| September 10, 2002 | Tuesday | Rajab 2, 1423 |
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Unity in diversity
Religious intolerance
Adult franchise for FATA
The bane of feudal system
Constitutional history and facts
Going below the poverty line
Defence expenditure
Major Brown
Income tax on charities
Withdrawal — but no relief
AS America prepares to mourn the tragic events of September 11, anxiety of the country’s seven million plus Muslim population is on the increase and it’s rising every passing day.
The country’s Muslim population will be remembering the tragedy with mixed feelings of grief and fear.
Muslim organizations across the country have drawn up elaborate programmes to mark the occasion. Community leaders, such as Altaf Ali, the regional director of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) , Florida, are stressing the need to show that Muslims, like all Americans, have suffered from and regret the events of Sept 11.
“Our absence from involvement, if we do not go out and show support in acts of solidarity and establishing a day of unity and prayer that in a sense can backfire and harm us,” he says.
But some leaders profess frustration and a sense that numerous efforts to condemn the attacks and send a message of solidarity have been ignored by many.
“They only complain about us. They don’t want to employ us. They don’t want to rent out their properties to us. If you’re a Muslim, you don’t get an apartment,” says Sofian Abdelaziz Zakkout, director of the Miami-based American Muslim Association of North America and a recent appointee to the Florida Advisory Committee to the US Commission on Civil Rights.
“...you see people attacking your religion, and they want our apology, it shows they don’t care about our condemnation.” Such are the feelings common among most American Muslims.
For them, 9/11 was a double tragedy, which turned them into both the perpetrators and victims of the new magic word in international relations — terrorism. That’s why many believe that for the toiling Muslim labour on the American streets, 9/11 anniversary means grief and more fear of harassment and humiliation.
Latest opinion polls by a leading Muslim advocacy group, Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), suggest that 57 per cent of the American Muslims experienced bias or discrimination since 9/11 and 87 per cent say they know of a fellow Muslim who experienced verbal abuse, religious or ethnic profiling and workplace discrimination.
Analysts opine that 9/11 terrorist attacks put the tolerance of American society to test, and many believe that the diverse society of this land of opportunities almost failed it, the way it did during the second world war, when the country’s population of Japanese descent was subjected to worst segregation. The credit of saving the American society from a complete failing in these testing times, say the analysts, goes to the liberal sections of the society, who have shown more compassion and sympathy towards fellow countrymen of Islamic faith. The CAIR opinion poll, too, found this trend. It said more than three-in-four American Muslims (79 per cent) experienced kindness or support from friends or colleagues of other faiths.
That kindness often took the form of verbal reassurances, support during the anti-Muslim backlash following the attacks and even offers to help guard local mosques.
Many Muslims believe that the predominantly Jewish-controlled American media is to be blamed for the nearly violent backlash against them.
The media through its over-zealous reporting and propaganda portrayed every Muslim as a savage hardline religious warrior who wants to conquer the American society and the country. The rippling effect of this propaganda was such that President George W. Bush’s new doctrine of “either you are with us or against us” was half implemented in his own country.
One year down the tragic events of 9/11, his law enforcement officials today discreetly implement the last part of his doctrine — “you are against us”.
JEHANGIR KHATTAK
New York, USA
I REMEMBER reading somewhere that Wali Khan once said (not verbatim) that he had been Pakistani for the last 40 years, Muslim for 1300 years and Pashtun for the last 4000 years. Without challenging the anthropological authenticity of his claim, I wonder whether it wouldn’t be appropriate to go one step further, “we have been human beings for the last millions of years.”
As someone beautifully said, “life is too short to love, I don’t understand how people find time to hate.” What a misfortune that in our region, all of our energies are dedicated only to hating each other under one pretext or the other. Our foremost interest/concern seems to locate dividing factors by all possible interpretations and then exploit them to foment resentment. Never ever we strive to identify, let alone magnify uniting features.
Is it really that hard to comprehend that pain has neither any religion nor any colour? The agony of a mother who has recently lost her offspring, the torment of a father whose daughter has been raped is always same, equally intense, regardless of the ethnic association, religious beliefs or colour of the hapless individuals in question. Just a bit of empathy is what required for realizing that.
What a pity! if we happen to have the same religion then we can slit each other’s throats due to sectarian affiliations. And if that was not enough, unfortunately, now common sectarian beliefs either cannot guarantee peace and harmony anymore. Following a slightly different school of thought, even within the same faction, is sufficient for so-called militants of various shades to unleash a killing spree on ‘opponents’.
When we run short of religious ‘causes’ then ethnic and/or regional belongings serve to endorse the undertaking of terror.
In short, the vicious savagery is being perpetrated and perpetuated around us due to senseless microscopic criteria. We have descended to the level where barely minuscule deviations in theological and political beliefs, as little as different place of birth, can justify bloodletting of each other. Any variation in any sense means animosity.
