Pakistan: Our only home

Pakistan faces multiple challenges from poor governance and corruption of the ruling groups to internal strife and insecurity. Among all the problems we have accumulated over the decades, it is the intolerance, hate and violence of a minority of extremists that threatens our national security, peace and social order. We have mourned the slaying of three of the most vocal Pakistani leaders in about three years. Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was the first, then Salmaan Taseer and now, Shahbaz Bhatti. All of them were the modern face of Pakistan, had a progressive outlook towards society and their presence in Pakistani politics portrayed a positive picture of us. Sadly, they are gone.
With the gunning down of these leaders, we must do some soul searching about what has gone wrong with Pakistan. I do admit that, largely, Pakistani society is tolerant and pluralistic in character, but we may lose that if the political leadership, state institutions and political governments continue to show ineptitude towards extremist outfits. No society, let alone Pakistan with its rising tide of extremism, can survive or do well in a climate of insecurity, fear and everyday target killing of religious and political leaders by their opponents.
The global climate has turned against us, for explainable and well-known reasons — we have failed, and continue to fail, to take the extremists to task. It would be suicidal for all of us to disregard our intellectual, political or religious labels and allow this to happen. We have a choice and here I am talking about the civic-minded and those rooted in Pakistan and not thinking of the choices that George Fulton has made — as a result of which he has left the country for a place with a better social climate. May he and those who would like to quit Pakistan under the shadow of fear live in peace and progress more in the lands of their choice!
For us, the sons and daughters of the Indus, who have lived here for thousands of years, Pakistan is our land, our home, and the only home. The sacrifices of our heroes — the Bhuttos, Taseer and Bhatti — and the mixing of their blood in our soil gives me more of a reason to live and die in this country. But we must live and die for a purpose, and there is no better purpose than to do something for our own people, who are being robbed by the ruling groups — their opportunities for a better future for their children are shrinking with each act of terrorism and violence.
What can we do to get Pakistan back from corrupt ruling classes and the terrorists? I don’t see much difference between the two because corruption and murders are simply two sides of violence against society; one kills in daylight, while the looting strangulates the society and creates desperate social conditions that create a fascistic and intolerant world view.
The first step is to rationally engage in discourse on what has gone wrong with Pakistan and throw all conspiracy theories in the Arabian Sea — bury them there forever. Second, silence is not a choice anymore. Speaking up is the only option we have to save the country and our children from falling victim to the generalised violence that Pakistani society seems to be sliding into. Third, we have strong norms of resistance in our culture and literary tradition against injustice and authoritarianism.
Let us revive and strengthen further the culture of resistance by standing up and talking to the power that is failing its part of social compact. And forge social solidarity, above the political divide, against our enemy — the terrorist.

By Rasul Bakhsh Rais

Valentine Day, Birthdays, and Other Daze

There is a group of practices that we can consider as the twin sister of bid'ah. Like bid'ah they flourish on the twin foundations of ignorance and outside influence. Like bid'ah they entail rituals. But unlike bid'ah the rituals have not been given an Islamic face. They are followed because they are considered an acceptable cultural practice or the hottest imported "in" thing.

Most of those who indulge in them do not know what they are doing. They are just blind followers of their equally blind cultural leaders. Little do they realize that what they consider as innocent fun may in fact be rooted in paganism. That the symbols they embrace may be symbols of unbelief. That the ideas they borrow may be products of superstition. That all of these may be a negation of what Islam stands for.

Christianity tried to stop the evil celebration of Lupercalia. Its only success was in changing the name from Lupercalia to St. Valentine's Day

Consider Valentine's Day, a day that after dying out a well deserved death in most of Europe (but surviving in Britain and United States) has suddenly started to emerge across a good swath of Muslim countries. Who was Valentine? Why is this day observed? Legends abound, as they do in all such cases, but this much is clear: Valentine's Day began as a pagan ritual started by Romans in the 4th century BCE to honor the god Lupercus. The main attraction of this ritual was a lottery held to distribute young women to young men for "entertainment and pleasure"--until the next year's lottery. Among other equally despicable practices associated with this day was the lashing of young women by two young men, clad only in a bit of goatskin and wielding goatskin thongs, who had been smeared with blood of sacrificial goats and dogs. A lash of the "sacred" thongs by these "holy men" was believed to make them better able to bear children.

