The Rock Star and the Mullahs

The Mullah can just not listen to music himself if he doesn`t like it. Instead he tries to stop everyone from listening, performing, being an audience, or buying music.

I think the point of the documentary was really to try and get people to be tolerant of each other and listen to one another instead of blindly issuing fatwas or ignoring each other. Not sure how tolerant each side is though of the other!

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Bina #16
You wrote `` The Mullah can just not listen to music himself if he doesn`t like it. Instead he tries to stop everyone from listening, performing, being an audience, or buying music. ``
It is a very general statement. If we hold a surevy in different parts of pakistan whether we can listen music, or buy music, i am sure we will be able to do so. In lahore, I saw people listening music on cycles, motorcycles, public transportation, and in bazars.
Mullah is NOT the cause of each problem we are facing in pakistan. He himself is a victim of poverty, indoctrination, and poor education. Do you know under what circumstances an average Moulvi grow up? He is a product of his educatuon as we are of our education. We should do research on reason why they become so alien to mainstream? If we have good positive prospour environment, we will produce good citizen, and a transparent society.
At least we should give him credit for he is less hypocrtaive in expressing his opinion unlike many of us. Watch Geo TV, and listen ruling ministers, and you ll know what i mean.
When you start loving a person, yo really dislike, you take a spirtual leap. We should be tolerant to Mullah as well, when we teach him the tolerance.

Rozaiba
I need to know more detail about the incident before i can comment on that. I will not defend such acts. I am saying that we should look into his environment, and have a better understanding of them.

Atif
Thanks.

Regards,
shahry

As a side note to this whole discussion, following is a bit on Maulana Bijli Ghar (Referred to as Mulla Electricity in the article and Mulla Bijli in the discussion).

The said person used to be a `lakhtai`. A `lakhtai` in Pushto is referred to as the boy who accompanies musicians to weddings, and other festivities where the musicians perform. The lakhtai`s job is to gather the money that is showered on the musicians and on the people dancing infront of them by friends and relatives. The lakhtai might also dance to the tunes during his important money-gathering job...the boy is usually of quite a young age so his presence amidst the dancing people is not quite felt.

Somewhere along the line, young Bijli Ghar started attending a local Madrassa and scaled the heights (?!?) to International stardom and got featured in some rocker`s documentary in BBC. The recordings of his speeches (where he swears and spews all sorts of obscenities and vulgarities) can be bought in the local audio centres in Old Peshawar (Hasht-nagr area). People listen to them for fun.

Its interesting to see how and where people end up during the course of their lives.

There is music and there is music- jsut as there is (sublime) literature and then (awful) literature. Not for nothing did Plato (who you can hardly accuse of being an ecclesiastic obscurant) advocate discretion in the teaching/practising music and the other related arts. It would help if all parties could make that distinction before crosssing swords.

I saw this documentary a while ago, I think they aired it about a year ago. Interesting Stuff.

PM #22

Music was extremely important for Plato. In the educational system he envisaged, Music was given a central place. He did consider the effects of some kinds of music to be less desirable than that of others. That position is no different from that held by many today.

This tradition is entirely apart from that which sees dance, drama, sculpture, music as evil and undesirable in themselves.

I watched the documentary, Bina, and was moved to see the respect that mullah-to-be`s showed to Salman when he visited them at the madarssah. I was pleasantly surprised to see that you specifically pointed it out in your article. I wish more writers adopt that kind of out-of-the-box approach, instead of simply observing the obvious and beating up on it. If we want to prevent the mullah-to-be’s from becoming violent hardliners, we need to encourage them for all the beautiful things they possess. It is true that any nonsense that is uttered or committed by them needs to be brought in the limelight, but we also need to acknowledge their virtues and expose the numerous beautiful things that most of them do and say but never get any credit for. I am sure most viewers of this documentary got hung up with the astonishing rubbish from Mr. Electricity, and few of them thought twice about the warmth and respect that Salman received from the mullahs.

While I personally disagree with the mullah agenda, I can tell you that the kind of respect that Salman got from these people was not because he is a famous rock star with a camera crew behind his shoulder, but because he was just someone who wanted to pay them a visit and have a conversation with them. They would have treated any human being from the street with the same level of respect and dignity, regardless of his belief and practices.

It is hard to deny that while Salman was getting what appeared to be easy access with open arms from the so-called intolerant mullah-to-be`s, doors were being shut on the faces of scores of mullah-to-be`s all over the country. Can you imagine a mullah-to-be walking into a gathering of rock bands to exchange his ideas with them and getting similar level of respect? Can you imagine the amount of attitude, scorn, and humiliation he would have to face? I don`t think he would even be allowed to make it through the gates! But aren`t WE the ones who are supposed to be ``tolerant``? We may not get the mullah-to-be`s to pick up a guitar, but can we do something to prevent them from picking up guns? May be loving, respecting, and appreciating them for who they are would help prevent this young, well-meaning majority from getting exploited at the hands of the small minority of violent extremists.

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Agree with Malik99 and Ahmed Bilal. Way to go, Seinfield!

I do not think that Islam disapproves of music at all.

When the Holy prophet Muhammad ( P.B.U.H ) migrated to Madina, some Medinite females and males showed their support for him, by beating drums in a rhythmatic fashion. As far as i am aware of, the holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) did not stop them.

In another Hadees, i discovered that once our Prohet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) attended a wedding. There, he asked one of men, why the women were not singing a particular song. He (P.B.U.H) is reported to have really liked that particular traditional wedding song.

Hence, according to me, Islam does not discourage listening to music.

ps. simply love Junoon`s songs.

#16 by Bina_Shah on July 11, 2004 8:38am PT

I think this point was left unappreciated! Yes, if mullahs hate music, shaved men, lipsticks on women, all icons of the modern living then he is welcome to lead his way of life of the middle ages.
He has no right to force his way of life on the others!!!

Ballukhan

Yaar, but is there ANY way muslims have discovered to be able to keep the Mullah from forcing his way (or the female Mullahs we see on Chowk, from forcing their way) of life on the others? As you would understand, for non Muslims, THAT is the heart of the matter.

Islam seems to be a very funny religion. It is a game of ``Find-A-Hadees`` for those who can learn to read and ``Listen-To-A-Fatwa`` for those who can`t :)

First of all I`m really glad to see this article on CHOWK.

I really liked this program and tried to promote its viewing within our community last year.


RE: #25 ``seinfeld`` all I can add is touche!


Although my problems with these people referred to as ``Mullahs`` continue I do respect

some of them for the work that they do. They are a part of our culture and have a place

in it that cannot be ignored. At birth, weddings and death, these ``Mullahs`` are there

for us. I hope that some of the other Liberal-Left Wing- Secularists will find some

more appreciation of them too.

It is not the ``Mullahs`` but these born-again ``Professional Muslims`` that are

the problem, those that have weird political and social agendas and fly planes into

buildings. Those that cannot tolerate dissent, minorities and the talent that God has

given to individuals to excel in the arts. Those that think Islam starts and ends with

the suppression of women and cannot control their lust at an exposed ankle.


That said and done, Salman, in my handful of conversations with him appeared to be a

reasonable and down to earth chap who is probably more religious then I am. He is

respectful of religion and that is why the ``Mullahs`` respect him in return. Maybe a few

more of us can be more accomodating and open to communicate new ideas to religious

people too and at this time help the ``Mullah`` in his time of crisis.

( I can`t believe that I just wrote that! )


Ras

perhaps the establishment tacitly supports anti-music stance becuase music would tend to be indian (although clearly, everyone loves the music). juoon etc is ok as its kind of phoren and more or less restricted to the burger class.