It is not Honor

 I think we will only get rid of these incidents when we see it for what it is. I say we stop saying honor killing because it is semi-validating to that claim of honor. It is not honor that drives them, it is not their tribal roots that drive them to be such beasts. It is either the wrath of a man who doesn't want to share assets like inherited land by letting the women of their family marry outside the "family", in which case these people are not unaware but unbothered and greedy. Just like many corporate vultures and evil billionaires. If not that, it is the anger of the family that doesn't want to accept that the women of their household have their own brains and heart and can choose because that kind of individuality comes with rights, rights which they do not entertain so their control in domestic dynamics remains intact. So it is either for power or money. There's no honor ever involved.

Abuse - Are you Involved?

 

I have recently been thinking about how to define abuse to those who don't know they are causing it, this was more like a self-check exercise. This is my humble outline so we can tell if we have ever been one.

Published April 8th, 2023 (Pakistan Time)

Abuse is not just physical.

Abuse is verbal.

Abuse is emotional.

Abuse is when you choose to tell the half truth.

Abuse is when you lie.

Abuse is when you say things to hurt, for hurt is harm.

Abuse is when you harm others for in any form.

Abuse is when you Gaslight

Make them cry

Tell them its their fault

Put their emotions against them

Blame them for opening up

Or telling a friend

what you did to them

Its speaking to others to cause a harm

To stir a storm

To spew hatred

To kill a vibe

To end a life

It's calling someone too emotional

Too sensitive or lazy

Or call them crazy

Abuse showing off a comfort

To those who don't have it

Purposely to take it

To a level where they fall

From the edge of the hope

Abuse is doing all this

And not apologizing

To those whom you owe it

To feel like it's beneath you

To go and admit

That you're a piece of shit 

No matter what form

Or level of the harm

Remember of you did

Exactly this or more,

Ended a person's will

Nay, wish to smile and more

Then you're what I call

An abusive asshole                                     -by Kayenat Hameed Khan

My First Blog in 2020

It is 2020, the world has seen a lot since I last updated this blog. This is not not to mark an entry of the current affairs nor is a commentary on what what is happening or has happened. So these are a few things i have read here and there or i have been thinking about that just makes sense and I thought i should put them up.

Okay first of all, during the last Townhall meeting of Global Shapers, they we kept calling it "physicall distancing" instead of social distancing. I think it is more appropriate as we never really acted as one society before. The distance we need to keep is a physical one. So its not really a problem or anything and distance of any kind actually feels terrible. However I just felt it's better to call it physical not social. (This could become a popular hashtag by the way. You know like people posting how great human beings they are or they have met and keep a hashtag physicalnotsocial in the captions.)

Anyways, here we go:

1) First let's just identify that there are mainly 4 groups of people in the areas effected by COVID 19 based on their reactions to the pandemic and measures taken by their governments:
. people who understand the threat and are taking measures to isolate themselves.
. people who do not understand the threat and are going going out and stuff.
. people who are isolated and are taking measure but they have over reacted and things have led to panic buying and stuff.
. people who are isolated, in the house but they do not follow other measures or who are in composite families where if not them, somebody IS leaving the house or at least the domestic care is coming to the house.

In countries like Pakistan, not many people in quarantine really understand what it means. People are going to see their grandparents and families are reuniting unnecessarily treating the lock down as a holiday. Couples are taking it lightly and things indoors are basically messed up,

2) Fake news and misinterpreted news that is being communicated to masses spreading either fear, false numbers, and things that are not true, is causing people to miscalculate the risk and the seriousness of the matter.

May be translating the findings and news by authorities like WHO into native languages will be helpful as a great number of the elderly and under-served communities do no have access to this information.

3) Also washing hands, physical distancing etc are very importance but we tend to leave the tap on when we wash our hands. That’s what we have sort of inherited and so we need to take care of that as well. We shouldn’t really waste water while preventing Covid-19 because that would lead to a greater mess.

4) About daily wagers and homeless, and under-served people and communities that are more likely to be exposed to the virus as well as they are most likely to be effected badly from the lock down, people who have to go out to earn: There are a lot of groups and volunteers helping them in different parts of the world. The are groups and individuals working in this regard in Pakistan as well. But may be it is not necessary that everybody take it to the roads. There can be collaborations between organizations where some take care of going out on the roads and distribute the ration among the people while some take care of calling people for donations, some can buy the groceries etc and basically the the mini-projects can turn into a mega project where all these organization work together. Of course that mean not every organization can turn it into a marketing campaign. But if that is not the goal, there is no harm in joining hands. Also collaborations like these can still makes great marketing and success stories. Where there's a will, there's a way.

It is high time we act as one community more than ever. So collaboration in every city can be great because then they can join resources and things can actually work better plus that way, everyone wont have to be on the roads and the protocol of physical distancing can be achieved better even within the volunteering organizations and other people who are helping.

5) Despite the lock down, the constant reminders and requests of physical distancing, a lot of people got married in the past few weeks and that’s alarming. People are underestimating the seriousness of the situations. And as Ali Aftab Saeed discussed in Episode 28 of Ali Uncensored, if the situation gets worse or even it stays this way for a few more months, then, this might sound controversial but, couples that not using contraceptive measures will be at a higher risk then the ones who do not have to deal with pregnancies and child birth during a global pandemic.

I don't really know how to end this one this time. That's all folks. Stay Safe.

All the King's Horses and All The King's Men - Is War Coming?

A humble request to all the King's horses, all the King's men, all Kings' horses and all Kings' men,

Today, the histories collapse

At your doorstep.

All the known facts

Evaporate in the air.

Do you still think

It's alright?

Not to think

When its high time?

Are you not done

With hating all?

Do you still have

A stomach to wage war?

Is it sweet? The smell of blood?

Does it feel nice when you cut his throat?

Do you feel safe when you're done spilling?

Do we just kill for the joy of killing?

Stories of the nations

Ancient, like revelations

Are teaching you to ignite

A spark of love, not a bolt of light

Nations have fallen to prove,

War has never improved

A thing. It's just a spoof

The watchdog plays on you.

How many more lives

Will it take for you to decide?

Can't you still see the need to retreat?

When you watch your histories repeat?

