The Wages of Obedience

Here's a tale of two Pakistani self-haters and defeatists who enjoy every moment of hating themselves and their country: Dr. Pervaiz Hoodbhoy and Asma Jahangir.
Whenever there is a writing project in any newspaper anywhere in the world where they want to bash Pakistan using a Pakistani name, they call one man in Islamabad: Dr. Hoodbhoy. He spews more venom against Pakistan than Hamid Karzai and Bal Thackery - an Indian Hindu terrorist - combined.
Asma Jahangir, another defeatist who went to India to shake the hands of Narendar Modi, the killer of 2500 Indian Muslims, has just volunteered to Hindustan Times to confirm that Mumbai terror was a Pakistani conspiracy [see below].
Here's a letter sent by a Pakistani young man to Dr. Pervaiz Hoodbhoy, a Pakistani self-hater, and received no reply. And then watch Asma Jahangir's video.
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.
TO: Dr. Pervaiz A. Hoodbhoy
Professor and Chairman
Physic Department
Quaid-e-Azam University,
Islamabad.
E-mail: hoodb...@lns.mit.edu

NATION WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU

Dear Dr Pervaiz Hoodbhoy Sahib,

I have been reading your articles and research reports and watching your interviews on different TV channels on different issues. I have tried to go through your articles again and again to satisfy myself that whatsoever you are speaking in the name of freedom of speech is just an ordinary criticism and could be a difference of opinion.
But I regret to say that I am unable to do so. In dozens of your articles and interviews you have never ever said a single positive thing about Pakistan and have always tried to portray a false picture of Pakistan, according to which Pakistan is a failed state. Whether it's the issue of extremism, or Pakistan's nuclear assets, or Pak-India relations, or if there is an issue of western and Indian allegations, you have always come up with your nasty ideas to prove to the world community that whatever the enemies of Pakistan are saying, you are more than happy to say it from them, using a Pakistani identity, which is an act for which you feel no shame.

I am not sure if Pakistanis have seen your massive one-man campaign against Pakistan where you have alleged that we are not capable of retaining our nuclear assets. Or, now, after the Mumbai attacks, when even the cheapest of Pakistani politicians have shown some kind of patriotism and unity for the sake of Pakistan, at this crucial time again you are trying to prove what the enemies of Pakistan are trying to do. I fail to understand what motivates you except gaining popularity in West or even in India.

India is a so-called democracy where low caste Hindus, Christians and Muslims are burned alive [a ritual unique to India, doesn't happen anywhere else], where Hindu extremists are in the government, where groups like Bajrang Dal are trained in Indian Army schools. But India seems like Switzerland after reading one of your articles on India, especially the one you wrote recently after a visit to India. India's terrorist and rogue intelligence agency, RAW, which is funding and supporting separatist movements in our tribal belt and in Balochistan, continues to be an untouchable issue for you. What really is important for you is to put all your efforts toward portraying a negative Pakistan.

I give you an example from the history which you will find self explanatory in reference to our current scenario.

I am not sure if our enemies will impose a war on Pakistan or not but at this crucial stage all your efforts to distort Pakistan's image is not going to remain unnoticed and the nation will never forgive you for what you have done.

Wassalam.

Waqas Ahmed
Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

Re: # 1

It is evident from your discussion, that you like others in Pakistan and India are suffering from serious political delusions with respect to the Kashmir issue. Why would India go beyond the limits of Kashmir to bring war on its own grounds? The same idea in India exists, as well, that Pakistan would continue beyond Kashmir if conceded - thats quite a big IF mind you. In such a case why would Pakistan go beyond the realms of Kashmir? I don`t think you are living on planet earth and neither are political ``indulgers`` like yourself on either side of the border. It can be clearly described as ``Naach na jaane aangan tehra.``

The Kashmir issue has the following outcomes:
1. Remain and re-draw the border at LOC.
2. India leave entirely which would leave Kashmir without any infrastructure nor military leaving it open for Pakistan and maybe even China to conquer. Keep in mind neither the Buddhist, Hindus, nor Shia communities of Jammu & Kashmir(approx. 3 million+) wish to be part of Pakistan as all such minority communities will be persecuted. Which leaves only about 3 million+ Srinagar valley citizens and vicinity with Pro-Pakistani sentiments if any.
3. Pakistan leave entirely in which case, India would most certainly differ in its actions. BJP would go all the way to Baltistan and beyond while Congress would draw the line at LOC.
4. Kashmir is given independence, in which case, see point 2 above.

