From 'tapping the energy of djinns' to an 'Al Qaeda' mindset.

Survival of the fittest

Irfan Husain
Wednesday, 14 Oct, 2009

Dr Abdul Salam, Pakistani theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate in Physics. — File photo

Last night I saw the first in a new BBC series of nature programmes called Life. Narrated by David Attenborough, the TV show was a dazzling example of photography and painstaking research. We were treated to the sight of a dozen killer whales hunting seals in the Arctic; a mother octopus who starves to death while tending her eggs; and sundry other animals, birds and fish exhibiting the most extraordinary behaviour in their struggle to survive.

This endless struggle to survive and procreate was also the subject of a recent series about Charles Darwin. Written and presented by Richard Dawkins, the biologist and campaigner for Darwin’s theory of evolution, it was a brilliant exposition of our emergence from the primeval slime millions of years ago.

And finally, I watched hypnotised as a programme on the Hubble telescope filled our TV screen with stunning images of distant stars, nebulae and galaxies. Captured by the orbiting telescope, objects whose light has been travelling for thousands of years appeared in dazzling colours and forms.

All three TV programmes served as reminders of man’s insignificance when measured on the universal scale of time and distance. Although the universe was created around 14 billion years ago, it is still expanding. Life emerged hundreds of millions ago on our planet, and is still evolving.

Cern, the European nuclear research centre on the border of France and Switzerland, is currently trying to recreate the conditions that followed within milliseconds of the Big Bang that created the universe. Here, the Large Hadron Collider is man’s most ambitious to investigate the very origins of the physical universe, as well as other mysteries of quantum physics.

Given the cutting edge nature of the research at Cern, it was disconcerting to learn that a scientist had been arrested on the charges of corresponding with AQIM, the North African arm of Al Qaeda. Of Algerian origin, Adlene Hicheur was corresponding with the terrorist group by email, and apparently had been trying to identify possible targets.

Even though his research did not equip him to cause any serious damage, Hicheur, if found guilty, is clearly on the same ideological wavelength as Osama bin Laden. Somehow, I have naively assumed that scientists are above the siren call of religious extremism. After all, how can you explore the earliest moments of the creation of the universe, and simultaneously accept the literalist interpretation of the event given by many religious texts, and blindly accepted by extremists?

Pervez Hoodbhoy, in his eminently lucid book Muslims and Science, gave examples of Pakistani nuclear scientists who engaged in research into the supernatural. In a conference on miracles in Islam organised in Islamabad under Zia, one of our scientists presented a paper on the possibility of tapping the energy of djinns to meet our power requirements. Another worked out how to calculate the degree of hypocrisy in society.

Now I do not question anybody’s right to follow his own line of research, no matter how eccentric. However, if scientists are conducting research at institutions funded by taxpayers, we do have the right to expect some more meaningful output. And when retired nuclear scientists are found to be close to Al Qaeda, as at least two from our scientific establishment were after 9/11, eyebrows will be raised around the world.

As we have learned to our cost, many doors have been shut to Muslims after 9/11. Visas, never easy to obtain before that world-changing event, are harder to come by than ever before. Log on to visa requirements for most Western (and many Muslim) states, and you will see that applicants from over two dozen Muslim countries now have their applications processed through sundry databases in the countries they wish to visit. All this causes endless delays.

Many Western universities no longer admit Muslim students to nuclear or biological research centres. They have seen post-graduate students from their departments returning home and getting involved in weapons research and development. And after A.Q. Khan’s alleged theft of plans for uranium enrichment equipment from his Dutch laboratory, how many Muslim scientists would get jobs at similar nuclear establishments?

Understandably, many Muslims who do not subscribe to extremist philosophy feel bitter at being rejected because of the actions of a handful. But after Hicheur’s arrest, how can you blame Westerners for being suspicious? After all, he was a French national who had studied at some of the finest institutions in Britain and the United States. So if he could go over to Al Qaeda and seriously contemplate terrorist attacks, what’s to stop other Muslims from following the same path?

The danger is that through the misguided actions of Hicheur and a few scientists like him, the Muslim world will find itself cut off from the mainstream of scientific research. Already, we are trailing far behind the rest of the world in the sciences, as we are in so much else. For decades, virtually no original research has been conducted in Muslim nations. And when we miraculously produce a Nobel-prize winner like Dr Abdus Salam, we drive him away by our bigotry.

Our excuse for our backwardness in the sciences is the poverty that is endemic in so many Muslim countries. But this is not true for several oil-rich states. The reality is that there is not a single world-class research institution in any Islamic country. Instead of squabbling over the fine points of dogma, if we could devote some of our energy to acquiring knowledge, we would all be far better off today.

I have no doubt that Hichuer is a hero to many Muslims who remain mired in a permanent sense of paranoia and past grievances, real and imagined. When I mentioned A.Q. Khan’s nuclear proliferation activities in a recent article, I was attacked by several readers for not appreciating his efforts to make Pakistan a nuclear power. And now, as the Kerry-Lugar Bill continues to be criticised, in part because it seeks to curb future proliferation, I am sure many Pakistanis will fulminate against the injustice of the American legislation. But the harsh reality is that life is unfair; and as Darwin has outlined in his theory of evolution, only the fittest survive and prosper.

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Faheem Hussain -- as I knew him

