The mourning of Ashura has come and gone, and not a whimper in Bangladesh. As readers of the New York Times and Guardian know Ashura is the commemoration of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. The events of that date in 680 AD are considered to have created the fault lines between the epochal political and social contest between Sunni’s and Shia. Unhappily, of course, those countless readers also know all too well, that at least 40 innocent people have died in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city during a Shite mourning procession.
That Sunni’s extremist are being blamed is not surprising. What is surprising is that the attack should have occurred at all. Muslims are now killing Muslims with greater intensity that would seem justified under Jihad. Though the extremist Sunni groups that constitute teh Pakistani Taliban have always considered the Shiite population apostates, their definition of apostate has shifted to include any group outside of their constitution who they think would support the apostate government in Islamabad.
In a surprising turn, Iraq seems to overcome its own sectarian history at least for this year, though 4 individuals have been killed in attacks in Northern Iraq. Contrast that to the pronouncements of peace and amity by the three leading politicians in Bangladesh. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed, President Zillur Rahman, and oppostion leader Khaleda Zia have each invoked peace and harmony as the step forward in national reconciliation. It remains to be seen whether those words can translate to facts on the ground or whether they are only so much cheap talk.
The Shia constitute less than 5% of the population Bangladesh. It is surely because of this demographic fact that Islamic jihadi extremists haven’t taken up a more militant course against that minority. It is also because of this fact that almost every politician in Bangladesh can rally to the commemoration of Imam Hussein’s martyrdom and express his sacrifice as their own.