The Passion of The Pacifist

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HELP TO PREVENT WAR IN SOUTH ASIA

All who value peace and human life need to intervene and stop war in South Asia. India and Pakistan are poised to engage in such a misadventure as their respective troops and missiles (possibly nuclear) face each other on their border and on the Line of Control in Kashmir. This is happening while we in the United States are busy watching the news from neighboring Afghanistan.

People of Indian and Pakistani origin especially need to wake up to the reality of what kind of misery this conflict will produce. Our armchair warmongers of South Asian origin who now make their homes outside the region, in Europe, Canada and here in the United States need to get a large dose of reality.

Some Pakistanis are arranging a peace march at a Northern California venue (exact date and place to be decided) this week and urge all from the South Asian (aka “Desi”) Diaspora and their friends to protest against the possibility of war between India and Pakistan. I hope that Americans will join us and show solidarity with the pursuit of sanity in the region. Let us have a happy, peaceful and prosperous new year in a part of the world where the misery of poverty already rules the streets. Help us stop this looming war.

Ras H. Siddiqui
Sacramento, California USA

Neptune: These nuts will warp all sorts of logic to justify their EVIL (religiously based) oppression of women.

(And I shouldnt enjoy laffing at his morbid stupidity THIS much...)

It was made clear to all that this clown has no idea of what he`s talking about. Instead of being man enough to accept criticism and admit that he was WRONG, he proves to be a bigger fool then before.

http://www3.sympatico.ca/gul.khan/main1.jpg

http://www3.sympatico.ca/gul.khan/main1.jpg

In times when there is so much uncertainty and there are (valid) arguments for both the good and the evil sides, it is important for me to have this freedom of thought that Engineer promotes. This was an inspiring interview, both in that it provided for me the challenge to have the courage of convictions and because it supports those convictions. Thanks for the inspiration. For all those who want a label and credibility, I for one think it`s time to look at the ``speech and not the speaker``. There is too much confusion in mis-representations and labels, to me, are of no use in progress.

#48

[....,lowneck miniskirt,....]

I am still trying to imagine one of those

Repply DRUMZ # 44

I especially like it when a JAHIL Imam talks about the evils of western culture and then uses THEIR dress standards to say ``U wear earings, you`re tryna be like a woman.`` Someone please explain to the Islamic world the FACT that men have been wearing earings for thousands of years, all over the damn world... Continue zafar...

ASbbe Drumzia, who you r calling Jahil, hain???

LIstn to MESSAGE, WORD AND NAME DOES NOPTMATTER!!!

wearing earing is not proper Islamic behaviours. I am advisingyou as welswisher, okay?

Reply DRUMZ # 44

“I especially like it when a JAHIL Imam talks about the evils of western culture and then uses THEIR dress standards to say ``U wear earings, you`re tryna be like a woman.`` Someone please explain to the Islamic world the FACT that men have been wearing earings for thousands of years, all over the damn world... Continue zafar...”

Now, our next lesson will be on kufic body piercing and Islamic modesty…

Amir: You`re a damn fool. First u make the mistake of playing God, then the mistake in acting like u know what you`re talking about and now u think YOURE opinion on modesty is universal.

``Non flamboyant sleeveless.``

Look, the spirit of modesty... Why the hell would I want a response from YOU???

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AAMIR: The only reason it may appear that Im going easy of your azz is cuz U dont have a damn clue on what you`re talking about.

You actually asked yourself this...

``Why do Muslim women have to cover their heads?``

And the ANSWER???

As a general rule, one should ONLY speak on sh1t they`re fluent in (U can learn the easy way or the hard way).

``Doesn`t the Koran Sharif say anything about men who dress up like women?``

I especially like it when a JAHIL Imam talks about the evils of western culture and then uses THEIR dress standards to say ``U wear earings, you`re tryna be like a woman.`` Someone please explain to the Islamic world the FACT that men have been wearing earings for thousands of years, all over the damn world... Continue zafar...

The Daily Telegraph, London

The Muslim Jesus, by Tarif Khalidi, is published by Harvard University Press

Some years ago, an agnostic friend married a Jewish woman who practised her faith seriously. He took instruction in Judaism and seemed quite likely to convert - but eventually did not. His chief reason was that he remained agnostic. But there was another obstacle that surprised even himself: ``I found that I just did not want to give up Jesus.``

In Western culture, there is no getting away from Jesus, even if you are agnostic. True, Nietzsche tried to reject him with detestation and contempt, calling him an ``idiot``, a purveyor of a sick, decadent view of the world. Nietzsche thought that the only figure in the New Testament who commands respect was Pontius Pilate. Yet the very ferocity of Nietzsche`s onslaught on Jesus showed how strong in his heart was the image he wanted to destroy.

Now, what if my friend had married a Muslim? The interesting thing is that he could have kept Jesus - not the Jesus who was the Son of God, admittedly, and who was crucified, but certainly the Jesus who was Messiah and miracle worker, who conversed regularly with God, who was born of a virgin and who ascended into heaven.

Jesus is referred to quite often in the Koran, six times under the title ``Messiah``. Yet I had long supposed that the importance of Jesus as prophet in Muslim tradition was not much more than a matter of lip service, something to which Muslims gave (to use Cardinal Newman`s distinction) ``notional`` rather than ``real`` assent.

How wrong this assumption was I have learnt by reading a fascinating and instructive book, The Muslim Jesus, by the Cambridge academic Tarif Khalidi. Khalidi has brought together, from a vast range of sources, most of the stories, sayings and traditions of Jesus that are to be found in Muslim piety from the earliest times.

