Tuesday March 31, 2009
Anwaar Hussain
eagleeye@emirates.net.ae
The terrorists have struck Lahore yet again and Shikata Ga Nai is a Japanese language phrase. To this phrase we shall return in a moment.
With every terrorist attack, while the body parts of the victims are still scattered on the scene of the carnage, we Pakistanis, common citizens and intelligentsia alike, go into an overdrive in denying the obvious. A blizzard of statements like, these cannot be Pakistanis, these are not Muslims, this is not Islam and last but not the least, this is an Indo-Zionist conspiracy spring forth from all corners of the country. Apart from being a terrible joke played on the victims of the violence, these statements are indicators of a complete state of denial in the Pakistani nation, and a dangerous one at that.
Let there be no mistake that these terrorists are Pakistanis, they are Muslims, this is their version of Islam and they are serving its cause, there is no Indo-Zionist conspiracy against Pakistan, at least nothing more than what Pakistan has been sponsoring against these very same entities, and we need to WAKE UP. Period.
Let us take up each statement on its own merit.
The state of Pakistan has officially admitted that in almost all the attacks, the terrorists have been Pakistanis. Not only that, Jihadi organizations have openly, proudly and categorically claimed in the national and international press their numerous heinous acts. It cannot get any better than that and it should effectively put to rest the first three assertions.
Now let us take up the last one i.e. Indo-Zionist conspiracy against Pakistan. Even if there was such a thing, we need to answer a few questions honestly. Why is it that when the state of Pakistan conjures, promotes, plans, and executes strategies against India or Israel, or any other nation for that matter, these become national policy imperatives vital to our national interests yet when our opponents do the same in their national interest these are called conspiracies against us? What a skewed sense of fairness do we have.
Or look at it form another angle. Why is it that our enemies are able to conspire lethal schemes against us, recruit executors for it and then operate with impunity in broad daylight on our home turf? Is it not a clear case of cancer taking root and spreading only in a receptive host body? Can a man blame his neighbor for being able to sow discord in his home? I mean where has our sense of balance gone in these testing times?
When a problem exists, the road map to solution courses through a 4-step approach. First and foremost, admit there is a problem. Next, identify its root cause; then debate the possible solutions and select the appropriate one/s. Lastly, of course, implement the plan.
Calling the act itself as the problem is not admitting the problem. That is fooling our selves. It is more like calling the symptom the disease. When as a nation, we are not any where near step-1, it is pointless to talk of solutions.
The problem itself is pretty straight forward though. Extremists, having a global agenda stemming from a convoluted sense of religion, are on a rampage in the country as a first step. The mockery, laughter, and scorn by elements in the Pakistani media, blogs, and even common citizenry, when one talks of admitting this exact crisis, not only shows no real understanding of the threat facing our country but has in fact become a part of the problem.
And we have seen that this kind of Jihad is not a shaggy dog story. Its ideology, embracing death and causing mayhem, is demonstrated almost every day throughout the country. Those mocking discussion of this threat and ideology continue to undermine the War of Ideas in Pakistan, and undercut the efforts of moderate Pakistanis to resist radical Islamism and Jihadis. Unfortunately, so pervasive is the malady that this grim dilemma now cuts across all socio-economic backgrounds and levels of education.
The continuing dangerous denial of the threats of this Jihad, its ideology, and refusal to debate the issues of political agenda of these extremists represents the most treacherous fault line in Pakistans national security today. When concerns about this Jihad and radical Islamism are a source of mockery for Pakistani media, political organizations and common Pakistanis, then clearly the Jihadis are winning the War of Ideas.
And this brings us to a most regrettable conclusion. And that is that if ever there was a conspiracy against Pakistan, here is one. The radicals are playing havoc with our bodies and souls and we are marching, lemming like, towards our national grave laughing all the way. We are the conspirators against our own selves.
Perhaps it would be better if along the way we sang in a chorus Shikata Ga Nai. If nothing else, it would dull the pain of the increasingly hurting assaults in the short journey that remains.
Shikata Ga Nai means it cant be helped or nothing can be done about it.
