Every year as we live through Muharram, we are reminded again of the sacrifices of Hussain (A.S) and his companions, and the heights of injustice and cruelty they faced at the hands of Yazid and his armies. We read and listen to the story of one of the darkest days of Islamic history – how the grandson of the Prophet was deprived of food and water, and ruthlessly murdered by the authorities. The story is enough to evoke emotion and guilt amongst us, but the question arises: what more can we take from this historical event?

A realisation that we all must have is that Karbala was not merely an event in history, it is a lived reality happening today. We are witnessing it all around us, and the concern that we all must have is what side of history we will be willing to stand on.

Modern-day Karbala isn’t about arrows and spears, but a much subtler damage being done to communities around the world in a manner that acts as a slow poison. UN estimates, as put out in the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report in 2024, 733 million people faced hunger in 2023. Beyond hunger, the report also highlighted that in 2023, around 2.33 billion people faced moderate to severe food insecurity, out of which 864 million people experienced severe food insecurity, going without food for an entire day or more at times. With the ongoing genocide in Palestine, the numbers have only gone up in the last 2 years. These are alarming statistics, ones enough to jolt us into the acceptance that something has gone drastically wrong.

In Pakistan alone, the World Food Program (WFP) estimates 20.7% of the population to be undernourished, with 40% of the children under 5 to be stunted, the primary reason for which is malnutrition. These aren’t just statistics, this is a catastrophe in making, and we all bear the blame for allowing this to happen. Hunger and malnutrition at such a large scale doesn’t just happen on its own, it involves systematic oppression and negligence at every level of the societal fabric. It’s not a shortage of food that is causing the large-scale hunger as Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) approximates that 36 million tons of food is wasted in Pakistan annually!

What this translates into is simple: as a society, we would rather have the food end up in trash than to provide it to those who are in desperate need of it. This brings us back to the first question – are we witnessing modern-day Karbala right in front of our eyes, yet we choose to watch on as mere bystanders. Food insecurity isn’t a tragedy by chance, it is an injustice by choice. There is little difference between Yazid’s closure of water to Hussain and his companions, and the current deprivation of millions from access to food and water, apart from the means of oppression becoming subtler and modern.

Access to food and water is the most fundamental human right. Masclow’s Hierarchy of Needs places physiological needs – food, water, shelter – at the base of the pyramid. Only when these needs are met can human beings reach the next steps of fulfilling human potential. If these needs aren’t satisfied, it leads to chaos and violence amongst humans. This is why a shortage of food is considered to be the primary reason that starts the next human wars. It was this dire need that began Rizq initially – the realisation that without a dignified access to food, humans are being deprived of their true potential. Once we entered the fields, we realised the extent of injustice and systemic oppression that must be undone if we are to fight hunger.

True appreciation of the event of Karbala lies in the understanding that this tragedy continues to repeat itself in new shapes and forms, over and again. The legacy of Hussain manifests itself in the power to stand up against this injustice and employ all means to fight this injustice. What we are witnessing in front of us is food injustice in its truest sense. As Baba Farid beautifully captured,

Panj Rukn Islam De, Te Chaiwan Farida Tuk,
Je Na Labhe Chaiwan, Te Panje E Jande Muk

Will we stop another Karbala from happening?

References:

State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report in 2024: https://www.who.int/news/item/24-07-2024-hunger-numbers-stubbornly-high-for-three-consecutive-years-as-global-crises-deepen–un-report

World Food Program (WFP) estimates: https://www.wfp.org/countries/pakistan