For either India or Pakistan to go beyond the ideological borders of Kashmir is inviting itself for sanctions which is perhaps more feared by either country than a bilateral war with each other. Just stop for a moment and think about what you are saying. Why would India press on with its secularism onto a territory which has entirely anti-Indian sentiments and pro-Islamic and pro-Pakistani sentiments? Why would Pakistan press on with its Islamic idealism into Punjab or Himachal Pradesh where Islam exists in insignificant numbers - thanks to 1947? I am not sure it is a good idea to engage in jazbatee rhetoric which truly has no evidential basis as you are doing now.

Regardless of how you might see Kashmir, the Kashmiris are truly victims of logically deceived individuals such as you. People like you vote for anti-Indian political parties in Pakistan and people similar to you vote for anti-Pakistani parties in India. The result of such an act is simple - the death of innocent people in Kashmir. The matter of fact is that someone else suffers because of your action.

I agree with most of what you have written. I have just one nit to pick. Please name the names of of X, Y, and Z, so that the next time we read one of their columns we know what conclusions to draw.

Re Saminashah 133

I believe that there is a new halal chinese indian joint somewhere on Hillside avenue. I will post it to you once I get more details/feedback from friends. I just hope it is not a venture by a bangladeshi which would pretty much doom it instantly.

PS, I do not mean to offend Bengalis who have a great cuisine, but only those who murder and mutililate other indian cuisines. The only thing worse than a bangladeshi preparing mughlai is one preparing south indian chow.

re: rdesikan

{{There was this short lived on in the 50s called Pondicherry that Ismail Merchant was a consultant to. The chow was okay but I heard that it is going under.}}

ismail should stick to movies...as for madhur jaffrey, i`ve yet to figure out what she`s good at...anyway, the place is now closed, and has been replaced by some French bistro...

{{I have a bone against these Bangladeshi places. They use the same ingredients and the same recipes, but it never tastes like true Mughlai. Why?}}

they are also health hazards, along with most of jackson heights...judging from the personal hygiene of some of those people working there, i wouldn`t go anywhere near those joints ..

{{Yes, Bay Leaf gets a passing grade. Nothing more.}}

yeah, another also-ran

{{If you want good bombay-style artery clogging fried stuff, there is a place in Little Neck in Queens called Usha Food [on hillside ave] where they make this jazz on premises. What an intoxicating aroma! Hey, if you`re going to kick the bucket, do it in style. it`s worth the schlep every now and then.}}

excellent choice...never been there, but went to some aunty`s house who never cooks and she swears by the stuff...

{{I know that RSaxena hates chinese food with a passion, but the Indian chinese places that are mushrooming all over the place is a trend to be celebrated.}}

...i hate the authentic stuff, but not the desi stuff which adds sanity to an othwerwise insane cuisine...if you ever go to bombay, try Golden Dragon at the Taj, or in Bangalore try Memories of China...excellent, excellent chapta food for the desi tongue...

Curry in a Hurry- and food?? We usually go there for the Pakistani patrons : ) Pakistan TeaHouse has better food - and fresh roaches!! And this is an absolute must - Mamoon`s on Macdougal for shawarma`s.

Daavat (is this new - ahvent been there before) but sounds like Salaam Bombay, Bay Leaf Brasserie, Bukhara Grill .... - pretty much the same. You`ve eaten in one - youve eaten in them all. Turkish Kitchen is one place I can go again and again and so is Laila`s down in Tribeca. I wonder if it has survived.

saminashah #126, ``.whats the best place for chaat in Jackson Heights?``

try Dimple`s fast food. it`s a dump, but hey, that`s Jackson Heights for you.

there`s also this great new restaurant in Queens called Fiza on Hillside Ave. Very homestyle, cheap, and fast. no place to sit and eat though.

and if you`re ever in Suffolk County, Curry Club is pretty good.

Rdesi,

You`d be amazed at what passes for chaat in some places circa J.H., but thanks for the tips...I can`t really see myself eating out for North Indian food, but definately am interested in checking out South Indian places. Chinese-Indian? Will give it a go...is it anything like Halal Chinese?

RE Rsaxena, saminashah

Ah food.

Dawaat has always been the sort of safe restaurant one takes acquaintances to when they start bugging you for decent food. It ain`t all that bad and if at all, it was one of the earliest spots where one could watch the tandoor chap in action.

There was this short lived on in the 50s called Pondicherry that Ismail Merchant was a consultant to. The chow was okay but I heard that it is going under.

