this is my first shot at blogging,i ain't gonna do it for fun nor for some time pass.sometimes you just need to vent out your emotions and at a time like this i couldn't think of a better way of doing it.
26/11:this date would be inscribed into people's minds for life now.Hundreds perished in the mumbai carnage,Indians,foreigners,parents,children,Muslims,Hindus,Christians,Jews....there was no respite for any.I, as a mere viewer of what was being broadcasted on our news channels, cant even remotely contemplate what the people there would have gone through.Just imagine being stuck in your room waiting for death to knock at your door any minute..just praying that may God save you...it makes me shudder..
At this point of time, like many other Indians my heart goes out to those who have lost their loved ones, that too in such a manner.I salute our national heroes who laid down their lives while protecting us.They are the real heroes of this country, not those opportunistic politicians who have the audacity to try to gauge their vote banks by using this heart wrenching incident.
These are my thoughts, the thoughts of a Muslim girl who like many others is proud to be an INDIAN MUSLIM.I'd like to tell you people that these terrorists have no religion, they are not Muslims nor are they belonging to any other religious community.Please don't question our sincerity towards our nation.I have grown up with my classmates asking me "which side i cheer in an India Pakistan match?",and you know something that really hurts.Guys,people who lost their lives in the mumbai terror attack included Muslims too..we too are in pain to watch this happen with our country..and for god's sake atleast now wake up and realise that these are mere tactics of politicians who want to divide us so that they can fill their vote ballots.
Right now we need to make sure that we make the right choice,we should not let Hemant Karkare's sacrifice for this nation go to waste. Look beyond Islamic terrorism, look beyond sadhvi terror...deep down we are human beings caught in this struggle between right and wrong,between hard work and taking the easy way out..let us not doubt each other's sincerity towards out country.If i am a Muslim that doesn't mean that I'm pro Pakistan,it doesn't mean that i don't love my country, it certainly doesn't mean that i ever want to part from it.
As an Indian citizen i can say that now we don't want excuses, now is the time for action,the people that we elect should not forget that the power they have has been bestowed on them by us.Let the laws be enforced,let there be justice..but just one request...please be just and not communal...don't pick up any random Muslim and shoot him in an encounter....creating hordes of Abu aamir Kasabs..
JAI HIND
26/11:this date would be inscribed into people's minds for life now.Hundreds perished in the mumbai carnage,Indians,foreigners,parents,children,Muslims,Hindus,Christians,Jews....there was no respite for any.I, as a mere viewer of what was being broadcasted on our news channels, cant even remotely contemplate what the people there would have gone through.Just imagine being stuck in your room waiting for death to knock at your door any minute..just praying that may God save you...it makes me shudder..
At this point of time, like many other Indians my heart goes out to those who have lost their loved ones, that too in such a manner.I salute our national heroes who laid down their lives while protecting us.They are the real heroes of this country, not those opportunistic politicians who have the audacity to try to gauge their vote banks by using this heart wrenching incident.
These are my thoughts, the thoughts of a Muslim girl who like many others is proud to be an INDIAN MUSLIM.I'd like to tell you people that these terrorists have no religion, they are not Muslims nor are they belonging to any other religious community.Please don't question our sincerity towards our nation.I have grown up with my classmates asking me "which side i cheer in an India Pakistan match?",and you know something that really hurts.Guys,people who lost their lives in the mumbai terror attack included Muslims too..we too are in pain to watch this happen with our country..and for god's sake atleast now wake up and realise that these are mere tactics of politicians who want to divide us so that they can fill their vote ballots.
Right now we need to make sure that we make the right choice,we should not let Hemant Karkare's sacrifice for this nation go to waste. Look beyond Islamic terrorism, look beyond sadhvi terror...deep down we are human beings caught in this struggle between right and wrong,between hard work and taking the easy way out..let us not doubt each other's sincerity towards out country.If i am a Muslim that doesn't mean that I'm pro Pakistan,it doesn't mean that i don't love my country, it certainly doesn't mean that i ever want to part from it.
As an Indian citizen i can say that now we don't want excuses, now is the time for action,the people that we elect should not forget that the power they have has been bestowed on them by us.Let the laws be enforced,let there be justice..but just one request...please be just and not communal...don't pick up any random Muslim and shoot him in an encounter....creating hordes of Abu aamir Kasabs..
