The Last Crusade

amazing how much pakistanis are concerned for palestine and there is no recipricocity

OIC`s apathy deplored

Bureau Report

PESHAWAR, June 4: The NWFP president of the Pakistan Muslim League (QA), Salim Saifullah Khan, has deplored the silence of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) over the grave situation Pakistan was faced with in the wake of Indian war threats.

In a statement, issued here on Tuesday, he called upon the government to immediately call for an extraordinary meeting of the OIC to deal with the situation.

On the pretext of war against terrorism, Mr Khan said, Indiaand some other countries were denying the Kashmiris their inalienable right to self-determination for which they had been struggling for the more than five decades.

Their just struggle was well known to the world community through numerous resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, he said, adding that the freedom struggle in Kashmir was indigenous and Pakistan did not indulge in cross-border terrorism as alleged by India.

He said Pakistan did not want war and wished to settle all its disputes with India through peaceful negotiations, but at the same time it had the right to safeguard its sovereignty through all available means.

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WHERE IS THE UMMAH ?

Question and Answer Details from islamonline.net



Name of Questioner Don`t want to be a racist but... Pakistan

Title Unable to get over the racism of some Arabs towards non-Arabs

Question I am sorry to say that I have developed racism or intolerance towards a number of Arab Muslims. I know that from an Islamic perspective, this is wrong because Islam condemns all forms of racism and nationalism. As a person of Indo-Pakistani background, I have heard of enough instances and experienced firsthand the way a number of Arabs treat non-Arabs, especially those who are darker skinned, even if they are Muslim.

I am tired of the way a number of Arabs think they are better Muslims because they speak Arabic or are Arab. I am tired of the way a number of Arabs think they are the only ones who know Islam because of their Arabness, not necessarily because of their knowledge. Everytime some incident happens where an Arab person shows racism, especially towards fellow Muslims, my feelings of hate and anger become strong.

It is only the fear of Allah which is really stopping me from acting and speaking irrationally Alhamdulillah. But I fear I may not be able to control myself any longer when I see such Jahiliyyah. How can I not hate my brothers and sisters who are Arab, despite the racism a number of them practice? How can I stop generalizing? I have had Arab friends in the past, but in the city I now live in, my anger may be what is stopping me from befriending a fellow Muslim of Arab origin.

Name of Counsellor IslamOnline Counseling Team

Topic Communication

Answer



May Allah (swt) forgive and guide those who you are describing and may He also forgive and guide you to not be racist or intolerant!

You are being very frank and communicating feelings that most people have a difficult time articulating. We appreciate such frankness and in particular, we appreciate your desire to seek help with this rather personal situation.

In this particular case, you are describing a sense of superiority in religious belief that some Arabs you have dealt with might feel solely due to their Arab origins. Despite your negative experiences dealing with Muslims of Arab origin, Allah (swt) has blessed you with an opportunity to start anew in this new community.

The key to really getting along with people from another race or culture is to try and minimize as much as possible the differences and highlight the similarities between your culture and theirs. You must try, as difficult as it might be, to give each Arab brother or sister a chance before judging them or associating them with other Arabs who might be racist. You should make du`a going into each situation for Allah (Swt) to open your heart, to cleanse your mind, and to grant you the love that a Muslim is supposed to show for a fellow Muslim - regardless of his or her background! We are confident that you are capable of doing this insha`allah!

Of course, we do not want you to shy away from dealing with Arabs or anyone for that matter who is being racist or assuming superiority in belief not due to knowledge but due to their Arab origins. You have to keep your intentions clear and try your best to engage that person in a dialogue. The next time you spot a potentially racist or elitist person, ask them in a polite way, to clarify their actions. Let them know you wish to learn about their perspective. Why are they saying or doing what they are doing? Be patient. Be calm and listen to the person`s explanation. More often than not, you will find that they did not mean to be racist. Nor did they mean to be elitist. They were just sincerely advising, though perhaps not in the style or manner of advising.

On the other hand, you might discover as you listen to the person`s explanation, that they are indeed racist and look down upon those people who are not of Arab origin. In this case, you should not try to address them in the same gathering. Be patient. Wait until you see them again, in a more calm state. Then try your best to talk to them about their perspective on whatever situation you had previously encountered. You will be surprised but most people never realize that their comments are being construed in a racist or elitist way! Suggest different ways they might share their advice and how doing so will be less hurtful to people receiving it.

