| November 30, 2006 | Thursday | Ziqa'ad 8, 1427 |
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Why is Islam politicised?
Indian channels
Love & Karachi traffic
Afghan affairs
Muslims’ radicalism
Delays at Karachi University
President’s visit to Karachi
Turkey dinner
Army man as VC
First step in a long journey
Readers are requested to restrict their comments to a maximum of 400 words. We reserve the right to edit letters for reasons of clarity and space. Letters, including those by e-mail, should carry the complete postal address of the sender. The views expressed in these columns do not necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper.—Editor
GEN Musharraf has done it again. He has shown to the world that he is a leader who backs up his ideology with strong actions. Recently the National Assembly passed the much-awaited women’s protection bill, though the bill doesn’t totally abolish the controversial Hudood Ordinance, which penalises women who report the crime after getting raped.
Also, the bill has also exposed the extent of polarization in our society, now divided into two schools of thought: the first consists of those who are willing to give up pre-dated religious practices and the second encompasses those who cannot even accept minor changes to religious obligations relating to public code of conduct. President Musharraf has sided with the liberals.
The next election is a good chance to implement the gradual but effective secularisation of Pakistani society, as it looks certain that the general wants to do away with the six-party religious alliance. If that is the case, the next parliament will consist of the very liberal PPP headed by former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, and Musharraf’s hand-picked party, the PML-Q. The religious parties will thus lose their voice in the parliament.
The Pakistani society, specially in rural areas, is extremely conservative and infinitely religious, most of our villagers are sympathetic to the Taliban etc, and that poses a problem, though minor, to Musharraf who cannot change the outlook of the whole nation in one stride, but at least he is willing to change the status quo.
We must also note here the fact that Pakistan was never a religious society before Gen Ziaul Haq took power and in just one decade Pakistan went from a progressive and liberal country to a country fully in the clutches of religious clergy, women’s rights were systematically impinged upon, the media was ‘veiled’, calls of jiahd came from left, right and centre, and hence people like Mulla Omar became leaders.
If Gen Zia changed the outlook of society in just a decade, why can’t another ‘moderate’ general, backed by Washington and Brussels, reverse the process of Islamisation? He surely can, and he is doing just that, by getting the Women’s Protection Bill approved by parliament.
Pakistan is a unique country in the sense that all countries have an army, but in Pakistan the “army has a country”. Since its creation in 1947 Pakistan has just seen 15 years of civilian rule, that speaks volumes about the state of control army exerts over the country.
Taking into consideration Gen Musharraf’s complete grip over power, his undiluted admiration for secular and western values, his strong commitment to the war against Islamic extremism, it’s not unlikely that the general will press for even bolder secular reforms in the coming years.
Victimisation of the common people using draconian religious laws must end with the total abolishment of Hudood laws and all laws that do not adhere to basic human rights principles. The changes in Pakistan will have a domino effect in the rest of the Muslim world.
DR SYED SAROSH MAHDI
Via email
WHY is it that a Palestinian suicide bomber or an Iraqi suicide bomber is considered an Islamic fundamentalist and not a political activist fighting for their rights, or fighting against their oppressors? As the saying goes, one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom-fighter.
Yes, killing is wrong, harming others is wrong; every religion teaches these morals and most of the time they are followed. But what about self-defence? Every territorial war seems to turn into religious wars, whether it is the media or the government’s propaganda to skew the public’s view in order to gain support for their political agendas.
Political activism is all about making a statement, whether it is through violence, song, marches, etc. It allows us to bring about social and political changes. Whether it is Gandhi’s non-violent civil disobedience to run out the British or South African’s fighting against apartheid, activism is about fighting a single or multiple oppressors for the sake of protest against the way they are treated by an authority, whether it be a welcomed authority or not.
A government’s job is to protect the people. It is important that every person be allowed equal opportunity. Therefore, why is it that when a Muslim is an activist, they are terrorists? Do we not also have a right to protect our rights and freedoms from people who choose to oppress and occupy our lands?
