The Overlooked Problem of Pakistani Racism.

well formulated. just goes on to show that lack of basic education and self esteem goes a long way in ones own perception of self worth.

Sorry, dear. I have seen those `ROOTS` eyes my self in the South of USA, inside the classroom of a reputed university. After looking at that way at an African, he thought he could do the same to me! No, he took his eyes down, but I kept looking at him with disgust.I am a Bengali, not fully Aryan, like my grandfathers on both sides, but what we call it in Bengali is `Ujjal Shamla,` though people of my community says I am `saaf.`

I say, it is this complexion, that has right amount of melanin in the skin. I can surely portray myself as a model in a magazine, but the question that arises, just to show that I am better looking male than the paler Europeans, would I go as low as to be a model.

Would I portray myself something I don`t want to promote, like promoting men as sexual object? I would like to request my fellow Subcontinentals, lets not compete with them in the wrong side of the road. It takes decades or centuries for people to realise, who are right and who are wrong.

Men musn`t bother about their complexion, and shouldn`t worry about their looks too much. A well built, well dressed Dravidian caucasoid man, is much more soothing to the eyes than a `pinky`.

For men, a `cutie` means a cute heart or a cute nature or a cute smile, and never a cute rose. And lets be careful about the views promoted by feminists and others(?).These are observations from my study.

Lets devote our time in worrying about something fruitful, but surely you must take bath regualarly, wear clean clothes, brush your teeth, and musn`t go to the mosque or elsewhere with stinky smell of garlic, onions or sweat. And moreover, surely use water after defacation, you don`t want to cover everything with perfume, do you?

As per your article! you are absolutely right! when Mother tells her sons in his younger age saying that he will find a `biwi` gori chitti! what this means that not only our cuture but our own mind has to trained and find a solution how we can do that! The problem doesn`t stays over here ! in west! (USA) is that look all this nudy bars! ( yes! I am culprete) you will find 99% gori chamdi! (lol)! look as per my cuture background I do laugh about it! but its same on me that I think that way! the point what I want to make is on root! if base education is good than all is well! but then....

The last time I visited, my 12 year old niece wanted me to send her some ``face bleaching cream`` or any similar product from the US so that her schoolmates will stop calling her ``darkie``. The next year she quit school because of the trouble. Then there was the time in Hyderabad, while standing in the lines trying to get admission to college, another relative was interrogated as to his family names and background, and when it was revealed he was concealing his Muhajer-ness, he was forced out of line, knocked to the ground and kicked. See, to even get a basic education you have to pretend to be what you are not. The depth to which this ethnic prejudice is embedded in the nation`s fabric, and practically institutionalized, really makes me question the ``Islamic`` nature of the ``Islamic Republic of Pakistan`` Do true Muslims (of ANY color) really have this pettiness ingrained in their hearts as a way of life, favored over the idea of equality of all people before Allah, as instructed by our beloved Prophet? Although I have had my own experience with the racism in US, (it can be very covert), I must say that the ``official`` open policies of ``equal-opportunity`` and ``non-discrimination`` are seemingly more islamic(!)in nature (in theory anyway), than the feudal caste system still in place in Pakistani society.

I would like to commend Dr.Shafqat for bringing such a touchy issue to the surface. I wish this brave attempt to discuss one of the root problems of our society, which pretends to be perfect, and in denial of our wrongs, would begin to accept this and discus s this with proper manners. However, I continue to believe either of the two will continue to happen. This will continue to be ignored and it will continue to spread like cancer as Dr. Shafqat mentioned or people when they discuss such sensitive issues, allow their emotions to overtake logic and reason which creates further misunderstandings. I hope and pray that there are certain people willing to carry this torch beyond this article to remove such thoughts and feelings.

dude i dont have much to say other than that pakis`s oughtta wake up and smell the coffee and get ovewr this racism crap and focus more on being better citizens of the country and work hard to strenghten its economy.

