It is not enough to decry the outmoded religious ideology of the extremists, or the vacuity of the politicians, it is equally important to substitute them with alternatives. The government lacks the ability to lead, inspire, fire the imagination of the people and motivate them to unite to work for a common goal. Can our leaders of thought do it?

Foreign ideologies armed with firepower are threatening to take over Pakistan and tear apart its immensely rich, variegated, essentially moderate, tolerant and pluralist culture. The struggle for the right of self determination for the people of this region initiated by the founders of Pakistan is not yet over. The writers, poets, journalists, artists and musicians should step in to fill the ideological vacuum that Pakistan faces today thanks to the machinations of its civilian/military masters and self proclaimed keepers of faith.
The academics should help to articulate modalities of thought and action that meet the needs of the current crisis and also resonate with the specific beliefs and traditions of the people of Pakistan.

The three Ds have become unbearably hackneyed through repetition and lack of implementation. The government’s oratory is focused on publicly owning the ‘war on terror’. The people are disillusioned about their capacity to do real work to govern and defend Pakistan. A savvy media policy is needed coupled with some concrete steps to start unrolling the 3 Ds. According to a report of BBC, the government controls only one third of NWFP and FATA, the rest is either in the control of the Taliban or about to fall. The government should start development programs in the areas that have not yet been taken over by the Taliban, instead of first waiting to wrest control of all territories in the Taliban’s control and causing interminable delay in the development that it keep promising ad nauseum.

To PML N

The PML N has delayed taking a clear and aggressive public position against militancy. There has been some change in their position lately but we still hear contradictory statements. Their attitude is reminiscent of their political style in the 90s when it opposed the PPP while in opposition but pursued the same policies when it came into power. Once again it is sitting on the fence and waiting for PPP government to become unpopular and fail so that it can pursue the same policies when it is their turn to rule.

To JI

JI has refused to denounce the terrorism in Pakistan clearly and effectively. Ritualistic and perfunctory statements of condemnation of the methods used by the militants are followed by a support for their aims. JI would do well to revise its hostile and isolationist view of Islam which is in contradiction to the essentially unitary and progressive outlook of an Islamic worldview. The realization of the ethical ideals of Islam depends on its economic viability more than the doctrinal purity of its managers.

To PTI.

It is a foreign war that has been fought in collusion with various Pakistani governments. Now that the blow over is hurting Pakistan, it needs to be stopped with preventive as well as palliative actions. The upheaval in the NWFP has its roots in the situation in Afghanistan. . It is easy to invade and destroy but it is not easy to withdraw without causing more destruction. The only way to ensure enduring peace in Afghanistan is by ensuring free and fair elections in Afghanistan and making the Afghanistan Taliban a part of the electoral process. This necessitates a process of dialogue with the Taliban and the opposition can help to mediate between the warring sides. But if the Taliban reject democracy as unIslamic, then there is little hope of a dialogue succeeding. The opposition claims to know and emulate the vision of our founding fathers but shies away from explicating it for the masses. The opposition should now join the government in stepping up the efforts to execute both the long term and the short term strategies to bring peace.

To Sufi Mohammed

Ibn Arabi wrote “The god of a creed is the product of the one, who looks at it, and it is his fabrication; his praise for what he believes is his praise for himself. For this reason, he condemns the creed of another – if he had been fair, he would not have done that. Indeed, the possessor of this particular object of worship is certainly ignorant in his rejection of other than what he believes about Allah, since had he recognized what al-Junayd said, "The colour of water is the colour of its vessel," he would have conceded to everyone who has a creed what he believed in, and he would have recognised Allah in every form of worship of every person with a creed, He has opinion but does not know it. For that reason, Allah says, "I am in My slave's opinion of Me,"  that is, I only appear to him in the form of his creed. If he wishes, he generalises, and if he wishes, he limits.” (Ibn Arabi- Fusus-ul-Hikam)

See Qur'an 17:44, "The seven heavens and the earth and everyone in them glorify Him. There is nothing which does not glorify Him with praise; but you do not understand their glorification. He is the All-Forbearing, Ever-Forgiving."

