im not going to say anything - because some mad ass will probably pump 26 bullets into my body while i have lunch...but to be very honest I do not know the full context of the law. Do I support it? I dont know. What I do support is what it written in the Quran and this is what it says:
"When ye hear the signs of Allah held in defiance and ridicule, ye are not to sit with them unless they turn to a different theme." [Qur'an 4:140]
"And when they hear vain talk, they turn away therefrom and say: "to us our deeds and to you yours; peace be to you." [Qur'an 28: 55]
"Hold to forgiveness, command what is right; but turn away from the ignorant." [Qur'an 7:199]
"Have patience with what they say, and leaves them with noble (dignity)." [Qur'an 73:10]
"And the servants of Allah . . . are those who walked on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, they say 'Peace'" [Qur'an 25:63]
"Allah is with those who restrain themselves." [Qur'an 16: 128]
". . . But they uttered blasphemy . . . if they repent, it will be best for them, but if they turn back, Allah will punish them." [Qur'an 9:47]
"And if you punished, let your punishment be proportionate to the wrong that has been done to you; but if you show patience, that is indeed the best course. [Qur'an 16:126]
"The recompense for an injury is an injury equal thereto: but if a person forgets and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from Allah." [Qur'an 62:40]
"Twice will they be given their reward, for that they have persevered, (and) they avert evil with good." [Qur'an 28:54]
We sent not and Apostle but to be obeyed in accordance with the Will of Allah [Qur'an 4:64]
Say: I am no bringer of new-fangled doctrine . . . I follow but that which is revealed to me. [Qur'an, 56:9]
Obey Allah and obey the Apostle. [Qur'an 5: 95]
Obey Allah and obey the Apostle and those charged with authority among you. [Qur'an 4: 59]
let me tell you a little story about my country. We are democratic people, or so we like to think. We also like to think we are an islamic republic - thus the name 'islamic republic of pakistan'.
The problem is we are confused. The people that fight for democracy, the PPP, the PML, the MMA, the PTI and the MQM are completely undemocratic in their own party functioning. They have the same party leaders for the past 20 years unless their leaders have been assasinated by their husbands (PPP) and dont believe in leaving their 'kursis'. We like the idea of democracy, however thats where it stops...
Its unfortunately something my country love to fantasize, but when it comes to walking the talk...nothing happens.
Let me tell you about the new democratic scheme of things nowadays. Our Minister, Mr. Khosa tried to get his brother in law to head the ICTRD FUND which has about 20 billion rupees in its kitty. When the board refused to shortlist the candidate on the basis of a fake degree, 6 borad members were fired. The board members include some of the leading professionals of pakistan which include the country manager of cisco, ex chairman of engro, and the head of multinet pakistan.
Our respected ministers next move was to try to fit his brother in law in the USF fund, which is again lead by one of pakistans most respected telecom professionals, Mr. Parvez Iftikhar, a man that has made the USF a beacon of learning for the rest of world on how to use funds to increase telecom penetration in low growth and emancipated areas.
Democracy has also brought destruction and corruption to our countrys financial sector. The head of NIIT, Mr. Tariq Iqbal Khan another very respected individual within financial circles, who turned around the company to make it the largest mutual funds company in the country was recently removed to make way for another corrupt crony supported by Mr. Democratically elected my foot ten percent zardari.
Our democratically elected government is going back on all the promises that they made and are redoing everything that they thought was wrong with the previous government. When the media tried to bring to light the fraud commmited by fake degree parlamentarians they tabled a resolution against the media. They delayed reappointment of the judges. The list of crap being dealt to the common man on the pretext of democracy is endless...
So for a moment in time I was going towards supporting democracy but things dont really seem to be helping our case. Sure we can say that we need to give it time to develop, but i can...but what about the man on the street who cant buy food for his family? If our elections were truly transparent enough, maybe we could have thrown out and called for change but we cant. Also if this government goes, will the sharifs come back and screw our resources further? And then back to PPP and then another round of pingpong?
Can someone please explain why i should love democracy, because i truly want to, but cannot figure out a reason why!!!
Sent from my Nokia phone
I know this is a controversial topic and i also know that people are scared to debate what has been taught to them as the final word and nothing beyond it.
However music has been a huge part of my life since i was a kid. More often than not it has taught me lessons that no book could ever teach me, and has unearthed passions that i never knew existed inside me. Certain songs and singers have a way of speaking to you like no other, and it is those moments that have given music a certain reverence in my life.
