Rising power?
By Yusra Askari Connecting With the World In Their Own Voice: Bridging the Mainstream Media Gap from PeaceNiche on Vimeo. I was asked to moderate a panel discussion at the ‘Social Media Mela 2012’. Scheduled for the 14th of July, the debate was titled ‘Connecting with the World In Their Own Voice: Bridging the Mainstream Media Gap’ and focused on the challenges faced by region’s minorities. Among the participants; Smita Choudhary, a rights activist working in Chattisgarh and from Kashmir, Sabbah Haji and Raheel Khursheed. Representing the minorities of Pakistan, Imran Jattala of the Ahmediya Times, Anthony Permal, a Pakistani Christian based in Dubai and rights activist, Irfan Ali, a member of Quetta’s Shia Hazara community. The participants spoke passionately about the threats facing their respective communites. All in attendance agreed, one voice clearly stood … Read entire article »
Filed under: Blogging, Opinion, Technology
Global Voices Summit 2012 – A Life-Changing Experience
Imagine having some 160 people from 60 countries around the globe, comprising of bloggers, journalists, photographers, film-makers, policy advisors and top academics, many of them internationally renowned and recognized. That makes up for an awesome, awesome crowd. However, one would still be apprehensive when it comes to socializing with such a diverse crowd. After all, you never know when you may say ‘Hi’ to a social snob. But imagine my surprise when every single one of … Read entire article »
Headline:The Hard Knock Life of an Internet Troll
Source: http://chzdailywhat.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/9f50499e-33c1-4be6-aa6b-aef9300b96b5.jpg … Read entire article »
Filed under: Science
Social media and Pakistan – prospects and possibilities
By Raza Rumi In a picture taken on May 27, 2010 Pakistani IT professionals Omer Zaheer (L) and Arslan Chaudhry browse their newly created networking site in Lahore. Pakistanis outraged with Facebook over “blasphemous” caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed have created a spin off networking site that they dream can connect the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims. A group of six young IT professionals from Lahore, the cultural and entertainment capital of Pakistan, launched www.millatfacebook.com for Muslims to interact online and protest against blasphemy. – AFP Photo When I started to blog, almost by accident, a few Pakistani bloggers were found in cyberspace. Within half a decade the number has multiplied beyond belief. From the senior writers to young students, blogging is now an avenue that allows forunfettered self-expression and also puts the mostly … Read entire article »
Of crooks, cranks and madmen
Yasser Latif Hamdani writing in the Daily Times: Pakistan treats murder as an optional tort in the name of religion. It is nothing but a distortion of Islamic principles in my view. In the modern concept of citizenship, the state becomes an heir of last resort as well. For reference, consider the doctrine of escheat as it applies to property, a principle that is recognised by the ‘Islamic’ Constitution of Pakistan under Article 172. Ownerless property becomes the property of the state. So what happens when the heirs to the victim of a murder forgive the murderer? Logically, the state should still imprison him or her as tazeer punishment. In Pakistan, though, the Islamic principle of forgiveness and mercy is used in a most opportunistic fashion. Raymond Davis, for me, is not … Read entire article »
Filed under: Blogging, lawyers movement
Our apology to LUBP wallas
Raza Rumi PTH apologises to LUBP its editors, authors and readers for the indiscretions and thoughtless (and in some cases unacceptable) comments from some of us. I have been meaning to write this post for the past few days. The delay took place due to my hectic travel schedule as well as the existential shock that came in the wake of the recent exchange of unpleasant and unfortunate words between our blogzine and the fiery LUBP/criticalppp blog. The disagreements and emotional arguments led to bad blood between two internet platforms which are on the same side of the political spectrum. If the disagreement had remained within civility, this unconditional apology would not have been needed. It is being rendered because we at PTH feel that excesses in terms of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Blogging, Pak Tea House
Pakistani College Becomes Focus of a Social Struggle
The GT Road Blog BySteve Inskeep In Lahore, the University of the Punjab attracts middle- and lower-income Pakistani students hoping to make better lives for themselves. But the school’s campus is also the scene of an ongoing struggle over education and Islam. Alfred Cooper Woolner May 1878 – January 7, 1936, was a noted Sanskrit scholar and professor as well as the Vice Chancellor of Punjab University, Lahore. He died in Lahore Many of the 35,000 students wear jeans … Read entire article »
Filed under: Blogging, Education, Identity, Islamism, Lahore, Pakistan, Punjab, Religion, Women
