Islam was introduced to the world around 590 AD at a time when idol worshipping was very common and people have forgotten about the teachings of the last religion, i.e, Christianity. The three main religions have all been introduced to the land of Arabia (loosely called Middle East). Three holy books accompanied the three main religions; Holy Taurah, Bible and Quran in that order. The world has not seen any new and widespread religion with a global appeal in the last 1500 years. According to repeated promises in the Holy Quran, Islam is the last religion until the Day of Judgement when the entire universe will collapse and all humans will be judged according to their worldly deeds. It probably refers to an antithesis of the Big Bang theory, as every system has a finite age.
The advent of Islam was an instant hit and it gained acceptance throughout Arabia, northern Africa, Balkans, and south and southeast Asia. This process was completed without any excessive bloodshed and it can be termed as a bloodless revolution. It took about 300 years to establish stable Islamic republics in all directions around Arabia.
As with its predecessor religion, the fall of Islam started after about 600 years of its existence around 1200 AD. Muslims rulers turned into monarchs and kings and despots and lost touch with their people. Justice system was the hallmark of all Muslim republics, and around the time of the fall of Islam, the justice system also went down the drain. Greed became more rampant and the rulers considered themselves above the law. Moral corruption started to crept into the ruling families. The general population remained pious, peaceful and pragmatic.
Since south/central Asia is a hot sport right now, I will restrict myself to Islam in India and Central Asia . Islam was introduced to the Indian subcontinent in 712 AD when Muhammad Bin Qasim (MBQ) invaded India from the south through the Arabian sea. He got limited success as his life was cut short in 715 AD by direct orders from his ruler in Arabia!! Reason? His ruler Hujjaj Bin Yousaf got scared of MBQ's success in India. People started to convert to Islam because MBQ was leading by example. He did not use any force for converting the local population.
Fast forward to 1526 when Zaheeruddin Babar (ZB) attacked India from northwest (through Khyber Pass) and established one of the most successful dynasties called the Mogul Empire with capital at Delhi. ZB grew up in Central Asia, more specifically in Farghana (currently in eastern Uzbekistan). His successors ruled India until 1857 when British took over. Again they lost power for the same reason; conspiring against each other and not keeping up with the modern teachings. Islamic teachings have remained stagnant for the past about 500 years, though there is a very powerful in-built system in Islam where laws, rules and regulations are updated according to the research of the ones who know Islam.
Fast forward to post cold war scenario, where American foreign policy and interests are supreme and dictating and shaping up the present world. Usama Bin Laden (UBL) was heavily supported against the Russians and he turned against his western supporters right after the soviet defeat. Taleban and other terrorists were created and now no one knows how to control the situation where so many powerful players have met their ultimate demise. Saudis, Iranians, Indians, afghans, central Asians, Pakistanis, Chinese, Americans, Israelis and Russians, have all gathered in one tiny place around the Khyber Pass to battle out their proxies. Taleban and other fundamentalists are the current owners of Islam, lets see who will be the ultimate winners and losers this time around!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Pakistani Muslims as Misguided Missiles
The Indian people in general and muslims in particular finally lost everything in 1857 and since that downfall, they never got it right. Subsequently, other ethnic and religious groups got their priorities right and started their own rebuilding. Indian Hindus have always been introvert and very faithful to their motherland. To them, the Indian soil is everything. Indian Muslims faced the dilemma of chosing either local things or follow arabia. Except a few open minded liberals, every muslim favored following arabs rather than contending themselves and remaining faithful to their own soil.
That was the main reason why they overwhelmingly supprted the idea of splitting their own soil into pieces after the British left. Once they got their own country in 1947, they continued with their Pan-Islamist dreams and creating a great Khilafat once again. Khilafat has been out of scene for at least a thousand years but Pakistani Muslims have never forgotten it. Why? because their leaders are constantly reminding them that all muslims have to be united to defeat the "evil". Who is this evil? There is no one definition for this evil. For the extreme nuts, anyone who is outside their immediate circle is an infidel (kafir) and evil, and therefore need to be either brought inside their won circle or put to death!!
For the slightly less extreme nuts, the evil is India. They would love to listen to indian music and watch every non sense indian movie, but the moment you ask them what you think about india, a hell is broke loose. They would go to any extent to wipe out india!!
For the educated pakistanis, the evil is "The West". They can go to any extent to blame Europe and the US (and Israel) for their own failures. They can trace the origin of any problem in the world back to the west. If you ask them why? nobody has a definite answer. Well, let me take that back, actually nobody can dare ask them that question, because if you asked them, then whoever has asked the question would be labelled as a traitor, and liable to be put to death.
