I Can't Understand Him

I just can't for the life of me understand President Zardari. For the past year and a half his PPP led government (PPP/PML-N/MQM/ANP) and its ministers (in newspapers, TV channels and current affair talk shows) have been accusing India of supporting terrorism inside Pakistan (from Mehsud to Bugti), stopping Pakistan's water, making dams on our rivers and what not with substantial evidence to prove it. Interior Minister Mr Rehman Malik has evidence of Indian involvement via Afghanistan in the in-camera sessions of National Assembly. Not to forget, Former President Musharraf also gave documentary evidence of Brahmdagh Bugti's presence in India on 12th July last year.

When all his colleagues and ministers are saying one thing, how can Mr. Zardari have the guts to come around with completely opposite statement?

The Nation newspaper reported that "India has stopped the Chenab River water, which has further aggravated the water availability problem in Pakistan hitting hard the upcoming crops. Sources said that the Kharif crop especially, cotton and sugarcane ready crops in the country would be badly affected due to water blockades, which at this stage need water most besides the upcoming Rabi crops would also be affected. Sources said that Indus Water Commission has apprised the federal government of this situation and a meeting has been called on Tuesday for reviewing the water reserves situation in the country. The meeting would also focus on exploring diplomatic solution of the issue. If the Chenab water blockade gets prolonged, then wheat production in the country would also be badly affected. Despite 23 million tons of record production of wheat, the government this year imported over 2 million tons of wheat. Water blockade would force Pakistan depending more on imported wheat. Earlier, the experts had estimated Pakistan facing 35 percent shortage of water during the upcoming Rabi crop."

(http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/15-Sep-2008/India-stops-Chenab-River-water-hitting-Kharif-crop)

On 5th October 2008 just after a few days, our water was blocked by India. (You know, the very friendly, brotherly neighbour who is not a threat at all).

BBC news reported the incident that embarrassed, shocked and angered Pakistanis all over the world. "Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari says India has never been a threat to Pakistan, and that militants in Indian-administered Kashmir are terrorists."

(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7653687.stm)

"I can assure you that Pakistan will not be the first country ever to use (nuclear weapons) and Zardari borrowed a quote from his late wife, who once said that there's a "little bit of India in every Pakistani and a little bit of Pakistan" in every Indian" and" I do not know whether it is the Indian or the Pakistani in me that is talking to you today," Zardari said, amid applause from his high-profile audience, which included diplomats, politicians and industrialists"

First of all, we’ve had many politicians bent on cheaply renting our identity and sovereignty in the past but to sell if off completely? Never.

Has any Indian minister or prime minister or president ever addressed us from New Delhi via satellite? I agree that PPP has always had a hands-off policy towards India. Should we change this to selling Pakistan's policy to India completely? No self-respecting Pakistani will stand for this.

(http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=&id=f0efd648-9d6c-4138-961e-c93947dcd381&Headline)

On 13th December, 2008 The News reported, "LAHORE/RAWALPINDI: Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets intruded into Pakistan’s airspace twice on Saturday, drifting some four kilometres inside the Kashmir and Lahore sectors"

(http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=18942)

On 30th December

"ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan said Tuesday that India had moved troops toward their shared border, following Islamabad's own redeployment of forces toward the frontier amid tensions over the Mumbai attacks."

(http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,473929,00.html)

On 24th January after witnessing the insult and defamation of Pakistan all over the world by India (the brotherly, friendly neighbour which was never a threat) and witnessing a potential military threat from India, Mr Zardari says something like this,"I do not consider India a military threat; the question is that India has the capability. Capability is what matters. [With regard to] intention I think we both have our good intentions."

"India is a reality, Pakistan is a reality, but Taliban are a threat, an international threat to our way of life. And at the moment, I'm focused on the Taliban. It's something that has been going on for a long time and of course went unchecked under the dictatorial rule of the last president."

Focussed on the Taliban. Right. Policies are not like Kodak cameras that you can focus or “unfocus” with the Americans behind the lens. Yes folks, the definition of military threat has been changed. It now excludes fighter planes of the IAF.

(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/5625759/Pakistan-India-no-longer-a-military-threat.html)

On April 25th 2009 Gen. Petraeus said, "Asserting that a mere recognition of threat posed by the Taliban to the country is not enough, a top American military general today said the Pakistan Army should shift its "tradional focus" from India to internal extremists."

(http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/25-Apr-2009/Pak-faces-threat-from-Taliban-not-India-Petraeus)

On 30th April 2009, President Obama said "On the military side, you're starting to see some recognition just in the last few days that the obsession with India as the mortal threat to Pakistan has been misguided, and that their biggest threat right now comes internally,' Obama said at a prime time news conference Wednesday capping his 100th day in office."

This coming from a man who has made the brunt of his foreign policy an effort to “Talibanise” Pakistan and defends Pakistani intelligence’s allegations of weapon double-dealing with lame internet scam stories.

(http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?a=je4su1fieei&title=Obama_tells_Pakistan_obsession_with_India_as_mortal_threat_misguided)

On 5th May Robert Gibbs was saying, "The trilateral summit is an initiative of Obama, who wants to establish his own channel of direct communication with the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan, the prime focus of his foreign policy."

"I think he (Obama) will reiterate what he said to you guys last week," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said when asked whether Obama will make it clear to Pakistan that "there's no threat from India."

Mr Obama, guard your own doors and not those of the whole world. CIA/Mossad/RAW are the biggest threat to this world. First secure your own borders, your own economy, and then tell others about threats. The only solution to GWOT is that USA & NATO forces leave Afghanistan.

If the next attack - according to you - will come from mountains in the north-west Pakistan and Afghanistan, then secure yourself first. If you are afraid of robbers, lock the doors of your house like any sensible citizen instead of going robber (read "terrorist")-hunting through the whole town! September 11th was a security lapse and you must admit that the people at Risk Assessment must have been asleep that day. If every other country is responsible for their own security, then so are you.

On 29th June 2009

"HYDERABAD: Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor has asked Pakistan to remove the perception that it faced a threat from India.“India was never a threat to

Pakistan. It is their [Pakistan’s] own perception which they have to remove. India would be happy if Pakistan fights terrorists on its western border with

Afghanistan and also on the eastern side,” Gen. Kapoor told journalists on the sidelines of the combined graduation parade at the Air Force Academy at

Dundigal here on Saturday."

Is he stupid enough to think everyone will buy the same rubbish or he is in contact with Zardari & Obama? Was IAF jets incursion also a wrong perception?

On July 7th 2009 David Miliband says

"The enemy that Pakistan faces is a domestic terrorist, not a large and successful neighbour India, which has got far better things to do in the world of commerce and politics than end up in a standoff with Pakistan."

"At the same time, he was quick to point out: 'But remember, 61 years, India is the world's largest and most successful -- the largest democracy and the success story of the region."