But whatever you do, do not go to Surya. It serves phony westernised interpretations of desi food. In other words, it is extremely dumbed down and watered down khanna. They serve, gasp, dosais with sea bass fillings. Another place to avoid is Nirvana where the food is anything but. I have a bone against these Bangladeshi places. They use the same ingredients and the same recipes, but it never tastes like true Mughlai. Why?

Yes, Bay Leaf gets a passing grade. Nothing more.

But on lexington, Pongal ain`t bad at all..actually good udipi food, but on the higher end of the price spectrum [as a true native of Madras, I believe that good udipi food should be inexpensive]. The rest of the joints on lex are cheap lunch time meals, like Curry in a hurry where you can fill up for next to nothing. But it aint no gastronomical experience.

RE chat, they`re all the same everywhere, right?

If you want good bombay-style artery clogging fried stuff, there is a place in Little Neck in Queens called Usha Food [on hillside ave] where they make this jazz on premises. What an intoxicating aroma! Hey, if you`re going to kick the bucket, do it in style. it`s worth the schlep every now and then.

I know that RSaxena hates chinese food with a passion, but the Indian chinese places that are mushrooming all over the place is a trend to be celebrated. What this cuisine does is fix all the shortfalls of chinese food with the right dollops of spices and flavor while keeping its chinese character. There are a couple in Elmhurst run by Chinese-Indian-Americans [how`s that?] that were recently written up in the Times.

Hamzad/FK,

Something to make you happy :-)

http://www.wired.com/news/reuters/story?story_id=20020217RTNEWS-HAJ-AMERICANS-DC.htmlt

Americans in Mecca Say Sept 11 Deepened Faith

Nadim Ladki

2002-02-17 12:30:00

MECCA, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Like all Americans, New Yorker Mariam Faraj was horrified by Sept. 11.

But the 46-year-old convert to Islam said the suicide attacks -- and a backlash against Muslims that followed -- had failed to shake her faith.

Performing the haj pilgrimage to Mecca for the second time in four years, Faraj, who was born in Italy and used to be called Renata Solimine, recounted her shock as she watched events unfold near to her New York home on September 11.

``It was unbelievable,`` Faraj told Reuters in the Muslim holy city Sunday. ``I don`t think Muslim people are so cruel.``

Friends and neighbors shunned Faraj and her Egyptian-born husband and two children after the hijack attacks were blamed on Islamist militants. But she was determined to uphold her faith.

``I am not going to give up and nor are my children because we know this is the religion of peace,`` said the New York housewife, her head covered by a pink scarf.

Her beliefs were echoed by other American pilgrims who made the journey from the United States to Saudi Arabia.

South African-born couple Imtiaz and Nazmira Tar, from Los Angeles, said the attacks had made them speak out for Islam among Americans and that in turn had intensified their faith.

``In a way, it made us stronger Muslims because we ourselves had to think...and explain the right views of what Islam is about,`` said Nazmira Tar.

Shrouded from head to toe in a black dress, Tar said Muslim Americans had suffered a double blow on September 11:

``As an American we`ve been victimized because our country was attacked on September 11 and we did have friends in the World Trade Center that were killed that day,`` she said.

``But then again as a Muslim we`ve also been victimized because now our religion has been attacked. That in a way made us double victims.``

PROUD TO BE MUSLIM

Her husband said Americans were slowly realizing that Islam did not condone or encourage the killing of innocent civilians.

He also said that positive remarks by President Bush on Islam had helped to ease some of the strains American Muslims have suffered from in the past five months.

Faraj converted to Islam in 1994, after hearing a Muslim call to prayer for the first time while on a trip to Cairo.

``At that moment I felt someone was taking my heart and lifting it up,`` she said, fighting back tears.

Islam gave her ``a very good feeling`` despite the physical and spiritual efforts it demanded.

``I am very proud to be a Muslim,`` Faraj said at her hotel few meters from Mecca`s Grand Mosque, Islam`s holiest site.

``I am very proud to be around these people because they are the most wonderful people you can ever know,`` she said of her fellow pilgrims. ``You feel that everybody here are brothers and sisters. There`s no difference who`s the doctor and who`s the housewife. We`re all the same.``

Nazmira Tar agreed: ``It is like having a world tour all in one place. It`s amazing.``

More than two million pilgrims from 160 countries are expected to perform the five-day ritual beginning on Wednesday.

Copyright © 2001 Reuters Limited.

Asif Naqshbandi

“It is sad as a Muslim and a Pakistani to see our leaders acting with so little guts and self-respect.”

