Social – Page 3 – My Bit for Change

What Is The Problem Then?

We have got all the ingredients it takes; we just don’t follow our own recipe.

When I landed in Korea couple of years ago, a Korean lab-mate was there to pick me up. On our way to the university, he was showing me advancements of Korea. It was early morning with temperatures running around -15 degrees Celsius. He showed me decorative lights and asked that do such things exist in Pakistan? In his mind, Pakistan was a poor country which may not have seen the luxuries at all. During the discussion, I told him that we are suffering from an energy crisis so we can’t afford to light so many bulbs these days. He asked, ‘don’t you have nuclear (energy) in your country?’ I responded in a super-emotional tone, ‘We are a declared nuclear state and have test-fired nukes’. Hearing this he asked a simple question, ‘What is problem then?’

For a moment, I wasn’t able to understand what he was talking about. Then I realized that he was mentioning ‘civil’ use of nuclear energy which as nation we probably have never thought about. I was literally speechless for couple of moments and then a thought flashed in my mind, ‘we lack political will to implement national interest’. Actually, we don’t know what national interest is and have never been taught how to align our personal goals with the national interest.

For the next two years, I cautiously observed Koreans just to dig out the real ‘thing’ in Koreans which made them successful in implementing the original Pakistani plans. What I learnt was that ‘collective interest’ was embedded in their mind-sets through their educational system. From parking a car, to separating trash into recyclable/non-recyclable categories, everyone used to think about the probable impact of his/her actions on others.

So if anyone asks me the same question, my immediate reply would be that we lack the concept of ‘collective/national’ interest. We are suffering from a deep energy crisis but not solving it because all viable projects have the problem of ‘trust-deficit’. This trust deficit has become such a problem that we are not even ready to listen to each other. We are suffering from worst lawlessness, corruption and disastrous economy, but as a nation, we are badly divided in these testing times. Reason: we don’t trust our rulers because they are working in their self-interests.

It’s not that we have never learnt the concept of collective interest; the issue is that we have forgotten this concept. Our religion taught us 1400 years ago when Prophet Muhammad (SAWW) said that ‘None of you can be a Muslim if he doesn’t like for his brother, whatever he likes for himself’. We read this hadith and pass on without reflecting upon it.

The solution to all of our problems is only one, i.e. each and every one of us should think about the national interest and should align personal choices with it, only then we can bring a change. Otherwise it will just be shallow words with no actions supporting them. Leaders cannot bring change for us, unless we want to change ourselves.

We have got all the ingredients it takes; we just don’t follow our own recipe (Islam).

Gaza Bleeds

Israel destroyed in few days what Palestinians built in years. But this War proved one thing __ Israel is not unconquerable. Israel has used its full military power but wasn’t able to defeat the hearts and minds of people of Gaza. Even after such a heavy destruction, the people of Palestine are steadfast and pursuing their dreams of liberation from the illegal occupation of Israel.This is the month of Muharram, a month of sacrifices. A month which starts with martyrdom of Hazrat Umar (RA) (Conquerer of Al-Aqsa) and reminds us the battle of Karbala in which grandson of Prophet Muhammad (SAWW) was brutally martyred.

This time, the battle field of Karbala is Gaza. 1.6 million people of Gaza are living in an open prison under Israeli blockade. Can we think about a life in such a place where basic necessities of life are scarce and is constantly threatened by enemy strikes. 163 were brutally killed in a matter of few days and many more injured, including women and children, but they are not bowing down to Israel. Despite the propaganda of zionists that they are defending themselves, the spilling blood of Palestinians is evident that whats the real truth.

Social media played a vital role in bringing the issue into headlines. Palestinians were very active in it and Muslims all over the world helped them out. But facebook started showing its true face when it started blocking accounts and pages which were posting against Israel. The freedom of speech vanished for those who were standing with the victims of Gaza. But nontheless, brave Palestinians led the campaign and showed the world the true face of Israel.

The role of of Pakistani media (electronic/print) was much deplorable. They totally remained aloof of the victims of Gaza and when they started airing/printing it, some of them were clearly standing with Israel. International media was expectedly inclined towards Israel. BBC and CNN were showing biased opinions. But it is a reality that entire world cannot be fooled for long by Israeli sponsored media.

