Four civilians and eight Taliban militants were killed in a mosque in Andar District of Ghazni on Friday evening. The explosives were kept in the corner of the mosque by militants before joining the evening prayers. Several worshipers were seriously wounded with critical condition.

We strongly condemn this act of cowardice and utmost violation of the sacredness of Islamic belief. Taking explosives inside a mosque should provoke outrage of all those who came out on roads against the case of a nutty pastor threatening to burn Quran in the US. When Taliban do such a severe violation of our religious values, we remain silent. It is either hypocrisy or fear of Taliban intimidation. But selective outrage is not a justifiable moral position.

The latest civilian victims of Taliban atrocities seem to be nothing more than an increase in the statistics for the Government and ordinary people. It shows our selective outrage. Why there are no demonstrations against such violation of the mosque’s sacredness that militants dare to put explosives inside it and kill worshippers?

This selective outrage is not just from Government’s side. Ordinary people also react violently whenever there is any such incident that violates the sacredness of religious places or symbols. President Karzai always visits areas when an ISAF airstrike kills civilians, but he is reluctant to come out against Taliban atrocities as strongly as he should.

It is hypocrisy prevalent in our society top to bottom, from our political and religious leadership to ordinary people. Taliban kill civilians every day. They plant IEDs, blow up public places, target mosques, but we have not seen protest demonstrations by the opportunist elements who are working on payroll of some foreign intelligence agencies and take out rallies after each incident of a civilian massacre by ISAF and ANSF, or against the so-called agendas of religious extremism, such as the latest protest outside Kabul University by some students denouncing democracy, human rights and the Elimination of Violation against Women law.

It reflects the deeper problems of conflict in Afghanistan that our own people need to stand up against all atrocities. Media should highlight the civilian casualties by Taliban. If our political and religious leadership put off the dress of hypocrisy, and ordinary people raise voice against Taliban atrocities, it would be the first major step towards the end of violence in Afghanistan that has killed millions in last two decades. Our collective hypocrisy is more harmful.