All the King's Horses and All the King's Men

By Kayenat Hameed Khan

Life is strange, death stranger and the sick urge of wishing death upon a living the strangest and ugliest of all. In nation where war is glamorized and worriers glorified, participating in the war will be considered a prestige. Here, one of our national dilemmas is that we have the spirit of worriers, a country to die for but no one to eliminate. We are not at a "real" war with anyone outside, anyone we can kill (the context is strictly restricted to the reactions and feelings of the people only). One of my very emotional friends will argue, "My poor vandal soul craves the satisfaction of fighting a holy war, or a war for a holy cause. And since I don't have a chance, I'll create one for myself."
After the horrific incident of Pulwama attack, our major media players played deaf and blind to the attack, for two whole days, as broadcasting and vibing about the preparations for the arrival and stay of his highness Saudi crown-prince Mohammad Bin Salman were more important. The few condemnations that were seen on social media and the news could not do anything about our neighbor's blame game.
Let's face it, we were slow in condemning and slower in responding to the "baseless" accusations. However, when Prime Minister Pakistan finally gave his word out in the public, it was almost a word of peace. He talked of cooperation if the neighbors have any evidence. But somehow his words didn't bring the people of Pakistan any peace. And this is where the war with-in the hearts of the patriots began.
The top trends for the past two days have been very disappointing and the situation seems more alarming than ever as it is the common people craving for the war, the people who cannot  pay their "straight" bills so they twist and turn their devices and the systems. People who find following the rules hard, because it wastes time (it has been argued by a fellow).
As far as the reaction to neighbor's media is concerned, our national dignity, which is of great great great importance to these patriots, was already restored via our PM's message. Taking it further with every other post made while bunking a class, or using the office wifi, or lying to the love of their life is not doing anything put putting us under the radar of the people, the forces and the governments, who are still not satisfied with the "Sabacha" situations of the system and are calling our entire nation a mob of fundamentalists.
And while one may react that it doesn't matter because it doesn't effect them directly, they should know the people and forces they are provoking are the same that our governments and other responsibles try hard to please.
Besides all, war brings death, destruction, elimination and walls. Why glorify something which doesn't end the existing problems rather catalyze the destruction?

Disappearances - of Social Media Reactivists?

Before the recent elections, the country seemed to have built a strong understanding of the system and politics. At least they expressed how they felt about certain characters in the political arena. However, the entire show is put to an end somehow and political observations have restricted themselves to the minds of a few.

It seems a little strange, seeing all the political reactivism on the social media sites settling down, almost like weightless dust particles that float everywhere only when stirred or disturbed. Such social media reactivism has taken all by storm before elections. Most of the reactivists defended this phenomena of quick reaction by calling it political awareness and social media activism, and convincingly attributed it to one of the major political actors in the view right now. However, the major actor probably could not inspire people for a long time and right after the first few months of constant defense, there has been a drastic decrease in the expression of "political opinions" floating in the news feed, comments and/or replies on different platforms. The reactivists do not showcase any particular trait of activism anyways, but things have gotten worse. The reaction, too, has reduced to a few and that too has become an occasional thing. They react to the content that is different than what they would have endorsed (if the were active).

Gone are the days when these political reactivists would send inbox messages to people of the "other opinion" to satisfy the little pseudo-patriot in their hearts. Back then the thirst was great and the need to quench their thirst even greater. There have been events where if one would ignore these inbox messages, he/she would receive threatening messages and abusive content, reason would be their least or no reaction to these politically aware people so vested in the thoughts and worries of their country's future.

Another observation is that a difference of opinion in real life, is still a trigger to these people. And irrespective of how much is it supported by data and numbers, if it is different than what they once endorsed they would defend it to their worst. But on social media, people have learnt to be as insensitive as they had been all this while. And since they were devoted practitioners of cyber-bully and are well-aware of the trauma and pain of being cyber-bullied by masses, they don't want to take any risks online.

The question is if these social media reactivist are still around, and they still react once or twice to a thing or two, where are they most of the time? Some people argue that the accounts have been hacked by anti-state elements and every once in a while, when they are recovered, we stumble upon a reactive tweet, post or comment, but the anti-state elements seem to be after these accounts, hence no reaction most of the time.

A popular theory, however, is that these people have lost interest in the political game as there is no "entertainment" left to inspire them to be reactive.

Another theory, not very convincing though, is that humans tend to go in their metaphoric cocoons when they realize they have a role in messing things up, because most of the time confessing our idiocy and accepting that we have been fooled for long is a bitter sip we can't gulp down. Hence we hide the glass of regrets in a closet, and hide ourselves with it.

The truth, however, is yet to be discovered. And this piece of trigger is only an attempt to find old pals.

To Whom It May Concern

Since everything is under control, and we are a happy, already-flourished democracy moving towards progress and development, here's what I have to say about General Elections 2018 in Pakistan and here's to whom it may concern.

O Leader!
Thy lips spill hate.
Thy heart flames rage.
Thy words spit insult.
Thine eyes shoot anger.
Thou call me insane
and treat me low.
Thou call me an ass
and call thyself true.
Thy friends call me names
and call my elders too.
And I, the less
I, the unclean
Shall choose Thee, the only;
The only and the clean.

While I hope the best may win, I also know it is not a a world cup final and there is no best out there. Recent incidents of terrorism has taken leaders from us, once again. And while i had this urge to not cast a vote this time I contacted the most sane of my friends hoping she will convince me to drop the idea. But in all honesty, neither the one man show we are watching on media despite the huge criticism from rest of the political parties and the nation itself is disappointing, nor is the fact that he continues to speak a language loaded with inappropriateness that discouraging.

What aches the heart here is that the supporters know everything. They proudly claim what even the paid thinkers won't utter under their breath. And despite knowing the possibilities of the sources from where all this power comes, they continue to support whoever they support, calling this huge damage a collateral one "for a greater good" as they like to put it.

Suicides in Khana Kaaba and Grand Mosque of Mecca: Depression Suicide and Religion

It all started with treating depression as a mood swing and not an illness.
One of my friends from Karachi is suffering from depression. And along with that she is dealing with people telling her how she is not "trying enough" to get out of it (as if there is a threshold which she can cross to step out of it). At times she would swear how hard she has been trying and the extend to which she has gone, including the humble acceptance of being mentally unstable (which the rest of us are afraid to accept about ourselves) to help herself.
Another friend of mine who is now a doctor, has suffered from depression during her last two years at medical college. She had no signs of depression as such, but she gained a lot of weight and had a terrible skin condition and only upon finding out her high level of stress hormones, her dermatologist concluded that she was in depression. She worked on herself starting from praying, meditating and exercising to medicines and the right diet. And she miraculously recovered in months.
While this was happening with two of my friends who were diagnosed with depression, I wanted to peak into the matter, to know what causes it and whether or not could depression be called a disease. Our entire group of friends dedicated some time out of our weekends to look into the reasons, symptoms and cures, and most importantly, definition of Depression - the disease.
Recently, I stumbled upon an article sharing this sad news of a guy committing suicide in Khana e Kaba in the holy month of Ramadan during Taraweeh prayers. And the discussion about depression took a traditional turn where people started calling him a sinner, a dumb guy and what not.
As if this was not enough, I saw news about another suicide, again in Mecca, at a holy site for Muslims. The reaction to this incident was more inhuman than the previous one.
And only yesterday, I saw my friend's WhatsApp status where she shared a new article by someone whose best friend committed suicide, while he was continuously advised to Pray the Depression away.
The entire concept of finding a solution for a disease in praying alone is very emotional, irrational and nonsensical. Depression is a disease and should be treated like one. Just like we can't pray Cancer or a bee-sting or a dog-bite away similarly we can't cure depression with prayers alone.
Most of today's practicing yet moderate Muslim brothers and sisters in Islam are getting their guidance, motivation and knowledge from YouTube. Hence I'd quote Nauman Ali Khan from one of the videos of his speeches where he says "Du'a is not Amazon.com". If nothing else, it means that we can't necessarily escape a problem or get instantly something out of our du'as/prayers.
And praying in Depression may actually help the patient (as they may feel more connected to their Lord and hence find some inner peace), this is usually the first thing the victims try. Even an atheist would initially go for meditation, spending time in Nature and trying anti depressant diets. However, only these patients would know better whether it works or not.
We need to understand that it is one thing to have a bad day or go through a thin patch or rough time, and it is completely another to be "sick", to suffer from a disease. Very "praying" and "happy" people can go through this.
Besides, Depression is not just the so-called "bad mood", that is just one of the symptoms. I have seen my people loosing their sleep for months over nothing, and that too is just another symptom.
We need to try to think broad when it comes to medicine - the field. Just because there is no tumor. wound or bruise doesn't mean it's not a disease. However this can still be a topic open to discussion.
But what is more important is how do we deal with someone who's suffering from depression. And respecting the patient, not judging them for being a "non-praying" person or a "sinner" would be the least we could do for them.
And if we must preach (because we love it) than probably sharing our touching story with a holy moral of "Pray it away" would be a nicer way. But emphasizing on the similarities, forcing them to call our story theirs or accept both as identical will just not help and we may come out as a self-absorbed entity. While it would be nicer if we could be there for others without being about ourselves. 