USA was as usual on the side of oppressor while UNO kept mum. Israel has violated 65 UN resolutions till date but no action has been taken against the oppressive country. Human rights organizations are raising voices but zionists and their backers are not listening to it. OIC is still sleeping. Arab league is useless. So its left to ordinary people to raise their voices, help the poor victims and contribute towards the liberation of Palestine.

Majority of rulers of Muslim Ummah have probably forgotten this verse of Quran. Except Egypt, , Tunisia and Turkey, no one broke silence. Quran says:

“And what is [the matter] with you that you do not fight in the cause of Allah and [for] the oppressed among men, women, and children who say, “Our Lord, take us out of this city of oppressive people and appoint for us from Yourself a protector and appoint for us from Yourself a helper?” [Quran 4:75]

Not surprisingly, leftist(secular/liberal) elite of Pakistan decided to stand with Israel by taking refuge in the rhetoric that ‘Gaza is too far’ and ‘We have our own problems’. The answer is simple indeed, if we have our own problems, it does not mean that we cannot talk about injustice and oppression going on in the world. We need to take practical steps to solve our issues, but we cannot ignore the violence going on in our surroundings. So do actions where they are required (in Pakistan), and at least raise voice for those where you cant do anything more (in case for Gaza).

The most important thing is that we should not forget Gaza now. It should remain not only in our prayers but in our real life efforts. Palestinians need our help to rebuild what Israel has destroyed. They continuously need medical and food supplies. There should be more campaigns like that of ‘freedom flotilla’ for Gaza to help the innocent people. They are victims of brutal oppression and its time that we convert our words into actions.

Tolerating Intolerance

Pakistan is witnessing an unprecedented rise in everyday intolerance. Every now and then we hear stories of torture and killings in the most brutal ways by ordinary public, ranging from strangers on the road to one’s own family members.

If one doesn’t comply with your commands, we burn; we rape; we plunder. Have you found a thief? Beat him to death. Is someone involved in an illicit relationship? Parade them naked on the streets. And don’t forget to catch their videos on your cell phones. Found people who belong to a minority sect? Make them stand in a line and open fire. Did you hear about a 15 year old illiterate girl with mental disabilities, who burnt a noraniqaida? What are you waiting for? We all know what to do with her.

“But hey, don’t generalize us man. All Pakistanis aren’t like that. Don’t spread negativity. Here, have a gum”, is what I usually get to hear when I try to raise such concerns, in (ahem) ‘my’ circle.

Is it ignorance or apathy? Hey, i don’t know and i don’t care – Jimmy Buffet

So, what about us? The so-called ‘educated’ lot of Pakistan.How nice and tolerant are we? Why do our minds not explode and our hearts not sink when we see or hearof such horrific acts of violence?

Let me tell you why: we are too tolerant! It is as if when God created us, he poured the remaining 80% of tolerance on our ‘elite’, after giving a drop to each country. We are very patient, our hearts are made of Tungsten, as they don’t even heat up (let alone melt) when we watch ‘real’ humans being butchered like goats. To sum up: We have tolerance for intolerance.

And the irony doesn’t end here. Because when it comes to questioning our beliefs, (and by beliefs I don’t mean religious; there is hardly any of the religion left in us) we become wolf packs, who aggressively defend their territories from all non-pack members (in our case, anyone who dares to oppose our views on anything and everything). And then we give lectures of tolerance to those who cannot tolerate our intolerance! ha-ha! And the most common targets of our ‘lectures’ are, well, people like me! Who are constantly reminded of how they “think too much”, and they should “give us a break” and that they seriously need a vacation.

Sorry for bursting the bubble of those who like to be called (pseudo) liberals. They are anything but liberal. While fancy English language phrases such as ‘social justice’, ‘freedom of speech’ and ‘individuality’ are embedded in their dictionaries, you will not find them advocating these principles when there is truly a need to do so. And how can they possibly take out time for all of this from their exhausting routines. After all, they have a ‘life’ you know? A life that revolves around ‘status’ updating and attempts at becoming the western definition of ‘modern’. Why should anyone pay a heed to whether the nation deteriorates or loses even the little bit of integrity left of it.