RE: Aamir

``I have to disagree with Mr. Saad on his view on quota system. It is an open secret that in Pakistan rural kids don`t get the same opportunity as urban(rich) kids. We do need some kind of ``affirmative action`` for rural and preferably for all poor people.``

The similarities between the Pakistani qouta system and the American affirmative action program are quite superficial. The most major difference of course is in the numbers. A minority of ``positions`` here are reserved for underpriveleged minorities (so being Asian doesn`t count). The vast majority of placements are done on the basis of merit. There are no regional quotas. In Pakistan, the opposite is true - an overwhelming number of positions are quota assigned - not given to the most deserving candidate. I think only 2% are decided on merit (from what I seem to remember). So, I might be the smartest, brightest thing that ever walked the earth - I cannot work for the Punjabi government, because I am not domiciled there. Such a system is inherently divisive and perpetuates provincialism rather than nationalism.
While most people may agree with the writer that rural kids don`t get the same opportunity as rich, urban kids, the assumption that all rural kids are poor and all urban rich is flawed. And our quota system certainly doesn`t address this - what about the poor urban kids? I do see the fairness of a system that assures that truly talented children from poor, disadvantaged backgrounds should be given a ``leg-up``, but we do not have that system, or even one that is remotely similar.

Anita

I found the article extremely pertinent and the interactions did justice to the ideas brought out in the article. Good debate!It was truly enlightening to read all your ideas. I must also say the Aapka Ganwar posed a non-sequitar (how much freedom? and I found Tahnoon`s comments edifying.

Thanks!. This debate may be the best on Chowk so far. Ideas such as these are true brainstorming and may free `us` yet.

Pakistan is probably one of the most prejudiced and racist societies there are. There is an inherent sense of division and it is further pushed by the desire to be superior in reaction to a subconsious realization that we are inferior (colonial hangover is a partial reason for this). This thrust for superiority is often at the expense of minorities of some/any form. This thrust is deemed necessary in the light/distress of our own shortcomings. Sadly we have to tear our own selves apart to prove ourselves worthy of living.

aadabarz
fraz shafique
pakistan zindabad

``I realize it is fashionable to critique the United States as a transparent example of moral and social hypocrisy.`` It has also become very fashionable to scrutinize the dichotomy of ``Western-racism`` and ``Eastern-racism`` under a microscope that does not claim the objectivity of its own rhetoric. I really do not understand the use of such half-baked opinions. America has created enough projects to put the rest of world to shame. Have you been to Harlem lately? I think we should not recreate our problems/solutions in the image of our new masters.

``There also remains the agonizing (but undisputed) fact that even a mediocre gora continues to command more respect and attention in Pakistan than the most talented of Pakistanis, well over 50 years after the end of British rule.`` Why not analyze pre-colonial history? What about the Mughal Raj? What distribution of color and power did it bring to the Indian sub-continent?

To me, the obsession of the enlightened, or otherwise, to declare themselves free of all biases is just another part of the absurdity of the post-modern human species. How can one not be a racist? The institution of nationalism demands an allegiance; to forfeit it maybe perfidious; to ignore, simply wise.

Ps: For further research on the topic of ``racism,`` please read:
1. ``Imagined Communities`` Benedict Anderson
2. ``Religious Nationalism`` Peter Van Der Veer

shukriya
Apka Ganwar
Gabbar Singh

Cynic, this is simply the fallacy of composition. It is neither PC or inC. What is good for the individual is not necessarily good for the nation as a whole.

I have seen no research on affirmative action plans which suggest they raise the long term wellbeing of any minority and considerable argument for their deleterious effects. There is a great deal of evidence that supports the idea of cycles of achievement however. These cycles are engendered by the hard work of individuals who exceed the mean of society and serve as exemplars for their community.

By the same token I have no doubt that you would have been equally successful without affirmative action. All the latter did was grease the wheels.

Re: Saad Shafqat.

We spoke of Dr. Abdus Salam last week. A hometown boy from deepest darkest Jhang. Clearly it is possible for someone from the interior of Sindh to make good as well as someone from Karachi Grammar.

Affirmative action is a quota by another name and is a terrible idea. People tend to work to a lowest common denominator. South Asian expatriates tend to be overachievers because we need to deliver more than the average occidental to get the same rewards. I don`t think this is necessarily a bad thing. You need challenge and conflict to grow.I see no reason why the same would not apply within Pakistan.

I maintain that social divides are caused by the ``equilibrium state`` that I described.

Finally, to reiterate, the solution is to eliminate points of difference. This is less a matter ``colour-blindness`` as it is a form of ``social eugenics``. :-)

OK, lets talk about it. Sociologists have long understood that differences of culture (stereotyped by hue) and language form the severest lines of demarcation among people.

