For Pakistan: Secularism or Religious Chauvinism
By Salman Mugsi • Dec 20th, 2008 • Category: Politics, Worth A Second Look • 5 CommentsStill after more than sixty year of our independence, we are unable to decide that what really our founding father Quaid-e-Azam wanted when he made it happened. Or are we too afraid, confused or simply equivocal that we don’t want to face the reality?
Islam teaches about unity, yet we see that after all these years, the animosity is being fanned on the ethnic and religious basis throughout Pakistan. Just take the recent example of Shia/Sunni tensions in Kurram Agency of FATA and in the Dera Ismail Khan. Even a bomb was blasted in the funeral of a killed leader of a sect. Then the whole city remained in the grip of lawlessness when armed men roamed the street, firing at each other and using all kinds of threats. Same is the condition throughout tribal regions and the Swat.
Islam is all about a scientific approach to the world, freedom of speech, tolerance, equality of opportunity and the like and that is what was envisioned by Mohammad Ali Jinnah. There is no place for the teachings of Fazlur Rehman brand of Islam and there is no place for the Taliban style of Islam. Talibans are only advocating stone age, misery, hunger, poverty and loneliness and the so-called mullahs like Fazlur Rehman are just after their vested interests.
We need to get rid of these dogmatic so-called religious hawks who want to hijack our society.
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There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.
~ Shakespeare
Magsi Saheb, i guess it’s not between secularism and ‘religious chauvinism’(?), it’s that we’ve risked our homeland, too, as i see it. Religious fanaticism has yielded nothing but distress and animosity between people of Pakistan. Sindhis are, by nature, very secular and prefer humanity over religions (one can do a research on it to (dis)prove this). Whereas, after the creation of Pakistan, their rights have been plunderd brutally - their resources grabbed, their land awarded to goondas and mafia, their language given a secondary or tertiary status - only in the name of religions: we are muslims; we are all brothers to each others. And that’s why a one can easily feel that Sindhis are somehow feeling ‘disconnected’ from the establishment of Pakistan - and how rightly!
I also had this discussion of choosing between religion and homeland. Amazingly enough, 69% people, so far, have voted to go for homeland and not religion which, at least for me, was surprising as I had thought that Pakistanis are too overwhelmed by religion that they would be willing to pay any price. You can read the post along with the poll here: http://mespeaks.wordpress.com/2008/10/22/homeland-or-religion/
And, I also weep over what happened after the partition. How Sindhis were treated by Punjabis and Mohajirs — the future-setters! I tried to picture the incident in a bit different way here: http://mespeaks.wordpress.com/2008/11/07/this-is-my-own-my-native-land/
Allah khush rakhy awhan khy!
All problems of Pakistan can be traced back to three factors or a combination of them; Punjabis, Faujis, Molvis. Faujis started bit late ie in 1958 but now they are the most dominant of all. Pick up any major problem in Pakistan and you will see these factors in play including the current religious extremism that we face today.
My own feeling is that if Punjabis are not willing to get Molvis off their backs then Sindh and Baluchistan should join and create Secular Republic of Pakistan. Then start charging Punjab for sindhi/Baluchi gas and oil and karachi/gawader ports at international rates. If NWFP joins then even better, they can also charge Punjab for their electricity at international rates.
The main problem is really that Punjabis are not willing to tolerate anyone of different province or of different sect/religion. The rest of the problems stem from there.
Salman Mugsi– there is confusion about the aim of pakistan-. Our Text books and leaders use to tell that pakistan was created for Islam- While another view is that the aim of pakistan was the protection of political , cultural, economic and relegious rights of the Muslims of India
Supporters of both the views have their own arguments and they also quote form the speaches and writings of Quaid Azam and Allama Iqbal
If the first view is taken then one can oppose those who are working for the islamic system in pakistan
IF the later view has to be believed then again many questions do arise like why the slogan– PAKISTAN KA MATLUB KIA __ LA ILLHA IL ALLHA was raised during pakistan movment by Mulim leaqre leaders . Like wise In objective resolution. which is part of pakistan consituation, it has been said that laws of the state would be made according to Quran and Sunnat.- If implemnetaion of islamic system was not the aim of Pakistan then why such resolution was passed and made part of the consituation ?
What i mean to say is that there is confusion about the true aim of pakistan and this has one of the cause of many consitutional and political problems of pakistan
Personally i think that Quiad Azam and Iqbal were not never in favour of such state which would be governed by Mullhas however they have their own version of it . The had a view of such state which would be guided by the ideal and principles of Islam which never meant that its rulers be Mullahs — NEVER-. IT is one of our misfortunity that most of the pakistan muslims think that only can be the interpretor of islamic teachings
In the conclusion i would say that Pakistan was maninly created for the rights of Muslim of INdia in the name of Islam- Though Shariat as understood and preached by Mullahs was never the aim of Quaid Azam however in spite of his all seculrism he was also not averse to the Ideals of Islam — I think if he were alive for some time he would have recommended such system for pakistan where both the islamic ideals and modren thoughts had been fully accomodated
As there were some words were missed due to mistake in the above first post- so this post be taken as the correct one — Thanks
Anwar Jalal
Salman Mugsi– there is confusion about the aim of pakistan-. Our Text books and leaders use to tell that pakistan was created for Islam- While another view is that the aim of pakistan was the protection of political , cultural, economic and relegious rights of the Muslims of India
Supporters of both the views have their own arguments and they also quote form the speaches and writings of Quaid Azam and Allama Iqbal
If the first view is taken then one can not oppose those who are working for the islamic system in pakistan as they base their struggle on that view
IF the later view has to be believed then again many questions do arise like why the slogan– PAKISTAN KA MATLUB KIA __ LA ILLHA IL ALLHA was raised during pakistan movment by Mulim leaqre leaders . Like wise In objective resolution. which is part of pakistan consituation, it has been said that laws of the state would be made according to Quran and Sunnat.- If implemnetaion of islamic system was not the aim of Pakistan then why such resolution was passed and made part of the consituation ?
What i mean to say is that there is confusion about the true aim of pakistan and this has one of the cause of many consitutional and political problems of pakistan
Personally i think that Quiad Azam and Iqbal were not never in favour of such state which would be governed by Mullhas however they have their own version of it . The had a view of such state which would be guided by the ideal and principles of Islam which never meant that its rulers be Mullahs — NEVER-. IT is one of our misfortunity that most of the pakistan muslims think that only can be the interpretor of islamic teachings
In the conclusion i would say that Pakistan was maninly created for the rights of Muslim of INdia in the name of Islam- Though Shariat as understood and preached by Mullahs was never the aim of Quaid Azam however in spite of his all seculrism he was also not averse to the Ideals of Islam — I think if he were alive for some time he would have recommended such system for pakistan where both the islamic ideals and modren thoughts had been fully accomodated