Before submitting mindlessly into friendship with India, Zardari must realise whether the efforts and actions are being reciprocated by our neighbour. If yes, then the
calls for friendship are justified. If not, then Zardari must realise that India has no intention of maintaining peace despite the futile dialogues in its name.

In reality, India is blockading our water supply, thus hindering our trade and supporting insurgencies inside our territory. There is no fear of war, true. But that is
only because both of us are nuclear powers with second strike capabilities. However, war is forthcoming in the form of insurgencies and supply of ammunition to
"Taliban". Peace and friendship are great things, but the Pakistani nation refuses to sacrifice its national AND personal interests in its name.

Party At My Country!

Sometimes the psyche of Pakistanis is hard to understand. You would think 62 years is enough time to learn a lesson yet, once again, we are defying the norms.

It saddens me to see average, quite decent Pakistanis still arguing over their political parties as if they themselves helped to create them. For 62 years these parties have proven their incompetence and lack of commitment to the Pakistani people yet we still fight tooth and nail for them. We still vote for the same tested and failed parties and actually have expectations from them. We still wave their flags and paste them on our cars. We still praise their founders and lay down our lives for them. We curse friends and relatives over them.

Why are we like this?

The messy mosaic of political parties and their race for political domination has divided us further and deeper with each passing year. We have the Muslim Leagues rooting behind the Punjabis, we have the PPP crying about the Sindhis, we have the MQM glorifying the Muhajirs and we have the Balochistan National Party fighting for the Balochis.

Isn’t there any party out there working simply for the Pakistani? Why do we not see through these efforts to divide and destabilise Pakistan? Pakistan belongs to the Balochis, the Sindhis, the Punjabis and the Pathans. It belongs to the young, the old, the rich, the poor. At least, it should. While a certain amount of provincial autonomy is necessary to keep Pakistan stable, these parties have begun to demand complete statehood altogether. It’s as if no one has learned from 1971.

The ruling elite cashes in on our communal sentiments to further their own gains. While some of their actions are genuine efforts to develop Pakistan, too many times they have sacrificed this cause in favour of personal gains.

They address us in terms of “Sindhis” or “Punjabis” or “Pathans”, etc over and over again in a war of psychology. Never do they address us simply as Pakistanis. We must not let this underestimation of our unity become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

If Pakistanis are to resist fragmentation of their state, they must work under the flag of unity. Leave behind these petty, blind political allegiances. The educated need to understand that the break-up of Pakistan is in the interests of many foreign powers. The illiterate, lower classes don’t care about the technicalities. They believe what their tribal leaders tell them and that is the propaganda to be countered. We need a positivity movement led by the youth. Who else?

When The Quaid said unity, faith, discipline, he meant it. We must prove that we understand.

Romesa Khalid

The US President: Employee of the Elite

The stark contrast between US President Barack Obama’s speech in Egypt and the actions of the United States is easy for anyone to see. Obama ultimately protects the elite interests of America. These interests require Obama to: work against the unity of the Ummah, ensure Israel’s security, continue the subordination of Iraq and interfere in the affairs of the Muslim lands through the support of agents like Mubarak in Egypt and Zardari in Pakistan. May Allah سبحانه وتعالى expose Obama for what he truly is and may He defeat the plot of the disbelievers. Ameen.
On June 4th 2009, US President Barack Obama gave a speech at Cairo University in Egypt. The speech was advertised to be a “historic address to the Muslim world”. However, the fact that he referred to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak – a tyrant known for brutally suppressing the Ummah – as “a force for stability and good in the region” exposes the wide gap between what he said and the reality of US foreign policy towards the Ummah.

Obama: Rhetoric versus Reality
RasulAllah صلى الله عليه وسلم advised the Ummah to be aware of falling into the same trap more than once. He صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “The believer is never stung from the same hole twice.” [Bukhari]
Obama is not the first politician to come from the Capitalist nations offering sweet words to the Muslims of Egypt. For example, Napoleon stated the following after he invaded Egypt: “Cadis, Sheiks, Imams, Chorbadgys, you will be told that I came to destroy your religion; do not believe it. Let your answer be that I come to re-establish your rights and punish your usurpers, and that I have more respect than the Mamelukes for your God, his Prophet, and the Koran.” However, the historical record shows that Napoleon’s real interests were to colonize Egypt to secure French interests against the British.
On Iraq, Obama stated that “Iraq was a war of choice”, but he did not admit that it was a war based on lies. Instead he defended George Bush’s actions by stating: “Iraqi people are ultimately better off without the tyranny of Saddam Hussein”. More importantly, he is maintaining the same policy as Bush on Iraq as he continues to work with Defense Secretary Robert Gates who was selected by Bush. He has also failed to prosecute those in charge under Bush who were responsible for the crimes in Iraq and Guantanamo. Furthermore, he is refusing to disclose the photos that document America’s atrocities in Iraq.
On Palestine, he stated that “it is also undeniable that the Palestinian people – Muslims and Christians – have suffered in pursuit of a homeland” and that “the only resolution is for the aspirations of both sides to be met through two states, where Israelis and Palestinians each live in peace and security”. However, we must remember that Bush stated “I said that Palestinians should not have to live in poverty and occupation and I laid out a new vision for the future – two democratic states, Israel and Palestine – living side by side in peace and security.” Again, Obama is maintaining Bush’s policy for Palestine – which is giving most of the land of Palestine to Israel. With that in mind, it is important to recognize that for Obama the main issue of concern is Israel’s security as he stated “the continuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza does not serve Israel’s security“. This of course echoes what he stated in January 2009 (after the Gaza Massacre) “America is committed to Israel’s security. And we will always support Israel’s right to defend itself against legitimate threats“.
On Afghanistan/Pakistan, he stated: “Make no mistake: we do not want to keep our troops in Afghanistan. We seek no military bases there.” This statement is proven false by the fact America already maintains military bases in 63 countries and has built an embassy in Iraq that is the size of 80 football fields. Under Obama, America has changed its approach on dealing with the resistance in Afghanistan. Unlike Bush (who fought the Muslims in Afghanistan in isolation) Obama intends to establish a friendly regime in Afghanistan with the assistance of Pakistan. For the Muslims of Pakistan, this means that America will interfere in the affairs of the Ummah under the guise of “foreign investment”. This is in addition to the continued bombing of Pakistan – that has claimed, as of April 2009, over 687 civilians – and the displacement of 2.5 million people at the hands of America’s agent Zardari.