As usual, Christianity tried, without success, to stop the evil celebration of Lupercalia. It first replaced the lottery of the names of women with a lottery of the names of the saints. The idea was that during the following year the young men would emulate the life of the saint whose name they had drawn. (The idea that you can preserve the appearance of a popular evil and yet somehow turn it to serve the purpose of virtue, has survived. Look at all those people who are still trying, helplessly, to use the formats of popular television entertainments to promote good. They might learn something from this bit of history. It failed miserably) Christianity ended up doing in Rome, and elsewhere, as the Romans did.

How can anyone in his right mind think that Islam would be indifferent to practices seeped in anti-Islamic ideas and beliefs?

The only success it had was in changing the name from Lupercalia to St. Valentine's Day. It was done in CE 496 by Pope Gelasius, in honor of some Saint Valentine. There are as many as 50 different Valentines in Christian legends. Two of them are more famous, although their lives and characters are also shrouded in mystery. According to one legend, and the one more in line with the true nature of this celebration, St. Valentine was a "lovers'" saint, who had himself fallen in love with his jailer's daughter.

Due to serious troubles that accompanied such lottery, French government banned the practice in 1776. In Italy, Austria, Hungry, and Germany also the ritual vanished over the years. Earlier, it had been banned in England during the 17th century when the Puritans were strong. However in 1660 Charles II revived it. From there it also reached the New World, where enterprising Yankees spotted a good means of making money. Esther A. Howland, who produced one of the first commercial American Valentine's Day cards called--- what else--- valentines, in the 1840s, sold $5,000 worth--when $5,000 was a lot of money--the first year. The valentine industry has been booming ever since.

It is the same story with Halloween, which has otherwise normal human beings dressing like ghosts and goblins in a reenactment of an ancient pagan ritual of demon worship. Five star hotels in Muslim countries arrange Halloween parties so the rich can celebrate the superstitions of a distant period of ignorance that at one time even included the shameful practice of human sacrifice. The pagan name for that event was Samhain (pronounced sow-en). Just as in case of Valentine's Day, Christianity changed its name, but not the pagan moorings.

Christmas is another story. Today Muslim shopkeepers sell and shoppers buy Christmas symbols in Islamabad or Dubai or Cairo. To engage in a known religious celebration of another religion is bad enough. What is worse is the fact that here is another pagan celebration (Saturnalia) that has been changed in name ---and in little else--- by Christianity.

During joys and sorrows, during celebrations and sufferings, we must follow the one straight path --- not many divergent paths.

Even the celebration considered most innocent might have pagan foundations. According to one account, in pagan cultures, people feared evil spirits - especially on their birthdays. It was a common belief that evil spirits were more dangerous to a person when he or she experienced a change in their daily life, such as turning a year older. So family and friends surrounded the person with laughter and joy on their birthdays in order to protect them from evil.

How can anyone in his right mind think that Islam would be indifferent to practices seeped in anti-Islamic ideas and beliefs? Islam came to destroy paganism in all its forms and it cannot tolerate any trace of it in the lives of its followers.

Further, Islam is very sensitive about maintaining its purity and the unique identity of its followers. Islamic laws and teachings go to extra lengths to ensure it. Salat is forbidden at the precise times of sunrise, transition, and sunset to eliminate the possibility of confusion with the practice of sun worship. To the voluntary recommended fast on the tenth of Muharram, Muslims are required to add another day (9th or 11th) to differentiate it from the then prevalent Jewish practice. Muslims are forbidden to emulate the appearance of non-Muslims.

A Muslim is a Muslim for life. During joys and sorrows, during celebrations and sufferings, we must follow the one straight path --- not many divergent paths. It is a great tragedy that under the constant barrage of commercial and cultural propaganda from the forces of globalization and the relentless media machine, Muslims have begun to embrace the Valentines, the Halloween ghost, and even the Santa Claus. Given our terrible and increasing surrender to paganism the only day we should be observing is a day of mourning. Better yet it should be a day of repentance that could liberate us from all these days. And all this daze.