JAI HIND
21 comments:
yeah very well said friend. it is true that we require to be united in such a crucial time to show the world that we'll be even more bonded in scenarios like these.the cowardly act of these insane lunatics should not be mistaken as a view of whole community.being looked upon suspiciously is a very inevitable and brutally hurting fact we have to face.
common friends....we live in a country where we have enough festivals to cheer us up, enough traditions to make us well cultured, enough reasons to recall our independence... then why is that we have enough religions to make us hate one another but not enough to make us one another?
this cowardly act of the people having no faith or religion should be not taken as the thinking of whole community...
instead it is high time young generation like us take's a dip into country's working and policies and be a part of d government functioning...
as it is high time that we all criticise the government functioning...but none of wants to be part of it.
spoken kike a true adeeb! didnt know you could write so well love zulfia mani
very well written.
I guess it will take time for people to understand this. But then everything takes its time....
Areeba, this blog vocalises what we are all feeling at such a tragic time. We are very proud of you for doing this, please dont stop here, carry on writing.
Bhayya and Bhabhi
Very well written Areeba.
I too agree with you on all the issues addressed here. Though I am oceans apart from where it all happened, still it gave me sleepless nights. Never in my life did I feel so helpless. I shudder to think how those hostages must have felt before being killed mercilessly by those ruthless murderers of humanity.
Much has been said about what should have been done and what we all should do now. I won’t get into that, because I am sure the readers of this blog are well aware that something drastic needs to be done now. If what happened in Mumbai wasn’t shocking enough, I was even more shocked to hear some people’s reaction. You won’t believe that educated men, who work in multi-nationals and appear to be as charming as Prince Williams, are in full support of what’s happening. People around me believe that Mumbai blasts were divine justice for what happened in Godhra. And I am ashamed to say that these were my Muslim friends. I recently got to know that Holy Quran, Chapter 5 Verse No. 32 states “if a Muslim saves the life of one innocent person, its equivalent to saving humanity. Also, if a Muslim kills one innocent person, its equivalent to killing humanity”. Why are some of us happy to see non Muslims getting killed? Why these terrorists are seen as saviors/protectors/messiah of Islam? Why don’t we see that these terrorists didn’t care who was a Muslim or a non Muslim at VT station?
Given an opportunity I would like to ask many questions to those people who verbally support such terrorist acts. Why don’t they go and join these terrorist organizations rather than talk shit while sitting in air-conditioned offices of multi nations. We live in a world full of double standard people. People don’t know what they say and what they believe in. Fixing up India’s political system is not the only solution. We need to fix our fickle minds too. We need to think like educated people, with a drop of sympathy in our hearts and a will to serve humanity and not just our greed. We need to start asking ourselves questions. We need to ask what the purpose of our existence is. We need to share what we think. If people around you are misguided/unwise or simply too ignorant, it’s our responsibility to make them understand that killing innocent people is a sin no matter what religion you follow. We need to tell people what the real meaning of Jihad is. We need to tell people that Prophet Mohammed loved peace. Prophet Mohammed fought a war with those who wanted to eliminate Islam from the world, NOT their wives and children, not even those who ridiculed/insulted him at Mecca when idol worshipping existed inside Haram-Shareef. Prophet Mohammed asked his followers to be kind towards war prisoners/slaves, not to shoot the hostages through the eyes. Somehow for its followers, the very definition of Islam has changed. If the followers are so ignorant, how do we make the non believers believe that we are the same Muslims who Mohammed called His Ummah.
Adil Khan
im glad that my frenz and family are cumin together to give this message out loud and clear....WE STAY UNITED...NO MATTER WHAT..
adil what u said was a very hard hitting fact. People claiming themselves to be muslims have forgotten what Islam means, they have forgotten how Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) lived his life n spread Islam as the religion of peace n unity. It was Islam which abolished caste sytem, slavery, heirarchy, and above all hatred between different sects of people.
Islam started spreading through out the world because of its perfect divine implications for the benefit and welfare of humanity.
