The New Jews

I`ve felt many of the questioning looks you write about above. I criticize these INS regulations. However, it is their country and it is their freedom being put to the test. Such and other regulations are the precursor that will destroy the very things America stood up for.

I really like your writings Bina-this piece was average though. I`d differ on two major points with this one:

1) I`ve had the fortune of coming across Americans who are adamant that their government is committing a blunder by going to war against Iraq. And then they come up with a list of reasons why they are against their government. I admire them. They blame themselves.

Much of what you`ve said is correct. However, I`d prefer that Pakistanis and Muslims FIRST come up with ONE HUNDRED things that they are personally at fault with- as individuals or as a society/government etc- and then try to initiate ways to fix those faults. Only AFTER this can their arguments against America carry some weight.

`blame anyone but yourself`- this is something Pakistanis do far more than Americans. I go by the thinking that nearly all of our problems are of our own making. It is a given that outside forces will meddle in weaker countries. History has made that obvious. blame should be placed on the CAUSE of weakness and not the consequence of it. Foreign powers meddling today are merely a consequence of internal weaknesses of countries.

2) `The New Jews` title is stretching it. It`s not a good title at all. The problems of 99% of Muslims are NOT due to lack of a homeland. For the remaining 1%, they neither have the inspiration nor the guts nor the history of the Jews. A good title would be `The New Muslim`. Yes, it`s not as inspiring - but it doesn`t deserve to be.

Bina,

being a pakistani, it might be better to call yorself, the new ahmadia, having known the treatment meted out to ahmadias.

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Jews never resorted to violence in their defense. Importantly, even during the years of persecution
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#28
`I used to be a terrorist` says Uri Avnery, an israeli war-hero and a former freedom fighter. He says he `identifies` with the palestinian terrorists a little, after they attacked and killed 25 youths in 2001.

http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Park/6443/Imassacre/once.html

So Fyi, the founding fathers of israel, even their current `man of peace` were labeled `terrorist` by none but the British themselves. It seems that the eons of jewish `non-violence` didn`t pay off aterall, it in fact landed them at Austchwitz! What evolved afterwards was a characterestically militant agenda, and it continues to-date. Apparently someone from the ghettos of poland finally woke up to a cruel lesson that History tries to teach every nation, something that Iqbal has beautifully summed up in one line:

`laakh hakeem Sir ba-jaib, Aik Kaleem Sir ba-kaf!`

Kaleem=Moses!

Very thought provoking..
In the aftermath of 9/11, the phenomenon of ``moderate muslims`` and ``extremist muslims`` has surfaced. I dont think the americans are as quick to judge as we may believe they are. Most of the antiwar protestors were white americans and that may not allude to any liking of Pakistanis but it certainly shows they question. I think most people are aware that moderate muslims exist. Hell atheist, gay muslims exist. Whenever i am asked what i am , i simply say im pakistani. Yes i get
``you survived?`` and ``oh`` replies but hey my countrymen havent made me proud have they? and i accept that, but i dont feel guilt or embarassment because i have nothing to feel guilty and embarrassed about.
extremists were flourishing in Pak. before 9/11 - although the MMA has come to power consequent to that, 9/11 has affected us favourably because of the crackdown on jehadi`s.Now they arent as free to go kill in the name of jehad as they were. The shia killings havent stopped but lessened.

...jews built wall street...urstruly and his ilk are busy building ghettos in detroit and sending cash to madrassahs at home...

...BIG DIFFERENCE...you have nothing in common with jews...give it a rest...

tahmed32 #14 to SameerJB

Heavy intellectual treatment of the subject from one of the New Jews!!

tahmed`s remarks on low class Indians reminds me tahmed told me I had had a `low class upbringing` because in a discussion about Mohammad Atta and his 9/11 fellow hijackers, I pointed out Mohammad Atta and co didnot suffer the deprivations of poverty, they came from well-to-do families.

I wonder if the typical attitude of tahmed`s which leads him to badmouth an Indian/Indians during a discussion of 9/11 has any connection with Bina Shah`s predicament. Ostriches will always wonder what hit them from the behind.
--

Bina Shah, I am sure that asking yourself existential questions is good for you, but BE a little like the stereotypical `Jew`, use your head a little and ask your government and your government`s favorite intelligence agency questions as well. For example why have so many 9/11 conspirators been found and arrested in Pakistan, holding Pakistani passports, the last Khalid Mohammad within a few miles of your President`s home. The first WTC bomber(1993) Ramsi Yousef was also a Pakistani passport holder. Did you have questions about your identity from 1993?

We live in an interconnected world, innocent Pakistani-passport holders cannot be distinguished from guilty Pakistani-passport holders simply by looking at them. Civil servants donot have time to hear personal histories, they barely have time to examine all ones papers.

Your sensibilities are offended by their temerity to doubt your antecedents, but at least you are alive and depend on continuing to be alive and publish your articles. The civil servant who examines your papers cannot depend on remaining alive. Those under terrorist threat cannot depend on continuing to be alive. Those who died in the embassy bombings in W Africa, the synagogue bombings in Tunisia and Spain and night club bombings in Bali, had they had a choice, would have liked to have the benefit of the current American paranoia.