Saturday, October 03, 2009 Pervez Hoodbhoy It was mid-October 1973 when, after a gruelling 26-hour train ride from Karachi, I reached the physics department of Islamabad University (or Quaid-e-Azam University, as it is now known). As I dumped my luggage and "hold-all" in front of the chairman's office, a tall, handsome man with twinkling eyes looked at me curiously. He was wearing a bright orange Che Guevara t-shirt and shocking green pants. His long beard, though shorter than mine, was just as unruly and unkempt. We struck up a conversation. At 23, I had just graduated from MIT and was to be a lecturer in the department; he had already been teaching as associate professor for five years. The conversation turned out to be the beginning of a lifelong friendship. Together with Abdul Hameed Nayyar - also bearded at the time - we became known as the Sufis of Physics. Thirty six years later, when Faheem Hussain lost his battle against prostate cancer, our sadness was beyond measure. Revolutionary, humanist, and scientist, Faheem Hussain embodied the political and social ferment of the late 1960s. With a Ph.D that he received in 1966 from Imperial College London, he had been well-placed for a solid career anywhere in the world. In a profession where names matter, he had worked under the famous P T Mathews in the group headed by the even better known Abdus Salam. After his degree, Faheem spent two years at the University of Chicago. This gave him a chance to work with some of the world's best physicists, but also brought him into contact with the American anti-Vietnam war movement and a powerful wave of revolutionary Marxist thinking. Even decades later, Faheem would describe himself as an "unreconstructed Marxist". Participating in the mass anti-war demonstrations at UC had stirred his moral soul; he felt the urge to do more than just physics. Now married to Jane Steinfels, a like-minded soul who he met in Chicago, Faheem decided to return to Pakistan. Faheem and Jane made an amazing couple. Fully immersed in the outstanding causes of the times, they seemed to have a limitless amount of revolutionary energy. Long before I knew them, they had been protesting against the Pakistan Army's actions in East Pakistan. As Faheem would recount, this was a lonely fight. Many Marxists in those times, inspired by Mao's China, chose to understand the issue in geopolitical terms rather than as a popular struggle for independence. Some leftists ended up supporting the army's mass murder of Bengalis. With Bangladesh now a reality, things moved on. Bhutto's rhetoric of socialism and justice for the poor had inspired nascent trade union movements to sprout across Pakistan's cities. Many, however, quickly turned into organizations for labour control rather than emancipation. There were genuinely independent ones too, such as the Peoples Labour Federation (PLF), an independent Rawalpindi based trade union that saw through Bhutto's shallow rhetoric. In the early 1970s, Faheem and Jane were highly influential in this organization, sometimes providing security and cover to its hunted leadership. Iqbal Bali, who passed away in the middle of this year, would vividly recount those days. Very soon, I joined the small group of leftwing activists that looked up to this couple for instruction and guidance. We formed study groups operating under the PLF, both for self-education and for spreading the message through small study groups of industrial workers. Some, including myself, branched out further, working in distant villages. Gathering material support for the Baloch nationalists, who were fighting an army rejuvenated by Bhutto, was yet another goal for the group. The dream was to bring about a socialist revolution in Pakistan. All this crashed to an end with Bhutto's death by hanging in 1979 and the subsequent consolidation of General Ziaul Haq's coup. Pakistan's Dark Age had just begun. Although Bhutto's regime had turned repressive and violent in its last desperate days, it was gentle in comparison with what was to follow. With dissent savagely muzzled, the only option was to operate underground. On Nov 3, 1981, three of our QAU colleagues and friends were caught, imprisoned, and savaged by the military regime. Jamil Omar, a lecturer in computer science and the "ring leader" - was tortured. Two others – Tariq Ahsan and Mohammed Salim – were also imprisoned and their careers destroyed. Their crime was involvement in the secret publication of "Jamhoori Pakistan", a four-page newsletter that demanded return to democracy and the end of army rule. Although Faheem was not directly involved in "Jamhoori Pakistan", we knew he was being closely watched by the intelligence agencies and could have chosen to hide. Instead, with characteristic fearlessness, he did all that was possible to help locate the abducted teachers, and then to secure their release. But the struggle took its toll. By the mid 1980s, Faheem was in the doldrums. Situated in an academically barren environment, he was able to publish little research of worth. Politically, there was no chance of doing anything significant in the climate of repression. Things had gone downhill in personal terms as well – his marriage with Jane was coming apart. To the great sorrow of their friends, the couple parted ways and Jane returned to America. Encouraged by Faheem, she had written school books on Pakistani history that are still sold and used today. In 1989, Faheem left QAU formally but his involvement in academic and political matters had already dropped off in the year or two before that. From this low point in his life, Faheem struggled upwards. Initially in Germany, and then elsewhere later, he now concentrated solely upon his profession and was able to learn an impressive amount of new physics. Professor Abdus Salam, who by now had received a Nobel Prize for his work, invited Faheem to become a permanent member of the theoretical physics group at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Italy. Faheem remained there until his retirement in 2004. Getting this position was no mean achievement: theoretical physics is a fiercely competitive and notoriously difficult subject. Faheem was the first Pakistani to publish a research paper in one of its most challenging areas – superstring theory. With a cheerful and positive disposition, and an abiding concern for the welfare of others, Faheem quickly became popular at the ICTP. His laughter would resonate in the institute's corridors. With time, he took on administrative responsibilities as well and was instrumental in setting up a "diploma programme" that admits students from third world countries for advanced studies in various areas. Now married to Sara, a beautiful and even-tempered Italian woman, he was equally comfortable with Italians and Pakistanis or, for that matter, Indians. To Faheem, a cultural amphibian, differences between nations carried no meaning. And then came retirement time. What to do? I wrote to Faheem: come back! He agreed. Finding money was not a problem – Pakistan's higher education was experiencing a budgetary boom. But his old university, plagued by base rivalries and a contemptuous disdain for learning, refused. Specious arguments were given to prevent one of its own founding members, now one of Pakistan's most distinguished and active physicists, from being taken on the faculty. Initially at the National Centre for Physics in Islamabad, Faheem was eventually offered a position at the newly-established science faculty of LUMS in Lahore. Faheem's unpretentious mannerisms and gentleness of spirit ensured that LUMS too was enamoured of him. Asad Naqvi, one of Pakistan's leading physicists and a faculty member at LUMS, wrote to me upon hearing of Faheem's death: "I am lost after hearing this. I only knew him for about five years, and in that short time, I had grown really fond of him. We are all poorer today, having lost such a lovely person who touched us so deeply." Surely, there shall be many other such tributes from Faheem's many friends. But, to be true to him as well as my own self, I must admit that in later years we did disagree on some important things - "unreconstructed Marxism" to me is an anachronism, a relic of the 1960s and still earlier, meaningless in a world that has become far more complex than Marx could have possibly imagined. Nor can I reflexively support today's so-called "anti-imperialism" of the left that ends up supporting the forces of regressive fundamentalism. But let these issues stand wherever they do. Why is it necessary for friends to agree upon everything? From atoms to atoms – death is inevitable, the final victory of entropy over order. Meaningless? No! To have lived a full life, to have experienced its richness, to have struggled not just for oneself but for others as well, and to have earned the respect and love of those around you. That is a life worth living. Faheem, my friend, you are gone. May you now rest in peace, with a job well done. (The News) The writer teaches physics at Quaid-e-Azam University. In memory of Dr Faheem Friday, October 02, 2009 Rasheed Khalid Islamabad The friends of renowned Pakistani physicist Dr Faheem Hussain, who died of cancer in Trieste, Italy, on Tuesday, have paid homage to him. Dr Faheem Hussain held the posts of chairperson of physics department and president of academic staff association, Quaid-i-Azam University, died of cancer in Trieste, Italy. He was 69. Born in 1942, Dr Faheem did his higher secondary education from FC College, Lahore, and joined Chelsea College in London for graduation after which he did his PhD in theoretical Physics from Imperial College, London, in 1966. He also joined Enrico Fermi Institute, University of Illinois, Chicago, USA, from 1966 to 1968 for post-doctoral research and joined Institute of Physics of the then University of Islamabad later named after the Father of the Nation as reader which was equivalent to associate professorship and became full professor in 1984. He resigned QAU in 1989. He had been supervisor of many luminaries of QAU that included Dr Masud, former Member (Science), Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and now member of PAEC chairperson’s advisory council and Dr Ahmad Ali from Deutsche Elektron Synktiron (DESY), Germany and a big name in the world comity of physicists. Apart from DESY, Dr Faheem also worked in European Centre for Nuclear Physics in Geneva, Switzerland. He also taught at the Garyounis University, Benghazi, Libya, and had been a visiting professor at the Johannes-Gutenberg University, in Mainz, Germany. From 1990 to 2004, he worked as a senior staff scientist at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy. There he was originally involved in developing the high energy physics diploma programme, which helps train young graduates from the developing countries to start research in physics. There he was the head of the office of external activities for six years. Of late, he was working in superstring theory, the physics of extra dimensions and non-commutative geometry. Prof Hussain published extensively in the field of theoretical elementary particle physics. He also published articles on the problems of scientific and technological development of the poor countries. Dr Faheem apart from academic pursuits, also excelled in social and humanitarian responsibilities. Dr Riazuddin, founder of Institute of Physics at QAU and also of National Centre for Physics, QAU, once told this scribe that as a student in England, he was in the forefront of peace and anti-nuclear demonstrations. In 1970s, he was thoroughly involved in trade union activities of People’s Labour Front (PLF) and even used to live with labour leaders like in a commune. He was a close friend of physicists Dr AH Nayyar, Dr Pervaiz Hoodbhoy and social activist Bali who died this summer. Dr Faheem left no stone unturned in his efforts to help the 2005 earthquake victims in Kashmir and Kaghan Valley. He also actively participated in organising demonstrations against USA when it was planning to invade Iraq and campaigned for boycotting US food outlets in the country like KFC, McDonald’s and Pizza Hut. He also attended meetings and demos for peace, human rights and environmental causes. Talking to ‘The News’, Dr Masud Ahmad said that Faheem Hussain was a multidimensional personality of being an accomplished scientist, an excellent teacher and an ideal role model for the young students who took great pains to direct the energy of the youth to intellectual pursuits. Dr Masud said that Faheem belonged to that rare breed, which harboured malice to none. Dr Sajjad Mahmood, who now lives in Albany, USA, said that Faheem was always smiling and tried a lot to promote cricket at the university. (The News)

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Liberal Fascism versus Religious Fascism: An interesting conversation

The common belief in Pakistan is that Islamic radicalism is a problem only in FATA, and that madrassas are the only institutions serving as jihad factories. This is a serious misconception. Extremism is breeding at a ferocious rate in public and private schools within Pakistan’s towns and cities. Left unchallenged, this education will produce a generation incapable of co-existing with anyone except strictly their own kind. The mindset it creates may eventually lead to Pakistan’s demise as a nation state.

