Curse of God on the Mullahs
By Bin Ismail A while ago an Ahmadi said “assalamo alaikum”, meaning ‘peace be unto you’ to the mulla of his neighborhood. Though courteous, this was obviously not a very wise act on the part of the Ahmadi gentleman. The mulla returned the courtesy by lodging a complaint against the Ahmadi, claiming that the Ahmadi had violated the Anti-Ahmadi Ordinance XX, now a part of the constitution of Pakistan, by using an Islamic greeting, thus “posing to be a Muslim”. The accused was summoned to the Police Station. The not-so-wise Ahmadi was fortunately received by a wise police officer, who asked him why he said “salam” to the mulla. The Ahmadi innocently replied, “I only intended to send peace to the cleric.” The wise policeman said to the Ahmadi, “I’m letting you go … Read entire article »
Filed under: Islam
Understanding Qisas and Diyat
By Yasser Latif Hamdani (First published in The Friday Times) When all the heirs of those murdered by Davis pardoned him for badl-i-sulh , the religious right cried foul. Technically there was nothing wrong procedurally and legally with the way Davis’ alleged crime was pardoned under law. The religious right claims that (i) that the heirs of the two victims were pressured into accepting badl-i-sulh , (ii) that Davis should have been convicted for fasad fil arz and (iii) the judge’s decision to impose a fine of Rs.20,000 and time served under Section 13 of the Arms Ordinance of 1965 was far too lenient under the circumstances. For the first contention, no heir of the deceased has come forward to declare that they were pressured into … Read entire article »
Reason.tv: Bollywood vs. Bin Laden – Why radical Islam fears pop culture
By Hawk Jensen & Paul Detrick Even before Osama Bin Laden was killed by U.S. soldiers, his brand of anti-modern, anti-pleasure Islam was under attack by Bollywood, India’s pop culture juggernaut that boasts a global audience of 3 billion people. … Read entire article »
There’s a Pakistan beyond the ISI and terror; wish it was stronger
By Anshul Chaturvedi General VP Malik’s book, “Kargil – From Surprise To Victory” is not quite what I expected to see on the shelf at the bookstore in the Sheraton lobby in Karachi; but then, after Katrina staring at me from hoardings extolling the virtues of Lux body wash and Veet hair remover, and an improbably rosy-cheeked Kareena pitching in for Head and Shoulder from her billboards, after seeing skimpily dressed babes walking the ramp on a … Read entire article »
The chilling curse of vote banks
The brutalised lives of Muslims in Kolkata slums have a resonance for the entire country, says Yoginder Sikand People Without History: India’s Muslim Ghettos Imran Siddiqui and JeremySeabrook Navayana 257 pp; Rs 295 THAT MUSLIMS are among the most deprived sections of Indian society is undeniable. But as to why this is so, there is no unanimity. This book, immensely rich in ethnographic detail drawn from dozens of in-depth interviews, explores the dimensions as well as causes for widespread Muslim … Read entire article »
Filed under: Islam
Islam and the Early History of Pakistan
By Ziad Haider (Contributor to the Working Group on Islamism and the International Order) With Osama bin Laden dead, a reflection on this increasingly Islamist country. From its inception in 1947, the idea of Pakistan was a contested ideological matter. Having lost their privileged status when the British supplanted India’s Mughal rulers, Indian Muslims divided in response to a deepening cultural and political insecurity under colonial rule. Culturally, a schism emerged between the Aligarh tradition, which balanced selectively embracing Western notions of modernity and learning with retaining an Islamic identity, and the Deobandtradition, which rejected Western mores as a deviation from religious orthodoxy. Photo credit: takebackpakistan Politically, as the independence struggle gained momentum, Indian Muslims divided into three primary groups. The first was affiliated with the Indian Congress Party, which advocated territorial nationalism. The second was affiliated … Read entire article »
French Veil Controversy: Muslim rethinking of Islam is overdue
French Veil Controversy: Muslim rethinking of Islam is overdue By K. Itarwala The Mullah and the torch-bearer Hail from the same stock; They give light to others, And themselves are in the dark. (Bulleh Shah, Sufi, revolutionary and poet) The shrill opposition of many ‘Muslims’ to the French ban on the face veil has only reinforced my conviction that a thorough reform, indeed nothing less than a complete paradigm shift, in the ways in which ‘Muslims’ understand Islam is more than overdue. My point is simple: ‘Muslims’, by and large, are guilty of equating their own historically-produced and conventionally-understood readings of Islam as equivalent to and wholly synonymous with Islam itself or the Divine Will per se. Since these understandings are humanly produced, and, hence, necessarily flawed and limited, to insist that these represent ‘true’ Islam … Read entire article »
We Are The Cannibals!
