Jehad and The Curriculum

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mantolives,

``However... even that mythical Jinnah, single mindedly devoted to the cause of Pakistan, bent on the creation of separate state, believer in the Muslim state, etc etc, never advocated an Islamic theocracy.``

Very true, and a very clever comeback yourself. Of course, most who gave Jinnah ``mindshare`` really didn`t know what the heck a ``theocracy`` was (most probably thought it was simply rule by Mullah, or some sort of Khallifat), but was definitely under the impression that this Muslim welfare state Jinnah talked about = Islamic state of some sort. From what I can tell, little was done to ``correct`` this impression and solidify a position. Although Jinnah stated clearly that Pakistan was not to be a ``theocratic`` state, the role of Islam in the state was never really talked about.

Little was done to spell out a coherent vision of what Pakistan was to be, the distinction of an ethnic Muslim state and an Islamic one being lost on the layperson. I don`t think this was done for lack of care or idea, rather it was deliberately done lest the steam be lost in the Pakistan movement. The concept of an ethnic Muslim is still difficult to swallow, so I could imagine it being firmly rejected back then.

Anyhow, my point was that when someone gets the status ``father of the nation``, he becomes more than the man. He becomes this mythic figure in a mythic struggle. The myth is what is real, and what endures. What you say about Jinnah may be true, but the mythic Jinnah is the one people are in love with. To tamper with any part of that myth would shatter the perception of the man, sadly. People would rather dump your Jinnah altogether than alter the myth. Your Jinnah is a stranger to Pakistanis, not a hero.

Having said that, I don`t think it matters too much. Pakistan IS, and even the rationale for it`s creation has lost relevance (imho). The role of religion in the state is a future debate for Pakistanis, not one of history.

ESCAPIST:

I apologise for this delayed response:

Do this:
1) Right click on the page/picture.. as is.
2) a pop-up will appear which says `properties` at the bottom.
3)click properies
4) highlight & copy link that appears.
4)paste link where you want it
5)between this link put chevrons (the arrow-points between letter M and ? of keyboard)
6) after left chevron write: img src =``link`` and close with right chevron.

& post!

Everyone: Print to your hearts content. CHOWK can be made DESI interesting and vibrant--
Be Yourself--Be UN-afraid.

Ferozk,


I bought the `New Syllabus` Pakistan Studies Textbook for Matric class (local stream) today, to see for myself the results of the much touted work of the Education minister which sought to purge the syllabi of bigotry... It is a mixed bag of success... and failure.


1)On count of prejudice against India, and Hindus, the book has succeeded in purging the old texts from Zia times... there is frankly no anti-Hindu reference in the book that were there previously... except one that I think missed the purging effort. The references to Indian treachery and deceit in the wars of 1965 and 1971 are absent. Indian Army is presented as the army of a country at war with Pakistan and nothing more.

2) As for the issue of Islam and Pakistan, subtle progress has been made There are references to Jehad as struggle for betterment... right off the bat a distinction is drawn between the ideology of Pakistan and the Islamic Ideology... though the argument doesn`t make sense... because the ideology of Pakistan is also defined in very Islamic terms. One mention is made of Iqbal being a champion of Hindu Muslim unity at one point. Islamic Ideals are described as Democracy, freedom of expression , equality and fraternity. Islamic ideology also holds that there should be no discrimination on the basis of religion caste or creed... but time and time again, the book contradicts it.

3) Jinnah, the anglicized, monocle wearing barrister-politician is conspiciously absent from the whole thing .... there is no mention of his early life, his efforts towards hindu muslim unity, and his stint with Congress which lasted 14 years... instead there is this mysterious and distant figure called Quaid-e-Azam who is born in 1937 and dies in 1947.


4) Chapters on the `Islamic Way of Government` have been preserved as they were. Islamic Sovereignty is drummed down again and again. Islamic Way of life is emphasized again and again... one one point the book says that Pakistanis need to pray and have faith in order to be good Pakistanis.... Chapter on `Pakistan a Future welfare state` presents a much better vision though ... but even it gets mired with the over-kill of religion.


5) The non-muslim Pakistanis are totally neglected in this book. They are no where to be found despite Islamic assurances of no discrimination.



All in all... though the book presents a much more moderate view as far as relations with India are concerned... there is no departure from the theocratization that Zia introduced in 1979.

