On Pakistani Muslims Living In US..

The clear answer is that I have decided to leave US preferably by the end of this year. My taxes are something that I have no control over. The government takes it at source and I have no political power to redirect their spending. The only option that I have is to address the conscience of American people and tell them that it is wrong to exterminate human life elsewhere in the world using this money. I am a law abiding citizen and tend to obey the law of the land. My disagreement with policies, however, is a different matter. I can disagree with a government in a democracy while still abiding by the law. Currently, I see no law, that directly effects me, which goes contrary to my system of beleifs. I stand clear of paying interest, don`t use my credit cards, except in dire needs, don`t mortgage, and give my interest earnings through my savings account to charities. I disagree with abortion policies and beleive in preservation of human life at all costs. I believe marriage is a union between man and women and any other arrangement is a sure recipe to disintegrate social structure of the society. But these are the things millions of other Americans also belive in.

As long as I am alone in US I do not feel much threatened. Heck, I have survived a civil war and ethnic cleansing in Karachi. It is not as bad as yet. But America is absolutely not a place anymore where to raise one`s family. And as the time goes by it is going to get worst for Muslims here than getting better. The change of government in November will have no bearing on American policies towards Muslim countries because the events in the past two and half years since 9/11 have set them on an irreversible course. Now thhere can only be two outcomes of this confrontation - either Americans will succeed, quash any and all resistance in the Muslim lands, and subjugate them completely thru their proxies or direct occupation or there is a chance that Americans will have to make huge sacrifices of their vested interests and grant Muslim lands the freedom from their clutches and equality that they long deserve. Either way the Americans will be bitter and unaccomodating for as long as my natural life goes and beyond. But currently Americans are losing morally and also militarily and they are becoming bitter. Just wait until this loss will start translating itself into economic terms. As the urdu proverb goes - If you keep spending even Qaroon`s treasure gets emptied - similarly all wars come with economic costs and global wars come with economic costs of global proportions.

In all honesty I want America to hold the torch of justice and equality in this world. And for that they will have to make sacrifices and take their glasses of prejudice and hatered off. It is a tall order but it has happened in history before. I don`t want America to go down in the history as an empire that lost to its own bigotry, greed, and hatered. The shred of hope that I have in America is quickly dwindeling away though. It is law of nature that what goes up must come down. And only if wishes were horses.....

Most preferably I will move to a Scandanevian country. The whole of Muslim world and especially Paksitan has been turned into Dar-al-Harb from where I escaped persecution in the first place. The place, in all those years, has gotten worst than getting better. Leaving one`s country - his own or adopted - is not an easy task for a human being in such short span of a life time. It took me decades to leave my own country of birth - the country that has ravaged me emotionally and physically and yet not a day goes by when my heart doesn`t ache remembering its dusty roads. Only God knows when this perpetual migration that I am cursed with, will end.

I am sorry but it can`t get any simpler than that, now can it?
(asad)

The funny thing is that the Faujiz(Army) have divided the house so much, they can't put anything together now. The degree to which people despise this government- specifically the Faujiz - is quite remarkable.

Just go down the list, these Faujiz have given red-carpet receptions to every criminal politician as long as they lick Fauji feet. Sherpao is now the water minister, Ishratul Ibad the man who personally enjoyed torturing his adversaries by drilling holes in their knee-caps is the Governor of Sindh, Shujaats and Elahis have been forgiven for their numerous corruption cases, Manawar Manj, the former MNA from Sheikhupura – the biggest narcotics smuggler in the country who’d been sentenced to death – is released with the help of his son who finally manages to strike a deal with the government if he switches loyalties to the Faujiz…and the list of bribed MNA’s and MPA’s goes on and on. We’ve always had corrupt politicians and turn-coats. But I don’t recall when there was such a set-up where the politicians had been so effectively divided and where each of these criminals was totally sure that political life depended on not what the people chose but on how you licked Fauji feet as those are the real people engineering the outcomes of elections.