National identity quickly disintegrates into smaller agglomerations when people are competing for resources which determine life and death.

Anthropologists will tell us that a group identity is an uneasy equilibrium between how similar we feel we are, our sense of belonging to an endeavour or ``cause``, and our human inability to interact with groups of more than a few hundred individuals. At least, they might tell us that, I have no idea, but it certainly sounds very credible doesn`t it? (I`ve been reading Bill Bryson, and this in no way implies that I have a sense of humour).

So what do we have in common. As uneducated peasants and artisans, very little. A religion that no-one REALLY believes in because you can`t get a consensus on what it means and when you do it either becomes horribly cheerless, or suspiciously apropos the objectives of your leaders. A fairly arbitrary geographic boundary that’s fifty years old, and an approximate similarity of cuisine. Not much mortar to put those ol` bricks together eh?

We had a cause. Lets obliterate our nasty non-muslim brethren across the way and build our shining towers by the by. But they have nice legs and pretty smiles and look ever so good under convenient little waterfalls so that doesn`t work much. Most of our generation, used in the broad sense of people who mostly aren`t dead yet (I`d like to include my dearly departed aunt who is, but still has strong opinions on everything), have been watching our nation slip silently into the septic tank all their lives. Even in my most generous moments I have to confess that waiting for the splash is not the drum roll to get my blood racing.

The few hundred individuals, we`re very good at. Hence ``lets kill all the others and steal their curry powder``, which anyway is college educated and gives itself airs.

Racism is also terribly contagious. After all if you put a racist and a libertarian in a room, who is likely to come out? Natural selection and that sort of thing. If you’ve ever been in a situation where a stranger will regard you with hatred, contempt or revulsion you know how easy it is to react in a similar fashion or to finally question your own worth. Its entirely biological and nothing to be ashamed of. My dog does it all the time.

I put a little proviso up there. Did you spot it? You and I, talking here on Chowk couldn’t give a stuff about whether someone is Baluchi, or Pathan or ``Mohajir`` (Why do we always en-quote ``Mohajir``?). That’s not because we are all especially enlightened but because we have more in common with each other and less with our respective sub-cultures. There you have it. The article hit the nail square when it spoke of illiteracy. We are educated, mostly expatriate and that is a sufficiently small ``tribe`` that we can all belong. (I can think of more illiterate things though, like not being able to read or write and stuff).

What is the solution? Lets stop pretending that its possible to live as separate cultures in one nation. Lots of ways really, Fragmentation, Confederation or if you happen to be a raving Nationalist like me the only real choice is to cease pandering the whims of frightened cultural bigots and apologists. Build an adaptive and changing culture that adopts elements of all parts of Pakistan and cease recognising the legitimacy or privileges of any component sub-culture. In other words legislate and enforce our Baluchness or ``Mohajir``ness out of existence. Build a common culture and mythos starting small and young, like Hans Christian Andersen or the Brothers Grimm. So, stories will bring us together. Who says there’s nothing us Chowkaholics can do?

Well said, sir.

I am glad that you have chosen to open the gates for a discussion on racism and discrimination. Discrimination on the basis of color, ethnicity, level of angreziat, family name (khandaan) and even place of residence thrives in our system. [religious discrimination has not been mentioned]

There is really no need for survey data to prove its existence - you can find racism in some form or the other in almost every aspect of our social makeup, and it is not limited to our geographic confines. We carry our racism with us as we settle in various parts of the world.

In my life I have had to deal with my inbuilt biases in many ways. By just using myself as an example I have to admit that for me it is a conscious struggle to not stereotype anyone, to not be judgemental and presumptuous of anyone, to not discriminate and differentiate among colors, ethnicities and religions. Your article clearly highlights a problem.

You are right about the legislative initiatives that the US has invoked. These initiatives have done a lot to open this issue for discssion and debate. It was an eye-opener for me to hear the arguments in Spielberg`s film Amistad - when Adams defends the ``presumed`` slaves in the US supreme court - it was an exhilirating feeling for me when Cinque screamed ``Give Us, Us Free - Give Us, Us Free - ...`` To me that film was a celeberation of humans who manage to rise above ``prevailing pettines`` and make a difference. In some ways, to me, Chowk is also a celeberation of those amongst us who care to, who dare to, rise above pettiness, prejudice and pompousness.

I look forwrad to hearing comments and narratives of other participants.