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SECOND OPINION: Filth in our Paradise — Khaled Ahmed’s Review of the Urdu press
Baba Farid has given us Paradise on Earth but the lack of clean environment in Pakpattan has demeaned the entire spiritual experience. You may feel the same way about the festivals of Data Sahib and Shah Hussain in Lahore
Our lives are filled with cruel ironies. We pride ourselves over our religion. We think it is the best in the world. Our mystical poets are the best in the world. We go to their shrines for the catharsis we need to face up to life. But wherever we go in large numbers, sanitary conditions don’t hold up well. Each festival is held in the midst of great filth. Human refuse fills the city after the “devotees” have departed. More and more, celebrating our spirituality has become an act of wallowing in garbage.
According to Khabrain (February 7, 2006) the Gates of Paradise at the shrine of Baba Farid in Pakpattan were opened on the urs of the saint and 100,000 people passed through them each night. In Pakpattan the place where the saint and poet Baba Farid lived people lined up for miles to be able to pass through the Gates. Every year there is bhagdar (stampede), which kills people, but this year there was no bhagdar.
Writing in Jang (February 12, 2006) columnist Rehmat Ali Razi stated that Pakpattan where the Gates of Paradise opened on every urs of Baba Farid was no paradise. The city of 150,000 had hardly any roads that were intact. The load of additional population of visiting devotees (100,000) paralysed the city with all roads blocked. The only two hotels closed down because no one could get to them as roads filled up with filth. The city had no garbage collection but when the visitors of Paradise arrived filth accumulated on the streets, which ran with the urine of the devotees. When the devotees filed through the Gateway to Heaven they brought excrement and urine with their feet that then clung to the tomb of Baba Farid.
Baba Farid has given us Paradise on Earth but the lack of clean environment in Pakpattan has demeaned the entire spiritual experience. You may feel the same way about the festivals of Data Sahib and Shah Hussain in Lahore. We could do the “economic” thing, if not spiritual, of linking the city’s economy to the occasion and spend money on cleanliness and hygiene; and the cost could be recovered from the commerce during the festival.
Reported in Jang (February 9, 2006) PMLN chief Nawaz Sharif said that the events of Karbala taught the Muslims to stand up to tyranny. Today some traitors from among Muslims were helping the enemies of Islam. Benazir Bhutto said that the martyrdom of Imam Hussain taught us to challenge the evil oppressor no matter how strong he was. She said today Pakistan was faced with the same crisis of yazidiyat and the example of Imam Hussain was relevant in the coming struggle.
According to Nawa-e-Waqt the president and prime minister gave message to the nation that Imam Hussain’s example taught the Muslims to safeguard their values at any cost from those who wanted to attack them and change them. MMA leader Maulana Fazl ur Rehman said that Karbala called on the Muslims to get together against the West’s campaign to insult the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).
Everybody suits the message of Karbala to his purpose. Every year the opposition describes the politicians in power as Yazid. In the past the politicians now in power had described them as Yazid. Who is really Yazid and who is Hussain today? All the politicians are Yazid and all the people who elect them are also Yazid.
Daily Pakistan (February 9, 2006) quoted PML chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain as saying that Europe and the West should pass a law to punish insulters of all prophets including Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). If the West did not do this then more insult published in Europe would lead to disastrous consequences.
The Pakistani law against divine insult is wrong in including all prophets. The Christians could be threatened by action under this law in regard to prophets of the Old Testament; and the Bible could be found offensive in the court of law. What then? Kill all the Christians?
According to Nawa-e-Waqt (February 11, 2006) in Pindi Bhattian people were outraged to find pages of the Holy Quran in the street. They took out an angry procession and went to the police station. The police at once took the pages in its control and registered a case. But the people were not satisfied as they wanted to burn public property to express their grief. The clerics warned from the mosques that if the culprits were not caught the people would destroy public property.
No city is now exempt from the destruction of mobs who go on a rampage after hearing that the Quran has been desecrated. It is actually a pastime of the hoods. No one can stop them and the weak among us suffer their vandalism.
Reported in Jang (February 12, 2006) mobs in Mandi Bahauddin came out beating their breasts and hurling stones at passing trains and burning tyres in the streets of the city. The mobs also cried in pain on the insult to the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in Europe and burnt some cars and broke the windshields of many. They also wept profusely and stoned all public buildings while breaking glass at the petrol stations.
Sensing the success of the mobs in Mandi Bahauddin, the political opposition announced an all-party day of protest on March 3, 2006. Meanwhile every party would hold aggressive rallies throughout the month of February to mark Islamic grief at the insult to the Prophet (PBUH) in Europe through the publication of cartoons. The opposition also demanded that ambassadors of all offending European countries be sent packing and Pakistan embassies removed from there.
It is not only Pindi Bhattian that has decided to commit ritual suicide; the entire country is under threat. The Islamic civilisation seems to be coming to an end. And no one cares. If the Muslims think they can scare the world through self-destruction, they are completely mistaken.
Religion minister Ijaz ul Haq stated in daily Din (February 12, 2006) that if Pakistan and other Islamic states were to snap relations with the European countries that had offended them by publishing insulting cartoons then the offending states would suffer economically and agree never to insult the Muslims again by publishing cartoons.
