Little Big Men

Mr. Mughal,

A good piece of writing. It`s a pity that it has not generated much interaction. But I think that this may be a function of your writing style (which I enjoyed): Your emphasis, it seems to me, is less on thrusting forward your point of view than it is in exposing your state of mind. And I agree, on the whole, with your state of mind.

For example: I bet you`ll agree with this little quote lifted and recreated from Archimedes: Give me a prejudice and I will lift the world.

I have done a bit of research on Pakistan`s blasphemy laws. But analysis of that is dry and without meaning unless someone can understand the state of mind of the Mullahs who blasphemy in everything (including, once, on the print of a shalwar kurta).

My two bits (at this time) are this: That our Mullahs (and politicians, by this measure) are not interested in the real issues. THe real issues are the poverty and state of illiteracy in Pakistan. They chose to emphasise rather the great ``sins`` of Riba; they deliberate on which actress performed a vulgar dance at which stage.

This reminds me a bit of a letter which appeared in DAWN some time ago. The writer said something along the lines of blasphemy is the death of children on the roadside; blasphemy is what our men do to our women in the name of honor (and, sometimes laughably, in the name of religion); blasphemy is the pollution in the environment; blasphemy is the way we treat one another.

I apologise for the stream-of-conscienceness (ap?) letter. But I did enjoy reading your article.

Rafay Alam

Hear hear!

well written haroon.

good post rafay_alam. organized religion or politicized religion has become a mass cover up for our shortcomings in health, education , poverty alleviation. no need to spread blame. this has happened in our neighborhoods with our friends who have been duped into following murshids or peers or islamic scholars who continue to emphasize the hereafter and the justice we will all finally get.

Mr. Moghul, you`re a briliant man. If you were not a man, I`d turn dogmatic and become your worshipper. Please, grace us more often; and not just that, but more.

I whole heartedly agree with your opinions. And I also enjoyed your style of writting very much. It was a real pleasure to read this article. Thank you,
Sadaf

Muslims killed 200 people, why would anyone on chowk be interested ?You should have said Jews, Americans or Hindus killed 200 people, then you would have a lot of responses.

How can someone call an authority in Islam as ``scholarly`` if that person issues fatwas of death? That is no scholar, he is a street thug.

why is it painful to read Salman Rushdie if the author professes not liking him in the first place?

On the one hand, the author doesn`t mind calling Israel ``racist`` but keeps silent on the brutality committed by Islamic thugs in Nigeria against a significant christian population in Nigeria who have no love for sharia;

Same problem with most of the islamic authors; on the one hand they bemoan inequities to muslims and kashmiris but are silent on inequities to tibetians, inequities to kashmiri pundits, kashmiri buddhists; inequitites to taiwanese people from China; inequities to Algerian (christian) south perpertrated by muslim north; inequities to coptic christians by Egyption muslim majorities, inequities to Pakistani ahemdias, etc....

The world is getting much, much smarter

This pargraph

``These days, Islamic law boils down to banning music from public buses and keeping women out of sight, all the better to keep them out of mind. While beards lengthen, minds tighten. Pants rise above the ankles, but standards fall to the lowest of the law. We have fallen victim to an insidious herd mentality, confusing the ideal of spiritual humanity and unity with the totalitarian anesthetic of religious nationalism.``

made a lot of sense.

I think that Muslims have looked outwards for a long enough time for
excuses for our many ills. I think that not enough inward thinking.
There are many external factors that worry us. I think that the Taleban
variety of thinking, though once conveniently supported by the West
is equally if not more worrisome.

Health care, education, food and housing should be of more concern for us than beauty contests, Rushdie and the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Ras

#7 by hari on December 19, 2002 2:47pm PT

Good point. I call it the `barq girtee hai to be-chaare musulmaanoN par` syndrome. The phrase comes from a famous poem by Allama Iqbal and means `why does lightning only strike muslims?`.

But this syndrome doesn`t just afflict muslims.

BTW, I didn`t know there was a sizeable christian population in Algeria. They do have problems with berbers. I guess in your zeal you`ve mixed it up with Sudan.

#6 by sadna on December 19, 2002 1:20pm PT
++++
Muslims killed 200 people, why would anyone on chowk be interested ?You should have said Jews, Americans or Hindus killed 200 people, then you would have a lot of responses
+++
How true.
We the suppossed elite(how easily we assume it is always others not us) are but a reflection of the our socitey as a whole despite protestations to the contrary here.