We have multiple layers of powers and no one knows who is to do what. Whereas the federal and provincial level politicians are bribed into supporting the Faujiz, the nazims and local level representatives elected on a non-party basis have taken the country backwards by appealing to the medieval ‘biradari’ system- which is bound to happen when you take away national political parties which despite all their faults actually help bring people of different castes, religions, and ethnic background together.

Despite ruining what little political process this country had, it’s mind-boggling how ineffective and totally disoriented the current Fauji-lead government is. It is only a matter of time before they go back to their barracks licking their wounds after drawing a face-saving compromise with the politicians. The sad thing is four years were wasted. Once again the country’s political development will begin from ground zero and the shenanigans of politics will leave much uncertain as the various political parties and decaying institutions try to once again find their own respective spaces on the national scene.

Institutional development needs the security of a continuing process- no matter how messed it may be.
(Izzah)

I am not using rhetoric but only stating the obvious - the flying of planes into the buildings and blowing oneself up was not only the next logical step but also the inevitable consequence of the years of suffocation. Imagine a pressure cooker on fire whose all vents have been sealed shut. The dictators in the Muslim world would not survive a day unless they are supported by their foreign masters. Just take the example of Pakistan where Musharaf's removing himself from power was inevitable since this regime was seen as a paraih regime isolated by the whole world. The economic cost for army to stay in power was becoming unbearable and then 9/11 happened and military sold their soul to the devil. Now the dictator is treated as a state guest by those very people who are destroying one country after the other in the name of democracy. Same thing with Qaddafi - as soon as he agreed to fight the fight for West against those who are resisting West, he has become a friend. Take another example of Palestinians. As long as they were fighting Americans by hijaking their planes and attacking their military bases in middle east they were accorded with 1984 peace accord and then Oslo peace accord. But as soon as they "made friends" with Americans and concentrated their struggle only on Israel, they are being murdered by the dozen everyday literally for past so many years and in the whole wide world there is no one heeding their plight, not even those who are destroying country after country in the name of democracy and human rights. The point, in short is that, there is evil and then there is this root of the evil. The evil cannot be stopped until the source of this evil is stopped first. It is like a tree; as long as its roots are in the ground no matter how many branches you chop off, it will keep shooting new branches but when you cut the roots.....

Your next point is about the "non-ummah" places where democracy has happened successfully. The point is valid but out of context. Muslims are different from "non-ummah" in a sense that the religion that they subscribe to has an integrally unseparable political ideology component as well. This political ideology can only be separated from a Muslim when you take his religion away from him and leave him with rituals. Islam is a religion that is anti-ritual; it is something that you live and breath with your every breath it is not a buffet from where you pick those things which suite your life style and leave those which don't. That is exactly the reason those "Muslims" who advocate secularism also advocate that Islam be rejected at all levels as well because they understand that two cannot go hand in hand. Islam as a political ideology is currently the only common sense ideology that challenges the global in-equality and injustice - the two root causes of deterrent to peace - extending beyond the barriers of nationalism, religion, colour and creed. Those who have stake in this inequality and injustice will not only oppose it but they will also make sure that this ideology is contained, restricted from evolution, and stripped off of any political power. That is the reason we have dictators who are supported vhemently by West, they want our education system controlled, they want our natural resources controlled, they keep our bureaucracy and politicians corrupt and they want to keep our economy dependent thru their agents and dictators. And if thru their dictators they have allowed us to exercise some form of political ideology (aka Islamization) these dictators have made sure that it is not let evolved and thus it has taken the most virulent form (e.g. Hadud and Blasphemy laws in Paksitan) .Muslims by nature are timid, peaceful, and easy going people on one hand but on the other hand raising voice agaisnt the injustice is the part of their religion. A time has eventually come that now some of them have started saying - enough is enough.

