Effective, Nonviolent Expression of Solidarity
By Dan Tow • Nov 5th, 2007 • Category: Politics • (146 views) • 19 Commentsby Dan Tow
As I have viewed recent events in Pakistan from the safety of my home in the US, I have been at a loss for what to say. My past articles have been kindly received by my generous Pakistani friends, but would I simply be wasting your time, to produce yet another article on general political theory and history, when you are in the midst of such turbulent times? I could try to comment on your own current events, which would at least be more immediately relevant, but I feel as unqualified as ever to say anything really specific about your local situation, since I lack your own detailed understanding of that situation you find yourselves in. Thus, although I want to at least share my concern and best wishes, I was stuck for a topic, and even undecided whether to write at all before things had sorted themselves out somewhat. Reading Yahoo news, I just got unstuck, and I hope you find this relevant:
I saw an article about mass arrests of lawyers in Pakistan by Robin McDowell for the Associated Press, on Yahoo, at Thousand arrested at Pakistan protests. According to the article, it appears that some lawyers were rounded up simply on the basis of their “uniform,” the black suit and tie that is apparently almost always worn by lawyers in Pakistan. I was instantly reminded of a moving story I had heard from World War II. The story, I have just learned, is actually false, but is nevertheless a beautiful story and is relevant to the current lawyers’ situation: The story goes that early in the Nazi occupation of Denmark, the Nazis ordered all Jews to wear a yellow Star of David at all times, so that they could be identified for deportation to concentration camps. In response, King Christian X (who was of course not Jewish) wore a yellow Star of David, himself, on his morning horseback ride through the city. Inspired by his courage, the Danish people almost instantly and universally followed his example, and sewed yellow stars onto their own clothes. Since nearly everyone was wearing the stars, and they were clearly not interested in betraying their Jewish neighbors, the Nazis, so the story goes, backed down, and mainly left the Jews of Denmark in peace. The facts, apparently, are these: After the occupation of Denmark, what remained of the Danish government apparently advised the Nazis (who already required Jews to wear the yellow Star of David pretty much everywhere else they controlled) against requiring Danish Jews to wear the star, and, surprisingly, the Nazis complied – the star was never required in Denmark, so there was never even occasion for the king to make such a wonderful gesture. The Danish citizens did apparently do a wonderful and courageous job of hiding their Jewish neighbors, and Denmark was the safest place for Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe.
So, how is the legendary (but non-factual) story of King Christian X’s response to the Nazis relevant to Pakistan, today? It occurred to me that it is possible a large majority of Pakistanis might like to demonstrate solidarity with the lawyers being arrested, and might like a non-violent way to demonstrate their support for orderly rule of law as implemented by an independent Judicial Branch of government. (You have a better idea than I whether this is true – comments?) If this is true, imagine the following story, which could come true!: In response to government arrests of lawyers identified by their black suits and ties, Pakistani citizens everywhere began wearing their own black suits and ties, if they had them, or at the least (for the majority who likely have no black suits or ties) they wore whatever black clothing they could find that most closely approximated that “lawyers’ uniform.” Within a few days, street scenes would show a sea of citizens in black, a dramatic, non-violent expression of the will of the people that would be impossible for the government or the world press to ignore. Lawyers and judges would know they had the support of the people (and they would be harder to identify by their way of dressing!), and the people, themselves, would silently, peacefully confirm to each other that their wishes are widely shared.
One aspect of the story of Denmark that would be so inspirational (if it were only true!) is that the first few people wearing Stars of David would have to show extraordinary courage – if their example was not widely followed, the Nazis (compared to which the Pakistani government is a government of angels!) likely would have been utterly ruthless in punishing those sympathizers of the Jews. Fortunately, for something like this story to happen in Pakistan involves vastly less risk: On any given day, lots of non-lawyers will wear black, anyway, so if the idea does not “catch on,” the few people wearing black to deliver a message will fail to deliver that message, but they will not stand out from the crowd or place themselves at risk. On the other hand, if the idea does catch on, even a government as bad as the Nazis couldn’t arrest 90% of the population!
Now, if you like this idea, here is where comments are needed: I really don’t know a thing about typical Pakistani dress, so I don’t know how common it is for a particular item of clothing (pants for example) to be black on any given day, nor how common it is for someone in Pakistan to own a black item of clothing of that type. Ideally, a useful item of clothing for this purpose would be something everyone owns in black, but does not usually wear, so everyone can take part, and the effect would be noticed. If almost all men wear black pants almost every day, no one will notice wearing of black pants, or, on the other hand, if almost no one owns black pants, they won’t work for that reason. With your knowledge of Pakistani clothing, you might, if you like this idea, suggest a combination of clothing that almost every owns, but that is not simply typical daily clothing, that would be effective, for the non-lawyer majority who presumably do not own black suits and ties. The more consistent the outfits are for this sort of silent, non-violent demonstration, the more noticeable the demonstration would be, and comments to this blog could work out a suggested combination of clothing. If a consensus appeared, word of mouth and the press could very rapidly spread the idea.