The Change

I was recently having a discussion with my professor on social media about change. According to her the problem with us is that “We take on change as a catch word without clear conceptualisation. Hence it becomes a very attractive word to cut a discourse for intellectualism that is actually directionless and has no clue of what exactly does it imply.” She also said that while we are so fond of using words like “system” or “change” they derive from a theory or an ideology which most of us seem to have never understood. Both of these points are valid. Hence it got me into thinking. I am not a learned human, wouldn’t even count myself in the reader community of the globe.  I have no idea which philosopher said what about what. But still I’m driven by the need and the desire of change. I’d even cast a vote for someone who will promise me some change. And after I saw no change that I expected, while the claims of the big change echoed, I was left to think about what then actually changed? And there I think I realized that the kind of change that I wanted to see, was supposed to start with me. Starting with me thinking about how it was going to come into being, rather than just wanting an end product.

As I already mentioned that I know nothing about theories and philosophies of change, but I still think of it, desire it and even sometimes make it by taking out that garbage, the smell of which has got on everyone’s nerves but is too heavy for others to move, so I thought I’d write about my layman notion of change, system and the change in the system. I think “change” is easier to deal with because no matter what I write as my definition of this word, it will be different than the next person’s, who comes across it. Still I will start with “system”.

While Google defines it as “a set of things working together as parts of a mechanism or an interconnecting network; a complex whole” and “a set of principles or procedures according to which something is done; an organized scheme or method”, these are too flowered for me to understand. In my understanding, a system is a process or a processing body or the individuals networking in a processing body or the way those individuals work to get the process going. Also I believe there is more to the word.

A change in the system then would be a slight difference made, by replacing (or changing) an action or even an actor, in an ongoing system. If the entire system renews itself or is renewed somehow, it will not be a change in the system. Rather, it will be a system changed. And while this might sound confusing to highly intellectual people, this is simple and understandable for a layman like myself.

An illustration of me being a component of an ongoing system might help those who are still confused. For example if I am a student of a college where there is a tradition of teachers not coming to the class on time, and I want it changed, I can daydream about the authorities getting raged because my personal little self is in trouble but this might never really happen unless I go and report. Now that still doesn’t mean the authorities will take a notice but for someone who tries after me would surely know one of the many ways that wouldn’t work, which to me is still a contribution to the desire of the long term change of teachers coming to the class in time.  Here the authorities, the staff, the students are all part of a system, including the processes like hiring the teachers, maintenance of discipline, exams, results and other such things. Then my demand of teachers coming to the class on time would be the desired end product or the change that I want to see. And me taking an action that aims at that particular desired change (here the teachers coming to the class on time) would be me trying to contribute to make the change happen. The change in the system would be if teachers start coming to the class on time. And if this eventually becomes the new tradition and every teacher is on time, then it would be the system changed.

My narrow mind could not get out of the student life I live and so I had to make it about some problem students would face in a college. But it goes the same for other “changes” and “systems”. And while I think I should make it clear again that it is the wrong use of such words that result in endless and directionless discussions, (since almost everyone is attracted to these terms), the only thing that can sort an end out of such an intense discourse is the understanding that words like these can be relative and personal.

The Stare

Have you ever paid attention to the men?

Never mind men, have you seen boys how young

Yet confident they are when they talk

To a random stranger they come across on the walk?

I saw my little teddy bears, my brothers,

Grow into these, little teddy bears.

But they know how to talk with that ease

You know, casual, that upper hand voice

Even when you hear them say "please"

Of course not when they talk to me

But to that stranger on the walk

To whom they act confident and all.

Why to that stranger of them all

Would they act confident and all?

That strange stare of that stranger,

That stare like he was some kind of danger.

And that's when it struck me

All animals in any danger show possession and power

And confidence and all just like my bears.

They showed comfort every time they were scared.

They had no 'dopatta' around their breasts to adjust.

They had to learn to live broadening their chests.

Their deep voice never trembles when they're hurt

And God! All this is such a painful art.

They've always tried to be strong

Or they pretended so, all life long.

But the sweat on their forehead every time that stare

Of someone checking them out is always there.

Of course,

They cannot evoke the 'maa behen' respect in those animals

So they Man it up and Man it all

But being Man is not the solution to the confusion

Of whether a molester in all his frustration

Would always hunt a girl down

If you pay attention and look around.

For what I saw in the news things that happened in Kasur

And people posting stories with hashtag "Me Too"

Doesn't seem like anyone is safe

When such beasts are out untamed.

A week ago I read how a scholar

Well known for spiritual matters

Grabbed a young soul in his hands as it fluttered

In the back seat of a car. And then, it shattered.

They might have thrown him wingless after they were done.

And for rest of the life he will trust no one.

These young boys, these young souls, these young winged dreams

When they see someone looking at them like they are they feast

And they have this little courage to share or speak

Of what they go through. How they deal

with all this?

What if my little teddy bears have grown up

To grow enough to remain silent and never open up?

And may be

May be just like I roll my eyes or frown

Every time I sense danger around.

And just like I walk with my shoulders squeezing,

Curling into my body so it's not revealing any targets for them to hunt.

May be

Just like that my boys are "Confident" 

The Stare

- By Kayenat Hameed Khan

This poem was performed in PenWomen Workshop arranged by Young Women Writers' Forum in collaboration with "Ideas" and "Words and Metaphors".

