In Accompany With Fundamentalist, Religious, Realistic People !!

Alright, I've been thinking about this for a while...how to approach the subject.

Before I do, let me throw a few things at you, so you know where I'm coming from:

·         I'm not an atheist but believe on realistic approach towards the issue , but you knew that right? I don't like being linked with atheists because saying you're an atheist creates all sorts of connotations, the most obvious being "You're stupid for believing in god". But, many people admit that mainstream atheism (or at least the perception of it) is that it's combative and evangelical.

·         Science and reason is a starting point, and a means. It is not the endpoint, or an end in itself. So I tend not to get hung up on it, or get in arguments with people over science vs. religion. Particularly if the spiritual/atheistic person isn't intelligent enough to understand the argument. Fundamentalism, either scientific or religious, is a problem. The left has the same problem, identifying anyone on the right as stupid, uncaring, and wrong-headed.

Confirmation bias and systems-thinking orientation, I have 'rational/scientific' friends. I have conspiratorial friends. I have political, postmodern, and spiritual friends. All these friends look at the world though a set of lenses (their system of understanding), however I don't really have any friends who are able to employ more than one of these systems.

Funny thing is that all these people are convinced that they're right, and that their way of understanding the world is the one true way.

Problem is the world is full of people, with all these different knowledge systems. And those systems guide their behavior. If you want to understand why someone does something, you need to understand their motivation, and how they look at the world. Unfortunately, not many people are doing this. And for those who CAN do this, seldom have they weighed the pros and cons of the other knowledge system. They’ve only looked at it from their own knowledge system, to find the holes to attack, so they can feel confident and secure in their belief that their own knowledge system is the best knowledge system.

I choose Pakistan over Gaza

                                                       Message From Gaza To Pakistan 

  www.awaztoday.com/News-Talk-Shows/29720/Message-From-Gaza-For-Pakistani-government.aspx

Recently, I watched this video and made me ponder whether to worry about recent bombings and killings of Muslims in my country Pakistan or to concern about Gaza situation. In recent times I have observed a new kind of mindless debate and accusation growing in the social media where many have accused the media of not giving enough space or preferential treatment to Gaza or the atrocities that are being committed there by the Israeli forces. Since the day Israeli forces have started this operation in Gaza, this story has mostly been part of the headlines and the bulletins on many channels. I know that after reading this blog I will be accused by many of simply defending massacre of my fellow Muslim brothers.

Gaza being a city with a Muslim population has an automatic affiliation with the people of Pakistan but when so much is happening in my own country and when so many are suffering due to terrorism, poverty, corruption and illiteracy; I am sorry but I will first definitely feel the pain for my own people. It is a natural phenomenon that when a bomb blast takes place, a family member will always try to locate one of his own and then look at others who have suffered even though both are victims of the same incident. Gaza has seen bloodshed which is not just painful and depressing but it has also been an agonizing journey for many who live there who have to suffer this after every few months or years but is the case for Karachi, Peshawar or Quetta any different? People in Gaza at least even know who the aggressor is but my people don’t even have an idea who is killing them. For the last decade or so my country still suffers from this question if people who are killing us are Muslims or not? Terrorists who are killing me or you are foreign funded or locally funded? Do we need to talk to these terrorists or do we need to start an operation? Was Malala a pawn in the great game to start an operation against these terrorists or was she targeted just because she wanted to give the strongest reply to these terrorists through education? Where people of Gaza know who to retaliate against; my country fights for its survival with its body bleeding and the eyes still searching for the person asking who did this to me? For me my country and my people will always take preference because my fight continues with the mind and not a physically present entity.

I suggest you should keep an eye on Al-Jazeera and Arabic channels and newspapers also and see if bomb blasts and terrorists ‘activities that take place in my cities are preferred over the killings in Gaza? I am sure it won’t because people of that particular area/region are more affiliated with Gaza.

Ego: I Define As War Between Religion And Humanity

Did you ever wonder: what is wrong with us? I mean. . . as a species. As much as we love, and give, and aspire, we also lie, hate, and kill. These are pretty basic questions. What would it take to better ourselves morally, in ways  that  really  matter?

Spirituality is transformation. If we could understand and apply this principle, our lives would change dramatically. Transformation is how grapes become wine. Transformation is how wheat becomes bread. But what is the nature of this transformation for human beings? How does a schmuck become a saint, or at least a decent human being?

Most of us are stuck most of the time. Most of us fear real change because our egos are in control. The ego is a defence mechanism, but not necessarily a healthy or very effective one. The ego that is overbearing, self-centred, and manipulative, is actually full of self-doubt, insecurity, and fear.

Spirituality sees the ego as an instrument. It's not who we are but how we express what we are. The ego is like the saxophone of the soul. Play it well or not, it's out there on stage doing its thing.The wise harness their egos to their hearts. The lower self bows to the higher self. To use the language of religion, the ego can become "a servant of God."

But maybe we need a new language to express primordial truths. Many people seem not to find the old language of religion very convincing. It has bad associations. Religion, in many people's minds today, is associated with close-mindedness, intolerance, and even violence. But if you look at the record, religion is not primarily to blame. A closer look reveals that human egos are responsible for all this madness.

Take religion completely out of the picture and set about reforming the world, and, so far, what we have seen is Stalin or Mao. Modern secular ideological movements are actually responsible for much greater and more indiscriminate violence than any religion ever has been. Maybe that's because they mobilized greater powers than religion was able to do in the modern age. The case still stands.

This innate capacity is not so far-fetched and unverifiable as it at first sounds. The key to this spiritual sense, this perception of value, is described by the word "sacred." We don't need an explicit theology to let the sacred into our lives. Almost any human being can acknowledge that there is something sacred in the birth of a child, in nature, in an individual human life, in free will. This sense of the sacred, however, has become quite  scarce in contemporary life and that may be one of our biggest problems.

