| September 28, 2006 | Thursday | Ramazan 4, 1427 |
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Self-respect is priceless
Indian movie-makers
Quaid’s death anniversary
Islam in the eyes of western media
Above the rest
Utility bills payment
KDA Scheme 33
No angry gods
Wake-up call for Pakistanis
Sword of honour
Readers are requested to restrict their comments to a maximum of 400 words. We reserve the right to edit letters for reasons of clarity and space. Letters, including those by e-mail, should carry the complete postal address of the sender. The views expressed in these columns do not necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper.—Editor
LET me share with Dawn readers an enlightened Israeli’s rejoinder to Pope Benedict for the nonsense he uttered against Islam.
The Israeli is Mr Uri Avnery, a scholar and peace activist and once a Knesset member. In an article, Mr Avnery first corrects the verse number which the pope quoted and then says, “The treatment of other religions by Islam must be judged by a simple test: how did the Muslim rulers behave for more than a thousand years when they had the power to ‘spread the faith by the sword’?” For many centuries, he says, the Muslims ruled Greece. “Did the Greeks become Muslims? Did anyone try to Islamise them? On the contrary Christian Greeks held the highest positions in the Ottoman administration. The Bulgarians, Serbs, Romanians, Hungarians and other European nations lived at one time or another under Ottoman rule and clung to their Christian faith. Nobody compelled them to become Muslims and all of them remained devoutly Christians”.
Then he points to a fact which perhaps most Pakistanis do not know. When the Crusaders invaded Palestine, the majority had remained Christian in spite of 400 years of Muslim rule. Then “in the name of gentle Jesus”, he says, the Crusaders “massacred its Muslim and Jewish inhabitants”.
He adds: “There is no evidence whatsoever of any attempt to impose Islam on Jews. As is well known, under Muslim rule, the Jews of Spain enjoyed a boom the like of which the Jews did not enjoy anywhere else until almost our time.”
Then giving the names of some great Jewish poets and scholars, Mr Avnery says, “In Muslim Spain, Jews were ministers, poets, and scientists” and “Christian, Jewish and Muslim scholars worked together and translated ancient Greek philosophical and scientific texts. That was indeed the Golden Age. How would this have been possible had the Prophet decreed the ‘spreading of the faith by the sword’?” Then he refers to the re-conquest of Spain by Catholics and says: “The Jews and Muslims were presented with a cruel choice: to become Christians, to be massacred or to leave”. Then he asks, “Where did the hundreds of thousands of Jews ... escape? Almost all of them were received with open arms in the Muslim countries. The Jews settled all over the Muslim world, from Morocco...to Iraq, from Bulgaria (then part of the Ottoman empire)… to Sudan. Nowhere were they persecuted. They knew nothing like the tortures of the Inquisition… and the terrible mass expulsions that took place in almost all Christian countries up to the Holocaust”.
He asks, “Why?” and then he answers, “Because Islam expressly prohibited any persecution of ‘peoples of the book’. In Islamic society, a special place was reserved for Jews and Christians...” Then he says something touching: “Every honest Jew who knows the history of his people cannot but feel a deep sense of gratitude to Islam, which has protected the Jews for fifty generations, while the Christian world persecuted the Jews and tried many times ‘by the word’ to get them to abandon their faith”. The story about “spreading the faith by the sword”, he says “is an evil legend, one of the myths that grew up in Europe” during the many wars with Muslims. He adds,” I suspect that the German pope, too, honestly believe in these fables…”
The Muslims too ruled India for a thousand years but chose to remain a minority rather than become a majority by persecuting the Hindus. Even Delhi had a non-Muslim majority till the fall of the Mughal empire.
RIZWAN YASSIN
Karachi
OFFICIALS were aghast and journalists were incredulous when Gen Musharraf turned a White House press conference into a book promotion, helped in some measure by President Bush who was only too happy to have his ally duck the question pertaining to the reported threat by Mr Armitage to bomb Pakistan into the Stone Age.
For President Musharraf some extra book royalty dollars are more important than the ‘izzat’ of the proud people of Pakistan, as he ridiculed his own country publicly. The latest revelation smacks of cowardice and submission.
No Indian leader would like to do or dare to do such a thing, as sovereign people of India would just get rid of him or her. They taught Indira Gandhi a lesson for declaring even a brief spell of emergency. The people of Pakistan, while individually brave and with care for honour, are impotent in front of the guns of their own army.
India’s main political parties have unanimously criticised President Gen Pervez Musharraf’s version of the Kargil conflict as detailed in his autobiography as more lies from Musharraf. President Musharraf’s attempt to undermine the Indian army to save his personal reputation from self-inflicted damage will come back to haunt him and Pakistan. In this he has performed another disservice for Pakistan.
VIPUL THAKORE
London, UK
PRESIDENT Pervez Musharraf’s book In the Line of Fire is no doubt written in a very readable style though its contents are highly controversial.