A Note To My Teacher

"Dear Teacher,
Thank you for reading this. I just wanted to let you know that I remember.
I remember when you took my hand and walked me into my very first classroom. It didn't look like one though, it had toys all around. I remember you encouraging me on the day of exam to remember what came after Eleven, i remember repeating One to Eleven so many times and yet nothing helped.
I remember you in my first grade, when you taught me to read. I remember you showing me how to write "Footpath" and "National" I remember you helped me draw an Orange.
In second grade you gave me a scrap book and asked me to bring five types of leaves during the summer break. You taught me names of the planets and their order, and weathers and fruits and the national map.
In third grade you gave me homework to write an essay on my home and I cried because I thought the house was too big and had too many things to write about. You taught me what a computer was, and you promised to let me use it next year. You taught me about cardinal directions in easy words.
In fourth grade, you had me ready to read on my own, write whatever i wanted. You encouraged me to speak in the class and to ask outside the class. You fulfilled your promise too. And, also, taught us to use fountain-pens. You advised us to use fountain pen in homework.
I fifth grade when I'd have trouble in memorizing history you'd tell me stories of those people. You talked about them like you knew them from back in time. And I believed you. You scolded me for not being attentive and changed my seat to the front. You were mostly angry.
In sixth grade you got me confused in square roots and algebra. But you told me it will be alright. You advised me to practice it. I drew paramecium and plant cell and you checked it. I remember you told us about the greatness of our ancestors from the other lands. You taught us how many pillars and articles of faith I was supposed to have. You dictated the answers so I could copy.
In seventh grade you gave me some space to use my own skills. You told the class to write about ourselves on a piece of paper, I couldn't. You took us to the lab and showed us the preserved insects and asked us to memorize their forms and structures. I remember you told us about "the East and the West".
In high school I read a foreign author who wrote our history, for the first time, I was excited to know what others have talked about us. You gave me more homework and lesser dictations. You taught me how the blood circulated in veins and how our body coordinated. I remember you asking me about Organic Chemistry, something I couldn't explain. I remember you warning me about how weak I was in Math.
In College you taught me how to deal with and understand things conceptually for one exam, and then memorize them for another exam. I saw you were as confused and irritated by this as I was. I remember you gave us examples from your life to make us understand. I remember you advising me to pay attention to the diction. I remember you told me you had faith in me.
In University you questioned me and let me question you. You asked me about the East and the West. You left me with more questions in my mind. You showed me how similar you and I have always been. You let me disagree with you. You asked about what I thought and never forced your 'right' on my 'right'.
All my life, since I started getting into the system, you helped, assisted and gave guidance. You made a huge part of what I am today. And I know you will continue to be there. Thank You, Dear Teacher."

پهر سے

پهر سے کوئی آئے گا

کسی توہین کے الزام میں

.دوسروں کو جلائگا

پهر کسی کے ہاتھ سے

.قلم چهینا جائے گا

پهر کی آغوش کو

.ویراں کیا جائے گا

جس کی 'اکبر ذات' نے

کوئی سزا نہ سنائی

ایسی اک خطا کےنام

.سر کاٹ گرایا جائے گا

پهر سے, وہ لاشوں پر

'رقص 'اللہ اکبر

.کر کے چلا جائے گا

اور هم چپ چاپ

خاموش بمثل آب

بہتے چلے جائیں گے

چلتے چلے جائیں گے

جیتے چلے جائیں گے

...مرتے چلے جائیں گے

- کائنات حميد خان

میرا جواب

پہاڑوں سے نکل کہ هم جب منظر میں آتا ہے
تو برحق ڈٹنے والے هم مشعل و ملالہ ہے
یہ تو تم مانتے ہو کہ یہاں قانونیت کم ہے
ہمیں سوتیلوں کی طرح پھر کیوں جهٹلاتا ہے؟
سمگلر پر بهی ہنستا ہے چرواہے پر بهی ہنستا ہے
مجهے ایسا کیوں لگتا ہے تو بس مجه پر ہی ہنستا ہے؟
تمهارے "سا را گا ما پا دا" کا ہم ریاض کرتا ہے
مرے سنگیت پر تالہ ہے، لیکن پهر بهی گاتا ہے
کبهی 'اتڼ'، کبهی رباب ہم سے چهینے گئے هیں
مگر ہم پهر بهی ہر اک ساز اور ہر سر میں گاتا ہے
ترا یه میل دل اور زنگی سوچ سے بدبو آتا ہے
مانا تم دن میں تین چار بار پانی سے نہاتا ہے
صفائی کا ذرا گر ہو سکے تو سبق دے ہی دو
کہ ہم پہ ہنس کہ کیسے ہاته تم صاف کراتا ہے
مذاق وه تها گر، تو یہ بهی ہے. ناراض کیوں ہوتی ہے؟
گرتا ہے شہسوار وہی جو ایسے جنگ لڑتی ہے
  
(میرا جواب)

 - کائنات حميد خان

 

Recently a poet tried to create comedy by humiliating Pashtuns in one of the Eid Transmissions on PTV, Pakistan's national TV channel. The poet makes fun of the bombs blasts in Pashtun areas of the country and receives a round of applause when he mocks the lack of law and order in the these areas on behalf of the state. He also found this amusing that some Pashtuns smell like sheep, and ridicules them by saying that they take a bath once a year. He also laughs at Pashto music saying that all Pashto songs are composed in one tone. And they don't have a sense for music. While reading those verses, the poet also used a specific tone and made deliberate grammatical mistakes, stereotyping the "Pashtun accent"of Urdu. Different people are reacting to it in different ways. Many activists in the Pashtun community demand an apology from the Poet and the national TV channel. The above poem is my answer to those controversial verses.

Top Ten 'Three Ways To Pakistan'

A few days ago, I had a random discussion with a bunch of students in university. I told them about my blog and my research on "Three Ways of How To" in national context. They agreed to answer my questions. I wanted to share the experience. Following are responses of the respondents.

Three jokes a Pakistani will forward happily

• Jokes about Pashtuns and Sardars
• Jokes about Politicians
• Jokes about Teachers

Three ways to earn a name (good or bad)

• Talk for/against the clerics
• Talk for/against establishment
• Talk against politicians

Three ways to die a natural death

• Eat healthy
• Drink healthy
• Avoid going to public places like Markets, Schools, Universities and Hospitals etc

Three reasons you can expect love

• Belong to Middle East
• Shoot a bunch of kids and blame somebody for buying you the gun

and recently discovered

• "Be a Pakistani" 

Three ways you can tell the truth

• Whisper it to yourself
• Tell it to someone who does't understand the language
• Tell it to a tree

Three ways to use freedom of speech

• Say what they want to hear
• Never speak against them
• Don't speak a lot.

Three ways to get away with a murder

• Call the dead a sinner
• Blame the neighbors
• Fly to Thailand

Three ways to die a hero and leave a legend

• Kill the person you are paid to guard
• Claim something or blame someone
• Fly with a crate of mangoes in the luggage.

Three ways to call an Afghan in Pakistan

• Respectable brothers just like our owns, living abroad? No. Muhajir
• Harmless people facing phobias by other communities they live with, just like us? No. Mushtaba Afrad
• A larger community that is expected to apologize and compensate  for something offensive that a minority among them is known to be standing for? No. Kala ba zay.