Most people have this capacity for empathy and relationship. Because this capacity is innate, believers have no monopoly on it and even atheists are not without it. It is in our nature as human beings. But are we too busy to allow this sense of the sacred into our consciousness? Is it that our consciousness is too filled with the  trivialities and banalities of modern life? Worse yet, are we filled with fear or hatred for "the other."

Spirituality, simply seen, is allowing ourselves to be transformed by all the challenges, sufferings, and joys of life. It is in the nature of our lives as human beings to emerge from states of limited consciousness into states of greater maturity and wisdom. We can change from being people obsessed with threats from a perceived "other," who need to parade with placards of hate, who even rationalize violence in a vain attempt to solve our problems and achieve our ends. What is needed today can better be achieved by cooperation, compassion, generosity, forgiveness, and love.

Beyond all the labels we apply to ourselves (Democrat, Republican, Christian, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, secular, atheist, or none of the above), we cannot afford to let the false self run our lives, or forget that all of humanity is one, and that some things are truly sacred.

REALISM – WHAT IS IT EXACTLY?

Well, it was weekend and it was best time for all of us to study new philosophies. Well, searching through Wikipedia about political philosophies, there was a eye catching word called Realism!  To sum it up, A Realism is a political philosophy based on various premises. The first is that a world should be seen in terms of relative power. The theory applies both domestically and internationally, focusing on the individual and the state respectively. Realism asserts that all states and individuals are to work for their own self-interest, and that since there is a scarcity of resources in the world, there will be conflict. This leads to the premise that the basic state of affairs in the world is anarchic. War is inherent in the nature of a nation-state, according to Thomas Hobbes.

The world is a battle-zone, with each party acting to protect itself, increase its power base, etc. Along with this is an idea that connects to the notion of relative power: one can only increase one’s power by decreasing that of another. Morality is virtually non-existent (according to the realist doctrine). ‘Right’ or ‘good’ is defined by self-interest. If a certain action will give you a ‘leg up’, so to speak, then it is justified, and not only can you carry it out, but you should.

Some call realism a closed theory, saying that it can refute any action of apparent selflessness simply by saying that there must have been some ulterior motive behind the deed. To confirm this requires an in-depth knowledge of the functioning of the state, its officials, their intentions, etc.

Famous realists you may have heard of:  Thucydides, Machiavelli, Hobbes, St. Thomas Aquinas, Rousseau, Woodrow Wilson

Din e Elahi: Mass Peace Program

Jalal-ud-Din Akbar (1556-1605), the son of Humayun had three main phases in his life. One was firm belief in religion holding the founding tenets of Islam. The second started when he opened the doors of religious natter and dialogues in which he invited the religious scholars of different sects of Islam in the “Ibadat Khana” (the place of worship) but soon he was disillusioned with the attitudes of the Maulvies and scholars who started losing their tempers and even abused one another on petty issues.

Therefore the subsequent phase resulted in the promulgation of a new religion, din-e-Elahi. He accumulated the best practices of Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Jainism and propounded the new religion in 1581.

 There are ten virtues which the Din-e-Elahi professes.

(1) liberal-mindedness and generosity

(2) forgiveness of evil-doers and repulsion of anger with mildness

(3) abstinence from worldly desires

(4) non-attachment to the materialistic world

(5) careful weighing of pros and cons of actions to be taken

(6) performance of noble deeds with courage

(7) softness of voice and gentle speech

(8) good behaviour to others

(9) absolutely no connection with bad characters and evil-doers

(10) total dedication to God

Din-e-Elahi was more an ethical cult than a religion as it did not present any common prayers or system as all these eclectic religions offered. It was based on ethical values considering and propagating slander, lust, and pride as deadly sins whereas piety, kindness, mercy as the commonalities of the diverse religions and were appreciated. Slaughter of cow was prohibited to accommodate Hinduism and celibacy was venerated. The religion had no script or written documentations. Din-e-Elahi could triumph over only 19 adherents consisting mostly of Muslims. Hindus and other religions did not embrace it though they appreciated the religious move of Akbar.

Din-e- Elahi met with fierce criticism by the believers of Islam as he denied the foundations of religion by appreciating celibacy and the prohibition of cow. The Hindus also could not accept it as a religion. Din-e-Elahi was intended to create harmony and integrity among the different religions though it could not bring the desired fruits.I think interpretation of religious teachings according to the wishes and agenda of rulers is not a new phenomenon. This is almost as old as the religion itself. Many scholars refused to act as Qazi under Muslim rulers, just because they were afraid of to act according to ruler's wish and not according to God's law.

Do me a favour answering one question, what is most important? Fighting on basis of religion for years or accepting each other perspective and living together with peace!

What if Din-e-Elahi succeeded and there would be a no separation of South Asia? What would be the present scenario then?

Our Brain Make us Fool!!

Our brains love playing tricks on us, and the results can be detrimental. Because of how we remember certain events, even a good experience can be recalled as an awful one because of one little problem. For example, a customer could have a great experience with a product or service, but only have bad memories when thinking about it later. Here’s how. Let’s say you are on vacation and have dinner at the best restaurant recommended to you. Perfect table. Food is exquisitely prepared. The experience is fantastic. However, when clearing the table the waiter spills coffee into your lap. Odds are that the coffee spill will degrade your memory of the food and wine, no matter how exceptional you otherwise would have remembered them. And if the hot coffee burned a leg or damaged an expensive dress or suit, the wonderful dining experience may not be remembered at all.

Basically, when something bad happens it overwrites the good portions of your memory. As we learn from bad ways , your brain likes to focus on the negative stuff. To counteract this, the best thing you can do is remind yourself of the good parts of the experience as soon as possible. Think about everything good that happened instead of the one bad moment. Perhaps the bad moment is enough to deter you, but if not you can use it as an opportunity to remind your brain to store a positive memory instead of a negative one.