The Reality of the US Presidency
When reviewing the gap between Obama’s flowery speech and the reality on the ground, one may wonder why such a discrepancy exists. The reality is that Obama was allowed to become president for a reason. The U.S., like other Capitalist States, is controlled by businessmen and the owners of the major corporations. As a consequence, Obama must defend the interests of these elites, who are the ultimate power brokers of society – if not, he will be replaced. For example, Obama, just as Bush before him, funnelled billions to the ultra-rich through the banks, while failing to write-down the mortgages of ordinary American citizens. Commenting specifically on Obama’s bailout plan, Michael Hudson (a former Wall Street economist) stated “what you’ve done is given $12 trillion to the richest one percent-or ten percent of the population, and you’ve indebted the economy and the government to them for the next hundred years”. Therefore, Obama, like every president before him, is ensuring that American policy will serve the interests of the elite.

US Interests: Contrary to the Interests of the Ummah
As the US Presidency is dominated by the elite, understanding elite interests is critical to understand the realgoals of the US foreign policy towards the Ummah.
The elite of America have firmly embraced the secular aqeedah (doctrine), which separates between “church and state”. They believe that religion has no role when it comes to drafting laws that regulate the affairs of society. Instead, they believe that humans are capable of determining such issues and are therefore free to legislate. Naturally, they establish their systems based on this viewpoint on life, including the economic system (i.e. Capitalism) as well as the political system (i.e. democracy). Although the Capitalists do not ban worship outright, they vehemently oppose the idea that Allah سبحانه وتعالى should have any say in organizing society and therefore restrict all acts of worship to rituals between the individual and the Creator.
The Capitalist elite do not limit themselves to protecting their system, but work to dominate other nations. For example, between 16th and 19th century, Italy, England, France, and other European nations embarked on campaigns to colonize the Muslim world, to steal our resources and force the Ummah to adopt their way of life. Since America upholds the same secular aqeedah as these other nations, it now also seeks to colonize and subjugate the Ummah – as is clear from its actions in Iraq, its support for Israel and, most importantly, its imposition of ruthless tyrants, like Mubarak, Zardari, and Karzai, across the Muslim world. The objective to dominate the Muslim Ummah was expressed in the “Carter Doctrine” in 1980 when then US President Jimmy Carter stated in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan: “An attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force”. According to Michael Klare, a professor and political analyst, Obama reaffirmed this doctrine in 2007 when he stated: “…my plan provides for an over-the-horizon force that could prevent chaos in the wider region, and allows for a limited number of troops to remain in Iraq to fight al Qaeda and other terrorists.”
With this understanding, it is clear that the objectives of American foreign policy run counter to those of the Ummah. The Capitalists believe that they have more right to our resources than we do. They believe that the Ummah should be divided into tiny states that can be continually dominated by America’s political and military might.
As openly proclaimed in the Carter Doctrine, America wants to dominate the lands of the Ummah to extract our resources. However, the bigger issue for the Capitalists is that the Ummah believes that Allah سبحانه وتعالى has the sole right to rule. As Allah سبحانه وتعالى has revealed in numerous ayat:
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إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلاَّ لِلّهِ
“The rule (Hukm) is for none but Allah.” [Yusuf, 12:40]

فَاحْكُم بَيْنَهُم بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللّهُ وَلاَ تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءهُمْ عَمَّا جَاءكَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ
“And rule between them by all that which Allah revealed to you, and do not follow their vain desires away from the truth which came to you.” [Maaida, 5:48]

فَلاَ وَرَبِّكَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّىَ يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ لاَ يَجِدُواْ فِي أَنفُسِهِمْ حَرَجًا مِّمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُواْ تَسْلِيمًا
“And no, by your Lord, they will not believe until they refer to your judgment in all disputes between them then find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission.” [An-Nisaa, 4:65]

The Capitalists therefore view the Islamic aqeedah as something that must be eradicated. They even have labelled this as a “battle for the hearts and minds”. If Capitalists fail to defeat Islam – and fail they will, by Allah’s سبحانه وتعالى leave – those who believe in Islam and call to Islam will ultimately challenge their rule and offer an alternative political and economic system, the Khilafah State, that will, by Allah’s سبحانه وتعالى leave, outpace their system by leaps and bounds. This is because the Khilafah State is based on the Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, which contains the rules and systems that came from Allah سبحانه وتعالى, the Creator of the universe. Consequently, the American Capitalists will work day and night to ensure that the Muslim Ummah is subjugated by their foreign policy. As Allah سبحانه وتعالى has revealed:
وَقَدْ مَكَرُواْ مَكْرَهُمْ وَعِندَ اللّهِ مَكْرُهُمْ وَإِن كَانَ مَكْرُهُمْ لِتَزُولَ مِنْهُ الْجِبَالُ
“And they had planned their plan, but with Allah is [recorded] their plan, even if their plan had been [sufficient] to do away with the mountains.” [Ibrahim, 14:46]

Opposition of Elite: Nothing New
Given that we have this understanding revealed to us from Allah سبحانه وتعالى, we should use it today when analyzing the actions of foreign powers towards the Muslim Ummah. We must see past the sweet words and superficial aspects of people – such as their middle names, where they grew up, etc – and look at their actions. When we do so, we realize that the US is working diligently to colonize the Ummah and is imposing fitnah (i.e. policies to make us leave Islam) upon us through various styles and means. Some of it includes the torture we have seen in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib. However, they are also willing to bribe people with cash or medical treatment (e.g. Israel makes the terminally ill people in Gaza choose between life-saving medical treatment and collaboration with Israel). It also involves recruiting agents and spies among the Muslim political class to act as proxies for their designs against the Ummah.
As Muslims, it is our obligation to warn the Ummah from being seduced by this type of rhetoric. We must show the facts as mentioned above to those that incline to such speeches. May Allah سبحانه وتعالى help this Ummah to see the Haqq (truth) clearly from the Batil (falsehood). May Allah سبحانه وتعالى help us to be loyal to Him and His Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم alone.

وَاللّهُ غَالِبٌ عَلَى أَمْرِهِ وَلَـكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ
“And Allah has full power and control over His Affairs, but most of men know not.” [Yusuf, 12:21]

Published on www.haqeeqat.org on Monday July 13th, 2009

THE FUTURE OF PAKISTAN?

If the youth of Pakistan is the future of Pakistan, then the future doesn’t look very promising to me. Let’s analyse the people on whom Pakistan’s future depends, shall we?

I think we can safely place the age range of the youth as 18 to 30 years. Maybe we should even lower it to 25, hence considering the students of Pakistan.

At every gathering I attend, some uncle or the other is always ranting on about how the youth needs to mobilise, how they need to take active part in politics, how they need to do this, do that, and on and on.

Enter uncle’s son. Baggy jeans twice the size of his legs, pants nearly falling to the floor with beta dear barely managing to cling on to them, sunglasses in the darkest of rooms, bling the calibre of a rich bride’s dowry. I am left marvelling at the potential chaos my country could be thrown into should young people like him snatch the wheel of our political fleet, God forbid. Beta dear then swaggers over to the sofa and plops down with his Guitar Hero and strums away on some rowdy, heavy metal beat. Actually, he might not be so bad a military strategist. Noise pollution like that would send any terrorist running back to where he came from.