As a muslim, i feel really ashamed of these people who support such barbaric and lunatic tactics for JEHAD. if these people are forgetting what JEHAD WAS....then letme remind them " IT was the war fought by the Prophet(PBUH) and His Followers against the people who made it the aim of their life to finish of PROPHET(PBUH) and his peaceful followings in the Name of Allah for their own greedful and selfish wants which included slavery, prostitution,earning money in d name of worshipping, barbaric policies,act out of free will."
Prophet(PBUH)was very much respected by the Christian Leaders in Makkah during his time for his beliefs which overcame the flaws of many ongoing religions.
Yes and people who are supporting such inhumane tactics as a justified action...lets ask them how much are they really a human before claiming themselves to be muslims. As a muslim i Offer my prayers, fast, and recite holy quran in order to always be in peace with my innerself and have Blessings of Allah,offer the minimum which Allah demands of me,
NOT to have inhuman rights to barbarism,evil in d name of divine, and terrorism as a act of peace!
common if you cant feel the pain of a mother, fear of a child, dedication and duties of a father then i can bet you even understand yourself.
to be muslim one needs to be a human of a kind that people can easily identify him as a muslim...not be suspicious and terrified of him that he'll bring them pain n sufferings instead of love and peace.
Common u jerks who promote this insane act as islam....IF it wasnt for our friends and more truthfully brothers and sisters in other religions...that we would have existed as INDIANS.
would a muslim not help a pregnant HINDU women?
would a muslim not have saved the life Of Christian brother to meet an accident?
would a muslim not accept blood for his die'ing daughter from a Sikh lad?
if any of you're answer in this question is unfortunately NO...m sorry to say...you dont qualify to be a human...leave alone a muslim!
In total agreement with Areeba & others...
My heart screeches , fingers go numb, every minute hair raises when I hear the sobs of hundreds of mothers , when I see the fathers of young martyrs with eyes overflowing with sorrow , brothers & sisters whose laughter once echoed aloud.
Muslims- target of millions, gaining enemies faster than a blink.
I would like to bring to the notice of all those reading the article, that among 179 fallen victims of the terror , 40 were Muslims.
Among the 40, one live example this evening was Shamim, who lost 6 people of his family at a go on CST station & did not have enough money to bury his dead members.
Yes, i m talking in context of Islam , the religion 1400 yrs old led by a simple man who did preach JIHAD, but all those who are unfortunate enough in their knowledge to understand its meaning, Jihad means "Struggle" ."The goal of true jihad is to attain a harmony between islam (submission), iman (faith), and ihsan (righteous living)."[18]... this is what Jihad is.
All the loose statements, the cacophony by the people like Simi Grewal, Mukhtar Naqvi , V.S Achutanandan ( C.M, Kerala) proves victory of those ruthless murders & defeat, failure , fall of INDIA as a whole. This is the when these leaders are needed rather than them talking about lipsticks , powders & dogs.
Let the chronicle Of India be rather cherished than be cried upon later.
Lets give the religion of terrorists a different vocabulary word rather than just labeling them as MUSLIMS. Islam is the second largest religion to be followed, millions of people can not follow something so barbaric & brutal.
Let every drop of blood shed be worth it, the sacrifices made not go unnoticed!!
Apologies for my previous deletes. Seems my entire wasn't getting accepted.
My salute to Areeba and to her friends who have responded to the blog. I am a Hindu and I have numerous Muslim friends whom I have enjoyed growing with.
Terrorists have no religion.They exist for disruption. Disruption of an upcoming global power (India will be one by 2025), of a developed nation, of a growing economy. But the fact that most are Muslims (I personally believe most of them belong to Kashmir or Pak in case of attacks on India - forgive my naivety if I am wrong and correct me.) might adhere to poverty and conservative upbringing (in the places I have mentioned above).I also believe Kashmir is a pending issue which Governments (of India and Pak) and Terrorists Organization should sit together and look into and solve with help of strategists. I think we should hear to concerns of Kashmiris. If autonomy is the solution to Kashmir. Be it.
Mumbai incident is awakening for all of us.I believe EACH of us can do following things at minimal:
Point #1. Believe in Unity and promote it.
