That is when people come out in the streets.

         
When do people come out in the streets? When people have nothing left to lose and they have even lost all hope, is the day the people come out on the streets. Then only anger remains and they want to correct all the injustices done to them. Sub ko uss din say darna chaheyae.(Everyone should be afraid of that day).
 I hope that the anger is channeled sensibly and does not lead to further chaos and breakdown of the society. The poor man has been squeezed enough in Pakistan; middle class has been squeezed into lower middle class and lower middle class into poverty. The rich keep getting richer and the poor poorer. It is such a paradox...the very rich people of a poor country. The people are rich and the country is poor? I wonder how so?  The rich and influential will have to watch their backs, the people are coming. The day they can't even buy bread, like it happened in Egypt, revolution will come.
But in our country the situation is very confusing, the people are confused. It is a total "khichri" of things. Too many actors and too many players are confusing the picture on the ground for the ordinary people. Manufactured revolutions being thrown at the people as if they are the real deal. The pseudo revolution manufactured by the establishment itself, using faith as the salable goods, against the political system (democracy) in which thousands have already lost lives. Misguided and misfiring for the reason that it is not a true movement of the people by the people themselves but because they are being used as pawns in the bigger games of thrones. The pawns think they are their own masters...forgetting that they are just pawns in chess masters hands.
There are plots and subplots in the unfolding drama in Pakistan.  The rich and influential are fleecing the country and see nothing wrong with it. This is the land of might is right and the day the poor rise and become the mighty and snatch their rights from the few Rich and powerful will be the day Pakistan truly becomes "Pak"istan. It is "na" Pakistan right now. Pakistan is the Precious Pretty bride over which all the suitors are fighting without asking the poor bride what she wants. The parents of the bride making the wrong decisions for her...let the bride speak please.

Freedom of Speech

In response to some people who want to enlighten Muslims about Freedom of Speech:
Freedom of speech and hate speech are two different things. People can't hide bigotry behind the guise of freedom of speech. Suffice to say that the 14 min video was not an artistic expression of some sort of freedom of speech. It was a cheap movie, a piece of garbage meant to incite the Muslim outrage and it did so. You push the buttons and when you get the desired results you point a finger at them and say, " See i told you so!"
Violent reaction on behalf of the Muslims was wrong but people in the West must know by now what to expect when they try and insult the Prophet of Islam. Why act surprised?
 Muslims have their own religious traditions and Christians have their own. All we ask for is a little respect. Give and take. We have one world to share and we all need to learn to co-exist and tolerate each other.

People in the western media start preaching to Muslims in a condescending way of how they can make fun of their own Prophets and even God and not care... There is a reason for this and that is as simple as the fact that these are two separate and different religions... Islam and Christianity. Different religions because we have different beliefs about different things and we have different religious traditions. Learn to accept us for who we are.  Don't put our faith on trial because of the reaction of a few violent ones.

Judging one society and culture in the light of your own doesn't make any sense in this day and age. For you your own and for us our own. I do disagree with the violent reaction in some Muslim countries by a small group of people. There were peaceful protests too but they didn't get much coverage because violence and outrage sell.  In Indonesia only 700 people went out to protest while sometime ago tens of thousands turned out to see Lady Gaga!  But what got coverage was the 700 protesting. In Libya thousands went to protest against the radical militant groups that were responsible for the death of the US ambassador. They kicked the militants out of their neighborhood! Don't just focus on the bad there is plenty good out there too.
We need to learn to accept others right to free speech and react to any disrespect or provocation in an intelligent and peaceful manner and they need to learn to stop provoking in the guise of freedom of speech just to make a point about Free speech. 

I Protest!

I protest the anti Muslim Movie that was meant to provoke Muslims. I protest!
 I also protest the way we the Muslims protested in response to this movie. I protest!

The provocateur provoked and we responded. We responded in a fashion that they wanted us to respond in...violently and senselessly destroying our own property and killing our own people to express our rage and by doing so we fell into their trap. They want to portray us and our faith as violent and by our reaction we reaffirmed that.