For 20 years or more, a few of us have been desperately sending out SOS messages, warning of terrible times to come. In fact, I am surprised at how rapidly these dire predictions have come true.

A full-scale war is being fought in FATA, Swat and other “wild” areas of Pakistan, resulting in thousands of deaths. It is only a matter of time before this fighting shifts to Peshawar and Islamabad (which has already been a witness to the Lal Masjid episode) and engulfs Lahore and Karachi as well. The suicide bomber and the masked abductor have crippled Pakistan’s urban life and shattered its national economy.

Soldiers, policemen, factory and hospital workers, mourners at funerals and ordinary people praying in mosques have all been reduced to globs of flesh and fragments of bones. But, perhaps paradoxically, in spite of the fact that the dead bodies and shattered lives are almost all Muslim ones, few Pakistanis speak out against these atrocities. Nor do they approve of the army operation against the cruel perpetrators of these acts because they believe that they are Islamic warriors fighting for Islam and against American occupation. Political leaders like Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan have no words of solace for those who have suffered at the hands of Islamic extremists. Their tears are reserved exclusively for the victims of Predator drones, even if they are those who committed grave crimes against their own people. Terrorism, by definition, is an act only the Americans can commit.

What explains Pakistan’s collective masochism? To understand this, one needs to study the drastic social and cultural transformations that have rendered this country so completely different from what it was in earlier times.

Read Pervez Hoodbhoy's article:

http://www.newsline.com.pk/NewsJan2009/cover2jan2009.htm

Here is a related conversation between supporters of secular Pakistan and those who are in support of Taliban / Wahhabi agenda:


Ghost Of TK said:

@nota: you still haven’t defined either “liberal” or “fascist”…. how lazy of the mullahs (present company excluded) to take terminology from those who’ve been ass-shafting them for the last 8 years (those would be the American Ultra-Rightwing aka neo-cons aka the Jewlovers who fvck Muslims every chance they get) and use it, roughshod and broadbrushed, against anyone they don’t like.

Anyone who doesn’t support their throat slitting, woman killing, school dynamiting “Islam” is a “liberal fascist”.

Cry like b!tcches for one “red mosque” which did nothing throughout its life but to promote the intrests of CIA and Mossad but have no tears for 200 schools dynamited.

All is fair in love and JeeeewHog

“you’re either with us or against us” said Bush

“you’re either with TTP or against it” — Ameerul Momineen, Mullah Fuzz-lulla (the FAGGOT)

“Isn’t it ironic” - Alanis Morissette

@MZZZT: you had to go and taze them armchair jihadi’s didn’t you? ;)



Traffic said:

Guys stop calling them liberal fascists, they don’t like to be called by that. I think this tiny minority of traitors like to be called baboos because through this word their true relationship of master and slave that they have with the kuffar gets represented. They are neither of us nor of them. The foreign powers use them to further their agenda and dispose of them when they become liabilities(saddam, shah of Iran, moshe BB, Hariri etc.). I think it’s best to completely ignore this tiny minority which makes a lot of noise and has been the cause of pakistan’s destruction over the past 60 years. No need to give any importance to their raving and ranting, like hamid Mir said, these baboos can’t bear to see the people live in peace and happiness. Thank God we have shariah and peace in swat, let the baboos make noise.

They never see the innocent people getting killed by the Americans and army, but when taleban kill a few criminals and spies they get chillies in their behind. If the napak army wouldn’t hide inside girls schools then they wouldn’t be attacked. Have you ever heard of children getting killed in school bombings there? On the other hand when the baboos’ Zionist masters bomb schools and houses filled with women and children these baboos never make a noise, instead they start shouting that it’s Hamas’ fault cos they fire rockets from there.


Mutazalzaluzzaman Tarar said:

Traffic baboooooo, why stop the shariah in Swat? I mean if it’s a good thing lets have it everywhere. where do you live? Karachi, Lahore, Isloo? lets have Shariah there too.

do you like wearing a shuttlecock burqa? does it get hot in there?


when shariah is established all over Pakistan, will all schools across Pakistan be rightfully and finally destroyed? will you still write in English? will you wear a shuttlecock? will we finally stop wasting so much money on education? will your nick still be Traffic? or will you choose an Urdu or better yet Arabic nick?

so many questions… so many possibilities. the future is so exciting. I for one look forward to destroying my TV and all other shaitanee aalaas in my house.


Traffic said:

@ Muta baboo

“when shariah is established all over Pakistan, will all schools across Pakistan be rightfully and finally destroyed?”

tell your coward napak army to stop hiding inside girls schools and the schools will be spared. i dont think anyone has any objection to education.

“will you still write in English? will you wear a shuttlecock?”

ask that from amirul momin nawaz shareef, i dont know which version of shariah he was planning to impose on Pakistan in 1999 when your Moshe baboo hijacked the country.

“will we finally stop wasting so much money on education? ”

i certainly hope so. education is getting way too expensive these days. im paying more than 8000 pounds a year for mine.

Ghost of TK said:

A car full of explosives captured from “liberal fascists” … I guess they were taking it to their NGO.

And here we see the Wana Press Club building, dynamited by … you guessed it “Liberal Fascists”

Young girls finally able to go back to school after “Liberal FAscists” stopped dynamiting their schools.

tharapolitics said:

I think these 90 childrens were killed by “religious elements” who have link with “zionist”
“Religious women terrorists ” of Lal Masjid for whom our “decent liberal fascist” used “friendly phosphorous” to burn them
“Religious terrorists” and how “pious liberal fascists” treated them.

This is DECENCY WHICH WE MUST LEARN FROM OUR “PIOUS LIBERAL FASCISTS”

mibrahim said:

tharapolitics@

Whatever you narreted throgh this pictures is really impressive and whoever has even minimal humanity should strongly condemn these kinds of act.

However, get historical facts straight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwwPbkyZVJo

The force responsible for Laal Masjid was the same one which did a “Jihad” against Bengalis in 1971, .

No one called them ‘liberal’ .Rather they were availing their true right of MAAL-GHANEEMAT

When this evil force raped constitution in 77, it was in the eyes of Maulvi’s first step towards Nizam-e-Mustafa. No one called them ‘liberal.’

Again these Maulvi’ via 17th Amendment gave another lifeline for same evil force rather then calling them ‘liberal’
————————————————————-
All of a sudden, same brutal and evil force became ‘liberal’.

Whoever you are displaying in pictures in your post is the evil force that happened to be strongest ally, and each of their dirty act got supported by Maulvis, not liberals. They were (liberals) rather a target.

Socrates said:

@nota

I’m new on this blog, could you please elaborate what actually you mean by “liberal fascists” ???

Thanks

nota said:

@Socrates
Somehow I think you already know exactly what I mean so I will not take your bait

nota said:

D.I. Khan suicide attack toll reaches 31

Socrates said:

@nota

Well, you seemed to be over-apprehensive + over-cautious.
I still would like you to please elaborate what you actually mean by LIBERAL FASCISTS ?
If you are not going to explain this term, then pls do name some of the LIBERAL FASCISTS from our belove LAND OF PURES !
BTW rest assured i’m not offering you any bait.

nota said:

Well then let me just briefly say I define liberal fascists as those “liberals” who never tire of screaming “human rights” and “women empowerment” and “animal rights” and “gun control” and “democracy” and “rule of law”, etc. but as soon as there is any perception of any of their “freedoms” is threatened. they yell “Nuke ‘em! Nuke ‘em all!!! Rule of law be damned! Democracy be damned! Human rights be damned! Their women and children be damned!”

