Order and Anarchy

We live a normal life. Getting up in the morning, working upon the matters on our hands, have meals and go back to sleep again in the nights. We grow up to like life. Why? Because first, we dream and then we see our dreams coming true.

This, we call a normal life.

There are so many millions around, who go to sleep in the nights without food in their stomachs. They also have dreams. But they don’t have the resources to fulfill their dreams. So, when these people aren’t able to live life to it’s fullest, shouldn’t they be helped to live their lives in a better way? Almost everyone will answer to this question in the affirmative. But we don’t care. We don’t care whether the other person has had his meal or not. We don’t care whether he is able to send his child to school or not. We don’t care if he is able to fulfill his dreams or not. Because, if we had cared, this world would have been a far better place to live.

Recently, when I was travelling in a public bus, I witnessed an incident which put me at great unease.

There boarded on the bus a young man. By his looks, anyone would take him as a beggar or a drug addict. He wore shabby clothing, his hair was untidy, he didn’t have any footwear and his eyes registered a void.

But I got interested and started observing him, when he occupied a seat after getting permission from the bus conductor for a free ride. He sat in his place and gazed here and there. Then his eyes set on a boy who was savouring some candies. He looked at him eagerly as if trying to tell his story to the boy – a story that appeared to mark his life. He seemed wanting to tell his story so that he may get the boy’s sympathies for the candies.

The story of this young man about which I’m talking, wasn’t told. Rather, it was made to feel. Made to feel by whatever he did. He never said any word apart from the favour that he asked for from the bus conductor.

Well into his journey, when he saw that the boy wouldn’t give him candies to eat, he started looking here and there again, as if to find someone else who would pay attention to his needs.

Untill this moment, everything was normal. But what I saw next was truly not normal; it was the manifestation of the desparation of a human being and something very much shocking for me. Obviously, it would be shocking for everyone who saw this.

In his desperation for eliminating his hunger, when he couldn’t get anything to eat or couldn’t find anyone who could provide him with something to eat, he started picking up and eating the trash from the floor of the bus. This act was seemingly really disturbing for the other people on board the bus.

Seeing this, the father of that young boy who was eating candies, took some candies from his child and gave them to this young man who was busy in eating the trash that he collected from the bus floor. A coconut vendor also gave him some coconut pieces.

This man got off the bus at the Cantt Railway Station.

I wonder how many more such souls exist who have to go through such times. I wonder the effectiveness of the so – called growth and poverty reduction in the Pakistani economy. I wonder whether we, the “normal” human beings ever think of such people and the life they live, when we sit in our plush air – conditioned drawing rooms and rave and rant endlessly about the “normal” things that affect us.

Today is the birthday of the gadget called Atomic Bomb.

Sixty years ago at the pre – dawn hour at Trinity Site in the desert of New Mexico, a flash of light changed the face of the world forever. The United States test fired its new atomic weapon, and humankind entered a new era. The Nuclear Bomb was born and with it, man suddenly got a tool for his own annihilation, in his own hands.

Since then, humanity has been living under a perpetual threat of destruction. Till this very moment, our lives have been underscored by the nuclear threat. Such he was the consequence of that first firing of the nuclear device that till this day, nations have remained hostage to the nuclear fever.

It led the world to the Cold War arms race and fears of nuclear extinction. Nuclear weapons are still moulding the conduct of business at both the national and international stages. South Asia seeks its illusive security in them; the Americans ad Europeans remain wary of the Axis of Evil constituents, Iran and North Korea, acquiring these weapons.

Nuclear energy seems to be the most terrible thing ever to be discovered by the human mind. However, given proper safeguards, this same discovery can be turned into the greatest from the most terrible. Leaders of the world and the people in control should work upon using it in favour of mankind, rather than against it.

Today, I want to write on a subject about which I’ve felt since long. Today, I read an account in which some perverted mind spewed such malicious poison about my relligion out of sheer ignorance, that I was amazed at how people get influenced by rhetoric without ever trying to get to the truth; that how people believe in whatever they are shown and told and never realize that whatever they are seeing is a pathetic attempt at gross deception.

Such feelings have been there but have got reinvogorated by the recent London bombings. I want to say that my religion is a religion of peace and not a religion of hatred and bloodshed. There is a lot of misconception in this world about the word “Jihad”. And to back the misinformation, the Holy Qur’an is quoted with impunity, but always out of context and with an intent to malign.

What does the word “Jihad” mean? Jihad means to strive; to strive for good against bad. It involves change in one’s own thinking, perception and way of living to subjugate it to the Supreme Will of Allah Almighty. It involves a material effort towards the path of virtue. It involves striving for the establishment of justice. The concept of Jihad also involves war aspects; to fight for justice, in self defence, against an aggressor, is Jihad.

A much quoted verse from the Holy Qur’an is:

“...slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush…” Verse 9:5

And soon after this verse (Verse 5 of Chapter 9), the next verse gets skipped and Verse 7 of Chapter 9 is quoted, which says:

“How can there be a treaty with Allah and with His messenger for the idolaters save those with whom ye made a treaty at the Inviolable Place of Worship? So long as they are true to you, be true to them. Lo! Allah loveth those who keep their duty.” Verse 9:7

However, to get the full picture, it is necessary to know the full context in which these verses were revealed.

Chapter 9 of the Holy Qur’an was revealed in the background of the Conquest of Arabia and the Campaign to Tabuk. If we consider this, we can easily make out the issues confronting the Muslims at that time, crushing the mischievous hypocrites being the prime.

