Science and the Islamic world --- The quest for rapprochement Thank you for this balanced, well researched and thought provoking piece.

I would like to recommend a semi-fictional book where the author has explored the 'attitude' and 'thought' aspect of your article with some depth. "Desperately Seeking Paradise" by Ziauddin Sardar. It is indeed ironic that the scientific method was used and popularized by the Muslim scientists during the centuries you mentioned. According to Sardar, Europes most prized possession 'Liberal Humanism' dates from this time.

Another series of graphic novels that explore Iran's fundamentalism 'Persepolis' is worth reading too to get a window into Iran during the fundamentalist years. I fear that this too is happening in Pakistan. Why? The only explanation could be to ensure that a large, vastly educated populace does not emerge. It is a diabolic and almost satanic theory of manipulation.

I would also like to say more about the 'black box' of technology that you mentioned. It may be worth exploring the reasons for enhanced superstition in the so-called 'age of science.' So called because really, how many people in their daily life need to doubt and question? The economic benefits of being certain, convinced, ritualistic and 'disciplined' are far more than being uncertain, questioning and 'research-oriented '-and that is global corporate culture.

Michel Houellebecq: France\'s New Literary \"Enfant Terrible\" and Islamophobe Re: # 9

GT, honestly I think you are reading too much into Naqshbandi's comment--if anything it can be read as 'hey, the Muslims weren't quite so 'orrendous and genocidal as all that, despite the bad guys or relations weren't so bad b/w H and Ms for one to completely kill the other. I agree with that actually--. It doesn't have much to do with a superiority complex:).

Khuda Ke Liye Re: # 85

Manto,

Yes. Glad you agree about the conflict and art connection. Great art emerges from great pain. Pakistani youth and society are suffering the most and therefore their art has a great depth. It has always been remarkable that Muslims in the sub-continent have provided a lot to the creative literary arts. To this day scripts of Hindi movies are written in Urdu. I am sorry to see that Indian popular culture has become so incredibly shallow, I believe that India renders amazing art and is probably continuing to do so in pockets. Unfortunately we are only exposed to popular Indian culture--and it may be that deeper reflections are an elite vs. mainstream crowd thing (like in USA). It is of concern that all cultures exposed to untempered capitalism over a few decades lose their art forms. There is little doubt in India about the benefits of capitalism per se.

Khuda Ke Liye Dear Yasser

Plan to watch this movie asap:) can't pass up anything by Shoaib Mansoor in any case. Your comments on Rang De Basanti are what I would like to address here. Rang De Basanti is a movie for the far more cynical youth of India than for the very idealistic youth of Pakistan. India is going through a completely different cultural phase whereas Pakistan is not. Soul searching and emotional discontent is 'normal' ways to experience life among Paksitanis as though angst is our copyright. Soul searching is not common among pragmatic people in India, where survival is a far more difficult job than in Pakistan. I sometimes wonder if emotional wiring of the person reared on the Urdu language is different:). In terms of soul searching and sheer effort to udnerstand themselves, the 80s in India were a closer decade to what Pakistan is going through in 2007. A journalist in Pakistan can write about political things, literary things and get a living. In India, nobody will read him. Philosophical themes are not common among the Indian youth--it is cultural. Peopel who dance to express themselves have no mental time to feel sad. It also interests me that pantheism as a spiritual practice does not require the global understanding of who 'we' are that Islam does. For example, you can choose what to worship how to worship where to worship etc., without any confusion on the 'right' way. Whereas for the past several hundred years, the debate on the right way to practice Islam has kept people of Islam full of worry, angst and confusion as to what being good is all about. It sounds like Shoaib Mansoor has exposed that terrible doubt about what it means to be Muslim.

Seven Causes of Human Suffering Re: # 55

Budhisms 'Eight fold path' is the closest example. It is the same idea, however it is presented in a more concrete actionable item manner, rather than the Quran, which uses allegory. It is perhaps one reason why some Muslims get confused and misinterpret the Quran to extremes of behaviour.

S

What Lies Beneath: Dispatch from the Frontlines of the Burqa Brigades http://www.cbc.ca/national/blog/video/internationalus/eyewitness_account.html

Rushdie and the British Establishment Re: # 15

Indeed. Naguib Mahfouz was a brilliant writer.

Rushdie and the British Establishment Dear Moeed

I found the knighting of Rusdie an amusing interplay of messages. The irony was supreme. Unfortunately Rushdie a brilliant author has become the key element in the messages to and fro about who is a good muslim and who is not. The protests in Islamabad over the knighting were also similar, they too sent a message about who is a good muslim and who is a bad muslim.