Promote to your friends some of whom might be misguided - a Hindu or a Muslim whosoever. Spread the word. Just as in this blog,more people should show their feelings for the nation publicly. This is the time. A demonstration by our Muslim brothers and sisters in huge numbers, stating 'We love India' in front of India Gate or Gateway of India would be remarkable and exemplary !!! It would bring the attention of the world to demonstration. ALL countries of world would come together to fight terrorists and not the Muslims. This demonstration will stand out. Although I know there can be demonstrations in form of all religions together but that wouldn't help much to challenge the conviction that most terrorists are Muslims. Please correct me if I am supporting a wrong point.
Point #2. VOTE !
All Indians (above 18) should use their right to vote.Youth form a large part of Indian population and if each of us decided to be firm in voting we would be selecting better leaders for ourselves. We should not blame politicians if they are the ones selected by us !! So VOTE !! And, if you are unable to do this too, then at least spread the word..Ask your friends , relatives everyone to vote. Display your urge on social sites or messenger.
Visit - Jaago Re! if you are outside your Assembly Constituency and want to rergister to vote. Visit 'Make your mark' section in the site to know how you can spread the word better. Do cast your vote in coming Central elections in 2009.
Time has come when we stop expecting and looking towards politicians who are mere whimps , and start clearing the dirt in the Parliament ourselves. Begin the movement.Now.
Jai Hind.
Bravo Arpana. Mrs. Khan too is following this blog, and I tell you, she will be very proud to see what you have expressed.
I totally agree with you when you say most of the terrorists belong to Kashmir and Pakistan. I can understand the psychology of Kashmiri militants, the mishandling of their state by the Indian Government has a part to play in their upbringing (by which in no way I am not supporting their acts). But what is wrong with Pakistan? Isn’t it quite evident in their barbaric attempts of terrorism that it’s simply a political game? Pakistan is not least bothered about the fate of Indian muslims. A certain Dawood Ibrahim didn’t plant those bombs in 1993 to safeguard muslims who were under attach from Bal Thakre and his Sena. I say this because I’ve seen some morons supporting Dawood too. Imagine, a drug kingpin, mafia and underworld don, being supported by certain sects of our society. Time to remind Pakistan and its people that somehow their territory doesn’t fit into the Hind (Indian Subcontinent) for which Prophet Mohammed said “when I turn my face towards east, I feel cool soothing breeze coming from the direction of Hind.”
As Arpana pointed out, it’s been more than 60 years and we still haven’t been able to solve the Kashmir issue. 60 years people. That’s one whole generation of a Kashmiri who didn’t get justice. What has our Government done to curb a Kashmiri becoming a militant? We know they haven’t done enough, but now is the time to settle such issues, and not just prolong it so that some parties can raise the issue to get votes.
Those who are reading this blog, let me remind you. It’s us who can make a change. Earlier I used to feel that I am too insignificant to make a difference. I still am insignificant, but what we need is a bunch of insignificant people like us to turn the tide.
Adil Khan
very well written areeba.. seriously, a chill goes down my spine when i see so many people crying over the deaths of their loved ones. innocent people were brutally killed for no fault of theirs. these terrorists should not be killed but should be kept alive and should be tortured to the core.
as we all know the saying...united we stand, divided we fall. we should all forget are religion and unite as one..as INDIANS.. to fight against terror that these psycopaths are creating in our beloved country..
i see we have a lot of thoughts pouring in....im happy that all of u have managed to take some time out from ur busy schedules to give this blog a thought..this is the need of the hour...as adil rightly said that we may be insignificant as an individual but if all of us come together i think that we too can change the tide of time...
about the points that aparna has put up...i agree with her completely that these terrorists are not born this way...many are vicitms of circumstance and many are sick in the head!please dont think that im tryin to justify the barabric acts by them..but im also tryin to figure out the making of a jehadi..(read terrorist).i just read the story of kasav,the lone surviving militant of the mumbai massacre..just imagine a 4th class dropout belonging to an extremely poor family..ready to kill in the name of faith..for a mere sum of 1.5 lakhs..
how did a regular human being transform into someone who looks at humans as mere "objects"????
one can only imagine the level of brainwashing these people are subjected to....
we all are aware of the situation we have in J&K for the past 60 years and im sure noone can deny that atrocities have been carried out on innocent people there..(im not sayin this to favour my community here....)these people included muslims as well as kashmiri pandits..
