INCIDENTS of communal violence targeted at Sindh’s Hindu population are occurring with disturbing regularity. On early Friday morning a Hindu temple in Hyderabad was set on fire by unidentified arsonists, resulting in damage to an idol and the structure itself. Earlier this month a dharamshala in Larkana was attacked by rioters after a Hindu man in the town allegedly desecrated the Holy Quran. These attacks send ominous signals to Sindh’s Hindu community while they indicate that the pluralistic atmosphere of the province is deliberately being poisoned. Sindh is not immune to the tide of fanaticism that has overwhelmed Pakistan. And unless consistent efforts are made by the state and society to address such violent incidents, the situation will only deteriorate. A number of suspects were picked up on Saturday while Sindh police officials are looking into different angles to unmask the culprits behind the temple attack. Apart from the involvement of extremists, the possible role of IDPs and land-grabbers is also being examined. Unless proper investigations are conducted, this case, like many before it, will remain unsolved, which will not bode well for religious harmony in Sindh.

As historian Dr Mubarak Ali stated in a lecture in Karachi on Friday, to sit quietly as intolerance grows against non-Muslims is akin to acceptance of communalism. Political parties and civil society in Sindh have spoken out against the acts of desecration. Yet more needs to be done to promote interfaith harmony amongst the people and to actively oppose the communal narrative. It is not enough to simply say that Sindh is the land of Sufis; society must indicate through its actions that the message of amity and brotherhood preached by the mystics of yore is still alive in today’s Sindh and that the hateful narrative of zealots has no place here. The state, on its part, must bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice to show non-Muslims it is serious about protecting their places of worship and to send a strong message to communalists.