Of Peace, Pakistan and Philanthropy

Abdul Sattar Edhi. This is who we are. This is who we were. And this is who we should inspire to be. Winner of several international awards, Abdul Sattar Edhi is a simple, self-proclaimed uneducated man who operates the largest voluntary ambulance services. Whenever a disaster strikes Pakistan, Edhi's ambulances are always ahead of the rest, at Pakistan's service.

This is what Islam is about. The simplicity, the honesty of this man is what we Muslims are taught in Islam. THIS is the real Islam. Islam is not Al Qaeda, Islam is not Taliban. Abdul Sattar Eidhi is a living example of what Islam teaches.

What does Abdul Sattar Edhi own? 2 suits. 2 suits is all he owns. One he washes, the other he wears. He does not own enough resources to give Zakaat, because he gives them all in charity. He drinks milk morning and night, and only eats one piece of bread for lunch, without meat.
This is modesty, this is humility. This is what Islam teaches.

Abdul Sattar Eidhi deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. What infuriates me is that Obama won it for what? For getting Aafia Siddiqui arrested. For detaining a mother of a 1.5 year old child in an all-male prison on the mere basis of suspicion. Despite all the objectivity and equality that these awards boast, Obama was a politician. Politicians are NEVER objective. Why, then, was he awarded the Nobel Peace Prize? Where has he contributed to peace? Drone attacks in Pakistan, War in Iraq, Afghanistan, this is not peace! Despite ALL EDHI'S HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS, despite all the real work he's done, Obama gets the award.

You decide. Where's the justice? We Muslims are being brainwashed. We are blinded to our own side. We don't see the efforts of our people because it is not being promoted by the media. We need to open our eyes and ears to our people and educate ourselves about the wonderful efforts and contributions that Muslims have made in the world. We need to be inspired by these, by our history, by Islamic history and make continuous efforts to clense this ridiculous hegemonized image that the Western media has constructed about us. We need a revival.

And this is it. It's now, or never.

-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.

Swat Valley Crisis 101

What is it all about?
The operaion Rah-i-Rast by the Pakistani government to fight the Taliban insurgents and terrorists was announced in late April. As many as 200 militants have been killed so far, and the internally displaced Pakistanis of the Swat Valley that have escaped the war ridden region add up to nearly 200,000. This has led to a humanitarian crisis for the IDPs of the Swat Valley region, as those IDPs are cramped into camps that are constantly running out of place.


What are the problems being faced?
The refugees are used to the cold weather of the mountaneous region of Swat, and their transfer to the camps has resulted in diarrhoea and dehydration. There is no electricity and the water supply is limited. The unbearable heat is a cause of great distress for children and adults alike. Food supply is also limited as all the aid being supplied is not reachign each and every camp. Medicines are only restricted to painkillers and those of cold and flu. There is a shortage of female doctors and cultural aspects of the Sway Valley people results in a higher number of diseases among the women that are left uncured by the male doctors.


How can I help?
Possibly the hardest thing right now for the overseas Pakistanis is just sitting here and watching, unable to be physically there with our homeless brothers and sisters. But the least that we can do right now is make our donations and contributions in any possible way.
You can donate to the MKR Foundation. Pak Associations in the country of your residence are collecting non-perishable items to deliver to those in the relief camps. For those in Dubai-
You can help out by calling 04-337-3632 or 04-337-7678. You can contribute financially through United Bank Limited (Diera Dubai Branch) with the title Pakistan Association Dubai. Account # 080 104 62 29 SWIFT Code: UNILEAD If you want to email them pakassoc@eim.ae and their website is www.pakassociation.com
(Taken from James Nightline blog)

Various cellular numbers are also provided in certain reigions on which you can text and donate money through your network provider.

What items are needed for donations:
Clothes, medicines, sanitary commodities, water coolers, fans and tinned foods top the list in this case.