…just like mulanas scumi, fuzzloo & co, the ‘leaders’ of the ‘faithful’ did when sending thousands to their deaths in jihad against the infidels in afghanistan while they rested on their corpulent posteriors in their cushy pads, right?…in the meantime, snivel on….

on sharab:- (will Musharaf give up the ban on alcohol in Pakistan or is that an established industry not to disturb?)

on Rooh Afza in alcohol . . . take 30ml Malibu, 30ml Limon Bacardi, add 4 cubes of ice crushed if possible in a TALL glass . . . about 50ml each non-sweetened pineapple juice and orange juice (fresh if possible) and now shake vigorously the whole lot . . . add about 50ml soda and stir gently so that the soda doesnt lose its ``cutting`` . . . wait for the whole thing to stop jerking around while you change the music to Nusrat Fateh Ali . . . now lift the glass gently and pour Blue Curacao gently along one side, Rooh Afza along the second side, Tia Maria along the third side and paan liquer along the forth side so that it goes down in gentle vertical streaks to settle at the bottom . . . carefully rub the rim of the glass with a salted nimboo (not a lemon you WOGs . . . a proper nimboo with beej in it and all, OK?) . . . and then drink with a gently placed straw . . . make slurpy sounding noises.

For more cocktails from India (yes!! our cocktails are surely FAR FAR better than yours, oh victory is so sweet!!) do write in.

(takes yet another bow)

(getting tired now!)

(also losing fat around waist, so many bows, see?)

Urstruly #123 On the quote from Surah Al-Imran: It does not of course add up to making the muslims a Chosen People. That is my point, and your quote does not either support or refute that point. Also while there are verses in the Quran that are negative towards some people of other faiths, for each such verse there are several others that make it clear that the Quran basically views people of other faiths with great affection and does not consider muslims to be anything special - read Surah Al-Rum for example, where the Quran writes movingly and with great beauty on behalf of the Christian Roman Empire at a time when the Christians suffered defeat at the hands of the Persians. Read the part where the Quran says that it is an ``Arabic Quran``, sent to a people (i.e. the Arabs) who have not had the benefit of Holy Books revealed in other languages to date. Read the part where the Quran says that it reveals nothing (substantive) beyond what was revealed to Moses. Lastly, read the translation of the prayer that muslims repeat five times a day all over the world - for us muslims to be accepted by God as He as accepted the followers of Abraham.

The conclusion is inescapable for anyone who reads the Quran with a clear and open mind: Islam is a religion of humility and of love for all mankind, not that of arrogance and hatred for people of other faiths.

As for Tafseer, the Quran repeatedly says it is a Book to make things simple. And indeed it is that. It enjoins upon muslims to trust their own God-given faculties and not look towards other men for spiritual guidance. Why are these basic messages not registering with so many people who think of themselves as muslim?

re: saminashah

{{So Madhur Jaffrey`s swank restaurant fails to deliver? Have you been to Cafe Spice? How dissapointing...mind you I haven`t been to a desi place since last May. On that occasion I took a friend to The Bay Leaf on the Upper West Side(?). My daadi would have given it a passing grade....whats the best place for chaat in Jackson Heights?}}

yeah, jaffrey`s restaurant is as bad as her acting in ABCD...no, haven`t been to cafe spice...bay leaf is ok...i don`t really like jackson heights too much, so i couldn`t give you a recommendation there...but i would recommend the places on Lexington and 20s...don`t expect ambiance and service, just good food....for ambiance, try Tamarind...for some innovative/funky fusion stuff, try Coconut Grove...

Rsax,

So Madhur Jaffrey`s swank restaurant fails to deliver? Have you been to Cafe Spice? How dissapointing...mind you I haven`t been to a desi place since last May. On that occasion I took a friend to The Bay Leaf on the Upper West Side(?). My daadi would have given it a passing grade....whats the best place for chaat in Jackson Heights?

Ali,

Jeez Louise, Ali how old are you? Scout and anNy had mentioned that you were an older person...but then by anNy`s standards (no offense, anNy)...

So feminazis have mustachios...do they all love dolphins and quote Gertrude Stein? Thanks so much for the info; note to myself: grow mustache, move next to the ocean and read Gertrude`s books...

Thanks for the giggle, sunshine!

Btw, please stop referring to yourself as a Pakistani and a Muslim. The Pakistanis and Muslims I am related to and associate with are quite tolerant and believe that nationalism is not as important as humane-ness and self-respect. We wouldn`t want to confuse the casual Chowk surfer...

anNy: Note the restraint I am employing...