If black clothing is too common to stand out as a protest gesture, there is an alternative that takes a page from past protests around the world: Black armbands, bands of cloth worn around the upper arm (usually the right arm) are used as a token of mourning in much of the world, and have also been adopted as a token of protest for people who are “in mourning” for the decency of their own government. These were popular for anti-war protests in America during the Vietnam war, and the US Supreme court established that schools could not prevent students from wearing these as a demonstration of their feelings about the war. (It was already clear that adults could not be prevented from wearing black armbands, based on freedom of speech, but some restrictions to speech in a school setting have historically been allowed.) Black armbands (symbolically, a little piece of the lawyers’ uniform) would have the advantage of being more obvious, if black clothing is too common to be noticed, although they would also have the disadvantage of being somewhat risky, since the wearer could not just pretend it was simply normal clothing, if not very many people followed the protest.
Pardon me, if the idea of mimicking lawyers’ suits or wearing armbands in protest of recent actions is already being widely considered – it would not surprise me if hundreds of people are already working on this, and my voice is just one of many!
Last 5 posts by Dan Tow
- Just Taxation - October 31st, 2008
- New American Voters; Guilty Until Proven Innocent? - October 22nd, 2008
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- The Right to Remain Silent - June 18th, 2008
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November 6th, 2007
thats surely a top idea, but you dont know the Pakistani Police, it will not hesitate to wipeout the whole of populace.
Nazis were household maids in front of thems
November 6th, 2007
hmm, thats a workable revolutionary idea. I think it may work. Black coats would be hard to get, and so will be white pants for a mass population, though.
So I would recommend, white “Shalwar Qameez” (the national dress of Pakistan) and I am sure almost all of the people have Shalwar Qameez of white color and over that they could wrap their top in the black shawl or black duppatta. They can borrow black shawl or duppatta from their ladies.
November 6th, 2007
surprise surprise, even though I’ve personally taken a vow not to touch on political / terribly important issues such as emergency, I’m compelled to say that this idea rocks.
November 6th, 2007
The thing is that people of Pakistan are not rising, even for a mild and peaceful demo against government, and in emergency they cannot do it without asking for trouble.
And its hard to beleieve that Mush government will hold back fire on a mass peaceful demo. They have even blocked all the private tv channels, and there is only PTV spewing out garbage.
November 6th, 2007
Shalwar Qameez idea with black shawl is fine, but who will bell the cat, I mean who is going out there first, you TPS?
November 6th, 2007
I think make it loose. Ask people to just wear what they have in combination of white and black, and it will do.
November 6th, 2007
Let the march begin.
November 6th, 2007
Can a country stand on just one pillar, like Pakistan is standing now, and that only pillar is army?
November 6th, 2007
So as a little mini-protest, symbol of mourning and a show of solidarity with the people of Pakistan, I would start wearing black ribbon.
November 6th, 2007
one should not publicly criticise those in power, for that will make them look bad. They will then be upset and angry with you, and are unlikely to make the changes you desire.
So keep on suffering
November 6th, 2007
There’re many more people out there who’re pro-peaceful demonstration, But they need leadership, and that is not available in Pak.
November 6th, 2007
I second Jessica by putting a black ribbon on my car
November 6th, 2007
Everyone, keep something in mind, here: I am not suggesting anything high risk! No Marching, or anything else that might bring violence or arrest. If even a particular form of dress seems risky, this can be scaled down, to a combination of black and white worn while going about your normal business that is only even really noticeable if everyone else is wearing it, too. In that way, no one stands out at all, and the message is only delivered if everyone else is delivering it, too. No one person needs to “bell the cat” - everyone does it at once, in a thoroughly non-violent and even non-confrontational way!
November 6th, 2007
Can we do it without leadership? Do we really want to do it? Will it work? Are we a nation or a crowd?
These are burning questions.
November 6th, 2007
Moharram is coming and Shittis’ could pose as lawyers, and lawyers could pose as Shittis’
would be a royal mixup and confusion for the “shrewd” police.
November 6th, 2007
Can you do it without leadership? Sure, why not - no one tells you what to wear in the morning, right? If you each tell two people who you already know sympathize with the politics behind this, and they each tell two people,…, where is the need for a leader? Of course, it would help a lot if some major journalists noticed the idea, and printed it where more will see it than read this blog, but that is not so hard to imagine, is it?
Do you really want to do it? Well, that is *entirely* up to each individual. Each individual can choose a mode of dress (for example, just a bit more mono-color than usual) that carries small enough risk for that indivduals taste, if risk is a concern. If no one else follows, no harm is done, and it was worth a try. The only real consideration is whether you agree with the message - a statement of support for the lawyers, standing behind the idea of orderly rule of law as implemented by an independent Judicial Branch. It is a simple statement, which you can agree with or not, not a complex agenda.