So when people say that music is not allowed in our religion, it hurts me to hear that. Ive thought about it over and over again, and ive reached a conclusion that all those people are wrong and ill tell you why.
Recently i was listening to coke studios version of Abida Parveens rendition of bulley shah and a weird thing happened after that. I cried, got up and went to say my prayers. If a song can make me say my prayers, im pretty sure that its allowed. Take another example. Go listen to josh grobans 'remember when it rained'...it makes me think of God because it was He that gave Josh the voice to sing that song....does that still fall in the 'haram' category?
God has given us instructions that we need to follow, but with our own intuition. Im pretty sure that some sort of music is haram...take for instance the latest rnb hip hop i want to do ure booty type of songs...thats sexual promiscuity right in your face...which is wrong...
Think about it and give me your view.
So heres a thing ive been noticing for a while...and no i dont want to be called a potty mouth after this post but you should know about this in any case... Because its kind of funny
people...or guys (ive only used male bathrooms so i really dont know what happens in female restrooms) tend to not look at each other when they meet in the bathroom. Even if u know the person, you immediately tend to look down and pretend like ure not there. Why? I mean its only natural and its nothing to be ashamed of.
As im sitting in my office restroom and typing this out im dead sure that as soon as i open the door and walk into the handwash area, ill see a guy and he'll look down
Yup...there it is again. But there are also people who try hiding this fact and after a very awkward silence, say 'aur boss, whats up'. Thats the stupidest line ive ever heard...i mean what is a person supposed to tell him...give him an update of my bowel movement?
So Ive been away for a while. Changing cities calls for a change in mindset, timings and overall personality in my view. The recent week has been pretty hectic with me joining telenor Pakistan on the Djuice brand...and God do I love it!
Having said that, that isnt the subject of this post.
My last days in Karachi turned out to be some of the greatest moments of my life and I had really cool friends give me a totally new perspective on life. You know how we all talk about firsts in life? Ive figured out a better perspective...
My last days were spent saying goodbyes. Goodbyes may be emotional although us "men" dont like showing emotion even if we do get emotional at times. There was Saadis last match with IBA United, My last dinner with her and then my farewell lunch with a bunch of friends.
What was my major learning? It was how to make your last moments...last. Make your last moments lasting enough to be remembered as fond memories. So to everyone at the hostel, in college, at the match, at the dinner and at the lunch...thank you.
You made my last moments in K-town, Everlasting!
So ive been pretty good at quitting things all my life....not that it makes me a serial quitter, but i guess youll get the point after reading the rest of the post..
i quit tennis as a kid because the coach just kept me on wall practice for a month and i had just had enough of it. I quit learning the harmonium because i just found it too boring and i quit the gym because lets be honest, its just too god damn tiring...
The next thing to quit wont be all that easy. Ive decided to quit tobacco. It wont be easy, heck ive already quit it 20 times.
The fact is, frankly im sick of it. Im sick of waking up every morning and reaching for my suicide pack. Im sick of needing to smoke every time i need to think and my life has somehow become a smokescreen with it. I hate the fact that I cough more often than not, and my throat has become a prime target for any virus that can be found. Im tired of not being able to run anymore, im tired of not feeling healthy and happy 24x7. The horrible thing about tobacco is that it becomes like a crutch for smokers. Once you get addicted, you depend on the death sticks to cure your boredom or any other challenge that you encounter in your daily life. Frankly, I think Allah made me stronger than that, and wanted a different path in life for me.
But the strongest motivation comes from my mother and how it makes her so unhappy that her son is a smoker. At first I thought shed get over it, but when I eventually found out that both my grandfathers (maternal and paternal) had died due to smoking I now understand why it hurts her and my father so much. Sure the fact that my doctor told me that I was a prime candidate for emphysema matters too, but I think a mothers feelings are a much stronger motivation than any other in this world.
Im actually thinking of starting a blog to right down my daily emotions so that other quitters can benefit from my experience. What do you think?
Oh and yes. I would appreciate your support in this trying time. It wont be easy, and jabbering on about how Ill never be able to quit will never help my cause.
Lets see how this goes! Wish me luck.
D-Day 18th June 2010 - My first day without smoking.
So i turned 27 and as always there were hundreds of midnight birthday calls, hundreds of celebretory text messages and ofcourse as always my facebook wall was flooded with happy birthdays and party all night type of messages...