Socrates said:

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan: Curfew was imposed in the northwestern Pakistani town of Dera Ismail Khan after a suicide bomber killed at least 30 people and wounded several others during a funeral procession on Friday for a Shia Muslim gunned down a day earlier, police and news reports said.

—- http://dawn.net/wps/wcm/connect/Dawn%20Content%20Library/dawn/news/pakistan/nwfp/sectarian-unrest-following-blast-in-dikhan-yn

Yet another act of gallantry from Talibans !
Talibans clearing crap from LAND OF PURES !
LONG LIVE PAKISTAN !

nota said:

@Socrates
“Yet another act of gallantry from Talibans”

Now why do do assume this act was perpetrated by the Taliban? Are you not assuming a bit too much? Do you have any evidence that Taliban carried out this heinous at? Or are you just being a “liberal fascist”?

Socrates said:

@nota
—-”Or are you just being a “liberal fascist”?” —-
Now you really took my bait !
What I understand from your comments is all Anti-Taliban people are actually ‘liberal fascists’ !
If that’s the case then i’m definetly a proud ‘liberal fascist’ !

—-”Now why do do assume this act was perpetrated by the Taliban? Are you not assuming a bit too much? Do you have any evidence that Taliban carried out this heinous at?”
—–
Dear nota, Talibans claimed responsibilty of previous suicide bombings on shias in Dera Ismail Khan, eg. attack on shia procession + attack on hospital’s emergency ward.
Don’t you think i’m not assuming too much ? Well, dear it’s too early to have evidence, however don’t you know that Talibans are avowed enemies of shias + brelvies of + all others who don’t believe in their ideology of hate and takfir.
Moreover, could you please tell me when did any ‘liberal fascist’ i.e. anti-taliban person claim responsibility of any suicide bombing ???

nota said:

@Socrates
See i figured you out right away

“Moreover, could you please tell me when did any ‘liberal fascist’ i.e. anti-taliban person claim responsibility of any suicide bombing ???”

Of course they don’t do that. “Liberal fascists” like you are the ones who always stay back and yell “Maro! Maro!!” but are too gutless pansies to do it themselves

Ghost Of TK said:

@nota: welcome back! Glad to see you’re still kicking. (for a second I thought they lost you in Beijing (with the Qazi Hussain Ahemed's contingent) or something

Our new friend “Socrates” doesn’t know that in fact it is the “liberal fascists” of Mianwali who are bringing this onto themselves. Besides, no one is guilty unless proven in a court of law (as long as they are Muqqaddas Talib Faggots. If they are anyone else, their “sirs” should be “Qalam” on the spott!!!)

@socrates: Please remember the following rule of thumb for your own well being:

For Talib Faggots: Full procedure of the court of law and a Human Rights commission established for each. (otherwise liberals are “liberal enough” and therefore “fascists”) The appeals for each case should got to UN, then to International court of justice, then to every supreme court in the world and then presented in the form of a burnt offering on the Mount Sinai. If the lightning “licks” the meat offering, it would mean the Talib is innocent. If the lightening doesn’t, it means the Mount of Sinai is all made of Taaghoot! and it should be dynamited (after all there are many idols hidden within that mass of stone… they only have to be carved!!!!)

For common Pakistani victims of Taliban: Summary Justice in the form of Throat Slitting. (it’s for their own good)

I hope you see how this “legal system” works.

Socrates said:

@ nota

It seems you strongly believe in argument –ad hominem–, that’s why you are talking crap instead of arguing logically.
Anyway, do you really think ‘liberal fascists’ first motivate ‘innocent Talibans’ to behead and blow up poor Pakistanis and then yell ‘Maro! Maro!’ :)) — This reasoning sounds gr88888 !!
What you expect persons like me to award Talibans for killing shias +brelvies+personnel of armed forces !
Do you think we shouldn’t condemn destruction of schools, bridges and hospitals !!
Re : “but are too gutless pansies to do it themselves ” —- I’m really not interested in going to paradise after blowing up innocent people into pieces. For doing so I first need to do the bay’at on the hands of Ameer-ul-Momineen Baitullah Mehsud or Mullah Fazalullah !!!
Now tell me do you really support Talibans ???
I expect some rational arguments instead of crap !

nota said:

@Socrates
“Now tell me do you really support Talibans ???”

Oh, what a brilliantly crappy question. But I am afraid I don’t have that much time to waste. I am sure TK will be happy explain it all. He’s the warrior who makes Talib faggots shudder all the way from europe I see a love-affair happening between you two…

Socrates said:

@ nota

Well, it’s just the begining and i’ll be more than happy to scr.. your ass off and on.
As we ‘liberal fascists’ really love to screw Talibans and their lovers like you !!!
Now, members of this blog can see how hollow and empty headed Talibans and their supporters like you actually are !!!
BTW I was really expecting lots of crap from you !!!
As it’s really stinking, I gotta go now.
See you later.
Bye and Peace for all !!!

Ghost Of TK said:

Murder of a brave Journalist! Liberal Fascists strike again! .. (obviously!)

Journalists protesting the brazen and horrific murder of a brave Swati Journalist Musa Khan Khel by …. you guess it … “The Liberal Fascists” ….

P.S. The Liberal Fascist Baboos have also been implicated in the abduction of two young female Yeti’s in the snowy regions of himalya’s! Oh these Liberal FAscists! What length will they go to to satisfy their evil desires?

Mullah’s have destroyed Islam… therefore Mullah Must be Destroyed! … there is NO place for a useless religious class in Islam. Only lazy idiots give this power to these mullas because they don’t want to spend the time themselves readding “all those thick books”.

Scholars YES, Mullahs NO!

However, It is not merely “The Mullah” but the khan, the feudal, the jurnail and the wadero and beureaucrats who are ALL in thrall of the foreigner.

The onus of honesty and forthrightness on the Mullah the most. Because they use the name islam to gain legitimacy and then stab us right in the face for a few sheckles.

Any nation is defenceless when the most sacred of their values are used to enslave them. The Mullah is a willing (and these days, also unwitting) tool of the foreigner.

Just like a anaphylactic shock kills the body through employing its own immunal defence system, similarly the hijacking and subversion of the most important concept of “Jihad” is being used by the foreigner to first use and then slay the Islamic civilization.

Therefore, the Mullah must pay, eventually and ultimately with his blood, for exposing the nation to this war from within. They have committed the ultimate treason by allowing Jihad to be used against the body of Muslims. To shock and kill the organ through anaphylactic shock (so to speak).

savage said:

@TK, @nota and others.

I found Taliban so close to the definition of khawarjies at at least to their some sects.. following is from wikipedia.

”
Azraqī

Main article: Azraqi (religion)

The most extreme were the Azraqīs or Azariqah, founded in Persia in 685 by Nāfiʿ ibn ul-Azraq. These pronounced Takfir on all other Muslims, considering them to be Kuffar (’unbelievers’) who could be killed with impunity.[5][6] Their distinctive practices included:

* A test of sincerity (إمتحان imtiḥān “examination”) required of each new recruit, in which the neophyte was required to cut the throat of a captive enemy.[citation needed]
* Religious murder (إستعراض istiʿrāḍ “demonstration”), not only of men, but also of their wives and children (the killing of Muslim non-combatants is disallowed in Islam: Islamic military jurisprudence)

They regarded the territory occupied by other Muslims as part of Dar al-Kufr,[citation needed]the territory of unbelief where it was permitted to attack both people and goods - but also a territory from which one must exile oneself, as Muhammad had exiled himself from Mecca to escape the unbelievers there.[citation needed]“

......

Also read:

Liberal Fascism versus Religious Fascism: An interesting conversation

Imran Khan and the ‘liberals’

Is Imran Khan the new choice of agencies (ISI) in Pakistan?

Read more...

The Saudi-isation of Pakistan - By Pervez Hoodbhoy

The Saudi-isation of Pakistan

A stern, unyielding version of Islam is replacing the kinder, gentler Islam of the Sufis in Pakistan.