By D. Asghar Like many I was disgusted and shocked, when cannibals among us were discovered. These were two villagers in Punjab, who indulged in this inhumane and abhorrent act. The public disdain towards this madness was very natural. The electronic and print media rightfully reported and condemned this deplorable and pathetic act. Of course mental illness can be the only rational explanation for such a demonic practice. What kind of sadistic pleasure, can one derive by killing and consuming their own? But somehow, our condemnation only stops right there. We rarely demonstrate similar objections, when it comes to our own behavior, similar to those demented individuals. For those of you, who may be confused a bit by my statement, ought to observe and examine our personal behavior on a daily basis. … Read entire article »
Intellectualism In Islam
By Feroz Khan This article/post is in reply to the question if there ever was learning in Islam. Even more interesting than the fact that there was learning, knowledge and thought in the Islamic world, this question raises some very interesting questions and insights into the nature of the very debate itself that questions an existence of an intellectual tradition in Islam. The interesting aspect of this debate is that it is a misinformed discourse that instead of understanding the issue, assumes the veracity of its own conclusions as an informed judgment. From a historic point of view, this debate offers an amusing preview into the intellectual and cultural consensus within the thought process of the Islamic world and the thought patterns of the non-Islamic world upon the very nature and idea of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Islam
Killing the Helpers: Reaction to Burning of Quran
Raza Habib Raja After months of uncertainty an irresponsible pastor did what he had long wanted to do: burn the Holy Quran in USA. About six months ago also, he had threatened to do the same but then had backed down after repeated pleas from the American President and various celebrities. In USA, the first amendment protects certain acts and since US constitution reigns supreme due to strict adherence to rule of law. At that time the maximum the US authorities could do was to try to convince the pastor of showing some sort of responsibility. And they tried their level best. However, after a hiatus of few months, Terry Jones and his small group of followers burnt the Quran. The act in my opinion reeks of religious bigotry and is thoroughly … Read entire article »
Engineers of Jihad
We are posting an abstract from Oxford University (working papers) and the link to the full paper – Engineers of Jihad – which is an essential reading of our times. Diego Gambetta (Nuffield College) & Steffen Hertog (University of Durham) “You have trivialized our movement by your mundane analysis. May God have mercy on you” Ayman al-Zawahiri Abstract. We find that graduates from subjects such as science, engineering, and medicine are strongly overrepresented among Islamist movements in the Muslim world, though not among the extremist Islamic groups which have emerged in Western countries more recently. We also find that engineers alone are strongly over-represented among graduates in violent groups in both realms. This is all the more puzzling for engineers are virtually absent from left-wing violent extremists and only present rather … Read entire article »
Filed under: Islam
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
Nations within a Nation; The Search for a Pakistani Nation – 1
By Adnan Syed “Doubt is uncomfortable, certainty is ridiculous” (Voltaire) Nations within a Nation I write these lines in the year 2011. It is 63 years since my country gained independence. The idea of a separate homeland for Indian Muslims gained momentum during the momentous decade of 1940s. The idea of Pakistan proved so strong and infectious among the Muslim masses of then United India that within 7 years after a resolution was passed by Muslim League, Pakistan was born. From the very beginnings, this idea of Pakistan contained certain vagueness to it. Two Nation Theory stipulated that India primarily consisted of two major nations that were distinct from each other. The primary cause of this difference came from their religions. Nations were derived from their religious identity; even if cultural differences were distinct, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Egalitarian Pakistan, Identity, Islam, Jinnah, Pak Tea House, Religion, Rights, state
The Mother Of All Conspiracies
By D. Asghar In the land of Pure, where conspiracy theories are dime a dozen, let me throw one more, in that oozing bucket. This one may shock a few, offend a whole lot but what the heck. The unstoppable stream of the channels on the “idiotic tube”, has a subliminal message, played repeatedly for the average sucker. The mantra played over and over again is, “Both Islam and the only true Muslim country, Pakistan are facing existential threat from the Kafirs.” That my friends is the “Mother of All Conspiracies.” 1400 plus years or so, Prophet PBUH’s message, survived not because of Pakistan or Pakistanis. Its purity and truth are independent of any geography or boundaries. Its message is fairly simple, meant for the entire mankind. Our faith and his predictions guide … Read entire article »
Filed under: Islam
Yielding in Front of Extremism
By Adnan Syed I am attaching two links here that movingly touch upon the state of barbarity that is inflicted upon the nation of Pakistan. Please give thirteen minutes of your precious time to the moving words of Member National Aseembly Mrs. Asia Nasir. These words describe the anguish and pain of the very Pakistanis who are being discriminated by the society, as well as by the institutions of Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Terror reigns supreme in Pakistan. The righteous ones are hunting and killing everyone who calls for absolute equality of every human inside the boundaries of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. And in this environment, this brave lady comes out and unequivocally condemns the barbarity that the religious minorities are facing. She has more guts than the spineless members of parliament … Read entire article »
Filed under: Democracy, Egalitarian Pakistan, Islam, Islamabad, Islamism, Justice, Liberal Democratic Pakistan, minorities, Pak Tea House, Religion, Rights, state, Taliban
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