To be a good Muslim for some people, a deep unwavering, illogical, literal and dogmatic faith in the 'quran' or rather its interpretations is necessary. There is no room for reflection or questioning in this world view.
All 'others' are seen as enemies and the world of true Islam a victim of others' hatred. This is a frightening and scary message for the rest of the world. It is also a dangerous lie for Muslims to believe in, because it keeps their populations ignorant and subdued.

For others, it is important to give the message that 'good' Muslims are those who don't believe at all in 'the book', and in fact are willing to ridicule the naive faith of millions in a book, after learning better from the West. This is as brutal and cruel as the dogma of the believers. Both are fundamentalist and ultimately inhuman.

Taking a compassionate view of both sides helps to put things in perspective. A writer is always exploring ideas. Tomorrow Mr Rushdie may write something beautiful about Islam, then would the British govt. take back the knighthood? no. What is done is done, and there is great good in it. Those who understand messages, yet have a bigger message to give, can change the very messages. I think the world of Islam should be proud that a 'Muslim' writer used the grand literary traditions of Persian Muslims to write wonderful books about Muslim people. There are only a handful of books about Muslim communities and it is a great honour to Pakistan/India/kashmir and the Middle East that he wrote about these worlds. It was after him, that a whole generation of writers from that part of the world came on to the center stage.

The third world has been badly suppressed through colonialism for the last several hundred years. If authors like Rushdie have to joke and ridicule it to educate the world, let him. If I were a leader in the Muslim world, I'd honour and congratulate Mr Rushdie and let him know that I hope that one day he may write about the great beauty of my culture in the same way that he wrote of its ugliness. After all, wherever there is great ugliness there must have been great beauty.

Preventing More Lal Masjids Dear Dr Hoodbhoy

Thanks for this thought provoking analysis for the reasoning behind misogyny in Pakistan. I differ with you regarding the following:

1. At the heart of this divide is a justice and power issue. There is resentment and anger towards the well-off. It comes out as an issue between what is Islamic and what is un Islamic, but at the heart of it is severe anger at how society`s elites live vs. the less well off. They have oversimplified it to mean that people who appear westernized are more successful than those who do not appear westernized. This is a mis interpretation of facts and stems from the complete lack of information about their own history.
2. Ignorance about the truth wrt. Islamic history and women`s freedom and role.
3. Misinterpretation that the prophet and followers were anti women`s freedom.


The only solution is a re-investigation of history and recasting of what it means to be Muslim. Unfortunately, the media has been unable to meet the challenge effectively. Once again, the lack of knowledge among Muslims about Islam/history and people of Islam, is to blame. Again, the blasphemy laws don`t help, they stifle open debate. Just a little fresh air has revealed such terrible skeletons in the cupboard, imagine if the lies were all exposed? The emotional reaction to the lies that have been told to Muslims for decades would shake the foundations of this country.

Why Atif Aslam works Hey Daniyal

--What Atif Aslam has is inexplicable. His voice has existential angst--no doubt as you rightly point out, he seems to know every ache of one`s heart and then some. Kuch Iss Tara is gorgeous. Apna Koi Thikana Nahin is another favourite of mine. His singing is a call to our deepest selves to feel what we spend our lives trying to avoid. The only other singer/song that does that nearly as successfully is A.R. Rahman (how can one forget Maah Tujhe Salaam). Unfortunately technique far too often drowns out soul in Indian music, cinema and art (these days FAR too often), and I hope that Atif Aslam does not get submerged in the `right way`, to lose that spark of genius, that naturalness--which is what music must have been before we invented the `right way`.

S

The General vs. the Judge Thanks for the great article, its objectivity, honesty and sheer bravery must be commended as always. The second last paragraph says it ALL. Pakistan is being bought and sold, but the money isn`t going to its people. The grand posturing politicians are just angry that they aren`t getting it. The Army has it and won`t let it go. It is all about who gets the money for selling to corporate interests. The joke is that the money will buy off a few people in their lifetime and ultimately go to Corporations. The real money will always go to the great Corporations and ultimately to their governments. Those who died in the streets of my country are the true unsung heroes of anti-globalization. Alas, who will write their story, who will carry their burden?

I hope that the solution you propose takes place, otherwise the dream of a sovereign and independent country will die with us.

The Anatomy of a Smile Wonderful. Braces cannot improve a smile. All they can do is aesthetically align your teeth to your jaw so that the lower half of your face is no longer distracting to people who look at you.

Alas for the superficiality of our lives that we need dentists. And also a lament for the industry of lies--advertising.

What Next After Karachi’s Carnage? Dear Dr Hoodbhoy.

