Pakistan: A dream in tatters

[pursuit of happiness]

Google Ibn Rushad aka Averros

--
can you give me summary of Ibn rushad..
i will have to learn his concept which will take time
thansk

 

[FaujHistorian]

The last three paragraphs pose some important questions indeed:

A dream in tatters
Abbas Nasir
The writer is a former editor of Dawn.


JINNAH’s dream is in tatters. Of that there is no doubt. Even more alarming is the fact that we have had to hang our head in helpless shame countless times in recent years — so much so that the ability to look up and find a way forward seems beyond us now.

The Wagah border crossing is the scene of a jarring exercise by the Pakistani and Indian border guards which must damage the spines and brains of the soldiers who take part (for slamming their heels into the concrete floor like they do could hardly be a healthy activity) in a display of futile one-upmanship.

But to several thousand who gather to watch the spectacle staged regularly, you can be sure, it isn’t an exercise in futility. Like so many fictional sources of strength and pride in our lives, it must allow all those gathered to escape the reality of existential threats facing the country and rejoice in how great and mighty we are at soldiery.

So, there was method in the madness of the militants, who used a suicide bomber to target the ‘flag-lowering’ or ‘retreat’ gathering at Wagah border and kill or maim people in multiples of dozens. In one strike, the takfiri militants targeted not just the innocent civilians and spread terror but, in this instance, also exposed the ‘inability’ of the mighty military machine to protect its own showpiece event.

While I may not agree with the purpose of this staged exercise, it was pleasing to see terrorism roundly condemned by one and all. And the very next ‘ceremony’ saw several thousand people gathered at the venue in defiance of the terrorists’ message.

Sadly our outrage, not on social media or op-ed pages of newspapers, but in its manifestation on the ground, is insignificant where it isn’t in consonance with the view of the security state.

Why should we be surprised that a Christian couple was mobbed, beaten and when nearly half-dead pushed into a brick kiln?

Literally 24 hours after a carnage that left dozens dead, there was no fear in evidence as thousands gathered at Wagah to tell the Taliban what they thought of their terrorism. But where the state apparatus remains ambivalent, unsure, complicit or just scared of the perpetrators and their ideology, the public outrage somehow reflects this. How else would you explain that only a few dozen Christian activists and even fewer Muslims took to the streets to protest an atrocity that could only have been possible in Zia’s Pakistan?

Yes, it had to be in Zia’s Pakistan. Didn’t the father of the nation have different views such as the ones encapsulated in his address to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan: “You are free; you are free to go to your temples; you are free to go to your mosques or to any other places of worship in this state of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion, caste or creed — that has nothing to do with the business of the state.”

Where from the Objectives Resolution to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto presiding over legislation, ostensibly at the Saudis’ behest, to declare Ahmadis as non-Muslims Mr Jinnah’s thoughts have been under threat, these were totally obliterated during the reign of the dictator who ousted Bhutto from office as Zia used his narrow view of Islam as a means of perpetuating his own power.

The year Zia executed Bhutto, Soviet tanks rolled into Afghanistan. This was a boon for the dictator as it necessitated a CIA-ISI partnership, funded and fully supported by the Saudi regime, to promote an ideology which may have been more or less alien to the land but which proved effective in creating an army of fanatics; fanatical enough to have humbled the mighty Soviets, at least in the eyes of its patrons.

CIA lost interest (rather foolishly as later events suggest) and moved away after the objective of the Soviet humiliation had been achieved but CIA’s regional partners didn’t sever the umbilical cord as they had other plans for this ideology and its fast-multiplying adherents.

Even with the restoration of whatever diluted form of democracy through the late 1980s and 1990s, elected, civilian governments remained powerless to act against the huge resilient plant that had sprouted from the seeds sown by Zia.

There were two main reasons for this. First was the civilian leaders’ preoccupation with remaining in the saddle despite what they often, rightly, saw as the impatient, power-hungry military’s reticence.

