| 21 January 2005 | Friday | 10 Zilhaj 1425 |
Bush-Rice confessions
A fake police encounter
On this day when we celebrate Eidul Azha, the supreme sacrifice offered by Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S) in absolute and unquestioning submission to the will of Allah, let us remember the people who recently fell victim to the ravages of tsunami in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and several other countries.
This catastrophe and its grim aftermath should serve to drive home the real meaning and spirit of sacrifice. In a tragedy in which many lost their lives and many more were uprooted from their hearths and homes, providing resources for their relief and rehabilitation demands a little less of feasting today which can yield a handsome amount for providing much-needed succour to the stricken multitudes in distress.
In our prayers also let us remember the departed ones and many more in utter destitution today. May they have the courage and strength to bear their pain and suffering with fortitude.
While swearing by Hazrat Ibrahim's Sunnah, we must on this day search our hearts to see how far we are prepared to follow his example. The invocation of Islam as a fully integrated way of life poses a great challenge.
We will have to summon forth the spirit of sacrifice and steadfastness exemplified by the prophet of Allah which brought forth the Divine promise that "I will make thee an Imam to the Nations."
This festival following Haj provides an occasion for introspection. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), in his memorable address during Haj, struck down all notions of superiority or inferiority on the basis of tribe, race, caste or colour and gave the world a perfect charter of human conduct.
It outlined the norms of dealings among Muslims and laid the foundations of the Islamic polity. Let us today reflect on this Khutba (message) and follow it in practical terms to set an example, desist from sectarian divisions and denounce terrorism.
Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah in his last Eid message had said what is even more relevant today: "Dark clouds surround us on all sides for the moment but we are not daunted, for I am sure we will show the same spirit of sacrifice as was shown by (Hazrat) Ibrahim, God would rend the clouds and shower on us His blessing as He did on Ibrahim."
In another address he said: "It is my belief that our salvation lies in following the golden rules of conduct set for us by our great law-giver, the Prophet of Islam. Let us lay the foundations of our democracy on the basis of Islamic ideals and true principles."
Muslims today are passing through one of history's most crucial phases. If the slide towards disunity and discord goes unchecked, it would be catastrophic. The unity, fraternity, equality, justice and discipline as envisaged by Islam could change the destiny of Muslims who are unfortunately divided, disorganized and therefore dispossessed of even the First Qibla.
In the light of the eternal guidance provided by the Quran and exemplified by the last of Allah's prophets the Muslim countries should forsake their narrow interests and quarrels as a real millat in the midst of the grave crisis facing them.
Bush-Rice confessions
It has come too late. Both President George Bush and his new secretary of state have finally admitted that the US made some "bad decisions" in its policy towards the Muslim world.
Speaking in a TV interview, the president said his policies had served to strengthen Muslim extremists, and he admitted that attacking Iraq was a mistake. He said Muslim extremists were ahead of the US in propaganda battle.
On her part, Ms Rice said that by attacking Iraq the US had undertaken a job for which it was unprepared. America, she said, did not have "the right skills" for dealing with the post-war situation.
The two failed to refer to the scandal surrounding the weapons of mass destruction which Iraq was supposed to possess. Those weapons were never found - either by the UN group led by Mr Hans Blix or by the Americans themselves.
In fact, subsequent inquiries have confirmed that the US and Britain knew there were no WMDs, but that the two governments had doctored intelligence data to make a case for war.
Twenty months after the end of the Saddam regime, anarchy reigns supreme in Iraq. Nearly 1,500 American soldiers have been killed, 10,000 injured and countless others have become psychiatric cases.
Yet the US still has no exit strategy. The results of the election scheduled for the 30th of this month are unlikely to be accepted by the Iraqi people as fair and transparent.
The absence of a UN umbrella for the polls has deprived the electoral exercise of its legitimacy. This has strengthened, as Mr Bush himself said, the hands of Muslim extremists.
Understandably, the president chose to ignore America's policy towards the Arab-Israeli conflict. Out of fear of the Israeli lobby, the president did not have the courage to admit that America's blind support to Israeli policies has equally been responsible for strengthening Muslim extremism.
One hopes Mr Bush and Ms Rice will not in future regret "bad decisions" and exercise restraint instead of going ahead with attacks on Syria and Iran - as demanded by hawks in Washington and Tel Aviv.
A fake police encounter
Tuesday's killing of two innocent men and two policemen in an impromptu exchange of fire at a busy service station in Karachi is both shocking and disgusting. This is because the two policemen in their civvies reportedly approached the service station and resorted to indiscriminate firing.
Both were killed when armed personnel at the service station took them for robbers and returned the fire. The remaining policemen - also in civilian clothes - who had waited in their vehicle parked at a short distance from the venue then rushed to the spot.
They shot dead one of the owners of the service station and then grabbed his brother, asking him to run for his life. The victim was then shot from behind. He received five bullets which killed him instantly, making the incident look like a police encounter.
The entire episode was allegedly rooted in an argument the deceased policemen had had with the service station owners a few days earlier, with the former refusing to pay for a car wash.
For their part, the police have insisted that they raided the station after being tipped off that a dangerous dacoit was present there, but admitted that they had carried out the raid without informing the concerned police station.
The police also conceded that the deceased service station owners were not criminals. But this does not explain the subsequent raid on the owners' house where the police allegedly abused the family of the deceased brothers, and took away cash and valuables worth Rs170,000.
It also does not explain why the police later refused to register an FIR as sought by the deceased brothers' family and neighbours. It is dicey incidents like this that have eroded citizens' confidence in the police force.
The Sindh government would do well to order an inquiry into Tuesday's tragic happenings so as to bring to justice those found guilty of abusing their authority.