why only islamic terrorism emerged out of this mess is maybe coz it had a big power backing it..arms,ammunition,training camps..all of this needs to be funded...money has flowed in...and that too in large amounts..
lets just say that my community is the easier one to tap..maybe we can be easily lured to kill in the name of faith!!!but c'mon there cant be smoke without fire...people have suffered,innocent young men have been picked up and shot dead in cold blood...its their broken homes which are targetted by the fanatic clerics...they become the soft targets. who is responsible???its the system, the poeple who govern us..and who has to pray the price...the innocent citizens like those who died in the numerous terrot strikes we've had..
my frends here have put forward the real meaning of jihad..and its certainly not what these so called 'messiahs of islam' are practicing..please dont look at all muslims as terrorists...simply coz we are not...im proud to be a muslim and ill not let a few fickle minded people malign my religion..
so i again request everyone around me to please look beyond the blame game and the character assasination of muslims.its time to kill the prejudice and join hands..come together as CITIZENS OF ONE SECULAR NATION..
JAI HIND
well done areeba, i am very glad to see you and your friends make such strong and sensible statements, i guess if the youth has its head on their shoulders, there is hope for this country and the world. i would like to specially congratulate Arpana and Adil for their comments. Adil, i also wish to add that the concept of Jihad (with the enemy) clearly talks of combatants and non combatants. thereby catagorically stateing who is to be attacked and who is not - meaning that you fight the one who fights you, NOT harming women, children and the old. Also Islam is very clear on many rules of war such as not harming wells, not ruining standing fields and so on. therefore it was talking of the environment 1400 years ago (in mordern times, the first convention on environment and war - ENMOD was held in 1977)
Hence when Islam is so clear about not even harming the environment, who can justify the killing of innocent people?
Sameen
Thanks Sameen for appreciating what’s being discussed here. I appreciate your view on Jihad. That’s what has been our basic aim, to make people understand that Jihad is not just about guns and missiles. I would like to request the readers here to follow what Mr. M.J Akbar (a very renowned journalist) has been writing. He too has provided some very valuable information of what can be done to save our country and integrity. Also, we can organize some kind of gathering/procession wherever you are, similar to what’s happening in Mumbai, Delhi and elsewhere. While blogging is one source of reaching out to people who feel like taking a stance, meeting more people in person will be even better. It’s already being organized in London and NY, I don’t see any problem why those who are in Middle East and elsewhere can’t do the same. We need to show solidarity to the people of Mumbai and the whole of India and assure them that they don’t stand alone in this hour of crisis.
the true concept and meaning of jihad needs to be put forward to everyone around us..
i agree with you adil,about oganinsing a peace march, and im working on it already..i also feel that by doing this we'll be able to reach out to the masses..
today it was there in the papers that the ulema council of india has asked all indian muslims to sport black ribbons on Eid to express our solidarity...i request all people following this blog to please spread the word..
let's try to make a difference it wheatver small way we can...
Why The West Craves Materialism & Why The East Sticks To Religion
By Imran Khan (Ex Pakistan Captain)
My generation grew up at a time when colonial hang up was at its peak. Our older generation had been slaves and had a huge inferiority complex of the British. The school I went to was similar to all elite schools in Pakistan. Despite gaining independent, they were, and still are, producing replicas of public schoolboys rather than Pakistanis.
I read Shakespeare, which was fine, but no Allama Iqbal - the national poet of Pakistan. The class on Islamic studies was not taken seriously, and when I left school I was considered among the elite of the country because I could speak English and wore Western clothes.
Despite periodically shouting 'Pakistan Zindabad' in school functions, I considered my own culture backward and religion outdated. Among our group if any one talked about religion, prayed or kept a beard he was immediately branded a Mullah. Because of the power of the Western media, our heroes were Western movie stars or pop stars. When I went to Oxford already burdened with this hang up, things didn't get any easier. At Oxford, not just Islam, but all religions were considered anachronism.
