Saima Shah January 3, 2006

Tags: Pakistan

Writing from Pakistan about Pakistan's internal struggle to find its soul

href="/tag/civilizations">civilizations. Its history can never be completely wiped out, since it is ingrained in its DNA. Pakistan is a brave attempt to answer humanity’s most divisive and difficult questions such as ‘Is there a God? Whose is He anyway? Is Death more important than Life? And if so, what should we wear? Should we grow a beard or not for Allah? Must men show their ankles to be spiritually elevated?

It is quite likely that the biggest battle for God will be fought here, on its grounds, in its corridors and on its borders. Quite likely the issue that will be settled for eternity is what Muslims should wear, which kind of perfume and how long the Muslim’s beard should be.

The question must be of great significance in the journey of spirituality. If it were not, our MPAs, our opinion leaders and our singers would be worried about the ever-pervasive violence in our lives. But no, there seem to be more voices concerned about identity than about the oppressions of the common person.

In the West, the politics of identity had seemed to die in the last century. Identity took a backseat to economic growth and innovation. The Western economies had come up with an economic growth model that depended on innovation (Soros, 2004). The Left, always an anti-thesis to the mainstream had failed when it changed hands and become the Right in parts of Eastern Europe and USSR. The backlash of the failure of the Left was huge. The disgruntled, the disappointed and the beaten Left made way for the WTO’s the IMFs and the World Banks whose subtly rightist agenda seemed more liberating than the promised liberation of the Left. In the last few decades it seemed that Science has been co-opted to be compliant with the politics of identity by the global Right.

Science had seemed to side with the Left for so long. Perhaps it was time for it to switch sides. From prejudice to contraception, Science had brought anarchy to older societies and freedom from old social mores. Science promised liberty, peace, wealth and freedom from prejudice, but it was unable to solve the problem of hate. Though it prevailed over so many physical issues it was unable to solve psychological needs like group identity. Instead it was co-opted by hate and rightist agendas. Read as: Conflict theorists were fewer and less exciting than nuclear scientists.

Hate is one of the biggest problems of the last century. Hate is the most difficult question of being human. So difficult that we lack the language to phrase it in a way that we can debate it globally. When you put a thesis like,‘Hate is a common human problem,’ a maulvi’s simple answer is, “No, it is they who hate us.”

Why did Science fail the Left?

In the 1960s after two horrible world wars, in the wake of the cultural liberties possible in the post technology world, John Lennon devoted his work to peace; he was shot leaving us to ‘Imagine’ and his wife to grieve. 20 years before, Gandhi succeeded beyond our wildest dreams, but he was also shot. Today the caretakers of the Hindu identity despise and denigrate his leadership and achievements. In Pakistan a couple of years ago when Daniel Pearl tried to listen and present the terrorist point of view, they cut off his head.

Such is the fate of the cotton swab. To be covered in blood.

The problem of hate seems to be very difficult, so difficult that Left and Right forces swing and dip in a continuous battle over how to safeguard a group’s identity. But in the last several decades, the Left has been terribly weakened. (Why is a hot topic and discussed in other articles in this column).

As a result, the erstwhile eclectic and liberating scientific thought has switched allegiance (people are people). Even though now Science churns out megatons of psychosocial research on conflict and resolution, few governments pay heed. After all, nations and borders are not about getting along but about not getting along. Quite often ‘Center’s for policy research’ are thinly veiled efforts to intellectualize and rationalize the politics of identity and so much of new technology is used to reduce freedoms.

Science slowly but surely has defected to the Right. Instead of liberation, science is making the authoritarian Right stronger. From weapons to nuclear technology, to the surveillance society, technology is more often being used to control the other rather than to liberate people from hatred itself. We have been convinced that hate is a necessity. “Nuclear weapons therefore will ensure a peaceful world free from conflict.” “Defense spending goes hand in hand with economic growth.”

Peaceniks are just that, nicks without names.

