When the Lights Hurt the Eyes

Re-reading this article reminded me of an old Diwali memory. I think I was around 6 then. *Loved * firecrackers. Anyway, my mother in a fit of trying to introduce logic and love of humanity sat me down for a lecture. Buying crackers she said, was like burning a whole pile of money. Should we really do this, when there are so many poor people who could be helped with that money instead?

The message I got: we are too poor to buy firecrackers this year.

Come Diwali day. The doorbell starts ringing and every kid from the servant quarters and every street urchin I hung out with (that`s another story all together) near our house, turns up with one or two firecrackers,``for Jawahara.`` I guess my mom`s well intentioned speech had backfired. I had heard, ``we are too poor to buy firecrackers this year. It would be like setting money on fire.``

I had a *ton * of firecrackers that year, especially, my favorite, phuljaris.

RDesikan & Amit:

The idea is to bring to attention something which we do not get to see very often.Being a muslim it is obvious what my preferences are.Please skip what you do not like.At least it doesn`t result in the usual ``modern`` & ``civilised`` discussion/analysis about Kashmir & Indo-PaaK affairs aka ``Kanjournalism``.

Relax!There is just no reason to be so perturbed.

PS:The wino on the CHOWK skid-row doesn`t deserve even a second look,let alone an acknowledgement.Let Jay take care of him.

Oh this was delightful Farzana....and poignant and sad. Echoed so many things I am feeling today but could not write down. Thanks!

Dost-mittar{Pal-Buddy}---231

you wrote:

``[worth framing:

Mao Tse Tung reinstated religious tolerance]``



If you like to frame then please frame the complete sentence....reproduced hereunder for everyones` benefit:

[Mao Tse Tung reinstated religious tolerance during his reign, but again, all mosques were shut down during the Cultural Revolution that lasted from 1966 to 1976. Since then, Chinese Muslims have been extended preferential treatment.]

PS:You still rank #1 chowkster in my books.:)

Ad:

I think the two of you are both correct.

I mentioned that Kali can be an idol or a symbol. Thats the thing about religion and most other things. They get their VALUE from their perciever.

Hinduism is hardly monolithic. There are indeed Hindu`s of a weaker spirituality who invoke Kali as an Idol. They are blinded by the symbolism of Kali...

Its always more simplistic for people to take things at face value. This is why Hinduism prescribes introspection. Take the Bhagavad Gita gor instance (My favourite religious book). As Ghandi said, some people are blinded by the war or the omnipotence of krsna, while others meditate at the entire concept.

They analyze then synthesize (see the event in parts, then see the whole vibe as a whole...) finding TRUTH in what is said by krisna and innocence (and humanism) in arjun`s replies.

Religion must give rise to pluralism. There is no one thing which can be pinpointed as being an idol or a symbol cuz different people see different things in different ways...

The same conversation between arjun and krishna is conducted between Moses and Khidr in the Quran or Jesus and satan in the NT. Its simply a build between one who see`s truth and one who`s trying to find it...

#247 Harpreet

That was masterful! (Was it original?)

The funniest thing is that the Hindu concept of god is of a formless consciousness, and yet we pray to this god through human-like idols. In contrast all the three semitic relgions think of god as being human in shape (``he created man in his own image``) and yet do not pray to any humanlike images. Strange that, huh?

-narain

Studebaker/Sadhna/Fatimah #237
`` VERBAL DISRRHOEA IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR CONTENT & INTELLECT``

Have you told your other nicks yet, including Brad Cruise and Lajwanti? Better not forget the next visiting day.

``OTHER HINDU ASHAMED OF THERE IDOLATORY TRIED TO LEARN ENGLISH``

Cannot handle an unashamed `other` is that it? My deep condolences. Good luck with living in a diverse world, a diversity of nicks will not help in this, neither hamzad whoever, though he does have a way with commas.

Trillium #248
``.the point being, the top of your head. Your posts indicate difficulty dealing with ``the point``.``

I have difficulty in dealing with the top of my head apart from some other ailments and thats your point???? Why didn`t you say so in the first place?

Forget about tribalism, I am overwhelmed by the deep intellectual insights you offer here.

So better peddle the rest of your contraband to someone else(or clear your inventory by smoking it yourself).