The movie maker has succeeded in defaming our religion...not with his movie but by the Muslims reaction to the movie all over the world. Mission accomplished!

Muslims violent reaction to the provocation has put Muslims on the defensive again in the World. Here we are on the airwaves explaining to the world that our faith is not violent and synonymous with terrorism but a religion of Peace. But actions speak louder than words...

The violent vocal minority has become the identity of Islam. They are loud armed and organized. The silent majority has to start making noise and get loud so as to drown the voices of the violent minority.

Here are a few things that i think were fueling these protest...
1- People are angry about a lot of things and this movie gave them an excuse to take out their anger and frustrations... burning and destroying their own country's property and killing their own people to vent their anger over a lot of other things.

2- There is a huge Outrage Industry in the Muslim world. And the leaders of these Muslim countries know how to manipulate it. It's a cynical manipulation of the people. Divert attention from what is wrong at home and in their own countries to outwards. America is an easy bogeyman. Let them chant down with America, they take their rage and frustrations of all that is bothering them on America and the movie, so they don't look inwards and ask questions about what is actually wrong in the Muslim world. Keep the people distracted so they don't see what is actually wrong with their countries and ask for answers there.

3- Also in the wake of Arab spring different groups are vying for power and might be using this outrage to garner support for their cause or their group. Islamism was waning in the Islamic world but this will help reinvigorate that movement too.
Pakistani Govt announced a holiday so people could protest...they did it just to gain cheap popularity with the masses and divert attention from the leadership that is highly unpopular these days.


4- It wasn't just people protesting the anti Muslim movie...there were criminals in the guise of protesters too who used this as an excuse to loot and plunder as well. Attacking banks and businesses, killing anyone who got in the way of looting and then running away with the stolen goods. How Islamic is that?


The hypocrisy is that we demand that people of other faith respect our faith yet we don't give their faiths the same respect. The minorities don't feel safe in our country. We burned down their Church because we want them to respect our faith...we don't respect their houses of worship but we want them to pass legislation to defend our faith?

When will we think with our heads and not our hearts? When will we learn that destroying your own property to protest something that happened abroad is not the way to go. It doesn't even make sense. Burn down your own house because the people in the other house made you angry?

Innocent Pakistanis were killed, Pakistani property was destroyed, some Pakistani has lost their source of income, some Pakistani family is grieving the loss of a loved one...how is that avenging disrespect to our Holy  Prophet (PBUH). Would our Prophet (PBUH) be pleased with his Ummah's actions?
I ask these protesters how much they follow Prophet (PBUH) in their day to day lives? If they truly followed Him they wouldn't be acting in this manner.

The guy who made this anti Muslim movie and the people who were part of violent protests collaborated to make this a Calamity.

I believe in Protest, Protest but Protest Intelligently.
Peace!

Is Google god?

Is Google god?
It sure feels like it at times....Google knows all about you. Google is very close to you...it knows your likes, your dislikes, your hopes, your dreams, your life, your plans, what you like to eat, where you live, what you like to shop....your taste in music, your wants and needs. It knows you so well that it will suggest you songs to your taste, stores that you like to shop at... even what people to friend. They even put up ads to you that are specifically aimed at you. I get ads about Desi clothes, I get ads about Muslims finding Muslims on line, I get ads from Political Parties in an election year and I get ads to help support causes that I have supported in the past. Google knows me!
God knows me!
Both Google and god start with the letter "G".
If Google is not god, then it sure is hand of God on earth or working for God...gathering all the info about us, our activities and probably takes the report to God every night, instead of the usual Farishtas/ Angels.
Be good people. Google &&^##@%$%% sorry i meant God is watching you and knows everything about you... Fix your ways before it is too late.

Imran Khan... a Post Processed, Photo shopped, Manufactured Hero.

I am writing this with apologies to my freinds who are staunch Imran Khan supporters and there are quite a few of them, as his rising popularity shows. But before you all blow a fuse and come after me with a knife, please read what i have to say...it is for your own good and i hope somehow the message gets to Imran Khan as well, as it is for his own good too.