But it would be unfair to point all fingers at this poor young man only. People like him exist all over the country. Whether I’m at school, or university or a wedding or even a religious event, I am struck by the irony of the future of Pakistan and its holders.

How are these strong young men expected to pick up a gun against enemies, if their idea of picking up girls is blowing smoke rings into their faces during final exams? Not that I condone picking up girls, mind you, but it is the principle of things that bothers me. How are these young men and women supposed to lead the nation in international affairs if they blindly follow anyone who can incite their emotions enough? They were so easily manipulated into contributing sweat and tears to the Lawyer’s Movement but where is the youth now that the CJ has been restored and injustice continues unabated?

How, and this is the thing that bothers me most, will Pakistani youths help attain salvation, gain independence from American aid, work up the country’s economy, bring peace to its Northern areas, educate the lower class and bridge the gap between rich and poor if most of them spend all day on Facebook taking quizzes designed by pre-teens with too much time on their hands? Are these 20 something year olds really getting all excited about the initials of the person they will marry, the Bollywood actress they resemble most and the number of times they will fall in love??

Do they really have the gall to project deep philosophies as their Facebook statuses and think they can save the world from the comfort of their bedroom? Do they think its encouraging hearing them discuss Brangelina and Ash Rai as if they are personal friends whose love life is a matter of concern for humanity?

How in the world do you expect me to believe that they can conserve their own sense of reality, let alone a whole nation?

Us Pakistanis, even us young ones who aren’t supposed to be senile yet, have big opinions on everything. Yet, no knowledge about the opinion at hand. We have only one problem but this problem is the trunk of the tree that has come to symbolise our country’s tragedy. Our problem is that we are not free-thinking individuals, despite how many of us brag about our liberal atheistic beliefs or fake British accents. Our free-thinking is defined by whatever Western media gives us the green-light to believe. We talk about New York rave parties as if we have been born and raised Yankees and as if New York is the universal yardstick for progress and enlightenment.

And it’s funny and sad but we always end up adopting negative Western notions but we never learn how to be polite, hard working and civic like they are. So we kind of deserve everything we are getting. God is just. We haven’t proven that we deserve anything better yet. And if the youth and future of Pakistan continue their immature, sometimes baffling, antics, we might never come around to deserving it.

Romesa Khalid
July 7th 2009

First published on July 7th 2009, on www.pak1stanfirst.com

THE ROLE OF PAKISTAN IN UNITING AND LEADING THE MUSLIM UMMAH

It is an irrefutable fact that Pakistan and Islam can never be isolated from each other. One was created for the protection and promotion of the other. The British tactic was always to instil territorial nationalism in the Muslim world and thus drive them apart. Allama Muhammad Iqbal, the great twentieth century Muslim poet-philosopher, confronted this attempt with his enlightened Islamic philosophy which emphasised how important it was for Muslims to unite and revert to the teachings of Islam which came with “legal concepts”, “civic significance”, and “religious ideals” that could not be separated from a social order. According to his Two-Nation Theory, Pakistan was the only way by which these ideals could be realised. Thus, it was essentially on the basis of Islamic philosophy and as a hallmark of Islam that Pakistan came into being.

President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto revived Iqbals’ notion of an Islamic Common wealth of Nations in the shape of the Islamic summit in Lahore where Muslim world leaders gathered and established an agenda of “determination of Muslim statesmen to promote solidarity among Muslim countries, to respect each other’s independence and territorial integrity, to refrain from interference in each other’s internal affairs and to resolve their differences through peaceful means in a fraternal spirit”.

38 states participated. Resolutions calling for the vacation of occupied Arab territories by Israel, restitution of the rights of the Palestinians, and promoting and safeguarding the political and economic rights of Muslim and third world countries were adopted. It helped in the reconciliation of Pakistan and Bangladesh and proved its potential as a promoter of great peace and stability. Muslims leaders in the conference also deliberated on trade relations. Bhutto said, “It is not spiritual but economic strength we have lacked so far…Muslim countries are so placed as to be able to play a most constructive and rewarding role for co-operation among themselves…their economies are such that they are able to supplement one another’s development effort.”

The summit proved that Pakistan was a genuine “Muslim ideological state” that was not restricted by geography, caste, colour or creed. It could potentially function as the uniting force between all Muslim countries because of the strong communal and spiritual bonds they share.

Pakistan’s geopolitical position also contributes immensely to its importance as a leading Muslim state. We are surrounded by some key state actors in the Muslim world like Iran and Afghanistan and have an influential relationship with Saudi Arabia. Now that we are caught in the War on Terror our ulemas should take the opportunity to distinguish between true Islamic principles and extremist brands by which they are now being abused. Ruet-i-Hilal Committee chairman Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman stated that those “fighting in the name of Sharia must first abide by Islamic rules”. Such clerical statements should be made public internationally in order to explain to the Muslim world that the offensive against the TTP is justified because they are fighting with unIslamic means. That is the only way we can make the international Muslim community realise who the aggressors really are so they can stand united with us against this conspiring Anglo-American bloc.

It is high time for Pakistan to host another Islamic Summit, the most crucial one in history, despite our internal situation. We must revert back to the timeless principles of unity and progress that Iqbal emphasised. If we can do so internationally, we will be successful in uniting and leading the Muslim ummah. Pakistan is a means of positive change in the Muslim world, not an end. General Hamid Gul said that Pakistan is an unfinished revolution.

The time is now for its completion.

First published at www.risethemag.com on June 28th, 2009.

YEH CUP YAHIN AYAA

This World Cup win for Pakistan could not have been better or come at a better time. The excitement on the faces of our players and people alike was priceless, unmistakeable and very much needed. Lord’s cricket stadium became a sea of green emblems. The total elation spoke exactly how much more valuable this success is for us than for any other team.

Like I said, we have been under immense pressure for the past two years especially. Pressure and strife. But today was our day, even the Sri Lankans knew it far before Mohammed Aamir took that crucial wicket and got the ball rolling in our court. Our day and our moment.

The streets of Pakistan and UK alike were flooded by ecstatic Pakistanis who had forgotten everything but the image of their well-loved team members performing a victory lap with the much desired trophy. No electricity, no money, just sheer happiness and a sense of pride.

A young man e-mailed me about the semi-final win and said “at least this is one front we have conquered’. I told him we will conquer all fronts one step at a time. We will. All we needed was one psychological boost and Allah provided us with this one. Younis Khan had said there was a lot of fighting in Pakistan, and they would be very happy of if they won this cup. Congrats, Younis all our prayers have been answered. You go now and bask in this moment and continue to represent the Islamic republic of Pakistan as well as you do now. Treat your ‘boys’. They are all our heroes.