So where does it take this nation? I was told by a ‘well-wisher’ not to waste my energy on something that is not going to happen: change. But for once i have decided that I am not going to give up. I am not going to turn my back on those who have turned their backs on the rest of the nation. Because I believe they are the ones who need my help the most at the moment. I am going to fight (and no not the physical one, please. There is plenty of it that if we could export it we’d be debt-free). I am going to raise my voice, against the tolerance of intolerance. Because I also believe that if we are able to revive the conscience of this not-so-common class of Pakistan, it will eventually lead to an outcry for tolerance by them. A much needed outcry that will remind the masses of peace and love, for the sake of the long forgotten humanity.

I have a very strong feeling that the opposite of love is not hate – it’s apathy. It’s not giving a damn.

-Leo Buscaglia

Why is My Hijab, Your Problem?

I am a woman, not a sexualized commodity; I am a human being just like you are.

I am a Hijabi and Hijab is my identity and my ideology.

I wasn’t a Hijabi by birth, nor did it come from an oppressing ‘Mullah’ father or brother. Oh no! No one can force me to do something which I do not want to do. It only came when I came to explore the message of God which I had been reading since childhood in Arabic and never knew what it meant as it’s not my first language. It started to make sense when I decoded it into a language which I could understand; Thanks to those scholars who made it a mission of their lives to transliterate the word of God for our convenience.

The importance of observing hijab for me gradually became connected to my belief in God and the question I asked myself often.

“I believe in God and His word, I love the Prophet (SAW) and for me the characters and dress code of Aisha and Fatima (Peace be upon them) are role models, then how come whenever I see a Hijabi, I relate it to backwardness.”

All these claims don’t fit into one frame and there began the war of ideas in me:

“You tell me Hijab is backward and you still are a proud non-apologetic Muslim, it can’t be true!”

It’s a part of my personality just like a Jewish kippah and Christian and jewish ‘hijabs’, my message of peace that I wear with pride. It’s about letting the world know, not to mess around with me as I (try to) keep my chastity and obey my Lord.

I am no slave of the corporate capitalistic industry which is bent upon publishing a naked woman to sell everything from a cigarette to a racing car.

It gives me liberation; freedom from being judged on a scale of inches, skin colour and figure details. I am free from the shackles of man, eyes of the evil world who evaluate women according to the length of her skirt and depth of her neckline; intelligence and character being secondary. (Ask a competent man who was rejected by a multimedia company in an interview and his beautiful and sexy but dumb competitor got the job).

With this piece of cloth on my head, I feel empowered as a woman. But a section of our society seems to have a problem with it. Some self-proclaimed Pakistani liberals labelled Hijab as a “dinner table napkin “or “solution of a bad hair day”.What is the world scared of, I wonder?

Think!

If you think my hijab tapered my IQ and threw me into the desert of Arabia some 1400 years behind, I seriously doubt yours. Remember how the prehistoric man lived?

What was the killer of Marwah Al Sherbini scared of? Was this 32-year old, three month pregnant pharmacist, a loving wife and a mother of a two year old, a threat to the world? Oh, mind you she was called a whore, a terrorist and stabbed 18 times in the German court and killed.

Was Shaima Alawadi a hazard? The loving mother killed and turned into a pool of blood in her house in America with a note next to her saying: “Go back to your country, you terrorist.”, was she a terrorist? No; her killers were! Racists and myopic terrorists scared of a defenceless woman with a piece of cloth on her head.

Are Hijabis the biggest threat in the French and other European societies that are banning hijab? Think!

Oh you thought I don’t have a choice? No! I have one and hijab is my choice just as obeying Allah and disobeying Him in rebellion is my birth right due to being a human being and I choose the former.

And in case you didn’t notice, some very successful women in the West are turning to Islam and opting for covering their bodies with modesty and have found peace.

I quote Yvonne Ridley, a journalist who reverted to Islam after she explored the Quran as a promise she made to Taliban, her captors in Afghanistan.

‘My dress tells you that I am a Muslim and that I expect to be treated respectfully, much as a Wall Street banker would say that a business suit defines him as an executive to be taken seriously. And, especially among converts to the faith like me, the attention of men who confront women with inappropriate, leering behaviour is not tolerable.’

Think rationally and decide! Why is my Hijab, a problem for the world?

