خود نگر اور تنہا شاعر۔۔۔مجید امجد

http://www1.voanews.com/urdu/news/a-25-2009-05-09-voa16.html

Balochistan – in the Line of Fire?

A nice article on Balochistan situataion with a historical perspective. ‘Orya Maqbool Jaan’ sahib knows the province more than the most columnists around. He gave the account of his own knowledge, experience etc. The situation has become more critical after the recent menacing comments by the USA….

Shikwa – Allama Iqbal

Interesting read.

http://ur.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B4%DA%A9%D9%88%DB%81

Dungeon?

Not very long ago, someone asked Imam Khomeini in 1982/1983. Imam sahib, what you have gained in the last four years after the revolution? If one compare the Economic condition now with the one before the revolution, it is in a bitter condition now. The condition of general public has deteriorated considerably in the last four years. What you have achieved? Imam Sahib replied, at least we have achieved one thing in the last four year and that is “That the decisions [destiny] of Iran are made in Tehran and not in Washington”.

The purpose here was not to Idealize Iran and Imam Sahib but to point out the weaknesses [deficiency] of the most other Muslim leaders. The more one reads about it and thinks about it… the more it strengthen the believe [fact] that we [specifically our leaders] might have achieved the independence (on papers) colonialism but mentally [even physically now] are still trapped inside the deepest dungeons of slavery. There is still a colony somewhere within us serving the purpose of the master. Anyhow check out the article to find out more thought provoking things.

Zara nam ho tu ye matti bari zarkhaiz hai saaki?

http://thenews.jang.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=196326

Neo-Colonialism‏!

Most of us would curse[blame] the Jews/West for the hunger and bloodshed around the world. Some new discoveries shed some light on the imperialists of a different sort. It seems to me that anyone with enough power and money[resources] will try to get the benefit out of anything – no matter if it’s of the same religion, ethnicity, country or whatever. Get a chance avail[exploit] it… Disgusting!

Read this article, some interesting developments and (possibly) one more reason for the present food shortage in the country.

Article Link

After shocks:
http://thenews.jang.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=195516
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=195590

Careless neglect?

Read Article

I have seen this a few days back. It seems to me an act by ‘Engr Nasim Khan’ kidding.

If one thinks about it… what would have happened and resulted in this kind of negligence from someone like Dr. Abdul Qadir. I am not favoring (nor idealizing) Dr. Sahib here and off-course not greeting plagiarism with open arms. Just to open up a matter a bit as labeling some one and ruling him out based on a single incidence is very mush common(infect abused!). I would make a few assumptions (though calculated ones) but they seems to make sense in general.

Off course, he is not a computer expert and has been working in a field [Nuclear Physics] which has very little similarity with the computer science. He is not an academician and hence (one can assume) not as informed (as someone associated with a university) about the happening in the other fields through socialization [not even in the theoretical sense]. For the last 30 year of his life, he has been part of a system which (very much) has a practical sense attached to it. Most of his time must have been spent under the caves deep inside the mountains at Kahota. No one (even the family members) was allowed to meet on the regular basis with him. Socialization factor of learning is almost zero. Even after the 2004, what has happened, the mental and physical stress he had to gone through (and that’s again in the so called! “Supreme National Interest”). It’s amazing that he comes out of it and Pakistani media is giving him a platform to convey his point of view and to say something in his defense.

Younger generation have great expectations when it comes to seeking guidance and future directions from someone like him. So, when some ask him about something that he is not associated[expert] with… its not easy for him to just say ‘No’ (although it might be the most pertinent of options). So, what are the options that he can have at that point onwards?

Start reading the stuff himself at 65+ and then come up with some ideas of his own…will take at least 6 month for any one… seems like distant possibility

Consult some online generals, articles, open an encyclopedia… read some stuff and rephrase it in his own words (That would make it less plagirish? No, though, it would certainly avoid some of those plagiarism finding tools )

Third option would be to ask someone, ask a trust worthy person on the subject and answer the question…Seems to me, the most sensible of the lot. If you are not an expert, ask an expert. Trustworthiness and creativity of the person is a different (somewhat related here) matter.

Even if we look at the article, he has a very humblest tone as someone is addressing a child… and he made it absolutely clear whom he is addressing too. So, I don’t think so it will matter a lot for someone just coming out of school/college to read an advice in someone’s own words or copied from a prospectus.

Just my own POV! Thanks in advance if you have a different opinion.

Moral courage‏

http://blog.dawn.com:91/dblog/2009/08/21/jinnah-is-out-of-the-dock/

Thinking of Pakistan academic system from early age as it was the first journey(for most) into the arena of history. But was it providing the history as it happens? or at least as it was in the history books? In my humble opinion, it was hugely biased[one side story] and most of the time showed us a glorified image of anything that has an association with us. Other times, it showed that base-less opposition with some one and magnify the negative aspect of. It off course can have some repercussion in the personality of the children reading those book – one of them is the habit of labeling someone as ‘agent’, ‘treacherous’, ‘kaafir’ if the person speak against[criticize] some of the those pseudo belief’s that we developed[brain-stained] over the years.

I don’t know much about the situation right now but recently[last year] I saw text book with some one like Mush giving the ‘honihar e watan’ a moral lesson on the front page. So, you can think of the state of affairs… This situation comes into mind with a recent event of Jaswant Singh of India coming up with nertral analysis but the uproar in India showed me that we are not alone . Praising someone is important (motivation and other factors) but healthy ‘criticism’ should be duty[farz] of every one and no one should be beyond criticism. Coming out of the mind set of biasness, basless opposition, glorification is off course in the interest of everyone.

