[2 Dec 2009 | 44 Comments | 5,806 views]
The myth of Ghazwa-tul-Hind

Religion has quite frequently been used as an excuse for military motives. Talking specifically about Islam, hadees has been used as a tool to invent excuses for political motivations and military interventions/attacks as and when required.
There has been enormous hue and cry over Ghazwa-tul-Hind for years. This was probably first used by self-styled Jihadi activists in Pakistan for getting public support in Pakistan and raising funds to be used in their attacks in Kashmir with the aim of conquering India and creating what they call dar-ul-Islam. It is very interesting …

Related Posts with Thumbnails Read the full story »

general »

[17 Feb 2010 | No Comment | 70 views]
Morality isn’t the monopoly of any faith

Its common to hear the argument that the world would be immoral; people would become completely unethical turning into animals if they start being skeptical on religion. Its believed that the source of morality is one’s religion. True, that religions are a source of inspiration but the belief that once religion fades away from the society, it becomes immoral, shatters once you look at Scandinavian states or other parts of Europe like UK. Those societies despite of a dramatic increase in people leaving religion are more moral in nature than societies which are more …

general »

[14 Feb 2010 | 2 Comments | 225 views]
What it means to be a Liberal Muslim ?

Liberal and Progressive Muslims have been advocating the reinterpretation of Islam and its message. They claim to be different from traditional Muslims for they believe in reformation of religion using Ijtehad; with an emphasis on use of reason and intellect. They believe in interpreting the sources of religion on a metaphoric basis and not literal. The core difference is on the interpretation of application of core Islamic values and laws.Â
There is no consensus between liberal, progressive and reformist Muslims on their views but they all agree on reinterpretation of the …

general »

[8 Feb 2010 | 4 Comments | 95 views]
Stand up for the Mujahideen

The following video has been making rounds on internet: social networking websites, blogs and twitter. I also received it through a couple of forwarded emails.

The video asks you to Stand up for the Champions. No. Not any football league, not the T20 champions. This time it seeks applause for Mujahideen, Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Usama Bin Laden and others. The video shows clips and images of Usama and others glorifying them as Muslim heroes fighting America or maghrib.
Reality Check: Champions and Music

Taliban banned Music in Pakistan for being haraam in Islam. ( …

politics »

[3 Feb 2010 | 5 Comments | 175 views]
How better defense is possible without nukes?

I have been reading Asghar Khan’s “We’ve learnt nothing from History“. For those who don’t know, Asghar Khan was a fighter pilot and served as the head of PAF and later PIA. He was President of a political party named Pakistan Tehreek-e-Istaqlal which played a vital role in opposition to Bhutto. The passage that follows is an excerpt from this book which discusses Pakistan’s nuclear capability and provides a security and threat analysis in light of our nukes. This analysis, from an ex-head of PAF should be a must read …

general »

[2 Feb 2010 | 4 Comments | 69 views]
Sufi as a linguist: Rumi

The parable that follows was originally composed by the greatest of all Sufi poets, Jalal ad-Din Rumi (d. 1273) and recounted by Idris Shah, the Grand Shaykh of Sadarna.

A Persian, a Turk, and Arab and a Greek were traveling to a distant land when they began arguing over how to spend the single coin they posessed among themselves. All four craved food, but the Persian wanted to spend the coin on angur; the Turk, on uzum; the Arab, on inab; and the Greek, on stafil. The argument became heated as …

general, politics »

[23 Jan 2010 | 12 Comments | 1,664 views]
Breaking News: Zaid Hamid betrayed me, says Lubna.

BREAKING NEWS : Lubna claims that Zaid Hamid has betrayed her.

Dear Readers,

I am going to present an exclusive interview with Lubna, an ex-ardent follower of Zaid Hamid. She tells her story of love for Hamid and claims that he betrayed her. You are going to witness some shocking insights into this love-affair!

Interviewer : So, Lubna. Can you please tell something about yourself and your life ?

Activism, politics »

[23 Jan 2010 | No Comment | 99 views]
Roots of Religious Right (Video)

Books don’t generate interest for the youth which has been fed emotional taka-tak of religion, nationalism, chauvinism and false history.

