The Un-Islamic State of Pakistan
By Tahir Hameed • Jul 24th, 2010 • Category: Worth A Second Look • 51 CommentsIs this a Muslim state and are we Muslims? Take a good look at yourself. Do you fear God? Do you follow all the Commandments of God? Justice is a paramount and integral part of any society especially a Muslim one. However in Pakistan there is no justice; there is a whole lot of lawlessness and corruption throughout the society. Our banking system is based on the charging of interest. But hey the Quran says that anyone who charges interest or feeds on interest are both enemies of Islam. However that does not deter us from going against the will of God.
The Quran states that anyone who offers or accepts a bribe will be thrown into Hell. However that does not deter most Pakistanis. Bribery has become a part and parcel of our society and yet we are an Islamic nation. There are alcohol breweries within the country and yet we are an Islamic nation. The last I read was that alcohol production or consumption is a sin. However in Pakistan, a lot of men and women, young and old consume alcoholic drinks. The question is what sort of Islam we are following.
The Holy Quran lays great emphasis on the education of every man and woman but hey there are 40 million children aged 5-19 years old who don’t go to school. There are many hard headed men who believe that women should not be educated. What sort of Muslims are they who don’t follow the Commandments of God as given in the Quran?
In the Holy Quran, great emphasis has been laid upon the accountability and punishment of men and women who commit wrong and evil deeds. However contrary to that most of our politicians, bureaucrats and rulers seem to be devoid of any ethics and morality. They have looted the national exchequer and caused grievous damage to the fortunes of the people and the country. However instead of punishing these men and holding them accountable, these men still hold power. My question is that if we are an Islamic nation, then why do we have corrupt disbelievers and hypocrites in power? If these men and women remain in power, the nation may cease to exist.
A lot of men and women sitting in important positions within the corridors of power often testify in the name of God and the Holy Quran, that they will serve the nation. However once they are elected or nominated they do a 360 degree somersault and work to do whatever is not lawful.
We are a nation where men find it convenient to murder women under the pretext of honor. Is that Islamic? The concept of Karo Kiri is Un-Islamic as well and yet men and families take it upon themselves to murder men and women who have dared to marry on their own against the will of the families. The Quranic verses suggest lashing of the adulterers, nothing is spoken about murdering them in cold blood. Hence Karo Kiri and murdering in the name of honor are all Un-Islamic and yet these practices are allowed within our society.
I find it hard to swallow that young and poor women who are raped by influential men can’t find any justice in this so called Islamic Society. The question is why. Rich and influential men guilty of wrong-doing are protected by our law. This is not Islam or Islamic law. The poor and the rich should be treated in the same manner by the law and yet that does not happen within our so called justice system.
The Quran speaks against intermixing of males and females. ‘Dating’ is a concept that is against Islam. However it is being propagated within our society as if it is a part of Islamic culture. It is the first step towards promoting adultery in our societies. Adultery opens the door to other sins. And yet the people remain mum on the subject.
It is a crime that there are many video stores in Pakistan that sell x-rated movies to the general public irrespective of age or sex. These movies are a poison that will destroy the moral fabric of a society on the verge of collapse. And yet pornographic websites on the web are frequented by men and women who may not be in their teens as yet. This should be checked and yet is not being done.
There are over 200,000 prostitutes in the country. Men, young and old frequent brothels to satiate their lusts. Pimps and their rackets are protected by police officials in turn for bribes. Men in the corridors of power are patrons of prostitution.
There are plenty of social evils present within our society that need to be removed. And foremost within it is the presence of men and women who practice magic and those who offer their services to cast a spell or to cause the death of someone. These men and women used different modes and media to advertise their services. As an Islamic Country such men and women should be put to death but they are not. Why do we allow such men and women to operate within our societies?
Then there is the case of palmists and astrologers who offer their services to naïve buffoons who engage their services to study their future. This is a Hindu tradition that has found way into our Muslim society.
Apart from that there is the case of devotees who visit the shrines of the saints. The act of praying to God is alright but when men and women pray to the dead saint to pray for them to God, it becomes ‘Shirk’ or the act of associating partners to God. It is said to be the only sin that will not be forgiven by God.
Many men and women also frequent the abodes of ‘pirs’ or ‘spiritual doctors’ but so many times I feel that to depend upon these men for help is a thin line close to the act of ‘Shirk’ whereby we attribute the powers of God to a man.
So many times there are men delving in the black magic that pose as religious men and are frequented by the blind and the ignorant.
Other than this we have shop keepers and retailers who love to hoard food commodities such as wheat and sugar to earn an extra buck. This is a tradition amongst the producers of sugar, wheat and other essential commodities. Hoarding of these products is a religion amongst mill owners. For money and profit they are willing to set aside their faith and commit crime and sin.
It is essential that black marketers and hoarders of commodities are strictly punished and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment.