By Pervez Hoodbhoy


The common belief in Pakistan is that Islamic radicalism is a problem only in FATA, and that madrassas are the only institutions serving as jihad factories. This is a serious misconception. Extremism is breeding at a ferocious rate in public and private schools within Pakistan’s towns and cities. Left unchallenged, this education will produce a generation incapable of co-existing with anyone except strictly their own kind. The mindset it creates may eventually lead to Pakistan’s demise as a nation state.

For 20 years or more, a few of us have been desperately sending out SOS messages, warning of terrible times to come. In fact, I am surprised at how rapidly these dire predictions have come true.

A full-scale war is being fought in FATA, Swat and other “wild” areas of Pakistan, resulting in thousands of deaths. It is only a matter of time before this fighting shifts to Peshawar and Islamabad (which has already been a witness to the Lal Masjid episode) and engulfs Lahore and Karachi as well. The suicide bomber and the masked abductor have crippled Pakistan’s urban life and shattered its national economy.

Soldiers, policemen, factory and hospital workers, mourners at funerals and ordinary people praying in mosques have all been reduced to globs of flesh and fragments of bones. But, perhaps paradoxically, in spite of the fact that the dead bodies and shattered lives are almost all Muslim ones, few Pakistanis speak out against these atrocities. Nor do they approve of the army operation against the cruel perpetrators of these acts because they believe that they are Islamic warriors fighting for Islam and against American occupation. Political leaders like Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan have no words of solace for those who have suffered at the hands of Islamic extremists. Their tears are reserved exclusively for the victims of Predator drones, even if they are those who committed grave crimes against their own people. Terrorism, by definition, is an act only the Americans can commit.

What explains Pakistan’s collective masochism? To understand this, one needs to study the drastic social and cultural transformations that have rendered this country so completely different from what it was in earlier times.

For three decades, deep tectonic forces have been silently tearing Pakistan away from the Indian subcontinent and driving it towards the Arabian peninsula. This continental drift is not physical but cultural, driven by a belief that Pakistan must exchange its South Asian identity for an Arab-Muslim one. Grain by grain, the desert sands of Saudi Arabia are replacing the rich soil that had nurtured a magnificent Muslim culture in India for a thousand years. This culture produced Mughul architecture, the Taj Mahal, the poetry of Asadullah Khan Ghalib, and much more. Now a stern, unyielding version of Islam (Wahhabism) is replacing the kinder, gentler Islam of the Sufis and saints who had walked on this land for hundreds of years.

This change is by design. Twenty-five years ago, the Pakistani state used Islam as an instrument of state policy. Prayers in government departments were deemed compulsory, floggings were carried out publicly, punishments were meted out to those who did not fast in Ramadan, selection for academic posts in universities required that the candidate demonstrate a knowledge of Islamic teachings and jihad was declared essential for every Muslim. Today, government intervention is no longer needed because of a spontaneous groundswell of Islamic zeal. The notion of an Islamic state – still in an amorphous and diffused form – is more popular now than ever before as people look desperately for miracles to rescue a failing state.

Villages have changed drastically; this transformation has been driven, in part, by Pakistani workers returning from Arab countries. Many village mosques are now giant madrassas that propagate hard-line Salafi and Deobandi beliefs through oversized loudspeakers. They are bitterly opposed to Barelvis, Shias and other sects, who they do not regard as Muslims. The Punjabis, who were far more liberal towards women than the Pukhtuns, are now beginning to take a line resembling that of the Taliban. Hanafi law has begun to prevail over tradition and civil law, as is evident from the recent decisions of the Lahore High Court.

In Pakistan’s lower-middle and middle classes lurks a grim and humourless Saudi-inspired revivalist movement that frowns on any and every expression of joy and pleasure. Lacking any positive connection to culture and knowledge, it seeks to eliminate “corruption” by regulating cultural life and seizing control of the education system.

“Classical music is on its last legs in Pakistan; the sarangi and vichitraveena are completely dead,” laments Mohammad Shehzad, a music aficionado. Indeed, teaching music in public universities is violently opposed by students of the Islami Jamaat-e-Talaba at Punjab University. So the university has been forced to hold its music classes elsewhere. Religious fundamentalists consider music haram or un-Islamic. Kathak dancing, once popular with the Muslim elite of India, has few teachers left. Pakistan produces no feature films of any consequence. Nevertheless, the Pakistani elite, disconnected from the rest of the population, live their lives in comfort through their vicarious proximity to the West. Alcoholism is a chronic problem of the super rich of Lahore – a curious irony for this deeply religious country.

Islamisation of the state and the polity was supposed to have been in the interest of the ruling class – a classic strategy for preserving it from the wrath of the working class. But the amazing success of the state is turning out to be its own undoing. Today, it is under attack from religious militants, and rival Islamic groups battle each other with heavy weapons. Ironically, the same army – whose men were recruited under the banner of jihad, and which saw itself as the fighting arm of Islam – today stands accused of betrayal and is almost daily targeted by Islamist suicide bombers.

Pakistan’s self-inflicted suffering comes from an education system that, like Saudi Arabia’s system, provides an ideological foundation for violence and future jihadists. It demands that Islam be understood as a complete code of life, and creates in the mind of a school-going child a sense of siege and embattlement by stressing that Islam is under threat everywhere.

On the previous page, the reader can view the government-approved curriculum. This is the basic road map for transmitting values and knowledge to the young. By an act of parliament passed in 1976, all government and private schools (except for O-level schools) are required to follow this curriculum. It was prepared by the curriculum wing of the federal ministry of education, government of Pakistan. It sounds like a blueprint for a religious fascist state.

Alongside are scanned pictures from an illustrated primer for the Urdu alphabet. The masthead states that it has been prepared by Iqra Publishers, Rawalpindi, along “Islamic lines.” Although not an officially approved textbook, it is being used currently by some regular schools, as well as madrassas associated with the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), an Islamic political party that had allied itself with General Musharraf. These picture scans have been taken from a child’s book, hence the scribbles.

The world of the Pakistani schoolchild remained largely unchanged, even after September 11, 2001, the event that led to Pakistan’s timely desertion of the Taliban and the slackening of the Kashmir jihad. Indeed, for all his hypocritical talk of “enlightened moderation,” General Musharraf’s educational curriculum was far from enlightening. It was a slightly toned down version of the curriculum that existed under Nawaz Sharif which, in turn, was identical to that under Benazir Bhutto who had inherited it from General Zia-ul-Haq. Fearful of taking on the powerful religious forces, every incumbent government has refused to take a position on the curriculum and thus quietly allowed young minds to be moulded by fanatics. What may happen a generation later has always been a secondary issue for a government challenged on so many fronts.

The promotion of militarism in Pakistan’s so-called “secular” public schools, colleges and universities had a profound effect upon young minds. Militant jihad became part of the culture on college and university campuses. Armed groups flourished, they invited students for jihad in Kashmir and Afghanistan, set up offices throughout the country, collected funds at Friday prayers and declared a war which knew no borders. Pre-9/11, my university was ablaze with posters inviting students to participate in the Kashmir jihad. Post-2001, this ceased to be done openly.

Still, the primary vehicle for Saudi-ising Pakistan’s education has been the madrassa. In earlier times, these had turned out the occasional Islamic scholar, using a curriculum that essentially dates back to the 11th century, with only minor subsequent revisions. But their principal function had been to produce imams and muezzins for mosques, and those who eked out an existence as ‘maulvi sahibs’ teaching children to read the Quran.

The Afghan jihad changed everything. During the war against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, madrassas provided the US-Saudi-Pakistani alliance the cannon fodder they needed to fight a holy war. The Americans and Saudis, helped by a more-than-willing General Zia, funded new madrassas across the length and breadth of Pakistan. A detailed picture of the current situation is not available. But according to the national education census, which the ministry of education released in 2006, Punjab has 5,459 madrassas followed by the NWFP with 2,843; Sindh has 1,935; the Federally Administrated Northern Areas (FANA), 1,193; Balochistan, 769; Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), 586; the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA), 135; and the Islamabad capital territory, 77. The ministry estimates that 1.5 million students are acquiring religious education in the 13,000 madrassas.