++
people's back have been pushed against the wall and in order to fight back they are flying planes into the buildings and blowing themselves up in the cars.
++

Govt threatens to bulldoze Wana bazaar

The Funny Language Called English

English is a stupid language.
There is no egg in the eggplant
No ham in the hamburger
And neither pine nor apple in the pineapple.
English muffins were not invented in England
French fries were not invented in France.
We sometimes take English for granted
But if we examine its paradoxes we find that
Quicksand takes you down slowly
Boxing rings are square
And a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
If writers write, how come fingers don't fing.
If the plural of tooth is teeth
Shouldn't the plural of phone booth be phone beeth
If the teacher taught, Why didn't the preacher praught.
If a vegetarian eats vegetables
What the heck does a humanitarian eat!?
Why do people recite at a play Yet play at a recital?
Park on driveways and Drive on parkways
How can the weather be as hot as hell on one day
And as cold as hell on another
You have to marvel at the unique lunacy
Of a language where a house can burn up as It burns down
And in which you fill in a form By filling it out
And a bell is only heard once it goes!
English was invented by people, not computers
And it reflects the creativity of the human race
(Which of course isn't a race at all) That is why
When the stars are out they are visible
But when the lights are out they are invisible
And why it is that when I wind up my watch It starts
But when I wind up this poem It ends.

a favorite 70`s disco classic/ an anthem for sisters everywhere. . .

"I Will Survive"

sung by Gloria Gaynor

At first I was afraid
I was petrified
Kept thinking I could never live
without you by my side
But then I spent so many nights
thinking how you did me wrong
And I grew strong
And I learned how to get along
and so you're back
from outer space
I just walked in to find you here
with that sad look upon your face
I should have changed that stupid lock
I should have made you leave your key
If I had known for just one second
you'd be back to bother me

Go on now go walk out the door
just turn around now
'cause you're not welcome anymore
weren't you the one who tried to hurt me with goodbye
Did you think I'd crumble
Did you think I'd lay down and die
Oh no, not I
I will survive
Oh as long as i know how to love
I know I will stay alive
I've got all my life to live
I've got all my love to give
and I'll survive
I will survive (hey-hey)

It took all the strength I had
not to fall apart
kept trying hard to mend
the pieces of my broken heart
and I spent oh so many nights
just feeling sorry for myself
I used to cry
But now I hold my head up high
and you see me
somebody new
I'm not that chained up little person
still in love with you
and so you felt like dropping in
and just expect me to be free
and now I'm saving all my loving
for someone who's loving me

Go on now go walk out the door
just turn around now
'cause you're not welcome anymore
weren't you the one who tried to hurt me with goodbye
Did you think I'd crumble
Did you think I'd lay down and die
Oh no, not I
I will survive
Oh as long as i know how to love
I know I will stay alive
I've got all my life to live
I've got all my love to give
and I'll survive
I will survive

Musharraf’s Enlightened Moderation, My Foot




Ref: A Plea for Enlightened Moderation
By Pervez Musharraf
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5081-2004May31.html

General Pervez Musharraf brazenly missed one of the major menacing ailments in his not-so-enlightening piece: political dictatorship across the entire Muslim world. The complete lack of democracy due to “leaders” like him who have neither popular mandate nor political legitimacy inevitably resulting in disenfranchised and disillusioned Muslim population is most probably the lead cause of the prevailing extremist tendencies in the Muslim world.

Likewise, he doesn’t have the courage to concede that Islam is not only perceived as a religion of intolerance, militancy and terrorism but by now has also come to stand for egoistic despots. The moribund, impotent Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) he wants to infuse new life into has always been nothing but a chattering club for a few dozens visionless, self-serving tyrants. By any civilized definition of the term righteous as many as 45 out of 56 head of member states of the OIC have no fair right to represent their respective countries. Their sole credential is self-assumed indispensability. Perpetuating themselves at the helm, by every possible mean, is their only goal.

Very true, Muslims are probably the poorest, most uneducated, most powerless and most disunited people in the world. You know why? Because there is no rule of law and there is no rule of law because people with guns are squatting at the helm strangulating political movements and discouraging decent mode of government to evolve.