There is no terrorist organisations which has sworn to kill Pakistanis whereever they are found. So be a Pakistani.

It’s made me ask a question that I haven’t asked myself since I was at least twenty-one.

Was that couple of weeks ago - plz confirm.

arjun_m @ # 36 and other Indians speaking on the same matter:

``Racial profiling how? Aren`t Pakis the same race as the Indians?

OK OK since Indians are our guests on this board, let us agree out of hospitality that all Pakistanis are of Indian race. Afghans, Iranians, Red Indians, etc. are also of Indian race. Even the early Cro-Magnons and Neanderthals were of Indian race. Actually let us admit that dynasaurs and snow age mammals were of Indian race too.

Chowsters, please join me in the written petition to the World Paleantologist Organization (WPO) to rename Dynasaurs as Indianosaurs, e.g. Tyrannosaur should be renamed as TyrannoIndianosaur and Sabre Toothed Tiger should be renamed as Sabre Toothed Indian. But then WPO may claim that these two species are not extinct, that they still exist in BJP lead Government.

arjun_m: are you happy now? Khoosh?

;)

bina:

...pursuit of gnothi seuton never abandons the sensitive few…

poignant, passionate, perturbing, persuasive, but not piquant, pungent, pathetic or piteous….cudos kiddo…

….before one can demand to be left alone, one must earn that right…what have we as muslims done to earn that right?…we must look seriously into raising awareness…we as in the silent majority turning activist…and spreading awareness from within and without…education and soul searching and as done for the jews by their lobby groups like B’nai B’rit viz. anti-semitism…we must eschew manufacture and export of terrorism...not that you and i do that...but being part of the silent passive majority is guilt by association...we should be more forthcoming in our opposition to those who have hijacked out identity, body and soul...atleast mine...

bspnd,

...t

To Sensible Chowksters in response to Jay @ # 33:

``Pakistani held in Spain``

As security council vote comes nearer, expect more of OBL search in Pakistan, some more stories of Pakistani support to Talibans, and Pakistanis held in Spain (is it coincidental that a Pakistani has been caught in a country that is siding with US and UK on new UN resolution?), etc. Rest assured this is arm twisting to get Pakistani vote.

In this regard, I would suggest what a very experienced and far-sighted Irshad Ahmad Haqqani suggested to the Government - ``use the vote prudently and in the interest of Pakistan. Keep every one guessing and capitalize economically on the opportunity``. Pakistan just got a very good defensive deal excecuted with France. More to come.

Btw, Jay, you boldly declared that you are a Paki basher. Question: Does this extremely lethal form of HIV run in your family or only are you blessed with it? ;)

what`s with all this self pity?

quite honestly, the current treatment of Muslims by the world is a good wake up call for all Muslims....

it`s time we stop wearing our religion on our sleeves, keep religion at home and mosque, where it belongs.

how many Jews and Christians do we see answering the question of `what are you` with a religious identity?

it`s time we stopped pounding our chests declaring `we are muslims, we are the best` and all that jazz

as far as this INS thing is concerned, why shouldn`t they check up on backgrounds of non-American Muslims? what have non-American Muslims done for the united states?

if you don`t like it, leave it.....

arjun_m #18:

I think your rough estimates are a little too rough. Some may even call it a white lie. But, coming from you its not all that surprising. First of all, Indonesia IS included in the list of countries required to registered (Group 4). Secondly, the Muslim population in India is estimated between 120 - 130 million NOT 150 million. Lastly, Nigeria is not included because more than half of its population consists of non-Muslims.

References:
``Although Hinduism is the popular religion, comprising 83% of the population, India is also home to one of the largest population of Muslims in the world--- more than 120 million.
(Reference: http://finance.indiamart.com/india_business_information/population.html)

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re Jayjay #28
[ ... To compare violent and fanatic Muslims with the Jews of the past is to degrade humanity. ...]

Where is Bina comparing violent and fanatic Muslims with the Jews of the past? She is only talking about moderate Muslims like herself. Nowhere in her article is she defending the Islamic fundamentalists. However, it is you who is trying to put words in her mouth. It is you and your fellow Indians (some openly hostile and some with double standards) who is desperately trying to prove to the Western world that there is no difference between moderate Muslims and fanatics and that all of us must be dealt with in the same manner. A country where minorities are persecuted and murdered for political gains has no right to lecture others on the degredation of humanity. As arjun`s posts prove that you guys are even willing to spread false rumors and lies to hurt the Muslims. I refuse to believe that this deep-rooted hatred is only because of Kashmir or Kargil or Vajpayee`s Bus yatra. The enmity and hostility runs much deeper into your psyche and displays an inferiority complex which just refuses to go away. You guys can at least pretend to be human beings, let alone decent human beings, for a change.

P.S. This post is only aimed at a small minority of Indians who suffer from phobias that inflict the likes of arjuns, jays and jayjays, etc.