Thousands of people rallied in Karachi on Friday in a massive anti-Shia demonstration, sparking fears that it could lead to a fresh round of sectarian violence in Pakistan.
Social media in the country was filled with posts, stunning photographs and videos of the protest, in which a sea of protestors was seen chanting “Shias are Kaffir” (disbelievers) and holding banners of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, a terrorist organisation, linked to the killing of Shias over the years. The hashtag #ShiaGenocide soon began trending on Pakistani social media.
The protest came in the wake of some major Shia leaders in the country who allegedly made disparaging remarks against Islam in a televised broadcast of an Ashura procession last month, according to media reports.
Afreen, an activist, said that several Shia Muslims have been attacked for reciting religious scriptures and partaking in Ashura commemorations since the beginning of Muharram.