And second was their preoccupation with amassing personal fortunes rather than focusing on the public good and making efforts to cement democratic norms in society which could promote plurality and tighten the noose for bigotry.

Many years ago, one political leader, in a rare display of candour, justified this corruption to me by saying: ‘Elections are a hugely expensive affair. We are never sure how long we’ll be allowed to govern for. So we need the funds to prepare for the next polls which could be in five months rather than the mandated five years.’

Why then should we be surprised that a Christian couple was mobbed and when nearly half-dead pushed into a brick kiln by self-righteous members of the dominant faith; why should our eyes well up when we see their three small orphaned children; why should we even bother to read the news of the Shia man hacked to death by a policeman in a police station?

Why should we not pour scorn over the handful clamouring for the release of Asia Bibi when so many of us didn’t even have the courage to attend the funeral of the governor who spoke up for her and was mowed down by his own police guard?

We remain unmoved no matter what the peril. We wait. Wait for a miracle or wait in the hope that the fate that is inevitable will somehow pass us by harmlessly. What else would explain our apathy to the savagery that surrounds us?

The writer is a former editor of Dawn.

abbas.nasir@hotmail.com

Published in Dawn, November 8th , 2014

This letter is among 100s of sane voices now being raised d in Pakistan.

Change is coming and we'll change for the better.

Killing of Christian couple has been registered as a federal crime.

That means full might of state can be put towards prosecuting the perpetrators.


I wish we end mob violence aka dharna drama by Sh. Rasheed and his socket puppet IK

and focus on 2 things.

1. Polio eradication
2. Education of ordinary Pakistanis to move away from mob violence aka dharnas and lynching.

 

[mr.robot]

I have a question if anyone can guide? How is killing in name of religion any different than killing due to land, looting, rape and other purposes? As far as I know, killing in name of religion is also mostly for land/money or even romance. Why do we give special attention to this matter unlike 3 men killed over land dispute in a town not far from that

 

[FaujHistorian]

I have a question if anyone can guide? How is killing in name of religion any different than killing due to land, looting, rape and other purposes? As far as I know, killing in name of religion is also mostly for land/money or even romance. Why do we give special attention to this matter unlike 3 men killed over land dispute in a town not far from that

Brutal Killing in the name of God will always appear to be much worse than killing in the name of Satan.

One asks for peace and the other for brutality.

you make your choice.

my dear,

you make your choice.

 

[Secur]

Innocent people of minorities killed and looted right after creation of Pakistan was way more than total minoritiess person killed in last 66 years.

The current abuses of blasphemy laws aren't the only and biggest problem, that shows growing radicalization if thats what you are limiting yourself to. I agree with your post though.

Why do we give special attention to this matter unlike 3 men killed over land dispute in a town not far from that

How many people killed those three men? There's your answer.

P.S The reason for bigger fuss is that the teachings of a religion and a certain law of the state were both distorted to provocate and enrage radicalized people of that area, to allow for the killing of minorities for personal revenge.

 

[Sugarcane]

The current abuses of blasphemy laws aren't the only and biggest problem, that shows growing radicalization if thats you are limiting yourself to. I agree with your post though.

I am not limiting myself to Zia only but trying to point out fundamental flaw on which whole system is and that is religion, sooner we change it to justice & equality better it will be. Although it's difficult to swallow for nation who was created based on TNT but that's the only way.

 

[$elf]

i think the youth icon bhutto can dramatically change pakistan and can uplift it from the tag of failed country.

jiyee bhutto

 

[Sugarcane]

I have a question if anyone can guide? How is killing in name of religion any different than killing due to land, looting, rape and other purposes? As far as I know, killing in name of religion is also mostly for land/money or even romance. Why do we give special attention to this matter unlike 3 men killed over land dispute in a town not far from that

You have lost 60+ lives and God knows how many have lost their limbs (That's Pakistan alone) and you still want to know why killing based on religion is getting attention?

 

[FaujHistorian]

i think the youth icon bhutto can dramatically change pakistan and can uplift it from the tag of failed country.

jiyee bhutto

Pakistan will change

when people will shout

Jiyee Pakistan

and not Jiyee Bhutto or Jiyee Imran or Jieyee Qadri.