The callously huge disparity between national resources apportioned for defence and social sector in many Muslim countries, Pakistan toping that ignominious list, missed his attention. And here I mean basic most education and health facilities - nothing sort of Scandinavian style social security provisions - versus exorbitant defence expenditures.

Yes, Mr Musharraf as you very correctly state, “we need to understand that the root cause of extremism and militancy lies in political injustice, denial and deprivation.” Please, remove these hurdles in Pakistan by either gracefully vacating the presidential palace [and COAS slot] or legitimising your presidency as per constitutional requirements without playing around with that sacred document.

We have to show resolve and rise above self-interest for our common good -- in the very spirit that Islam teaches us. Bravo. Mr Musharraf, as a starter, for God’s sake try to understand, yours personal and military’s corporate concerns are not equivalent to national interests.

He, furthermore, dishonestly overlooks another tragic fact that the main culprits for prolonging, at least in our region, “the militancy that was sparked in Afghanistan -- which should have been defused after the Cold War -- was instead allowed to fester for a decade” were none else but his own erstwhile colleagues and seniors in Pak army.

In my country, Pakistan, military generals have overtly and covertly run the show for most of the time since independence. My humble suggestion to Mr Musharraf therefore would be to begin this noble preaching from the upper strata of the military in Pakistan before pretending “enlightened moderate” for rest of the world.

Hence, the strategy we need to start with is the one that banishes dictators of all hues and colours, not hollow and hypocritical sermons. What Muslim folks lack first and foremost is the political atmosphere where rulers are held accountable, opposition is not brutally hounded around and people can vent their displeasure without taking up arms and where at the least fundamental human rights of the citizens are not routinely violated. It is preposterous to expect “enlightened moderation” amid gross social inequalities and in total absence of non-politicised judicial venues for getting justice, channels to convey one’s viewpoints without fearing official reprisals.

And finally, kindly stop quoting nonsensical “environmental contradictions”, poverty, illiteracy and “peculiar cultural attributes” – a classic camouflage for covering dishonourable political moves -- for manipulating political process in the country. India, right next door to us, is a nice refuting example to such idiotic arguments. If they can have thriving democracy in almost analogous circumstances, we too can, aforementioned constraints notwithstanding

(abrar)

Systematic Pattern of Rape by US Forces

by Chris Shumway

Well publicized images of US soldiers torturing and humiliating male Iraqi prisoners may be overshadowing evidence gathered by several human rights groups and Pentagon investigators indicating US military personnel have raped and sexually abused Iraqi women held at Abu Ghraib prison and other detention facilities.

Amal Kadham Swadi, an Iraqi attorney representing women detainees, told The Guardian she believes that sexualized violence and abuse committed by US soldiers against female prisoners goes far beyond a few isolated cases. It’s "happening all across Iraq," she said.

Women make up a small minority of the total number of Iraqis held by Coalition forces. The US military says 78 women are currently detained by occupation militaries throughout Iraq.

It is not clear, however, exactly how many women the US and its allies have detained since the invasion last year. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, 30 Iraqi women were housed in Abu Ghraib last October. That number was reduced to five last month, and finally to zero as of May 29, according to the military.

Like the majority of male prisoners, many of the women detained by Coalition forces have not been charged with any crime. Iraqi human rights groups say they are likely being used as "bargaining chips" against family members wanted by Coalition forces, Newsday reports.

Swadi and six other female Iraqi lawyers began investigating claims of sexual assault late last year after a note reportedly written by a prisoner named Noor was smuggled out of Abu Ghraib. The note claimed that US soldiers were raping female detainees, and in some cases, such as that of Noor herself, getting them pregnant. Swadi then began interviewing detainees who said they too had been assaulted or had witnessed assaults, The Guardian reports.

During a visit to Abu Ghraib in March, Swadi said, one of the prisoners told her US soldiers had forced her to undress in front of them, an act that would be seen as particularly demeaning in conservative Muslim culture. At another detention facility in Baghdad, Swadi encountered a woman who said soldiers raped her. "She was the only woman who would talk about her case," Swadi told The Guardian. "She was crying. She told us she had been raped," Swadi said. "Several American soldiers had raped her. She had tried to fight them off and they had hurt her arm. She showed us the stitches."

