Am I First A Pakistani Or A Muslim

The year end for us Pakistanis was not so unfamiliar. Like last year and the year before last we ended our year on a bloody note. 40 people killed in a religious procession in my dearest city of Karachi followed by looting and rampage. Targeted it was and also the looting was meant to stir the religious sentiments of the people of the city so they can pitch once again, against each other. Failed they will be as people in the city do realize that the aftermath of the disaster was driven to destroy the civil fabric of the city.

We Pakistanis sit and wonder how can anyone be so ruthless and cruel to kill a person trying to express their right of religious freedom…. Well I somehow am getting sick of this presumed innocence on part of the larger population. I was going through Pervez Musharaf’s facebook page in which he had sent X’Mas Greetings to the Pakistanis Christians and so many of my so rightist Pakistanis spent no time condemning him for doing so and accusing him of blasphemy. I wish I could do something for such mentally deranged people.

We are the most judgmental nation on earth. We will be stealing electricity and along side it accusing government of doing nothing to solve the electricity problem. Will through our garbage out on the street in front of our neighbours and accuse the government of not taking care of cleanliness. We would skip prayers but pass judgment on people of being non-muslims for not practicing the religion in true spirit. I had a colleague who was very traditional and believed his wife needs to take care of the house and the children. He though loved to dance so never missed any Rain Dance event while in Dubai and before leaving Dubai ensured he did last ritualistic visit to Bangkok. Then again being a Pakistani I am judging someone.

Coming back to the topic of problems of our country we are also a nation that lives off bad news. We need bad news….. watch our televisions and you will find no good thing being promoted. You will find zillion so called experts sitting down and giving you a doomsday scenario of the country and providing solutions for which they don’t do anything other than sitting on their big fat back sides.

We are a country so doomed….. 60 years on and we don’t have a nation. Our we Pakistanis first or Muslims first. If we are muslims first then why did we fight for a nation called Pakistan? We have muslims in India and all over so the identity is not restricted to geographical land mass so was the partition wrong? If we are Pakistanis first then we have to acknowledge our diversity… we have Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims we have Christians and Hindus and they all are Pakistanis with equal right. If we can conclude the simple question rest will fall in place and if we don’t then it is unfortunate but I would have to agree that the battle of world peace would hinge in battles in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Religious Ignorance

I had an opportunity to follow a very lively debate about a Pakistani woman being forced into prostitution due to the financial situation of the girl. Since she was educated to the secondary school she rose through the ranks and became a dealer providing girls to brothels in Lahore.... during the debate some members kept argued lack of Islamic teaching to blame to the argument of an elderly gentleman arguing of declining common decency amongst us. The gentleman with the religious card wanted to show as if Islam is the only religion highlighting such moral values while others dont. I wonder which other religion in the world would condone the events that led to that woman becoming a sex worker. So reckon it was about society being devoid of human dignity that led to the person's misfortunes and nothing else. Moral degradation is rampant unfortunate is the minorities are singled out by one eyed people and mullahs. It is an irony we have become so intolerant and disrespectful of others.

It also reminded me of my life during the Zia ulhaq reign and how we were led to believe that it is our religious duty to wipe the world of infidels... the definition of which I have started questioning.

The point is we in Pakistan are so lost as to what the world is that despite being morally bankrupt we believe we are the best.... it takes me back to the muslims of India in general... We lost everything in 1857 when last mughal emperor was sort of unceremoniously evicted from his palace in what we can in current terms call a coup and then we were led into a live of oblivion by obscurantist of that time... branding every forward looking person as a Kafir... leading to what we are today but, when it came to discussing greatness we only had the relics of yester years to show nothing of present time to back it up. This mindset of grandeur still exist amongst us.

Pakistanis are led to believe in a dream that doesnt exist and that the dream of greatness of a nation... we are hardly a single nation what to talk about great...

The point is our media, our education system all have to actually reflect the open mindedness of muslims that rose them to power... Respecting others and not making a statement about how great a muslim we are in every other sentence and not in action.

In my view we have to live it rather than speak it.

Last month I was in Netherlands... the most liberal of liberal countries on earth known for its coffee shops and sex business. I was fortunate to see the other side of it.. I went to what is the bible belt of holland with people living by what they feel is the truth.... being there reminded me of prophet's saying... "Cleanliness is half religion" and when I saw the town and compared it with ours.. I had to question our standing.

If we list down all the traits of "A Good Muslim" run it across the board and then run it counter with "The Infidels Of The West" i wonder where we will stand....