I guess it’s official; cricket runs in our blood. Today we learned that it also gets our blood running.

THEATRE TEHRAN: ACT II

I guess Pakistanis can temporarily breathe a sigh of relief as their name is taken off the headlines for a while. But an issue that is just as relevant is taking our place in the spotlight, instead; Iranian Elections 2009.

Ever since the Islamic Revolution, Iran has been an enemy. And a threat to American power politics. And here was this one chance where the Americans thought they could witness the change that would pave the way for them. But it didn’t. And that made them mad. Imagine how different their demeanour would have been should the election results have been otherwise.

In my personal opinion, Mousavi is the perfect excuse for a harmless reformist who could do a lot for the US government. He wants to create private TV networks, terminate the ‘Moral Police’, reduce the costs of the Iranian nuclear program while maintaining “what he sees as Iran’s right”. He has chosen green (the supposed colour of Islam) as his official campaign colour. His supporters swarm the streets shouting phrases like “Green Change” or “Vote for Change.” Sound familiar?

I find it boring and predictable that power media outlets in the US are raising a hue and cry over the results of the elections. A company backed by BBC and ABC themselves conducted a poll and had to admit that Ahmedinejad was leading by a margin of 2:1. Then why is this coming as such a shock? And why are re-elections the way to go?

They are not happy with a simple re-count because they are afraid of the truth. A re-election would give the CIA (Yes, I said CIA) a chance to get back in there and rig elections for their own purposes. Now this is only my view but I base it on the following information.

In 2007 there were reports of a secret or “black” CIA operation approved by President Bush himself. (Remember that when it comes to America, covert operations and foreign relations go hand in hand). This operation was to use Iranian immigrants as tools to communication with opposition parties back home and “bypass” censorship. Almost 20 years ago, the CIA’s whole spy network in Iran was exposed and around 50 Iranian citizens working for them were ‘taken care of’ including members of the Iranian military. A dozen locals were jailed or executed.

Former pentagon advisor Richard Perle testified to this setback and stated “ [the] terrible setback that we suffered in Iran a few years ago when in a display of unbelievable, careless management, we put pressure on agents operating in Iran to report with greater frequency and didn't provide improved communications".

Well, they have come a long way from writing on the backs of envelopes with invisible ink to recruiting expat Iranians like Roxana Sabri. And yet, this will still not stop the operation from proceeding. The policy of open secrets is what this New World Order functions on. It might even give it an advantage since most Americans have a soft spot for the “poor young woman abused by the Iranian regime image”.

Whatever Obama or his admin says, they are very much interested in the outcome of the elections and would very much like to interfere with it if they could. The fact that they can’t has lead to such avid support for Mausavi who represents, to them, one step forward to breaking down Ahmediejad’s Iran. One step forward to another puppet who they can buy or rent as they have done with our leaders for the longest time now.

And now we know why it is so important to have private TV networks in Iran; so they can send their own people to do the propaganda for them. America will do anything to get their hands on Iran; it is such a vital piece of the puzzle when it comes to the securing of Israel and the creation of the “new Middle East”. They are just dying to get in but since that is one place where the CIA is not allowed, they are recruiting foreign bred spies to do whatever they can. The efforts are not very successful and that is great.

Iran represents the success of defiance as so eloquently put by Gen. Hamid Gul. If this model is broken down, it will be a blow to the many Muslim countries around the world (including ours) that are in such dire need of this model.

PLIGHT OF THE MUSLIMS NATION

The plight of the Muslim nation is that we’re heavy sleepers. And I mean we really do know how to hit the sack. No amount of terror threats, implications of war, massacre, genocide, holocaust, ethnic cleansing, racism, religious prejudices, political chaos, economic instability, famine, floods - and so on and whatever – can wake us up. We love to lie in our comfy beds and dream our rose-coloured dreams. If ever the hint of a nightmare itches our conscience we snuggle deeper into the inviting covers and slip into a doleful sleep. And our sleep is anything but peaceful.

Ever since the decline of the Ottoman Empire, the decline of the Muslim nation has been rapid and ugly. The once majestic and dutifully feared and respected people – the people who were so powerful in fact, that the Mediterranean Sea used to be called the “Muslim Pond” – are now a threat to no one, just a mockery and a jest.

With all due respect, even now, we instil fear into our enemies’ hearts. It is exactly that element of fear that has made us the target of a global war and has prevented us from sheer annihilation. It is that element of fear that will bring us back to our former glory and power. But until we can learn to let go of the world we are so deeply entangled in, all these are mere fantasies.

It’s a devastating day when our children attend demonstration in favour of Gaza and then make statements like “I thought Palestine and Israel were best friends”. How oblivious are we and how much more oblivion remains to be discarded? It’s a pathetically over-done day when a Muslim state eats missiles in the day and balls of fire at night and fellow Muslims celebrate New Years Day and birthdays and whatever it is that gets their adrenaline pumping. You know you’re desensitised when your Muslim brothers and sisters are massacred by the hundred in the other part of the world and you are busy discussing movies, celebrities, nail polish and the dandruff in your hair.
Wake up.

What do we need to give us that initial shove? Do we have to be bombed, abducted, tortured, mutilated, raped and humiliated to feel the pain that others have felt? Or are we such heavy sleepers that only a nuclear explosion – in quite the literal sense – will jolt our senses back to reality? Whatever stimulus has to be applied I hope it plays out soon. Because if the revival of the collective conscience of a Muslim nation depends on the ultimate degradation of their rights, bring it on.

I dream of a newer generation of Muslims with nerves of steel and faiths cast of iron. I will keep dreaming of this new generation until it materialises as the Hadith has so positively predicted. I believe in the ahadith and I believe in a greater tomorrow. But the burdens of today’s hibernating nation sometimes de-motivates people like me, who can do nothing but sit back and watch and give the occasional shake of disapproval and write gruelling articles that whine about how the Muslims won’t wake up no matter how hard we shake, shake, shake them. Sure, we attend protests and raise funds and give charity and trash Israel in the comfort of our living room, but how often do we limit our luxuries solely out of sacrifice and love of simplicity? Almost never.

What ever will wake us up; the buzzing alarm clock of nuclear fallout or the trumpet announcing the end of times, I don’t know, I can only be sure of one thing. We will awaken in some time frame or the other. And when we do the world will be a changed place. Our norms will be different as will our taboos. Our thoughts and words will be different and so will our weapons. Our people and children will be no longer the translucent shells of modern thought. A revolution will have begun and I can smell it on its way right now. It is heavy and jarring and ultimate. And it is very close.

We will conquer the world of which we have been sent as ambassadors and we will carry once more the flag of this beautiful religion that we have learned to conveniently ignore. We will promote love, peace, equity, unity. We will avoid violence but we will fight for justice it if we have to.