Iman Khamas, head of the International Occupation Watch Center, an organization investigating human rights abuses under the US-led occupation, said a former detainee told her about the rape of a cellmate at Abu Ghraib, according to Middle East Online. On another occasion, a woman whispered cautiously to Khamas -- even though no one else was in the room -- intimating that soldiers had raped her at Abu Ghraib. A day later, Khamas said, the woman returned and asked her to tear up the statement.

According to Khamas, Swadi and others who are investigating assault cases, few women in Muslim cultures will come forward since they know rape survivors are often treated with shame and are sometimes killed as a means of preserving family honor.

Khamas and two other human rights workers have all said separately that three young rural women from the Sunni Muslim region of Al-Anbar, west of Baghdad, had been killed by their families after coming out of Abu Ghraib pregnant, Middle East Online reported.

The Pentagon has acknowledged, in an internal report by Army Major General Antonio Taguba, that US soldiers videotaped and photographed naked female detainees at Abu Ghraib. Photographs taken by US soldiers and shown to members of Congress, but not yet made public, reportedly depict at least one Iraqi woman being forced at gunpoint to show her breasts.

The Taguba report also cites a case of rape at Abu Ghraib, although Taguba described the incident as a male prison guard "having sex" with a female detainee.

Referring to rapes at that very prison, the military’s chief spokesperson in Iraq, Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, told Agence France Presse that the department running prisons was "unaware of any such reports at Abu Ghraib."

The military has not yet charged any soldiers for a specific case of assault or abuse involving a female detainee.

Another Pentagon report indicates that three soldiers from military intelligence were alleged to have sexually assaulted a female detainee at Abu Ghraib last October. Army investigators did not confirm the assault. The three soldiers were reportedly fined several hundred dollars each and demoted for having been in the prison’s female wing without permission, according to the Washington Post.

Who is responsible?

At the end of the day, ultimately, the responsibility of carnage in Karachi falls squarely on military despot`s shoulders. He has absolute control over every aspect of our national life from a sweeper on the street to the supreme court justice. And he has been manipulating both alike. But when it comes to our safety and security, the fact remains that this despot cannot go to toilet in the morning without first asking Washington. Only if he finds time from attacking his own people with the blunt force of a regular army - an act that usually Washington accuses all despots of before raiding their countries. Then we have a Khusra (read faggot) of a prime minister who cannot find enough time from singing love serenades to his subordinate slash boss, the president. God what a mess we are in. No wonder Shias in Karachi have taken to the streets - an indication of absolute distrust in the state machinery.

What the need of the day is that we should organize public protests to show shia-sunni solidarity and to show the total disgust for the violence that is being unleashed on the two, especially shias. Despot cannot do it, for he has no support among masses. He cannot allow his cronies either because it might snowball into something else. Then the responsibility ultimately falls on the shoulders on the ulema and mullahs but alas only if they were as brave as those of Iraq`s. Had they not got scared like little girls when the first time of test came as there were attempts on Musharaf`s life, they would have some clout among the people. It is disgusting…..the whole cadre of culprits…and then there is Big Satan, the sore loser…..


(asad)

Yavanika


I first saw her talking to Garv. The first sight was cut short by teacher’s entry in the classroom. I became more and more restive as one teacher after another tormented us. Finally, Chowkidaar rang the interval bell and I caught up with Garv to know more about her.

It was her first day in our school. Her family knew Garv’s family. I thought of requesting Garv to introduce me to her; on second thoughts I decided against this. Another bell announced the end of interval and we went to classroom for another round of lessons. The teachers were hell-bent on earning what they were paid and didn’t give breaks. I couldn’t say hello to her that day.