Three ways to survive after messing up with the flow

• -
• -
• -

(They said they'll think of a way)

They promised to meet me on the same spot the next day but no one showed up. I suspect they lie.

Who Are You?

(The following is something i wrote last year in the month of April. A year has passed and I can say another thing or two about it but this would still be the base. Also this was my first attempt.)

...

"Who are you?", a question differently answered by individuals at different times. We were asked by our Professor in the first lecture, an introductory class rather.
"And you have two years to figure it out, that's the time you will spend with us.", he added.
And then after a pause, "And the rest of your life". That smile on his face though.
That's when my journey began. I listed down all i could think of. Following was the order:
My cast
My name
Gender
Religion
My parents (Father mainly, as in my sense of belonging with them)
Country
A human.
"But all this is so common", I thought. Everybody has an origin and humankind is, well obviously, all humans. So what was special about me? Where was i different? Not that i wanted to be different but where does any of these details describe me as me?
I began to think about my identity, and my originality.
This journey on the self knowledge has been a year long as i keep analyzing the same things about myself over and over again. And i have been changing my answer every now and then. But it has been a month or two that i feel 'settled' about where i have landed.
It was hard not to notice how everyone was almost everything that i was. And i started feeling insignificant. I felt so unimportant in one phase. There was nothing i could wear as my "identity". Nothing I could refer to as "me". Was I nobody? Of course, I was. Technically, I WAS somebody. But did anyone care? Did it make any difference?
Whether I was the youngest, the eldest or the middle child, what was my contribution in that? My name, my features, or in anything that could be referred to as 'me', I saw none of my contribution in it.
More like suddenly, all the badges fell down and all the labels flew away. And I started to look around me. I started identifying myself with everyone in my house, students i would see outside, people at my university, people waiting for the bus on the stops. Not everything would be relative but sometimes this other times that. I began to see bits of myself in such bits of almost everyone.
An infant now appeared equal and equally important to me as any adult including myself. Mistakes of everyone started reminding me of my own. And I rarely felt any anger (that i abundantly practiced before). The only thing that would provoke rage in me would be when people would overlook one's need and rights for someone else. Even if they would overlook themselves, i'd feel disturbed and react.
But that (reaction) too has changed now. I guess I started to understand why they'd do so. I do know that one thing we as humans need the most, and that we lack the most in knowledge. Knowledge about ourselves, awareness rather. We need awareness. And with that might come our tendencies to accept others, other cultures, other religions and others' identities.
This realization changed me in some ways. I now accept, for example, a religiously devoted person of any religion as much as i accept a not-so-devoted person of any origin. By accepting them i mean recognizing them as they are and respecting them (i.e. not resisting or threatening or fearing them) and theirs', however it is.
They are as right as I am, as important as I am and as precious as I am. They are as original as i am. They exist, like I do. So none of us is significant if he/she tries to separate himself/herself from the rest of us. Together, as an entity, we are all significant, important and special. And each one of us is equally significant too, equally worthy.
So I'm either nobody or I am what my fellow beings are, in my own way, but still the same. The labels attached to me, the appearances i carry, the way of life, the faith system and the ideas I have may be different but not better or worse than anyone else's. Rather, they are equally important to be concerned, as any other person's.
'But who is the enemy then?', was next in my head. Am I my own enemy? I thought. If i don't condemn destruction and violence of any/all kinds on any/all levels, then i am my own enemy. Self destruction is still destruction.
If I am OK with suppression of one of us or a group of us by some others among us, the yes i am my own enemy. If i don't allow the rights to others, those rights that i demand for myself, then i am what's wrong with the world.

You have no rights to copy, or plagiarize. Thank you.

Celebrating Everyone

Imagine all the roses

And the flowers and the trees.

Now color them all one,

Any color may it be.

Imagine all the fruits

But give them taste the same.

And if the Earth was all a desert

Or one ocean, or one plain.

Imagine nights without the moon,

And no sun to bring a day.

Or all stars if shone like sun

And all life a melting day.

One flavor and one scent

And one weather uniform.

If the differences do end

Will this world have any Charm?

Diversity

-By Kayenat Hameed Khan

One of my classmates was giving a presentation on William Wordsworth on 3rd of May last year(2016). She referred to  "The Daffodils" as an example of what Wordsworth called "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings". And meanwhile, I thought what if all the flowers were daffodils or what if all the plants looked alike and had one color, and i wanted to puke. And that's when it struck me. 

At that moment, i was still in trauma of an incident taken in our department. When a group of students with some policemen 'visited' us because the students were playing some sport past the class timings, in the department lawn. The visitors could not cause any trouble but that led me to a very sad realization. Being students, being students of they same university, we were alienated by many groups and they were equally alien to us. And i felt like if we don't celebrate our differences, we will continue to mourn them. If we don't love, we will hate. If we don't accept each other, we will resist each other. If we don't let live, we will kill.

I am not that much of an artist but i have a point to prove. Somebody once argued that God wants us to live in one particular way and that ideal would be the entire Human society believing in one truth, dressing in one particular way, speaking one honorable language etc etc. And since it's a lot to be real, It will be in heaven.

I don't know about heaven. But regarding this world, I am sure God loved differences and so He created them Himself. If God wanted all of us to think alike, dress alike, be alike and live in one same way, He could have just created clones and given us same brain rather than giving each one of us such a different one. God created diversity and Nature supports it. So if I try to hate, resist and/or eliminate everything that is not me or for me, than i am going against nature. And thus, i decided to post it finally.

You have no rights to don't copy or plagiarize. Thank you.

The Greater God?

God is Great.

But you doubt it.

That is why

You pick His fights.

Like He needs

Your arms and feet,

Like you can

Save Him from man,

Like He must

Have you for defense,

Tell me then

Who is your God?

The one you save,

Or you the Brave?

For you have been

Like you're Supreme.

But if you are not

To yourself god,

Then stop the call

Of unasked war.

And let Him deal

Then with people.

He won't hesitate

To love what He creates.

So let Him be

What He is- Great.