Hijab – A Responsibility

A man’s perspective on Hijab usually raises eyebrows from the leftist elite. It might be termed as male chauvinism immediately. A lot of women will say that it is our business so men should stay away from it. Is it really so that men aren’t affected with what women wear? Some self proclaimed Islamic scholars will immediately say that men should lower their gaze before they talk about women’s clothing and they do not need see a woman if they cannot control their urge. Well if lowering the gaze was the ultimate solution, why the Quran made hijab mandatory for Muslim women at all? The source of attraction is there after all, so Quran ordered both men and women to be modest.

Much has been written about the fundamental rights of Muslim women observing hijab. Salutes to sister Marwah Sherbini who embraced martyrdom for hijab. She was the victim of racist attitude just because she was a Muslim obeying the orders of Allah. Many more sisters have faced similar issues especially after 9/11, making the debate of hijab a political one as well. It is ironic that no one has objection over Christian nuns who cover themselves in a certain way dawn to dusk, even when they are amongst fellow nuns but a covered Muslimah attracts all criticism.

There is another dimension to it. Hijab is not merely a piece of cloth. It’s a way of life. It is an entire package which revolves around the character which is required to observe it. Expectations immediately arise from all those who are practicing hijab. Wearing a hijab or growing a beard, for that matter, shouldn’t automatically mean that you are safe or cleansed from sins. But people around you are more judgmental and keenly observing your attitude. Most people won’t bother if a non-hijabi ‘muslim’ woman is drinking alcohol, but will definitely question the morals of a hijabi girl who is drinking alcohol. The attitude and behaviour of those observing hijab becomes very important. Some women, who observe hijab and clearly preach religion to others fail to practice it in their personal lives and as a result, repel people away from religion. We have hypocrites among us, having double standards for themselves and for others which are creating more problems. I have come across women wearing headscarf but having worst morals. A friend of mine usually say ‘yeh pardah kabhi kabhi apno’n se kia jata hey k koi pehchan na le’, pointing towards the dating couples in which females use veils to hide their identity.

Does it mean that hijab or religion is to blame? Certainly not! Hijab (and beard) should not be taken as a synonym for religiousity. A change in mindset is a prerequisite for hijab. If anyone observes it without realizing the real meaning, she is not doing justice with it. Hijab is never meant for oppression, it is meant for protection. The concept of hijab, pardah, abaya should be well understood and followed in letter n spirit.

Women are being objectified in multi billion dollar fashion industry and advertisement world. Call it liberty, but it is worst form of slavery and no doubt even hijabis are falling for this fashion buzz. Hijab is becoming a fashion statement. No, Hijab is not a fashion. It’s purpose is to protect a woman and not to make her more attractive.

Those who object the hijab also have some weird reasons. Some say that they don’t want to wear their religion on their sleeve, therefore, they are not observing hijab. Others are frightened of being judged as backward. Well, a Muslim should look like a Muslim from his or her turnout. That’s what he or she is; a Muslim. Religion is not something to hide or being shy about. So if a Muslimah is practicing hijab, it is not something very unique; she is supposed to do that. Hijab doesn’t mean she is very virtuous and pious. Intentions do matter a lot in these cases. The point I want to make is that don’t make it something too big or too extraordinary, observing hijab should be a normal practice for all Muslim women. But there should be an understanding that it is a complete lifestyle which brings a lot of responsibilities and obligations as Muslims.

The good thing is that hijab is growing and more and more women are opting for it. But my request would be don’t judge anyone on the basis of hijab. Its an obligation for Muslim women, don’t politicize it. And if someone is misusing these symbols, don’t generalize.

Pakistan Ka Matlab Kia

I am not really sure if I can be blindly patriotic. My love for Pakistan is not unconditional. I have always believed that Pakistan came into being for one purpose, narrated by

“Pakistan ka Matlab kya?, La illaha Il Lal Lallah”

And I love Pakistan only because of its ideological foundations.

Lately a lot of speculation have been generated on the media about the ideology of Pakistan. The reasons for demanding a separate homeland are questioned and it is asked that whether Pakistan’s ideology is essentially Islamic or secular. The point to ponder is that whether all those people who gave their lives for Pakistan were idiots who sacrificed everything without a significant goal in mind.