Not only do non-Muslims choose to demonise Islam for their own agendas, Muslims also politicise Islam and create stereotypes. When a Muslim woman fights for her rights, she is viewed as being ‘too western’. Since when did equal rights for women become an exclusively western ideology?
So we must ask ourselves, why is Islam so politicised? Whether Muslims do it to themselves or others choose to demonise Islam, it is important that we break out of that stereotype. It is important to not focus on religion every time an injustice occurs. Whether it be to a Muslim, a Christian, a woman, or a child, it is important to focus on humanity and what every man and woman deserve in this world. We cannot make ourselves or anyone else accountable for judging the suffering of others, for believing our oppression is justified, or for knowing what is best for the rest of the world.
Do not allow the media, the governments, or corporations with an agenda to skew your thoughts of political activism into becoming religious extremism. It is no surprise that the media limits us to memories of tragedies in the western world. Regardless of if these tragedies affect you directly or not, it is a crime against humanity to disregard one’s suffering because of discrimination against another’s religion, race, gender, age, etc.
MANAL SHAKIR
Austin, USA
MR Rochi Ram has made a case for removing the ban on Indian TV channels by arguing: (1) we Pakistanis have a right to information from and on India, ( 2) it is ridiculous to think that an Indian TV artiste, play, music, newscaster or analyst can sap our strength and ( 3) the ban shows our lack of self-confidence (Nov 24).
In his book, Power, the late British philosopher Bertrand Russell had shown what a tremendous amount of power propaganda has on people. This is also apparent from the huge resources being spent by the US, Britain and other countries to turn the public opinion in the Muslim world towards them. France is also setting up a 24-hour channel to counter what it calls the Anglo-Saxon version of events. Al-Jazeera has likewise started an English language channel to project the Arab viewpoint.
Apart from that, it is well-known that a man’s company has a profound effect on him. If we spend a few hours before the TV every day effectively in the company of Bollywood personalities, that will have its impact. No wonder many Pakistani kids have started using ‘namaste’ as a greeting rather than ‘salaam’ or displaying Bollywood mannerisms while some of our women have started using the ‘bindia’.
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) had warned that we become like those whose ways we adopt. The effect of Bollywood culture is all too apparent and we must take care to protect ourselves. That is why a couple of years back an Indian politician had boasted with reference to an Indian female superstar that she would be more effective than Pakistan’s “Ghauri” missile (in overcoming the opponent). Our prudence should not be seen as a sign of weakness.
Another very important consideration is evident from the report, ‘Turn off TV, turn on life’ (Dawn, Sept 28). It says that television cuts into family time, harms children’s ability to read and succeed in school and contributes to unhealthy lifestyles and obesity. This realisation led to the founding of the ‘TV Turnoff Network’ in 1994 in the US.
Its two primary programmes, ‘TV Turnoff Week’ and ‘More Reading, Less TV’ have helped millions of people, especially children, to turn off the TV and turn on life. Instead of watching the telly, the report suggests dozens of alternative activities, including gardening, cooking, swimming, drawing, painting, reading, listening to or playing music, volunteering in a school to teach various subjects, engaging in community activities, reading a book to a youngster, letter writing, etc.
NASEER SHAIKH
Karachi
PLEASE refer to the satirical contribution of Peerzada Salman entitled “It’s love and Karachi traffic” (Nov 26). I am an expatriate Pakistani living in the UAE. Behind the glitz, glamour and cosmopolitan outlook of the city of Dubai, there is a menace called traffic jams. The average time to commute a distance of 17km (the same distance between Karachi airport and Regent Plaza on main Sharea Faisal) takes between one-and-a-half to two hours every day. The same, or worse, happens on the way back home in the evening most of the time. One has to beat the traffic to survive, and to beat traffic one must leave home at 6am and return after 10.30pm.
I find a strong link between the traffic situation here and in my homeland. However, it is sad to note that it has become fashionable to criticise whatever is happening in Pakistan. We should be thankful that we are living in a city which has a population of 15 million which is almost four times the population of the whole of UAE.
