Manjhi Faqeer: When Faith Collides with Zealotry 1st Time

— Another case of misuse of Blasphemy laws

A social media post invited my attention the other day in which a video clip showed that some religious zealots were dismantling a village signboard of Sindhi Sufi singer Manjhi Faqeer near Shahpur Chakar in Sanghar district. Mostly young protesters were also raising religious slogans.

It was not clear in the post why they were destroying the signpost. The follow-up posts indicated that some religious elements were unhappy with the Sufi thoughts of the singer so they wanted to teach him a lesson.

Later in a video post on Facebook Book Manjhi Faqeer explained the background of the incident. In another video, he explained that some miscreants namely Ikhtiar Shah, Ikhlaq Shah, Ataullah Shah, Akhtar Chann, Ghafoor Sanjrani and many others were involved in that incident. These people have been abusing their family members on social media.

According to him, these people were accusing his nephew Irshad, 16 of blasphemy that he had posted some objectionable posts. Faqeer’s nephew has denied it and said his FB account was hacked and he had reported via a friend’s account. According to reports, Sanghar police have sent the FB material to the FIA Cyber Crimes Wing for further investigations.

The Sufi Faqeer has reported the incident of demolishing the signboard and threats to the local police, who are investigating the case. The Faqeer said he is feeling insecure as the miscreants have sent him messages that they would attack his village again and destroy the Dargah of his father. He is fearing an attack on his life. He said Sufis in the past have been facing such assaults and many were martyred. He has appealed to the Sindh government to take notice of such mischievous elements.

Manjhi Faqeer, an Activist

A journalist friend of mine in Sanghar told me that besides his Sufi thoughts, Manjhi Faqeer had also launched a campaign in Sanghar for the construction of a dilapidated road leading towards his village.

This campaign has also received wider coverage in Sindhi media (both electronic and print) and people were joining him. According to my friend, the local influential people with political backing who have been swindling the development funds of the area might have been behind this smear campaign against the Sufi singer to keep him silent from such a campaign, which is tantamount to be against the corrupt political leadership.

Esteemed Sufi vocalist Manjhi Faqeer, hailing from Sindh, has appealed to the regional administration to address the lack of essential infrastructure in Barhun, a town situated 21 kilometers from Sanghar. The artist, accompanied by his associates, staged a demonstration outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Wednesday afternoon to voice their concerns to the authorities.

In an interview with Dawn, Manjhi Faqeer expressed his frustration, stating, “Our community is bereft of fundamental necessities. Despite being located in Sanghar district’s Shahdadpur taluka, an area abundant in oil and mineral resources, we find ourselves without the most basic amenities. There’s a glaring absence of proper roadways, educational institutions, gas supply, and potable water. It’s as though we exist in a parallel universe, completely overlooked and forgotten by those in power.”

This rephrased version maintains the core information while altering the structure and vocabulary of the original text. It presents Manjhi Faqeer’s plea more formally, emphasizing the contrast between the area’s natural wealth and its lack of basic infrastructure. The paraphrase also amplifies the sense of isolation and neglect felt by the community, using more evocative language to convey their plight.

Despite all these odds, there is a fact that Sufis in this part of the world have been facing threats to their lives because of their independent views, which the religious zealots consider against their beliefs.

Ends