Re:Hamzad Afaqui#171

Hamzad, I understand what you are trying to say. If you look at the Islamic world in the 11th century, you see the magnificent civilizations in Baghdad and Cordoba. You see scholars being produced in every field and adding to knowledge and enlightenment. People like Al-Beruni were travelling to India and learning Sanskrit to understand the Vedas!! No wonder Islam was spreading far and wide. In the 21st century, the Islamic world is producing fruitcakes like the Taliban, Bin Laden, Hezbollah, Hamas, Lashkar-e-this and Jaish-e-that type organizations. There is no interest in education or knowledge. You hear people making wild statements that muslims love death as much as other people love life. People all over the world are scared of muslims. Is this the destiny of the Islamic world ? The answer is a firm negative given the potential shown earlier.

The real question is what went wrong and how to fix it. The fact of the matter is whether you approach the issue from a theological point of view or a secular point of view, ultimately the focus has to be on creating a just, humane, progressive society. After all, everyone wants to live in a society where there are opportunities for a better life. For instance, the Taliban ruled Afghanistan for 5 years. How much did they focus on developing the country or establishing modern education ? Absolutely nothing. At the same time, Khatami in Iran is a religious man but he is using religion in a positive manner to develop a better Iran. The Islamic world needs more and more people like Khatami, who can provide a proper vision for the future. I am sure there are millions of such people in the Islamic world and they need to form the intelligentsia for the future.

There is one more silver lining in this escalation (the first being the fact that Indians will finally realize why Pakistanis wanted a separate country): the Kashmir issue has finally deserved the importance it requires to be solved.

It has finally been internationalized, and is now the no. 1 story in international news. If anyone still thinks that their is no international mediation going on in this issue now, then I am afraid they are living in their own world. Infact, the comments of international sources are all over the Indian media.

The BJP is taking India down the drain, in more ways than Indians realize. Indian foreign ministry has (had) done one hell of a job in spinning Kashmir. One has to give them credit for that. Kashmir is an open-shut case in terms of human rights, legalities, UN resolutions etc. India is obviously suppressing and killing the Kashmiris, not Pakistan. Kashmiris want to be with Pakistan, and not with India. Yet India has (had) been able to portray it as a joint Indo-Pak problem, to the point of painting it as a terrorist struggle.

However, the recent sequence of events, initiated by the BJP, are begining to have an after-effect which is only going to weaken India`s stance:

- The BJP piles up its forces on the border to win an election in UP (my guess). It loses the election.

- The BJP is humiliated in India and in the rest of the world for organizing a massacre of its own Muslim population in Ahmadabad. Even Indians who tolerated the Ayodhya riots, start criticizing the BJP.

- The BJP raises the ante on attacking Pakistan, and making it blink, thereby uniting the Indian population behind it, and making it forget the Gujrat massacre. This works like a charm, and all of a sudden, attacking Pakistan becomes much more important than Gujrat in Indian minds.

- But Pakistan does not blink, and piles up its own forces on the border, and even launches a few nuclear- capabable missile tests. Now the BJP is stuck again. It has all of India united in a war mode, and is issuing one threatening statement after another against Pakistan, yet it is not attacking (because it know that could result in a nuclear war). In addition to this, the freedom struggle in Kashmir keeps going strong, as do the cross border infiltrations.

- The BJP comes up with a second proposal and threatens Pakistan with dire consequences, if Pakistan does not return 20 (mostly Sikh and Indian Muslim separatists) individuals on a list to India. Pakistan does not recognize the list, asks for proof, and issues its own list with the name of Advani on it, and asks for him. The BJP threatens Pakistan some more, yet does not attack. At this point, the Indian public is also starting to question the BJP train of thought.

- The BJP starts heavy shelling of Pakistan`s Kashmir (and Sialkot) areas. Pakistan counterattacks with shelling of Indian areas. Yet the BJP still does not attack, while simultaneously continuing its abuse of Pakistan. This abuse, by now, is almost six months old.

- The BJP, by this time, is completely stuck. It is in a damned if you do, damned if you don`t scenario. It cannot attack due to a nuclear war threat, and it cannot retreat because it will lose face and popularity in India. So the BJP looks for an out. It tries to get the international community to put pressure on Pakistan to give it an out. Pakistan refuses to give the BJP a face-saving out, and says the BJP will have to pull its troops back on its own.