And win the fight we most certainly will.

More Than Just a Win

PAKISTAN – always has been a nation of miraculous survival. Burdened by war, distraught by multiple enemies, crumbling due to lack of stable economy, badmouthed in the cricket arena by critics across the globe. This one nation that has been salvaging itself over the course of history, rising above its challenges and challengers alike, has done it again in the T20 cricket semi-final.

They came with a bad physical and even worse psychological form, many of them hailing from cities that are constantly attacked by TTP fighters. They came to England with a lot on their minds; the T20 World Cup was just one of them. They were not able to play any decent cricket for the past 2 years, almost. No one expected any thing more of them this time. The political crisis has become so intertwined with our cricket lives that even the commentators were (intentionally or not) using phrases like “this is the Pakistan to be afraid of”.

But once again, the Pakistani nation rose to support the only group of people who we have relied and loved unconditionally since the beginning; our cricket team. Just this one, they forgot about the war, forgot about the politicians busy playing them behind their backs, forgot about the social maladies, forgot about the lack of money, forgot about all their troubles and put their country and its ambassadors to the forefront. The cricketers themselves worked to put all problems on the back shelf just temporarily and focus on this one ray of hope that can have such a huge psychological impact on a country no one has hope for any more.

Our team was criticised the moment it lost the warm-up match to India. It was criticised for experimenting with their batting line-up, it was criticised for losing where it didn’t even matter! India, on the other hand, had the whole world rooting for them. (That is a trademark Indian ploy, by the way.) Indians across the globe were ready to put Dhoni in a temple and start worshipping him. The arrogance in their step was unmistakeable. But their defeat was equally unwelcome and now caricatures of Dhoni are being burned on the streets! South Africa itself was being hailed as the perfect team, the ultimate T20 hotshot. They were undefeated throughout the tournament but ended up falling victim to the law of averages. You have to lose somewhere, and by the Grace of Allah, Pakistan lost at just the right moments.

And they won at the right ones, too. It is crucial to remember why Pakistan’s win is so important. This win is not about winning at all. It is about showing the world that once again, Pakistan has performed in the face of difficulty; death of their coach, attack on their country, bombing of their cities, exploitation of their money. A nation who the whole world had given up on has turned around to come out with a lot more than they expected. But they earned it. These players were working under the pressure of not only the game, but the political games being played with their loved ones in their hometowns. Sometimes, Allah sends motivation from unusual sources.

Younis Khan has even decided to dedicate the cup to Bob Woolmer should Pakistan take it home with them. Pakistanis around the world are praying that we do bring it home. We must continue these prayers and pray two Rakats of thanks to Allah for providing us with hope and motivation when all things were falling apart. Let it be known that our win is not defined by the World Cup (even though we are going to pray long and hard that we win it and win it GOOD). Rather, our win is defined by our ability to overcome difficulties, rise above the challenge and stand united so we can show our enemies we are not defeated; we will never be.
Pakistan Zindabad.
Pakistan Paindabad.

THE BATTLE FOR AN ISLAMIC REPUBLIC

I think the singular most important thing that differentiates Islam from other religions is that it is founded on both spirituality and practicality. Whereas Christianity, Judaism, etc have been restricted to spiritual practices in churches and synagogues, Islam has always been an all encompassing “deen”. Deen means way of life and that means if you are a Muslim, your duties include not only spiritual acts like praying or fasting but practically carrying out every action in accordance with the Islamic philosophy of social structure and pragmatics.

Also, the singular most important thing that differentiates Pakistan from other countries is that it was made for Muslims, and for the protection of Islam. It was made so Muslims can practice their “deen” freely, in dignity. This basically means we were given the privilege of living our lives according to Islam. I can safely say that we did nothing of the sort. If the Muslims of Pakistan really had availed the opportunity that cost them so much blood, we wouldn’t be in this crumbling state. Here we are, morally oblivious and socially disintegrated. Our economy that once looked so promising has been reduced to running on foreign aid that is a euphemism for bribery. Our four provinces, instead of utilising their rich culture and vast resources are fighting over petty issues and are burdened by secessionist movements. Our northern border is now home to US/NATO soldiers who have been given a blank cheque to fire as they please inside a sovereign country. We pushed all our national heroes to the sidelines and even apologised for some of them. We failed to produce any more heroes despite the fact that Pakistan is home to some of the greatest talent in the world.

What a beautiful prospect gone sour. All because we failed to adhere to Islam as a deen or way of life and reduced it to Islam as a religion.

There are many aspects of Islam as a way of life that we have failed to follow, but to go into all of them would require writing a book and not just a single article. So I am going to focus on the one problem that bothers me so much personally and the one that probably has the most far-reaching consequences for the next generations; media. We have forgotten how to think. We live in the age of mass media and information. Perhaps, the most influential media outlet shaping our minds right now is the television and film industry. Hollywood/Bollywood movies, soap operas, television series and even news channels all slowly project norms and ideologies that are starkly contradictory to Islam. Let me clarify that television or any other medium is a neutral article. A TV set cannot be good or bad. The internet itself cannot be good or bad. But every medium can be used and manipulated positively and negatively. Sadly, most of the time, the negativity overrides any positive contribution.

They manipulate our ideas, they dictate to us what is right and what is wrong, they can take any image out of context and use it for whatever purpose they like. They have the most power over the kids of the next generation; more than parents or teachers or peers. TV is the shaper of the foundation of a child’s thinking!

Doesn’t it bother anyone that there are kid channels out there like Disney and Nickelodeon that constantly and easily make their way into our living rooms? Does it bother anyone that most television shows on these channels are about kids just like ours who are obsessed with “dating issues”, crushes, proms and money? Does it bother you that the new generation cries for the Jonas Brothers? Or that their all time dream is to be an actor-cum-(shabby)singer just like their tween Disney heroes? Does it bother anyone that Nickelodeon recently had a whole marathon titled “Junior High Romance” where famous celebrities gave kids advice on how to get dates, how to kiss, how to dress to impress. These kids are mostly pre-teens, it would be vital to mention. Doesn’t it bother anyone at all that all the characters on these shows are instructed to say “Oh my Gosh” instead of “Oh my God” but are allowed to use phrases like “I am a golfing god”? Does anyone else see this slow but sure secularisation of the next Muslim generation? The total stripping of spirituality from our daily life and its replacement with shallow materialism gets nobody’s mind in frenzy?