We are blessed with an inexpensive and a very extensive public transport system that can take one from Gulshan-i-Hadeed to Hawkesbay and from KPT to Gadap. The distance of 26km from the DHA to North Nazimabad can be covered within an hour’s time.
Certainly there are things about Karachi which can be improved but what also needs to improve is our attitude towards our country. Transportation, potholes, traffic jams, police, flyovers, etc, can be taken care of in due course.
ALI WAHAB
Dubai, UAE
IT is sad that instead of acknowledging interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs as a mistake, former Iranian president Rafsanjani says that Pakistan’s support for the Taliban soured its relations with Iran as Iran was supporting the Persian-speaking militias (Dawn, Nov 25).
The people of Afghanistan seem the least important factor as far as Afghanistan’s neighbours are concerned. Two generations of Afghans have known nothing but war, disease and homelessness. Yet its neighbours seem indifferent to their misery and set in their intent to pursue their own vested interests.
KHWAJA SHAMAAS
Lahore
THE British prime minister’s official spokesman has said that Mr Blair disagrees with Home Secretary John Reid’s contention that British foreign policy was a factor in the radicalisation of the Muslim youth (Nov 23).
The Christian fundamentalist Tony Blair, like his mentor George Bush (both of whom claim divine guidance for their decision to attack Iraq and Afghanistan), is refusing to accept reality probably because it would hurt his ego, ideological objectives and political standing. He is disregarding not just what the Muslim world has been saying but also what the British majority now has come to accept. London’s mayor Ken Livingstone has recently observed:
“Over recent weeks we have seen a demonisation of Muslims only comparable to the demonisation of Jews from the end of the 19th century .... I cannot believe it is a coincidence that this entire artificial pseudo-debate has been stirred up at a time when the credibility of the entire war and occupation of Iraq is collapsing before our eyes. Muslims and all of us have a right to call for a different policy within the democratic process.”
In his excellent article, ‘Overstating the threat’, (Nov 23), which ought to be read and re-read by Mr Blair and his supporters, British writer Simon Jenkins has thoroughly demolished the British premier’s case about the war on terror made the other day in Kabul.
He says: “The prime minister’s brain has clearly lost touch with reality ...The concept of world security as holistic and vulnerable to incidents such as 9/11 is non-sensical. There is no butterfly effect in international relations. For want of a victory in Helmand (in Afghanistan), the Middle East is not lost, nor for want of victory in the Middle East is western civilisation lost.
“Terrorism is not an enemy or an ideology, let alone a country or an army. It is a weapon like a gun or a bomb. It is not something that can be defeated, only guarded against .... It is not new and is not a threat to human society to rank with a world war or a nuclear holocaust — as Home Secretary John Reid has absurdly claimed. Terrorism incidents are the outcome of someone’s mental pathology and are of no political significance unless cynical leaders in a targeted community choose otherwise.”
After the MI 6 chief’s recent revelations about terror plots and surveillance of Muslim suspects in Britain, Mr Blair had come out in her support and decried what he called the “poisonous propaganda” of the radical Muslims in sowing hatred against the West amongst their co-religionists.
Such people can see the speck in other people’s eyes but not the log in their own eyes. The gentleman is forgetting that it is the mendacious words and poisonous actions primarily of the US and Britain, such as in the creation and subsequent support for Israel and its terrorist acts against the Arabs, the attack on Iraq founded on lies and the abuse of prisoners in Abu Gharaib, Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan and elsewhere that have led to the radicalisation of the Muslims. Their ‘propaganda’ is so effective and appears poisonous to Mr Blair because it is based on truth and demolishes the allies’ false claims.
Even about Afghanistan, Simon Jenkins has noted in his above-mentioned article that Osama bin Laden was never popular over there and after 9/11, when the Taliban had collaborated with the West in eliminating opium, bin Laden would either have had to leave or the Tajiks would have avenged his killing of their leader Ahmad Shah Massoud. Either way, “Talib Afghanistan was no more of a ‘threat’ after 9/11 than were the American flying schools at which the 9/11 perpetrators trained.”