-YLH

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A GOOD report (when enemy loses it is always good): Another opportunity to rub salt into the hearts & livers of the Goraagoochaaters from Pakisland. If their master is humiliated, kicked and draaged in the streets they cry in anguish. AND that is GOOD.

It is the angli Soc. pol.sci type of ghetto education where such Goochaater-thugs are produced. Hound them , ridicule them , expose them, blow their anti-Islam cover.

Think Muslim. Think Pakistan. Think anti-colonial.


To hasten the departure of democracy-dealers and freedom-peddlers and thugs from Iraq promote & propagate this article:

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(This was 2 months ago! the number must be MUCH MUCH higher now. Even mainstrean press is reporting with PICTURES! No wonder the Thug Rumsfield says no more rotation--who is willing to go now Rumsy? More draggings and bridge-hangings are needed to prevent further enrollment & deaths.)

Cannon Fodder: US casualties in Iraq
Report by John Horvath
www.telepolis.de
Published: 10/02/04

A small profile of who is being killed in Iraq
Another day, and another two or three American soldiers are killed in Iraq. The body count still hasn’t hit critical mass yet, a number that will start to turn the public more actively against the White House as during the Vietnam War. Usually this number is around a thousand, for three zeros at the end somehow conveys a sense of largess. Coupled with this, another year or so and people in the US will get fed up; Americans like their wars short and sweet, not more than a few months or couple of years at the most, coupled with a clear and concise victory. In Iraq, it has been anything but that.

But more important than this, is the profile of those being killed. As the nature of wars change, so too do the types of soldiers being asked to kill and be killed. No doubt nationalism plays a part (or as Americans like to call their particular brand, “patriotism”), but this is less so than in the past. Most look to the armed forces as a “career”, that is, a quick and easy way to make a living, usually because they can’t find a job doing anything else.

As a result, many ethnic groups who don’t fit the WASP (White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant) profile find themselves on the front lines defending American capitalism from Islamic fundamentalism. Some make the choice of their own free will; others are cajoled my recruitment officers. And many of them aren’t even American.

Recruting Native North Americans from Canada

There is no level to which American authorities would stoop in order to enlist cannon fodder for Uncle Sam’s misadventures. This includes duping native North Americans from Canada into joining the US army. The lengths to which some recruiters would go got so bad that the Pentagon at the end of last year had to make a promise to the Canadian government that they would stop recruiting aboriginal Canadians. Subsequently, senior Pentagon officials warned their recruiters to stay out of Canada.

It’s not unusual to have native people from Canada serve in the US military. In the past many have joined up, in particular with the marines. This is because what is on offer is very tempting for a native person whose options and prospects are often limited. For instance, one recruit was promised a sign-up bonus of $20,000 and another $28,000 after his term of service to continue his education (that is, if he survived). Moreover, while in the army the military also promised to pay for whatever schooling was needed.

While all this may not seem out of the ordinary, what is different is that American recruiters have actually travelled to Canada in search of recruits as opposed to recruits crossing the border from Canada in search of the US military. They first appeared last January on reserves in Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, and at a number of native communities in the West.

The justification often used to recruit natives in Canada is based on a treaty signed in 1794 between the US and Britain known as the Jay Treaty. Canada doesn’t recognise the treaty, foremost since it was concluded between Britain and the US and not with an independent Canada. American recruiters are also under the impression that many aboriginal people automatically hold dual citizenship, which thus allows them to recruit Canadian native Indians for the military.

This over-zealous attempt to find new recruits on Canadian soil eventually sparked high-level meetings last February in where the Canadian government let their counterparts in the US know that they didn’t support such efforts. A letter was also sent from the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington to the vice-chiefs of the US military services telling them that their recruiters were to refrain from entering Canadian territory. The prohibition covers all activities in Canada, including recruiting at high school and university job fairs and on Indian reserves.

In response, the US embassy gave assurances that there isn’t and won’t be a policy of active recruitment in Canada. Yet with combat missions continuing in both Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon has found itself in need of more troops. Thus, the recruitment offensive continues, albeit not as blatant as before.

Green-Card Soldiers

Aside from using native Americans as cannon fodder, another method being used to increase the ranks of the US military has been to recruit so-called “green-card soldiers,” individuals who are legal permanent residents of the US but who don’t yet have citizenship. This is not a new concept, but one that goes back for centuries – all the way to the days of Rome. Those who joined the Roman army and served their term of 25 years were then automatically given coveted Roman citizenship.