Hijab- The Confession

This post was really hard for me to write, because, it is, in a way, a sort of confession for me.
I have worn the Hijab many times in my life, as a kid in Grade 4 or 5, and then taken it off. I started wearing it again in Grade 7, until a few months back, and again it's off.
I have searched for reasons to figure out why I'm so confused about wearing the Hijab when clearly, Allah has commanded all believing women to cover their Awra.
I realized that it was for certain reasons, some personal experiences in my life that have led to these confused actions. But this doesn't mean that I'm not God-fearing, or modest, or that I'm loose, because my Allah knows my character, and He Alone, is my judge. It just means that I do not have the required level of spiritual strength yet, and inshAllah, I shall have that one day. I'm praying everyday to Allah swt to give me the Guidance, the Tofiq, and the strength to start the Hijab once again and to never stop wearing it. I want to, I really want to wear the Hijab. And I still have the urge to wear it somedays, but I don't want it to last just a few days. I want to wear it forever, inshAllah, and so I'm waiting, crushing my impulsive acts and waiting to gain the strength to wear it once and for all. I respect the Hijab, and I respect Allah's wishes, and I wish to be a Hijabi.
Thing is, I know that boys will be boys, they will stare at you even if you're covered, wearing decent clothes, wearing the Hijab. I have noticed it, from personal experience. But, just because thieves will be thieves doesn't mean you should leave your jewels unguarded. Same thing with the Hijab.
However, I do dress modestly, except that I don't cover my hair. I do dress decently, and not provocatively, and I do feel guilty not wearing the Hijab. I wear the Abaya when I'm dressed up quite fancy to avoid attention. I want to wear the Hijab I want to wear it when I am completely and truly ready, from my heart, body, mind and soul. I pray to Allah to fill my heart with the power of Islam, for the True Faith to enter my heart and for it to never leave me. For the Qur'an to become embedded in my soul. I request all of you to pray for me, that I get enough strength to start the Hijab once and for all. I don't want to wear the Hijab because of pressure from culture or religious societies. I don't want to wear the Hijab because certain "liked" people wear it. I want to wear the Hijab for Allah swt and for His pleasure, from my entire heart and soul.
Also, Hijab is not just an item of clothing, it's an attitude, a way of life. I have, Elhumdulillah, started by first practising my religion. I want to correct my character first, be a practising Muslim, and then slowly get to what is the hardest- Jihad-an-Nafs, fighting your inner desires- which is here Hijab.

I hate it when people pressure or question other people about their Hijab (in a condescending way, that is, not if you ask or question it in a friendly way).I mean, drop the holier-than-thou attitude because that's not part of the Hijab package, my friend. Just because you wear the Hijab doesn't make you a better Muslim/person than me. A lot of it has to do with how you don't hurt others feelings, don't be selfish and always see your gain instead of others, etc. (This part is directed towards a certain someone I know, not on this blogger though, so don't worry, any of you =) )
A hijab is a personal choice, and no matter what people say about following a religion how it is prescribed, (yes, you should, though) but YOU are no one to judge or question. A religion is a personal matter b/w Allah swt and the follower, so who are you to judge/question/pressure. Advice, but don't judge, because only Allah swt has the right to do that.

Fa in the end, I just pray to Allah to give me and other Muslimahs the strength to be better, practising Muslims, and to give us all the Hidayah, Ameen.

This was one thing that had been bothering me for a while now, and I just wished to let it out

Bittersweet Nostalgia

I miss Pakistan. I miss the old, crowded, dusty bazaar streets. The sound of the wild roaring generator. The smell of gas, metal, fire, dust, chaat, mud, rain combine together and create this wonderful spicy aroma. It's something like, cinnamon, with a bit of a floral scent. Yes, there are the sewers too, but Karachi has improved a lot, thanks to Mustafa Kamal. I miss the sound of the rickshaws, the cool summer wind rushing through my hair from the rolled down windows of an old car, pulling the hair away and exposing my face, sliding off my dupatta from the hair. I miss the bright summer days, the hilarious wait for the electricity to light up the house again, cursing the KESC, the beating of the dholki to while away time. I miss the lawn dupatta fanning my face on a hot day when there's no electricity, I miss reading Twilight with the light of my cellphone at night to avoid waking my aunt up. I miss the sarcasm of the people, the loud, boisterous laughs, the street vendors constantly interrupting your shopping by forcing you to buy towels, drawstrings, remote control covers and whatnot. I miss entering a chilled room or shop after enduring the hot heat outside. I miss watching my uncles play chess together, I miss watching my aunts cook in the kitchen, I miss the women bargaining in shops for clothes. I miss the pull and push of the females gathered outside jewellery shops, bargaining for bangles and demanding this colour, that colour, brandishing colour after colour of a cloth for perfect matching.
I miss the call of the Adhan with a Pakistani accent, and I miss the feeling of guilt and sadness combined with humility and compassion upon seeing armless beggars.
But most of all, I miss my home. I miss the very essence of Pakistan, the essence that I can't quite put my finger on what it is. I guess it's just the country, the love for my nation running through my veins.
If I could, I would live in Pakistan, maybe even in dire conditions.