 

[Donatello]

That is a partially wrong assessment. Our issues are not a direct product of our assumed reliance on divine guidence. Islam also teaches you 'Harkat main Barkat', 'Allah helps those who help themselves' and the fact that our Prophet SAW was a business man. The story of hard work is written in Islam's DNA just like Protestant Christianity.

Other Muslims believe the same way we do but they are doing much better in socioeconomic growth than us...i.e Indonesia, Malaysia and Turkey.

Our problem is a submissive attitude and illiteracy. Half of our population is illitetate...they only have faith to make sense of the world they live in. Its our fault for keeping them there because we as the educated class need to be working for better, cleaner govt, reforms and education.

No, our problem is blind following, and not being able to think for ourselves. Allah sent man in this world for a reason, you know, Adam was pretty happy up in the heavens.There was no need to create mankind. Islam is there, but it's followers have failed to grasp the reality of the modern world. There has been no though process to integrate Islam in a modern society for the past 600 years or so. We have either very good Economists/Scientists/Bankers etc or very good Islamic clerics, but not both. As a result, one extreme of the spectrum is totally oblivious to the thoughts of the other end. Try bringing up the topic of 'interest on loans', credit cards etc in a majlis of clerics, You'll get a thousand different viewpoints. What they fail to realize is, that when Islam arrived, there was no concept of paper money. Loans were given to earn a living, currency was actual solid metal or items of physical value. It is not the case now, however people are still adamant at following those principles, because no one came in and told them how modern economics and poverty alleviation works. Not every Islamic country has the luxury of drilling oil and selling for $$$ to pay for their welfare. It is not possible. Allah gave you a brain for a reason, and sent you in this world for a reason. Allah created other religions to test your allegiance and patience. We, as Muslims, believe this life is temporary because it is a test that we have to take. Unfortunately, those that don't prepare for the test and adapt themselves, will fail the test.

We got Muslims offering prayer 5 times a day, yet a lot of them work in Pakistan government etc, they are happy to take bribes, extortion because they too need a life of luxury. We construct buildings made out of substandard material, but slap a 'Mashallah' sign on it....that i have done my poor job, it is up to Allah to save you now. We hang taweez/black ribbons from our new cars, but drive like a lunatic, don't wear seat belts, kill ourselves and others. We are happy to pay police wala, customs wala bribe because it gets the job done and that's all it matters.

 

[Pakistani E]

i think the youth icon bhutto can dramatically change pakistan and can uplift it from the tag of failed country.

jiyee bhutto

The same Bhuttos who used religion to appease the mullahs? The same Bhuttos who were then proud of misusing religion even after getting backstabbed by the same mullahs they were appeasing? No thanks, We need less Bhuttos, less exploitation of religion by corrupt people, not more.

 

[Not Sure]

Islam has become our bane and our devotion to this religion has all but blinded us of the real virtues of humanity and the goodness which exist, independent of divinity and the mythology of yore. We see not good and bad save as Islam dictates to us and Islam's diktat today are but the whims and fanciful interpretations of the ignorant and ascetic mullah who has never read a book other than those available to him in the madrassa for fear of learning that the religion he has dedicated his life to, by design or by choice, has many a shortcoming which he is unable to accept.

We have become a people enslaved to this ideology, steeped in ignorance, incompetent in our entirety and unable to innovate and think for ourselves. Our only solace in these trying times in the face of a God who seems to be punishing (or testing) us for being of this faith is the belief that the world is not for the Believers and that the Akhira is not for the kufaar. By lying to ourselves in this manner we have completely forgotten that the Muslims of the past were given the duniya in abundance so much so that the Arabs after the Messenger (pbuh) ruled an empire which stretched from the heart of Arabia to the shores of the Atlantic. Tell that to a Believer and he'll say that our Amaal have brought this upon us. There is simply no knocking sense into him. His circular arguments will forever defeat any logic which your arguments may have.