These figures appear to be way off the mark. Commonly quoted figures range between 18,000 and 22,000 madrassas. The number of students could be correspondingly larger. The free boarding and lodging plus provision of books to the students, is a key part of their appeal. Additionally, parents across the country desire that their children be “disciplined” and given a thorough Islamic education. The madrassas serve this purpose, too, exceedingly well.

Madrassas have deeply impacted the urban environment. Until a few years ago, Islamabad was a quiet, orderly, modern city different from the rest of Pakistan. Also, it had largely been the abode of Pakistan’s elite and foreign diplomats. But the rapid transformation of its demography brought with it hundreds of mosques with multi-barrelled audio-cannons mounted on minarets, as well as scores of madrassas illegally constructed in what used to be public parks and green areas. Now, tens of thousands of their students, sporting little prayer caps, dutifully chant the Quran all day. In the evenings they swarm the city, making women minus the hijab increasingly nervous.

Total segregation of the sexes is a central goal of the Islamists, the consequences of which have been catastrophic. For example, on April 9, 2006, 21 women and eight children were crushed to death and scores injured in a stampede inside a three-storey madrassa in Karachi, where a large number of women were attending a weekly congregation. Male rescuers, who arrived in ambulances, were prevented from moving the injured women to hospitals.

One cannot dismiss this incident as being just one of a kind. In fact, soon after the October 2005 earthquake, as I walked through the destroyed city of Balakot, a student of the Frontier Medical College described to me how he and his male colleagues were stopped by religious elders from digging out injured girl students from under the rubble of their school building. This action was similar to that of Saudi Arabia’s ubiquitous religious ‘mutaween’ (police) who, in March 2002, had stopped school girls from leaving a blazing building because they were not wearing their abayas – a long robe worn in Saudi Arabia. In a rare departure from the norm, Saudi newspapers had blamed and criticised the mutaween for letting 15 girls burn to death.

The Saudi-isation of a once-vibrant Pakistani culture continues at a relentless pace. The drive to segregate is now also being found among educated women. Vigorous proselytisers carrying this message, such as Mrs Farhat Hashmi, have been catapulted to the heights of fame and fortune. Their success is evident. Two decades back, the fully veiled student was a rarity on Pakistani university and college campuses. The abaya was an unknown word in Urdu. Today, some shops across the country specialise in abayas. At colleges and universities across Pakistan, the female student is seeking the anonymity of the burqa. And in some parts of the country she seems to outnumber her sisters who still “dare” to show their faces.

I have observed the veil profoundly affect habits and attitudes. Many of my veiled female students have largely become silent note-takers, are increasingly timid and seem less inclined to ask questions or take part in discussions. They lack the confidence of a young university student.

While social conservatism does not necessarily lead to violent extremism, it does shorten the distance. The socially conservative are more easily convinced that Muslims are being demonised by the rest of the world. The real problem, they say, is the plight of the Palestinians, the decadent and discriminatory West, the Jews, the Christians, the Hindus, the Kashmir issue, the Bush doctrine – the list runs on. They vehemently deny that those committing terrorist acts are Muslims, and if presented with incontrovertible evidence, say it is a mere reaction to oppression.

The immediate future does not appear hopeful: increasing numbers of mullahs are creating cults around themselves and seizing control of the minds of worshippers. In the tribal areas, a string of new Islamist leaders have suddenly emerged: Baitullah Mehsud, Maulana Fazlullah and Mangal Bagh. Poverty, deprivation, lack of justice and extreme differences of wealth provide the perfect environment for these demagogues to recruit people to their cause. Their gruesome acts of terror are still being perceived by large numbers of Pakistanis merely as a war against imperialist America. This could not be further from the truth.

In the long term, we will have to see how the larger political battle works out between those Pakistanis who want an Islamic theocratic state and those who want a modern Islamic republic. It may yet be possible to roll back those Islamist laws and institutions that have corroded Pakistani society for over 30 years and to defeat its hate-driven holy warriors. There is no chance of instant success; perhaps things may have to get worse before they get better. But, in the long term, I am convinced that the forces of irrationality will cancel themselves out because they act at random whereas reason pulls only in one direction. History leads us to believe that reason will triumph over unreason, and the evolution of the humans into a higher and better species will continue. Using ways that we cannot currently anticipate, they will somehow overcome their primal impulses of territoriality, tribalism, religiosity and nationalism. But, for now, this must be just a matter of faith.

The author teaches physics at Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad.

http://www.newsline.com.pk/NewsJan2009/cover2jan2009.htm

Article suggested by: Mr. Ali Raza

Also read:

The Mumbai attacks, Who could be behind terrorism? The role of Dr. Zakir Naik in supporting Islamic terrorism and spreading communal hatred

How we lost Swat — Nasir Abbas Mirza

The beginning of the Talibanization of Lahore? Hall road traders burn CDs after being threatened by terrorists of Sipah-e-Sahaba/Taliban

Farhat Hashmi: The other side - The subtle rooting of extremism (Saudi version of Islam) in Muslim women...Facts, Fatwas and Videos...

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Get rid of false patriotism. India needs voices such as Arundhati Roy and Pakistan needs voices such as Pervez Hoodbhoy.

Patriotism misunderstood
Legal eye

Saturday, December 27, 2008 (The News)
Babar Sattar

The terrorists have succeeded in realizing their objectives in Mumbai. Not just in carrying out the carnage that claimed innocent Indian lives, but also in provoking chest-thumping hysteria within the two nuclear armed neighbours that is obfuscating real issues and impeding their ability to meaningfully cooperate in confronting the threat of terrorism. With the peace constituency within India and Pakistan having shrunk at an alarming rate over the last few weeks, the Mumbai tragedy has dragged the two countries back by at least a decade in terms of their bilateral relationship. The ugly invidious prejudice that runs deep within each nation against the other now lies bare in public eye. And all this has happened despite the realization shared by saner elements in both countries that neighbours cannot be wished away and the linked destinies of the suffering multitudes in both India and Pakistan will not be served well by a war between them or even the politics of war-mongering.

The governments of Pakistan and India are in a catch-22 situation. The Mumbai attack has hurt India's sense of security as well as its newly found confidence and pride as an aspiring global power. The voices seeking accountability of the perpetrators of terror are probably more than those braying for revenge. But together they have put the Indian government under tremendous pressure to seek reprisals from Pakistan for the alleged involvement of its citizens. The Pakistani government and the civilian political leadership seem genuinely interested in taking to task those within the country whose link to Mumbai can be established through verifiable evidence. But given the history of acrimony between the two countries and how it informs the concept of national honour, the harder India pushes Pakistan publicly the lesser political space and ability the Pakistani government is left with to respond constructively.

One of the casualties of the Mumbai tragedy has been the quest for truth. The speed and ferocity with which media in India and Pakistan assumed on behalf of their respective states the responsibility for proving the other guilty of disseminating lies has been alarming. What has happened to the objectivity and self-restraint of this most vital component of civil society? The worst manifestations of bigotry and hatemongering in each country are being chosen and highlighted as a means to characterize the other. The statements of vengeance seeking politicians in India are regarded in Pakistan as the truly representative voices from India as opposed to the more responsible and tension diffusing statements of the Indian prime minister for example. Likewise, the voices of those in Pakistan who reject any involvement of Pakistanis in Mumbai and view it as an Indian conspiracy to put Pakistan in the dock reverberate across India and overshadow the repeatedly expressed government desire to work with India on establishing facts and taking action on their basis.