Some over enthusiusiatic supporters have been recently replacing Quaid e Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah's face in Photographs with Imran Khan's face. One or two such pics might have been considered  good humoured fun, but now it is reaching to the point of ridiculousness! 

How ungrateful a nation can we be...that we are all OK with replacing our Founding Father's face with a newbee politician who has yet to prove himself as a great leader...who hasn't even been elected to office yet and who has yet to show his achievements. How can we be fine with that as a nation?

I am a great fan of Quaid e Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and i personally find it offensive. And i feel by doing so we are insulting our founding father. How can we as a nation do that? Have we stooped to such a low now that we have forgotten our real heroes ...without whose efforts, there wouldn't even be a Pakistan, a place we could call a home for the Muslims of the Sub-Continent?

Apart form that, my dear Imran Khan supporters, it gives the impression of propaganda.You are trying too hard.

It is like you guys are trying to send Subliminal messages to the public, but it isn't even subliminal, it is so overt. It is childish!

It gives the impression that you are trying to manufacture an image for Imran Khan. It gives credence to the idea that he is a manufactured Hero/candidate. It perpetuates the myth.

I admit that he is very popular among the masses but popularity alone doesn't translate into success or heroism. Yes he has done great things with his hospital and he won the Cricket World Cup and he is a very honest guy but that automatically doesn't translate into a hero of such a calibre that he could replace Jinnah. If that is the criteria then we should be putting Abdus Saattar Edhi's photo in place of Jinnah's photo as well...he has done a lot of good for the people of Pakistan too and much more than Imran Khan...if i may say so.

He has to deliver and actually do something tangible for the country before we declare him a hero and start comparing him to JInnah. 

This is the first time in history that i have seen someone become a hero before he has actually done anything. All this leads to the speculation that someone and some people are trying too hard to make him into a hero.

Let him be...let him get elected first....and prove himself... let him implement some policies that will change the course of the country and once that happens he will be my Hero as well... But like i said...Populism doesn't equal Heroism.

The perfect example is Barack Obama...he was going to change the world...people loved him and he was very popular but his popularity didn't translate into action.

And even if Imran Khan can change the course of our nation, he still can't replace Jinnah... no one can take the place of Quaid e Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Mohammad Ali Jinnah is Mohammad Ali Jinnah! 

I know our nation is in need of a real Hero and we the people want a Hero real bad...so bad that we are willing to manufacture one in our heads just to feel good. For a people needing real change this doesn't bode well

Wanderlust

Wanderlust is defined as a strong desire for or an impulse to wander or travel and explore the world... And I suffer from it time to time.
 I enjoy getting behind the wheel and hitting the road. I learned to drive at the young age of 14 years and i still enjoy driving my car.
 The anticipation of what might lie ahead or what awaits you on the road...what new landscapes you are going to see...what wildlife or livestock you might come across...what people you come across.... It is all very exciting for me.

Reaching the destination is one thing but the journey is the most interesting part for me.

People wonder why I like to drive and why don't I just take a plane and get to my destination in a much shorter time...but...for me travelling by road is a whole another experience...it is "Organic"...you are in touch with your surroundings...you interact with the environment.

You get to see the road, the cities, the scenery, up close. You get to see the weather and the changing weather...you get to see a storm forming far away...you see the beautiful display of lightening in the clouds far away...it is electric. 

You see rotating clouds changing shape really fast and pray that the rotation doesn't get stronger and turns into a full fledged Tornado.
Sometimes you end up in the middle of a storm and everything turns dark and rain pours down like buckets of water... and all you can see are the red lights of the cars ahead of you and you follow that...you can't see the side of the road, it is almost by instinct that you  drive...full attention and full focus on the little red lights of the car ahead of you...it makes one feel alive. ....or... you are hit by hail and you try to find shelter real quick...Find a bridge and park under it, a Rest Stop or a gas station...you run inside and get some warm coffee or a cold drink and wait it out...and there you are among strangers but you are all experiencing the same thing and you form a temporary bond with the fellow travelers...people you will never see again.

Sometimes we get to see a beautiful huge Rainbow after the rain and thunder. The atmosphere after the rain is so fresh and clean...everything looks new and washed...the green is greener and all the colours of nature look punched...the air clean and everything looks sharper.