The Greater Gods
- By Kayenat Hameed Khan

I wrote this poem on 14th of April as the first reaction to the sad incident of Mashal Khan, a student, brutally killed by fellow students in Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan. I had almost forgotten about my Blogspot and i didn't think of uploading it anywhere then. But the previous day i.e. on 25th of April 2016 we arranged a peace walk in our university campus in remembrance of Mahsal Khan. And i thought anything we do to continues to remember Mashal Khan is worth it. So I thought of posting it.
Mashal was accused of blasphemy, and without any confirmation a mass number of students from different political student federations on the same campus, joined hands in killing Mashal. And Killing him was not all. He was shot. And then beaten up to death because the bullet didn't kill him. And when he finally died. They tried to humiliate his body. And then these young men celebrated, under the slogans of Allah-o-Akbar (God is Great), with Mashal's body lying on the floor in front of them The entire incident, the hideous crime this "mob" did, the fact that all the killers were students and those who gave orders are reported to be the teachers of a University is so painful. It sadly reminded me of "Lord of the Flies" when it was talked about during a conversation in my class.
Mashal's death and the manner of his death and the reactions from across the country has been the news flash in the national news channels, even if it was for a few days. The politicians showed full support with Mahsal's family and condemned what happened to him, even if reluctantly. And the people of Pakistan who continue to remember him, remember him not only for what happened to him, but also for "why" it happened to him. They stand for his cause. Mashal was a humanist, he preferred humanity over any difference and celebrated diversities of every sort among humans (anyone who goes through his Social media accounts will agree on this) He spoke against the corruption of university administration. And he spoke publicly against problems students were facing on the campus. Reports, and confessions of those who got arrested in Mashal's case confirm that the university administration gave the orders to the students to take care of Mashal and his friends.
 But the problem doesn't lie there alone. The motivation used to provoke all the students into killing a fellow student so brutally and then celebrating his death, was framed in a religious outfit. And all of a sudden being responsible for taking a life was not a problem anymore. There's this big question mark on the education system in Pakistan where hate speech is very common and normal in the text books. Mashal was not the first case, neither the last case where a human was killed, by more than one person usually, after being accused of blasphemy and before the trial. With in the next few days of lynching of Mashal Khan, three women killed a man in Sialkot and during the interrogation they accused him of blasphemy. The interesting part was when they said the man had committed blasphemy in 2004 but they never got a chance to kill him then. Believing what they said, these ladies had been anticipating about the killing another human being for about thirteen years. This is what a sick mind sounds like. Something more similar to Mashal's case was going to happened in Chitral where a mentally disturbed person was accused of blasphemy. But the religious cleric of the local mosque did not support the mob and tried to stop them, in reaction to which the mob turned against the cleric too. Police was called, and then the army approached to the mob. This is frightening and very disturbing. If incidents like these continue to happen, i don't want to imagine what my country might become in the next few years.
People of Pakistan are frustrated. There is a strong need of putting an end to the hate narrative. Human life, above all differences, should be taught to be valued. Or better, just stop the hate narrative things may fall down in their own places eventually.
A human killed is a life taken, forever. And when it is done deliberately, that is the most unnatural and inhuman thing a human can do to another human. Nothing justifies it. Religions usually do not promote violence except when they're misunderstood and no law justifies lawlessness except when it is abused.
And let's say that blasphemy is really a sin that needs to be punished. Even if it is so, I still have a few questions in my mind. Who are we to judge, punish, or reward anyone based on their relationship with God? If we are trying to punish someone for a sin they did against God, are we trying to do what God is supposed to do, aren't we messing up our own faiths there? Because it has to be either us or Him, both can not be in charge of punishing and rewarding. And if we can punish, can we reward too? And can we punish everyone on the planet that sins against God? The answer may vary to some. But I believe it's humanly impossible for us to do so. That has got to be God's job to punish us for sins.
Crimes are different. They are against society. And society is supposed to have a system where crimes are less likely to occur. Those who commit crimes can be punished because there are laws for it, in every society. And these laws are to make sure that lesser violence is committed by ensuring that those who commit violence or do something criminal are punished.
And even if blasphemy is a sin that needs a human-punishment/ human reaction, Prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him) gave a very different reaction to incidents that we call blasphemy. My earlier blogs show how the Holy Prophet(peace be upon him) reacted to those who threw trash at him, mocked him, called him names, threw stones at him, tried to kill him, killed his beloved uncle, made it impossible for him to live in his hometown and did worse to him. He forgave people who might have been hanged in our society by now. He prayed for those whom we in our society would have stoned to death. And he treated them with kindness. And in most cases they apologized, changed and accepted Islam. That was the Prophet(pbuh)'s way to deal with people who fit into our definition of blasphemers. Then what we do in the name of defending religion, does the religion justify it? Does religion need defense anyway? And are we in the right position to judge others?

Things That Better Muslims Do But The Prophet Didn't!

There are things that we as Muslims practice but that the Prophet in his lifetime, despite the situations provided, never did. And there are other things that we avoid and condemn doing while the Holy Prophet practiced it himself and commanded his followers to do so too. And we as "Better Muslims" take pride in doing all that we do, without considering why the Holy Prophet(peace be upon him) never responded to the same actions in the way we do or why did he not practiced certain things the way we practice them now. However someone very silly recently asked me whether deviation from Sunnah is a matter to be proud of or not? "I mean deviating from the teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him) cannot be a matter of pride for someone who is claiming to be a "good follower" in different ways", said the girl next door once. And this made me to look into my Islamiyat books from my school days, to look for where are we different from our Prophet(peace be upon him). Little did my books say anything about the difference but as I started looking at the passages again and again, here were a few things about the Prophet's way, very clearly different from ours. A few of these are listed down here.

He was never reported to have beaten/hit any woman of his household:

Prophet Muhammad never in his entire lifetime committed any violence, the books prove. He was in the world of patriarchy yet he was never reported to have beaten or hurt any woman of his family or even a man, or anyone be it a slave or even an enemy for that matter.
His modern followers are practicing violence on their women in their houses and on young boys and girls in educational institutes as if it were a matter of pride. And the teachers of Quran in most places even provide different types of tortures that only starts from a gentle beating and exceed to hanging the children down from a tree branch in cold evenings after beating them with bamboo stick, pipe or other such "exciting" things that probably reminds these Teachers of their own childhood.

Valued the all types of education (not particularly the Islamic one):

Reading the after math of the very first battle in Islam's history i.e. battle of Badr, almost everyone comes across how humanely the seventy captives from enemy were treated."Those who could pay, were to pay ransom money and those who were literate, were released on the condition that they would teach at least Ten people. And this was considered as their ransom." Of course we all know about it and this shows how kindhearted the Muslim community was even towards it's own enemy.
But recently a page called The Naked Truth posted a very critical comment on this. Asking a non-Muslim to teach, what they have learnt, to Muslims, it was completely alright with the Holy Prophet unlike with some "today's followers" who are perhaps, i don't know. But we have brothers and sisters who will not learn sciences, (even though they do take all the benefits of the "bad westerns' evil knowledge") and will not learn "Non-Muslim" Languages because they are too "Out" of the circle of the Islamic study we have sketched. And to them, learning such stuff can make you a bad Muslim.

Never Called anyone a "Kaafir":

This one is my favorite, Prophet Muhammad came to the mankind as the last Prophet of the divine religions. Like all other religions, Islam is also starts with a "Laa" that is "No" i.e. the fabrication of all Gods, except One, the Almighty Allah. Obviously with this modern approach of Oneness of a Supreme God, people of all other already existing religions did call Prophet a non-believer (of their religion) and treated him and his followers with harshness. Tortured them to leave the new religion. And this belief in "Toheed" costed them their lives in many cases. The prophet himself had to leave his hometown because of the brutality he was facing in his own land from his own people just because he was preaching a different religion.

