Shaheedo, Tum Kahan Ho? / Martyr, Where Are You?
by Mohammad Waseem | 2016 | 27 min
Shaheedo Tum Kahan Ho gives an account of the targeted killings of members of the Shi’a Hazara community in Pakistan, highlighting how they face discrimination in their everyday lives, while security concerns and death threats make routine activities like going to school or the market a potential hazard.
This interview-based documentary weaves a comparison between the violent discrimination against the Hazara and the problems faced by couples in inter-sect marriages. References to Sufi poetry, dance and ideology delineate the philosophy of love and tolerance from the extremism which is currently rampant in some sectors of Pakistani society.
The documentary contrasts the poignancy of mothers and siblings weeping for martyrs with the good-natured humour of happily married Shi’a-Sunni couples discussing the opposition they dealt with when they were courting.
The persecution of religious minorities in Pakistan has intensified in recent years and has now reached critical levels. Despite some signs of progress, including the first democratic transition of power in May 2013, religious communities such as Ahmadis, Christians and Hindus continue to live in daily fear of harassment and intimidation.