The white stripe in Pakistan flag is supposed to represent minorities, who have very little stake, now, in the present day Pakistan
Source: NY Times
By Manan Ahmed Asif, an assistant professor of history at Columbia, is the author of “Where the Wild Frontiers Are: Pakistan and the American Imagination.”
JUST after the stroke of midnight on Aug. 14, 1947, the Peshawar broadcast station of All India Radio crackled to life: “This is Pakistan Broadcasting Service.” Next came the words of the Urdu-language poet Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi: “Pakistan bananay walay, Pakistan Mubarak” — “Oh, maker of Pakistan, congratulations on Pakistan.”
On Saturday, Pakistanis will head to the polls to choose a new government; for the first time in 66 years, a democratically elected administration has completed its term. Given Pakistan’s tumultuous past, this is an impressive achievement, but it should not prevent citizens from asking the candidates vying for their votes: what kind of Pakistan have you made?
The makers of Pakistan were peasants and laborers. In 1940, they passed a resolution in Lahore to demand a separate homeland for Muslims and an end to British colonial occupation. In 1946, their votes brought a political party, the Muslim League, to power. They chose Muhammad Ali Jinnah, a modernist technocrat, as their leader.
Jinnah asked his party’s legislators to focus on the well-being of the “masses and the poor” and demanded that “every one of you, no matter to what community he belongs, no matter what relations he had with you in the past, no matter what is his color, caste or creed, is first, second and last a citizen of this State with equal rights, privileges and obligations.” Men like Muhammad Zafrulla Khan (an Ahmadi diplomat) and Raja Amir Ahmad Khan (a Shiite noble) had worked alongside Jinnah for decades to fulfill this dream of equality.
Yet the birth of Pakistan was not auspicious for minorities. The original claim of Pakistan — religious equality — was the first claim proved false. Muhammad Zafrulla Khan, though he became the first foreign minister, was hounded by religious conservatives, who branded him an apostate because of his Ahmadi faith. Ahmadis, followers of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908), consider themselves part of the Muslim tradition but have faced stern resistance from Sunni Muslims, who accused them of following a false prophet.
Categories: Ahmadis And Pakistan, Ahmadiyyat: True Islam, Anti Islam act by Muslims, Asia
CREATIVE EXPRESSION
Please find the following observation as prelude to launching ‘BOOKS & CULTURE” – a journal to create consciousness of book reading and reading renaissance.
Since book reading is imperative for the sustenance of our soul and soil, we believe this venture will be immensely creative to develop the destiny of our nation. Since it is very difficult for a single individual to carry out this campaign, we invite you to join hands and support us with your moral and intellectual contributions.
Dr. Iqbal S. Hussain.
Tel: 0092-55-3842583 ell: 03007792452
Books beyond the reach of media
By Dr. Iqbal S. Hussain
Can anyone with an iota of the knowledge of history refute the proposition that the decline of Muslim world in general and of Pakistan in particular could be attributed largely to the lack of interest in books and their induction for the well-being of the nation as whole. The decline has been accelerated by pervert ruling classes and degenerate socio-cultural segments who have been exceedingly passive to the educational and intellectual imperatives.. The situation in recent years has become worse as the media instead of playing a constructive role has ignored the reality of books as a viable component in building the destiny of the nation. It is depressing that so much money and time is spent on frivolous items of entertainment and indulgence of mean maneuvering and nothing is done to create the awareness of the books which is vital to nurturing the soul and soil of the nation.
In spite of the restoration of democracy in Pakistan the government and media have been miserably deficient in liberating the common men from the clutches of illiteracy and poverty. Media which assumed significant posture in wake of reforms could not play any positive role in highlighting the importance of books and culture in the national life. The reading renaissance and the culture of book reading could not capture the imagination of press barons and playboys of the new rich classes. For media the preponderant preoccupation has been the display of vulgarity and frivolous exhibition of glamorous segments of seductive sexual flirtation. The advertising and entertainment industries are in the forefront in exhibiting the characters which almost seduce us into believing that this is the essence of culture. There are too many characters and portraits that penetrate deep into our lives with ugly traits of the portraits so shabbily portrayed.
What is this “seduction” that fascinates the producers and viewers. Why they let them fall into the trap of the satanic rituals which they consider as the symbol of status and class they pretend to represent. Why do they let the glamorous damsels of show business pervade the perception which is often perfunctory and fleeting? The answer to all these questions is the breadth and strength of emotions and temptations. Money, greed and narcissism are the kinds of coquettishness which are employed in sales and advertising .The media owners are no exception and they are gleefully enamored of the results that accrue from the attractive accessories.