Jinnah's Pakistan, anyone?

If you are a Muslim, and a Pakistani for that matter, then chances are that all that has enveloped you for the past week – and still is – is news and discussion of the anti-Islam film desecrating the Holy Prophet (PBUH). The video has spread like fire and enraged Muslims all over the world, and rightly so. And thus, whether you are at school/office, or hanging out with friends, or logged on to Facebook, this is all people are chattering about.

The purpose of this article, however, is not to discuss the film and start ranting about how the innocence of the Muslims was taken advantage of by the evils of the world, or how Muslims were, as always seems to be the case whenever something remotely bad happens, targeted by a Jewish conspiracy.

And then YouTube got banned in Pakistan. The timing of this particular event was highly annoying for me, for I had been working on a coding assignment that night and had to make a graph on Excel comparing the efficiency of different codes. Having studied the workings of Excel over two years ago, I had forgotten the bit about how to make graphs, and I thought to myself: No problem! I’ll just watch a tutorial on YouTube to see how it’s done. Which seemed to be the cue for the people over at the PTA responsible for banning access to the site, and thus I could not, for once, use YouTube for a purpose other than procrastinating.

The purpose of this article, however, is not to sympathize with my misfortune, or question the validity of the decision of banning YouTube.

Friday, 21^st September 2012; a date that will remain lodged in the minds of all Pakistanis for a long time, unwilling as though they may be to the intrusion of this day into their memory cells. The day was Yaum-e-Ishq-e-Rasool, a public holiday declared by the government to carry out a peaceful protest against the anti-Islam film.

Yaum-e-Ishq-e-Rasool? I think this day can be renamed better as, Yaum-e-paish-e-Jahiliat.

The protest involved people, most of them students, taking to the streets in a frenzied state after the Jumma prayers, and leaving destruction in their wake. Numerous cinemas (five alone in Karachi) and petrol pumps were set ablaze. Policemen tried their best to stop the mob, exhibiting use of tear gas and even live ammunition, but the tidal wave of the protestants fueled by a terrible anger was too much for them to handle, and many of them were injured and even killed in the process. Cars were smashed to pieces, and then set ablaze. People, barricades and buildings alike were showered with stones. Containers were overturned. Shops were looted. All in the name of the man who preached peace and forgiveness above all!

The purpose of this article, however, is not to exhibit shock over the madness of our countrymen, and start stating how the protest should really have taken place.

Because the protest that should have happened, did in fact, happen, and THAT is the purpose of this article.

As they say, the night is darkest before dawn. As a dejected me logged on to Facebook later in the night, I came across something which gave me hope. It was an event named ‘Project Clean Up for Peace’, and its basic aim was to gather people from all around Pakistan and get out on the streets, and use whatever resources available to clean up the mess that was created by the infuriated mob on Friday. The event caught popularity like fire to dry wood, and in less than three hours, about 1500 people had marked themselves as ‘going’, and this number continued to rise. It was certainly very pleasing to see the youth of the nation stepping up and accepting their responsibilities as dutiful citizens of the state; quite a contradiction to the typical ‘our youth is dead’ stereotypes.

I did not attend the event myself (I never was that big a patriot), but a couple of my friends did, and I also came across a lot of clips and videos. What I saw warmed my heart. Here were tens of hundreds of people, mostly youngsters, in different cities of Pakistan working in coordination with each other, PEACEFULLY. They were using brooms to clean roads and streets. They were brushing aside rubble and pieces of broken glass, and then putting them into shopping bags. They were repainting the barricades and building walls. They were repairing the check posts. They were distributing water and boxes of juice amongst the policemen. They were… redefining Pakistan.

Yes, indeed! With this simple and humble act, the youth of Pakistan managed to project a positive and totally different image of Pakistan to the world. The Pakistan which did not protest by rampaging and burning, but one which gave an actual purpose to the protest by displaying and promoting peace. The one which showed up with posters of not “Down with USA!” and “Kill enemies of Islam”, but rather ones saying “Respect all religions equally”, “Peace please?” and “Islam is a peaceful religion”. The one which did not vent out its anger and disappointment over the film senselessly, but one which used it to fuel the purposeful effort of cleaning up the devastation caused by a few illiterate individuals. Pakistan is not all about bombs, terrorism and poverty; it is also peace, love and harmony. These people managed to demonstrate just that.

The widely popular phrase “Jinnah’s Pakistan” doesn’t seem so alien now, does it?

All We Want Is Respect!

WHAT CAN I DO TO EARN RESPECT?

I think there is a misconception about respect. We so often confuse where our own personal emphasis should be. “What can I do to earn respect?“  We crave it from our families – our spouses, children, or siblings – especially our parents or mentors. We yearn for it from our peers or colleagues. We wish our bosses would recognize all we contribute and do to deserve it.

GIVE, NOT EARN.

But truth is, respect is not something I need to earn; it is something I need to give. That is what I can contribute. Much like the Golden Rule, giving to others what I would like to receive for myself, respect is reciprocal.

Take a moment and think of few people that you have respect for. Are any of them people who didn't respect you in return? Or , if they're you haven't actually met in person, are there any that you feel would not treat you with respect if you were to meet them? If you answered "no" ,then I will take as point made. If you answered "yes" then i want you to think about it again. It's easy to confuse respect with admiration, envy, or even fear. If respect isn't mutual...then it's one of them in disguise.  

Over the years, I have come to a place that calls for me to give the respect due right off the bat and not worry about what comes my way. Wisdom gained. For what goes around, comes around. I have found that when I treat those I deal with as I wish to be treated or how I believe they wish to be treated, that that is exactly what occurs.