But once Islam started to flourish, and the Muslims of first Islamic community in Madinah became a well-established state under the rule of the Prophet, the Holy Prophet had all powers as head of the state. Now to think about humans back then as Super humans is obviously a very irrational and biased approach to history. They were regular human beings, and must have had made many mistakes and must have had done things that could have been against Muslims or Islam. Thinking about stories of the companions like the one who came confessing he committed adultery, and questioning myself Why on earth did the Prophet not call him a Kaafir. Instead he asked the man to "conceal himself in Allah's concealment". And then going back and forth the entire history of Islam thinking about why did the Prophet never ever in his entire life declared anyone a Kaafir. Not only the Prophet Muhammad but also his early followers never did that. But The Prophet could have been an exception. Not even the hypocrites were declared as anything like that. The Holy Prophet Muhammad preached a religion where he never declared his fellow Muslims "Kaafir" may be because he meant it when he said "Actions are based upon intentions"(in terms of punishing or rewarding of a person by the Almighty Allah) And intentions are invisible to humans.

But may be modern day "Good followers" know more, or are a better judge to judge a person and declare their fellow Muslim beings as Kaafir, Muslim or Momin. However, the Prophet never practiced this in his lifetime. 

Never accused anyone of blasphemy or took action against those who tried:

Remember the story of an old lady that used to throw trash on They Holy Prophet? She wasn't accused of blasphemy. Instead, once when she did not show up in sometime, It worried the Prophet so much that he went to check on her. Finding her ill, the Prophet treated her with kindness and looked after her. We all know what happened next. She embraced Islam. And the people of Mecca when were calling the prophet names and were hurting him emotionally so much, he was still not reported to have taken any action that would have hurt anyone of them. Instead when Muslims took over Mecca down the line, the Prophet forgave all those people who had cause so much trouble and pain to him.And the story of the first visit to Taif, the people threw stones at him and his companion and did not even listen to what he said. Instead they tried to humiliate him to the extend that Angle Gabriel came down to ask if the Prophet wanted to teach these people a lesson. But Prophet prayed for them and their generations instead saying they didn't know what they were doing.

The Prophet in his lifetime never tried anyone blaming him/her for committing blasphemy, may be because he knew that for a man so noble like him actions of a person, who doesn't understand his dignity and his importance, would not cause any sort of insult. He treated them all with kindness and care and prayed for them. He never thought of anything that he was going through in the path of Allah as an insult.

Perhaps some of the modern day "good followers" probably have a better understanding and may be also better idea of what is an insult to the religion and it's people and what is not. So some of these "better followers" are in love with accusing people every now and then of blasphemy and putting them through court trials where in some cases the suspects are ridiculously found guilty and given the punishment. But in most cases the court gets to know after it's job is being taken care of by the
'good muslims". But recalculating all of this, i am amazed at the love these "true followers" have for the Prophet. Once their love is provoked, they loose all the rational ties holding their strength and emotions back and they unleash all their love for the Prophet over anyone who is accused of blasphemy.

Forgave those who murdered his family members:

Very interestingly, the Holy Prophet forgave everyone who has ever hurt him or his family members. He did that even when he came back to his homeland after years, as an invader, he forgave all those who stood up against him all this time. He forgave the person who murdered his beloved uncle Hamza. And not only this, Abu Sufiyan and his wife( who chewed Hazrat Hamza's liver) were forgiven and welcomed when they embraced Islam
This one example is enough to show us what the Prophet used to do to his enemies, that too when he had power and authority over them. He treated them with the respect that most of the people fail to give to their friends. But the "better followers" hardly forgive anyone. May be because the situations are more challenging now or whatever the reason is. But some of the "better followers" believe in not-holding-back type of reactions when there is any animosity between them and other inferior ones. This is interesting because it puts too many question marks on otherwise understood convictions of today's follower of Islam, including some perspectives of the modern idea of Jihad.

Believed in democracy or consultations:

The events of the famous Battle of Trench or Ghazwa e Khandaq starts from the messenger coming to the Holy Prophet and giving him a warning about a battle conspired against Muslims by the people of Makkah and the Jewish tribes. By then the Muslims had fought battles of Badr and Uhad under the command of the Holy Prophet, both the battles showed that obeying the commands of the Holy Prophet would lead to victory and any deviation could cause a serious loss. Yet they all give their own suggestions about how to deal with the situation and there was even a conflict of views between few companions. Some wanted to stay in the city and defend the city while others wanted to go and meet the enemy in open. And this suggestion giving and small little disagreement about how to fight the war was completely fine. Reason? Because the Holy Prophet himself had asked for their point of views about the strategy that was to be taken. This should mean that monarchy and dictatorship was not something the Holy Prophet stood for. He was the messenger of God and that did make him the most authentic source and teacher of Muslims in all walks of life. But when it came to the political scenario, he consulted other companions. And whatever the majority supported, was followed accordingly.
However, many of Prophet's followers from this modern era consider the system of Islam as some dictatorship or monarchy. Many see the Saudi system of government as the Islamic one. But then again they're "better followers" so they must have good reasons for supporting their point. Some of these love the idea of a "strong" dictator and others call democracy "Kufr", that is, an action outside the circle of Islam(Something that will make you Kaafir). But everyone is not the same, it's a vast topic and i may not be able to sum up their goodness in one go but the point is they have modified and improved the ways of Islam even in giving us further guidance on which type of government should be supported by a better Muslim.

Holy Prophet had been a husband to business woman without having a problem with that:

The Holy Prophet's first wife was a business woman. She had people working for her, in fact the Holy Prophet was kind of an employee when Hazrat Khadeejah decided to marry him. Also, Hazrat Bibi Aisha was reported to have been attending meetings which means she too was involved in other activities along with looking after the house. Hazrat Khadeejah was very supportive to the prophet and she was independent in her resources but she was a good wife to the Prophet. The Holy Prophet was husband of a business woman and he loved her.
And so was the case of  Bibi Aisha, she was a friend, a companion and a wife. The liberty and independence she had at her hand even once lead to some problems as some people among the Muslims started doubting her piety but their conspiracies were put to an end when complete support to Hazrat Aisha was getting by Prophet Muhammad. So the Prophet had married women who were independent.
But some of his followers probably consider themselves "better husbands" when they know how and when to 'pull the strings' of their women, wives and sisters particularly. Better fathers among them  do not allow their daughters to be exposed to the evil that is taught in the schools even at the primary level, if she knows how to write her name, she might also know how to put a question-mark at the end of a question. Better husbands will not marry women who have their own business, in fact, in most cases they will not consider such a woman a pious one. Also most of the better men in certain good parts of the world tend to like women who cannot take care of their own selves and who need men beside all the time. The more she cannot do things on her own, the pious and modest she's considered. But I do see a point there, after all "good men" must be needed, wanted, admired, praised and also worshiped a little.

