The Making of a Successful Marriage re: hamidm

oh no ... not insipid ... no...no ... anything but insipid ... please !

:p

The Meaning of Pakistan Was that contradictory or did I miss something. “if the symbols have ceased to remind us of our mission and have become sacred hollow straws, they ought to be blown away” but why if the mission was to “jointly create a good country, with the flags of faith, unity and discipline.” Why shouldn’t we rejuvenate them or is there nothing to rejuvenate? As long as there are people like you and ylh and countless others on this board believing in the possibility of establishing a ‘real ideal’ those symbols are relevant. Pakistan as it is today is not an ‘ideal establishment’ (er, to put it mildly)– continually drifting farther and farther away from its ‘mission’. I’m not a pessimist so I shall continue to insist that there is always hope. But for as many people living there, believing in its future, participating in its future, there are many if not more desperate to escape.

In the pinkest of health (thanks)

-P

The Meaning of Pakistan Dear Aisha

I too like the other chowkwallas had to read your article at least twice to determine the gist of what it is you are trying to say. In an article that initially promised stream of consciousness, cathartic writing, the juxtaposition of analytic thought created, in my opinion some confusion.

I`m not sure I agree with you though. Wouldn`t` it be lovely if we could all agree to see the `true Islam in the perspective of Deen and not Madhab` ? Wouldn`t it be lovely if everyone agreed that `anything` could be Islamic (within reason) ? But everyone doesn`t agree and the problem could well be in the definition of `within reason`. Everyone has their own interpretation of religious teachings and when they don`t - when a collective begins to emerge amongst the various corners of thought, and the Talibans of Afghanistan or the Wahhabis of Saudi Arabia come randomly to mind - violence, repression, intolerance, never seem to be too far behind.

How do you propose to walk the fine line of balancing me against you ? I think Islam is nothing if not Symbolic (I know I`m using the word in a different sense here then that intended by you) - best understood by Saints - a `haseen imtizaj` if you will of Sufism and Samaritanism where one is committed to God and the other to Man.

All of the above is open to misinterpretation - as much on your part as on mine. Pakistan was a symbol. Many things to many people. In the confusion of the past 50 odd years, that`s what`s been lost.

Cheers

-P

In Sanity Godot (88)

oye. how do you know its not working out?

thanks for the compliment though ...

-P

ps: Zehra, your (enjoyable) babble reminded me of times gone by (not unlike half the rest of the board) so I let my breath out somewhat. no reflection on you. honest.

In Sanity And do you know what she was wearing? God forbid I let my girls be seen in that get up! How could she?

Anyone would think they were discussing a navel baring, navel piercing little bohemian. Turned out to be an amreeka returned girl in red jeans. The words allah and rasool were whispered in the same breath as the forbidden `red`. Blasphemous, positively blasphemous.

Why doesn`t her mother stop her? She`s probably out of her control. Besides it serves her right for sending a girl abroad - to amreeka of all places. We told her. We told her it was wrong. We told her it was madness, but did she listen? No. What did she expect, but a bey sharam, bey haya (sans shame, sans modesty). Now look at her. God in heaven, she even has male friends. I saw her getting into a car with one - with my own two eyes. Will this girl stop at nothing? Has she no shame. She was at Asia`s yesterday; sitting on the takhat in her low cut kurta, with her horrible short hair. I was so upset to find my son, my only son sitting beside her. And she was laughing. With her mouth open and all and everyone could hear her. Oh it was awful - I couldn`t bear it. I told him to get up right then and there. I saw her expression. Oh, she had guilt written all over her face. She knew what she was doing, the little tart.

How will she ever marry? That`s what I don`t understand. Her poor mother must worry so. Look at her. She`s so dark; no self-respecting mother would allow her son to marry her. And those features - positively wajibi -mediocre, at best, if she`s lucky so they said.

...

An Obituary Dear Shandana

Thanks for a beautiful article. And for reminding us how much work there is to be done.

regards

Purple

A Long Night’s Odyssey Dear All

Somebody recently observed that Pakistani`s are all too enthusiastic when it comes to `talking the talk` but that the enthusiasm withers when it comes to `walking the walk` - what say you ?

Shandana`s recent article on Sister Gertie forms the perfect foil for the gloomy refrain in this one. No offence Mr. Feroz.

regards

purple

Love and Hate Online re litmus

``one should not try and get too friendly with ones sworn enemies``

trust a desi to be superficial. trust him to be bigoted. and trust his education to be futile. so the relationship didnt work out. maybe reality wasn`t as attractive as the virtual image. oh, heck maybe they had just read too much into the whole thing. but why must the indian/pakistani thing be dragged into the whole sordid mess. ugh. and here i was thinking - progress - heres one article you couldnt drag the cross border bashing into. what a waste of space.

p.

Hidden Hindus re: er, what ?

I can`t decide if this is tragically funny or just tragic. I mean anyone who has paid the slightest attention to the article itself would have to wonder whether the interactors have even glanced at it.

quite quite mad.