Science had replaced religion and if something couldn't be logically proved it did not exist. All supernatural stuff was confined to the movies. Philosophers like Darwin, who with his half-baked theory of evolution had supposedly disproved the creation of men and hence religion, were read and revered. Moreover, European history reflected its awful experience with religion. The horrors committed by the Christian clergy during the Inquisition era had left a powerful impact on the Western mind.
To understand why the West is so keen on secularism, one should go to places like Cordoba in Spain and see the torture apparatus used during the Spanish Inquisition. Also the persecution of scientists as heretics by the clergy had convinced the Europeans that all religions are regressive.
However, the biggest factor that drove people like me away from religion was the selective Islam practiced by most of its preachers. In short, there was a huge difference between what they practiced and what they preached. Also, rather than explaining the philosophy behind the religion, there was an overemphasis on rituals. I feel that humans are different to animals. While, the latter can be drilled, humans need to be intellectually convinced. That is why the Qur'an constantly appeals to reason. The worst, of course, was the exploitation of Islam for political gains by various individuals or groups.
Hence, it was a miracle I did not become an atheist. The only reason why I did not was the powerful religious influence my mother wielded on me since my childhood. It was not so much out of conviction but love for her that I stayed a Muslim. However, my Islam was selective. I accepted only parts of the religion that suited me. Prayers were restricted to Eid days and occasionally on Fridays, when my father insisted on taking me to the mosque with him.
All in all I was smoothly moving to becoming a Pukka Brown Sahib. After all I had the right credentials in terms of school, university and, above all, acceptability in the English aristocracy, something that our brown sahibs would give their lives for. So what led me to do a 'lota' on the Brown Sahib culture and instead become a 'desi'?
Well it did not just happen overnight.
Firstly, the inferiority complex that my generation had inherited gradually went as I developed into a world-class athlete. Secondly, I was in the unique position of living between two cultures. I began to see the advantages and the disadvantages of both societies. In Western societies, institutions were strong while they were collapsing in our country. However, there was an area where we were and still are superior, and that is our family life. I began to realize that this was the Western society's biggest loss. In trying to free itself from the oppression of the clergy, they had removed both God and religion from their lives.
While science, no matter how much it progresses, can answer a lot of questions - two questions it will never be able to answer: One, what is the purpose of our existence and two, what happens to us when we die?
It is this vacuum that I felt created the materialistic and the hedonistic culture. If this is the only life then one must make hay while the sun shines - and in order to do so one needs money. Such a culture is bound to cause psychological problems in a human being, as there was going to be an imbalance between the body and the soul.
Consequently, in the US, which has shown the greatest materialistic progress while giving its citizens numerous rights, almost 60 percent of the population consult psychiatrists. Yet, amazingly in modern psychology, there is no study of the human soul. Sweden and Switzerland, who provide the most welfare to their citizens, also have the highest suicide rates. Hence, man is not necessarily content with material well being and needs something more.
Since all morality has it roots in religion, once religion was removed, immorality has progressively grown since the 70s. Its direct impact has been on family life. In the UK, the divorce rate is 60 percent, while it is estimated that there are over 35 percent single mothers. The crime rate is rising in almost all Western societies, but the most disturbing fact is the alarming increase in racism. While science always tries to prove the inequality of man (recent survey showing the American Black to be genetically less intelligent than whites) it is only religion that preaches the equality of man.
Between 1991 and 1997, it was estimated that total immigration into Europe was around 520,000, and there were racially motivated attacks all over, especially in Britain, France and Germany. In Pakistan during the Afghan war, we had over four million refugees, and despite the people being so much poorer, there was no racial tension.
There was a sequence of events in the 80s that moved me toward God as the Qur'an says: "There are signs for people of understanding." One of them was cricket. As I was a student of the game, the more I understood the game, the more I began to realize that what I considered to be chance was, in fact, the will of Allah. A pattern which became clearer with time. But it was not until Salman Rushdie's "Satanic Verses" that my understanding of Islam began to develop. People like me who were living in the Western world bore the brunt of anti-Islam prejudice that followed the Muslim reaction to the book. We were left with two choices: fight or flight. Since I felt strongly that the attacks on Islam were unfair, I decided to fight. It was then I realized that I was not equipped to do so as my knowledge of Islam was inadequate.
