Pakistan Needs a Mandela

Many Pakistani friends on social media shared Mandela’s inspiring quotes in celebration of his grand legacy. They showed great admiration for the man who spent his life fighting for the equal rights of his people. They were in awe of his tireless struggle for the emancipation of blacks from the callous discrimination they faced in South Africa.

I was happily surprised, yet confused. These were the same people who endorsed — and continue to endorse — the anti-Ahmadi laws of Pakistan in a recent debate. They justified the continued persecution of Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan. How could a person celebrate Mandela’s fight against discrimination in his society and condone the same bigotry against a community at home? How can we love the doctor and the disease he fights, at the same time?

Pakistanis quote Nelson Mandela with great aplomb and admire him as a great hero. The reason is that he fought for the rights of a section of his countrymen who were discriminated against on the basis of their colour. Yet the same people see no irony in continuing to discriminate against Ahmadis and deny them their human rights.

Original Source: Huffington Post