Or take the world of Hollywood and Western TV. Now there’s one domain whose audience knows no bounds. But did you know that “61 percent of television programs contain some violence, and only 4 percent of television programs with violent content feature an "antiviolence" theme”? Or that “44 percent of the violent interactions on television involve perpetrators who have some attractive qualities worthy of emulation”? Or that “43 percent of violent scenes involve humour either directed at the violence or used by characters involved with violence”? Did you also know that “nearly 75 percent of violent scenes on television feature no immediate punishment for or condemnation of violence”? Or that “40 percent of programs feature "bad" characters who are never or rarely punished for their aggressive actions”? Does it bother you now to know that? That every other Hollywood movie depicts bombing, explosions, fighting, gunshots, killing and murder yet we are known as the big, scary terrorists and that our lands are being invaded on this pretext? That every other movie comes up with newer, better ways to destroy New York or Washington but when somebody goes ahead and actually does it, it’s Islam that goes to trial?

And then there is the Bollywood industry. I think this industry is even more relevant to the Pakistani context than Hollywood and western media. This is the industry that plays to the height of irony. On the one hand, we Pakistanis can not be more proud of our heritage. We are always raving on and on about our culture and our history. When it comes to Pakistan-India cricket matches, it’s a matter of life and death. But on the other hand, our lives are entangled with the Bollywood/Star Plus culture. Aunties all over the nation wait every day for their favourite Star Plus drama. They discuss it with their maids, their friends and even their colleagues. They rant on about the personal, trivial, domestic life issues of totally fictional characters. They cry when one of them has to be killed off. (They always seem to forget that the character will no doubt be brought back to life; this is Indian melodrama we are talking about). They badmouth the villainous mothers-in-law and rebellious daughters-in-law of this strange, fictional world of theirs. A lot of you probably remember the famous death of a woman caused by one of her favourite Star Plus characters being switched for another actress. It’s absurd!

If we really are so proud of our heritage and our culture, then why do our school kids know all about Vishnu and Rama and monkey gods and disappointingly little about Allah and His messengers? Why do they call upon Bhagwan whenever something goes wrong? A little boy we know attended his grandmother’s funeral and asked his mother: “in ki chitta kab jalain gey?” Why do we emulate everything we see on Indian media, to the point that Hindu practices have easily crept into our customs? Mehndis and mayuns and dowries and what not. It’s not us. “Muhabbat” and “ishq”. Cheap flirting, vulgar dancing. Last Eid I went out on Chand Raat only to find “Hare Krishna, hare Raam” blasting form the marketplace speakers. It hadn’t even been 24 hours since we broke our last fast! What was the point of all your nasheeds and hamds and taraweeh and lectures all month long if, in the end, you didn’t really understand what it was all about? I almost lost my sanity that night. And that night depressed me. Because I realised how invasive this Indian Star Plus/Bollywood culture has become. India might call itself a secular state but the reality of the situation is that it is still vastly Hindu. This religious majority will obviously manifest in all areas of the country’s institutions, including entertainment. Why are such “proud Pakistanis” letting this Hindu culture entwine with their own Islamic values? Who cares who wins the cricket match? Well, we all do. But we are losing something much more important. Our Islamic values. Our Islamic societies. That’s what we are losing. And that is a battle we cannot afford to lose. We need to boycott this Indian media and revert back to our Holy revelations.

Even video games are chock-full of bloody, violent and sexual content. I remember the good old days when all we had to play was Tetris or Pacman. Now you have Grand Theft Auto, Tekken, Sims, Resident Evil, God of War and so many more that are placing virtual weapons in the hands of children; teaching them how to kill, indulging them in sadistic pleasure. But which one of us is going to take the responsibility of telling these innocent minds that in real life, when you shoot someone, they die? And that you can’t press start and get another life? And that in real life, children just like them die in war torn areas every day? And that blood is messy? And that violence hurts people and that wounds don’t magically and rapidly repair themselves? Who is going to tell them that? Or do we want them to find out the hard way?

In the mid 1950’s, James Vicary, a market/motivational researcher decided to pursue the effects of subliminal messaging. Subliminal messaging is the presentation of stimuli just below the threshold of awareness so that the stimulus is physically registered but not consciously. However, it is strong enough to subconsciously alter our behaviour. He did this by projecting phrases like “Hungry? Eat popcorn” and “Drink Coca Cola” for a brief fraction of a second onto slides in a movie theatre. He found that popcorn sales rose 57.7 percent and Coca Cola sales rose 18.1 percent. Psychologists all over the world went crazy to try to figure this one out and concluded that yes, subliminal messaging really does work to a significant extent. Advertisers and movie makers took this a step further and applied the findings to their own ventures. Wilson Bryan Key, a psychologist and former advertiser collected numerous ads and exposed subliminal messages of sex and death embedded in the pictures. He knew advertisers would want to use such topics because they are probably the most controversial, the most striking. They capture attention, even subliminally. Abdullah Hashem took Youtube by storm when he exposed the very subliminal but clearly erotic symbolism hidden amid major Disney films. For those who are interested, http://www.classroomtools.com/sublimad.htm is a good place to learn about various other subliminal atrocities we are subjected to on a daily basis. Artists have come out to confess the usage of crude messages to children across the world and even though subliminal messaging has been banned, one must ask; how can we really know? How do we know if the ban on subliminal messaging has been followed or not? We don’t. All we know is that movies and television programs are becoming increasingly more violent and sexually oriented and that there has been a steady rise in sexuality and violence among the new generation. Teen pregnancies, rapes, early forced marriages gone sour, abortions, suicides caused by traumas. Isn’t it disturbing how teenagers have the greatest attempted suicide rates? Can’t we put two and two together?

Our religion teaches us to think and to analyse. Why don’t we pay attention to the fact that “TV families” never reflect real families and their lifestyles? That virtual lifestyles are always one step ahead of reality when it comes to open sexuality and violence. TV starts the trends and we follow them. It’s not the other way around. I repeat it’s not the other way around. Try observing it for yourself sometime. You’ll be surprised you didn’t see it sooner. So what does our religion say about this, and what do we as Pakistani Muslims have to do about it?

First of all, we have to realise why this great country was really created. It was created to be the stronghold of the new Muslim generations. It was supposed to be emblem of the new Muslim Ummah. So why have we let ourselves become so easily indoctrinated by all this propaganda? Easy. Because we don’t know what being Muslim is all about. We don’t even know what’s written inside the Quran or what the hadith have to say about things. We know that we have to wear shalwar kamiz every Friday and a topi when we do pray. But that’s not what being Muslim is about!Islam strikes a healthy balance between individualism and collectivism. Everything we are instructed to do in some way or the other contributes to a stable society. Whether it is the institution of marriage or the concept of Zakat or the law of a Qazi, it all boils down to stable, healthy, religiously aware societies. And that’s what TV lacks. TV lacks the kind of morality that is essential to forming societal stability. As does popular music or entertainment! It’s all about “me, me, me”. It’s all about following impulsive desires and attaining immediate gratification. It’s all about the glamour, the fun, the stuff you want. It’s about shallow, transient, materialistic matters. It’s about how you look. How sexually experienced you are. How much money you have? How many outfits you can put together? It’s about where you shop. What cars you drive. It’s about blowing things up. It’s about quite literally worshipping the stars, about idolising them until they become your role models. How different is that from pagan worshippers of the past? How different is the picture of pagan tribes raising their hands up to a stone god from a picture of crazy girls clawing and fighting in order to touch Orlando Bloom on stage? It’s not different at all. It’s shirk of the 21st century because a god doesn’t have to be a wooden idol. Money, people, celebrities, possessions and even ideas can all be “god” and amount to shirk if you give them enough importance in your life. And all of these notions that we have come to passively accept are definitely contributing to the degradation of society. There is no doubt in my mind that if you impose enough materialism and self-sustenance into the mass minds of a people, you can take them away from God. And if you take them away from God, you take away the spiritual half of life that is essential to being healthy, to being successful.