Jobless Afghans

AFGHANS have spent most of their lives either fighting infiltrators or amongst themselves. Infighting has resulted in the destruction of their homeland and the plundering of their own resources….
Before 1957, when Afghanistan signed agreements with Russia to construct roads and dams, the majority of Afghans were working in projects under the five-year plan. In many areas … a large number of Afghans were employed in the construction of roads and dams…. As electricity production started, industry also gave many Afghans job opportunities. But later, when the pro-Russians in Afghanis- tan set up a government … unemployment emerged aga- in. Even earlier, during the rule of Sardar Daud Khan, many Afghans were unem- ployed but they still enjoyed the right to live and search for work in their homeland. It was not like this during the failed Communist govern- ment system.… Dollars are now pouring in- to Afghanistan yet the prob- lem remains, as these funds are going into the accounts of some foreign companies and their contractors. About 95 per cent Afghans are jobless and counting their last days. The lack of strong institutions and opportunities is forcing Afghans to go abroad and risk their lives in search of work. The situation is pushing Afghans towards death with every passing moment....
[T]he country has been in a state of civil war for 30 years and then for the next 30 years the population has been bombed in every district. Even then, the Afghan people are united and stand strong in the face of all these odds.… A boat carrying 22 Afghans capsized and all the men hoping to find work abroad went missing at sea near Greece. The Afghan government should be blamed for this sorry situation. Despite an elected government and all the dollars pouring into Afghanistan, the Afghans are still risking their lives in search of work… How long will Afghans have to live like this? For how long will Afghans be killed in foreign lands? It is time the Afghan government pondered this situation.

By Daily Wahdat,

Regulate the lobbyists

LOBBYISTS are in the news for all the wrong reasons. The tragic killings, just outside Tucson, Arizona, on Jan 8, of a federal judge, a 9-year-old girl and four others, and the serious wounding of Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford's, drew attention to the liberal gun laws in the United States.
But efforts to impose reasonable limits on gun ownership were defeated by one of the country’s most powerful lobbyist organizations, the National Rifle Association. It is equaled in power and influence on policy only by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Last year, India’s media and politicians were shaken by the news of corporate lobbyist Niira Radia. She acquired a huge fortune in less than a decade and counts industrialists such as Ratan Tata and Mukesh Ambani among her clients. What disturbed people the most were her frantic exertions during the cabinet formation to secure her favourite a portfolio which would help her and her clients. A sweeping condemnation of lobbying would be wrong. As Zubeida Mustafa pointed out in a very cogently argued article ‘The anatomy of advocacy’ published in this newspaper on Dec 21, we need human rights activists to take up causes, argue them with facts and figures and pursue their cause. “In a country where social injustice is rampant, democratic traditions are weak, illiteracy rates are high, intolerance is common and the rule of law virtually absent, no disadvantaged section of society can take it for granted that it will get its rights in due course and must depend on advocacy and lobbying to move its cause forward, bringing it to the attention of lawmakers, the judiciary and administration,” she wrote.
However, Ms Mustafa deplores the American model which “carries it to the extreme by reducing it to a financial transaction”. Not just in the US but also in Europe and in many Third World countries, the presence of the professional lobbyist who peddles influence for a fee is a reality. As economies grow and the role of the state expands, so will the opportunities for the lobbyist. Ms Radia’s success reveals how far lobbyists can go.
Where, then, do we draw the line? The problem must be faced realistically and a solution devised effectively. The lobbyist needs partners in the media and among legislators and ministers. Members of parliament are generally contacted by lobbyists. To acquire contacts they enlist the services of eminent personalities in the media who would enjoy the necessary range and ease of access.
It is for representative professional bodies of the media themselves — certainly not for the state — to formulate a code of conduct and appoint its monitors. The British Press Complaints Commission adjudicates on complaints of violations of a code of conduct drafted by editors of eminence.
The House of Commons has a Register of Members’ Interests with a registrar who not only compiles data but also receives complaints from the public. Nine classes of pecuniary interests are required to be disclosed. They are wide enough to include payments received from lobbyists. They include remunerated directorship of companies, public or private, remunerated employments or offices, remunerated trades, professions or vocations, the names of clients when the interests include personal services by the member which arise out of or are related in any manner to his membership of the house, and much else besides.
There is a code of conduct for MPs which prohibits paid advocacy on behalf of outside bodies. An independent Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards monitors the operation of the code. But by far the greatest check on breaches of rules or improprieties by paid lobbyists is the vigilance of highly specialized business correspondents. Transparency is the best safeguard against abuses in public life, whether in politics, commerce or industry. Legislation can ensure transparency by imposing on lobbyists a duty to register themselves. The register will, of course, be open to public scrutiny.
Under Section 4 of the US Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, every lobbyist or his employer must register with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives. As well as details about himself and his area of work, he is required to disclose the identity of his client “and a general description of its business or activities”.
Lobbying is here to stay and such work is certain to attract increasing attention. Now is the time to consider what legislation to enact to prevent or curb the excesses or improprieties by lobbyists. The Third World is particularly vulnerable.

By A. G. Noorani