RESPECT IS A FUNNY THING.

Often those who demand it, rarely deserve it and those who quietly fulfill their ends of the bargain are the ones who rarely receive it.

Perhaps I am over-sensitive, maybe I have had only a few bad experiences but they were enough to alter my way of thinking and also change how I approached those with whom I work, like, and love.

LESSONS LEARNED, EH?

The homework is easy when pride takes the backseat.

Love Pakistan. Here's why.

Micheal Crain had always been a big critic. That was primarily why he was a reporter by profession. He worked for BBC news, and his favorite pieces to run were always related to the troubles of Pakistan. He didn’t have anything personal against Pakistan; he was just a staunch believer in the all the reports of Pakistan being a country overrun by terrorists and corrupt officials, and he hated them for blaming all their troubles on America. Thus the extra dose of criticism from his side when covering a report on Pakistan.

Which was why he was none too pleased when he was told by his chief editor to make a trip to Pakistan and make a documentary on how life there is for the people.

“Are you crazy? You want me to go to that hellhole and DIE?!”

But his chief had been adamant, and Michael had reluctantly agreed. The only positive aspect in this ‘ridiculous charade’, as Michael liked to call it, was that his chief had not laid any imposition on him regarding the nature of the documentary.

A few days later, Michael found himself emerging from the Allama Iqbal International Airport, and out onto the sun-drenched streets of Lahore. The air was humid and sticky, the glare of the sun unbearably bright and piercing, and rivulets of sweat were running down his entire body. It was something he didn’t immediately register at first, for the sight of Lahore was too much for him to grasp at first. People in the hundreds were thronging about in the streets, amongst scores of cars, rickshaws and motorcycles; it was all a seething mass that Michael didn’t exactly relish getting caught up in. Footpaths cracked and the roads broken at places, and overflowing gutters were a common sight. And the noise! Angry drivers honking their horns impatiently, the indiscernible babble of people mingled with their shouting and laughing, street peddlers shouting out to people, the annoying drone of the rickshaws, and the even more annoying buzz of flies around his head… The entire place struck him as one of utter confusion. His loathing for this country deepened.

However, only two days later, he witnessed an event that forced him to feel otherwise. He had been sitting in a café with a cold beverage in his hand, staring out to the street, which an old woman was crossing, a bundle of cloths under her arm. Even as he watched, she swayed, and held up a hand to her head. She seemed to be growing dizzy by the heat. And then she crumpled to the sidewalk. For a few heartbeats she lay there, and then a young boy approached her lifeless form, and prodded her gently. When she did not stir, he started shouting in alarm. Immediately several people nearby rushed to them. They lifted the woman, and carried her to the café where Michael was sitting. All work around him ceased as she was laid on a table, and the staff gathered around as she was slowly revived, and fed a cup of cool water. The fact that the people chose to care for a poor old woman who nobody knew out on the street touched him in a strange way. After watching this event unfold before him, he started feeling his hate for this country (and Lahore in particular) ebbing away, giving way to something he had never felt for this country before: admiration, and respect. And before he knew it, he was head-over-heels in love with the place which had been the focal point of his criticism for many years.

Lahore was a dirty, crude and rough place on the surface, to say the least. The roads were too narrow at times and there seemed to more people on them than cars, so driving here was a nightmare. It was too congested, and gave him a feeling of oppression. Traffic jams seemed to crop up every other minute, and no authority to dissolve them. The buildings were old and cracked. Most places were devoid of even the most basic technological facilities. Yet it was under the veil of this coarse surface that Michael found the true beauty of this place. Lahore was home to a whole CULTURE. It had been 65 years to Pakistan’s independence, yet the traditions, rituals and art here all bore witness to the history of hundreds of years ago. It was most evident in the architectural designs of most buildings, the bazaars, the small, dirty streets, the tongas, the food, the dresses, the furniture; it was everywhere, down to the smallest detail. And yet, Lahore was a very modern place too, with huge shopping malls, cinemas, sports stadiums, the airport and the housing society nearby and whatnot. It struck him as a contradiction. Lahore was a conflagration of new and old, modern and historical, village and city, and he had never quite seen a place like this.

But it was not just Lahore that held him entranced; it was the whole of Pakistan. There was Karachi; a city apparently controlled by terrorists and plagued with target killing, kidnapping, robbery, rape and so. Yet it was also the city of lights, the most modern city of Pakistan, and a more alive place Michael was yet to come across. It was a concrete jungle, but the presence of the sea nearby gave him a feeling of openness and freedom. There were the northern areas of Pakistan, which was an entirely different world altogether. The breath-taking beauty of range upon range of huge, sprawling mountains, lush greenery, gushing waterfalls, streams of crystal-clear water originating from the top of snow-capped mountains and winding down the entire length of the mountain, fast-flowing rivers winding through the mountains, sometimes blue, sometimes green and sometimes milky-white, crashing upon boulders with a thunderous sound and spraying up foam, the fields of every fruit and vegetable imaginable; it all held him spell-bound. The deserts of Pakistan held a different beauty altogether; there was nothing but dry deep sand, high dunes that rolled away under a low, brooding sky. There was no sign of any living thing for miles, and he had never felt so alone before. And then there was the capital of Pakistan, Islamabad. It’s very existence was a contradiction to the image of Pakistan that had formed in his mind over the last couple of days, for here was a city that reminded him most of back home; a planned, modern city where people were caught up in their work and seldom had time for one another. Yet it had the Pakistani touch, for Islamabad was not a concrete jungle; here was modernism intermingled with natural beauty; a city set against the backdrop of the Margalla Hills. Putting it all together, Michael felt like he had seen the beauty of the entire world in that one week, and yet it was all here in one small country.