Hence I started my research and for me a period of my greatest enlightenment. I read scholars like Ali Shariati, Muhammad Asad, Iqbal, Gai Eaton, plus of course, a study of Qur'an. I will try to explain as concisely as is possible, what "discovering the truth" meant for me. When the believers are addressed in the Qur'an, it always says, "Those who believe and do good deeds." In other words, a Muslim has dual function, one toward God and the other toward fellow human beings. The greatest impact of believing in God for me, meant that I lost all fear of human beings. The Qur'an liberates man from man when it says that life and death and respect and humiliation are God's jurisdiction, so we do not have to bow before other human beings.
Moreover, since this is a transitory world where we prepare for the eternal one, I broke out of the self-imposed prisons, such as growing old (such a curse in the Western world, as a result of which, plastic surgeons are having a field day), materialism, ego, what people say and so on. It is important to note that one does not eliminate earthly desires. But instead of being controlled by them, one controls them.
By following the second part of believing in Islam, I have become a better human being. Rather than being self-centered and living for the self, I feel that because the Almighty gave so much to me, in turn I must use that blessing to help the less privileged. This I did by following the fundamentals of Islam rather than becoming a Kalashnikov-wielding fanatic. I have become a tolerant and a giving human being who feels compassion for the underprivileged. Instead of attributing success to myself, I know it is because of God's will, hence I learned humility instead of arrogance. Also, instead of the snobbish Brown Sahib attitude toward our masses, I believe in egalitarianism and strongly feel against the injustice done to the weak in our society. According to the Qur'an, "Oppression is worse than killing." In fact only now do I understand the true meaning of Islam, if you submit to the will of Allah, you have inner peace.
Through my faith, I have discovered strength within me that I never knew existed and that has released my potential in life. I feel that in Pakistan we have selective Islam. Just believing in God and going through the rituals is not enough. One also has to be a good human being. I feel there are certain Western countries with far more Islamic traits than us in Pakistan, especially in the way they protect the rights of their citizens, or for that matter their justice system. In fact some of the finest individuals I know live there. What I dislike about them is their double standards in the way they protect the rights of their citizens but consider citizens of other countries as being somehow inferior to them as human being, e.g. dumping toxic waste in the Third World, advertising cigarettes that are not allowed in the West and selling drugs that are banned in the West.
One of the problems facing Pakistan is the polarization of two reactionary groups. On the one side is the Westernized group that looks upon Islam through Western eyes and has inadequate knowledge about the subject. It reacts strongly to anyone trying to impose Islam in society and wants only a selective part of the religion. On the other extreme is the group that reacts to this Westernized elite and in trying to become a defender of the faith, takes up such intolerant and self-righteous attitudes that are repugnant to the spirit of Islam. What needs to be done is to somehow start a dialogue between the two extreme. In order for this to happen, the group on whom the greatest proportion of our educational resources are spent in this country must study Islam properly. Whether they become practicing Muslims or believe in God is entirely a personal choice. As the Qur'an tells us there is "no compulsion in religion." However, they must arm themselves with knowledge as a weapon to fight extremism. Just by turning up their noses at extremism the problem is not going to be solved.
The Qur'an calls Muslims "the middle nation", not of extremes. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was told to simply give the message and not worry whether people converted or not, therefore, there is no question in Islam of forcing your opinions on anyone else.
Moreover, we are told to respect other religions, their places of worship and their prophets. It should be noted that no Muslim missionaries or armies ever went to Malaysia or Indonesia. The people converted to Islam due to the high principles and impeccable character of the Muslim traders. At the moment, the worst advertisements for Islam are the countries with their selective Islam, especially where religion is used to deprive people of their rights. In fact, a society that obeys fundamentals of Islam has to be a liberal one.
If Pakistan's Westernized class starts to study Islam, not only will it be able to help society fight sectarianism and extremism, but it will also make them realize what a progressive religion Islam is. They will also be able to help the Western world by articulating Islamic concepts. Recently, Prince Charles accepted that the Western world can learn from Islam. But how can this happen if the group that is in the best position to project Islam gets its attitudes from the West and considers Islam backward? Islam is a universal religion and that is why our Prophet (peace be upon him) was called a Mercy for all mankind.
now u know why i adore imran khan...
thank you for this input adil..now i love imran khan too....
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