- The BJP now threatens all out war. The Kashmir issue, by this time, is compeletely internationalized, and everyone in the world is talking about it. By doing this, the BJP has undone the decades of spin work the Indian foreign ministry had very successfully done on Kashmir. This spin work was highly beneficial to India, and had kept Kashmir under the covers. No one knew about Kashmir, until the BJP initiated its troops build-up. Now the whole world knows.

- The rest of the world finally jumps in, and starts putting pressure on Musharraf to completely stop cross-border infiltrations. While Pakistan can stand up to India, it cannot stand up to the rest of the world, so it clamps down hard on cross-border infiltration.

- However, the world needs to be in the good books of Pakistan, at the moment also (and it wants to end this Kashmir issue once and for all, to avoid future nuclear war scenarios), so it puts a great deal of pressure on India to talk and resolve this issue, as well. Now the BJP is furthur stuck. It has to discuss Kashmir and maybe even solve it.

- Pakistan still refuses to give India a face-saving out, while simultaneously bowing to international pressure, while standing up to Indian pressure.

So, due to the BJP antics, India now is being forced to discuss Kashmir with Pakistan (which it didn`t have to do before). The whole world is aware of the Kashmir issue (which was unknown to anyone before). India has been forced to accept the fact that Pakistan (finally) has an effective deterence against India (which it did not have in the non-nuclear days). India will, at some stage have to withdraw its forces, without having been able to make Pakistan accept any of its threats or complains (this will be the first time that India has piled up offensive forces on Punjab and Sind and not attacked).

The cat is now out of the bag. India has accepted third-party mediation (what the hell else would one call Armitage, Powell, Straw, Putin, Karzai, Khatami etc.). The BJP, through its ridiculous war rhetoric, has done what no Pakistani leadership has been able to do for decades; it has completely internationalized the well kept Indian secret of Kashmir. India will now have to talk to Pakistan on Kashmir. And (hopefully) the whole world will continue to keep this problem on its screen. This should lead to human rights organzitions and the international media getting some access to Kashmir. Which should lead to the Kashmiri voices being heard. And we all know what the Kashmiri voices are saying.....

I have a piece of advice for Pakistanis: They need to sit back and just solve their own problems for the next ten years. During these ten years, the BJP will do (and has already done) what no Pakistani has ever been able to (and may never be able to) do to India. As follows:

1) The BJP has split the well-maintained (by third world standards) social fabric of India, to the point, where Hindus are chasing after Muslims with swords.

2) It has turned a secular country, with well-protected minorities (by third world standards) into a religiously fanatic country.

3) It has forced (is about to force) a much larger India, for the first time in its history, to back off unconditionally from Pakistan in a military conflict.

4) It has internationalized the Kashmiri issue by itself; something Pakistan had been unsuccesfully trying to do for ages.

I would encourage all Indians to continue to vote for the BJP. I would encourage all Pakistanis to say a few extra prayers for the BJP remaining in power in India. As long as the BJP is in power in India, or is the main opposition party (which will make it even more dangerous), India is doomed. India will self-destruct under the BJP`s misguided Hinduvta baggage. I am becoming more and more sure of it, as time passes. The BJP thinks even more illogically than us illogical and ignorant Pakistanis.

Now, if the BJP is voted out of power, and voted out completely (even as an opposition party), then I will have to state that Indians have progressed far beyond Pakistanis. And that Pakistanis are doomed.....



-

Reply #: 195

DRUMZ

``

Its apparent that a lot of the symbols/idols (depending on perspective) used by hindus have specific meanings. Krishna for example is shown as both glorious and in a Kali-like shape to emphasize her negative qualities (showing that she encompasses the ALL +/-)

Same holds true for the Black stone its both a symbol and an idol, depending on WHO is interpreting it...

``

-- Drumz, you are partially correct. But just look at your own description. You mentioned that the idol of Kali represents the negative attributes.

Trillium would be correct, if there was a particular stone and only that stone that was held sacred. That would then justify that its truly an idol, that is being worshipped and not the idea behind the idol.

In comparison, any person can put there lines on a smooth black stone and that stone then becomes symbolic of Lord Shiv.

The concept is quite similar to that of money. If you look at it, its paper. But our belief in its value makes its valuable.

AD

Reply #: 192

TriIlium

``

Dont try to sneak in your idols in surreptitiously as SYMBOLS.Symbols are accepted by non idolworshippers.Symbols are non figurative representation whereas IDOLS are close to true REPRESENTATION of the object of worship.