To The Suicide Bomber

The ultimate aim of religious struggle is to sharpen the objectivity of the intellect, and find its expression in the real world characterized by concrete action. The end of the religious person’s struggle is not liberation from the limitations of self but a continuing endeavor for its fullest expression in life. Both scientists and religious scholars agree that the world is in a state of flux, something to be understood and redefined constantly, as well as something to be changed by continuing effort. It is this ongoing process of struggle which sharpens the creative power of the mind and gives us moments of the utmost bliss and also times of the greatest trial. In view of the evolving nature of the world, relativity of the moral conduct to the context of time and place, and the obligation placed on human reason, by Islam, to act judiciously and discerningly, it would be well to revisit the conceptions of Jihad, Heaven and Hell preached by the Mullah.
The Mullah’s thinking has been generally static as opposed to the vibrant vitality of a living religion that has been bequeathed to us by the great scholars and thinkers of Islam. The Mullah says, fundamentalism in religion is the right way. But change is a fundamental Islamic precept, not only accepted but considered obligatory by Islam. Islam institutionalized social change through legal concepts of Ijtihad*, Ijma and Qiyas and made it mandatory on the succssevive generations of Muslims. The ‘closing of the doors of Ijtihad’ was a fallacy that although not mandated by the various prominent schools of Muslim law, became tacitly acceptable in Islamic culture owing to various political and socioeconomic factors. In practice, however, the narrow interpretations of Islam that are at variance with the spirit of the Quran have been challenged by the Muslims throughout its history. Thus, Islam is fundamentally a progressive force that reinvents itself and determines a new direction, in keeping with the needs of the time, while remaining true to the eternal Islamic principles of oneness, equality and unity of mankind. Islam asks us to follow the right path but leaves it to us to find it.

It is said that the entire Universe is permeated with the spirit of God; the Ultimate being transcendent as well as immanent in the creation. Therefore, it is crucial to first know your own will, before you can know or understand the will of God.  Keeping this end in view, exerting the mind, sifting of facts and experience in a given situation, and acquiring knowledge of the world have been made essential for all Muslims. A division between sacred and mundane is not permitted by Islam. Islam asks us to widen the scope of our knowledge of sciences, arts, history and religion.

If the heart is living and awake
Discernment is endowed slowly
All is subject to the situation and place
Each moment the sage lives
In a new time, a new place     (Iqbal- Bal-e Jibril)

The religion aims to spiritualize the heart for the welfare of the individual and society. Therefore, the ultimate act of sacrifice for the spiritual man is not taking his own life. Instead living entails tough obligations whose fulfillment remains an arduous, lifelong task, and is the real concept of Jihad visualized by Islam. It is vital to take heed of the hidden motives of the religious impostors who ask us to transgress from the true path. The true Islamic path is one of compassion, hope and prosperity for the entire humankind regardless of the limits of creed, language, ethnicity or territorial location. This is consistent with the concept of Tawheed or unity of creation fundamental to the Islamic worldview. We are passing through turbulent times and various options to respond to the various challenges are open to us. It is in our power to choose, as Iqbal wrote: an individual’s destiny is in his hands, to deny this is to deny God.

Art thou in the stage of ‘life.’ ‘death’, or ‘death-in-life.’
Invoke the aid of three witnesses to verify thy ‘Station.’
The first witness is thine own consciousness -
See thyself, then, with thine own light.
The second witness is the consciousness of another ego -
See thyself, then, with the light of an ego other than thee.
The third witness is God’s consciousness -
See thyself, then, with God’s light.
If thou standest unshaken in front of this light,
Consider thyself as living and eternal as He!
That man alone is real who dares -
Dares to see God face to face!
What is ‘Ascension’? Only a search for a witness
Who may finally confirm thy reality -
A witness whose confirmation alone makes thee eternal.
No one can stand unshaken in His Presence;
And he who can, verily, he is pure gold.
Art thou a mere particle of dust?
Tighten the knot of thy ego;
And hold fast to thy tiny being!
How glorious to burnish one’s ego.
And to test its lustre in the presence of the Sun!
Re-chisel, then, thine ancient frame; And build up a new being.
Such being is real being;
Or else thy ego is a mere ring of smoke!
(Iqbal-Javed Nama)


*Iqbal has written, ‘The growth of republican spirit and the gradual formation of legislative assemblies in Muslim lands constitute a great step in advance. The transfer of the power of Ijtihad from individual representatives of schools to a Muslim legislative assembly which, in view of the growth of opposing sects, is the only possible form Ijma’ can take in modern times, will secure contributions to legal discussion from laymen who happen to possess a keen insight into affairs. In this way alone can we stir into activity the dormant spirit of life in our legal system, and give it an evolutionary outlook’.

It is a foreign war that has been fought in collusion with various Pakistani governments. Now that the blow over is hurting Pakistan, it needs to be stopped with preventive as well as palliative actions. The upheaval in the NWFP has its roots in the situation in Afghanistan.

The comments by you are the most idiotic and childish that i ve ever seen. come on and grow up, dont take Pakistanis too light!!!! this is 4 you and the other idiots like you.

Pingback from topsy.com

Twitter Trackbacks for
        
        State Department Primary School
        [justicedeniedpk.com]
        on Topsy.com