The law is weak and is not being properly enforced by those concerned. Too often those concerned with enforcing the law are either bribed or if they prove to be honest, they find that the goons and the bad guys often have contacts in the corridors of power. Honest police and government officials often find that they have been transferred to another city or town. Many efficient and honest working policemen have been suspended and fired for being too ‘honest’.
This is a country where it has been seen that men and women can be bribed to appear as false witnesses. For a certain amount of money, they are happy to swear by Quran and offer a false testimony. As a consequence a lot of men and women may be wrongfully convicted for a crime.
Seventy percent of a population of 160 million people in Pakistan lives in abject misery and poverty. They live on less than 2 dollars a day. Therefore they have little access to health, sanitation, education and justice. Because of growing inflation and high unemployment, the lives of the poor become miserable by the day. They have little access to proper nutrition. And the sad part is that no one seems to be concerned about their plight. Neighbors may be well aware of the suffering of a neighbor and yet they do nothing to help them. As a consequence many poor families are resorting to selling their children for money. Others commit suicide in desperation.
Five percent of the population possesses the entire wealth of the society. The rich get richer by the day and the poor struggle to survive. Today 40 million children aged 5-19 years are out of schools today. They can’t afford education. They are instead employed in various forms of labor to support their families.
The transformation of a society can only take place through their education or through teaching them skills that will help them earn a decent living. Pakistani governments have been bastions of corruption. After the death of the founding father namely Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan has been hostage to feudal lords, politicians, bureaucrats and technocrats who have been involved in building personal fiefdoms through corruption. Many of the esteemed politicians of Pakistan hold fake degrees and they hold important positions in the government. What sort of role models are they? They are certainly not Muslims in any way. They are hypocrites, liars and deceivers.
Only a sweeping revolution can change the fortunes of this nation. Unless and until corruption is weeded out from society in all its forms and faces, Pakistan can’t progress or survive as a nation.
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I couldn’t agree more, Author has touched upon every depraved aspect of our society.
ALLAH says “Verily, ALLAH does not change: people’s condition unless they change what is in themselves.” (Soorah ar-Ra’d 13:11). And the way to salvation is not, as some people imagine, to rise up with arms against the rulers, and to conduct military coups. In addition to being among the contemporary bid’ahs (innovations) , such actions disregard the texts of Islam, among which is the command to change ourselves. Furthermore, it is imperative to establish the foundation upon which the building will stand: “Verily, ALLAH will Most certainly support him who supports His cause; verily, ALLAH is Most Powerful and Almighty.” (surah al-Hajj 22:40)
Well said brother but it is also because of you men !
Ya Allah please stop our ZALIM MEN from ABUSING YOU by following their shaitani nafs and IBlis!They are walking on a crooked path and want their wives and kids to do the same and those who have a little courage to fight back are branded as terrorists and what not - STOP them Ya Allah - they have made a mess of their families and society and are still confident and proud!Challenging and twisting YOUR Holy Ayats according to their whims and wishes - they refuse to adopt the lifestyle of our Holy Messenger pbuh or the Sahabah pbuth since they feel they are above them but demand their women to do sajdah to them - tell them Ya Allah no woman is going to be questioned why she did not obey her ignorant fun loving father,brother,husband or son but instead protected her very weak Iman and broken down mental health by avoiding them Ameen! Inshallah Truth will surely prevail and inshallah the cry of the Oppressed will surely be heard - so beware all men of the WRATH of Allah swt! HE the JUST ONE will not let the cries of the weak go unheard so beware! Ya Allah YOU say this world is equal to a dead goat lying on the road and a prison for the Mumin but our men have a different agenda quite opposite to what I hear in YOUR Mehfils so Ya Allah please tell us who is right - Help us Ya Allah before they destroy us completely and protect those who are striving in YOUR Path ! Ameen!
The Quran also tells you to wage war till an Islamic world order is established! Why aren’t you doing that Tahir Hameed? The Quran also tells you to impose tax on Non-Muslims living in a Islamic state, so why don’t you start going out and bully the Christians, Hindus and Sikhs to pay up! You should do that you know as an ideal Muslim.
The Quran also tells you can marry up to 4 times, so how many wives do you have Tahir Hameed?
It also says that women committing adultery should be stoned! Let’s start stoning every women who is seen with another man who is not a relative! Let’s start with Benazir Bhutto! Errr….she is already dead right…shucks…Well, no problem, there are million others!
Tahir Hameed, you are a true Muslims!! *Clap Clap*! You should blow yourself up for the sake of Allah so why don’t you go to Afghanistan and enroll in the “Holy Academy”? As a true Muslim, I am sure you will be waiting for those dozens of virgins and flowing wine!!
@ DesertRaider: I wish you would have read about Islam and what it teaches.