The thing about Pakistan that truly won him over though, was its people. Pakistan was not just another country; it was a conjunction of versatile cultures, each with its own customs and historical backgrounds. But the people chose not to associate themselves as Punjabis, Sindhis, Balochis or Pathans, but as Pakistanis. And their warmth and care astounded him. If anyone was in trouble, a whole contingent of people would rush to help him/her. One’s pain was all’s grief; one’s joy was all’s elation. Despite their busy schedules, they always seem to find time to spend with their families and friends, something he had hardly ever chanced upon back home. It made him realize that the Pakistanis were not just a nation; they were truly a brotherhood. They were groups of people who hardly had anything in common, but they chose to put their uniting factor before that: love for their country.

It was something that puzzled him greatly. Despite all the wonderful things he had discovered about Pakistan, he could see that this was a greatly troubled place. Suicide bombings, loadshedding, depletion of natural resources, no sense of security, corruption, absence of justice; all were dragging this country deeper and deeper into the depths of illiteracy and ignorance. So why this mindless patriotism? Why choose to live a difficult life in this country? Why not seek a life abroad, if possible?

He knew he would forever remember the chills that had run down his spine when a youngster, no more than fifteen, had answered this question for him:

“Pakistan to love hai. Hamara jeena, marna, sab is kay liay hai. Ye zindagi to sirf do, chaar din ka khail hai. Agar ye bhi hum apnay mulk kay liay qurban nahi kar saktay to hum kis qisam k mulki hain?”

Pakistan is love. Our life, death is all for it. This life is a play of just two to four days. If we can’t sacrifice even that for our country, what sort of nationals are we?

You might feel that I went overboard with optimism at places, and chose to ignore our tribulations completely. But in these harsh times, we often end up needing a reason to justify our love for Pakistan. At times, we need to let go of our harsh criticism, forget our troubles and focus on what is positive. This article was penned down with this very intent.

Happy Independence Day. Long live Pakistan.

Does Non-Patriotism equal Betrayal?

Pakistan has been seeing more than its fair share of problems in recent years. Be it suicide bombings, loadshedding, depletion of natural resources, no sense of security, corruption, the classic example of ‘justice delayed, justice denied’ or as such, life in Pakistan is no longer what it used to be. Every year, there comes a point where the people of Pakistan say to themselves, “It can’t get any worse than this”. But it does. The awful living conditions in Pakistan do not maintain a semblance of stagnancy, but rather one of continued degradation. In such circumstances, many a people living in Pakistan feel unpatriotic, and aspire to leave this country and seek a life abroad. Out of them some try, and few succeed. The question of essence is: can these people be blamed for feeling this way?

I have spent my 18 years of life in Pakistan, and one thing that I have come to know about this nation is that we are a hot-headed people. Regardless of the fact that many people might say otherwise, we do realize the sacrifices that our grandfathers rendered for the creation of this country, and so love for our country is boundless. Patriotism is something we hold at par with virtues such as honesty, courtesy, tolerance etc. But the truth of the matter is that patriotism is not a virtue per se. While being patriotic certainly is a very good trait to own, being unpatriotic is not a crime. If a person does not love his country, it gives me no right to judge him or condemn him to an act of criminality.

But the Pakistani people do not see it this way. This is a twisted fact, but a true one nonetheless, that Pakistani people often tend to take pride in the fact that they are having to survive through all sorts of troubles. Slogans like, “If you can’t sleep without electricity in the heat, you’re not a true Pakistani” and as such are common throughout the country. Consequently, if a person wants to leave this country and settle elsewhere because of how difficult life has become here, he is considered weak and immoral. But it doesn’t stop at that. He is also considered a traitor to the country and the people. People tend to develop ill feelings towards all those who want to leave this country. But is this really just? Let me describe the life of a common, middle-class man in Pakistan. You have to suffer a curse like loadshedding throughout the year, even in the extremely hot months of June and July, so you can neither get proper sleep nor concentrate on your work. There is no sense of security. At any moment, anything can happen to you. You cannot afford to be seen driving an expensive car, wearing an expensive watch or handling an expensive mobile, since it can be snatched away from you anytime at a moment’s notice. There is no justice here; if anyone wrongs you in anyway, you just have to put up with it. Inflation has risen so high that it has deteriorated the upper class people into middle class ones and the middle class people into lower class ones. The concept of education here is not to gain knowledge, but rather to make money from wherever you can. Jobs are dying out day by day, since the higher ups refuse to retire and vacate their posts, and gain extensions instead. Is this place really fit to live in, then? Can one be blamed for wanting to leave this country?

Also, if a person leaves a country doesn't mean he can't contribute to it anymore. A lot of people go abroad, but turn to their country in the time of need. There are many people who go abroad for higher studies. Once they have enough experience, they come back and create jobs rather than fight for them. For example, a Chartered Accountant with enough experience can set up an accountancy firm, which would help other students grow. Same goes for doctors; they often choose to set up hospitals rather than working in one. In fact, many people send money to their country from abroad which gives a great boost to the economy, and helps sustain its economical, fiscal and monetary policies. Would you label a person who does all that but does not live in his country a traitor?

Then there is the question of freedom of thought. As a citizen of a free country, I am entitled to hold my own opinion on matters without having people to judge me. Why then, can I not choose to be unpatriotic about my country? After all, you cannot force a man to be good person. You can only teach him the difference between right and wrong and then leave it up to him to choose which path to follow. Why not the same for patriotism? Because if love for our country is something that is people are forced to accept instead of letting them make up their minds about it themselves, then we are not individual citizens, rather mindless drones.

In my opinion, patriotism and love for one’s country is not as big and serious an issue as we tend to make it; hardly anything more than a personal choice. Patriotism is certainly an admirable quality, and God knows it is the one thing that is holding our country together. Patriotism is what unites us, and what is getting us through these tough times. And to possess it in such harsh conditions is no less than a feat. But if one isn’t patriotic, it’s not a crime, is it?