Will it work? Ideas spread or do not spread in very unpredictable ways. I don’t expect I have enough readers on this blog to make a big impact, but if even one of you (for example, a journalist) does have widespread influence, the idea could spread very fast. If none of you has that influence, you surely know people with more influence than you have, or people with less influence, who know people with more influence,… The idea might spread along a thousand dead-end paths before it reaches a key person who can give it wings, and you will likely never guess which path would lead to that person, but so what - just spread it freely, if you like it, and hope for the best. If it takes wing, super; if it does not, a good try is better than giving up before you start!
Of course, even if it “works” on the level of 150 million Pakistanis (women as well as men, and even children - why not?) dressing in black and white for days or even weeks, that’s no guarantee of lasting, useful change! Will it work on the level of lasting, useful change? Well, that surely is a harder thing to accomplish, but here is how I look at this problem: Improvement of government is an endless journey, not something that gets done in a single giant leap. The suggested quiet, non-violent, non-confrontational demonstration is a form of communication - telling the government and each other what you *want* to happen, in a fairly dramatic fashion, if enough people follow. Communication is key - no government will act against the apparent personal best interests of the leaders without a *reason*. One reason is that the government does not wish or perhaps does not *dare* to defy the *clearly-communicated* wishes of 90-plus percent of its population, but for this reason to apply, those wishes must be clearly communicated! Would this one demonstration of the wishes of the people make a huge difference, by itself? Surely no, but it is a *step* on your long journey, and you can *only* make that journey *one step at a time*!
Are you a nation or a crowd? Well, from the perspective of an admitted outsider, surely you are a nation as much as any!
November 6th, 2007
I would say a great idea. I hope we start doing it as atleast i wear black suit all the time to the office
so it wont be a big problem for me atleast.
http://thelandofpure.blogspot.com/
November 7th, 2007
Dan Tow! It is indeed wonderful idea.
I am so glad to see the things in today’s Pakistan are different than before. On one hand the martial law imposed on Nov 3 is unprecedented in history. In previous coup de tat, the military and its subservient secret agencies made the situation so bad that the military take over got support from considerable portion of populace. This time, every sane Pakistani understands and believes the abrogation of constitution was done only to perpetuate the illegitimate rule. The Army Chief (who isnists he should be called as president) feared his re-election drama would be declared null and void by the Supreme Court so by pre-empting any such order, he imposed martial law and killed the superior judiciary. The difference this time is that unlike the past, more than 50 % judges of superior judiciary refused to take oath under Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO). We are proud of those honourable judges who refused to be slaves of Musharraf.
I shall try to write in my weekly column this idea Dan (if editor allowed its publication as poor editors are also under tremendous pressures).
Right now whole Pakistani nation is in state of coma. Hats off to those brave lawyers who marched on roads to protest against the military rule. In coming weeks, the nation would get up, I am sure. The sacrifices rendered by lawyers would not go waste. I do not remember the public hating the rulers this much as it is, now.
Dan! I am sorry to say step taken by Mush is in cnnivance of US administration. US statements are just an eye wash. The whole world is crying on the brutalities being committed by military rule in Pakistan including US media but the neo-cons of Washington are just declaring Mush is an ally in war on terror. An American columnist aptly commented that a man who can not be sincere to his own nation, how we (the Americans) can trust him. When Pakistani nation can not get rid of one terrorist (you know who) then how it can be expected Pakistan can help in nabbing other terrorists who have threatened peace of the world.
Naeem Sidhu
November 7th, 2007
Dear All,
Most of us are not aware of what is happening around us due to a COMPLETE media blackout.
One of Pakistan’s leading private news channels, GEO, now provides an online streaming service both audio and video.
You can access this service at the following email address:
http://www.geo.tv
The students at LUMS held a VERY successful peaceful rally today on their campus. Details of the rally as well as other news regarding the emergency situation in Pakistan are posted regularly on the following blog:
http://pakistanmartiallaw.blogspot.com/
Whether you’re pro-martial law, anti-establishment, socialist, communist… YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO THE TRUTH and this is one way we are bringing it to YOU.
However, most of Pakistan is in the dark. HELP PAKISTAN by making sure each and every one of you KNOWS the TRUTH.
Spread the word! Paste this blog site EVERYWHERE you can. Print and distribute articles if you can.
It’s the least you can do.
Prayers, hope, and much love.
- The Students of Pakistan.
p.s. If you wish to receive emails regarding the latest developments in LUMS, Lahore or all over Pakistan, kindly send us an email at:
studentactioncommittee@gmail.com
or
theemergencytimes@gmail.com
Our blog: pakistanmartiallaw.blogspot.com
We will be releasing photos and videos daily.