On the level of the ordinary individual, the cultural void left after the techno revolutions has led to the dumbing down of science in popular culture. We have a spiritualized pseudo science that teaches us that Science falls short. We need to depend on theories of another kind to live, ‘happily’. From the pursuit of truth, Science now has another moral objective, ‘make us happy, make us feel good.’ Writing in popular culture reflects this need. In lifestyle magazines half the articles will be about dubious health research and the other half on how to manage stress, lose weight and look beautiful. The recent debate on Intelligent Design as a philosophy, the scientific proof that prayer helps control the spread of cancer and the arguments that reason is a Christian tradition, not a means of resistance from Christianity. How will science cope with this attempt to spiritualize it? How will spirituality cope with the attempt to rationalize it?

How can Science do the job of family, religion and groups? Well, the counselor can try to help. Or popular culture can adopt spirituality and Science. Read: The maulvi can be revered, superstition has a place, Astrology works for us while we depend on agnostic machines.

Pakistan is also struggling with the same questions as the rest of the world. The difference is that it always hung on to identity, but now it is adapting post-modern culture for its physical needs.

In a small stretch of road about 10 miles in Karachi, one counted 20 schools and 10 engineering and scientific institutes. But what are the standards, who is supervising them and how is quality being set? Businesses complain that despite of the number of graduates being churned out, English standards are poor, writing skills are basic, general knowledge is very basic, technical skills aren’t so good, there is less initiative and low degree of independent thought.

The superficiality of knowledge systems in Pakistan is an outcome of the lack of investment in education for 20 years before 2000. From 2000-2005 Pakistan has been trying to make-up for 20 years of neglect.

Perhaps the same superficiality is the reason that the biggest question in urban society is not whether women should work or not. That has been answered. The question is, ‘what should they wear in the public space?’ Islam has always been a society of segregation. Men and women have traditionally led very separate lives using Purdah. In the book ‘White Moguls’ William Dalrymple has described Islamic society in the 17th-18th century complete with purdah, harems and zenanas. Similarly Naguib Mahfouz’s unforgettable books about Cairo, and others have described how fundamental segregation was to Islamic societies. To allow women in the public space, Pakistani society has performed an adaptation. It has decided that working women are ok as long as they are covered well. Quite a feat of liberty over tradition.

The Left/Right divide in Pakistan is edifying. After successfully exiling, jailing and killing all remotely Left elements in the decades when Pakistan became an Islamic State from an Islamic Republic, Pakistani popular culture had no enemies to fight. So they invented enemies. From the idealism of identity is born the dream of a pure Islam, which to be attractive must have an enemy. After all the enemies of Zion were the Machines. Enemy number 1 is Foreign Culture: Dress and Language, TV programs and Glossy Magazines. Enemy number 2 is Corruption of Identity: Polytheism and Christianity, Zionism and Shiaism, Ahmedi and Bahayi, Aga Khan Ismailis and Bohras. Enemy Number 3: Rivals for power and resources; Bush and Blair. Each enemy battles for mindshare in different levels of society.

Interestingly, technology and techno culture is not seen as a negative force. There the parallel with Matrix ends. There is where the fledgling Pakistani Left is different from the Left of the West. Islam’s enemies range over a wide variety of influences, but technology and education (properly modified for Islamic creationism) is not seen as an enemy but a savior. From the maulvi to the begum, they all want the knowledge and power of science. There is incredible respect for the technically educated. Cars, computers and Internet are ok, but foreign dress and language on TV is not ok. Since identity is the core issue, TV is a threat to convert us to Hindi speaking Indians. Trousers and shirts are of the West and not representative of ‘our’ culture. This suspicion has inspired local culture to grow, invent and create; even though on the face of it, it appears negative because it is rejecting other cultures, it is a positive synthesis of the ‘other.’

Quite fascinatingly, Pakistani creativity has grown to fill this need for ‘our culture.’ From Egyptian designs to Kashmiri, Pakistani entrepreneurs are working hand in hand with the reinvention of Pakistani culture. Inspired by Moghul design, Egyptian design, other million influences, Pakistani design has crossed a few leagues in sophistication. All this is intuitive, spontaneous sense and respond so typical to the sub-continental psyche. It is intuitive and informal, but there is little recognition of what is happening in popular culture. Instead papers have made complaining about everything a fine art.