No doubt, the US is now using the same sort of trick, as many look for an easy way to get into the “land of the free”, not realising that they first must make it through the land of the dead and dying. Hence, in anticipation of a shortfall in numbers, Bush signed an order prior to the war significantly reducing the time that such military members have to wait before becoming American citizens.

Such moves have not only caught the attention of Canadian officials but have also sparked concern in the Hispanic communities of the US as well, prompting complaints that overzealous recruiters have been specifically targeting Latinos holding green cards. At present, there are over 37,000 non-American citizens serving in the US armed forces.

Previously, the US didn’t have as much trouble to find those willing to die for an unknown cause. Yet an aging population and strong economy have contributed to problems in attracting homegrown recruits. What is more, the US is facing a major problem finding enough personnel for duty in Iraq specifically.

As a result, some units which originally took part in the invasion and have since returned to the US are now being told they are heading back. This has led to a rise in the number of soldiers going AWOL (Absent Without Leave) after having seen first hand what duty in Iraq really entails. Some estimates put the number of AWOL American soldiers as high as 1,700.

Meanwhile, the psychological cost of the war grows. Last year there were 21 official suicides by US soldiers in Iraq,18 of them from the army. Another 2,500 who have returned have been put in medical facilities for “medical extension”, a euphemism for psychiatric problems, with an additional 7,000 who left Iraq prematurely due to stress. And all this doesn’t take into account the number who have difficulties readjusting to life back in the “land of the free”. Indubitably many green-card soldiers are now asking themselves whether such a price is worth paying for measly citizenship.

//but let it not conceal the fact that Pakistanis harbour serious misperceptions about India, bordering on Indophobia......Lest their current silence be misunderstood for a change of heart, it must be said that our Indophobes have only made a tactical retreat....//

I told you so.

Vertex...

A very clever statement ..

However... even that mythical Jinnah, single mindedly devoted to the cause of Pakistan, bent on the creation of separate state, believer in the Muslim state, etc etc, never advocated an Islamic theocracy. Even that Mythical Jinnah ofcourse believed that his muslim nation would be the most magnanimous of the world...

Nonetheless ... Ferozk`s Jinnah was the real Jinnah ...he was a remarkable politician , and a man of calculation... but things could and did go wrong for him... while the mythical conquering Saladin like Jinnah might be more impressive for some people, to the saner and more reasonable people, the real Jinnah is more appealing... for he is human, frail, yet remarkable for his will power and strength of character.

The coalition of the willing.

Paanch choohay ghar sey niklay, krnay chalay shikaar
Eik chooha peechhay reh gayaa, baaqui reh gaey chaar

Chaaron choohay khush ho ho kar lagay bjanay been
aik choohay ko aa-gaee khaansi, baaqui reh gaey teeen

teeenon choohay d`r kr bolay ghar ko bhaag chalo
eik choohay nay baat naa maanee, baqui reh gaey dO

Do choohay jo baaqui reh gaey doNon hee thhay naik
Eik choohay ko billi khaa gaee, baaqui reh gaya eik

eik chooha jo baaqui reh gaya uss nay kr lee shaadi
beevee uss ko mili larraka. Khoob huee brbaadi.

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If you are not an illiterate, you`ll be able to read this:

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re:#85 by harimau
Talking about teacher-student jokes, a similar one comes to mind (not related to this topic though but i found it impossible to resist).
Teacher: What is that organ in the human body, which when stimulated in the dark, grows to 10 times its normal size?
Amidst giggles and smiles from the girl section of the class room, one boy finally gives the correct answer: pupil (of the eye)
``Correct``, replies the teacher and turning to the girls in the class, remarks `` you people not only have a wicked mind but you will all most certainly be disappointed on your wedding nights``!
Sridhar

jang:99

Thank you for your post.

In India it is no different, but perhaps not to the same extent. Vajpaee looks, walks, and talks like a Hindustanee but look at our buffoon. Musharraf, the perfoming monkey on his masters leach , horror of horrors, takes pride in his uniform. Since when has a uniformed guy has been considered intelligent, respectable, and fit to be invited to a civilised gathering?--ah! but only in Pakiland. These retd. bufoons, listen to this, take pride in telling Pakistanis that they have been looting and robbing the country, by not hiding the fact that they once wore uniform.

Pathetic indeed!

Then there is a species a little less respectable than a dog who was not allowed into the masters clubs ( Dogs & Indians not allowed). What the masters did not know that these lesser-than-dogs always nursed a desire to drink pissfroth and to fornicate so that they could be mistaken by muslims to be baboon-like.