But what simply cannot be forgiven, considering the fact that a publisher of repute has published it, are the many errors in the dates of important events. Here is a list of some of the errors I detected:
Iskander Mirza’s coup: Oct 8, 1958 (it was Oct 7) – p. 156
Ayub Khan’s coup: Oct 28, 1958 (it was Oct 27, 1958) – p. 156
Year of Benazir Bhutto’s second dismissal: 1997 (it was November 1996) – p.162
Census in Pakistan: 1997 (it was 1998) – p.169
Any good editor familiar with Pakistan’s history could have corrected these dates immediately.
HUMA
Karachi
SOMETIMES I watch Indian movies courtesy cable network. I am surprised why Indian film-makers tend to copy American movies and that too without any reference. This is unfair and unjustified.
I guess India has a population of more than one billion people, some of them are real genius, and original. There is no dearth of creative writers and producers and actors in India, why then do Indians plagiarise popular American movies?
I was shocked when I watch in disgust the Indian copy of American movie ‘Collateral’ recently.
Similarly, scores of foreign movies, with similar themes and stories with actors in similar dresses, have become routine. Since this newspaper is read by many Indians who live in India and overseas, I request them not to allow their money-minting film-makers to bring into disrepute the names of Tagore, Munshi Premchand, Amitabh, Naseeruddin Shah, Nanapatekar, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Ajay Dewgan, Kajool, Salim Javed and Shabana Azmi.
There is no point in copying when you have enormous talent. Indian movies and plays are popular in Pakistan not because of copy but due to their originality.
YOUSUF KHAN
Karachi
SEPTEMBER 11 was supposed to have been a day of remembrance for all times to come for the nation of Pakistan as on in this day Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah died in 1948.
However, the unfortunate events of Sept 11, 2001 in New York have changed the course of history for the time ahead.
It is uneasy to note that Pakistani television channels in their news bulletins on 9/11 gave top coverage to the memorial ceremonies for 9/11, 2001, followed by the political jugglery over Hudood Ordinance and mostly Jinnah’s death anniversary news was fifth on the agenda.
The implications of this sea-change are not subtle, after all the entire nation must have noticed already that the present chief minister of Punjab holds his official meetings with two equal-sized pictures of Jinnah and Musharraf on the back wall.
I wonder what is the Punjab government going to do with these huge portraits of Musharraf once he is gone.
DR H. BASHIR
Canterbury, UK
THIS is in reply to Anil Khan Luni’s letter (Sept 21) on the above subject.
He has mostly mentioned women’s rights. Women are not allowed to be judges, yet we have women judges in some of the most conservative Islamic countries, including Pakistan.
Women are not allowed to be rulers, yet Muslim countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan have had women Muslim rulers.
In 1984 when the Democrats had nominated a woman to run for vice president in the US, they lost 49 out of 50 states. Americans don’t discriminate. They just exclude certain type of people.
Last year when Amna Wadood led Friday prayers in New York, the whole western world was behind her.
I would like to know if a woman is allowed to give the Eucharist in church.
Why don’t women in the West fight for their own rights first? They should stop worrying about Muslims and democracy in Muslim countries. Our lives are none of their business. They are not trying to help us but fighting for their own vested interests because it’s all about money.
If they really want to help, then there is a place called Africa which definitely needs more help than the Middle East.
IMAD QURESHI
Indianapolis, USA
I FULLY endorse the opinion expressed by Ardeshir Cowasjee in his column ‘A continued exercise in futility’ (Sept 24) that a few leaders deserve praise for being morally and materially above board in the entire history of country. However, a name that he fails to mention deserves inclusion in the exalted list if acceptance of the office of prime minister from a dictator is condoned in the first place. This name is Muhammad Khan Junejo.
The reason I place him amongst the said category of leaders is that he was amongst the very few who never changed his political party, an uncommon phenomenon in Pakistan; and after removal from the office no charge of corruption or nepotism was made against him. Even when hand-picked by Gen Zia as prime minister, he did not yield to his wishes blindly. Gen (r) K. M. Arif in his memoir Working with Zia — Pakistan’s power politics 1977-1988 has described Junejo’s first encounter with Zia:
“Warmly greeting Mr Junejo, Zia congratulated him on his election to the National Assembly and said, ‘I have decided to nominate you as a Prime Minster of Pakistan’. Without expressing words of thanks he said, ‘Mr President, when do you plan to lift the martial law?’ The reply was startling, hence the relationship between the president and his nominated prime minister started on an icy note.”
Junejo not only remained steadfast during his entire tenure but he took certain decisions to the chagrin of his nominator such as removing a minister of his cabinet on charges of corruption, conducting roundtable conference to arrive at the consensus on the Afghan issue and invited Benazir Bhutto, an arch rival of Zia; without Zia’s approval he executed the Geneva accord to end conflict in Afghanistan; ordered senior officers to use modest 800cc vehicle.
His views on the Ojhri Camp inquiry proved to be the proverbial last straw as Zia used the draconian law 58(2)(b) to remove him from office on May 30, 1988, i.e., exactly after three years, two months and seven days. At the time of Zia’s burial, Junejo, the man he dismissed, was also present to lend his shoulder to the coffin and put handful of earth into his grave as a mark of respect. Obviously he forgave the deceased for the wrong inflicted on him not very long ago.