The Muslim Jesus is an ascetic, a man of voluntary poverty, humility and long-suffering. He literally turns the other cheek, allowing his face to be slapped twice in order to protect two of his disciples. He teaches the return of good for evil: ``Jesus used to say, `Charity does not mean doing good to him who does good to you ... Charity means that you should do good to him who does you harm.``` He loves the poor and embraces poverty: ``The day Jesus was raised to heaven, he left behind nothing but a woollen garment, a slingshot and two sandals.`` He preaches against attachment to worldly things: ``Jesus said, `He who seeks worldly things is like the man who drinks sea water: the more he drinks, the more thirsty he becomes, until it kills him.```

Many of the sayings of the Muslim Jesus are clearly derived from biblical sources: ``Place your treasures in heaven, for the heart of man is where his treasure is``; ``Look at the birds coming and going! They neither reap nor plough, and God provides for them.``

He is certainly a wonder-worker. He often raises the dead, and gives his disciples power to do the same.

I once had a conversation with members of Hezbollah in Beirut. One of them said this: ``The greatness of Islam is that we combine Judaism and Christianity. Jesus freed enslaved hearts, he was able to release human feeling, to reveal a kingdom of peace. Jesus`s realm was the realm of soul. Jesus is soul; Moses is mind, the mind of the legislator. In Islam, we interweave both.``

This is certainly the Jesus of these stories - the Jesus of the mystical Sufi tradition. The great Muslim philosopher Al-Ghazali actually called Jesus ``Prophet of the heart``.

The Muslim Jesus is not divine, but a humble servant of God. He was not crucified - Islam insists that the story of the killing of Jesus is false. He is, as it were, Jesus as he might have been without St Paul or St Augustine or the Council of Nicaea. He is not the cold figure of English Unitarianism, and he is less grand than the exalted human of the Arians. As you read these stories, what comes across most powerfully is that the Muslim Jesus is intensely loved. There is an element of St Francis of Assisi in him. The Muslim Jesus, shorn of all claims of divinity, could be more easily held on to by my agnostic friend than the Second Person of the Holy Trinity.

One other thing: since Muslims deny the Crucifixion, their emphasis has been on the wonders surrounding the birth of ``Jesus Son of Mary``, born as his mother sat under a palm tree, and miraculously speaking from within the womb.

There really is no reason why schools that put on Nativity plays, or anyone who wants to insist on the Christian meaning of Christmas, should fear that they may offend Muslim sensibilities, for Jesus really is shared by both faiths.

Wish you all Merry Christmas and a very happy and peaceful new year.

DRUMZ (#27):

I agree with you – the holy scriptures are no patch for a truly wise human being. I believe that the living are the ones who can steer the course of society. And you do not have to be ‘holy’ for it.

Let me tell you about an incident that happened with AAE a few months ago. He was on a flight from Bhopal to Bombay with a stopover at Indore. The flight would not take off for a long time and together with some other passengers he wanted to know what was the cause for the delay. They were told that they were awaiting a VIP. They said that was no reason for this uncaring attitude towards the rest. Anyway, the VIP turned out to be the Syedna, the head priest, and his coterie. This was a full economy class flight, so Engineer was spotted. While it was everyone who protested, Engineer was singled out for the choicest abuses; reports say that at the arrival lounge he was even punched. When I spoke to him he seemed sad rather than angry. He said, “They blamed me, that I had instigated this whole thing. I wasn’t even aware who the VIP was for whom the flight was delayed. Can you imagine priests using such filthy language?”

Here are the few queries I posed specifically regarding the Syedna in the original interview, and just look at his mature attitude…

F: What if the Syedna saab calls you and tries to convince you that his position is right, would you argue with him?

AE: “I will go with an open mind. Maybe the Syedna’s truth comes to me filtered through so many layers, so why not have a face-to-face dialogue? He will know what I am thinking and I will know what he is thinking.”

F: Would you bow down to him?

AE: “Yes, as an elder, he is 90 years old, out of respect, but not to surrender to him as a religious head.”

F: And will you try to convince him of your position?

AE: “Of course.”

F: What if he does get convinced?

AE: “Well, since I am not convincing him of my superiority but of certain values, it would be a service to the truth and not to Asgharali Engineer.”

So DRUMZ, according to me this is the hallmark of a true fighter and a spirit that never gives up hope.

Farzana

Dear Mr. Narain (#14):

Re: the hard questions minorities have to face, you gave an example…

[supposing you think your religion demands wearing a burqua. But you are interviewing with a corporate firm in Mumbai, and you know that the westernized people there would be uncomfortable with it. They might not say anything to you directly, but you know that it reduces your chances of getting hired. Are you compromising your religion if you do not wear it? Are you justified in feeling angry with the interviewer for his views? Even simpler. Let`s say the normal way of greeting in India is a namaste. Are your rights being trampled if you are expected to say that instead of the traditional Salaam-aleikum?]

I assume naturally that the question is not for me specifically, so if there is this woman who wears the hijaab, then she must first realise that her religion does not demand the wearing of it :) However, if she insists on it due to her conditioning, then would she not be uncomfortable anyway in a westernised environment? Why would she seek a job there? And, if she does, the question is, must the employers look for talent and skills or appearance? In a democratic set-up people must be guaranteed their cultural identity. Regarding the form of greeting, can we not have both? It CAN be difficult for some people to fold their hands in namaste. I should think if they are forced to do something then it could become a problem. But in urban areas of India these things do not take on such important dimensions.

Incidentally, my cousins who were then living in Karachi (and were born there) were avid fans of the ‘Mahabharata’ series and they got a huge kick trying to pronounce, “Ayushamaan bhava” :) I think minorities within a country would have more confusion, what Aamir (#2) called both Engineer’s schizophrenia and mine.

Farzana