Our religion is perfect... Or is it?

It is the holy month of Ramazan these days, and the time of forgiveness, abstinence, and prayer has been upon us for quite some time. This year’s Ramazan was one we all had been dreading, for it was stationed in the extremely hot months of July and August. Some of the days were extremely tough, whereas others were relatively easy upon us. It was one of these days where I found myself musing over the fact that eighteen days of Ramazan have passed already. My brain registered this fact with a certain degree of shock, for it didn’t quite feel like the feat it was supposed to. I remember a time when the first fifteen days of Ramazan seemed interminable, and the huge sigh of relief we would heave when they had passed. But now, nothing. It seemed like the eighteen days of Ramazan were not much different from any other ordinary day,

And suddenly, it struck me why. It’s because the days of Ramazan are nothing more than ordinary days for us. Think about it: what more meaning does the month of Ramazan hold for most of us other than abstaining from food and drink? It is common to hear people exclaiming with pride, “tera bhai Sehri k baad soya aur Iftar se ghanta pehlay utha!” (Your brother slept after Sehri and awoke just an hour before Iftar time!). What is the point of fasting then? Because the purpose of the holy month of Ramazan is so much more than to merely make us realize the hardships of having to go without food and drink. It is the month where the gates of forgiveness are opened, and the devil is chained. It is the perfect opportunity to seek forgiveness for your sins, and set your priorities right. But if we do not avail these wonderful opportunities, then our fasting is nothing more than mindlessly subjecting our body to physical discomfort, is it?

And then I realized that this small, trivial thought has far-reaching implications. It is just not our Ramazan that has this problem, rather the whole of our religion. Islam is not just a mere religion; it is a complete code of life. It has given us counsel on each and every detail of life, minute as it might be. But we have restricted our religion to nothing more than its practices. If a person prays five times a day regularly, and he fasts, and he reads the Quran, we proclaim him to be a “pakka Jannati”. He is the most pious person ever. Is Islam restricted to religious practices only? What of all the rest of the things that Islam teaches us? What of all the small things such as how to how to treat your parents, how to behave with your teachers, what to do and what to refrain from in a social gathering, the concept of ‘Pardah’, refrain from backbiting and flattery and whatnot? Here’s a little example to elaborate. Often when hanging out with friends, we tend to taunt or insult each other (the correct term for it in Urdu is ‘point maarna’), or we tend to swear at others in general conversation. The victim flushes and retaliates. This kind of thing is usually done in a joking and relaxed manner, so it’s all good… Or is it? Think about the person you taunt or swear at. He retaliates, but what about the small stab of pain/hurt he feels before that? It may be momentary and trivial, but it is there nonetheless. And how is the Muslim defined? According to a rough translation, “A Muslim is he by whose hand and tongue other Muslims are safe”. We tend to forget all these little things and more that make Islam the perfect religion, and choose instead to declare ourselves the perfect Muslim based solely on following the Islamic practices.

Then there is another factor that needs to be mentioned here: the fact that we have made Islam a more restricted religion than it really is. People supporting the ‘liberal’ viewpoint often label Islam as an extremist religion, and they aren’t far off. Truth is, in our mindless battle to support Islam against the Western practices, we often end up condemning practices and concepts that are actually permitted. Consider the concept of education for girls. Hadeeth says, “Education is compulsory for every Muslim, man or woman”. Yet we maintain that girls should not get education. The concept of girls and boys studying together. It is one of those things we love to hate, and while it is not exactly favored in Islam, it’s not forbidden either, as long as the students dress properly and obey the limits. Then some people tend to limit religion to language. They consider it wrong to converse in languages such as Hebrew, the language of the Jews. But one must understand that it is not the language that is bad, rather the things were said in them. Conversing in Hebrew would not automatically be bad, or wrong. The perfect analogy to explain this scenario is to consider Islam as a pond of clear water; the perfect religion, a complete code of life. But what we tend to do is fill a cup of water from this pond, and make it the extent of our religion. Can the people be blamed for calling Islam an extremist religion then?

This small, trivial thought provides a possible answer to a very crucial question very common nowadays: Islam is perfect, but Muslims are not. Why is that? In my opinion, there is a difference between the Islam that is and the Islam we follow. We only follow a small chunk of the whole religion that is Islam. No one bothers to conduct a little research, to find out the extent of what Islam demands and offers outside of religious practices. Islam is perfect, but Muslims are not? No. The Islam we follow is not perfect. How then, can the Muslims be perfect?

The Female Fiasco

In light of recent events in this year’s ongoing Olympics, we have seen a number of protests in favour of equality of women or as they put it Feminism. It roots from the word female so people who want to promulgate it (chiefly women) have a clear insight of their purpose. There have been rebellious demonstrations of people who want a society with equal dichotomy of male and female with respect to exposure in all forms of life. In essence, they want females to be as open as they possibly can so any typical woman would not be indifferent.

What we recently saw in the Olympics was no nut job women like the psycho who killed innocent people in America during the Dark Knight Rises premiere. She was a Ukrainian who went half naked with a poster on her bare chest written “No Shariah”, just to publicize the meaning of Feminism, as well as bring a setback to the Muslim contenders who are already facing a clash with the holy month of Ramzan. More to the point she has targeted the Palestinian Muslim female who covered her full body while running in an event. The news quickly became rampant and got the viewers in a dilemma. It might have been a publicity stunt but it has got the people thinking that why Muslims have to be indifferent to certain standards set for everyone which now of course pertain to the Olympics. As for the activist I would call for some self-respect and advocating training if she had any and her actions show otherwise the kind of Feminism that she wanted people to comprehend.