Islamists and Traditionalists reject modernity, by which they mean Western secularism and the banishment of religious values from most aspects of daily life in what Mohammad Arkoun calls the mythical West. In this world view, reason and the Enlightenment have become the new devils, modern blasphemies because they dare to set Man up as equal to God. The original sin of modern Man is therefore to have rejected the sovereignty of God and put in its place the sovereignty of the Individual.
In recent years the world has witnessed the proliferation of Islamic extremist groups all over the world and in the Middle East, who are voicing their dislike of concepts such as democracy and modernity.
But do remember that these extremists represent only very tiny fraction of Muslims, and for many Muslims, these terrorists are not even Muslims and they are anti-humanity, because they blow up innocent people.
It’s not the sovereignty of the Individual. It’s called common sense! Humanity evolves and so does human mind! We all understand some stuff is holy for you and you really value your Quran, but does that mean that we stop evolving? Does that mean we stop exploring this world any further?
What’s the proof that any of these holy books, including Bible, Gita or the Quran were indeed the words of god? Christians say that no, only Bible is by god and according to their point of view, they are right and Muslims say, no, only the Quran is the gods message and Hindus say no, Gita is god and everyone is right according to their point of view! What is NOT right is that to say NO, Only mine is right and I will not allow anyone else to read their holy books!
So are we such fools that we will base all our lives on the words of a scripture? Have we humans do not have enough intellectual to see what is right in the present times and what is wrong? If God can never go wrong, how did he go so wrong in creating such a flawed piece such as a human being?
Simple common sense and not zombiness will solve 90% of the world’s problems but no, we will never use the brains that we have!
Humans have evolved a lot, societies make rules, which are practical and just and make use of the latest technologies available. Once we stop pushing our ideologies on others and live peacefully, everything would be like heaven.
Many of you must be parents here right? And we are supposed to be god’s children right? Okay, if your child makes a mistake, would you first lovingly scold him and then forgive him or cut off his hand? Would any parent do that?
why the hell are my comments being deleted?
i thought this was a democratic forum. just cause my views are anti islamic?
@ saadi: nobody is deleting your comments. Our automatic spamming tool Akismet mistakenly took your comment as spam and blocked it. We have freed it up now. In future, please contact us if you face any such problem.
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wres my comment?
“Is this a Muslim state and are we Muslims?”
Yes, we are . We just killed two Christians in the name of the prophet. Before that we burnt six Christians alive in the name of prophet in Gojra. We sent numerous raped women to prison under Islamic hudood ordinance. The list goes on but I think you got the idea. What more do you want?
The fact is people that Islam teaches us tolerance and respect for one another…however in reality there is a lot going on within our society that simply isnt what Islam has taught us..as i aptly mentioned murdering women in the name of honor or raping women is not islamic…the disrespect of parents or elders by their children is not islamic…swering and cursing at one another isnt islamic….dating and adultery isnt islamic..the lack of tolerance for people of different faiths is also Un-Islamic…showing up at the shrines of saints and praying to them to solve ones problems is shirk….
I will tell Saadi that there are hardliners and extremists in all faiths…there are hypocrites in all faiths…there is social and moral corruption in all faiths…each man or woman will be held accountable alone by God on the Day Of Judgement….therefore we have to improve ourselves….Saadi no one is denouncing any ones religion….please read Surah Al Baqras translation and a lot will become clear to you….the only reason the Quran was revealed was because the Christians and Jews had tampered with the Commandments of God in the Bible and Taurat….there are a lot of people from Christianity and Judaism who may be on the right path..the problem is that people love to judge others…the Muslim Ummah is disjointed today and the true Spirit of Islam is missing….Saadi Quran lays a lot of emphasis on the acquisition of knowledge for the man and woman..it lays emphasis on giving to charity and helping others..it focuses on setting up a society where justice is available to each and everyone,.it focuses on creating a society where there is morality and that is free of crime and injustice…women were given the rights to share in property, to choose their spouse and even to divorce them….however that is not the case especially in Pakistan….
Pakistan is made up of apostates and hypocrites that sit in seats of power and in society…it is because of this that Pakistan has not been able to progress…it is because of feudal lords and nawabs and rajas ..that this nation is taking a nose dive…it is also because of people who refuse to pay their taxes…especially businessmen and politicians and bureaucrats….as far as our religious parties are concerned or are ulema are concerned they are an impotent lot…in times such as these it is for the reformers and the ulema to guide the people of the nation….Iran got rid of Raza Shah Pehalvi because the people rallied around their Ulema…and took out mass protests against the oppressive government…now that is a nation….as Pakistanis we are a laid back society where each man and woman has his or her self interests that guide them..most of us are not concerned about the future of this nation….this is a society of wanna bees where people esp. the youth love to ape Indian and Western cultures…they have no knowledge about Islamic or world history…all they are concerned is abt speaking english in a perfect accent and to copy all those norms and values that are inimical to their faith….