The minister is completely wrong. The West will not suffer economically at the hands of the Muslims. Even Iran has said that it will not stop selling oil if it is taken to the UN Security Council and attacked. Iran is right: an Islamic boycott will hurt only Muslims. *
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...7-4-2006_pg3_3
SECOND OPINION: Filth in our Paradise — Khaled Ahmed’s Review of the Urdu press
Baba Farid has given us Paradise on Earth but the lack of clean environment in Pakpattan has demeaned the entire spiritual experience. You may feel the same way about the festivals of Data Sahib and Shah Hussain in Lahore
Our lives are filled with cruel ironies. We pride ourselves over our religion. We think it is the best in the world. Our mystical poets are the best in the world. We go to their shrines for the catharsis we need to face up to life. But wherever we go in large numbers, sanitary conditions don’t hold up well. Each festival is held in the midst of great filth. Human refuse fills the city after the “devotees” have departed. More and more, celebrating our spirituality has become an act of wallowing in garbage.
According to Khabrain (February 7, 2006) the Gates of Paradise at the shrine of Baba Farid in Pakpattan were opened on the urs of the saint and 100,000 people passed through them each night. In Pakpattan the place where the saint and poet Baba Farid lived people lined up for miles to be able to pass through the Gates. Every year there is bhagdar (stampede), which kills people, but this year there was no bhagdar.
Writing in Jang (February 12, 2006) columnist Rehmat Ali Razi stated that Pakpattan where the Gates of Paradise opened on every urs of Baba Farid was no paradise. The city of 150,000 had hardly any roads that were intact. The load of additional population of visiting devotees (100,000) paralysed the city with all roads blocked. The only two hotels closed down because no one could get to them as roads filled up with filth. The city had no garbage collection but when the visitors of Paradise arrived filth accumulated on the streets, which ran with the urine of the devotees. When the devotees filed through the Gateway to Heaven they brought excrement and urine with their feet that then clung to the tomb of Baba Farid.
Baba Farid has given us Paradise on Earth but the lack of clean environment in Pakpattan has demeaned the entire spiritual experience. You may feel the same way about the festivals of Data Sahib and Shah Hussain in Lahore. We could do the “economic” thing, if not spiritual, of linking the city’s economy to the occasion and spend money on cleanliness and hygiene; and the cost could be recovered from the commerce during the festival.
Reported in Jang (February 9, 2006) PMLN chief Nawaz Sharif said that the events of Karbala taught the Muslims to stand up to tyranny. Today some traitors from among Muslims were helping the enemies of Islam. Benazir Bhutto said that the martyrdom of Imam Hussain taught us to challenge the evil oppressor no matter how strong he was. She said today Pakistan was faced with the same crisis of yazidiyat and the example of Imam Hussain was relevant in the coming struggle.
According to Nawa-e-Waqt the president and prime minister gave message to the nation that Imam Hussain’s example taught the Muslims to safeguard their values at any cost from those who wanted to attack them and change them. MMA leader Maulana Fazl ur Rehman said that Karbala called on the Muslims to get together against the West’s campaign to insult the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).
Everybody suits the message of Karbala to his purpose. Every year the opposition describes the politicians in power as Yazid. In the past the politicians now in power had described them as Yazid. Who is really Yazid and who is Hussain today? All the politicians are Yazid and all the people who elect them are also Yazid.
Daily Pakistan (February 9, 2006) quoted PML chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain as saying that Europe and the West should pass a law to punish insulters of all prophets including Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). If the West did not do this then more insult published in Europe would lead to disastrous consequences.
The Pakistani law against divine insult is wrong in including all prophets. The Christians could be threatened by action under this law in regard to prophets of the Old Testament; and the Bible could be found offensive in the court of law. What then? Kill all the Christians?
According to Nawa-e-Waqt (February 11, 2006) in Pindi Bhattian people were outraged to find pages of the Holy Quran in the street. They took out an angry procession and went to the police station. The police at once took the pages in its control and registered a case. But the people were not satisfied as they wanted to burn public property to express their grief. The clerics warned from the mosques that if the culprits were not caught the people would destroy public property.
No city is now exempt from the destruction of mobs who go on a rampage after hearing that the Quran has been desecrated. It is actually a pastime of the hoods. No one can stop them and the weak among us suffer their vandalism.
Reported in Jang (February 12, 2006) mobs in Mandi Bahauddin came out beating their breasts and hurling stones at passing trains and burning tyres in the streets of the city. The mobs also cried in pain on the insult to the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in Europe and burnt some cars and broke the windshields of many. They also wept profusely and stoned all public buildings while breaking glass at the petrol stations.
Sensing the success of the mobs in Mandi Bahauddin, the political opposition announced an all-party day of protest on March 3, 2006. Meanwhile every party would hold aggressive rallies throughout the month of February to mark Islamic grief at the insult to the Prophet (PBUH) in Europe through the publication of cartoons. The opposition also demanded that ambassadors of all offending European countries be sent packing and Pakistan embassies removed from there.
It is not only Pindi Bhattian that has decided to commit ritual suicide; the entire country is under threat. The Islamic civilisation seems to be coming to an end. And no one cares. If the Muslims think they can scare the world through self-destruction, they are completely mistaken.
Religion minister Ijaz ul Haq stated in daily Din (February 12, 2006) that if Pakistan and other Islamic states were to snap relations with the European countries that had offended them by publishing insulting cartoons then the offending states would suffer economically and agree never to insult the Muslims again by publishing cartoons.
The minister is completely wrong. The West will not suffer economically at the hands of the Muslims. Even Iran has said that it will not stop selling oil if it is taken to the UN Security Council and attacked. Iran is right: an Islamic boycott will hurt only Muslims. *
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...7-4-2006_pg3_3