Feminism is not a hot favourite topic to discuss today but it has been with those nations who claim to be its godfathers. Contrary to the popular belief that America is the superior Feminist nation, it is the same nation who had been strangling its throat for years. It holds good grounds that women have risen in their society to secure and potent positions. However, as a result of female suffrage, women were not allowed to cast their vote no earlier than the beginning of the 20^th century. Even black people had those rights by the year 1858. Although we are missing the point here that never has a woman from their social order been elected for president. A nation who used to undermine and detest black people would now rather have a Negro be president rather than Hillary Clinton who was an obvious candidate. Moreover, the skin show culture in these countries is a normality. What more is there to hide when you are oblivious to the fact that you have sold your body and not the product? I am afraid to say that Feminism is being wrongly perceived and to make matters worse being secreted for making women easier objects to handle.   

It is not sufficient to say that Feminism will be justified by consolidating fewer coverage of body with liberalism. If people have a problem with it then first they should remove their double standards. I am afraid to say that Feminism has been restricted to a nude science of women and I don’t mean to offend the Olympics or any given place with an attire criteria. Competition should be based on the dexterity of the athlete in a particular game and not the weight of their outfit. Respect and equality for women in all spheres of the community should be appreciated whether it is economic, political, educational or employment. Islam has from its inception been the paragon of equality for all of mankind. Stature for mother, daughter and wife was given. Right to vote was allowed from the start and let’s not forget that Benazir Bhutto was the first female Prime Minister of Pakistan and also the first Muslim women for any Islamic state. I would not argue with the extremist part of the world who only speak nonsense and no Islam, and who have compelled women to live a life of despair. Nevertheless we should not mix it up with a culture where certain clothing is traditional. What I feel is that there is less debate of Feminism and more targeting of the Muslim world. Food for thought ?  

People Still Care

Today I witnessed an event; the consequence of which was the dawn of a significant realization upon me. In itself, the event was not that remarkable, but it had far-reaching implications. This afternoon found me standing next to the Daman-e-Koh entrance, waiting for a friend. Being Islamabad, the month of July, and 43 degrees, naturally I was all hot and bothered by the intense heat. Nearby, there was a broken pipe that had been gushing water like a fountain for over 45 minutes before these two beggar kids arrived at the spot. One of them immediately rushed to a nearby tree and started peeling off branches. He started beckoning and shouting to his friends, asking them to help, maintaining that “paani zaya ho raha hai” (the water is being wasted). With their help, he stuffed the tree branches in the hole of the pipe and stopped the water from leaking and wasting.

While on the outer surface this incident may not seem to be particularly remarkable, it is what this occurrence implies that is of essence. Consider Ali: a nine-year old boy who belongs to the lowest class of people in Pakistan. He makes his living by selling flowers to car drivers on the roads. He suffers the brunt of all the crisis Pakistan is going through the most. And yet, today while others chose to simply look on and remain indulged in their apathy, Ali chose to care. This small act of his shows that he is aware of and cares about the fact that water is already scarce in our country, and it should not be wasted. It shows that he cares about Pakistan; the country which has forced him to make a scrimpy living by selling flowers in the sweltering heat; as well as about the people of Pakistan, most of whom he encounters on the roads and whom he gets told off by regularly for ‘being an annoyance’.

Considering the crisis our country is presently going through, a kid like Ali shines like a beacon of hope for all of us. This seemingly insignificant act of his shows that while conditions here may go from bad to worse, and from worse to worst, only to realize that the worst is yet to come, there are people here who still care about Pakistan and fellow Pakistanis. People who are ready to brave all that our corrupt governments are throwing at us, and more. People who are willing to pull out a last-ditch effort to save their beloved homeland, when the time is right. And while such people exist, you know your country is in safe hands.

Islam is Perfect but Muslims are not!

The term "Islamic Republic" is often used for many Muslim countries, but are the Muslim nations really following the Islamic model? Majority would definitely say "No"! Islam is the religion of about one billion people and is a rapidly growing faith worldwide, particularly in Africa. The United States, for example, boasts almost a million converts to Islam (plus an even larger number of Muslim immigrants). Islam's adherents find their faith second to none, for their religion possesses the code of life or in definition ‘Peace acquired by submitting your will to God’. As a leading figure in the Islamic Republic of Iran maintains, "Any Westerner who really understands Islam will envy the lives of Muslims."

Contributing to this internal confidence is the memory of outstanding achievements during Islam's first six or so centuries. Its new culture was the most sophisticated, Muslims enjoyed the best health and lived the longest, had the highest rates of literacy, sponsored the most advanced scientific and technical research, and deployed usually victorious armies. This pattern of success was evident from the beginning: in A.D. 622 Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) fled Mecca as a refugee, only to return eight years later as its ruler. As early as the year 715, Muslim conquerors had assembled an empire that extended from Spain in the west to India in the east. To be a Muslim meant to belong to a superior civilization in all manners of life. Muslims, not surprisingly came to assume a correlation between their faith and their worldly success, to assume that they were the favored of God in both spiritual and mundane matters.

Though in modern times battlefield victories and prosperity have been notably lacking. Indeed, as early as the thirteenth century, Islam's atrophy and Christendom's advances were already becoming discernible. But for some five hundred years longer, Muslims remained largely oblivious to the extraordinary developments taking place to their north. Perhaps the most dramatic alert came in July 1798, when Napoleon Bonaparte landed in Egypt - the center of the Muslim world - and conquered it with stunning ease. Other assaults followed over the next century and more, and before long most Muslims were living under the rule of European Colonialism. As their power and influence waned, a sense of incomprehension spread among the Muslims. What had gone wrong? Why had God seemingly abandoned them?