Has any paksitani ever accpted the responsibility for any of their actions? The answer is a clear NO. Their favorite motto is blame the other guy! If you show them the mirror, you are in trouble, however, if you join them in their condemnation of the West, then everything is fine.
Things would become much better for all pakistanis, if they accepted their own fault and tried to find solution for thier OWN problems inside Pakistan. They need to stop being misguided missles, they need to stop worrying about palestineans, they need to stop worrying about the kashmiris, they need to stop worrying about the Chechans, all of them are well capable of taking care of themselves. Charity begins at home, feed you neighbor first before worrying about someone who is sitting a million miles away!
That was the main reason why they overwhelmingly supprted the idea of splitting their own soil into pieces after the British left. Once they got their own country in 1947, they continued with their Pan-Islamist dreams and creating a great Khilafat once again. Khilafat has been out of scene for at least a thousand years but Pakistani Muslims have never forgotten it. Why? because their leaders are constantly reminding them that all muslims have to be united to defeat the "evil". Who is this evil? There is no one definition for this evil. For the extreme nuts, anyone who is outside their immediate circle is an infidel (kafir) and evil, and therefore need to be either brought inside their won circle or put to death!!
For the slightly less extreme nuts, the evil is India. They would love to listen to indian music and watch every non sense indian movie, but the moment you ask them what you think about india, a hell is broke loose. They would go to any extent to wipe out india!!
For the educated pakistanis, the evil is "The West". They can go to any extent to blame Europe and the US (and Israel) for their own failures. They can trace the origin of any problem in the world back to the west. If you ask them why? nobody has a definite answer. Well, let me take that back, actually nobody can dare ask them that question, because if you asked them, then whoever has asked the question would be labelled as a traitor, and liable to be put to death.
Has any paksitani ever accpted the responsibility for any of their actions? The answer is a clear NO. Their favorite motto is blame the other guy! If you show them the mirror, you are in trouble, however, if you join them in their condemnation of the West, then everything is fine.
Things would become much better for all pakistanis, if they accepted their own fault and tried to find solution for thier OWN problems inside Pakistan. They need to stop being misguided missles, they need to stop worrying about palestineans, they need to stop worrying about the kashmiris, they need to stop worrying about the Chechans, all of them are well capable of taking care of themselves. Charity begins at home, feed you neighbor first before worrying about someone who is sitting a million miles away!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Is there really a Pakistani Nation?
According to the encyclopedia "A nation is a grouping of people who share real or imagined common history, culture, language or ethnic origin, often possessing or seeking its own government". I have been wondering whether this definition really fits to the Pakistani situation?
Historically, the territories which currently comprise Pakistan, have never shared a common origin. Until 1971, Pakistan had another component which was separated from its present portion by 1000 miles of the Indian soil. Historically, this entire region is India and Pakistan was carved out of it.
There are as many cultures in Pakistan, as there are people in it. Pakistan has four or maybe five provinces, a number of territories, an entire no-mans land called the tribal belt, and provincially administered tribal areas. Every province has its own culture and then there are subcultures in every province and every district and division. The role of women in society is as diverse as the color of Pakistani soils.
There are thousands of diferent languages spoken in various parts of the country. Every language is distinct from the other one and everyone thinks their language will take them to the heavens. Urdu (a variation of Hindi) was adopted as the so called national language but only 5% of the population speaks it as their first language and only 40% of the population understands it.
Ethnically, the country is divided along all possible lines. Pakhtoons think that they are the superior of all the peoples of Pakistan. Punjabis are proud of their ethnic origin and look down upon pakhtoons, Sindhis are a totally different creed and Baluchis dont care about anyone. Then there are Hazarewaal, they have their own prides. There are thousands of other ethnic groups in every province of the country.
So what is holding them together? Besides the danda (stick) of the military rulers and police, there is not much holding them together. Its like a bag full of rats, ready to run if the bag mouth is opened. The only binding force for the Pakistani "Nation" is their common religion. 95 % of the country is muslim and the country is as divided on religious basis as on any other parameter. Sunnis, shias, ahmadis, ahle hadis, barelavi, etc. etc. all ready to cut each others' throats because everyone thinks that they are the God- chosen ones and they have the keys to the heavens.
There are only two contries in the world which were created in the name/disguise of religion; Pakistan and Israel. Both of them are faced with existential threats. I will leave it to you as to who will emerge victorious in this epic battle.
Historically, the territories which currently comprise Pakistan, have never shared a common origin. Until 1971, Pakistan had another component which was separated from its present portion by 1000 miles of the Indian soil. Historically, this entire region is India and Pakistan was carved out of it.
There are as many cultures in Pakistan, as there are people in it. Pakistan has four or maybe five provinces, a number of territories, an entire no-mans land called the tribal belt, and provincially administered tribal areas. Every province has its own culture and then there are subcultures in every province and every district and division. The role of women in society is as diverse as the color of Pakistani soils.
