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The Jew is Not My Enemy-by Tarek Fatah (Excerpt)

The Jew is Not My Enemy-by Tarek Fatah (Excerpt)

Anti-Semitism (hatred for Jewish people) is not a new or unique phenomenon for us Pakistanis. We love to hate the Jews and to blame all our ills on the ugly, hideous, nefarious designs of the Zionist Jews. After all, Jews control the world and it is only because of them that we Muslims are so far behind the rest of the world. It’s all a big conspiracy. Journalist and Political advocate Tarek Fatah described and analyzed … Read entire article »

Filed under: Books, Europe, Great game, History, Iran, Iraq, Islam, Law, Religion, state, Uncategorized, USA

Murder of History (Part 2)

Murder of History (Part 2)

For Part 1, Click here. by Abdul Majeed   I have written in for Posterity. In a hundred years’ time when the future historian sets out to contemplate the Pakistan of an age gone by and look for the causes that brought it low, he might find in this book of mine one small candle whose quivering flame will light his path. K.K.Aziz, in Preface to his book ‘The Murder of History’ We discussed last week about some of the prevalent … Read entire article »

Filed under: History, Identity, Islam, Literature, Pakistan, Society

The Pakistan Resolution – an alternative view

Excerpts from Wali Khan’s ‘Facts are Facts’ contributed by Rashed Aurakzai The Viceroy of India, Lord Linlithgow, told the leaders of the Muslim League that the Government of Great Britain would not tolerate negative politics. This view was conveyed to the Muslim League Working Committee through Sir Sikander Hayat. Therefore, various sub-committees started preparing a concrete plan of action. The Viceroy wrote to the Secretary of Slate for India that Choudhry Khaliquzzaman had suggested to Lumley, the Governor of Bombay, that India should be divided into three dominions. It seems that Khaliquzzaman wanted to create one dominion each for Hindus, Muslims, and Rulers of Princely States. The Governor of North West Frontier Province, Sir George Cunningham, wrote to the Viceroy that upon his return from the Muslim League Convention, Sardar Aurangzeb reported to him: “The … Read entire article »

Filed under: History, Pakistan

Profile: Zaid Hamid

Profile: Zaid Hamid

by Abdul Majeed Biography Zaid Hamid was born in Karachi on March 14, 1964. His father, Col. Zaman Hamid (Retd), served in the Pakistan Army. Zaid spent his early life in Karachi. He received a Bachelor of Engineering (BE) degree in Computer Systems Engineering from NED University, Karachi in 1980′s. According to the brochure published by BrassTacks, available on the website www.zaidhamid.pk. Zaid Hamid rose to the fore when he started a program named Brass Tacks on a TV channel, discussing … Read entire article »

Filed under: Democracy, History, Islam, Pakistan, Politics, Society, Terrorism

Murder of History(Part 1)

by Abdul Majeed I have written in for Posterity. In a hundred years’ time when the future historian sets out to contemplate the Pakistan of an age gone by and look for the causes that brought it low, he might find in this book of mine one small candle whose quivering flame will light his path. K.K.Aziz, in Preface to his book ‘The Murder of History’ In the last 64 years, a lot of wrong Information has been passed on as “facts” by our textbooks and Media. In this article, I have mentioned some of the most popular myths about Pakistan History and tried to debunk them using authentic sources. I should admit that this is a beginner’s effort, I don’t claim to possess absolute knowledge nor do I claim that whatever … Read entire article »

Filed under: History, Pakistan, Society

Pakistan: A transitional polity

By Raza Rumi Pakistan’s existentialist crisis is no longer a strictly Pakistani issue. Its potential repercussions have emerged as a cornerstone of global debates on regional stability and international concerns on terrorism and nuclear proliferation. The clichés on Pakistan’s disintegration and meltdown have also been done to death in the international media and policy brigades across the world. Perhaps, what the world has not yet fully comprehended is that Pakistan is essentially a transitional country where the old order is crumbling, giving way to a newer society that is grappling with geostrategic compulsions, domestic violence and a post-colonial state which refuses to realign its structures and priorities to a ‘new’ Pakistan. To begin with, never in Pakistan’s history have so many women been active in the public spheres: from higher education to … Read entire article »

Filed under: History, Pakistan

Myths – Our Common Asset

By Kiran Rizvi The art of story-telling is perhaps as old as the human language itself. It almost seems that humans developed language so that stories can be told! Some myths were created around historical events and landmarks while others to explain natural phenomena or a transcendental world-view. There are some parables that celebrate loyalty, honor and there are others which denounce greed and mendacity. Some myths are woven simply for entertainment and to reflect the emotions and aspirations of the human spirit. However, all myths have one thing in common: They conform to the geographical and cultural context of their audience. Therefore, when the body parts of Osiris are dispersed, they land around Nile; those of Sati, get distributed in the subcontinent. Similarly, after the Great Deluge, the vessel of Utnapishtim … Read entire article »