Shikata Ga Nai
Anwaar Hussain
eagleeye@emirates.net.ae
The terrorists have struck Lahore yet again and Shikata Ga Nai is a Japanese language phrase. To this phrase we shall return in a moment.
With every terrorist attack, while the body parts of the victims are still scattered on the scene of the carnage, we Pakistanis, common citizens and intelligentsia alike, go into an overdrive in denying the obvious. A blizzard of statements like, these cannot be Pakistanis, these are not Muslims, this is not Islam and last but not the least, this is an Indo-Zionist conspiracy spring forth from all corners of the country. Apart from being a terrible joke played on the victims of the violence, these statements are indicators of a complete state of denial in the Pakistani nation, and a dangerous one at that.
Let there be no mistake that these terrorists are Pakistanis, they are Muslims, this is their version of Islam and they are serving its cause, there is no Indo-Zionist conspiracy against Pakistan, at least nothing more than what Pakistan has been sponsoring against these very same entities, and we need to WAKE UP. Period.
Let us take up each statement on its own merit.
The state of Pakistan has officially admitted that in almost all the attacks, the terrorists have been Pakistanis. Not only that, Jihadi organizations have openly, proudly and categorically claimed in the national and international press their numerous heinous acts. It cannot get any better than that and it should effectively put to rest the first three assertions.
Now let us take up the last one i.e. Indo-Zionist conspiracy against Pakistan. Even if there was such a thing, we need to answer a few questions honestly. Why is it that when the state of Pakistan conjures, promotes, plans, and executes strategies against India or Israel, or any other nation for that matter, these become national policy imperatives vital to our national interests yet when our opponents do the same in their national interest these are called conspiracies against us? What a skewed sense of fairness do we have.
Or look at it form another angle. Why is it that our enemies are able to conspire lethal schemes against us, recruit executors for it and then operate with impunity in broad daylight on our home turf? Is it not a clear case of cancer taking root and spreading only in a receptive host body? Can a man blame his neighbor for being able to sow discord in his home? I mean where has our sense of balance gone in these testing times?
When a problem exists, the road map to solution courses through a 4-step approach. First and foremost, admit there is a problem. Next, identify its root cause; then debate the possible solutions and select the appropriate one/s. Lastly, of course, implement the plan.
Calling the act itself as the problem is not admitting the problem. That is fooling our selves. It is more like calling the symptom the disease. When as a nation, we are not any where near step-1, it is pointless to talk of solutions.
The problem itself is pretty straight forward though. Extremists, having a global agenda stemming from a convoluted sense of religion, are on a rampage in the country as a first step. The mockery, laughter, and scorn by elements in the Pakistani media, blogs, and even common citizenry, when one talks of admitting this exact crisis, not only shows no real understanding of the threat facing our country but has in fact become a part of the problem.
And we have seen that this kind of Jihad is not a shaggy dog story. Its ideology, embracing death and causing mayhem, is demonstrated almost every day throughout the country. Those mocking discussion of this threat and ideology continue to undermine the War of Ideas in Pakistan, and undercut the efforts of moderate Pakistanis to resist radical Islamism and Jihadis. Unfortunately, so pervasive is the malady that this grim dilemma now cuts across all socio-economic backgrounds and levels of education.
The continuing dangerous denial of the threats of this Jihad, its ideology, and refusal to debate the issues of political agenda of these extremists represents the most treacherous fault line in Pakistans national security today. When concerns about this Jihad and radical Islamism are a source of mockery for Pakistani media, political organizations and common Pakistanis, then clearly the Jihadis are winning the War of Ideas.
And this brings us to a most regrettable conclusion. And that is that if ever there was a conspiracy against Pakistan, here is one. The radicals are playing havoc with our bodies and souls and we are marching, lemming like, towards our national grave laughing all the way. We are the conspirators against our own selves.
Perhaps it would be better if along the way we sang in a chorus Shikata Ga Nai. If nothing else, it would dull the pain of the increasingly hurting assaults in the short journey that remains.
Shikata Ga Nai means it cant be helped or nothing can be done about it.
Shikata Ga Nai