Another very common fact used as evidence against the logic of Pakistan is the lack of support of Ulema and scholars of that time for the cause of Pakistan, which in fact is not completely true. A lot of scholars were in favour of the Pakistan movement. Those who opposed, had some logical questions to ask which were not entirely baseless, but we should see that people who supported the Idea of Pakistan, did so because it was promised to be an Islamic state.

Yes, the reality is that the Muslim back then wasn’t much better than the average Pakistani Muslim now. Practical Islam was as scarce as it is now. The common Muslim was as heedless of the basics of Islam as he is now. Exceptions are always there but exceptions do not make up the majority. For a people who were fighting for a homeland to practice Islam freely and not fulfilling the most basic obligations like performing the five times Salah at the same time is an indication of the trouble to come. What happened was inevitable and logical but not at all useless as what most of these media pundits are portraying. We were longing for something very right but without the basic groundwork.

Quaid-e-Azam was chosen by God for a reason. He was the best choice at that time as a leader and NO! He was not secular and neither was he a religious extremist. He was a Muslim whose realization and understanding of Islam increased after his involvement in the mission undertaken by him. He was unfortunately surrounded by the very element that denies the logic of Pakistan movement now. He himself knew it. On one hand were the aristocratic elite and on the other were the religious elite. Between these two, Quaid-e-Azam was the best available balance.

Allah (SWT)’s will was to create Pakistan, so it was came into being. A lot may disagree with my understanding of our identity crisis and present day confusions but the fact is that the very aristocratic elite (a lot of whom are portrayed as heroes in our national syllabus) involved in the Pakistan movement due to their own interests became the reason for this present day confusion about Pakistan’s ideology. Everything about the struggle may not have been all so excellently religious or pure but it was not secular either! It’s hard to state everything as black and white because a lot goes on above in the heavens when men struggle , a lot is forgiven and a lot is tested before freedom is achieved. One thing is for sure though. Even if La illaha il lal Lallah wasn’t established in our land as our ancestors wanted. We still have time to learn from their sacrifices, efforts as well as shortcomings. Pakistan will be what we are. If we belief and practice La Illaha Il Lal Lallah with all its implications only then can we achieve what they all strove for. Pakistan is whatever we make of it. We can do better and so can Pakistan.

Cyber World and its Perils

Cyber world has become a perpetual world where we all live in and yet we don’t. This is the next big frontier which the western masters have innovated and trying to conquer. Cyber space might be the perfect place for mind warfare. Victory here means conquest of whole mind kind. This idea must sound absurd and ridiculous. I agree this is as much an alien thought as I can imagine in my wildest imagination. I am neither a technologist nor a tech freak. Coming from finance and accounting background, let me ask a few questions which mark arrows towards the point I have raised.

Let us first try to unwrap this argument. How secure is our information on services like Gmail, Hotmail or on Yahoo mail? How secure are our videos and pictures on Facebook or Orkut? What do they do with my tweets? I used to believe that since I have control of my privacy settings, so it’s all very safe, people only get to know what I am willing to tell.

Friends just have a second thought about it. Your mails, information, pictures & documents may be safe from those who you don’t want to share with, but are they really safe? They are always available, just a click away, those guys who are storing it for me, am I sure that they aren’t using it? Am I sure that they are not sniffing through my information? They claim that they don’t use it but they also say that we might use it anonymously to help improve our ‘product’. This should be enough to ring alarm bells.

If still not, then let me give you view from another side. To run any business successfully, you need to have inputs, then you do some value add to these inputs to convert them into a sell-able product. This conversion costs you money. Once the product is ready, you need to find buyers to whom you can sell the product. And as a thumb rule, the price at which you are selling the product has to be higher than the cost you are incurring to produce it. Your selling price minus your cost is your profit. All commercial organizations exist only to make profits. And mind you all these organization are highly profitable.

For these services which I mentioned, let’s try to find the input, the value add and then the sell-able product. For convenience let me take the example of twitter. To support millions & millions of users, they need to have big server farms, which cost tens of millions of dollars, to run these farms they need to pay bills and salaries to staff. To develop & maintain the service that they are offering, again they need to run offices, pay bills and salaries to staff. Their end product is an application which people are able to use, express their thoughts and viewpoints. Bingo it’s all free. We don’t pay a single penny to twitter.

Isn’t that enough to raise some suspicion? If not then let me give you another hint. You must have seen suggestions while using twitter, which suggests you, people whom you might be interested to follow or people who are similar to ones you are following. Another value add and that too free of cost.

