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| Pakistan Protests 21st September 2012 |
The Musalman’s in Pakistan along with
members of minority groups observed the “Love for Prophet (pbuh) Day” on Friday
the 21st September 2012. This Observation happened in the length and
breadth of the entire country where every division, district, city, town saw
rallies of people either chanting ‘Naats’ (songs of praise for the Holy
Prophet) or condemning the lunatic who dared such an act. Which saw the protest
getting wild, at places out of hand when mobs vandalized public property, cars,
buses that were torched and above all according to Al-Jazeera news 17 people had to face death in these
events. Muslims
also marched the same day in at least a half-dozen other countries to protest
the film. Some burned American flags and effigies of Obama. The deaths of at
least 47 people, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya, have been linked to
violence over the film throughout the Muslim world. In Pakistan, officials say
today's deadliest violence occurred in Karachi, where at least 12 people were
killed and over 80 wounded. An Interior Ministry official says the government
temporarily blocked cell phone service in 15 major cities on Friday to keep
militants from using phones to set off bombs during the protests.
This was a unique observance by a Government to take judgment on its own and decide that the whole country would be shut down officially to observe the “Love for Prophet (pbuh) Day” so that true sentiments of the Governing party and the nation are known to the International Community (The proposal to such an observance came from his highness Dr Rehman Malik). This dastardly act of one person living in the United States, the distribution of blasphemous content of that Internet film all over the world & of course declaring the day a public holiday, to urge the nation, political parties to participate in huge numbers so that a legitimate complaint could be lodged to the American Government. Nice idea, but where was the President who had aimed to secure votes on this incident? Why didn’t he make a nation-wide address on this crucial day, why didn’t he become a part of the nation this day? Why was there no televised address by the Prime Minister urging them to remain calm, lodge their protest and protect Pakistani property? Where were our heads of state? Why was the Pakistani nation shown Mr. Obama’s speech and not our own leaders? Why didn’t the President Lodge this complaint via the Foreign office in his televised speech and urge the neighborly friendly nations to join in, while emphasizing on the fact that Muslims all over the world should keep their anger in control?The “so-called rage” is a pent up reaction of the oppressed world against the over-domineering imperial power of the only ONE super power in the world. The Musalman’s love for Prophet (PBUH) has become a rallying point or a point that ‘seems’ to have broke the back of the camel. You would find a lot of factors behind the 1857 mutiny/freedom war if you examine the events which exploded into a revolt by a cartridge which was rumored to have been covered with pig/cow fat! Now do we remember those 'sepoys' of Meerut as bigots or freedom fighters?
Now the problem is; the left or the pro-people political intelligentsia has been marginalized, or they made themselves marginalized as they failed to understand the dynamics of the contemporary politics since many of them chose to become part of the foreign-funded NGOs. They chose to become "liberals" and started ranting whatever they were taught in their NGOs regardless of the fact that the US-sponsored 'liberalism' is a new face of its imperialism! It is the same when Muslims were urged by the British to throw Cow tails in a temple or Sikhs were told to throw pig-heads in the Mosques, the modes operandi is the same! We should be pro-people and should support them when they feel that they have been deeply offended by some acts of certain miscreants in the west. Musalman’s reaction is bizarre some times, and ridiculous as well, but it is so because the pro-people liberals, leftists or intelligentsia have distanced themselves from the people and, subsequently, have allowed the bigots to lead them to nowhere! It is time Pakistan also adopted measures to ensure transparency on the activities, funding and management of NGOs receiving money, directly or indirectly, from foreign sources. Islamabad is teeming with them. Greater openness in a matter that so far has been cloaked in opacity will inspire greater trust in the NGOs. Trust me, if any one of the leftist, liberal or educated member of our intelligentsia stayed away from people by criticizing and condemning them for their lack of civility and decency like many other 'liberals', the leftists/liberals would push them further towards bigotry! That's why; ‘believe’ in your own people, own their rage and lead them correctly!