HOZEIFA AKBAR
Sweden
SINCE the incident of September 11, western media has launched a vicious campaign against Islam and the Islamic society. They are being labelled as the root cause and source of international militancy and terrorism. Freedom movements in Palestine, Kashmir, Chechnya, etc., are being dubbed acts of terrorism. And since the Muslims are involved in all these movements, it is conveniently being argued that there must be something intrinsically wrong with the teachings of Islam and the norms of the Islamic society that gives birth to such violence and militancy.
The hackneyed propaganda of the Christian world that ‘Islam was spread through sword’ is used as the bottom line of these stories. In comparison, Christianity is being presented as a religion of peace and toleration. Perhaps the views of Bertrand Russell as recorded in the book, ‘The basic writings of Bertrand Russell’ would put the record straight as to which religious society has historically been more liberal and tolerant. Russell writes:
“Christianity has been distinguished from other religions by its greater readiness for persecution. Buddhism has never been a persecuting religion. The Empire of Caliphs was much kinder to Jews and Christians than Christian States were to Jews and Mohammedans. It left Jews and Christians unmolested. The religious fervour of the Crusades led to pograms in Western Europe. The whole contention that Christianity has had an elevating moral influence can only be maintained by wholesale ignoring or falsification of the historical evidence.”
This is exactly what the western media is trying to do now.
WAJIH SIDDIQUI
Karachi
THIS refers to the editorial “Adult franchise for FATA” (Sept 4). At least someone has acknowledged some thing best emerging from the governmental electoral reforms. That is the inclusion of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in the mainstream electoral process on the basis of adult franchise.
It is absolutely right that getting tribal people come round to accepting universal adult franchise is a major breakthrough that should lead to a gradual process of fully integrating these tribal regions with the country’s political system. I will extend your words to the extent of inclusion of tribal areas as normal districts of the NWFP.
No political party has either appreciated or acknowledged the efforts of the government in this regard. But the nation will soon realize the efficacy and purposefulness of establishing the NSC and restoration of Article 58(2b) of the Constitution.
FAYYAZ M. MUBEEN
Karachi
THE events of Meerwala and Mianwali have just surprised the many city dwellers of the country as they have surprised the people of other countries. Some time ago the discovery of the private jails of landlords and the incidents of Karo-kari in Sindh also made waves in the same way.
These seem to be the shocking and isolated events for those who do not know of the rural areas of the country and the people living there. Their lives are regulated and controlled less by the law of the land and more by the age-old tribal and feudal customs. These customs are interpreted and manipulated by the tribal chief and his cronies. The influence of these people is not limited only to their area and tribe or clan. They reach the power corridors through various political parties and links with the bureaucracy and other elites. This power is used by them to strengthen their position by perpetuating the status quo and social conditions of their constituency and its people.
It is a good thing that various sections of society, including the government and the judiciary, have taken notice of events like Meerwala and Mianwali. But these measures do not provide any permanent solution and remedy. The private jails of landlords are still there and the murders under Karo-kari are a matter of daily occurrence. This is because instead of attacking the root of these evils attention has been focussed on the branches. As the cities and the rural areas of the country are an organic whole, the danger is that the domination of Sardars and landlords in national politics may tilt the lives of urban people in favour of outdated tribal and feudal traditions.
The recurrence of the events of Meerwala and Mianwali can only be prevented by invoking a change in the material conditions of the common people of the rural areas of the country. Only thus will they be freed from the clutches of feudal lords.
RAUF NIZAMANI
Karachi
I REALLY appreciated Brig (r) A.R. Siddiqui’s letter (Aug 30) in response to Mr S.M. Zafar’s article in the Aug 14 issue, on the constitutional history of Pakistan.
In fact Mr Zafar has largely depended on Allan Macgrath’s book The Destruction of Democracy in Pakistan which covers the period from 1947 to 1954 and refers to the day police cordoned off the Constituent Assembly building in Karachi when the legislature had only a single agenda for the day: the passing of the Constitution of Pakistan. That was the greatest shame that could have befallen the people of Pakistan.
In Mr Siddiqui’s letter, his adoration for the act of the Quaid as a constitutionalist stems from the fact that instead of swearing allegiance to the Crown, he changed it to the allegiance to Constitution while taking oath as Governor-General.
But the question arises: allegiance to which Constitution? The Government of India Act 1935? Yes, of course, because the same was adopted as the Constitution of Pakistan till one could be framed by the Constituent Assembly. And what did the Government of India Act, passed by the British House of Commons, contain? An allegiance to the Crown.
JAVED AHMAD
North York,
Canada
ACCORDING to a report, over 8,200 employees of the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation, National Highway Authority and Pakistan Post Office have lost their jobs due to government’s rightsizing of these entities.
These days, the government is very active in the privatization of banks and other institutions which will also result in unemployment on a very large scale.
To check rising unemployment, the government should encourage local investment in manpower intensive projects. However, the emphasis so far has been on foreign investment which is made in capital intensive projects which do not require as much of manpower.