Growing up can have a big impact on your life, some positive and some negative. Certain friends of mine see it as a confirmation of their manhood and thus by indulging in their own securities see another year of life as a go ahead to add yet another feather (sin) to their cap...meaning if they were on dope before with their birthday they would graduate to coke and pill popping.
I tend to do stuff differently. I like spending the day/week alone and taking stock of my life. I realized something this time around.
As we grow older, we tend to move farther away from our parents. I guess that is the way of the world. Thanks to the capitalist mindset that we live in and have been brought up on, the old eventually shrivel up and die, and somehow that is seen as a given in the human race as well.
Think about it. Who were the people who gave you your first birthday cake and invited all your friends to enjoy it with you? Who were the people who have been buying your presents all these years? Your parents. And as soon as you grow up, you start prefering your friends over them. When on the job in Islamabad, on the job, I made it a point to take my mom to plays and movies with me, just to show the world, i dint care if anyone judged me, i loved my mom. And it just hit me, I havent spent my birthday with my folks for the longest time.
I need to. You need to. We ALL need to. They made us what we are today, and they deserve this much and MUCH MUCH MORE
Sir,
After reading the article that I just sent to you, I got down to thinking. How will IBA in an increasingly unstable world be able to differentiate itself?
I believe that values and ethics and creativity of business solutions is the way to go. IBA has previously been known for supplying the market with cut throat executives that will do just about anything to succeed. However in view of the financial crisis, its evident that such a strategy will not work.
Since Islam has always taught tolerance, values and ethics, I personally believe that IBA can become a shining beacon of such a system and this is something that I have realized after having been taught by Dr. Mahnaz Fatima this semester. The approach that she has taken with corporate strategy is one that cannot be found in any other business school in Pakistan, and I believe that she is a real asset to our institution. However one thing that is fundamentally wrong with the MBA right now is that we had her in the last semester, rather than in the first.
When the new crop of MBAs/BBAs come to IBA, they come here hungry for success in the corporate world. That is exactly why the race for grades has become the order of the day amongst our students. If they were to be given lessons in values by Dr. Mahnaz in the first semester, I am sure that this mindset can change. The way she has taught my class, and myself included, has really changed our perception. Every class is like a call to arms, which includes a drive for excellence in education, success in the corporate world, but at the same time, never forgetting what our true value system is and how we should maintain it in our daily lives. We come out of every class completely inspired, and this has never been the case in any class that I have taken here since 2002 (I worked for 3 years in between) save a few other illustrious examples which include Ms. Lalarukh Ejaz and Mr. Samir Amir.
Another thing that needs to be instilled within our graduates is the love of our country and finding creative solutions to the problems that we see around us. It should be our graduates that are making and implementing new BOP marketing and microfinance models rather than people sitting in harvard, because these problems are in Pakistan and not in the US. Our graduates should be consulting with NGOs or even governmental departments on how to improve their functioning and helping them effeciently achieve their objectives.
Our new positioning should not only be that we produce leadership within the ranks of the corporate world, but the world overall.
She and I were sitting together when the topic of our bachpan ke din came up. The topic obviously lead to school and for some odd reason came to fountain pens...
It made me realize how much i loved to write as a kid. Whether it was weird poetry, or essays or even make believe songs, writing was always a passion for me. And i guess a huge factor of that was the tool that i used, my fountain pen. I used to love going to the market, buying my dollar waali light blue pen and a small bottle of ink. I even remember the effort that it took to fill the ink in the pen and how it was all worthwhile once the pen started writing smoothly.
As a kid, i was never allowed to use a cartridge pen. Quite frankly it was seen as an unnecessary expense that was meant for rich kids. Thus the cartridge pen became an ideal prize that i was willing to die for. Although it may seem as a childish frivolous indulgence, it was just so cool at the time.
As I write about my love affair with ink, alot of memories have come flooding back and i just remembered the first time i saw a parker. The parker pen was the epitome of ink tools at the time, the bmw of pens per say...atleast in my world. I remember that i would go to stationary shops in Islamabad and just go and stand and stare at the Parker range that they would have,...and it was worth it. The beautiful contours of the nib, were something that were the very definition of class and elegance at that point in time...and nothing could come close.
I got my first Parker on a birthday. It was a grey steel hand me down that i had silently been ogling at, during my weekly visits to my fathers office. The fact that my father, one of my lifes idols used it only made it shine as if it were a Rolex that had been passed down from one generation to another. It was a special pen i was told, and i needed to guard it with my life. I did for about 6 months, after which I lost it. I was devastated that day, removed form my mom and barely talking when i got home. I had been given a responsibility and u had failed at it. After about a week of not talking to anyone at home, i ran wailing into my moms open arms and told her the story. I got scolded a bit, but just the look on my moms face was enough for me.