The lull continued for many days. I failed to exchange even a smile with her. To my consternation, I saw classmates who were not known to be communicative on anything from Ashoka to Ohm’s law, share jokes effortlessly with her. I reassured myself that this was temporary. Sooner than later, I would take my rightful place as the sole object of her affection. In the meantime, I indulged myself with her thoughts and promised to make a dashing entry in her life. I couldn’t stop thinking about the silky hair that fell casually on her slim shoulders, her dimpled smile, tall silhouette and that innocent face whose appeal was increased manifold by those glasses. I don’t know if it is because of her, but my love for girls who wear glasses continues to this day.

The dashing entry failed to materialize. I hate to admit, but I can’t even remember how we got introduced to each other. Maybe, she borrowed some notebook, perhaps I made a casual remark, or did she join in the laughter after someone cracked a joke. Whatever!! We got on friendly terms and started talking on everything in the text books. I’ve never been known as someone who indulges in inanities; so the vanity space continued to be occupied by those who invariably failed to get their father’s signature on the report card. To each one his own life!! I couldn’t have ‘stooped’ to their level and discussed the latest movie or ice-cream flavour with her.

She managed to stay in the top 10 and her only distinction from ‘uncommunicative’ bunch was her out of box thinking and excellent understanding of stories. When rest of us laboured to find the meanings of difficult words, she would discuss the moral of the story with the teacher. One day, she was discussing philosophy with our Hindi teacher. She argued that Ramayana is a fable, a fine story woven around a great character called Ram. She even used her compass to draw a circle and pointed to centre as Ram and circle as Ramayana. I couldn’t disagree more. Blasphemy is not pronounceable when you are 12, but religion is.

The results of 6th standard were announced and I got 3rd rank, she managed to keep within 10 as well.


I delivered a fantastic speech on Independence Day. The principal, Mr. Bakth shook hands with me and I carried home the award. I knew I had arrived.

We were on very friendly terms. She loved debating and was likely to be found discussing some weird topic with weirder boys. The boys with their mouths half open were all ears, or were it all eyes. Whatever the reality, I used to sneak in these discussions sometimes and drop a few clever sounding, pre-meditated sentences to make my presence felt. My ego massaged, I would return to my friends. How can one continue debating without throwing punches when the topic is “Does God exists”?

She wanted to give the speech on Republic Day, I was not game. Before the English teacher could convince me to back down from my principled stand, I had my speech ready. She convinced the management that two students delivering the speech are within the confines of our constitution.

On the fateful day, I stuttered, stammered and forgot my lines, it couldn’t have been worse. On the other hand, she spoke like a seasoned orator - the pauses, paragraph breaks and stresses, all at the right places, everything worked according to the script. This time she earned the privilege of shaking hands with Mr. Bakth.

I was crest-fallen. I was so annoyed that I didn’t even congratulate her. The loss brought out the worst part of my character; I did not talk to her for two days. We never mentioned the subject after I came out of ‘mourning’ .We resumed conversation on the interesting topics like Mitochondria and Harappa.

I really enjoyed my duties as a prefect. Under the pretext of making the queues straight, I used to stare at her for extended periods.

Few months after the R-Day debacle, she wished me on my birthday and thrust a packet in my unsuspecting hands. One shouldn’t wear his heart on his sleeve. I’ve never had so many people punching me in the abs and smiling suggestively. The envelope had a pack of Cadbury’s Gems and greeting card. Interestingly, the card had the image of a hand resting on a partition. The nails were painted bright red and nothing was written inside. Not even the innocuous “Happy Birthday”.

I could not get even with her on the next Independence Day. We moved to different schools when we passed 7th standard. I stood 1st in the class; she managed to stay in the top 10.

I’ve graduated from ‘adarak’ tea to ‘Baccardi lemon’ and forgotten the names of most of our classmates. I do remember that she had started writing poetry in Hindi. I remember the title, Yavanika – “yauvan ki rani” literally the queen of youth. I’ve never checked if the world really means the queen of youth. I’ve never heard anything about her. I’ve never asked anyone what those painted nails or empty card mean?

The card and the empty packet of Gems is still with me.

(Rahul)