After every bomb blast the police, the politicians, the system and the people wake up and start blaming each other. We cry, we light candles, we shout, we point fingers and we sleep again till the next bomb blast. Who is to blame for these mishaps? Government? Intelligence? Police? Politicians? Public? who?
I think all of us.
More people die in India in terror attacks then anywhere else in the world except Iraq. India has become a sitting duck. They come, smuggle explosives and ammunition's, get fake ID's, acquire mobile connections, plant bombs, kill people, send an email and vanish into thin air. Our police and intelligence agencies are so smart that they tell you within twenty minutes of the blast that their is a foreign hand, but that is it. I wonder what the RAW, IB, CID and other Intelligence Agencies keep doing between these blasts. Press will point out faults with the security and intelligence system and the agencies will start crying about insufficient funds, power and privileges being granted to them. But the fact is that they lack the sheer will power to tackle such problems. They are just some more 'sarkari babus' marking their attendance in the office and securing their salaries.
The Indian citizens has this phenomenal 'it-will-not-happen-to-me' attitude to everything evil. The TV, radio and other media keep crying about the unclaimed articles lying at public places, care to be taken while renting vhicles,homes, etc; but most of just don't bother. We think that safety of this country is a job that solely belongs to the government.
I would like to point out a few things which some people might find offending. How do these so called 'jehadi' groups find their recruits? They argue that opressing attitude towards the minority community triggers such reactions. Have all of the terrorists been subject to such hostilities? I don't think so. Even if they are, their religion offers them better ways of 'Jehad'. The majority community argues that such activities are unprovoked and the minority never thinks India as their country (at some other time they would sate that the country doesn't belong to them at all). Finger pointing. The terrible thing is that everyone sounds correct (or incorrect) at some place or the other. We all need to introspect.
India will not be able to protect itself from such evil unless its people stop blaming each other and start working like a team. Everyone including me and you needs to understand one's duties towards the country.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Khuda Ke Liye : A Discussion
I am trying to convince my father, a school teacher and a self proclaimed owner of high intellect, to see Khuda Ke Liye and I am having a hard time. 1981 is the year in which he watched a movie in a theatre last time. He quite because of the degrading quality of the movies and now he is convinced that movies are made only for rikshaw pullers or people with intelectual level of the rikshaw pullers. Cinema is the lowest form of art in his opinion and he thinks even taking name of a movie would damage his image of an intellectual. Considering the quality of the popular cinema, I don't blame him for what he thinks.
However, I have strong reasons to believe that if I am successful in making him watch "Khuda Ke Liye", his opinion about cinema will definitely change. And that sums up my opinion about the movie.
The subject is great and the treatment is even greater. I have seen many movies with sensitive subjects but never with such an excellent treatment. "Khuda Ke Liye" has a universal appeal, which makes it relevant in India too. It can be related to not only muslim extremism but to any kind of extremism. The scene in which a slogan chanting mob destroys a new year celebration will remind you shiv sainiks doing the same in India. It shows a mirror to a society which claims to be advancing towards modernity but actually is going back. The dialogues like "Sattar saal pehle sawal tha ke munni parda karegi ya nahi, aaj sawal utha he ke amma parda karegi ya nahi", are well written and well placed in the script.
It not only questions the credibility of so called 'jihadis' but also the Messiah of democracy and human rights the US. It actually draws a parallel between jihadis and the US, both think that only they are right and both are fighting fiercely to achieve their own goals. No matter how many wrongs they do in the process.
Khuda Ke Liye serves all the purposes of the cinema. It entertains, informs, makes you think, asks you questions, provides some answers without pushing a certain ideology and it comes with no tags that say "leave your brain at home". It is such a relief for people like me who find it difficult to leave their brains at home. The beauty of the work lies in the fact that the movie appeals to people in front and back row alike and has the capability to pull seasonal movie watchers to the theatres.
It's a brave effort backed by a great script, solid direction, mesmerising music, high production values and some excellent performances. Shoaib Mansoor deserves accolades for this master piece.
We need more movies like "Khuda Ke Liye".
Links:
Nikhat Kazmi, Times of India: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/moviereview/2926547.cms
Khalid Mohammad, Hindustan Times, interview of Shoaib Mansoor :
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=45e02ca3-8033-4033-8665-d2d55fe17173
Read what's on wikipedia, contains some very useful links to pictures and music, etc:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khuda_Ke_Liye
Khalid Mohammad, Hindustan Times, interview of Shoaib Mansoor :
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=45e02ca3-8033-4033-8665-d2d55fe17173
Read what's on wikipedia, contains some very useful links to pictures and music, etc:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khuda_Ke_Liye
Thursday, March 6, 2008
The 'holy' spam
I keep receiving these mails in which my fellow Muslims urge to boycott some company because they are funding nations fighting against Muslims, some contain photos of clouds, trees, or other natural things having shape resembling 'Allah', 'Mohammad' in Arabic. Some of them tell a story of some shaikh in Saudi Arab who dreamed of our prophet Mohammad (sal.).
Each time I receive such a mail the first thing I do is delete it.
The people who advocate boycotting a certain company should know that most of the MNC's belong to the part of the globe that is desperately fighting against Muslims. In a way all of them are funding war against Muslims. So why not boycott all of them? But it is going to be extremely difficult as these companies are functioning in our countries and our people are their share holders so in a way it will hurt them as well as ourselves. The development you see around yourself in recent years is a result of money pumped into our country by these MNC's.