Ever thought how a service provider which is offering free services to all across the globe is able to make millions of dollars in profits?

This should be enough to mark arrows that someone is doing user profiling at a mega level. Our click on suggested people only confirms the profiling they have done.

Now the question is with all this profiling who is the buyer of this information or product. I will leave this question open to readers for them to think and make their own analysis.

Last but not the least, what I worry most is that my generation was born in an era when TV was a novelty. We got easily influenced by what we saw on it. Comparing us to people of Radio generation & generation even before that, we very easily bought new idea & thought appearing on TV. With these free services which intrude into the privacy of individuals, doing their profiling, what will happen to our new generation? The Cyber warfare is on and we are all part of it. I shall also leave this question open for everyone to think.

American White ‘Taliban’?

A day after the tragic shooting incident at a gurdwara, a mosque in the US was burned to the ground for the second time in little more than a month in an arson attack. It is an alarming situation in the US that within two days, two communities had been attacked by “unknown” terrorists. It is worrisome to see how the radicalism penetrated into the American society has started expressing itself. Those who have witnessed emergence of variety of Taliban around the world for instance, ‘Afghan Taliban’, ‘Pakistani Taliban’, ‘Punjabi Taliban’ and so on, can sniff existence of ‘American white Taliban’ evidently.

Taliban psychology is represented by violent intolerance in the western media. When the reason of killing and violence is racism and intolerance for other races and religions, it is tagged as ‘stone-aged’ and ‘militant’ ‘Taliban’ psychology. Now, this is what has been ominously witnessed in US as well. It is the need of the hour to dig out and control this home-grown militancy being nurtured, flourished and aided within the US.

US government would need to plan something much more vicious than what it plans for rest of the world to control these factors, as it would be very much embarrassing for the US to kill militants and terrorists oceans away for the safety of Americans when it cannot assure safety of Americans from militancy within America. I am sure, Obama would opt to go for using drones to deal with this inhuman uproar as drones remain the most accurate, flawless and safest weapon being extensively used in America’s terrifying war on terror.

As a face-saving attempt, US might hurry to declare that the reasons behind these attacks had been nothing more than innocent psychological ailments as attackers are not “colour-skinned”. Just as Robert Bales, US marine, who killed 16 civilians and set fire to their dead bodies in an Afghan village in March 2012, was declared to have “some psychological issues”. Again, as US marine, Frank Wuterich, convicted over 2005 massacre of 24 civilians in Iraq attended jail for only three months. He said in his official statement: “I responded to what I perceived as a threat and my intention was to eliminate that threat in order to keep the rest of my Marines alive”. This would be a very good explanation for what home-grown American terrorists did recently. But I still wonder, how this “potential threat” would explain marines urinating on dead bodies of Afghans.

However, US government should take these reputation stabilizing attempts much before American Taliban group proudly stands up and takes the responsibility of these attacks on what they perceived to be “potential threats”.

Worshiping Idols

While reciting Kalma-e-tayyaba, every Muslim knows that he is negating all idols and testifying that he will worship none other than Allah (SWT).

But do we negate all the idols in our life? Especially those hidden modern day idols which we worship knowingly or unknowingly. Love for anything blown out of proportion is start of idolism. At times we are not even aware of these invisible idols. Here are few of them.

Capitalism is the main idol we are worshiping. Our entire economy is revolving around and worshiping this idol. The fact is that the wealth itself is one of the blessings of God, the problem is with capitalistic mindset. One of the main concepts in capitalism is ‘self interest’ instead of mutual interest. Adam Smith, while giving this concept of self interest, argued that it will increase the efficiency and productivity; but actually it paved the way for cut-throat competition and criminal attitude towards humanity. Another concept of capitalistic economics is to manage the scarcity of resources to fulfill unlimited wants. Every Muslim believes that Allah has ensured his ‘rizq’, capitalism make him strive for capturing and accumulating the resources to have an absolute control over them. Capitalism has inculcated the phenomenon in the hearts and minds of the people that ‘money is power’, no matter how it is accumulated. The merit for honour, dignity and influence is the amount of capital one possess. And the aftermath of this capitalism is that UNDP reports that more than a quarter of the inhabitants of developing countries still have nothing to live on and 20% of the world population in industrialized countries account for 86% of the world consumption. The gap between haves and havenots is widening and Occupy Wall Street movement is one reaction to it.