The self-styled 'patriots' in Pakistan believe that Arundhati Roy's 'Monster in the Mirror' is the depository of the whole truth about Mumbai and India. And likewise hawks in India love to highlight voices critical of Pakistani state policy – such as that of Pervaiz Hoodbhoy – as proof of their view of Pakistan as an evil state. The consistency in the analysis of Roy and Hoodbhoy – in terms of their denunciation of nuclear weapons or their emphasis on the atrocities inflicted on citizens by misconceived state policies – is lost on these new found disciples. Yet those who love Hoodbhoy in India hate Roy, and those who cite Roy with approval in Pakistan castigate Hoodbhoy for being a traitor. And the lack of awareness of such fundamental contradiction in hawkish views only goes to show the deep-seated bias that we are afflicted with. That patriotism cultivates the desire amongst citizens to defend the territorial integrity, sovereignty and honour of their country is a no-brainer. But reasonable people can and should disagree over how national interest is to be defined and what policies must be employed to accomplish the interest of the state.

In the context of Mumbai, Pakistani patriotism must not be reduced to jingoism or indiscriminately contradicting any views or facts emanating from India. Shutting out the urge to uncover facts and forfeiting the courage to look critically into the mirror out of the fear of discovering unflattering realities, even at a time even when the country is being unduly vilified, neither serves the interests of Pakistan nor qualifies as patriotism. Let us vigorously debate and agree/disagree over what policies and actions promote the collective interest of our nation. But neither the sabre-rattling of hawks on either side of our border, nor any misconceived concept of national interest or security should be allowed to mow down our appetite for the truth. There are some mothers who can never find any fault with their kids out of pride. And there are others whose love urges them to censure kids when they falter to enable these children to tell right from wrong and develop a character. We are only hurting ourselves most of all if, when under attack from abroad, we allow patriotism to degenerate into chauvinism or xenophobia.

The main issue between Pakistan and India that has led to the present state of belligerence and is dragging the two countries towards war is what happened in Mumbai: who all are responsible for killing innocent civilians there and to the extent that verifiable facts establish links with groups in Pakistan what steps can we take to bring the perpetrators to justice. We must not confuse manifestations of the whipped up antagonism post-Mumbai and the fighting words uttered in both countries with the cause itself. Also what are not issues for Pakistan in its interstate relations with India also needs to be highlighted. Whether or not India ill-treats its minorities, especially Muslims, is not our issue. We advocated a solution for the Muslims of Indian sub-continent in the form of Pakistan in full view that the Muslims left behind in India will be an even weaker minority in a Hindu-dominated India. We must reconcile with this reality and understand that the state of Pakistan has no mandate to speak for Indian Muslims. What happened in Gujarat was sad and despicable. But it is a reflection on the Indian federation and a matter for the Indian nation to resolve internally.

The state of Pakistan has the responsibility to promote and maximize the interests and security of the citizens of Pakistan. And as a nation we need more clarity in defining our identity and our national objectives. Faced with challenges straining the cohesion of our own social fabric and the frail state of interethnic relations within Pakistan, we must focus on strengthening our own federation rather than looking abroad and assuming the responsibility of guarding the perceived interests of foreign nationals who share our faith. What is also not an issue between the states of India and Pakistan is the cause of the Malegaon Blast or the Samjhota Express tragedy. These were crimes that were committed in India. And even though some of the casualties in the latter were Pakistani citizens, in terms of state responsibility, they are fundamentally different from the events of Mumbai.

Mumbai is a possible case of non-state actors from one state crossing the international border and unleashing terror in another. Malegaon and Samjhota are relevant only in that they highlight India's indigenous roots of terrorism and counter the propaganda that Pakistan is the fountainhead of violence in the region. But we must fathom that criminal acts do not give the Pakistani state a cause of action against the state of India. Pakistan and India have a very long history of hostility and mistrust and if we look backward rather than forward we will keep fighting till the cows come home. If the present state of flux is to be prevented from crystallizing into a new cold war between the neighbours, we must keep our focus on Mumbai. And to that end the first imperative step is to share with Pakistan the findings of a transparent, diligent and credible investigation that lays threadbare the facts of this tragedy.

Our overzealous patriots must realize that Ajmal Kasab's Pakistani identity does not make Pakistani nation or state complicit in the terror attacks. Taking affirmative steps to try and deny/hide his identity could. And India must understand that sharing evidence with Pakistan cannot be contingent upon Pakistan "doing more". For due process requires such evidence to be the trigger for any enforcement action that the Pakistani government can legitimately undertake.

The writer is a lawyer based in Islamabad. He is a Rhodes scholar and has an LL.M from Harvard Law School. Email: sattar@post.harvard.edu
Read more...

Dr. Hoodbhoy's 10 commandments for the USA and for Muslims.

Pervez Hoodbhoy on ‘Us’ and ‘Them’ Mindset
By: Maryam Chaudhry

Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy, renowned nuclear physicist and disarmament activist, who teaches at Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad, recently visited the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and delivered a talk, the title of which was: Sacred Terror – Theirs and Ours. I was fortunate enough to find out about this and actually attend the lecture. I will attempt to summarize what Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy said, since I thought most of our Pakistaniat readers would like to know what he had to say on the extremely divisive subject of global terrorism, which has become extremely important after 9/11.

Dr. Hoodbhoy started the talk by giving the audience a definition of terrorism.

“Terrorism is the deliberate targeting of non-combatants with the intention to kill or wound.”

If this, indeed, is the definition of terrorism, then it leads us to re-examine some of the events that took place some time ago, but which have all had an impact on history. While much has been written about Hiroshima and Nagasaki, they have not really ever been referred to as acts of terrorism. In 1971, when the West Pakistani Army slaughtered close to 100,000 Bengalis, Dr. Hoodbhoy thinks that sort of brutality can also be seen as terrorism, but of course as we all know, history has not recognized it as such.

We all remember the Munich Olympics of 1972, when members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage by the Palestinian group “Black September,” a group which had ties to Yasser Arafat’s Fatah organization. By the end of the ordeal, the group had murdered 11 Israeli athletes and one German police officer. Of course, the Palestinians thought they were merely taking their revenge from people who were representatives of the country that had deprived them of their homeland. Dr. Hoodbhoy calls this an act of terrorism as well.

There are numerous other similar incidents in history. Dr. Hoodbhoy, very interestingly, talked about former President Ronald Reagan, who on one occasion was quoted as saying, “I am a Mujahideen” while posing for pictures with Afghan Mujahideen including Gulbadin Hikmatyar Apparently, at that time, President Reagan had also said about the Mujahideen that “they were the moral equivalent of the founding fathers of America.”

So as you can see, terrorism is a very complex subject, and its definition depends, to some extent, on which side you belong to. Yesterday’s freedom fighters have become today’s terrorists. After 9/11, while the US was engulfed by insurmountable grief, one is ashamed to admit that there was jubilation and actual celebration in most of the Muslim world. Whereas one’s initial reaction is to feel appalled at such apathy at the death of innocent people, it is important to point out that the Muslims are not the only “bad guys” in the world. Recently, Dr. Hoodbhoy saw CNN coverage of the bridge collapse in Minnesota where 13 people died and approximately 100 were injured, and while it was very tragic to hear the stories of the survivors and those of the families who had lost loved ones, Dr. Hoodbhoy says he was reminded of the beginning of the Iraq war, where the very same CNN was simply ecstatic at the collapse of a similar bridge. CNN was going on and on about the precision with which the United States attacks its targets, and there was no sorrow at the loss of innocent lives that accompanied this feat.

Terrorism is born and flourishes when the world gets divided into “us” and “them” and this is a mind-set that is rampant in today’s world.

“The essence of terrorism rests on the psychological detachment from its victims and a contemptuous indifference to their suffering.”

Left unchecked, the negative stereotyping of all Muslims as terrorists will have dire consequences. So what can be done to stop the growing confrontation between the U.S and the Muslims? Dr. Hoodbhoy used the very imaginative allegory of a modern day Moses to whom 10 new Commandments are revealed – 5 of the 10 Commandments are for the U.S and the other 5 are for the Muslims. I will summarize them here for the benefit of our readers.

1. The United States must stop behaving as if planet Earth belongs to them and that they are the world’s policemen. There is U.S. military presence all over the world and the U.S. dominates the land, sea, air and space. They spend a staggering half a trillion dollars on defense, which is more than the defense budgets of the next five countries.

