Smokers’ Corner: The painfully entertaining
I’ve related the story before, but I find the need to relate it again. Especially after watching a ‘born-again Muslim’ actually denouncing (on local TV) a woman parliamentarian’s plea to pass more pro-women laws in the National Assembly and doing away with the controversial laws that were imposed by the Ziaul Haq regime : due to which thousands of mostly innocent women languished in jails for crimes that were actually committed by men!
This was back in 1995. A women’s organisation invited me to a seminar for a discussion dramatically titled “The Casualties of the Hudood Ordinance.”
Interestingly, also present there were a string of pop and television celebrities of the time.
All of them passionately decried the Ordinance (imposed by the Ziaul Haq dictatorship).
Since it was a strictly no-smoking hall, my habit kept me going in and out of the hall, so much that I completely missed my slot as a
speaker. No problem, because I am not much of a speaker and would rather keep quiet and listen.
However, I did manage to ask some of the celebrities present in the hall what they really thought about the Ordinance. All of them insisted they were against it. I asked if so, then how come none of them have ever used their art and talents to address this issue.
One of them who is still pretty popular, said, “It is not for us entertainers.”
“Really?” I asked, surprised. “Then what are you doing here then?”
He said he was there as a common citizen and not as an entertainer. Ironically, he said this while signing autographs for his fans.
“I see,” said I, smiling. “But common citizens do not sign autographs, do they?”
He smiled back, shook his head and moved on.
My eyes then fell upon another famous pop star of the time who today functions as an evangelist of sorts.
Since on most occasions we had remained amiable acquaintances, we did end up talking in that hall.
“So Paracha sahib, Marx kya kehta hai?” (What does Marx say?) He asked, sarcastically.
“Marx koh choro (leave Marx),” I said, “Tum kya kehtay ho?” (Forget Marx. What do you say?).
“Same,” he said confidently. “Same as everyone here. But we being Muslims should look for a middle-ground in this issue. After all, we can’t just repeal a law given to us by Allah!”
“Allah? Or Ziaul Haq?” I asked, still holding my smile.
I was expecting a cynical chuckle at best, but what I got was a tirade of references from various Islamic scriptures. You must remember this
guy was still a pop star and hadn’t turned to preaching.
“But all this is useless to a person like you,” he casually concluded, at the end of his passionate spiel.
“Hmmm … ” I nodded, still holding on to the smile, even though I was slightly ticked off. Then putting a hand on one of his shoulders, I continued: “Now I get it. If this is how our pop stars think, I am wasting my time asking them to use their art for social and political causes.
Of course, you will never use your star status to talk about the Hudood Ordinance, now would you?”
Lo & behold! He said exactly what his contemporary had earlier said. “We are entertainers, yaar, not politicians.”
Irritated, I decided to actually use a part of my unused speech on him. So this (in essence) is how it went…
“You know, Zia’s Ordinances would have been welcomed by Nazi Germany!” I unabashedly announced.
He was shocked: “What do you mean?”
“Well,” I continued, “Women in Nazi Germany were to have a very specific role. Hitler was very clear about this. This role was that they should be good mothers bringing up children at home while their husbands worked. Hitler saw no reason why a woman should work. From their earliest years, girls were taught in their schools that all good German women married a proper German at a young age and the wife’s task was to have children and keep a decent home for her working husband.”
He interrupted: “What has this got to do with the topic at hand?”
“A lot,” said I. “This is got to do with a law passed by a myopic regime in a society that is becoming more and more chauvinistic and intolerant. A society you entertainers, God bless you, are also a part of.”
He stared at me again. But decided to hear me out.
Mentally mapping words from my undelivered speech, I continued: “As housewives and mothers in Nazi Germany, their lives were controlled. Women were not expected to wear make-up or trousers. Only flat shoes were expected to be worn. Women were discouraged from slimming as this was considered bad for child birth. Women were also discouraged from smoking, not because it was linked to problems with pregnancies, but because it was considered non-German to do so. There used to be a song in Nazi Germany. And it went something like this:
‘Take hold of kettle, broom and pan, then you’ll surely get a man, shop and office leave alone, your true life work lies at home.’”
Finally, that cynical chuckle did arrive. But he went very serious when he asked: “So, are you suggesting that our laws are a product of fascists?”
“Yes I am,” said I. “Entertaining, no?”
He never talked to me after that. And/or vice versa.
Unfortunately, most of the commentators on law in Pakistan never care to read it. This goes for either side of the argument. But I question to NFP and many other commentators here: is it upholding of “a law” the real problem in Pakistan, or “lawlessness”. For me the question of a law being good or bad, man-made or God-made, is quite secondary and debatable.
Respected,honorable and reverent Mr paracha your articles always remain an excellent source of information That you laboriously collect from so many sources and resources.your intellectualism is dubious owing to the fact the you hold bias political ideas. And promote an agenda of a certain political part.is that true or not.?I hope you wont take it amiss.