صورت شمشیر ہے دست قضا میں وہ قوم
کرتی ہے جو ہر زماں اپنے عمل کا حساب

Check out the link above which i found rather interesting. Some interesting comments below.

Would a Pakistani academic have the same moral courage to examine history as Jaswant Singh?

Conspirators

Life is just messed up with [full of] all those conspiracies these days (another reason to admire[desire] a child’s life) and there seems to be absolutely no escape (at least for some). It might be attributed sometimes to some one’s habit of just browsing the internet, watching youtube stuff, read/watch fictions, getting into the details of thing… but still guys there are just too many of those… we have to think twice[limits->infinity] some time even to click a mouse button, drinking a cold drink, buy something to eat, starting the engine of your vehicle, withdraw money, use your credit card, watching TV, listening to music, watching movies, reading religious stuff, listening to a religious scholar… plus many more. Everything seems to have an element of  doubt associated with it. Isnt it? [1]

Any how I found the following one rather interesting. A kind of tussel going on the between the two. Check out the videos and the detailed blog entry.

http://blog.dawn.com:91/dblog/2009/08/11/in-defence-of-reason/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aCu4jap1eo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obboA3-8m88&feature=related

Another interesting post I found that I would like to share here. Check out yourself and decide whether it is hitting where it hurts the most?

http://www.urban75.org/info/conspiraloons.html

[1] Dont give me the reason, Allah say loo laga lo, sab theek ho jaye ga . I know that.

Witch of Blasphemy!

Check out the link.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/2009/08/090805_witchhunting_rh.shtml

A few things I would like to share here.

Although I am not very fond of BBC website (various reasons) but someone shared this article with me and I am sharing it with you. As you know the matter of these sacrilegious and blasphemous act up heated up again with another significant incident took place in the “Gojra”. It has always been a controversial matter and everyone knows the sentiments associated with it.

There is absolutely no confusion in my mind that the matter has always been exploited by the majority of the country for various personal/social reasons and these minorities are always been the victim of it. The blasphemous acts happened in other part of the world and the offenses are published/documented at various level but these offender are still at large and no one going behind them. Crushing poor people (who not have the strength/power to retaliate) is relatively easy as compared to the more powerful offenders.

To make the matter even worse, the law of the country has the capital punishment for blasphemous behavior. Although I am not totally against the strict rules in the society but the judicial system (upward, downward) should be capable enough to bring justice to the people. What do you think; we have the judicial system that capable enough to provide justice 95% of time? Hell NO. It will be blessing if it will be able to provide justice in 50% of time. Blasphemy offenses are the most delicate [life and death associated] of the matter and the danger of confrontation/clash between different elements of the society is grave. There has always been question raised about the decision made by the courts but they were always buried under the high emotions and love for the religion. So, need to rethink the strategy and in my opinion benefit of the doubt (even the slightest) should always go with the accused.

Another point is the ‘Hero’ image associated with the persons who take the matter into his own hands and start killing the accused. The person gets the recognition both at the local level and at the national level. We need to rethink about it and require campaigns to go and change the mind set of the general public (which is stained by the different elements of the society from the out set). Someone taking the law in his own hand is offender in all aspect of our daily life (religious, social etc).

Now talk about the blasphemous acts, no doubt a religious element associated with it but if we forget the religious element for the time being and just talk in terms of simple moralities (right and wrong) of the life, it is off course a condemnable [punishable] act. No one should be allowed to play with the emotions/aspirations of group of people (minority or majority). A society always require a level of tolerance to harmonize it different elements.

Now comes to the point of whether these kinds of events never happen? My answer is… they do happen. You just need to find out the hundreds (if not thousands) of non Muslims took refuge in the Western countries based on blasphemy reasons (sometimes false). I know quite a few (in double figure) of the non Muslims who provided the similar reasons and get the support of France and now the whole family are living there. It’s another matter that the living status of these non Muslims in our country is very poor (as the living standard in general is at least ‘Poor’) but this is off course not a reason for the offense [crime].

That was purely my own POV.

Illumination!

Purity of one’s soul [tazkia e nafs], the paths of divine love and true knowledge of the creator, the total reliance on God [tawakkul],  the perpetual remembrance of God [zikr], Finding the profound meaning of existence and human being…… What ever we name it and how ever we define. Mysticism [sufism] has deep roots in all the major cultures and religions of the world. There have been Mystics in religions[Hindus, Buddhist, Jews] but the concepts the Islamic Mysticism take this ‘ism’[if it is] to the next level [in my opinion].

طاعت میں تا رہے نہ مے وانگبیں کی لاگ
دوزخ میں ڈال دو‘ کوئی لے کر بہشت کو
(Ghalib)

گفت رومی ہر بنائے کہنہ کہ باداں کنند
توندانی اول آں بنیاد را ویراں کنند

رومی)
(جس پرانی عمارت کو آباد کرتے ہیں تو نہیں جانتا کہ پہلے اس بنیاد کو ویران کردیتے ہیں)۔
(An answer to Iqbal’s question)

انہیں حقیقت در یا کی کیا خبر امجّد –

جو اپنی روح کے منجھدار سے نہیں گزرے-

…The truth is that all search for knowledge is essentially a form of prayer. The scientific observer of Nature is a kind of mystic seeker in the act of prayer. Although at present he follows only the footprints of the musk-deer, and thus modestly limits the method of his quest, his thirst for knowledge is eventually sure to lead him to the point where the scent of the musk-gland is a better guide than the footprints of the deer…
(Iqbal – The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam – The concept of God and meaning of Prayer)

A debate is always ON between the different interpreter of the religion; whether the Mysticism is part of the religion or it is something intersecting with the religion or something parallel to it. I am leaving it to you to decide.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRAifzZZ8Pc
Help yourself for the other parts.