Activism, general »

[21 Jan 2010 | One Comment | 139 views]
Finding Heaven

I am glad to have found this video on YouTube this morning.
Pakistan has been going through the current turmoil for years. Religious extremists with their suicide bombing and other modes of terror have attacked the very fabric of society and culture. Unfortunately, no artist from the mainstream had come forward to condemn them.
Abrar-ul-Haq, with his recent title Yaad Khuda Di from the unreleased album is probably the pioneer in taking on suicide bombing through music. But, he is not alone now.
Finding Heaven is a music video by a young Pakistani …

politics »

[16 Jan 2010 | One Comment | 280 views]
Zaid Hamid and a billion musketeers

Zionist!
What if i say Zaid Hamid is a Zionist and he has an agenda against Pakistan. Do i need any proof when i say that? No certainly not, specially if i am Zaid Hamid. If i am him,I will just need to find a conspiracy.
So lets work on this, lets find a conspiracy. The conspiracy here is that why does he always bring up this word in everything he has to say? Why is he so against them? What is he trying to hide? He must be a Zionist himself …

politics »

[12 Jan 2010 | 4 Comments | 236 views]
Allama Iqbal – Is he still relevant?

Is Allama Iqbal relevant to us?
Given the current turmoil, which has made it abundantly clear that the people of Pakistan desire a truly representative democratic civilian order, the question above has become very relevant. Essentially — this begs four questions that ought to be answered to understand the relevance of Allama Iqbal to Pakistan today.
1. What were Iqbal’s views on democracy and how did they fit into the overall Iqbalian-Ijtehadi Islamic thought?
2. How and why did Iqbal become the national poet and philosopher of Pakistan?
3. What has been the nature …

general, politics »

[2 Jan 2010 | 2 Comments | 256 views]
Was Iqbal a Socialist ?

By Fahd/Commoner
Many of Allama Muhammad Iqbal’s poems testify to his sincere interest in the teachings of socialism. He was drawn to socialism by the thought of unity and equality of mankind and the principle of the division of material goods according to the needs of the members of the society. On the other hand, Iqbal was unable to accept a materialistic view of the world and the scientific dialectical methods with which socialism was inevitably linked. In this he was influenced by his deep religious faith and undoubtedly also by …

NRO has been declared null and void but I am afraid of the fall-outs of this decisions on democracy in the country. PPP is arguing that the accountability process is selective and is targeting them. I'll have to agree but I still have set high hopes from the CJP and SC; for the independence of which we all have struggled. I wish and hope this process will be applied to all the Khakis, bureaucrats and Mullah/Saudi sponsored politicians. Meezan Bank case, ISI money case, attacking the SC of Sajjad Ali shah case, Qarz Utaro scheme, Lal Masjid case, Musharraf's trial and many more need to be taken as enthusiastically as this one.

An open letter to the CJP Iftikhar Chaudry after the NRO decission by Bilal Qureshi which I find very interesting can be read HERE.

Another opinion on the SC judgement over NRO by Asma Jahangir which I like can be found HERE.

(3)

NRO Case: Asif Zardari ko chor sabit karnay ki koshish Ather Masood gives an alternate opinion on the political disturbances after the NRO judgement of the SC and the case itself. A very interesting read with some facts you may like. Click HERE to read. (2)

LifeStyle »

[19 Dec 2009 | 5 Comments | 216 views]
Band Palastar dhaaba ( بن پلستر  )

Tired at work and fed-up of the so called “cyber-war”, it was a time for some fun. Good food helps but no fancy restaurant is my preference most of the times.
Lets explore dhaaba-delights of Lahore. Band Palastar ( بن پلستر  ) coming your way!
I Googled to see if there is anything about Band Palastar available online but closed down Google with disappointment. How can Lahori bloggers miss such cheap and delicious desi burger ? (No, its not really a burger, continue reading).
One of the most densely populated areas of Lahore, Sanda Road is home to …

Activism, general »

[17 Dec 2009 | 3 Comments | 168 views]
Shutdown all the hospitals?

By Jareer Ahsan

Image of the stickers in use during the campaign to get the hospital shut down.

I know I may get heavily criticized for writing this, but I can’t remain silent anymore. I recognize that the grief is immense and I cannot claim to possibly comprehend it. But I severely deplore the acts of vengeance against doctors being purported as justice. There is a huge difference between manslaughter and murder, the former done without the will to do so. Yet it was indeed criminal negligence on the part of accused …

Related Posts with Thumbnails