The problem with the idol of Capitalism is that people are trying to ‘islamize’ this concept of sheer oppression and brutality. Capitalistic economy is snatching bread n butter from the poor while the rich elite is enjoying their lives to the fullest. Islam has clearly forbidden interest and usury, which is the basis of capitalistic economy. Islam discourages accumulation of wealth and usage of unfair means to earn money. Also, the system of Zakat is given in Islam to help the poor and take them out of their miseries. So the philosophy of Islamic economic system is entirely different from capitalism.

Careerism is another significant idol and focus of all of our efforts. Its related with capitalism, but more importantly, its related to our lust for money and worldly desires. Islam has given prime importance to the teaching that this life is temporary and a testing field for the permanent hereafter; yet all of our efforts are directed towards achieving a wonderful career with a bright future and healthy fortunes. The career we pursue pretty much decides what sort of a life we will lead and whom will we marry. Earning ‘rizq-e-halal’ through fair means is strongly appreciated in Islam; but running blindly after the worldly career is problematic. We tend to spend the best of our time in building a career and in the meanwhile we forget how to live a life. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are ideals for a vast majority and are actually idols being worshiped. The purpose of life for a Muslim is to please Allah almighty. If career becomes the purpose of life, it is surely turning into an idol.

Media has become an idol itself. Media portrays itself as a holy cow which is above all ethical and moral standards. It propagates whatever the corporate giants (capitalists) dictate and then people believe it as if it’s a word of God. It is the media which has objectifyed women as a sellable commodity and people have started believing in it. Labeling anyone as terrorist and sparing anyone else is their major contribution towards spreading hate and earning money. Electronic media in specific is a massive propaganda machine. It is badly affecting the lifestyles of the people. Advertisements worth billions of dollars only focus to tell people what do they need which infact they do not need.

Freedom is another one. Capitalistic economy and media has influenced us so much that we want to twist the religion as per our own desires. Unfortunately, a lot of muslims want to defy every order of Quran and Sunnah, and yet they want to be champion of faith. While its mentioned categorically in Quran that don’t cherry pick the issues and accept the religion in a holistic manner; yet people want to blindly follow their desires in the name of personal freedom. It must be clear that after reciting the Kalima, we have surrendered the freedom to Allah (SWT) and now every muslim has to live in the framework of Quran and Sunnah. Once a person exercises his freedom to choose Islam, then he must follow Islam in its true letter and spirit. Thus the liberty for every muslim is limited and not absolute, therefore, those who recite Kalima and choose to be Muslims, should follow Islam, instead of following their own desires and twisting the religion for their own wishes.

Last but not the least, our so called leaders are idols in most cases. The followers won’t listen even a single word against their leader no matter how corrupt or unethical he or she is. This is worst form of slavery we are facing in Pakistan. Be it any fake ‘pir/fakir’ or a party leader, almost everyone has his quota of blind followers. This creates a chaotic situation when people do not listen to any argument against their favourite personality. Specifically on social media, if you dare touch the holy cows, their followers will be at you, using all the abusive language they can. This is worst form of mental slavery and unfortunately, alot of our countrymen are slaves mentally.

Having testified Kalma, It’s a commitment that we will get rid of all these idols from our lives and only bow in front of Allah. They are present in our daily lives, invisible though and most often they are unknown. May Allah help us to get rid of these idols (ameen).

Such a little thing

I felt the freshness in the air; of the evening merging slowly into those blessed first moments of the first night of Ramadan. I felt the vigour in my step as I walked out the gate just after the pre-Ramadan study circle in my neighbourhood had finished. We had studied a collection of Hadith on Ramadan_ of the springtime of faith and the ethereal blessedness it comes wrapped up in. And it had touched some deep buried cord somewhere in the recesses of the soul.

I have walked the short distance from the neighbourhood weekly Quran study circle back home many times. Meeting on the way many a sidewalk bystander ogling to pass the hours away. I have met many a prying gaze of a passing vendor, a house guard, an urchin. Outside my weekly ‘haven’, another world awaits. From the surreal to the rudely real, the eyesores of a degenerate society. Sigh!