2. Live by the law. When international agreements have been signed and agreed to by the U.S., they should be obeyed. U.S. does not live by the NPT (non-proliferation treaty). Currently, they have agreed to supply nuclear material to India (who as we all know, has not signed the NPT). So the U.S. is in clear violation of the NPT. Interestingly enough, Iran’s nuclear program (which is the reason behind the current threat of bombing Iran) was started by the U.S. itself at the time of the Shah of Iran in the 1970’s.

3. Do not use rhetoric of democracy unless you mean it. The two main reasons for invading Iraq were, of course, the elusive WMD’s and secondly to establish democracy over there. This is very transparent hypocrisy on the past of the U.S., especially since they have supported several dictatorships around the world. All four military dictators in Pakistan have had the full support of the U.S.

4. Ensure that a Palestinian State is created very soon. Despite involving a relatively small land area and number of casualties, especially compared to the genocide in Rwanda, Darfur and Bosnia, the Palestinian issue has become a very important one for the Muslim psyche. Muslims feel they are being victimized by the Christian West, and Palestine has become a symbol of the injustice done to Muslims in today’s world.

5. Exercise soft power. The wealth and resources of the U.S. MUST be shared with countries that need them. The U.S. helped very generously at the time of the tsunami in Indonesia in 2004 and also they played an important role in the relief efforts when the earthquake hit northern Pakistan two years ago. These kinds of actions promote goodwill and will go a long way in easing tensions between the Muslims and this country.

And now we come to the 5 Commandments addressed to the Muslims.

1. Muslims must STOP blaming the West (or the “infidels”) for everything that is wrong with them. Out of the 48 Muslim countries of the world, not one can be called a democracy in the pure sense of the word. Sadly, there has been NO significant scientific achievement in the last 700 years or so, whereas between the 9th and the 13th centuries, during the golden period of Islam, it was only the Muslims who kept the light of knowledge burning. The causes of Muslim decline have all been internal, and NOT the result of conspiracies. If Islam is to become a positive, constructive force in the 21st century, it must change from within, and worldwide opinion will follow.

2. Whenever and wherever there is an act of terrorism, condemn it LOUDLY and fully. The West has taken the majority of the Muslim communities’ lack of anger at 9/11 as tacit approval of militant Islam. Unfortunately Islam has become synonymous with violence and terror, and many moderate, peaceful Muslims have now become victims as well. The moderate Muslim community must fight against the hijacking of Islam.

3. Stop dreaming of theocracies and the reinstating of the Shariah law. Such ideas belong to the past, and are not compatible with the continuously evolving society and environment to which we belong. Insistence on such ideas can only drag the Muslims further into a medieval abyss.

4. Accept the fact that others do not see morality the way you do. Muslims have been brought up to believe that the only morality worth upholding is sexual morality. Other religions and cultures may not place so much emphasis on sexual morality, but that does not necessarily make them inferior human beings.

5. The last Commandment is for Muslims who have chosen to live in countries other than their homeland. Integrate. Do NOT try and stand out. Do NOT try and be different. And yes, it is possible to do all this AND maintain one’s individual identity, and without compromising principles and values we have grown up with. We must take more of an interest in our surroundings, in politics, and not just national politics but starting at the grassroots level.

To conclude, it is the need of the hour to understand that it was okay to be tribal in the early days, but certainly not so in today’s world. We human beings are similar in a lot of ways and we must strive to become global citizens, and try not to be locked into narrow nationalism. This is a challenge for all of us and we will all have to consciously work at it to survive.

About the Author: Maryam Chaudhry lives in Illinois. She teaches French at a private university.

http://pakistaniat.com/2007/12/12/pervez-hoodbhoy-on-us-and-them-mindset/
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Stop dirty propaganda against the Pride of Pakistan Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy...

Introduction of Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy

Pervez Amirali Hoodbhoy (born 11 July 1950) is Professor of High Energy Physics and the head of the Physics Department at Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. He graduated and also received PhD from MIT and continues to do research in Particle physics. He received the Baker Award for Electronics in 1968, and the Abdus Salam Prize for Mathematics in 1984. He has authored various scientific research papers in peer-reviewed journals.

Hoodbhoy is also a prominent environmental and social activist and regularly writes on a wide range of social, cultural and environmental issues. He is the chairman of Mashal, a non-profit organization which publishes Urdu books on women's rights, education, environmental issues, philosophy, and modern thought. He is a staunch opponent of Wahhabist militant Islam in Pakistan and an advocate for democracy in the country.


Biography

Hoodbhoy gained his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Electrical Engineering, followed by M.S. in Solid-State Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1973. He went on to obtain a Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics in 1978 from the same institution. Later, he remained a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Washington. He has been a faculty member at the Quaid-e-Azam University since 1973. He is engaged in research on Quantum field theory, Particle Phenomenology, and Supersymmetry in Particle physics. He is a visiting professor at Carnegie Mellon University, MIT, the University of Maryland, College Park, and Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. He also occasionally lectures at various American and European research institutions. He is a sponsor of The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists . He also serves on the International Advisory Council of the Brookings Doha Center.

Apart from his specialist field of research, Hoodbhoy extensively writes and speaks on general topics ranging from science in Islam to education and nuclear disarmament issues around the world. He is author of Islam and Science: Religious Orthodoxy and the Battle for Rationality, that has been translated into 5 languages. His articles on various issues related to science and social issues are often published in international media.

He is married to Hajra Ahmad, niece of Pakistani journalist-activist Eqbal Ahmad. Both their daughters, Asha and Alia, are graduates of Hampshire College.

Documentary films

He produced a 13-part documentary series in Urdu for Pakistan Television on critical issues in education, and two series aimed at popularizing science. In 2004, he made a documentary film 'Crossing the Lines: Kashmir, Pakistan, India' along with Zia Mian.


Awards and Honours

* Member of the Board of Sponsors of The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
* Awarded UNESCO's Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science in Pakistan.
* His TV serials and film The Bell Tolls for Planet Earth won honorable mention at the Paris Film Festival.

He is also the recipient of:

* Baker Award for Electronics, British Association of Electronics and Radio Engineers (1968).
* Student-of-the-Year, Pakistan Students Association of America (1972).
* Rockefeller Mauze Fellowship for graduate studies (1973).
* Abdus Salam Award for Mathematics (1984).
* Associate of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (1986-1994).
* Faiz Ahmed Faiz Award, for contributions towards the cause of education in Pakistan (1990).
* “Book of the Year Award”, awarded by the National Book Council Of Pakistan (1993).
* Fulbright Award (1997-1998) for research at the University of Maryland, College Park.
* Selma V. Forkosch Prize (2003)

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Smear Campaign

Recently we are witnessing a smear campaign against Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy. We, the Pakistani nation, are proud of our brave son. Dr. Hoodbhoy who refuses to subscribe to or bow to the evil ideology of the Mullahs, Ziaists, ISI and all those who support an uncritical pursuit of darkness, ignorance and violence. We know that supporters of the Mullahs, ISI, Ziaists are behind this dirty campaign.

We urge the Government of Pakistan to take notice of this dirty campaign. We urge governments and law enforcing agencies in all countries to take notice of violence incting emails and campaign against Dr. Hoodbhoy, arrest the culprits and bring them in a court of law.

List of persons involved in dirty campaign against Dr. Hoodbhoy:

Mr. Waqas Ahmed, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, Telephone 00968
Letter sponsored by http://www.ahmedquraishi.com

http://www.ahmedquraishi.com/article_detail.php?id=563

Mr. Ahmed Quraishi comments:
Recommendation: We need to start a witch-hunt in Pakistan to cleanse our academia and public life of such self-haters and defeatists who poison the minds of young Pakistanis about their homeland. Such academics and human rights activists should not be allowed to hide behind the freedom of expression.

Where is the Iternet Crime Unit of Pakistan, the UAE, and the Interpol?

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