Pakistan/India Relations

I've been fortunate enough to be surrounded by friends and people of over 147 nationalitie, and I'm friends with many different races; Indians, Pakistanis, Egyptians, Lebanese, Iraqis, Palestinians, Iranians, Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Zorostrians (Parsis), etc.
Now the reason for writing this on here is that before anyone goes all judgemental or RAWR on me, I want ya'll to know that I have NOTHING, absolutely nothing against PEOPLE of any country, it's the politicians that bug me, even Pakistani ones. So when I express my views or opinions, I request ya'll to NOT take it personally.

Now following the Mumbai attacks, I've figured out another theory:
1. America could've arranged these attacks, so that India blames Pakistan for this, and since America is supporting India, they will get a chance to attack Pakistan, as is happening in SWAT, and their mission will be accomplished. They have been looking for a chance to enter Pakistan anyway.

2. India itself could've arranged these attacks so that they get a chance to show the newly elected President Obama that this is how Muslims/Pakistanis are and so support us instead of Pakistan, and to put an end to the dam/water issue between India and Pakistan.

Now I'm not stressing too much on these things, becuase I have NO concrete proof, and so I'm not trying to prove anything.
See, none of us have solid proof about anything, because the media exaggerates and sensationalizes everything! So we can't really believe anything they say.
And also, in the end, what really matters is whoever did this is wrong. Instead of focusing on WHO did this and brewing more hate and waging another war, shouldn't we be more concerned with fighting off terrorism in an honest and sincere way, without having ulterior motives of destroying a country?
I guess world peace has no meaning anymore now does it?
It just saddens me to see that the world is coming to an end because of terrorism and greed and hatred.
But then again, it strengthens my fate because I know that each day, more and more signs of the Last Day are becoming true, and this gives me courage and strength to be a better Muslim, inshAllah, may Allah guide us all and end the sufferings of Muslims and innocent people everywhere.

Islamabad Marriot Hotel Blast

Before: After:

Currently 40 people have been reported dead.
Be it Taliban, or America, both of them should burn in hell. Killing and injuring thousands of people. That too, in Ramadan. One for the sake of "battling terrorism" and one in the name of "Islam".
Ironic isn't it? Battling terrorism when you are the terrorist yourself?
No responsibility of the blast has been claimed as yet, but I strongly think this is an act of U.S.
I believe that U.S. is feeding Taliban, and the blasts are a result of that. Bush will now blame this on the Taliban and "terrorists", and then enter as a means of "defence" to Pakistan, hence taking full control of Pakistan.

I may be wrong, but be it America or Taliban (if both of them are separate, anyway!), both are nothing but bloody murders, blood-sucking leeches.
Taliban kill in the name of religion- WHAT RELIGION? Where does Islam state you have to imprision women and force them to live as slaves under men? ?!?!?1
America- How the bloody hell can you fight terrorism when you are the one spreading terror EVERYWHERE! You've meddled with nearly every country. Iraq, Palestine, Pakistan, Afghanistan. Bush is the number 1 terrorist.
I'm telling you, once we eradicate Bush and Taliban and all other hardliners, we have world peace.

Dr. Aafia Siddiqui In Court For Attempted Murder

Dr. Aafiq Siddiqui was charged with attempted murder and was taken to court.
Let me just say this as subtly and as decently as I can: WHAT THE *beep*?

