The Unconscious Belief

If I were to tell you my inspiration for this article, you might be a bit surprised. The other day at my office, the people started up a random discussion, which basically went along the lines of, "If you knew that you're going to die in a few hours and that you're going to hell for certain, would you kill everyone you hate?"

Most people said yes. Some people asked how much time they exactly had, as so to decide whether they could kill slowly and painfully or not. Some started wondering what would happen if they met the very person(s) they killed in hell later. But you get the general response.

I had my diplomatic answer of "I'd rather use the time to tell my loved ones that I love them" ready, but as it turns out, nobody really cares about interns.

Anyway, this question led my mind to wander along a trail weaved with reminiscence and deep thought. I remembered certain occasions where some particular friends had proclaimed things like, “Yaar hum to pakkay dozakhi hain”, and, “We're already going to hell anyway, so might as well”. If they are so sure of their state-of-affairs in the afterlife, will they start killing everyone they hate a few hours from their death?

Somehow, I think that even if they had some way of extracting knowledge about the time of their deaths, some certain people I could name but won't would still be safe.

The obvious question at this point is, how come? If a person truly believes that he will go to hell regardless of whatever he does, I'm sure he would cease to care about a lot of things. But while you may come across many people who have a firm belief that hell is indeed the only place for them in the afterlife, they still abstain from utter indifference. The reason being, they don't really believe that will end up in hell. And why? Because,

He is the Most Merciful, and the Most Beneficent.

I personally believe that such apparently hopeless people; or any of us, for that matter; don't truly believe that they will end up in hell, despite of all the sins they may have committed and may continue to do so. It is a fact we just cannot come to terms with, because there is still that small smidgen of hope, based on the infinite mercy of Allah, that we shall be forgiven on the Day of Judgment; that things will somehow work out, and that we can escape the unimaginable horror that awaits the non-believers. Allah is the All Powerful and the All Merciful; in Him we trust.

However, there could be a negative aspect to this too. If this really is the reason and this unrealized-to-most belief really does exist, some people might take this a tad too far, and continue to commit all sorts of wrongs and sins regardless, and simply shrug it off saying, 'Allah maaf karnay wala hai yaar'. I have seen this happen many times and while it's good to have this firm a belief in His mercy, you surely aren't earning yourself any favors by continuing to commit these wrongdoings, whatever they may be. Allah may be prepared to overlook these acts, but why not try giving Him a reason to do so? And what better time for a change of habit(s) than the holy month of Ramazan? 

Of course, this all may be baloney and may not make a lot of sense, if any at all since it is currently 5 in the morning and I wrote this simply because I felt like writing and nothing else came to mind, but as long as it may serve a good purpose, what's the harm?

Can't come up with a title... NOT ready for publishing!

If you were one of the unfortunate victims of the deranged and vicious attack on the Christian community in Lahore a couple of months back, chances are that you are one of those really few people in Pakistan who still hasn’t applied the forgive and forget, or rather forget, policy related to the whole event. You were there; you know the whole story. No one else knows the cold, piercing fear that impaled your heart the night the police and then a mob gathered at the house of the accused. How you and your whole community were forced to flee, fearing the worst. The worst, which you’d been imagining too demented to actually happen. And then the sense of unreality that gripped you as you stared in horror at the ashes of what had once been something that belonged to you; at the charred roads and black smoke that encompassed what had once been your home; and the only thought running through your mind was:

You: What did I ever do to deserve this?

And then along comes one of the many people responsible for the burnings; the man of the hour, here to rescue you from the plight of your endless/conclusion-less pondering.

Deranged maniacs: You committed blasphemy. You insulted our Prophet (S.A.W).

You: But… I did not do anything.

Deranged maniac: Well, one of you did. You all had to be taught a lesson.

You: But the man who committed the actual blasphemy got arrested! Isn’t that lesson enough?

Deranged maniac: Pah! You’d like to think so, wouldn’t you? But it’s not as simple as that. In matters as serious as this, a stronger statement is always needed.

You: So basically, if one of us committed a blasphemous act, you deemed it fit to burn down the entire Christian community? Punish all for the crime of one? Just to send a ‘statement’?

Deranged maniac: Blasphemy is a very serious crime in our religion, boy. It must be dealt with a punishment as severe as the crime itself.

You: I don’t really get how the severity of one man committing blasphemy and that of burning down an entire community match up…

Deranged maniac: Spare me the clever talk, boy. You tell me this: what is your problem with our religion? We’re willing to live in peace with you Christians, but you’re not making that entirely possible, are you?

You: Oh, oh, so you’re calling punishing all of us brutally for one person’s crime ‘living in peace’?

Deranged maniac: Why are you portraying it like that? We’re the actual victims here!

You: You’re the victims here? HOW?

Deranged maniac: You heard me. We’re the actual victims here, just as we always are. Victims of your propagandas, always targeting our religion. This was merely a way to defend ourselves.

You: You burn down the entire Christian community to defend yourself?

Deranged maniac: That was the only way. For a strong statement was needed to keep you people in check, since you obviously can’t do that yourself. I repeat: blasphemy is a VERY serious crime in our religion.