In a land where sex novels are considered more fascinating than serious books containing Shakespeare’s sonnets and Socrates’ words of wisdom, the media seem to have no option but to turn their back on the concept of book reading and the reading renaissance . We live In a country where people spend thousands of rupees on chicken legs and tikka kwabs, but hardly care to buy a book for a couple of hundreds of rupees. It is therefore no wonder that media among others is found to have employed the same nutcrackers as others have gathered in many nuthouses all around the country. But the media may be blamed more critically than others as it is supposed to be owned and managed by those who are relatively more educated and conscious of the priorities of individual growth and national prosperity. They cannot be allowed to sit in high towers with comfortable surroundings resting their head-on a pumpkin and getting away from all the responsibilities. Media up till now has been avoiding deliberations and meaningful discourse on the books and reading renaissance in the way and order that they deserved. Since writers and book publishers happen to be men of modest means, they could not converge on the means to expand the network of book reading , nor have they been able to find appropriate quarters to help them realize this goal. It is why we find most of the TV productions wallowing in the culture of consumerism and corruption.. The Pakistan Press Commission in 1954 had already warned that such a situation might erupt if due reforms were not made soon in the corridors of media.
Books which should have been the darlings of our dreams are reduced to the abyss of depreciation under the debris of ignorance an d decadence. Since there is already a very low level of literacy in the country, the depressing neglect meted out to the corridors of learning and especially to the books and documents of artistry and culture is an indicator of the impending disaster we might be facing in future. If we allow the media to go beyond the code of these imperatives, we would be flouting the precepts of our culture and may b e diminishing the dimensions of our destiny.
The lack of interest in reading books is also a reflex of what purports to exist in our minds. It shows that there is nothing nobler and constructive in our minds. With nothing creative in minds we go about shuffling and rustling and abusing and killing one another.
Terrorism and sectarianism, ideological conflicts and obscurantism are the other maladies maligning the fabric of socio-cultural life in Pakistan. Religious and ethnic tensions have become the most explosive problem of our country. They deserve to be duly analyzed and dissected in context of national priorities. We need to forge and establish the identity of Pakistani culture in its genuine hues and nuances – the complexion which is produced by the riches of spirit and purity of heart. But this can be done only when essential components of education and culture are brought to a juncture which reaches the innermost glow at the end.
Books and culture are the cardinal constituents of a civilized life. They need to be developed with the craft of the writer and the portraits of the artist. The media and information channels ought to accord them the priority they deserve. We will urge the media to furnish their avenues of dissemination at the disposal of the writers and thinkers, so that a better future can be assured for the n nation and the country we love and enrich. It is only then that people could understand and absorb the essence of creativity and help us proceed on the path of productivity This process is imperative as without reading and writing we cannot comply with the principles of progress and prosperity. Media have to come out of their entrenched enclaves of self-interest and greed and divert some resources to create awareness and vision for the future.
Although no one can dispute the value of media, especially at a time when more and more growth is
oriented to evolution and imagination..”The process of evolution, as a writer said, is like
the growth of a tree, . A branch sprouts from the trunk, grows, blossoms and bears fruit—the apes. The
trunk continues, and another branch sprouts to become the Neanderthals. Yet another Homo erectus.
and another the Homo sapiens. Each branch gives off more branches and the trunk continues to grow
further an d further from its roots. Evolution is not restricted to living beings alone. It applies to ideas as
well and ideologies.
Decadence and destruction also form part of an ideology they represent. Such an ideology is found to
pervade in societies which are extreme and decadent. The extremist quarters of religious orthodoxy
are the breeding grounds which are found both in Pakistan and the western world.
From these grounds grow the branches which nourish and evolve continuously. As a result of the
growth some branches blossomed and produced for us the hashashin or assassins. Yet others became the breeding grounds for the nourishment of thugs and dacoits. Unfortunately they grow on
the sacrifice of their victims. “
Nonetheless, , books and culture are developed as a result of the sacrifice we bring forth in accomplishing these objectives. So the need of self-sacrifice in this regard. If we do not develop this ingredient, we cease to b e human beings. Then education becomes a futile undertaking and is found to be losing its fertility. Our readers need to be informed on issues which require skills and creativity.
At least then we happen to be in a position to ascertain and evaluate the impact of books and culture on moulding the contours of our society. Then we become convinced that these are the avenues that hold the key to country’s future. Although corrupt politicians and bureaucrats never realize it, and continue following the course of perversion and decadence.