Prophet accepted a proposal very unusual:

We have been reading about how the Holy Prophet got married for the first time. Hazrat Khadeejah had sent him a proposal through her friend and maid Nafeesa. And we had been quite indifferent to the fact that the Holy Prophet accepted the proposal. This lady who later became an important companion of the Holy Prophet in early years of Islam was also a widow at the time she proposed the Prophet. She was also few years older than the Prophet was.
This very common knowledge too, i saw on a facebook page analysed very briefly and critically. And i felt it very normal to understand their simple point now when i was going through  my old books. Their point was that the student of Islamic Study in Pakistan are not given deeper understanding of such events.
But that's not the point here, because "better Muslims" have a deeper understanding. And to them, this would be a mortification thinking about accepting a proposal sent by a girl through her friend or worker of the house and not the family. Also marrying an older woman especially when it's the woman who initiates showing interest in the relationship is socially not acceptable and sometimes, unspeakable.
But the lesser ones may wonder how is this then possible that the Holy Prophet not only accepted the proposal but he never regretted and Hazrat Khadeejah was honored as the first Muslim woman of Islam. Allah has given her highest status among the followers of the Prophet for she became the first among "Mothers of the believers" May be back then  in the days of the Holy Prophet it was alright in Islam to consider a proposals that had genuine and sincere intentions and sentiments. It is no doubt a matter only scholars can deal with.

Prophet Never Harmed Public Property:

The Holy Prophet never harmed any public property and also suggested not to harm anything of the public properties or private property of the inhabitants of place Muslims took over in his lifetime. He advised his companions on the occasion of the Conquest of Makkah not to harm any human except to defend any advancement from the other side. His directions were clear, not harm any one among women, children and elderly citizens, and it was the same for any trees or plants in the city. Muslims who had entered the city of Makkah in complete control over the place were told not to harm anything but to clean up the Ka'aba from idols and make it a place of worship of One Allah, just how it once used to be.

But may be today's "better Muslims" are more passionate than history has ever seen. That is why anything that strikes them as something new or as an insult or a threat, even if it happens somewhere on the other side of the globe, they must show their protest against it. And while protesting, they show their disapproval by burning tires and flags on the roads of their city, throwing stones at buildings of their cities and destroying cars of their neighbors, breaking and damaging public property and rendering other such services in their own place that shows their ultimate love and devotion for the teachings of the Prophet and the religion he preached.

Whatever i have said in this very short blog is only my opinion and just a few things of "better Muslims" of my age that i have noticed around me, activities and practices that are at least a little different if not completely contradictory with how it used to be for the Prophet and for others in his lifetime. But again they're better and they must have better answers and better reasons for whatever they're doing. And I'm sure they are determined to make this world a better place blessed with their better existence.

Terrorists Attack Peshawar University- If I Die

Lets assume, as we are good in assumptions, that the University of Peshawar is attacked by terrorists since it has always been easy for them to attack the students and young professionals of our country particularly the Pashtoon blood, which is so tempting. So lets assume that terrorists attack Peshawar University. If I die in such an attack, if i loose my life in the institute where i go five days a week to get educated. Then here are a few things I would have to say.
'Don't tell my family that i was a brave warrior and i got martyrdom in a Holy war. I never wanted to die for my country when i knew i could live for it. I wanted to serve my country my entire life. I wanted to love my country the way i thought it deserved to be loved. And live enough to see my younger generations prospering. I never wanted to take a bullet when i knew i could learn, and spread enough awareness to stop many bullets.
Don't give my mother handsome amounts and plots. Use the money in bringing books, Modern books to the schools that never had them before. Change the course and modify them. Introduce
Don't give any school my name. It will benefit no one. List the names of the People that are targeted by terrorists along with the places they belonged to and the role they played in the society. Make these lists available to everyone and easy to access for our younger generations and let them figure out what the enemy actually targets.
Let my countrymen and countrywomen know i loved them all and i wanted to write for them. I wanted to live with them. I never wanted to die in vain, i never wanted to leave this world without speaking against these animals even once.'
I might have much more to say but it is not desirable for a dead person to have so much to say. So this would be the only message i would like to give when i die. And no one should have a problem with what I'd say because you can't complain about what dead people say.

Would Red be Red If Blue Was Red?

Once there was a man who used to go to a colorful Garden that had many types of flowers. Colorful Roses, Tulips, Jasmines and many others. Many colorful butterflies and flowers lived there in peace and harmony. The man always sat near a bunch of daffodils and would enjoy the Visual music of the Garden.

Once all the yellow Butterflies decided that they would destroy all flowers Other than yellow because they were not of the same color as of their wings.

The man who sat nearby, where they were planning against Other flowers, was listening to the Chief's speech. "Kill them for they are not Like us! Kill Them for whatever they are other than Yellow. It is their fault that they are born Red or Pink. They are the weak races, corrupt by nature. They are Low! they are impure. Kill them for they are not Original. Only Yellow is Original. Only Yellow is the Best of all colors. And Yellow shall prevail."

"My fellow Yellow butterflies! I, the Yellowest of you all, hence the best of you all, declare that Yellow flowers are the only flowers that should continue to live on this land. And once we eliminate all those Other than Yellow, we shall than demand all Other Butterflies to leave this place at once. Or we shall kill them too. For they looked like those Different from us."

The man continued to visit the garden daily till there were no Other flowers found in the garden except whatever that was yellow. Shortly after the disappearance of all colors except Yellow, he noticed a drastic decay in the number of all Other butterflies. Gone were days when the Garden was colorful. It was now Yellow. Only Yellow.

He still visited the garden but not very often now, and whenever he did, he'd leave quickly. One day he was going back after spending a few minutes in the Garden when he heard a few of the Darker Yellow butterflies talking to the Chief about some Lighter Yellow Butterflies and Lighter Daffodils and Dandelions. He knew what they were going to do but left anyways.

A week later when he came he saw all the light Yellow Flowers and Butterflies were "gone". He was devastated as he had nothing to look at, but the Yellow. The daffodils were no more beautiful, they were just too Yellow to look at. The Butterflies too had nothing different. There were arguments about who was More Yellow or Less Yellow in every corner of the lawn. There were no butterflies or flowers anymore, all left there were Rooted Yellows and Winged Yellows. Their Yellowness blinded them to the beauty of diversity and the taste of variety. The man left in utter despair and disappointment. He stopped going to the Garden for sometime.

One day He was passing by the same road. Hope and Curiosity dragged him into the Garden once again. But what he saw was frightening and he immediately regretted going there. He saw the Chief, the Most respectable and Most Yellow of all, sitting weak and lonely. He had no one he could be superior to. No one he could identify with. His Yellowness could not save him from the haunted breeze and hungry birds. There was only one yellow dandelion left that was regretting it's silence.

What once had been a sea of colors and variety, was now a land of dead leaves and dry stems. There was nothing to admire in the Garden anymore. The Yellow Butterflies who thought they were the best and interacting with Others (who seemed 'Low' to them), was against their Superiority destroyed the natural beauty of a Land of mutli-colored origin. Their idea of elimination of Other colors and sense of superiority just because of the color of their wings, led them to eliminate each other and eventually their own selves. The Garden was no more a garden and offered nothing but Barrenness and a Lack of life. As what is Life but (occurance and experience of) continuous Chance