There are thousands of diferent languages spoken in various parts of the country. Every language is distinct from the other one and everyone thinks their language will take them to the heavens. Urdu (a variation of Hindi) was adopted as the so called national language but only 5% of the population speaks it as their first language and only 40% of the population understands it.
Ethnically, the country is divided along all possible lines. Pakhtoons think that they are the superior of all the peoples of Pakistan. Punjabis are proud of their ethnic origin and look down upon pakhtoons, Sindhis are a totally different creed and Baluchis dont care about anyone. Then there are Hazarewaal, they have their own prides. There are thousands of other ethnic groups in every province of the country.
So what is holding them together? Besides the danda (stick) of the military rulers and police, there is not much holding them together. Its like a bag full of rats, ready to run if the bag mouth is opened. The only binding force for the Pakistani "Nation" is their common religion. 95 % of the country is muslim and the country is as divided on religious basis as on any other parameter. Sunnis, shias, ahmadis, ahle hadis, barelavi, etc. etc. all ready to cut each others' throats because everyone thinks that they are the God- chosen ones and they have the keys to the heavens.
There are only two contries in the world which were created in the name/disguise of religion; Pakistan and Israel. Both of them are faced with existential threats. I will leave it to you as to who will emerge victorious in this epic battle.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Pakistan Today
Last month I was invited to join a Facebook group to bring revolution in Pakistan. I jumped on the band wagon but soon found out that the group was not organized according to my expectations. Today, I am starting this blog to see if we can better manage the energy of Pakistani youth and divert it to bring a sustainable and permanent change for better.
Im not a politician, im not a professional and most importantly, im not a hypocrite like ALL pakistani rulers today. I thought it would be a good venue to interact with Pakistani youth all over the world, because you are the future of that country. I would want each one of you to direct your energies to more positive things in life rather than taking pride in competing with India, because honestly speaking, at present you cant! So dont try. Also, whatever I will be saying in this blog, please dont take it personally, because we all want our country to be freed from crooks, such as zardaris, sharifs, khans, nawabs, qazis, and mullas.
Pakistan was originally carved out of India as an establishment for Indian elites. Pakistan Muslim League was an elite group as compared to Indian National Congress which truely represeted ordinary Indians. Today, Pakistan is being ruled by the same Elites in the form of inept bureaucrates, manipulative military junta, corrupt politicians and religious zealots. These elites have defaced pakistan in such a way that it has become a joke at the international scene. The people of Pakistan are equally to be blamed for this fiasco.
People have started not to care because after every turn of events, they adapt themselves to what is called the "new normal". After every suicide bombing, poeple get more lethargic and turn their faces away, as if its business as usual. I have been living outside of Pakistan for the past 12 years, but visit often, and everytime i go there, i find the country more fortified, and barricated and further buried under rubble,,no pun intended! I have been saying this for a very long time, Pakistan has only ONE problem; Population explosion! Its now almost 180 million, thats just mind boggling. Analyze any problem in Pakistan and you can trace it to increasing humans in a tiny place. Pakistanis have to stop producing more babies and start thinking about alternative sources of entertainment.
Im not a politician, im not a professional and most importantly, im not a hypocrite like ALL pakistani rulers today. I thought it would be a good venue to interact with Pakistani youth all over the world, because you are the future of that country. I would want each one of you to direct your energies to more positive things in life rather than taking pride in competing with India, because honestly speaking, at present you cant! So dont try. Also, whatever I will be saying in this blog, please dont take it personally, because we all want our country to be freed from crooks, such as zardaris, sharifs, khans, nawabs, qazis, and mullas.
Pakistan was originally carved out of India as an establishment for Indian elites. Pakistan Muslim League was an elite group as compared to Indian National Congress which truely represeted ordinary Indians. Today, Pakistan is being ruled by the same Elites in the form of inept bureaucrates, manipulative military junta, corrupt politicians and religious zealots. These elites have defaced pakistan in such a way that it has become a joke at the international scene. The people of Pakistan are equally to be blamed for this fiasco.
People have started not to care because after every turn of events, they adapt themselves to what is called the "new normal". After every suicide bombing, poeple get more lethargic and turn their faces away, as if its business as usual. I have been living outside of Pakistan for the past 12 years, but visit often, and everytime i go there, i find the country more fortified, and barricated and further buried under rubble,,no pun intended! I have been saying this for a very long time, Pakistan has only ONE problem; Population explosion! Its now almost 180 million, thats just mind boggling. Analyze any problem in Pakistan and you can trace it to increasing humans in a tiny place. Pakistanis have to stop producing more babies and start thinking about alternative sources of entertainment.
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