Filed under: Heritage, History

Alternative narratives: ‘History rewritten to further political ends’

Alternative narratives: ‘History rewritten to further political ends’

People named their sons after Dahir and Chach until 1960s, says historian Manan Ahmed. LAHORE: The view that Pakistan was conceived as soon as Muhammad bin Qasim set foot in Sindh amounts to rewriting of history, Historian Manan Ahmed said on Saturday. He was speaking to an audience of academics, journalists and bloggers at the Nairang Art Gallery. Earlier, he had read excerpts from Kashful Mahjoob by Ali Hajveri and Chach Nama by Ali Kufki. … Read entire article »

Filed under: History, Politics

Nations within a Nation – The Search for a Pakistani Nation – 2

 By Adnan Syed “Indeed, world is ruled by little else but ideas.” — John Maynard Keynes The Two Nation Theory and Inequality in the New State of Pakistan The two nation theory was primarily based on distinctive majority-two-nations within United India. The distinction was cultural as well as religious, where both of these characteristics freely overlapped each other. Given the dominance of religion within the edifice of the Muslim nation, it was inevitable that religion will form a large part in the new nation state that was carved due to the Muslim nation identity. And given a strong tradition of political Islam within the Muslim body, it was inevitable that the very political Islam will find its way through the vague contours of the shifting idea of an Indian Muslim nation … Read entire article »

Filed under: Democracy, Egalitarian Pakistan, History, Identity, Islam, Islamism, Pak Tea House, Pakistan, Religion, Rights, secular Pakistan, secularism

History must not lie

By Shahid Javed Burki EVER since gaining independence Pakistan has done a remarkable job of either ignoring its history or simply not telling the truth about it. The first is true for economic history, the second for the part of history that concerns the country`s political evolution. In a well-known work Khursheed Kamal Aziz — or simply KK as he was known to his friends and admirers — wrote about the series of lies and distortions that crept into the writing of history. In , one of his last works, he confessed that he was also guilty of committing this crime. The Making of Pakistan In the officially sponsored which for many years remained the definitive account of the founding of Pakistan as a separate state for the Muslim community of British India, … Read entire article »

Filed under: History

Karachi at the End of the Raj

Karachi as seen by a British soldier sometime between 1942 and 1947: lively … Read entire article »

Filed under: History, Karachi

Bulleh for our times

By Ali Abbas First published in Islamabad Dateline Mystifying is the turn of time, indeed. Refuted by clerics of his time, the same Bulleh Shah who was refused burial in his community graveyard is quoted by contemporary mullahs and holds worldwide reverence today. Same can be said for all mystic poets who lived to challenge the rigid interpretation of religion prevailing in their times. One wonders if he would have been charged for blasphemy and assassinated like Taseer or Bhatti if Bulleh were to say ‘whatever is in the heart’  in our society at present — mou’n aye baat na rehndi aye. … Read entire article »

Filed under: History, poetry

“Problems of a Multi-Cultural society and the way out”

By Riaz Ali Toori A particular community of people living in a country or region, and having shared customs, laws, and organizations is called a society. The social fabrics of a society make it inter-dependent. There could be peculiar differences among the people living in a society that lead to conflicts that sometime lead to great dilemma like war on terror. The gush of unrest we are witnessing today is just because of clash of thoughts and lack of tolerance among the individuals. The other human catastrophes including poverty, unemployment and inflation also play a vital role in fortifying the conflicts. The influx of divergence could be disastrous enough to lead this world towards complete collapse. We need orchestrated efforts to bring down the rising temperature to a freezing point in order … Read entire article »

Filed under: culture, History, Society

Saudi Islam

Panorama is on BBC One at 8.30pm on Monday night. Thursday 10 February 2011 Muslim pupils learn to cut off hands of thieves Muslim children are being taught how to chop off thieves’ hands and that Jews are plotting to take over the world at a network of Islamic schools, it has been disclosed. A diagram from one of the text books By Graham Paton 10:42PM GMT 21 Nov 2010 Up to 5,000 pupils attending weekend schools across Britain are being exposed to textbooks claiming that some Jews were transformed into pigs and apes, and that some offences could be punished with stoning. One book for six year-olds warns that those who do not believe in Islam will be condemned to “hellfire” in death. … Read entire article »

Filed under: History, Islam

FACT: Jinnah would have been murdered like Taseer by the Mullahs today

By Yasser Latif Hamdani Some Mullah websites are now once again spinning old lies about Jinnah vis a vis the Ilamdin case. They say if you do not counter a lie, it becomes the truth but  I will come to that in  a second. First let us review what Jinnah, as a member of the select committee, had to say when 295-A  came up for the discussion in the Indian Legislative Assembly. 295-A was discussed and enacted in response to Rajpal case. Bear in mind 295-A is a much more lenient law than 295-B and 295-C.  This is what Jinnah had to say: “We must also secure this very important and fundamental principle that those who are engaged in historical works, those who are engaged in the ascertainment of truth and those who are … Read entire article »

Filed under: History