It is not the first time this has happened i.e. using media to defame the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), this usual characteristic of the West was first witnessed when the “Satanic Verses” written by Salman Rushdie came out. It was not a literary masterpiece. The entire west backed & protected him, spending millions of pounds for his protection and later was hailed as the “Knight in Shining Armor” to have done a brilliant job. Fatwa on him consequently made him more popular and dear in the west. So was the case of Caricatures that sprouted from Europe, millions of Muslims protested against it then too, many boycotts were witnessed but Western allies remained adamant on the “Freedom of Speech” mantra! Then the Looney tunes Pastor Terry Jones appeared, with his ludicrous trial on the Holy Quran, and then it was the “Burning Quran” incident on Bagram Base, Afghanistan which was administered by the US troops. Let’s not forget this “Innocence of Muslims” a D-grade internet film on YouTube, and lastly the French magazine comes out with Caricatures of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) again. Phew! The List is long, but do understand their modes operandi, all such activities happen from the west, all such activities target Muslims, all such activities are made to become the “sore point” for Muslims around the world, all such activities come under the umbrella of “Freedom of Speech”….One wonders why naked pictures of Duchess of Cambridge were banned? Weren’t they a form of “Freedom of Speech, manners & of course rights” that west keeps trumpeting all the time on Muslims? Is that anyway different? Why isn’t the “Holocaust” freedom of speech? Why is it anti Semitic? One law for your own whereas quite another law for Muslims? While the Islamic Ummah is exhorting the need for inter-faith dialogue and harmony, is the west trying to pursue the path of clash of two major religions of the world, previously known and carelessly spurted out by Mr. Bush Junior as “The Crusades”?
Copyright ©2011-2050 Ayesha Zee Khan. Reproduction: Poetry/articles/stories strictly prohibited.. Awesome Inc. template. Template images by molotovcoketail. Powered by Blogger.
This was a unique observance by a Government to take judgment on its own and decide that the whole country would be shut down officially to observe the “Love for Prophet (pbuh) Day” so that true sentiments of the Governing party and the nation are known to the International Community (The proposal to such an observance came from his highness Dr Rehman Malik). This dastardly act of one person living in the United States, the distribution of blasphemous content of that Internet film all over the world & of course declaring the day a public holiday, to urge the nation, political parties to participate in huge numbers so that a legitimate complaint could be lodged to the American Government. Nice idea, but where was the President who had aimed to secure votes on this incident? Why didn’t he make a nation-wide address on this crucial day, why didn’t he become a part of the nation this day? Why was there no televised address by the Prime Minister urging them to remain calm, lodge their protest and protect Pakistani property? Where were our heads of state? Why was the Pakistani nation shown Mr. Obama’s speech and not our own leaders? Why didn’t the President Lodge this complaint via the Foreign office in his televised speech and urge the neighborly friendly nations to join in, while emphasizing on the fact that Muslims all over the world should keep their anger in control?The “so-called rage” is a pent up reaction of the oppressed world against the over-domineering imperial power of the only ONE super power in the world. The Musalman’s love for Prophet (PBUH) has become a rallying point or a point that ‘seems’ to have broke the back of the camel. You would find a lot of factors behind the 1857 mutiny/freedom war if you examine the events which exploded into a revolt by a cartridge which was rumored to have been covered with pig/cow fat! Now do we remember those 'sepoys' of Meerut as bigots or freedom fighters?
Now the problem is; the left or the pro-people political intelligentsia has been marginalized, or they made themselves marginalized as they failed to understand the dynamics of the contemporary politics since many of them chose to become part of the foreign-funded NGOs. They chose to become "liberals" and started ranting whatever they were taught in their NGOs regardless of the fact that the US-sponsored 'liberalism' is a new face of its imperialism! It is the same when Muslims were urged by the British to throw Cow tails in a temple or Sikhs were told to throw pig-heads in the Mosques, the modes operandi is the same! We should be pro-people and should support them when they feel that they have been deeply offended by some acts of certain miscreants in the west. Musalman’s reaction is bizarre some times, and ridiculous as well, but it is so because the pro-people liberals, leftists or intelligentsia have distanced themselves from the people and, subsequently, have allowed the bigots to lead them to nowhere! It is time Pakistan also adopted measures to ensure transparency on the activities, funding and management of NGOs receiving money, directly or indirectly, from foreign sources. Islamabad is teeming with them. Greater openness in a matter that so far has been cloaked in opacity will inspire greater trust in the NGOs. Trust me, if any one of the leftist, liberal or educated member of our intelligentsia stayed away from people by criticizing and condemning them for their lack of civility and decency like many other 'liberals', the leftists/liberals would push them further towards bigotry! That's why; ‘believe’ in your own people, own their rage and lead them correctly!
It is not the first time this has happened i.e. using media to defame the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), this usual characteristic of the West was first witnessed when the “Satanic Verses” written by Salman Rushdie came out. It was not a literary masterpiece. The entire west backed & protected him, spending millions of pounds for his protection and later was hailed as the “Knight in Shining Armor” to have done a brilliant job. Fatwa on him consequently made him more popular and dear in the west. So was the case of Caricatures that sprouted from Europe, millions of Muslims protested against it then too, many boycotts were witnessed but Western allies remained adamant on the “Freedom of Speech” mantra! Then the Looney tunes Pastor Terry Jones appeared, with his ludicrous trial on the Holy Quran, and then it was the “Burning Quran” incident on Bagram Base, Afghanistan which was administered by the US troops. Let’s not forget this “Innocence of Muslims” a D-grade internet film on YouTube, and lastly the French magazine comes out with Caricatures of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) again. Phew! The List is long, but do understand their modes operandi, all such activities happen from the west, all such activities target Muslims, all such activities are made to become the “sore point” for Muslims around the world, all such activities come under the umbrella of “Freedom of Speech”….One wonders why naked pictures of Duchess of Cambridge were banned? Weren’t they a form of “Freedom of Speech, manners & of course rights” that west keeps trumpeting all the time on Muslims? Is that anyway different? Why isn’t the “Holocaust” freedom of speech? Why is it anti Semitic? One law for your own whereas quite another law for Muslims? While the Islamic Ummah is exhorting the need for inter-faith dialogue and harmony, is the west trying to pursue the path of clash of two major religions of the world, previously known and carelessly spurted out by Mr. Bush Junior as “The Crusades”?
The
Muslim world needs to understand; they definitely need to counter these nefarious
designs through collective will. Torching one’s own property, rampaging or vandalizing
isn’t the answer. “Slapping one’s own face in an argument does not prove that
one is right.” No one in the International
community has sympathy for a society that burns itself when some idiot somewhere
else does something stupid. We need to grow up. Such acts for the world show a
thuggish behavior which needs to be curbed. Muslims have a definite cause to defend (but they are
doing it in the wrong manner) and that is why protest demonstrations are held
not only in Pakistan but elsewhere in the Islamic world as well. Demonstrations
by people whose sentiments have been injured are understandable but decision of
the Government to
give them official patronage is questionable, as the executive has so many courses and options to take up the
issue in the right earnest way with the forces that be and take measures to
safeguard interests of the Muslims. Apart from raising the issue bilaterally
with the US, the decision to highlight it at the forum of the UN General
Assembly is welcome and similarly, efforts should be made to channelize
strength of the Ummah through OIC and coordinated diplomatic moves by the OIC
member states. If the Government ridiculed the Punjab Government for
joining rallies against load-shedding then how can it justify its own decision
to join protest demonstrations now? At best, it seems to be a move to pacify
sentiments of the people and to gain political mileage out of a
religion-related issue and situation. Prudence demands that the Govt should
come out with a solid plan of action to counter such moves as, Governments act
they don’t demonstrate!
Copyright ©2011-2050 Ayesha Zee Khan. Reproduction: Poetry/articles/stories strictly prohibited.. Awesome Inc. template. Template images by molotovcoketail. Powered by Blogger.