S. QADRI
Karachi
I WOULD like to bring to light the inordinate delay in PhD admissions and also the delay in award of degrees in the University of Karachi that is caused merely by delays in the Board of Advanced Studies and Research (BASR) meetings. These meetings, which are mandatory for admission process into PhD programmes and for all affairs related to the PhD, comprise senior professors at the university.
Now if these meetings are held only twice a year, what can you expect of the quality and quantity of PhDs produced annually? The last meeting was held on the first week of July, and candidates who have worked so hard and submitted their PhD theses since then are just waiting and idling their time, waiting for the next meeting to be held in order to pursue their cases.
Likewise, candidates who have cleared HEC tests (held by NTS) and seeking admission to PhD programmes in the KU are also waiting helplessly, just for this ‘meeting’ to be held.
Whenever the BASR authorities are contacted, it is always said that the meeting will be next week, or by the end of the month, and it never happens. I request the authorities concerned not to waste the precious time of students, and hold the BASR meeting on a more regular basis as it has been more than four months since the last meeting was held.
ANONYMOUS
Karachi
THIS refers to the president’s visit, with the governor and the city nazim, to the beautiful spots in the city and gardens, recently developed in Clifton.
It would have been appropriate if the governor had taken the president to Clifton and Bath Island areas as well where the broken nullahs and garbage have been lying open for months, converting one of the cleanest areas of Karachi into a sewage and garbage dump.
The residents of this area are living in the most pathetic conditions, exposed to health hazards with open drain swamps where mosquito and rat populations have reached epidemic proportions.
The entire area was ripped apart in days to pacify public pressure due to rains, but after a lapse of nearly four months, there is no sign of cleaning and closing these broken storm-drains. It is a crude reminder of the total disregard the local administration has towards the sufferings of residents of the area. Beautiful buildings and gardens are good but residents of the city should come first.
KARIM AHMED
Karachi
THE White House witnessed an interesting event the other day. The president told the press that the turkeys brought to the White House for dinner on Thanksgiving would be pardoned and sent to Disneyland. This gesture of mercy heralds the change in the president from a hawk to a lame duck.
The president should extend his goodwill and pardon the inmates of Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib and Bagran prisons on the same note.
The present tenure of Mr Bush has unleashed havoc on the world. The collective death toll on account of the Bush adventures has exceeded the aggregate of World War II and the fat boy enterprise on Japan.
The world hopes that the sole superpower changes its stance from a killer to a healer to ensure peace and harmony on the planet.
RAFI ADAMJEE
Karachi
PROFESSOR Abdul Ghani Siddiqi (letter, Nov 21) is quite right that those individuals from services who headed medical colleges in the early 1950s and 1960s brought, with their untiring and sincere efforts, fame to the institutions. However, most of them by profession were highly qualified senior medical doctors and not from active field.
He is nevertheless correct that amongst the bureaucrats it was Mr Mazharul Haq Siddiqui and Mr Abul Kalam who have carved their names in academic field.
Professor Siddiqi's proposal of not appointing VC from the same institution and the same province for reasons of having developed likes and dislikes is based on misconceived notions. On the contrary, the teachers having the same background, if elevated, will be in a better position to understand and solve the problems than those coming from outside, provided selection is strictly on merit and apolitical.
ALTAMASH M. KURESHI
Karachi
I READ your editorial ‘First step in a long journey’ (Nov 17) with great interest. I beg to disagree with your closing line: “The military’s nexus with the religious parties, which has been pronounced in the past decades, still remains a worry factor on this score”.
The PML (A,B,C,D, etc) is most distinguished in this respect, followed closely by the MQM and more recently the PPP. Military rule has never enjoyed such widespread backing by our political parties before. Political morality in Pakistan is indeed at its zenith.
Dr M.I. HASAN
Manchester, UK
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