If human like anatomy or features is worshiped it ismeant to be a SUBSTITUTE or REPRESENTATION close to truth as possible .

``

-- As I am unsure about your background I do not want to make presumptions about what you know or don`t know about Sanatan Dharm or what people refer to as Hinduism.

Its prime characteristic is that its not monolethic in nature. Some believe that God has no form, and others feel that he does. The latter choose to represent his form in different ways, based upon historical/mythological descriptions.

Thier belief is however in the diety represented by the object, not the object itself. A flat, smooth and black stone (about the size of a fist) is called Saligram. It represents Lord Shiv. And it does not look like how he is depicted in idols.

The Bhakti movement in the 8th century revived the idea that God is more concerned about eh inner emotions of his devotees rather than the rituals they perform. A logical consequence of this was that as long as a person was frim in his belief, he could find God in any object.

AD

Sadna

``FYI, a minor detail seems to have escaped you, though it has evidently not escaped other chowkwallahs. If you plan on being taken seriously esp. after you write articles on misogyny and intolerance to pluralism in S. Asia, you have to refrain from being misogynist and intolerant yourself.``

...the point being, the top of your head. Your posts indicate difficulty dealing with ``the point``. You lead a small group of Choke-wallahs who seem to demonstrate that the best minds have left the subcontinent for relief from intellectual tribalism.

tahmedji;

[I still have to figure out, but then I am just a dumb panjabi (with sikh blood in my veins, according to Anthropologist Ali1) and what do I know]

- This must be disconcerting for you. There are a number of tests you can carry out. First of all pour a glass of finest Scotch whiskey, neat, and stare at it for five minutes. You should be able to notice the increase in saliva production in your mouth, even for an absolute tee-totaller as you, any Sikh blood will respond by an overwhelming sense of thirst and hyperactivity of saliva glands at the merest sniff of whiskey.

- Another test is to play Gurdas Manns song ``Apna Punjab Hove`` very loud. If it evokes any sentimental saccharine pastoral fantasies of ploughing the fields, tending the cattle, flirting with a few village girls, before driving home on your tractor to be served saag and maaki de roti by your loyal, sturdy wife, chances are you have some Sikh in you.

- Next time you are driving, (symbolically) close your eyes and imagine you are a truck driver on the GT road. If after ten minutes you start honking the horn at the cute women and start tweaking your moustache (even if you dont have one) and feel like stopping at a dhaba for some chicken and sweet tea, chances are, you have at least some Sikh in you.

- If you ever have moments of lucidity where you cannot work out who you dislike more, Muslims or Brahmins, then chances are you do have some Sikh in you.

- If you are a nice kind generous good looking man with honour and pride, dignity and a latent sexual prowess, then you definately have alot of Sikh in you. In fact, any of these attributes would preclude you from being Pakistani at all, making you a freak of nature.

;-)

take care!

Harpreet

Converts to Islam come from all walks of life.



The search for truth continues to lead many people of all backgrounds to Islam

By Anayat Durrani

June 24, 2001, 03:06 PM

WASHINGTON

- The Islamic faith is the fastest growing monotheistic religion in America with some seven million Muslims. Islam is also the fastest growing religion in the world with 1.2 billion adherents throughout the globe. Adherents of Islam come from all classes, races, and walks of life. They are doctors, lawyers, laborers, teachers, firemen, chefs, journalists, judges, and social workers and represent almost every profession known. But who are the faces and personalities behind some of these converts to Islam? Khadija, beloved wife of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh), was the first to convert to Islam.



From more recent times, some of the most recognizable converts to Islam include black-rights activist and religious leader El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, more popularly known as Malcolm X. In 1964, after a pilgrimage to Makkah, he announced his conversion to orthodox Islam and his belief in brotherhood between blacks and whites. Three-time heavy weight champion of the world Mohammed Ali, formerly Cassius Clay, converted to orthodox Islam in 1965. Ali is the most widely recognized sports personality in the world.

The sports world has attracted a number of converts to Islam such as Kareem Abdul Jabbar, formerly Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor. Before the 1971-72 season, Alcindor converted from Catholicism to Islam and took the name Kareem Abdul Jabbar. He played 20 seasons in the league with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. By the time the 7 foot 2 basketball player retired in 1989, he became a six-time Most Valuable Player and is now one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. Then there is the British boxer Hamdan Chris Eubank. In March 1997, after former super middleweight world champion Eubank defeated Camilo Alocon of Columbia at the Dubai Tennis Stadium in a light heavyweight contest, he embraced Islam and took the name Hamdan.