Such buDDhaa grand-uncles visit chowk as well and trying to copy-cat westerners, dislike when addressed with the traditional salutations. How low can they get. Amazing!

reg #94 by ferozk on April 7, 2004 7:35am PT

Sheer pleasure! Great words of wisdom. Feroz Saheb I would love to have a detailed exposition on these thoughts from you.

``...Culture is an evolving process and a culture cannot be frozen in time or in a mannerism. A culture is a process of fusion and it will never remain the same over a period of time. A culture, which is prevented from changing or evolving along side with new ideas becomes repressive and reactionary. Such a culture is marked by characteristics of intolerance, xenophobia and segregation of ideas. A culture is the embodiment of human experience and human experience cannot be caged and if it is; it will seek to break its chains and grow beyond its limitations.

A person trying to preserve their culture is a like a person attempting to forbid the waves of the ocean from washing onto the shore. It cannot be done and those who use force to attempt the impossible only end by destroying their societies. ``


Awesome! Lovely!!

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O jahil:
That was before independence. Did Jinnah not adopt sherwani and shalwaar post-47? Did he not give speech in Urdu, which incidentally was NOT his mother tongue. And at that age was it not commendible that he was at least trying? Ditto for Zulfikkar Ali Bhutto. If you don`t understand the hate they had for the pigs & the baboons then you surely never ever learned anything--but that exactly IS my point. You have a slave mind. You can only parrot what you read. You are incapable of rebelling. You want a safe job and lifestyle. You always be on the winners side or sit on the fence when times are tough. You work for the enemy.

You lurk in the grey areas, you jerk in twilight zones, you crawl between the lines.


The question you have been running away from: Answer this so that you can sleep easy. Face the truth so that you can visit CHOWK again with whatever dignity you can muster.

Again Name ONE , just one, person throughout Indian, Pakistani, or Muslim HISTORY produced by these cocka-mamie schools which promise to turn your child into a parrot and mynah. I claim that ALL of them were from Madressas or urdu-mediums


Creed of the Parrot-Mynah schools:
1) We teach more english ACCENT than english language
2) We teach american-culture so these Parrot-Mynahs appear imported
3) We fine them if they are discovered conversing in their mother tongues.
4) We take them on trips to McDs, Pizzahuts etc for cultural immersion
5) Islam, Muslim, Umma etc are taboos--only practised in urdu-medium types.
6) Chinese, Indian, and Muslims philosophers are not worth studying: Must know greek roman mythologies instead.
7) To get high --paying jobs we turn out actors and imitation artists. Inteviews by faarin-type corp. are in english. This way maulvi look-alikes cannot get in there--no matter how learned [ what the ignorants do not know that it is only the maulvi look-alikes [yes with shalvaars & puGrees!] who have made a name for themselves in ALL multi-nationals when outside Totaa-mynaah systems]

O jaahil:
I am very much interested in this thuggery being carried out in Paki-land. The purpose is to prevent the sipahi`s, the clerk`s`, the domestic`s , and the hari`s son & daughter to boss over your own son and daughter. I would very much like to see the sons & daughters of army & civilians sweeping the streets, replace bengali domestics, and thus work in Pakistan like they work outside Pakistan [suddenly burger flipping, at McDonald Halvaaee, becomes very glamorous!]. Instead of being called Ayaa and anaa-buaas they suddenly try to acquire status as daycare and baby sitters. Hajjaams & naaens become hairstylists and boutique-oppressors. What a laugh. How pathetic can you get O jaahil.

O jaahil! Do not quote Jinnah. He lived during slave-days. Are you implying that even after kicking out the british baboons you still are deluded to think that you are a foreigner? Do you have a single quality in you other than being a parrot, an ape or a bleached-crow?

ferozk,

You don`t get it. I like echoboom`s Jinnah better than the two-faced Jinnah (who DID bandy about Islam and Islamic rhetoric, and KNEW that the disctinction between muslim state and Islamic state was not at all understood by the masses who supported him) you talk about. For a mythic national father figure, echboom`s Jinnah is the winner. You`re Jinnah deserves to be given the boot out of the nation.

Echoboom`s Jinnah fought for a cause, and a people. Your Jinnah was a paranoid anti-India twit with strange notions on why Pakistan had to be.

The real Jinnah does not matter. It`s the myth is what matters...