while disregarding other teachings could make the entire undertaking questionable.
Firstly, it is hard to understand why so devout a Muslim leaves his country, full of believers, to embark on pagan land. Secondly, does Islam allows a Muslim to indulge in forgery or fraud to cross the borders?
Thirdly, does Islam give carte blanche to an individual to kill anyone, whether or not the accused commit blasphemy? Even in a pure Islamic state, it is the state’s jurisdiction to charge or penalize blasphemy accused.
Fourthly, the hollowness of the act reflects from the act of both the attacker and his family and all those who are “proud” of this act. Neither Zaheer Hassan knew what he was doing, nor was the father of the Paris attacker mindful of why he was supporting the cause, except for an unexplained state of mind they associate with love for the prophet.