There he comes, yet another; a street vendor perhaps. I braced up for the unnerving stare, catching in the process, a glimpse of a face_ the kind that expunged the tautness, putting me so strangely at ease.

It struck. Instantly! The white prayer-cap and the beard removed the ‘otherness’. The gaze that lowered itself, the humble step that gave a freer passage, the innocence, nobility written all over was strangely comforting_ unlocking, decoding, and bringing home a message: a beautiful heart. The recognition came in an instant.

It unfurled an identity. I noticed the deep sun-tan with those long days of labour. I noticed the rough white Shalwar Kameez well-worn, having endured many washings, creased up, patched in places. I noticed the loosely hanging empty jute bag slung across the back of his bicycle and the two folded up paper bags of used cement. Clearly, this scrap seller hadn’t made a business today. Yet he persisted as the day receded, still calling out to the many affluent perhaps still dozing away amidst the buzz of the air conditioners behind thick walls and locked doors. ‘Loya raddi waich lau’ (Sell off scrap metal and paper), he called out in the empty, darkening street, perhaps the only listener to his own persistent cry. He pedalled on speedily, not completing his round to the end of the street but turning round half way to make his way back_ perhaps having learnt that there were no listening ears behind the thick walls, no one to hear or make out his locally accented cry; to notice that hole at the border of his Kameez, the empty loose sack or the well-worn, cracked up, mud-stained slipper quickly pedaling on_ perhaps to make it to the masjid in time for Maghreb prayer.

It was in seconds. I felt the connecting, the bonding up. I didn’t think it up but surprised myself by suddenly calling out to him as he rode on past me, ‘Bhai!’ ‘My brother’_ effortlessly, in a spontaneous outpouring came the words. ‘Bhai zara rukna. Aap raddi bechtay hain?’ (Brother, please stop. Do you sell and buy scrap?)
He couldn’t perhaps register it as he cycled on, used to the stony, unrelenting, indifferent silence in affluent localities. For an instant, I thought I had missed, and I felt the heart sink. Till, having rode a few yards ahead, he turned back to look and finally stopped, getting off the bicycle, dusting off his hands and shirt and, still with that ‘Muslim’ gentility and modest gaze that had held me, waited for me to approach. ‘Ji baji.’ (Yes, sister).

The evening cast darker shadows, the first night of Ramadan waited in the wing to gradually suffuse. These sacred moments…

And this muddied scrap seller here with his sunburnt face irradiated, ennobled, beautified by the Sunnah. I saw it all in one radiant flash. ‘Ramadan Mubarak!’ I said. ‘Mere paas yeh Ramadan ka chhota sa tuhfa hai aap ke liye,’ I said (I have a small Ramadan gift here for you), handing out whatever I could rummage through my pockets.
Visibly surprised and at a loss for words, he said, ‘Jazakallah khair baji.’ Silence. And then, gathering himself, he added, ‘Allah aap ko iss ka bohat ajar dei. Aap ko bhi Ramadan Mubarak.’ (May Allah reward you greatly for this. Ramadan Mubarak to you too.) I noticed the flawless, unaccented Urdu and wondered where he had got it from. The labyrinth of destiny, who can make out?

Realizing perhaps the insufficiency, the inadequacy of my gesture, the unspeakability of that strange link, I added, ‘Bhai duaon mein zaroor yaad rakhye ga.’ (Brother, do remember me in your prayers).

As I made my way on, I felt lighter, unburdened, relieved. And I saw his frail figure, the beard, the cap merging into the twilight’s colours, soon a silhouette against the far end of the road.

And I wondered who he was, what was his name, where he lived… regretting not having asked. ‘Bhai’ (brother) I had called him, not feeling the need to call by a name, not feeling the need for statistics to identify. ‘My brother’, striving on life’s rocky road, striving among the pain and toil to keep to the straight and narrow, a lover of my Prophet (SAWW), a slave of my God.

As I sat on the prayer mat on the night of first Ramadan, I thought of the nameless scrap seller who must also be engaged in prayer somewhere. And I knew that the power of prayer, the faith we share creates the sacred link_ undying. I felt the indissoluble, ever-present link of Muslimhood, that thing called ‘love for Allah’s sake.’

‘What a little thing
To remember for years,
To remember with tears!’