Now, if we look at Chapter 9 of the Holy Qur’an and read the 5th verse in conjunction with the 3rd, 4the and 6th verses, we get a clearer picture of what the Holy Qur’an is saying about:

And a proclamation from Allah and His messenger to all men on the day of the Greater Pilgrimage that Allah is free from obligation to the idolaters, and (so is) His messenger. So, if ye repent, it will be better for you; but if ye are averse, then know that ye cannot escape Allah. Give tidings (O Muhammad) of a painful doom to those who disbelieve, Verse 9:3

Excepting those of the idolaters with whom ye (Muslims) have a treaty, and who have since abated nothing of your right nor have supported anyone against you. (As for these), fulfil their treaty to them till their term. Lo! Allah loveth those who keep their duty (unto Him). Verse 9:4

But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. Verse 9:5

And if anyone of the idolaters seeketh thy protection (O Muhammad), then protect him so that he may hear the Word of Allah, and afterward convey him to his place of safety. That is because they are a folk who know not. Verse 9:6

Thus, it is now becoming clearer that here, Allah is not commanding the muslims to just kill non – muslims for the sake of killing. It was when the non – believers broke the Treaty of Hudaibya, that a new policy for treating these non – believers was revealed to the Holy Prophet (PBUH). In these verses, Allah clearly states that the treaty with the non – believers shall be fulfilled and when the time comes to fight against them, as they violated the terms given by them to the Muslims, the Muslims shall fight in the way of Allah against the non – believers. But, in Verse 6:9, the Holy Qur’an states that those non – believers who seek protection, they should be provided with full protection and be escorted to a safe place.

Now, in today’s world, even the most generous of army generals will not be willing to do such an act as to escort those who seek protection, to a place of safety. The most he would do is that he’ll let them go.

Thus, this is but just one case where it becomes clear that Allah Almighty does not commands killing of non – muslims just for the sake of it, and that Islam infact is not a religion of coercion and undue influence.

Those who planted the bombs in London last week were, no doubt, atrocious and inhumane in their consideration to mankind. However, a fact tha should also not be put to the backstage is that apart from those who committed the heinous act, the responsibility of the bomb attacks also goes to the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair.

Blair hosted the G8 meeting in Scotland, and soon after, London was awarded the 2012 Olympics. Prima facie, this showed that all was well. This cannot be further from the truth.

Against the wishes of the British nation and against the opinion of the international community, Blair indulged himself and the British in the nonsensical misadventure in Iraq, alongwith his American friends. Prior to the invasion, Iraq was not a flashpoint on the global terrorism map. Whatever evil the Saddam regime indulged in, it was essentialy averse to Al – Qaeda. However, since the Anglo – American invasion of Iraq, all equations have changed. High political unstability reigns supreme in that country and it has turned into a very active laboratory for terrorists.

Attacking Iraq, an already crippled and defenceless country in the middle of the arab and muslim world, has poved to be replete with vested interests, specially when the war was based on lies and deceptions. The death, destruction and the misery wrought upon the Iraqi nation as a result of this misadventure has now brought death and destruction to home, in the city of London.

An eye – opener for the muslims in general and the arabs in particular that whatever zionist leaders keep on saying about making peace, the common sentiments of their subjects are based on hatred, racism and a sick ideology. They seem to be having aleast one thing in common with the Nazis – their sick ideology.

Settler Graffiti in Hebron

To expect any good from such people is to live in a fool’s paradise.

These days, it’s off for me. And well into the holidays, I’ve now started to crave for work. I’ve gotten bored with vacations. I always tend to get bored with vacations. I’m sitting here in my home in front of my PC, wondering what to d and thinking about why vacations are there and why people take time off from work.

A very absurd thought, indeed.

TIme is obviously taken off from work to get refreshed and recharged. But why do we humans (or is it only me?) so thankless that when on work, there’s a craving for vactions and while in vacations, there is an equally strung urge to get back to work. But I’m not the sort of a person who will jump at any opportunity to take time off.

Wht should I do? The idiot box, television, is simply unbearable; there is no worthwhile recreation spot in this godforsaken city called Karachi; staring at the PC with no aim isn’t a good solution. I want my workdays back, O God Please, O God, grant me my good workdays. Vacations are taking their toll on me.

Recently, the Election Commission of Pakistan announced the schedule of Local Government Elections to be held all over the country. The acting Chief Election Commissioner, Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, while announcing the schedule, declared that the elections will be held on a non – party basis and warned that interference by political parties in the issues relating to the LG polls will not be tolerated and that appropriate action will be taken against anyone found in violating this provision.

However, what we see is that the LG polls are not being protected from any interference from the political parties.

Although the system of Local Governments, introduced by Gen. Musharraf, is artificial, it has shown mixed results. In some areas of the country, the system failed to prove itself and deliver on its promises and objectives, while in other areas of the country, the same system brought about unthinkable change.

Inspite of the warning from the Election Commission, political parties everywhere in the country are very much involved in elcction campaigns for the much anticipated LG polls. And all such activity is not hidden. Everyday, newspapers contain accounts of such indulgence of the political parties. Therefore, if the Election Commisssion refuses to act upon its warning upon the premise that it did not get reports of such violations of its rules, then the Election Commission should pack up and go home as it cannot then be trusted to conduct elections in a free and fair manner and as the laws demand.

What to say of official commitments, even the ruling party, the PML - Q, is very much occupied by the job of selecting and interviewing potential candidates for the polls.

This is a continual trend from the previous LG polls. Prima facie, the elections are held on a non – party basis but from backstage, the strings are pulled by the political parties.

Thus, why does the Election Commission makes a farce of these elections by always declaring to hold them on a non – party basis? Or if it does intend to hold these polls on a non – party basis, then why does it fails to ensure the implementation of its directives? Afterall, it’s a part of the state machinery.