Hours after Justin Trudeau became Prime Minister of Canada, internet exploded with his pictures and videos. From sporting Sherwani to speaking in the mosque, from greeting his fans after the win to standing in the boxing ring – he went viral. If at one place, he is sitting with Jews, Justin Trudeau can be seen in traditional Sikh clothes in the next. In one video, he shakes it off on the beats of Dil Bole Hadippa, he talks about a woman in Hijab in the second.
Pakistani click-baits and social media forums are sharing and praising the 'Muslim-friendly' Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Pakistanis, left or right, seem to be in awe of him. While the sentiments of liberal left can be understood due to the ideological alignment, right-wingers in Pakistan celebrating his win feels awkward, to say the least.
The question here arises – why does the Pakistani right wing rejoice over the victory of a liberal Canadian?
They have got every reason to celebrate. He believes in pluralism, condemns Islamophobia, dresses up in Pakistani attire, visits the mosques and is equally friendly and receptive towards Muslims. One thing being missed out by them is that he attended the annual session of Ahmadiyya community– else, he too would have been declared Zionist and a heretic.
Justin Trudeau shakes his leg on Bollywood tunes and they love it. Imagine Nawaz Sharif doing so. Jokes and trolls apart, he would face a collective outrage from across the country with very same people condemning him of being ‘too mischievous’ and lecturing him about how it isn’t ‘appropriate’ for the PM of an ‘Islamic Republic’.
Canadian PM goes to the mosque, offers prayers and uses Islamic terms like MashaAllah. Islamists in Pakistan go ballistic, singing the songs of praise for him. Nawaz Sharif called Ahmadis, ‘our brothers’ few years back and the response was everything but same. Sharif had to see the wrath of Mullahs who made an alliance, asking him to retract his statements.
Kashif N Chaudhry, a physicist and blogger rightly pointed out the hypocrisy.
Pakistani Right-wing: 1 "Canada PM visits Mosque! Great man!!" 2 "Pak Governor visits #Ahmadi Mosque! Kill him!! Blasphemer!!" #hypocrisy
— Kashif N Chaudhry (@KashifMD) October 22, 2015
No leader in Pakistan can ever imagine going to worship places of non-Muslim minorities without drawing rage and fury of our very own hyper-nationalists and conservatives.
The double standards and hypocrisy doesn’t just end here. It goes way beyond this.
As India drifts rapidly towards the right with a Hindu nationalist Prime Minister, Hindu extremists resort to the same tactics as Islamists in Pakistan have been using since years – mob lynching, playing blasphemy card, suppressing minorities and their right to practice their religion freely.
After years of doing so, Islamists in Pakistan have the audacity to complain about India. A theocracy is what they strive for here. They campaign for a Muslim theocratic state, India is becoming the Hindu one. Why hue and cry, then?