The trauma of modern Islam results from this sharp and unmistakable contrast between medieval successes and more recent tribulations. Muslims have had an exceedingly hard time explaining what went wrong. Nor has the passage of time made this task any easier, for the same ill-fated circumstances still exist. Whatever index one employs, Muslims can be found clustering towards the bottom - whether measured in terms of their military prowess, political stability, economic development, human rights, health, longevity or literacy. The Asian Renaissance (1997) that whereas Muslims make up just one-fifth of the world's total population, they constitute more than half of the 1.2 billion people living in abject poverty. As the imam of a mosque in Jerusalem put it not long ago, "Before, we were masters of the world and now we're not even masters of our own mosques."

So what went wrong?

In their effort to build a way of life based purely on the Sharia laws, Muslims strained to reject all aspects of Western influence - customs, philosophy, political institutions and values. Despite these efforts, they still absorb vast amounts from the West in endless ways. For one, they need modern technology, especially its military and medical applications. For another, they themselves tend to be modern individuals, and so are far more imbued with Western ways than they wish to be or will ever acknowledge.

And when Sharia based government does take power, as in Iran, Sudan and Afghanistan, the result is invariably a disaster. Economic decline begins immediately. Iran, where for two decades the standard of living has almost relentlessly declined, offers the most striking example of this. Personal rights are disregarded. Repression of women is an absolute requirement, a practice most dramatically on display in Afghanistan, where they have been excluded from schools and jobs.

In the end, my personal opinion is that we have adopted the modernized Islam in ourselves and completely forgotten the true principles of Islam. We are pretending to be unaware that we still follow the sayings of Allah and his Prophet. We adopted our own religion which varies from each person to other. To take Muslim world out of misery, we all Muslims countries should start the campaign of understanding the true Islam and unite to solve our international issues. It's a very difficult task in this era but we have to take the initiative because it's the first step towards the Muslims prosperity.

Accept Israel- A Solution to Muslim World Misery

What is the ultimate decision to end the so-called war against Muslims by the whole western world? We have to understand that everything can't serve our interests. It's time to accept the bitter truth and look to move forward. After World War 1 and dismantling of Ottoman Empire, there was enough room for both Palestinians and the minor population of Jews, but most of the land was ruled by Kingdom of Jordan. On November 2, 1917, in Balfour declaration, it was decided that a Jewish national homeland would be built in Palestine. We must consider that the State of Israel is not a newly born state and that it existed before the Persian Empire (1392 BC).  There was always a Jewish population in the region. When the number of Jewish immigrants suddenly rose onwards from the 1880's, the economy of this very under populated and very poor country to accelerated dramatically, attracting the parallel stream of Arabs from the surrounding countries who came in looking for jobs. A famous Palestine leader, Areef Dajani said: "It is impossible to live with the Jews. In all countries where they were at present, they were not wanted because they always arrive and suck the blood of everybody and if the immigration of Jews didn't stop, this county would become a river of blood". In Peel's commission report 1937, it was decided to divide the territory into two states; 20% to Jews along the North Sea coast and remaining 80 % to Palestine but again rejected by Arabs. During the Israeli War of Independence 1948, the local Arab armies and leaders identified with Syria, Jordan, and Egypt and thought of themselves as such. At the end of the war, the Arab allotted land was divided between Israel, Egypt (Gaza), and Jordan. The Egyptians refused to let the Gazans become independent or Egyptian citizens. Eventually, the Jordanians did allow some refugees become citizens, but not all. There had been many peace conferences where it was decided that Israel would return to Pre-1967 Borders but the talks never went further and were rejected by Arabs. At Camp David in 2000, new partition plan was proposed again to Palestine giving a west bank/Gaza Palestine State and east Jerusalem as Palestine Capital but Yasser Arafat walked out of negotiations and launched a second attack. In 2005, Israel moved to 1967 border leaving flower industry to start the local economy but the response was opposite and they burnt the greenhouse industry. In September 2008, Israel offered 100 % of West Bank and Gaza to prior June 1967 border and East Jerusalem as capital but again rejected by Palestine Prime Minister.

Well my point of discussion is not just acceptance of Israel?

Acceptance of Israel State by the Muslim world would allow to end the cold war between west and east; USA, UN, Arabs, Israel, Pakistan and India. Furthermore, peace talks can be held for the future of Iraq and Palestine stopping the Muslims bloodshed. We have to understand that this is a global politics scenario. Jerusalem, Baghdad, Kabul and next targets; Iran (Tehran) and Pakistan (Karachi) are a part of plan to seize the fuel resources of Central Asia. Whosoever reached there would able to control the future world. But, acceptance of Israel can lead us to many solutions. We believe Zionists had captured the land of Palestine, well at least what history tells us. For instance, Mughals too captured the land of Hindus and was ruled by Muslim leaders. Similarly, the Raja of Kashmir decided to join India during partition, leaving Kashmiri Muslims in misery. This is no false analogy. Though Jews and Muslims are believers of holy books yet they failed to come up with mutual acceptance. We as Muslim states have failed to increase our joint perceptive instead of strengthening the Islamic Council, leading us to face these challenges in the present era. If we were strong enough and not habitual of USA interference in our countries (Pakistan, Iran 60’s, Egypt, Saudi Arab, Iraq, Syria), the present era would have been different. If we have to live peacefully then cordial relationships between countries are important, so resolving Palestine issue is of major significance.indu HiH On the other hand, Hindus and Muslims are two completely different nations but they were living together since 1556 until their struggle for independence till 1947. The main deadlock between these two countries is on water issues and terrorism. First of all, we must sign a 10 or 25 year peace treaty, so we could save billions of Rupees of military expenditure since 1947. Trade and travelling would allow gaining confidence of each other and then we could talk on Kashmir issue; dividing the Kashmir and Resources with mutual approval is the only possible answer to both the parties and Kashmir.