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Umair what we have done is indicative of the fact that we are not very tolerant when it comes to people of other faiths. This is what needs to be set right. The fact is that we call ourselves an Islamic State with none of the features of one. We kill women in the name of honor. Paramours are murdered in the name of honor. Young women are sold into prostitution. This is all Un Islamic.
Saadi and Desert Raider, I take it that you clowns havent studied Islamic History or the Quran in context. Please do so and when youre a little more mature, do get back to me..As far as i am concerned youre probably members of that wanna bee club …a complexed group that is neither Pakistani nor anything else…more of a copy cat culture where you borrow ideas and norms that arent Muslim in any way…let me tell you something…smoking pot, humping women, taking drugs, drivin fast cars, and calling Muslims names isnt interesting…and i have a news flash for you 80 percent of this nation is made up of Muslims…the term secularism is used for the those wannabees like you who arent muslims by a long shot…
“Umair what we have done is indicative of the fact that we are not very tolerant when it comes to people of other faiths. This is what needs to be set right. The fact is that we call ourselves an Islamic State with none of the features of one”
BS! You dodged the point. All the examples I have quoted have occurred under the influence of Mullahs. If these Mullahs don’t know or represent Islam then who does? You?
Umair we dont need MULLAHS…I agree with you on that point…what we need are educated Ulema who understand the religion in context….we need a society which is just and not oppressive..feudalism has to be done away with and these parasites in power also need to be done away with….let me tell you Umair…not all of the atrocities are being perpetrated by Mullahs…normal men often murder their wives or daughters in a fit of rage or in the name of honor..in the tribal areas this goes on and no one stops it…when women are raped or murdered by rich and powerful men…once again there is no justice…note Umair that Mullahs dont cause that….yes when we talk about religious extremism you can blame clerics and mullahs for that…..in my view the only solution to Pakistans woes would be a bloody revolution in which lakhs or millions die….i personally would love to see all these feudal lords and corrupt politicians, business men and mullahs strung up or murdered……
weres my comments?
@12: Pakistani Muslim: Yes, Any rape victim should provide 4 male witnesses. What an absurd law is this? I mean do you think ANY sane man would have formulated such a rule? Didn’t your prophet know that rape happens in private when no one is around or in Islam, do men pounce on women in public like dogs? And that too, they have to see the penetration!! Common sense fellas, common sense! Just seeing such laws should make you realize that no book is perfect!
I believe in god but not in absurd rules. I believe in live and let live policy and everyone is free to chose his own path. Who is anyone to say that my god is better or true than other’s gods? What if they say the same thing? What is the result? Bloodshed!! Does any god want bloodshed???
Democracy, for whatever faults it is, is evolving and still gives the people power to chose their destiny in a right and just way and empowers them to question any injustices. Democracy is the only thing that can save humanity.
@15: Tahir: Tell me, of all the god’s messengers, who was the ONLY messenger who held a sword and killed people? Who is to say which messenger was right and wrong? Is the most violent messenger right or the one who preached peace and never ever took up violence once in his life is right? If anyone is really a god’s messenger, he definitely would not need a sword to spread god’s message!! Real messengers conquered empires with their love, wisdom and message of peace, whether it is Jesus Christ, Buddha or Mahatma Gandhi, show me one act of violence by them.
What frustrates me is that Muslims always keep saying that their god is the only god and they will never recognize other people’s faiths. They don’t stop at that, they say that they will not rest until they conquer others and make them convert…That, I say is the most dangerous thing in this world, much more dangerous than a thousand nukes. Open your eyes, use logic and think reason!
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Desert raider your right democrasy is evolving because its becoming more evil. It is said that cancers in falluga are more than horoshima according to bbc report. Nice name. You raid and poisen desrt countries with your chemicals and demo-crazy. When soemthing needs to change then its not perfect and its falsehood. Truth doesnt need to eveolve, It stays the same. Islam is teh truth and it will stay the same.
Other faiths are falsehood and falsehood cannot be respected. But we allow others to have their faith. And you said they we will not rest until we make them convert. Well democratic poeple lie yourself are hell bent on lieing. You know our God forbids us from forcing others to convert. But you like typical democrats, christians, jews and munafics you cant resist lieing about Islam or Muslims.
And the logic is it is impossible to communcate with liers. And your a lier.
Jesus, moses , adam etc were our prophets and we love them and respect them unlike the christians who allow in their countries holywood to insult them.
The bible and ol dtestimate is full of violance and infact christians and jews get their violance from those sources.
I will be doing an article soon on the vilounce in the bible.
Fact is we have been to soft with you people for past few hundred years.
You lie and twist what islam says and spread slander against Islam and now its time for us to reply and show what is in your bible and your democrasy and the evils that you have commited and continue to commit and will commit in the future.