Perhaps it is just me, but I find some logical inconsistencies in the theory that Pervez Musharraf is behind the fundamentalization of Pakistan/Islamabad.

Here are the inconsistencies:

1. His own liberalism; assuming that he is genuinely liberal, the idea of using religion becomes less statistically likely. Of course, this is hypothetical.
2. The general tendency of being pro-capitalism, pro-american. Somebody like that would see more benefit from assisting America in Afghanistan to spread modernity rather than to side with the Taliban. This too bears out with other actions taken in Afghanistan.
3. The intense revolt from modernity and liberalism could be a normal reaction of the people of Pakistan since modernity is literally being thrust down them for the last 8 years at a pace they are probably not ready for. The manner in which it is being done--beamed down the liberal media 24/7 probably scares the average guy who thinks that women with less clothes are the worst invention of modern life.
4. The questions worth asking are who is funding the violent religious groups and who will they ultimately benefit. Keeping Pakistan weak is of benefit to whom?

Reflections on the Virginia Tech School Tragedy Re: # 135

Dear masadi:

Everything that you say is true about American liberation, emancipation and freedom. Equally true is the fact that some people value the sense of power and liberty that a corporate title bestows upon them. They are the ones for whom the system `works`. It feels goooood and that is all that matters to the individual. The individual who `performs` in this economy, feels immense self-respect and confidence. This is a bubble that works as long as it can. When it stops working the individual can do the following:
1. Reinvent other sources of `self-esteem` and align with different causes.
2. Accept the sense of `mediocrity` that not `performing` in the system causes.
3. Move to a different country

The arguments that you present are not at the level of the individual. In other words you are asking the individual whose livelihood and sense of self is dependent on the system to critique the system. It is a hard sell (in the corporate lingo), which is why Dr Chomsky, perhaps the greatest intellectual finds few purchasers of his ideas. Which brings me back to the idea of buy and sell. Some people actually love to do that, and they`d be doing this regardless of what impact it had on justice. I also find the argument about the greatness of America very fun. It is a logical conundrum. When all arguments fail, the defenders of America will say, `O but see, it is only in America that people can criticize America, that look our liberty is working because so many criticize it openly, and the world`s smartest people are STILL IN America.` This is but natural, because such is the nature of power and always has been. IT does not mean that the power or its source has no ethical flaws. It is interesting to see that `Jihadi` and `OBL` are accepted as the competitors for this power and if you don`t like America, you must be OBL--who Pardesi has already decided is just after oil money and nearly the same thing that America Is. In the two dimensional world of America, you are either with us or you want we got or you are either with us or against us.

However, to be very frank with you, I do not hate America. I see it as based on a system that is in a terrible crisis. I believe that capitalism as we know it is changing very rapidly to become the most repressive system ever seen unlike what it was for many people. The world`s economic theories and systems need a complete rethink. I am appalled that our Universities are ill equipped with ideas to deal with the crisis. We are hitting a great big wall. There are some who think we will never hit the wall. Some who think that the wall does not exist. Some who think we can jump over the wall. Some who think that if they eliminate the other contenders, they won`t hit the wall and still others who believe that the wall should not be allowed to get this huge and try to change the paradigm.

The PG Hamid Talat Khan Show Re: # 1

You put Mr Paracha`s incredibly creative piece into the category of Mush vs. Mullah. Historically, every Muslim writer has been critical of the Mullah. It is part and parcel of the ethos of being Muslim and liberal. Mush is an accident that has been part of whatever you and I call our culture for hundreds of years. This left liberal, sufi, poet, critical thinker side of Islam had been repressed for a long long time with disastrous consequences for the Muslim world. Please understand!, these liberals are as necessary for your culture to survive as the book around which your morality is hedged. By framing every crisis as US vs. Pakistan, or Mush. vs. Mullah, you discredit your own history.

The Pakistan team is relying far too much on emotion, far too little on rationality--that`s the simple message of NFP`s article. We can get all insecure or we can welcome a little healthy criticism. Faith without rationality does not lead to success.

Regards
S

The PG Hamid Talat Khan Show LOL!!. Good to see NFP still going strong, while the rest have totally given up on critical thinking.

I sometimes think that Pakistan`s greatest export could be religio-spiritual. With such belief and passion, even if Allah died, he will wake up:). In capitalism, there is a market for everything and for all you know the Cricket team may become the greatest evangelists ever born. I am waiting for the day when verses from the Quran will be recited on CNN.

Kuch bhi ho sakta hai, jo bikta woh chalta hai. Wohi sach hai. Yesterday it was consumer durables, tomorrow religion. Be shaq, the market knows best. And critical thinking? The job of leftist liberals who have nothing to sell.

Warm regards

Saima