Now hold on, hold on, lemme get this straight:
You take a Muslim woman, a Niqabi Muslim woman, abduct her to Afghanistan, catch her as an Al Qaeda operative, take her to U.S., put her in men's prison, torture her, every single man has raped her there (dunno how far that is true, but even if a few did, it's RAPE and it's mental and physical abuse!), you torture her, and her health, this is her health:
-one of her kidneys had been removed while in captivity;
-her teeth had been removed;
-her nose had been broken, and improperly reset;
-that her recent gun-shot wound had been incompetently dressed, was oozing blood, leaving her clothes soaked with blood.

And you expect her to not go crazy? Not want to let her rage out? I don't even have any comments, I have nothing to say, Goddamit! This is not how you treat humans! And on top of that you expect her not to attempt to kill you? This is an outrage! Besides, she is SO weak..how can a 90lbs woman, pick up an m4 rifle and shoot him? Heck, the officer put it down with his foot in front of him. If he saw her grab it, didn't he stop her? Or are you too pigheaded and slow to move that quick? Bloody morons. I hope all of them rot in hell. People like these shot be hung to death! They don't deserve to live in this world, those inhumane animals! Taliban seems like angels in front of these inhumane sadists.
These people, I wish I could say May Allah guide them, but no. I don't, and I won't. I want these people to rot in hell, in the deepest, fiery pits of hell, and inshAllah they will.

Fa in the end, Allah is the best judge, He Alone has the knowledge of all things. And He is definetly not unjust, na3ouzubillah.

Musharraf's Impeachment and Democracy in Pakistan

Okay so I thought I'd do a bit of research before I dive into this topic, but I cannot wait anymore. I may not know alot about Pakistan's history, or even the current politics, but what I do know is that Musharraf was the one good thing that happened to Pakistan in a long, long time.
He has done a lot of Pakistan, suffice to say saved it from being erased from the world map! Musharraf had finally dragged Pakistan's economy back up and placed it on track, where it should have been. Where were Nawaz Sharif and Zardari and Bhutto when all the hard work was to be done? As soon as money started rolling in, we see Zardari and Nawaz Sharif out of nowhere, calling for Musharraf's impeachment. Where were you before when Pakistan needed help, needed support? These two politicians are vultures! They want Pakistan dead so that they can fill their pockets!
Many say Musharraf is a dictator, and there was a whole big issue on the State of Emergency that he announced. Excuse me, but are you looking at Pakistan with rosey-tinted glasses? Get a reality check! In a country where there is such a high rate of llliteracy, how can you expect democracy to prevail? The people do not know what is good for the country and for them! They are fed a little money and are easily manipulated!
They say Musharraf is a dictator. I strongly disagree with that. He is not a dictator, but a well-wisher of Pakistan. It's obvious that democracy cannot prevail in Pakistan, and so there has to be someone to rule the country. It's not called dictatorship, it's call sensibility!
I think it's a sad day in the history of Pakistan that Musharraf resigned. We finally had one good leader, who was doing something good for Pakistan. He was not a slave to America, but very diplomatic, and if he didn't do what he did, America would have killed us now. Yes, he's not supposed to give Pakistani people to America, I understand that, but he wasn't in a position to argue. America would have wiped us off by now.
In the end, I would just like to say that this is my humble opinion, which could waver over the years, but for now, these are my two cents.


*~* Edit *~* (August 22, Friday, 08)
Another thing I would like to add is that while giving his farewell speech, I loved how President Musharraf was so put-together and was the bigger man there, not taking any of the names of his opressors, nor did he criticise the media. This quite clearly shoes that he is NOT a dictator, who, had it been the case that he was, could have easily shut down all newspapers and channels running stories against him. He didn't. He even said in the end that he would like to see the media running independently. Isn't this proof enough that he isn't a dictator? Dictator would be someone like Saddam Hussein, who, if people rebelled, took them into prison and tortured them endlessly, killing them and their families, on the basis of suspect!I'm ashamed at the Pakistani avaam for not opening their eyes and realizing what they need, and letting go of this one man who actually had the ability to run Pakistan.