You: Are you implying that we should keep a check on EVERYONE here and stop them from committing a crime; else it’s hell for all of us? That’s impossible.

Deranged maniac: (shrugs) Then deal with the consequences. Remember: as you sow, so shall you reap.

You: So you’re actually defending the mindless atrocity of your actions.

Deranged maniac: I stand by what happened. You deserved it.

You: Deserve – what, HOW? Okay, let me explain the situation to you in very simple words. Suppose a person committed a robbery. The punishment for that in Islam is that the hand of the one responsible gets cut off, right?

Deranged maniac: (nods vigorously) Yes.

You: Okay. So if a person steals, do you cut his hand off, or do you go and cut off the hands of his entire family as well?

Deranged maniac: Only the person who stole would be punished. Why his family? Islam is a very fair and just religion.

You: Exactly. So isn’t ours the same case? If a person commits blasphemy – what’s the penalty for blasphemy in Islam again?

Deranged maniac: (sourly) Death.

You: Exactly. So if a person commits blasphemy, would you not have him sentenced to death? Why burn all of our belongings and possessions down as well?

Deranged maniac: (growing frustrated) These two are completely different things!

You: HOW, pray tell? Or are you implying that blasphemy is a special case in Islam where you are allowed to take the law into your own hands and inflict whatever punishment you deem fit on the criminal?

Deranged maniac: Of course not. Islam is just.

You: Is it really? Your actions certainly suggest otherwise. Or maybe that’s because there IS no penalty for blasphemy in Islam, and you don’t know what to do about it!

Deranged maniac: (growing increasingly frustrated) There is. Stop insulting our religion.

You: I’m not insulting anything; I’m only pointing out what seems evident. Is it the fact that there is a penalty for blasphemy in Islam; you just don’t know what it is and thus decided to act of your own accord?

Deranged maniac: (suppressed anger) Are you implying that we are ignorant of the ways of our religion? Because if that’s the case –

You: Well, it’s either that, for I refuse to believe that considering how ‘perfect’ and ‘just’ Islam is, as you keep reiterating, it would allow something as senseless and unjust as this.

Deranged maniac: (seething) Do not doubt Islam, it is the fittest religion!

You: Then why are you continuously giving me reasons to doubt that?

Deranged maniac: I don’t know what you’re talking about.

You: I’ll TELL you what I’m talking about. I’ll tell you what really happened. The penalty for blasphemy in Islam is death; death for the criminal. But that isn’t enough for you people, is it? You always talk of Islam being the perfect religion – and maybe it is! Yet you don’t consider it perfect according to your intemperate views, and thus are redefining Islam, molding it according to your perspectives, and yet using it to defend your actions! You are using your religion, your beloved and PERFECT Islam, as an excuse for oppression. And that, my -

Deranged maniac: (takes out a gun and shoots you).

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 ?  

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.

Call Me Extremist but Stop Homosexuality In Pakistan

Well, I watched rally and support in USA and Europe, start getting the news, films and rally from the neighbor India , now I can hear the noise in Pakistan as well: Right Of Homosexual. There had been many cases of same sex marriages in Pakistan; ones which can be read and seen on television (blah, blah news channel) and forced  Islamic Republic of Pakistan to think about it. As an Islamic country, it cannot be the part of  constitution but are we true Islamic state? What about our liberal image in West media? This is the issue sooner or later our country has to deal with.

There was a social gathering in US embassy in which Homosexuals community of Pakistan were invited which causes an outrage among the religious parties.  What was US motive in all that? We have allowed India to distract our Indus culture through their media. Though It was late call from  Chief Justice Chaudary Iftikar when he took a serious note and banned several Indian channel to put aside the nation from being amalgamate with Indian culture( accurately Hinduism philosophy). US embassy imposed the major threat to the society with Bisexual issue. As I said earlier, We have to make a strong stand against US embassy. When I talk about strong stand, many people will consider me as an extremist and make me reference to Human rights and Liberalism : Right To Show What You Are!!

Coming on the point that whether Homosexuality is an act of liberalism or extremism, I think that it is not associated with either. When someone is not in control of their sexuality then the purpose of their God given gender is lost. Being bisexual is a totally a personal affair, and even supporting it. The very concept of bisexuality has become an epidemic in recent years. It has been accepted in some countries (States of President Obama) and in some it has become an outrage which disrespects our moral creed. To any layman, homosexuality would be considered blasphemous and I am one of them of course. Nature is not forgiving and the act of bisexuality would be to change the course of nature itself, which can be referred to as extremism. People now understand that bisexuality is an open secret, so why shy away from it. Medically, it causes the spread of viral diseases such as HIV. Its abandon  in utmost religion and punishes defined hereafter (esp. in Islam, Christianity, Judaism)

In the end, I suggest that we have to consider the issue in future so why does not now?  It's always better to stop the fire before it gets too late. We can end the dilemma and make the strong statement to the world and Muslim Countries that though we call ourselves liberal but we know the restrictions in liberalism as a modern Islamic state.