#7 by hari on December 19, 2002 2:47pm PT
Yes a thug may be worse than a thug.

It is sad that once people welcomed the Sharia as a releif from the opression now the opposite is true. The west had no role in this degradation though. Subjugated as we were we could have preservered the Sharia but we instead let its interpration turn into a perverse manifestaiton of the worst in our cultures.

But you did not do justice to compare it with Israel. Even though it is presently charactersised by the worst misintrepration of it both in spirit and letter it is not the same as Zoinism.

Here is an article which contemplates what you critisize in muslims your only respose to it is more criticisim. You need not be a Muslim or belive in the Islam to suggest changes or appreciate the obvious soul searching.

You want introspection on part of muslims but you have no suggestions no empathy. You are actions are what you criticize in others.
I agree that it is more easy to be rethoircal and more easy to puncture holes in others baloons.

Understading and reaching out to the other is become so old faishoned and have no merit in todays socitey.

But you could try. May be you will be rejected or made fun of but then what is the alterative to humanism??

How long will people wait for someone else to be the person doing good?? Pointing from far the warts of others acheives nothing.Will you keep complaining from far and never reach out? Then what is the purpose of spending time here responding?
I cant belive anyone would get any satisfaction out of it.

sadna:

``Muslims killed 200 people, why would anyone on chowk be interested ?You should have said Jews, Americans or Hindus killed 200 people, then you would have a lot of responses.``

...exactly...you won`t find the urstrulys and galib zamans waxing eloquent/shedding crocodile tears on the deaths of christains at the hands of muslims...

great article! i enjoyed it immensely and always look forward to reading your commentary on muslim issues and current events. you are not afraid to criticize muslims and call out when we do dumb things (which happens, unfortunately, way too often), and for this you are respected.

re: hari, #7

hari,

i dont think you really understand the article.

``Muslims killed 200 people, ......``

I will condemn it when I will see someone justifying that murder. I will also condemn it when I will see someone blaming the victims for their death. Besides the statement ``Muslims killed 200 people, ......`` is a loaded statement, which is not factual either. It is a great line for propaganda though.

# 13 addenda to Urstruly.

It will be condemned when:

The Hindus ( in Indian Government or by their party-organs) start the same murder & mayhem against fellow-Hindus so as to be qualified as equal opportunity haters.

When Hindus (--ditto--) demolish some ancient temples in the South and not just demolish mosques & mausoleums to be considered as equal opportunity haters.
When Hindus (---ditto--) start over-running tanks & desecrating amarnath , somnath, kailaash so to even the score against the sikh gurdwaraas, to qualify as equal opportunity haters.

When the Muslims (in Pakistan Government or by their party organs) start demolishing temples & gurdwaras to qualify as equal opportunity haters.

India still is officialy purported to be secular---meaning equal opportunity lover or fcker of religion. Why is this not practiced in Hinddostaan.

Pakistan is officialy purported to be Islamic----meaning Not an equal opportunity lover or fcker of religion. Why is that not practiced in Pakistan.

Enough is Enough!

It is about time that Hindus demand a separate homeland for themselves within India. They may ask for limited autonomy, for the time being. Hindus are best as docile , law-abiding, employees, eveyone appreciates their dedication & service---why try to change that?

Turkey-carving time again! Thanksgiving revisited.
____________________________________________________________

#14 by GhalibZaman
//...Enough is Enough! ...//

Of course. Now that your feet was held to the fire - you cry ``enough is enough``. Until then - it was all Hindu, Jewish, American conspiracy. Pious muslims were being maligned by Hindu/Jewish propaganda.

Thanks Sadna - for showing mullahs the mirror.

#13 by Urstruly on December 20, 2002 9:26am PT

+++++++++++++
I will condemn it when I will see someone justifying that murder. I will also condemn it when I will see someone blaming the victims for their death. Besides the statement ``Muslims killed 200 people, ......`` is a loaded statement, which is not factual either. It is a great line for propaganda though.
++++++++++++++

Actually your statement is propoganda. Fanatics went on a rampage in Nigeria just because some unknown journalist made a stupid remark. That resulted in the death of 200 peple. Instead of being disgusted you are trying to prove that the whole story is a lie. I know your propoganda.....Islamists did not kill the 200 people. They died in the rioting etc etc.