Right when the Right seems all powerful, still consumed by questions of dress, blasphemy and the purest form of Islam, the Left is growing unnoticed under its shadow.

Who or what forces are protecting this re-invention of the Left?

Somehow the Left is at a simmer. It cannot be named for fear of instant reprisal, yet it rises slowly but surely from the ashes of popular culture. Some say Sufi, some say democracy, some say balance but all are seeking the Light Side. In an Islamic society, the Sufis quite clearly were Leftist elements whereas the Wahabis are the extreme Right. Pakistan at creation had a Left, injured, excavated as it were from the Muslims of undivided India. However, the Rightists gained power rapidly in the ensuing decades, pushing the Left to the periphery initially, then out to exile or Jail. This pattern is an old one in the history of Islam.

Pakistan traditionally has not been kind to inquirers or intellectuals who try to reinvent the basis for identity. Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Ahmed Faraz were both put into jail. But no-one ever forgot (‘Hum Dekhain Gey’ and ‘Nafraton key Sahifey). At various times, in undivided India Syed Ahmed Khan and Allama Iqbal and M.A. Jinnah, with Leftist ideals were called kaafir and the former two were jailed. If Saadat Hasan Manto had written today, he would most assuredly have been convicted under some pretext. The years of Zia completely expunged the Left. Yet, the odd paradox is that the Left elements rather than the Rightist Maulvi contributed more to the creation of Pakistan. Today Pakistan’s ideology has been overtaken by the Rightists—who are demonstrably unable to do anything much other than fight over versions of Islam. Quite obviously a thriving Left is essential in reinventing a stable Pakistan.

The treasure hunt for the missing and nameless Left in Pakistan turns up the following.

1. The reading habit is at all time high. There is a boom in publishing. (Whereas publishing industry is at 1% growth in North America, the sub-continent’s publishing industry is booming). Liberty Books the only book supplier left in Pakistan in the 1980s is now huge. Back in 1989, they were working in a tiny hole. Things were the same even a few years ago. In the space of the last 3-4 years there are several branches doing a roaring business in books with the latest from the West and India plus the local publishing houses.

2. People wear whatever they want. There is no state policy of how people should dress. Beards, scarves and burkas are very common but saris, jeans, ordinary salvar kurtas, kurtis et al are rampant under the scarf.

3. The media is freer than it was in the last 4 decades, with open debate on a variety of issues including religion on TV.

4. Infrastructural improvements

Several new parks and cleaner roads.
Several flyovers in Karachi, with remarkably less traffic congestion than a year ago. In a city where construction takes years this is an achievement
Sports activity; national women’s teams for a variety of games
Organized airports
Revamp of the identification systems e.g., passports, ID cards
Police hotline
Significant entrepreneurial activity albeit manufacturing is not growing as fast apart from textiles
Rapid growth in educational institutes
Better roads and telecommunication
Increased accountability from all levels of authority.
Higher number of women in all public spaces. Albeit many are in burqa and chador, women throng roads, they serve in restaurants and work in banks. This is unusual compared to the Pakistan of the 80s and 90s. This is happening today at an exponential pace.

Pakistan is ready for the ordinary middle class to inherit the process of democratizaion and take it forwards. It is ripe for democracy where small groups can form and solve problems such as transportation, garbage, littering, potable water and education for the disadvantaged.

Dialogues in Passing:

A sales assistant to a buyer:

Sales Assistant: “You know it isn’t important what we wear is it?”

Buyer: “No. What is most important is our character, not our clothes.”

Sales Assistant: ‘’We can do so much while remaining true to our identity?’

Buyer: “Yes, you can.”

So be it. If the self-esteem of a nation needs its scarves and beards, who am I to object? After all, people take Prozac and Viagra for the same. Just don’t even try to convince me that I need to be under a tent to be considered ok.

The Left has slowly but surely made inroads in the Pakistani psyche. Without a party, without a badge, without a leader and without a name, the Left is finding its voice. In the National Assembly, a couple of weeks ago, an MNA tried to amend the blasphemy law. He got only 1 vote. But the point is not that he lost, but that there was someone who tried.

The glass is half-full.

Happy New Year.