Thanking you.
Pinochet was America’s man in Chile.
America has a few here too. Always had them…one after the other. Should your revert, you die: ZAB, Zia, others.
Good one pal Nadeem
Nadeem Sahib:
Well written! And if you also keep on repeating occasionally hopefully your message will stick with the entertainers. That is, the Hudood laws as well as the Blasphemy law are man-made, not god-given. A long time ago Aristotle said: We are what we repeatedly do. Even rational people tend to believe what is fed to them through the power brokers and establishment. One wonders is this the Land of Pure or Make Believe.
Admin Please,
Do not modify or short cut my comments. You have the right to delete them altogether. When you short cut them, the message a reader wants to convey gets lost or gets changed altogether. When the message gets changed, you are cheating the readers. it is dishonesty. The situation Pakistan is in, it is because for too long the voice of discent has been suppressed and for too long these Allah Ke Thekedar have been having there way and you people have been partner with them consciously or subconsciously. These people, with your help, have made Islam and Pakistan something to be ashamed of — which they are not.
So, please put my full comment or delete it altogrther i.e my comment in response to Tahira’s comment and this one too.
I hope you will be honest enough and brave enough to do the right thing.
Zia Ul Haq managed what the nation achieved with 3 years of Bhutto Rule, Even today, hard liners shamefully denounce Bhutto and praise Zia. The Zia regime was a very very cruel one.
Well, the fact is where Islam begins and where its ends as a throcracy no body really knows. Islam, unlike Christanity never took on the ardous task of (for a lack of a better word) the process of canonization or perhaps what the council of Trent did. There are 101 (modestly speaking) interpretations available for the politically minded Muslim. They know what they do is haraam according to some of the 101 interpreations yet they continue for the simple reason that their objective is never really about Islam it is always political. That is why the sooner people come to grips with the fact that most of these people are not fundmantalists they are political and seek power perhaps going to,the extent of being fascists. let us start calling a duck a duck. Plus, really it gives the fundamentalists a bad name!
I rather think the fault was with jinna’s two nation theory………….. ..zia was just a manifestation of such a fault………with the advent of advance communications the fault of jinna will manifest in many ways…..perhaps at an accelerated pace from now on
Oh come on mate, you should be able to accept the two nation theory now, had India not been a divided society, then after independence Pakistan and India would have been strong allies, but today they are vicious enemies, India has tried everything to destroy this nation, even cut off our water supply.
And Pakistan has tried things too. These people are enemies now, they were not friends before independence either. Accept things and move on, don’t be like BJP or Bal Thakeray.
I don’t know where Pakistanis get an idea of their water supply being cut off. I have seen some shows on this water dispute and no where any of your water experts claimed that India has cut the water supply of Pakistan. They do make claims of India building many dams but that is as per the water treaty. It is the insecurity of Pakistani government and army that India “might” use dams as a weapon if there is a War. So, don’t give India any reason for war.Behave like a good neighbor. Everything will fall in place for you afterwards.
It was not the fault of Jinnah Sahib, rather it was the fault of Nehru and Patel, who derailed the cabinet mission plan, otherwise the the India will remain a united country.
Oh yes and India is such a vast bastian of propriety – deluded individual. Obviously the cow’s urine has gone to your head,
Why do you Indians always bring this topic to all discussions. It isover. Forget about it. We got Pakistan. Live with it.
Ote topic, I think it is sad tha te women are made to suffer to appease the mullahs and male chauvinistics whose ego will hurt if wome were allowed to freely work and live in Pakistan. Its all t do with education. We need to increase the level of education in Pakitan so tha males are more open to ideas of wome independence.
dot dot dot dot dot dot……. (learn the basics of writing before using it as a medium of your feeble opinion based belief)
Sir Ahmed Khan came up with the two nation theory, way before Jinnah’s time. Jinnah actually wrote a book on Hindu Muslim unity. Jinnah was the president of Congress before Gandhi but when Gandhi arrived, Jinnah was sidelined, I think because the majority of India were Hindus and they did not want to be led by a Muslim regardless of his qualifications. Jinnah did not want to divide India but felt the Nehru report based on which independent India’s constitution would be set up was not fair to Muslims, he suggested a 14 point agenda, which was rejected. Then India split. Please check your facts before undermining the greatest Muslim leader of the 20th century. As far as Zia is concerned, he has nothing to do with the two nation theory. During his tenure he deployed a very strict and perhaps wrong version of Islam based on his tiny brain’s understanding and greed for Saudi/ American money to turn Pakistanis against socialism.
@Mani: Thank you for setting the record straight. Excellent comments on Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and Jinnah. Good to find educated comments here…getting rare by the day.
Pakistan is still strong despite all the odds and standing tall even after 60 years of independence. Long live Pakistan and long live Jinnah.
Without Jinnah you could not be here posting. Obviously you can’t on your side.