The Real Capital
This article by Thomas Friedman caught my eye. This article is not about Pakistan. Pakistan is not mentioned even once in the article. This is not about South Asia, or militant Islam, or the war on terror. It is about none of the ideological war between the religious right wing ideologies and the secular ideals that we espouse at PTH. A cursory glance and we realize why United States is the biggest economic and scientific power in the world. Let me say that I have selective admiration of the United States. I am critical of United States’ opportunistic foreign policies. I however realize that world has seen an enormous scientific and economic development under the vastly expanding global democratic capitalistic society that is led by the United States. We are living … Read entire article »
Global Water Trends Afloat Pakistan’s Water Crisis
By Halima Khan Water is necessary for human survival and development while water is a scarce good. Conclusively lack of water hinders development and also dignified life. This assessment is obvious from global trends, as well as from Pakistan’s national and local struggles for better access to water. According to figures available by the United Nations and other international organizations, 1.1bn people are devoid of sufficient access to water, and 2.4bn people have to live with no sufficient sanitation. In keeping to current trends the projection is that about 3bn people of a population of 8.5bn will experience water shortage by 2025. 83% of them will belong to developing countries, more often than not in rural areas where even today now and then only 20% of the population have contact with sufficient … Read entire article »
Music vs. Militancy
Cross Post from Dawn Blogs By Salman Siddiqui on January 21, 2010 Even though Pakistan is bleeding from terrorism and suicide bombings, no mainstream , pop music artist has come close to condemning or questioning the spread of militancy through music and lyrics. A recent video from The New York Times highlighted this issue, showing how pop acts such as Ali Azmat and Noori were keeping quiet on the subjects of terror, religious extremism, and the Taliban, while railing against America through their songs. In this context, 25-year-old Daniyal Noorani‘s debut effort ‘Finding Heaven,’ which was released on YouTube a few days ago, is encouraging. The daring single takes the Taliban and religious extremists head on, creating quite a buzz online. Dawn.com speaks with Noorani to find out what prompted him to … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, Blogging, culture, Left, Liberal Democratic Pakistan, Media, Music, Pakistan, video
Nisar Teri Gallion Pay Ai Watan
(Posted by YLH) A few weeks ago an ignorant little Mullah from the Jamaat-e-Islami claimed that Dr. Salam’s achievement in science was nothing compared to many other great scientists of Pakistan and that Salam got the Nobel Prize because he was a “Jewish agent”. I suppose one of these “great scientists” he was referring to was the idiot who read his paper on “how to harness the power of genies for electricity production” at Zia’s … Read entire article »
A debate derailed
“Oh and please, try to stay a little light hearted about this one” by Asif Akhtar cross-post from Dawn Blog, Nov 20th, 2009 Last week, in a blog titled ‘The Convenient Curtain of Myth‘, I tried to show the dangers of viewing international politics through popular mythological conceptions which produce theories like the India-US-Israel triangulation as a conspiracy to destroy Islam and Pakistan. Little did I know this would turn into a hotly debated topic fueled with national … Read entire article »
Islam's Darwin Problem
By Drake Bennett in the Boston Globe Three weeks ago, with much fanfare, a team of scientists unveiled the fossil skeleton of Ardi, a 4-foot-tall female primate who lived and died 4.4 million years ago in what is now Ethiopia. According to her discoverers, Ardi – short for Ardipithecus ramidus, her species – is our oldest known ancestor. She predated Lucy, the fossilized Australopithecus afarensis that previously had claimed the title, by 1.2 million years. The papers announcing the find described a transitional specimen, with the long arms and short legs of an ape and strong, grasping big toes suited to life in the trees, but also a pelvis whose shape allowed her to walk upright on the ground below. … Read entire article »
The Bible of Militant Atheism
by Aasem Bakhshi Contrary to the mainstream religious belief, incredulity and skepticism regarding the ultimate nature of truth, existence of God and eschatological claims of scripture is not an entirely modern phenomenon. In his famous thought experiment Hayy Ibn Yaqzan, Ibn Tufayl the famous Muslim philosopher of 12th century Spain, aesthetically described discovery of God as the “joy without lapse, unending bliss, infinite rapture and delight” and inability to find Him as “infinite torture”. The curious … Read entire article »
Filed under: Books, Philosophy, Religion, Science
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