The media and educators have to create the consciousness and develop due patterns for dissemination and transformation. This awakening has to be created within the parameters of practical dynamics of policies perceived in this context. We have to develop the thesis that a viable ideology based on education and non-violence is the prerequisite of any successful strategy. In the pursuit of knowledge and revolution the media along with education must play an active role. What are the meanings of education and evolution if they cannot bring about a revolution?
We have had enough tales of glamorous encounters and stories of seduction and flirtation. Now we need something new and creative. We must become a partner of education and development, vision and enlightenment—the values which are noble and constructive. We do not need the culture of aimless narratives, gossips and frivolities. We need the writings of serious thinkers who can shape our impressions and pave way for a pilgrimage which is a journey of culture and civilization. We need “abodes of peace” , corridors of learning and environments of harmony. It is where books and media step in to join hands for evolving a pattern which accords with these prerequisites. If we alter the rotten course and work for a reading renaissance, then will we be” the real geniuses, the thunderstorms who go against the wind and cleanse the air,” as Kierkegaard, the Danish philosopher said.
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The writer is the author of more than ten books on civilizations, cultures, religions and socio-political developments.. He is now editing the “B OOKS & CULTURE” , a monthly journal to promote the culture of book reading.
Emails: Dr.iqbalsyed50@gmail.com Iqbalsyed2000@yahoo.co.uk.
Tel: 0092-55-34842583
Cell: 03007792452
14-krishn agar, Gujranwala, Pakistan
Cell: 03007792452
BOOKS to nourish the soul and nurture the mind
Creative Books by IQBAL S. HUSSAIN
1. TEARS FOR PAKISTAN —the dream that has gone sour: Diagnosis of the current ailments and the urgent therapy Rs.700.00
2. THE MUSLIM DELUSION –ISLAM between Orthodoxy & Enlightenment, RECOMMENDED BY HEC FOR POSTGRADUATE STUDIES
Rs.700.00 3.
3. DECLINE OF THE MUSLIM UMMAH: declared as the best book and inducted in the Services Club of the GHQ.
Rs. 600.00
4. ISLAM & THE CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS: Responding to Huntington’s Theory of the Clash of Civilizations Rs. 600.00
. 5. THE QUR’AN & MODERNISM: Beyond Science and Philosophy
Rs. 600.00
6. TERRORISM IN ACTION: Why Blame Islam? Responding to the Western reaction in the aftermath of 9/11 attack Rs. 600.00
7 PAKISTAN IN CRISES: A Proud Nation, but Failing State
. 8. QURAN-HAKIM: Falsafa Husn-o-Hyat (URDU) A treatise on the aesthetics and philosophy of the QUR’AN Rs500.00
9. THE MUSLIM DELUSION –updated and improved edition (2012)
Rs. 700.00
10. ISLAM & WESTERN CIVILIZATION ( Not in stock)
11. INSAN KI TALAASH (in the pipeline)
Dr. IQBAL S. HUSSAIN is an ex-Director, syndicate of Examinations, Cambridge University, UK.
Ex-Governor, Langford School, London, and author of more than ten books on science and civilizations, philosophy and politics. Tel; 0092-55-3842583, Cell; 03007792452, FACEBOOK.com/iqbalsyed.hussain
http://www.intellectualcorridors.com
Absolutely correct. Those nations do not read or have forgetton their history, aims and objectives, lose their destination, so is the case with Pakistanis.
They have forgotton their history books and have been blidly following those Mullahs who were wildly against the creation and its founder. How can they become sincere. The ‘QARAR DADE MUQASAD’ hijacked and distorted the real aims and objectives of its creation incited by same anti-Pakistan Mullahs who now claim to be the champions loyalities for Pakistan.
The recent election, turn out was remarkable but well planned rigging was done by PMLN in almost all seats in Punjab through their antisocial links with antisocial world, the media has reported several instances with evidence and footages.
Because the Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry’s restoration movement was funded by PMLN through Ehtizaz Ahsan, he owes gratitude to PMLN and will not do sue motto and will not take action against them but has blind folded his eyes, he will be surely rewarded by his extension.
Justice Chaudgry cannot see Ahmadis right to vote either, he has told other two members of the bench to sit back on this issue. There is no independence of judiciary in Pakistan because those run it are not independent or al least cannot perceived to be independent out of their conduct and history.
I repeat ignorance of history and avoidance of books has surely adversely affected the knowledge and conviction of the nation as a whole.