For your part, do your best not to generalize. There are racist, elitist, and generally ignorant people from all races and backgrounds in the Muslim community. It is best to give each person the benefit of the doubt until he or she proves himself to be a racist, elitist or just plain ignorant. And even then, your job will be to help that person come to terms with their negative comments or behavior!

Make du`a to Allah (swt) to help ease your adjustment to your new community and to strengthen the bonds between you and the Arab brothers and sisters especially!

And Allah (swt) knows best.





now tahmed if u had any understanding of politics and hx u would understand that pakistan must portray india as the enemy of islam so it can garber support int he int`l arena and get help from the OIC and isolate india ecnomically and poltically from fellow islamic nations as much as possible india has launched its campaign and branded pakistan the ``epicentre of int`l terrorism`` meanwhile people like u and hobby urge restraint what can u expect from south asianist wanna be indians

if im a mullah vaypayee is an imam

anyone who denies this is denying gujrat , kashmir, as for picking fights not at all i think cross border terrorism should stop and kashmir should be given to india....but this in no way diminishes my belief that india is out to marginalize pakistan and the expression of islam in south asia .............as per my understanding of islam it is limited i agree i never went or saw a mullah in my life i meant india is the enemy of islam in the political sense and if u deny this u are denying reality

hobbyty:

[We must be patient and exert an influence of restraint and restriction; in way, we have to define, to frame, limits for them, as we remain conscious of our own]

- Thanks man. That was hilarious, really cheered me up! You are the most gloriously pompous soul I have ever come across.

take care

-h-

Maharana and Feroze

Apart from what Maharana said, Swastika is also found in many of the old Celtic traditions of Europe as a holy symbol. If I remember correctly Celtic one is exactly as the Indian Swastika.

Fawad

Dear Fawad, please be patient and maintain control over your nerves. It is clear that resolution of the issue of Kashmir`s status is getting closer. Clearly neither India nor Israel are the only enemies Muslims face today. Yet, there is considerable hope that this will not persist. Recall in the case of Israel, it is a population that lives in fear - it is a fear that we as Muslims, should take offense exists.

As for the Indians, again, recall that what we are witnessing from them is nothing new for sociologists: All societies in which the middle class begins to exert itself, also experience a period of fatuation with, of glorification, of those elements of history and psychology that it feels reflect power. With Indians it`s a need to be feel as if they are respected and are powerful. We must be patient and exert an influence of restraint and restriction; in way, we have to define, to frame, limits for them, as we remain conscious of our own.

fawad #478

you ask ``another informal poll for muslims : how many of u think india is the biggers enemy of islam affter israel``

Please spare us these referendum type polls where only your preferred choices are presented.

Please add the following option as well:

How many people think people like fawad are the biggest enemies of muslims (since they would have them pick quarrels with the whole world)?

And the following:

How many people think people like fawad have no understanding of Islam beyond what they learnt at the knee of ``professional muslims`` (the mullahs), and certainly nothing that is in the Quran?

I would vote yes to both of the last two options.

another informal poll for muslims :

how many of u think india is the biggers enemy of islam affter israel

rsrirdhar it is VERY hard for me to believe that ``poll`` it looks like indian propaganda but lets say its true ........i say we freeze the LOC and we make it an intl boundary ........lets have an informal poll

how many of u think the LOC should be the border

how many u think kashmir should go to india

how many of u think india will want pakistan`s kashmir

how many of u think india is creating this war hysteria so it can grab our kashmir

kafir i dont know it ur a paki or not but if u are...........you speak only for urself and not for the majority of pakistanis although ur idea is right

HOW MANY OF U GUYS KNOW THIS

1) jinnah didnt give a sh---t about kashmir

2) in 47 liaquit considered it a shthole full of backward muslims

3) its useless

fuzair #471 Wasnt 13 Lancers the one that, along with 11 Cavalry, spearheaded the attack that took Chhamb and Jaurian in 1965?

My intention is not to be an alarmist - but in the next couple of weeks we are scheduled for high level visits (Donald Rumsfeld, etc.) In the past, EVERY single time a high level visit has taken place, we have had a terrorist incident that takes place against an Indian target, with the clear intention of putting pressure on Pakistan, and also to instigate India to blame/act against Pakistan.

How about extra, extra, EXTRA vigilence this time around??? I just have the feeling there is going to be some such episode with that same convenient timing.

