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Not through Manto’s eyes – The Express Tribune

The world of literature was always divided between writers which the literary community thought ‘should be taken seriously’ and writers rated as ‘B-class’ ones. It is the latter that shaped public imagination and were in greater circulation. Hijazi fictionalised history that went on to shape people’s minds. The theory of the ‘clash of civilisations’ did not start with Samuel Huntington, but with Hijazi who, in novel after novel, talks about militant and powerful Muslim warriors fighting against Jews, Christians and Hindus. Other writers from this genre, like Tariq Ismail Saghar, glamourised battles against foreign threats, essentially modern inter-religious conflicts played out in the form of Pakistan versus the CIA and RAW. Ashfaq Ahmed, who was initially not in this category, joined with his post-Zia reincarnation to market subservience to authoritarianism in the name of Sufism. Similarly, Bushra Rehman, who is for women what Hijazi is for men, laid out the characteristics of an ideal Muslim woman. And while Manto was ignored and abused by the state, his contemporary Hijazi told tales of mujahids. His novel Dastan-e-Mujahid (Mujahid’s Tale), for instance, makes jihad and martyrdom look normal, something that every Muslim household must desire. In any case, parents and teachers object to the youth reading Manto, a problem they don’t have with Hijazi, whose novels are found in the libraries of every school and college. For this category of readers, the Faiz and Manto brand does not matter. This crowd will not ban what they don’t agree with but they are mindful of the barriers that separate the world of friends from foes.