We will be slaves for all time to come until and unless we begin to separate the functioning of the Pakistani state and our fate as a nation from the grip of divine foretelling and stories of impending doom, the conquest of Jerusalem, the arrival of the Messiah, the one-eyed monster and the fitnah of Yajuj and Majuj. Kids today are told of the grave, the day of judgement and the hooris of Paradise before they are told of the comity of nations and our place therein. Tell them of religion, but tell them also of the religion of others and teach them to respect their Gods as they would want their God respected. This is what the Prophet (Pbuh) taught us but his teachings of tolerance are lost upon us, as we become a nation increasingly extremist nurtured by the protection we have within our own borders and the absolutely dismal regulation of the State in this regard.

Our dream is truly in tatters and we're far too blind to see it. Anybody who speaks out against the shackles imposed by religion and the way it has condemned us to an unruly fate is an asylum-seeker in the West unless of course the mob gets to him before that, in which case he's lynched and buried under the angry sentiment of a nation enraged in the face of truth.

Religion should guide our private, spiritual lives and therein religion will operate pristinely and in unison with other religions and the writ of the Pakistani state. Seek to enforce it as the will of the people and the rule of law, then be prepared to watch how quickly this country unravels itself seeking answers to questions which have never been and never will be answered.

So even in Pakistan, it has become hip to shift one's own problems on the religion.

Mind you, Saudi Arabia is much more Islamic, and even more radical than is Pakistan, but they know what is good for them and what is not.

Sab kuchh Islam ke kandhe pe daal doge, to khud kya karoge?

Don't get swayed by popular media. It always serves a hidden purpose.

 

[asquare]

As an outside observer, it does seem that Pakistan is on the brink. Yet, I believe Pakistan's past will help it pull through. Pakistan was, 25 years ago, a relatively liberal nation which had been, by most counts, an economic success. Those attitudes live on in a society's memory and are impossible to erase and it's those attitudes that will form the basis of a society's resurgence. It's the same reason why Egypt or Lebanon, no matter what trials they go through will be, socially, very different form Saudi Arabia or Qatar.

Again, as an outsider who could very well be wrong, it seems like too little of Pakistan's social and political mind space is taken up by economic development and too much by questions of identity and morality. A change in focus, particularly political focus, could go a long way in restoring Pakistan's health.

In India, and this is a relatively recent development which will hopefully last, governance and development have become the centrepiece of almost all elections- in particular the last one. The BJP's victory has nothing to do with nationalism or Hindu pride, it's a consequence of Modi promising development and his track record of development in Gujarat. For Indian democracy to prove its maturity, the Indian people must vote him out if he fails to deliver in terms of the economy- from everything I've seen that's exactly what will happen if he does indeed fail.

 

[haviZsultan]

--
can you define -- secular Islam?

Secular Islam is a theory advocated by many. Read about the Mutazilite line of thinking. Averoes was the first person to suggest secularism? Who was he? He was a Muslim theologian and philosopher by the name of Ibn Rushd. He was moorish.

Ijtehad (a concept of revisiting Islamic beliefs due to changing times) which Iqbal proposed and support of Turkeys (they are not fully a secular nation because of issues like headscarves) secularism were part of it. Akbar also proposed a concept called Din E Ilahi in the mughal empire. Dara Shikoh too stood for this kind of thought.

We are the creators of the concept of secularism and it is now us being taught secularism by the world.

 

[pkuser2k12]

anp,ppp and mqm killed 15000+ people in karachi due to islam and thousands killed in Baluchistan by the likes of bugtis is also to be blamed on islam

corruption,police state etec etc is to be blamed on Islam

har cheez ye roshan khyal Islam k khatay mayn dal dayaty hayn

har 7 din baad Altaf kabi daish kabi ttp kabi banned outfits ka rona rota hay lakin khud ye 3/4 seculars a.k.a ppp,anp,mqm aur baloch insurgent mafia kaee hazaroon ko maut ki neend sula chukay hay

shameless hypocrites