FerozeK # 467,

``Secondly, since we are discussing this issue, could you, or anyone else for that matter,please explain to me the similarity between the swastika and the Hindu symbol of a similar design? What is that Hindu symbol supposed to represensent...because every time I see it, I start thinking of Leni Rifenstahl`s Triumph des Willen and of Nurnberg in 1938 and of the Nurnberg laws..``

Since you addressed this question to everyone, I`ll try to tell you the little I know.

Not very surprisingly Swastika is a household word in a Hindu`s way of life. Every entrance of a Hindu`s house or temple is marked with Swastika. Its a sanskrit word meaning ``to be good``. Different cultures subsequently used it to symbolise the auspicious nature of the divine. What the Nazi`s used was in fact a twisted version, the real Swastika being an upright cross having arms drawn out in a clockwise fashion. Of course it was associated with the Aryan culture as opposed to the Aryan race as propagated by many orthodox western historians. How else could you explain its use in China or even the Americas later on. Nazi`s were desparate to prove themselves as true Aryans. In fact quite a few German historians at that time tried to prove that sanskrit originated from gErmany (no evidence of that as yet).

For many Hindus its difficult to come to grips with the fact that people in a different continent have used a hallowed symbol like Swastika for persecution of another religious group. In India, it has never been used as a symbol of Aryanism or has carried a racial connotation either. Its simply a divine symbol like Om or a Christian`s cross for that matter.

The origins of Swastika date back to the vedic times and more specifically founded by a school of thought called Sankhya Yoga. For further details you could perhaps look up in any literature referring to Vedanta or the knowledge of Upanishads.

I know at least that the clockwise nature of the Swastika depicts the continuous and cyclical motion of time. Time being the only dynamic quality of the Universe and the other 24 qualities being static (as per Sankhya Yoga). Since time is the only dynamic entity in the Universe, it runs through all other qualities to make the Universe dynamic as well.

For a cursorial and historical introduction to Swastika I suggest you read the link given below.

Adios

http://history1900s.about.com/library/holocaust/aa120699a.htm

Re: FerozeK #435

Sorry, did not mean to imply that the war poets
revelled in death or fighting or whatever. My
point was that they were indeed patriotic in the
sense that they recognized their duty and did
it--at great personal cost to themselves. They
would have preferred to be elsewhere but
knew where their duty lay. Surely no other
interpretation of, e.g., ``In Flander`s Fields`` is
possible? Unlike Clinton during Vietnam, they
did not attempt to cloak personal benefit and
selfish reasons under the guise of moral
principle. And neither, like Bush, did they use
connections to get a cushy billet in the rear.

The glorification of war--a la Mussolini (who
was himself a combat veteran and the
Freikorps--which you think I am implying, was
a Nihilistic reaction to the same set of horrific
circumstances which produced the abject
pacifism of the Western democracies.

Years ago I met a PakArmy major who had
stopped a machinegun burst with his left arm
and like almost all old soldiers, remembered
his days at the front as the best time of his life.
Both the Pakistani and the Indian Armies have
never really fought a war, in the sense of
casualties that wipe out entire battalions,
brigades and divisions as a matter of course
and heavy fighting that goes on day in, day out
for weeks and months on end, so I would
doubt very much that ANY Pakistani or Indian
war veteran is anti-war at all. One of my
uncles served in 13th Lancers during both `65
and `71and his memory of the wars is not on
the futility of it all or the dead comrades or but
of the number of errors our so-called high
command made and the only thing he wishes
for is the ability to refight the wars--with the
benefit of 20-20 hindsight. That is, he simply
wishes to do his ``duty`` better. The same
holds true for all other combat veterans that I
know.

PS: If you don`t know, 13th Lancers saw some
of the heaviest fighting during both wars and
suffered particularly heavy (by Indo-Pak
standards) in `71.

Regards.

Kafir Khan #466 you write ``Kashiris need to be nuked``

Thats right. Screw `em (as India and Pakistan have done for 50 years), then nuke `em (as you now propose).

Trouble with Kashmiris is they are simple peasants. If they had warlike traditions like pathans, they would screw both Indian and Pakistanis and chase both b!stards out of their land.

PS And I am no Kashmiri either.

re: kafir k khan

{Kashiris need to be nuked}

...of course it doesn`t matter that the radioactive $hit will fly into india and pakistan too...blow up your neighbor`s seat on an airplane and let us know how the rest of the flight goes...