Today even his detractors would agree that the late Muhammad Khan Junejo was a man of upright and impeccable disposition.
MANSOOR UL HAQ SOLANGI
Karachi
THE ordeals of paying utility bills by the residents of Block-18, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Karachi, are on the wane. A branch of Faysal Bank in Block-18, which was previously not accepting utility bills has, in compliance with the directive of the State Bank of Pakistan, started taking utility bills. The staff is very courteous and the senior citizens and handicapped clients are being given special attention by the bank staff. Hope they will keep it on.
But the branch of Soneri Bank in Block-18 and the branches of the KASB Bank and the branch of Al’Habib Bank in Block-17 of Gulistan-i-Jauhar are still not accepting any bill to the great discomfiture of the residents of the block.
It is requested that the State Bank may take cognizance of it and re-direct the said branches of the banks to accept all the utility bills and provide the other facilities as directed by the SBP. The defiant branches of the said banks should boldly mention that utility bills are accepted by them for the convenience of the general public.
M. SHAFIQUE AHMED
Karachi
THIS is to draw the attention of all government agencies and the public at large to Scheme No.33 of Karachi which has been utterly neglected.
The development work for providing infrastructure, including building of all perimeter roads, laying of water supply and sewerage lines, has been stalled on one pretext or the other by all successive governments since the inception of this scheme in 1971.
Many other residential schemes announced later have been developed; but Scheme No. 33 has been conspicuously bypassed.
On the contrary, land mafia has encroached upon the land of societies and also the surrounding government land.
It is learnt that recently the scheme was transferred to the city government. Many meetings and deliberations are held and directives issued by government functionaries as regularly reported in newspapers, but in practice nothing is happening.
Thousands of plot owners in various societies of the scheme have been waiting for three decades for implementation of this scheme. The prices of properties are skyrocketing. Even a small two-room apartment now costs up to two million rupees which is beyond the reach of an ordinary citizen.
Those who are sitting in luxury bungalows will never realise the problems faced by small plot holders awaiting the development of the scheme so that they may be able to build a shelter for their families.
It is hoped that the chief minister, the governor and all concerned will look into the affairs of this most neglected scheme and will expedite its completion in right earnest.
M. HASHIM
Karachi
THIS refers to Ayaz Amir’s column ‘Why are the gods angry with us?’ (Sept 1). Ayaz Amir is dead wrong. The gods are not angry at all. On the contrary, they are and have always been very kind.
In the 59 years of the country, there is hardly an occasion to rejoice about. The gods have given the people a free rein to do what they want. Be it the assassination of a prime minister or musical chairs being played in Islamabad, these matters are too trivial for them (gods) to worry about.
Only once in the life of the country they had to intervene: when they found that the two brothers could not live together in the same house, and separated them. Ever since, it has been the same merry-go-around.
Where in the world can people indulge in the sale of large assets, sugar and cement scams, free trips to the holy land for the loved ones of ministers, forced regularisation of illegal buildings, etc., etc. (the list is endless), without shedding a tear? Why should anyone complain when the gods have given the people the most cherished thing: freedom?
ALI HAQQANI
Karachi
OVER the years Pakistan has become nothing more than a satellite country, which serves other nations rather than its own inhabitants.
The country’s political wing is devastated. For this we have no one else to blame but ourselves.
The military seems to be the only sovereign authority which rules in the name of pseudo-democracy.
The reason for this military intervention is driven by two major factors. First, after the creation of the state the political structure got into the hands of administratively weak landlords who were not even remotely linked with politics.
Second, America worked better with the country’s armed forces and knew how to handle them. In fact, the US rules the world by placing puppets in regions that interest it the most.
President Hamid Karzai is one such viceroy and our own Gen Musharraf is another. But why do we let this happen? The answer is simple: because we are just not bothered.
I would here quote the example of Venezuela which is considered by the West itself as one of the most democratically elected governments.
When President Chavez’s government was toppled by an American-sponsored military coup, the whole nation marched onto the streets and refused to welcome the American puppet. We should ask ourselves whether we are prepared to do the same.
BURHAN JAVAID
Cambridge, UK
SAIRA Amin became the first woman cadet in history of the defence forces to win the sword of honour from Pakistan Air Force Academy (Sept 23). Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Ahmad Khan said: “I must say that it is a source of inspiration for all Pakistani women, which is indeed a unique achievement, and I wish her success in her future assignments as well.”
Besides Saira Amin, two other women pilots completed the GD course. My heart started to beat rapidly when I read the news.
I felt as if I had been granted the sword of honour. It’s true that today women are joining every field and proving themselves worthy. Only a few years ago women were not allowed to do this, but now the government and the media have really boosted their confidence and they are being encouraged to participate actively in every field.
Thanks to the government and the media. I would like to congratulate Saira Amin on behalf of all the women of Pakistan on her success. Well done, Saira.
TAHIRA HUSSAIN
Lahore
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