And Islam is all about this spiritual-pragmatic combination. What do we need to do to change this rapid murder of our values? We need to take it one step at a time and we need to start at the individual level. Charity begins at home. So does everything else. My suggestion would be to create a drastic resolution in your life first and to revert back to the Quran and Sunnah. I always say the biggest problem with the modern Muslim is he hasn’t read the Quran. He doesn’t know what it says. He likes forming opinions about what it says, but he doesn’t really know what’s written in it. We think our duty is complete once we’ve read the whole Quran in Arabic and held a big, fancy ameen to show off to our friends and family this “big accomplishment”. But our duty isn’t complete there. Every Muslim now needs to wake up and realise what their roots are. Go back to the Quran and read it from page one, in whatever language you have mastered. You’re comfortable with Urdu, read the Urdu translation. English, read the English one. French, Spanish, Chinese, they are all available so you really have no excuse. You don’t have to read every day and all at once. Read five sentences a week, it’s not that hard. We have time for every thing else, so can we really afford to make excuses to get out of this one?

Once you start, I guarantee you will be riveted.

Next, pledge to start implementing at least two things Allah has asked of us. Just two, whether it is dressing more modestly or yelling a little less or controlling your buying impulses or studying hard in school or praying more regularly or smiling more often. Maybe you can make these your yearly resolutions. Every year you try to master one or two of them. It doesn’t seem like a hard task, does it? Once you’ve established a good habit, then you can teach it to your kids or your siblings or friends. That’s how you gradually work your way up the ladder; by transforming your life, then your loved ones’ lives until we are in a position to change our country and re-establish it as a true Islamic Republic.

Also pledge to really start thinking about what you are watching on TV and how it affects your thinking and lifestyle. Realise that mind manipulation is the easiest and most dangerous thing to do to a person. We are being manipulated on a daily basis and we must use the Quran and Sunnah to break away from these psychological chains. Start thinking and analysing. You are capable of a lot more than you think. Your body may be bound but if your mind is free, you can never be a slave. I really do pray for an Islamic Republic of Pakistan. And I really want to solve our problems. But you can’t clean a river unless you remove the dead dog.

Our dead dog is our mindless submission to the media. Can it get any clearer what we have to do next?

"THE TURBANS ARE COMING!"

Thomas Jefferson made it clear. “The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers.” Well said, considering he comes from a nation that feeds on mass hysteria. And what better way to promote this collective paranoia than via media sensationalism, the fuel of American communications.
One minute they are crying about “fundamentalism”, (an American word we have accepted without question or resistance), the other minute it is “enlightened moderation” (a euphemism for secularism that we used with great flair during Musharraf’s era), and Obama’s new favourite, “Pakistani Talibanism.” The list goes on and on.

The Swat “peace”-deal had the media going haywire, with even Canadian newspapers publishing demoralising stories of women being murdered by their Muslim husbands or fathers, and eventually relating the incident (by hook or by crook) to Islamic scriptures and inevitably, the Swat peace deal. Then there was the sudden appearance of the questionable Swat flogging that occurred…six months ago! Why that video should appear conveniently after six months of hiding is unclear, until you step back and look at the big picture. But why would CNN or the New York Times report the big picture? They wouldn’t because the threat of the Taliban is exactly what’s needed to keep the Pakistani elite rulers on their toes and the American public constantly looking over their shoulder in fear of the next 9/11. It is exactly what is needed to keep Pakistanis preoccupied while Americans suck their blood, money and resources.

Sadly, our fellow people abroad are having a hard time separating reality from fiction. A young woman at university simply could not believe that one of us had attended a Catholic school…in Pakistan.
“It is so shocking that a Muslim should attend Catholic school, in Pakistan on top of that!” Yes, isn’t it amazing how we didn’t just shout Takbir and behead the nuns? Another young man could only frown and scratch his head when we told him “no Pakhtunistan does not exist.” (It is only a figment of your government’s imagination and desire). Even fellow Pakistanis who have lived abroad for too long dare not venture back home for fear of “all the terrorists and bandits running around.”

It’s that bad. But all is not lost and there are a few things average people like us can do to avoid falling into this media/paranoia trap.

1) Keep up to date with current affairs. It is of the essence that our generation break free from the chains of pop culture and step into the real world.
2) Research everything on your own. Don’t believe all the news that’s going around by word of mouth because it eventually becomes nothing more than a game of Chinese whisper.
3) Don’t believe everything you hear or see on mainstream media, especially if it is a western brand. This has nothing to do with racism and everything to do with the fact that these media outlets are in collaboration with their government and military and hence, have vested interests. Try browsing unconventional websites that provide a fresh, alternative, independent perspective on world views like www.globalresearch.com, www.infowars.com, www.ahmedquraishi.com, www.daily.pk, www.presstv.ir and www.independent.co.uk. (Note that being mainstream doesn’t make a piece of information wrong and being unconventional doesn’t make it right but it is a good way to avoid being bound by a certain, dictated mind set.)
4) Spread the word. Forward any eye-opening articles to your friends and family. Post interesting links onto your Facebook profile. Write letters to the editor of your local newspaper. Talk about it in your blog. If you are in university (both in Pakistan or abroad), join a club that promotes social issues and bring up the topic of Pakistan. Someone, somewhere is bound to be affected by you.
5) Relax. The world will end but on God’s terms, not Obama’s or Zardari’s.
6) Pray. For Pakistan and for all the victims of the tyranny of hegemonic powers.

Remember that these are people who run for cover every time a plane flies over New York, whose whole systems break down when their computers crash, who hurry to quarantine when a few cases of the flu are given a fancy name. There’s no reason why this paranoia should rub off on us because there’s one thing the media conglomerates and their partners in Washington are forgetting; this is Pakistan; brave, army strong and downright tenacious. We are not going to fall simply because a bunch of people in turbans have now acquired new technology and weapons (and we all know where they’re coming from). We are going to keep our head and dignity, we are going to fight until the end and we are going to end the fight winning.

Romesa K. Qureishi
May 13th, 2009