What i however learnt from this experience has remained with me for the rest of my life. It was that no matter what, although my parents would scold me from time to time, nothing was more important than their child...and i love them for it.
Sent from my Nokia phone
I love my current facebook status update and it really presents the frustration that ive been feeling for quite a while now.
We dont give a shit when our country goes to the dogs. We study about how dictators have all but killed our democracy, how our public sector organizations are ineffecient and our governers are inept. We study about how due to no continuity of policies, our country has now become a lepper begging for financial aid. But we dont do anything about it.
But i will. Ive decided to do something about it. Im not sure just what yet, but ive promised myslef that i will help out, in any way i can.
ive decided that once i graduate and am well settled in a secure job, (that gives me a three - four month timeline) i will dedicate either a certain portion of my time every month/week towards a social cause. It may be providing free teaching/career counseling at the primary level, meeting with old people and listening to their worries or even holding free business planning workshops.
Anything that will help the people of my country in the long term. And i WILL do it.
Sent from my Nokia phone
So anyway I recently asked a girl how her exam went. And she replied "Yaaaaaaaaaaaaar, rape hogaya yaar, teacher ne to completely layleee- phat ke haath mein aagayee yaar". Now I dont know how such words have found their way into common lady lingo but let me shed a little light on it....
rape hogaya - probably one of the most humiliating and painful any woman or man can go through - for further details please refer to mukhtaran mai or american history x
laylee - means uve been sodomized
phat gayee - means uve been buggered from behind...yes ure backdoor so to speak...
I didnt really want to write this blog post, but for current and future readers beware...u have absolutely no idea what ure saying!!!!!
I want to change things. I want to make movies and sing songs with a purpose. I want to use mass media to change perceptions, re arrange mindsets, change power mongers and throw them out of government. My latest idea comes from sitting at my college library with songs of Jiye Altaf - a song dedicated to the leader of a fascist organization MQM that promises to bring certain death to our country.
The people of my city Karachi are so God Damn scared of this man that they will never stand up in an open crowd and speak about him. Even the most powerful news source in Pakistan, the GEO network, who call themselves the champions of Pakistani democracy, does not dare publish and run a negative news clip about, out of fear of reprisal.
But I still want to. I want to sing,write, and bring a revolution. Why havent I done it? Im scared. Is it wussy to be scared? Not really. Ive never been one to think too much about my safety. I think the ultimate issue is how my death in a target killing with affect those around me. I have parents who would probably die thinking about how unfair it was to outlive their own kid. I have a girl who im crazy about and i cant dare think about leaving.
But then doesnt everybody? The question that comes to mind is this - how many people are there out there that are as scared as i am? And if we, the educated elite are so scared to do something about our conditions and keep thinking about those around us, who will it be that will stand up and change things?
When i initially came to the hostel, I was quite the "burger" kid. For those of you who dont know what it means (Untill my Alevels i thought that burger meant fat...) its a person who comes from an elite family, talks only in English - essentially people still stuck in the slave mentality that the English colonialists left behind in our part of the region. Essentially a person that does not appreciate ones own culture and would throw it away if he or she was offered a burger from burger king...
Getting back to topic, I needed to adapt and life here helped me out in doing so. New people, new surroundings, and an overall new culture helped me define a completely new mindset and approach to life. Did I leave my values behind? Some I did, but my new approach to life is a fusion of the good and bad - more realistic then ever before.
The reason for this post is that it came into question after an event yesterday. During a match, a person said something that truly hurt me. Now the average person around here would not have thought twice before burying the person in the ground within seconds of the words coming out of his mouth. But I didn't.
I told him NEVER to say it again - OR - I would bury him where he stood, and he understood. Through out the match, and until I slept at night I kept wondering and questioning whether my approach was correct. Was I a wuss for not raising my fists and beating him to a pulp?(and God knows I wanted to). It even bugged me till I wrote about it today.
I was right. If I had fought, it would be a bad lesson for the 150 strong hostelites that I currently manage. If words could warn, it was better than doing anything else. If I had fought him, what would be the difference between us humans and animals? Where would all the diplomacy I had learnt over these years go?
Im better now...as long as you dont talk to me about it again.