Others in the sports industry who converted to Islam include boxer “Iron Mike” Tyson who became the youngest world champion boxer at age 20. In 1991, retired basketball player Mahmoud Abdul Rauf, formerly Chris Jackson, embraced Islam. Abdul Rauf made headlines in 1996, when as a former Denver Nugget guard he refused to stand for the national anthem, and was later suspended by the NBA without pay.

Some have found Islam through marriage. At the age of 21, Jemimah Goldsmith, Jewish daughter of billionaire Sir James, married famous Pakistani cricketer Imran Khan. Goldsmith converted to Islam and changed her name to Haiqa Khan. Queen Noor of Jordan was born Lisa Najeeb Halaby to a prominent Arab-American family. Raised by Christian parents, she converted to Islam when she married the late King Hussein in June 1978. She changed her name to Noor Al Hussein -- the light of Hussein.

Seventies British singer-songwriter Cat Stevens is by far one of the most well known converts to Islam. Famous for songs like “Peace Train,” and “Wild World,” Stevens left the music world after converting to Islam in 1973 and became known thereafter as Yusuf Islam. Others in the music industry that converted to Islam include Art Blakey, Abdullah Ibn Buhaina (1919-1990), American drummer and jazz musician. His contribution to jazz from 1954 to 1990 as leader of the Jazz Messengers established the sound Hard Bop, greatly influencing later generations of musicians and entertainers.

Islam has had an impact on the world of rap and hip-hop as well. Born Dante Smith, recording artist, actor, and activist Mos Def converted to Islam in 1993. His 1999 album ``Black on Both Sides,`` opens with “Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim`` (In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful). His tract ``Umi Says`` became the score for Michael Jordan`s ``Brand Jordan`` Nike division 2001 broadcast campaign ``Much Respect.``

Former members of A Tribe Called Quest, Ali Shaheed Mohammed and Q-Tip helped influence his path to Islam. Rapper Q-Tip changed his name from Jonathan Davis to Fareed Kamal after he converted to Islam around 1996. Rapper turned rocker Erik Schrody of Everlast, who is of Irish decent, converted from Catholicism to Islam in 1997. His hit single “What It’s Like,” off his ``Whitey Ford Sings the Blues,`` resulted in triple-platinum sales of his album. The lyrics of his album`s closing track, ``Graves to Dig,” reflect his newfound faith: ``One for the prophet/Two for Islam/Three for the khutba from the imam.``



In the literary arena, there is the well-known Mohammed Marmaduke Pickthall. He was born William Pickthall in 1875 in London, and converted to Islam in 1917. By 1930 Pickthall published “The Meaning of the Glorious Koran”; an English language translation of the Quran. Another convert known in literary circles is the late Austrian statesman, journalist, and leading Muslim scholar, Mohammed Asad (1900-1992). He was born Leopold Weiss in Lwow, Galicia now in Poland, to a Jewish father in 1900. Asad converted to Islam in 1926. Asad was a former foreign correspondent for the Frankfuerter Zeitung, and is best known for his books, “Islam at the Crossroads,” and “Road to Mecca,” and for his English translation of the Quran.

Margaret Marcus is a Jewish American essayist, poet, journalist and author of several books. She converted from Judaism to Islam in 1962 and changed her name to Maryam Jameelah. Audiences were acquainted with writer and author, Michael Wolfe after his documentary on ABC’s Nightline, called An American in Makkah. The documentary, which aired in April 1997, took viewers along with Wolfe on his pilgrimage to Hajj. Wolfe was born of a Christian mother and Jewish father. Since converting to Islam he has written several books on the Islamic faith. Wilfried Hofman was born into a Catholic family in Germany in 1931. The Harvard Law graduate, former German diplomat, and former director of information for NATO, embraced Islam in 1980 and changed his name to Murad Hofman. He has lectured and written extensively on Islam.

These are just a handful of the many people who have embraced the Islamic faith. One in four people on Earth is Muslim. The search for truth continues to lead many people of all backgrounds to Islam, making Islam the fastest growing religion today.