- By: Zahida Hina Kakar
A guy George belonged to the black community in America. On May 25, 2020, George Floyd a 46-year black man tragically lost his life as a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on Floyd’s neck for approximately 9 and hals minutes. Even though Floyd was tied up and begging he couldn’t breathe, and the cruel officer’s actions caused his death. A bystander captured the incident on video, and the video went viral worldwide. The heartbreaking event made many people, both black and white come together to protest against racism.
To begin with, racism is called “one racial group is superior to another”. It’s very common in numerous countries. By nature humans are alike, the matter of fact is that in some countries rules and regulations are followed strictly. Various forms of intolerant and offensive behavior play a crucial role in the society. Racism is unjust discrimination and a kind of belief, mindset, or social disease, that we can adopt from our culture, religious beliefs, and especially from our family. The mindset originates from an individual’s inclination to categorize based on factors like color, profession, and religious beliefs, fostering comparison between oneself and others. Without exception, each rich, poor, educated, literate, developed/ undeveloped countries are victims of this mindset/behavioral disease
Discussing racism in the context of Pakistani society, there are abundant examples across various facets. Racism often manifests in Pakistani families when a child with a darker complexion is born, resulting in family members treating the baby poorly. Furthermore, the child starts getting bullied. When they go outside, people treat them just like they wouldn’t a kid with lighter skin. They don’t get the same response in schools and other places as compared to a child with a lighter skin tone. So, the child grows up feeling less important. This constant mistreatment messes with the child’s confidence. Even though everyone knows bullying is wrong, it keeps happening without anyone stopping it.
Pakistani people often speak out against injustices faced by Muslims or others in different countries, they seem to be protesting against the oppression and abuse, especially on social media and platforms like Twitter. However, many might not be aware of numerous problems within their own country. This lack of awareness could be because people face discrimination based on language, color, religious beliefs, and profession, which is keeping them disconnected from each other. The messenger of Allah our holy prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) in his last sermon said that “All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor does a black have any superiority over a year white except by piety and good”. It shows that even our religion has urged us to stay away from this distinction.
In addition, this racism and discrimination originates from our ancestors. After that Media (such as different morning shows on TV, most of them are about how to lighten your complexion, etc) and society is playing the main role in promoting racism. There is no specific group that is a victim of it, but all of us. In Asian countries, even today, almost all makeup is done to show fair complexion. Many whitening cream companies are still very profitable today, which shows what people’s priorities are because you also have to avoid society’s backlash.
In Pakistani society, manifestations of racism are evident in both language and culture exemplified by the ongoing situation involving the deportation of Afghan refugees. So currently there are two distinct groups; one advocates for deportation, while the other opposes it, each presenting their respective reasons. So Media plays a crucial role in the ongoing situation of Afghan refugee deportation. On platforms like Twitter, the educated class often engages in divisive discourse, mocking each other over their support or opposition to deportation. Regrettably, racism is evident through the use of derogatory terms like “Namak haram” directed at Afghan refugees. The use of such terminology may not be flattering to either an educated class or an illiterate one. Which is only causing hatred to increase.
The Israel-Palestine conflict sparks global debate. Some claim Biden supports Netanyahu despite awareness of alleged Palestinian oppression, which raises questions about potential biases. In Pakistan, there’s robust support for Palestine based on humanitarian and religious considerations. In Pakistan, daily occurrences of violence rooted in racism contribute to ongoing killings. Social tensions escalate into disputes and riots, with individuals frequently being abducted by unidentified assailants, resulting in prolonged disappearances spanning months or even years. Unfortunately, a significant number of Pakistanis remain unaware of internal conflicts due to racism (such as the prevailing caste system and animosity towards different castes).
In brief, society has faced considerable challenges due to the unethical affliction of offensive behavior. Despite decades of vocal opposition to racism across diverse platforms, it continues to persist daily in various facets of people’s lives. Educating children about the reprehensible consequences of racism during their upbringing offers a potential avenue to prevent further societal deterioration. Early awareness within families holds promise for fostering a more tolerant and inclusive community.