Once I was driving at night time and we saw these Bluish green ribbons of light waving in the sky...it was "Aurora Borealis" or the "Northern Lights" and they are a sight to behold. I have never seen anything like that in my life...it was amazing! If I was not on the road at 1 am that night in the Northern hemisphere, I would have missed experiencing such beauty.

You see the landscape change from flat to Rocky mountains and you drive by lakes and rivers...you see beautiful birds in the lakes sitting idly....you see forests that were burnt down by fire with just the burnt tree trunks remaining...where there once used to be a lush green forest....that has a beauty of its own.

The sun changes its position...as the day goes by...and you see fields and lakes and trees in a different light. Evening light just before sunset makes everything look beautiful...that is the perfect time to take photographs.

With change in landscape there is a change in the people as well...it is subtle but you notice from town to town how people are different...the way they dress, a little change in dialect...the way they decorate and the symbols they use in their decor are very telling.


Maybe i like all this driving because i have been used to it since i was a child and my father drove us everywhere and we got to see different places on the road and had some memorable trips with family and friends...and ended up having some adventure as well....

Once it was middle of the night and we were travelling from Zhob to Quetta and it started snowing hard...the roads became slippery, our car's heater died on us...it was a Mazda...and then our car got stuck in the snow...in the middle of nowhere. (This was before the cell phone days.) The ice started to form on the windshield and windshield wipers were of no use...( It was just sheet ice) my father had to go out of the car to try to scrape the ice off the windshield with a comb! That was the only thing we had that he could use to scrape the ice.  My father smoked so we had some matches with us and he tried to light the matches and melt the snow but they were little matches and died real quick. 
My father couldn't see anything and the car hit  a train's gate... thank God he didn't hit the train.
So... we were stuck, with no heat...and little kids in the back with some blankets...
 I was just seven years old and i was the eldest...the rest were younger and my sister was hardly a few months old.
Fortunate for us that at that moment in the distance, my father saw a light...it was a little roadside Chai place. Lucky for us. He went there and got some hot water from them and poured on the windshield...the ice melted and he could see better and we drove off to Quetta...we made it home safe with some damage to the car but from that day onward one of my father's rule was never to travel at night...especially with young kids.

Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis ) (Not my photograph)

Sunset in Montana

Burnt Trees in Montana.

Another memorable trip was a drive all the way from Turbat to Quetta. I wanted to see the whole of Baluchistan by road and convinced my siblings to go by road with me...it was a long trip (469 mi ) and the roads weren't good at all, but me being the eldest got my way.
 I was in the 11th grade at the time...the landscape was beautiful  but at places there was no road...only tire tracks that our driver followed ( he was a local and he knew his way around )

There was hardly any population on the way...no Truck driver stops or shops etc...very few places where you could stop for food or drink...mostly dry parched land, rocky mountains and dessert with some oasis here and there....and we slept under the Satriest  sky one has ever seen. Because there were no city lights to dim the Star light.

 It was in Khuzdar where we slept in "Machardanis" ( mosquito nets ) under the open sky. It was really a beautiful sky and i have never seen a sky like that again in my life.
My siblings still remember that night and that is the only thing they liked about that whole trip...the rest of the trip i got cursed for making them go by road...where there was no road at all and their backs hurt form all the off road driving.

We did stop at some local's house and they offered us Tea and snacks as we were the Commissioner's children...He was a Hindu and a local leader. He owned some gas stations there. I found it interesting that a Hindu was a local leader and that the locals had accepted him...he had lived there all his life and his ancestors had lived there before him...so this was his home as much as any other Baluch, Bugti or Mengal's home...But those were the good old days...now we have a different yard stick to measure people's worth and value with.

Anyway after Khuzdar the road was paved and we were thankful for that... reached Quetta in 2 days from Turbat, but i did get to see places that no one has ever seen and the images are etched in my mind....the Stary night Sky, the tire tracks in the sand that we followed...an Oasis or a grove of Date trees...the beautiful sunsets...someone playing beautiful flute in the silent night while we slept under the starry sky...Beauty,Peace and Tranquility.