With rising unemployment, poverty has also risen. The percentage of people living under the poverty line has doubled between 1987-88 and 1998-99. The situation demands an increasing focus on poverty analysis, monitoring and evaluation.
In 1999 when the present regime took over, 32 per cent of the Pakistanis were living below the poverty line. In 2002, this figure is estimated to have risen to 35 per cent. This is attributable to continued bad governance and on heavy spending on defence and debt repayment which, put together, consumed 90 per cent of the tax revenues during the 1998-2000 period.
That resulted in less money being available to be spent on physical infrastructure and social sector development. A bad law and order situation and the deterioration in the regional security environment, made the climate for private foreign and domestic investment highly unfavourable. All these factors have combined to reduce the economy’s capacity to absorb the annual addition of about 600,000 to the labour force, besides the backlog that is already there. As a result of this, the rate of unemployment had risen to 7.8 per cent in 2000 after remaining static for a long time at around six per cent.
In the rural areas, poverty is rampant on account of the absence of land reforms. For the time being, what can make a vital difference is changing crop-sharing tenancy into the cash rent mode. This can alleviate poverty of millions of tenant farmers in a short time.
S.A. KHOKHAR
Lahore
THERE seems to be a misunderstanding on the defence expenditure amongst the general public and some of our so-called intellectuals. May I point out that 95 per cent of the defence budget is spent on procurement and maintenance of weapons and equipment, not to mention training which involves millions. Modern aircraft, submarines and tanks cost billions. Tank and artillery shells cost lakhs.
We can’t expect the army to fight with bows and arrows.
ABDUL HAMEED TSHOMBE
Karachi
I FULLY agree with Mr K.M. Ahmad that Major Willy Brown deserves to be respected as a national hero (Sept 6). Only under the valiant command of this brave Scotsman, did the people of Gilgit manage to throw away the shackles of Dogra Raj or, in reality, the Indian rule.
The government should give due honour to Major Brown and the wishes of the people of Northern Areas and must immediately announce the formal accession of these areas to Pakistan. These areas have never been a part of Kashmir in the real sense.
KAMRAN ALAVI
Lahore
ACCORDING to the Income Tax Ordinance 2001, all approvals given to religious and charitable organizations for tax exemption on donations have been withdrawn. Such organizations have been asked to apply afresh for exemptions.
The advertisement issued in this respect by the concerned authority does not state as to what would happen to donations presently being made to religious and charitable organizations. Will they no longer be tax exempt? If so, those organizations that survive and fulfil their missions only on donations, would have to discontinue their functioning. This will have a very adverse impact on civil society as some of these organizations provide vital services in health and education sectors.
Approvals under the 1979 Income Tax Ordinance were generally given on a yearly basis. I would, therefore, suggest that current approvals be allowed to run their course, and when the time comes for religious and charitable organizations to seek fresh approvals, these may be sought under Income Tax Ordinance 2001. This way such organizations would continue to perform their role in the civil society.
M. ASLAM KHAN
Karachi
This is with respect to your editorial ‘Withdrawal — but no relief’ (Sept 2). Your observation is very true that the unscrupulous elements involved in trading refuse to pass on the benefit to the customer. On the contrary, as soon as prices of commodities are increase or new tax levied, same are inexorably drawn from the pockets of the unfortunate customers.
There is no effective mechanism, like CPLC, to safeguard the interests of the customers. In the western society, while social degradation gains ground and ethical values more or less remain unchanged, customers’ interest always remains supreme. I would like to share two events with the reader’s that are still fresh in my mind and may put some of our unscrupulous elements to shame.
In 1995, I bought a camera from a mini-departmental store in Washington D.C for US$250. After a week or so, it developed some fault and the dealer replaced it with a new one with due apologies. Besides, a new film and a battery were also given free of cost. Above all a sum of US$11 was refunded to me as price of the camera had gone down by then.
Similarly, my daughter had bought me a blood glucose monitoring system from a departmental store in California, USA, in December 1999. I didn’t like the system and approached the store operators next month and asked for its replacement. Not only the system was replaced but a refund of CAN$42 was made in cash as the difference in the exchange rate and price etc.
I am glad that some good sense also prevails in Pakistan. Of late the President was pleased to withdraw the GST imposed arbitrarily on medicines over three months ago.
In order to negate the budgetary deficit on account of total withdrawal of GST on medicines, Dr Hasan has suggested in his letter (Aug 23) extra levies on items like cigarettes etc. I agree to the extent that duties on all types of soft drinks and cigarettes may be doubled whose sale-proceeds help Israelis.
I would also suggest undoing reduction of duties on import of cars, aerated beverages. Advance payment of taxes (Rs10,000 and Rs20,000 per annum) as imposed by Nawaz Sharif’s government on users of cars of 1500cc and above capacity may also be reintroduced.
LT-COL (R) SYED AHMED
Karachi
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