Anyone who has the slightest idea about how companies function would agree that in our age it is extremely difficult for a company to fund some army specifically to fight against a certain community. By the way MNC's employ thousands of people around, many of whom are Muslims plus most of them face a crunch on the finances to remain in the competition which again make it more difficult for a company to do the 'funding thing'. As far as I know these company's are run by very cunning people who are smart enough to calculate the losses if an entire community, and that too the second largest one, boycotts their products. I don't thing they can afford to intentionally play with the sentiments of any community leave alone Muslims. They are more interested in running their business and earning profits. If some director, employ or stake holder of a company is giving away his/her money for a 'cause' that is his/her personal business you can not blame the company for it. But Everybody seems to have a flare for conspiracies.
The clouds having the shape of 'Allah', 'Mohammad' or some other holy sign seem to be reinforcing belief of some people in their religion. Well, if no such cloud, tree or anything else appear will we loose our faith? I have seen similar pictures that show natural things of the shapes of holy signs of various religions. Should I change my religion the next time I see a cloud of the shape a Holy Cross or OM? After every natural disaster pictures pour in that show some holy idol or sign unhurt while the rest of things are destroyed by the disaster. What if such a picture is proved to be the creation of some jingoistic person? Will my 'reinforced' faith should loosen up a bit? But that will be really embarrassing for sure. My point is that my belief is not dependent on a picture that shows a cloud of the shape of some holy sign.
And yeah that shaikh, who dreamt of our prophet Mohammad (sal.) must have a very weak knowledge of 'Sunnah'. Mohammad (sal.) had already predicted these things a very long time ago, I think. Anyway that shaikh story is decades old, I first read it in a pamphlet that was being distributed outside a mosque 10 years ago, went to my father and told the story, in return he told me that he heard the story a couple of decades ago. Amazing how long these stories can remain in circulation. I read a similar story but it was some Hindu lady who dreamed about 'Kaali' (offcourse, This 'holy' spam concept is not limited to muslims only. It gives me relief thinking that at least we don't mind adopting such stories from other communities). These stories are available in all the versions, flavors and 'brands'.
Very sparingly comes a mail that contains some genuine information or at least something that makes sense. I wait for such a mail, I preserve it and forward it.
So please give yourself and your ISP a little rest, stop crunching the bandwidth by broadcasting such mails, send me pictures of children and flowers instead.
May Allah give us peace and show us the right path.
Mohammad Vaqqas
Each time I receive such a mail the first thing I do is delete it.
The people who advocate boycotting a certain company should know that most of the MNC's belong to the part of the globe that is desperately fighting against Muslims. In a way all of them are funding war against Muslims. So why not boycott all of them? But it is going to be extremely difficult as these companies are functioning in our countries and our people are their share holders so in a way it will hurt them as well as ourselves. The development you see around yourself in recent years is a result of money pumped into our country by these MNC's.
Anyone who has the slightest idea about how companies function would agree that in our age it is extremely difficult for a company to fund some army specifically to fight against a certain community. By the way MNC's employ thousands of people around, many of whom are Muslims plus most of them face a crunch on the finances to remain in the competition which again make it more difficult for a company to do the 'funding thing'. As far as I know these company's are run by very cunning people who are smart enough to calculate the losses if an entire community, and that too the second largest one, boycotts their products. I don't thing they can afford to intentionally play with the sentiments of any community leave alone Muslims. They are more interested in running their business and earning profits. If some director, employ or stake holder of a company is giving away his/her money for a 'cause' that is his/her personal business you can not blame the company for it. But Everybody seems to have a flare for conspiracies.
The clouds having the shape of 'Allah', 'Mohammad' or some other holy sign seem to be reinforcing belief of some people in their religion. Well, if no such cloud, tree or anything else appear will we loose our faith? I have seen similar pictures that show natural things of the shapes of holy signs of various religions. Should I change my religion the next time I see a cloud of the shape a Holy Cross or OM? After every natural disaster pictures pour in that show some holy idol or sign unhurt while the rest of things are destroyed by the disaster. What if such a picture is proved to be the creation of some jingoistic person? Will my 'reinforced' faith should loosen up a bit? But that will be really embarrassing for sure. My point is that my belief is not dependent on a picture that shows a cloud of the shape of some holy sign.
And yeah that shaikh, who dreamt of our prophet Mohammad (sal.) must have a very weak knowledge of 'Sunnah'. Mohammad (sal.) had already predicted these things a very long time ago, I think. Anyway that shaikh story is decades old, I first read it in a pamphlet that was being distributed outside a mosque 10 years ago, went to my father and told the story, in return he told me that he heard the story a couple of decades ago. Amazing how long these stories can remain in circulation. I read a similar story but it was some Hindu lady who dreamed about 'Kaali' (offcourse, This 'holy' spam concept is not limited to muslims only. It gives me relief thinking that at least we don't mind adopting such stories from other communities). These stories are available in all the versions, flavors and 'brands'.
Very sparingly comes a mail that contains some genuine information or at least something that makes sense. I wait for such a mail, I preserve it and forward it.
So please give yourself and your ISP a little rest, stop crunching the bandwidth by broadcasting such mails, send me pictures of children and flowers instead.
May Allah give us peace and show us the right path.
Mohammad Vaqqas
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