Now a days sometimes when i am driving around town and hit a highway...i have this strong urge to keep on driving on the Highway and see where it takes me...just keep going...but then i remember that i have a life and obligations and that brings me back down to earth. Maybe in my previous life i was a Wanderer...and so to quench my wanderlust i drive.

I am nobody and everybody!

      I don't belong anywhere...that is how i felt ever since i was a child. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that we traveled a lot and didn't stay in any place for long. I went to about 7 different schools till tenth grade. I was always the new kid in the class and just as i was beginning to settle down and getting accepted in friends groups, we would move again. But all this moving around and changing schools helped me build social skills that have helped me till today. It helped me to get to know different people and different cultures... i got to see different landscapes too.
But everywhere I went, I was a stranger...the new kid on the block...the outsider. Being alone and not belonging to any group made me stronger because everyone can feel safe in a pack....but then you loose your individuality in a pack...you become a sheep... it is harder to face things on your own...and be your own person.
I never learnt my native languages till I was in 4th or 5th grade. My mother's family spoke one language and my father's family spoke another...so we learnt Urdu first then English and then Pashtu and Saraiki.
When i was at my mother's house I was called a Khajikzai and when I was at my father's family, I was called a Gandapur.
I could not speak any of the languages very well...when I went to my Nana's house, they told me to speak Pushto and my pushto was not good enough for them...when I went to my dada's house, they would say that their jaws ached from speaking all the Urdu with me, because I couldn't speak Saraiki well enough. For Khajizais, I was more like a Gandapur and for Gandapurs, I was more like a Khajikzai....that is how it went on in my family. My grandfather jokingly called me a Mohajir form UP, because I spoke Urdu.
Both my parents were the eldest in their family and I was their eldest daughter, so I was loved by all. But when I went to my hometown for vacation, I always felt like an outsider... no matter how much I wanted to fit in.
The same story went on else where in schools as well. When I was in Islamabad... I was the Pashtun girl and when I was in Peshawar... I was not Pashtun enough, because my Pashto wasn't great. In school and colleges, I was constantly reminded of what I was... or was not.
My father always taught me that when ever anyone asks you ,who you are, just say, " I am a Pakistani" and that should shut them up. But that didn't help much, because the next question would be... but from where in Pakistan?
Anyway... then we came abroad and have been living here for a while... Pakistanis here thought we were not Pakistani enough, because we spoke English and interacted with Americans and made local friends as well...I let my children play with our neighbors and their school friends...some Pakistanis don't even let their kids interact with American kids! So to them we were not Pakistani enough.... The Americans identified us as Pakistanis....We are moderate and modest Muslims, but not Wahabis... so the Arabs thought we are not Muslim enough but the others living in USA know us as a Muslim family...
After 9/11 we were definitely the Muslim family from Pakistan...we had to constantly defend our faith and our country. We took it upon ourselves to educate the locals about our Faith and our culture...we tried to get rid of some misconceptions they had about our faith. I feel bad that my kids had to grow up in this environment where Muslims were labelled as the bad guys and we had to be on the defensive.
While doing that we were still not good enough Muslims for some local Pakistanis...because we didn't dress like Arabs and my kids couldn't speak Urdu very well....and I didn't wear a hijab. But if I wear a hijab, then am I a good Muslim no matter what i do in my real life? Isn't that a hypocrisy? We are judged by our appearances and not our deeds. My Pakistani family calls my kids and me Angrez but in America I am a Pakistani Muslim...we call ourselves "Desi" while living in "Pardes".
 So who am i?  A Pashtun, a Pakistani, a Desi, a Pardesi, an Angrez or a Muslim???
 I am everybody and nobody!
I am a contradiction... an American Muslim...a Pakistani Angrez...a non Pashto speaking Pashtun....a non Sariki speaking Derawal and a Desi Pardesi............i am me.......i can identify with all the labels and maybe because of that i have empathy and i can see things form other people's perspective... because i am always the other one.... the one that doesn't belong anywhere.