Pakistan is struggling to keep from drowning under an ever-growing wave of violent terrorism at the hands of Islamic extremists (some the creation of their own government). Just yesterday more than 30 people were killed in a sectarian bombing in the central Punjab. Not that this will be enough, but people are starting to speak out against these evil and ignorant murderers. Let us join them. Go here to sign the petition against terrorism. Waseem Mahmoud at yehhumnaheen.org:
I am amazed that what started as a simple song has gone on to become an unprecedented anti-terrorism movement.
The inspiration for the song came from my children who were tired at the way a minority of misguided young people were vehemently putting forward a message of radicalization and terrorism that was at odds with what the majority of Muslims believe. It was time to re-address the imbalance, and from the smallest child to the oldest person, Yeh Hum Naheen sought to give a voice to the voiceless.
I was truly humbled by the number of people who have wanted to be involved in the project. From world icons such as Muhammad Ali to the nameless masses, the fact that so many people feel the same way has led to the setting up of the Yeh Hum Naheen Foundation, which seeks to bring this message of tolerance, communication, and harmony to a wider audience…
It is all too easy to hold faceless agencies or foreign hands responsible for the rise in terrorism in Pakistan, but for me simply finding someone else to blame is not the way to resolve this problem. The fact remains that the perpetrators of these heinous acts are from amongst us. It has become not only the civil but also the religious responsibility of each individual to ensure that nobody from our family, our friends, our neighborhoods, our schools or our colleges gets sucked into committing these acts.
The foundation is totally unconnected to any political party nor will it accept donations from any government. The power to stop these atrocities lies with us, the people not at the door of politicians or government. It is up to us to root these people out and let them know in the strongest possible way that what they do, they do not do in our name.
More here. Waseem Mahmoud's organization has so far collected more than 62 million signatures for their petition against terrorism. This is greater than the number of people who voted in the last election in Pakistan. The previous world record for most signatures on a petition was 24 million. And finally, here's the moving song: