Pop, Pop, Pop Goes the World!

You know how after marriage, us desi girls turn into these old women, gossiping over tea and perfecting the art of making biryani?

Well, I refuse to give into societal norms. I’ll be the girl in shalwar kameez or baggy jeans wearing my newly-bought converse and singing out loud to Paramore, all the while drinking RedBull and eating gummy worms, stealing my kids’ candy when they’re not looking, and hiding their playstation so that me and my husband can play it at night. And we’ll take summer vacations to the Harry Potter theme park, scaring people and riding on rollercoasters.

Because life is too short to live it for someone else, and I’m going to live it my way— exactly my way, just how I like it

Baby Let Me Break You Down

We grow up pretty deluded.
We grow up thinking our parents are perfect. In fact, it wouldn't be entirely untrue to say that we're brought up to think that our parents are perfect. Not by the parents, but by societal norms. Perhaps we interpret the immense respect that is expected out of us for parents in such a way that we think they can make no mistake.

But we are wrong. NOT because the parents actually commit any mistake or anything, but because we blame them. When we are at a stage where we're not quite independent, yet not completely dependent, we tend to blame our parents. But what most of us fail to realize is that parents are never unfair, they're not mistaken, they don't hate us and they definitely don't shout at us to make us feel bad about ourselves. We forget that they are humans. That they are as open to making errors in their parenting as we are in any other aspect of life. While we may be new to life itself, they're new to parenting. And they can make mistakes. But to punish them for parenting us? That's just wrong. I see teenagers getting impatient with their parents, hating on them because they're pressurized by their folks. But what the kids don't realize is that their parents pressurize them because they want to protect their kids.

I mentioned a while back that parents often protect their children when what they most need is support. So yeah, they made a mistake, so what-- don't you?! Forgive them for it! They made it because they love you so much! Stop doubting your parents because they're the 2 souls in life that will love you regardless.

I know they say things that really hit home, that hurt in those dark, wounded corners of your heart that you lay hidden deep underneath it all. But every time that happens, take a deep breath and stop to think for a second. Exactly why are they saying those things? Do they hate you? They'd probably have aborted you if they did. Do they say those things to intentionally to hurt you? I think not. See if that were the case, they'd probably be spending all that hard-earned money on their retirement and not on your marriages and college education, and buying you those blackberrys and those ipods.
They say those things because they WANT to hit home. THEY WANT TO HIT HOME so that they can motivate you to change yourself. They put themselves in a bad position just to change your life for the better. So don't hate them for it.

They may say things that are seemingly so insensitive that you cripple from the shock of it. But forgive them for it. Because they say it ONLY to make you a better person.

Love your parents, and cherish them, before it's too late. Don't cuss them, don't hurt them, and don't retort back when they shout at you. When you were a kid, you'd whine, and you'd weep and you'd cry and you'd complain, you would even nag them. But they were patient. They bore you with love, and hugs and kisses, and bought you whatever they could afford to buy for you.

When they grow old, they become just like little kids. They nag, they whine and they complain. Accept them with open arms, and be patient with them.

"Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind
to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to
them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour.
And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say: My Lord!
Bestow on them thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood.

Al Qur'an, (17:23)

Rip Your Bigot Roots Up from the Earth & Salt the Goddamned Ground

I'm disgusted.
That's all I have to say. Absolutely disgusted by the hypocrisy that the 'Islamic' Republic of Pakistan is filled with.
The whole Ahmadi fiasco has left me just a little bit more disgusted than I already was with the state of affairs in Pakistan. It is acts like these that makes the Pakistani government for me, repugnant.
The reason why I do not want to study about Pakistani politics because it is SO dirty and openly hypocritical.

All I have to say is this: WHERE is Islam when alcohol and drugs are openly distributed in full knowledge of the authorities. WHERE is Islam when the police officers and top-level political figures, judges and jury take bribe?
WHERE is Islam when rape, corruption, stealth, robbery, murder, adultery and fornication take place in the state?

Why then are there laws against Ahmadis? Why are they the only effective ones? Where is your 'immediate and effective' action when the aforementioned crimes take place?
Why then, should Ahmadis be given a lower place in the society? Or their rights not be defended?

I'm not saying that I support Ahmadis. But at the same time, I'm against the hypocritical government of Pakistan. It's as simple as this: I only accept Ahmadis to be called kaffirs by the state, if the rest of the punishments for the aforementioned crimes, would be according to Shariah, too. There is no effective nifaz-e-Shariah, yet, Islam comes number one when Facebook-ban and Ahmadis are regarded.

PLEASE do not give Islam a hypocritical nature. This is NOT what an Islamic republic encapsulates.
I will accept the laws regarding Ahmadis, when Pakistan becomes a true and effective state that IMPLEMENTS the Nifaz-e-Shariat in ALL aspects of its society.

"Nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law of
the land than passing laws which cannot be enforced"-- Albert Einstein

I will accept those laws, when Heera Mandi closes down. When bribery stops. When the elections are not rigged. When education is funded. When the Government gives to its people, not themselves.


Does anyone even HAVE any idea of what an Islamic society is like? Of what an Islamic leader is like?
Such were the Caliphs that they'd carry wheat, flour, barley, sugar, oil themselves and give to to the poor people, making them dinner to feed their hungry stomachs!
Such were the Caliphs that they would not be recognized by other states because their clothes had so many patches in them!

And where comes Islam in tolerance, in forgiving, in accepting, in kindness, generosity, saving lives, NOT killing people, sharing love, charity, well-being and sacrifice? WHERE?

And our Government?
I'm ashamed.
Bigots. Traitors. Hypocrities.

Facebook Ban

The man said it all.

Every damn thing I wanted to say.
Props to him really! Brilliantly expressed.

Yuna- Someone Out of Town

Beautiful song. What’s interesting about this video/artist, because of its unconventional nature, is that the singer is a Hijabi, a Muslim woman from Kuala Lampur I believe.

Stranger Dans Votre Rêve

"It's dark in here
Visions are flashing into my head as I reminisce
My reoccurring dreams..."

I picked up a little boy, fascinated by his ivory skin that felt soft against my sun-damaged skin. That feeling of infinitesimal, yet pure, unadulterated bliss washed me clean of any worries I harbored in that moment.
And then you came. Not particularly beautiful, but your heart tore through your imperfections, tore through my skin, tore through the years of heartache, through the walls I surrounded myself with, and settled therein. You were but the epitome of beauty.

I turned away from you, unable to hide the genesis of my blood burning underneath my skin.
I busied myself in that child, cuddling;hugging.

That's when you had the courage. To talk to me.
Your smile, those perfect white teeth against your ivory skin, stunned me into incoherency.
I don't particularly remember what it is that you said. Of course, in my defence, you were too beautiful.
There was something you mentioned about the child.
And I retaliated. Already building up my walls.

"I may seem crazy
Or painfully shy
And these scars wouldn't be so hidden
If you would just look me in the eye "

You looked me in the eye.
I asked, "Why? Who is he to you?"
You stood there, humble, strong, gentle, heartbreaking-ly noble, and said, "Because that child is mine."

But you said it with a wisdom.
Like you knew.
Knew it wouldn't matter to me.

And it didn't.

The flames ignited.
We knew it.


"A fragile flame aged
Is misery
And when our hearts meet
I know you see

I do not want to be afraid
I do not want to die inside just to breathe in
I'm tired of feeling so numb
Relief exists I find it when
I am cut"

I accepted. With no question, whatsoever.
It was perfect.
We were perfect.
We fit together like the missing ends of a jigsaw puzzle. Like a boulder that falls from the mountain peaks; nestling into a place carved out by nature.

You weren't quite the Byronic hero I had deemed as my ideal man; you weren't tall, nor domineering, nor troubled. Not even aggressive.
Yet the purity of your soul drew me in to you.
You had me from hello.
Fallen.
Liberated.
Shackled.
Free.
We had fallen for each other. Hard.

And then you were sucked away into a black hole. I should have known. I should have looked at my surroundings more closely.
The very child I cradled in my arms was proof you'd disappear.

You vanished into thin air.

And every time I touched a human face, desperately searching for you, agonized by your disappearance, their form changed.
They were like wet paint; the original form swept away by just a single touch of my finger.

Your presence was like wet paint.
Apparent, liquid, and intense. It even had that sharp, addictive smell to make its presence known.
Your presence was like an artist's bold stroke-- dark, beautiful, morbid.

I ran; wild, erratic, looking for a sign. But the voices wouldn't stop. Mocking, probing, patronizing.
I ran from them. Searching for you.

What's bizarre, though, in all the while that I seeked you, your child, I hugged him close. Clinging onto him. Not letting him go.
In principle, he was nothing but another human flesh to me.
But in my heart, he meant more to me than words can express.

i had to fight for him. Look for you for him.
For me.
For us.
All of us.

You, my rock, eroded; washed away by the heavy tide.
And I kept searching, digging up the ocean-bed until I could no more.
And I drowned...
Drowned in your essence...
Allowed my weight to be carried away by the ocean.
The same ocean that probably carried you away, into a far, far away place, unknown to me.

I'm trusting you, O mighty tide!

Carry me away. Into the nothingness; into the abyss.
Carry me away. Into the eminence of his halo, the certitude of his being!

I'm far away now, but I'm calling out to you.
And I know you'd hear me!
I know you'd call out to me too!

But you don't exist.
Anymore.

"You know
I'm no stranger in your dreams."

Your face is nothing but a distant memory that's slowly fading away...
Crippling me alongside.

"I'm not a stranger
No I am yours
With crippled anger
And tears that still drip sore"

They say death is inevitable.
But the epidemic, ultimately, isn't.
Or so I thought.
Until I found out
That your epidemic, doesn't exist.

Of Rights and Responsibilities

Don't you just love it when epiphany comes knocking on your door?
Often, it resembles a uninvited guest-- which means you either love it, or you hate it!

Fortunately for me, today morning was an affirmation of the former.

With exams comes a lot of stress, which means one too often one falls trap to the depression and has absolutely no motivation to study what-so-ever.
Let's just say the very act of me typing out an entry on blogger is evidence enough!

Now, have you ever wondered what our rights are, and what are our responsibilities? Who decides?
Fortunately for me, my religion serves it all in perfect proportions to me, thus contributing to my moral well-being.

We have a right to education. Basic human right, agreed? Who's job is it to provide us with education?
*bing* PARENTS!
Right?
Meh. Somewhat.

Our parents provide us with education, out of love for us. To help us build our lives when they're not around.

I know a lot of cultures do not fund their child's education past high-school.
And then there's us; the spoon-fed, whining-about-how-hard-life-is-with-parental-pressure-and-conforming-to-social-norms population, who doesn't give a rat's ass about school, whiling away their time in university abroad.
I'm not saying it's not true-- it is.
But just stop to think for a second about your parents.

They work their entire lives to support us; first feeding us as a family, then saving up from that moment for our future-- highschool, college funds, marriage funds, cars, house, license.
When do they ever splurge on themselves? When do they get a chance to finally put their feet up and relax?

Never.
Because when they do get that chance, they're old, and they die.

For people like me, who're the youngest in their family and have a considerable age difference with their parents, all we can pretty much do is wait for a job and support them. Often, we lose out on this chance.

The only thing we CAN do, is help them out-- in the following ways:
by getting good grades.
It is their right.
If they work hard to provide us with education, then it is their right to see the fruits of their labour-- our good grades.

If our rights are their responsibility, then it stands true the other way round as well.

And I'm not going to mess it up.
I'm not going to mess up my parents hard-work. The hours they worked in the heat, taking their capitalist boss' bullshit just to support us, I'm not going to let it go to waste.

My good grades, are their right.
And I will, inshAllah, make sure that I do whatever it is that is required to give my parents their right.
And so should you.

*dramatic noble music plays in the background*
*I rise on a pedastal, fiercely competitive look on face, wearing Sparta's outfit*
*Marching forward, examination hall in view, I enter, my land's flag waving proud and bright in the desert heat of the rather garishly painted school ground*

Because I'm Just A Geek Aiming For A Revolution...

...and you're just a cynic, anticipating my failure.

-Insert passionate Urdu rant here-

So I read about the Shazia Masih case.

I was disgusted to the point where I lost any left-over respect for the judicial system in Pakistan.
Matlab nai seriously, WTF?

Upon speaking to a friend last night, he reckons that this is what happens when Government and the judicial system is one and the same.
I couldn't agree more.
Pakistan's problems are so deep-rooted and interconnected that you get caught up trying to solve them.

Agar lawyers ka hee yeh haal hai, toh phir Allah hee hafiz hai Pakistan hai. No wonder Dr. Israr Ahmed predicted Pakistan won't be on the map during the final years.

By reading Masih's case, I wonder, what are lawyers even fighting for? What is their passion? What is their cause? Lawyers kia sirf bhangra daalne ke liye zinda hain? Unka sirf ik hee kaam hai.
I do agree, keh the judicial system SEEMS to be doing better by opening up Zardari's cases with Musharraf in line, however, when such cases where the very authorities regulating the judicial system violate their own laws, how are we to have any faith on the JUSTICE system? It just makes me think, wait, what's the point in fighting for the case? Bribery will solve everything and if someone revolts, supari deke marwa deinge.

Yeh kahan ka insaaf hai?
Agar yahi halaat chalte rahe, yahi chote chote masaael Pakistan ko le ke doub mareinge. Kia faida keh oopar se aap bohot dikhaein ji keh haan barhe cases khul rahe hain magar andar se he fraud ho?
At the end of the day, Zardari and his bullshit doesn't matter-- what REALLY matters, is aapki awaam ka kia haal ho raha hai. Haal se behaal hai.
BACCHON ka kia ho raha hai since they are the future of Pakistan.
Yahan humare nojawaon ko apni atkheliyon se fursat nai hai. Dance toh kerlein, New Years ki party toh dedein.

Look, I'm not against all that, but when it goes to the point where you stop THINKING about your future, that's when it REALLY crawls underneath my skin and makes my blood boil.
What is our youth focused on? Fashion industry, music industry.
Even if we have a youth who is determined for a better Pakistan, and I do agree we have quite a lot of them, they are not the majority.

I think as a solution, we need to spread more awareness and I support the media for shedding light on such cases.

I think there needs to be more VALUE education in Pakistan, something that will spark the passion among our youth.
Efforts such as MUN conferences in Pakistan really are essential and I'm more than happy that they are on a large scale, attracting many youth from different areas of Pakistan.
In addition to that, we need to step up and quit complaining and start taking action.
Efforts such as funding TCF, Zindagi trust, that are focused on EDUCATION in Pakistan is vital towards a prosperous Pakistan.
We also need to be there in person as lawyers, teachers, lecturers, motivators, think-tanks, media persons, etc. to spread awareness and motivate people to work hard and be persistent, and to not give up on their hopes and dreams.

May Allah swt bless Pakistan and give us the strength and ability to do whatever it may be in our power to save our nation and restore it to its former glory, Ameen.

INTERVOOOO!

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Interview here xD