Vol I Issue 2 October-December, 2012
DEMYSTIFYING WATER KIT FRAUD
DOES
ISLAM ALLOW
page 30
RELIGIOUS CRITICISM
HIV AIDS A TICKING BOMB
page 12
page 24
A LOGICAL DISCOURSE page 19
SIR SYED’S DIMENSIONS OF
PERSONALITY |page 8
DR MOBARAK HAIDER |page 22
“There is not a single nation or government in the modern world that insults our sensitivities. The recent movie or the earlier cartoons were not produced by any representative body or government.” Scan to read it online
CONTENTS
CONTENTS Editorial 7 Thou love is hypocrite
The ability to rise above our narrow country specific identities is a giant leap towards a better tomorrow
Cover Story 8 Sir Syed Ahmed Khan by Dr Haider Shah
Sir Syed adopted a new logical approach for interpreting Quran.
Movie Review 11 Agora
FEATURE 20 Claiming the Khilafat Muhammad Jawad
The situation depicted in the film is not much different than what we get to see in our country.
Religion 12 Does Islam allow criticism? by Hussain Khalid
Many believe that Islam has banned critical thinking and introduced a kind of stagnation in the field.
Politics 16 A stable Afghanistan by Hazrat Wali Kakar
Only a policy aimed at winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people can ensure a neutral Afghanistan.
Rationale 19 A logical discourse by Mariam Goraya
The tussle of ideologies on social media has redefined the rightists from the leftists like it has never before and coined terms such a “liberal fascists�
COVER PAG
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan
A young, passionate graphic d Board, Currently he is working as
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CONTENTS
Myth Busting 26 DUM By Ali Zubair
Interview 22 Dr Mobarak Haider
Dr Mobarak Haider shares his views on political Islam, freedom of speech, interntaional law on blasphemy and the educative role of media.
Health & Society 24 HIV AIDS, A ticking bomb by Ahmed Waqas
Pakistan needs a national HIV/AIDS policy. This should be our priority in the health sector.
Women 28 Astro Physicist from Pakistan By Salman Hameed
As if getting a PhD. in astrophysics is not challenging enough, she had to fight off some idiotic misconceptions and incredible bureaucracy.
Science 30 Demystifying water kit fraud by Akif Khan
Is this the same nation which once produced scientists like Al-Razi, Khawarzmi and Ibn-e-Sina?
32 Book Review
CRITICAL THINKING 34 And I left Quetta by Muneeb Tahir
Those were strange times; the people I held dearest to my heart started becoming aliens and ignoring me because of my ethnicity.
Science 38 Blue Skies & Red Sunsets by Atif Gohar
The colours of sky we see at different times of the day are due to the scattering of light waves by the particles present in our atmosphere.
GE
n By Bilawal Khoso
designer. He is a member of RSOP Editorial s a free lance graphic designer.
The Rationalist
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THE TEAM Editors and Content Advisors (Website and The Rationalist Quarterly, Pakistan)
Founder and Patron
Dr Haider Shah haider@rationalistpk.org
Akif Khan
Chief Editor editor@rationalistpk.org akifzeb@rationalistpk.org
Ahmed Waqass Goraya Managing Editor waqass@rationalistpk.org
Mohammad Jawad Content Editor jawad@rationalistpk.org
Anila Athar Hasan Copy Editor anilaatharhasan@yahoo.co.uk
Atif Zeb
Creative Editor atif@atifzeb.com
§Scientific Advisory Council Mariam Goraya
mariam@rationalistpk.org
¸Media Coordinators Mobeen Ahmed Chughtai mobeen@rationalistpk.org
Umair Bilal
umair@rationalistpk.org
Akif Khan
akifzeb@rationalistpk.org
Anila Athar Hasan anilaatharhasan@yahoo.co.uk
The Rationalist
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ACTIVITIES
¤
Demonstration
The Rationalist Society of Pakistan in collaboration with the British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA)organised a demonstration on the morning of Friday 31st August 2012 to protest the case of Rimsha Masih, a young teenager with learning disabilities, who was charged with blasphemy and faced a death sentence.The demonstration was held outside the Pakistani Consulate in Glasgow .RSOP’s representative also handed over a protest note to the consulate staff. The details of the event can be read here. http://britishpakistanichristian.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/glasgow-protest-press-release-and.html View TV Report here http://www.stv.tv/videoRedirect.cfm?refid=news-120831-l-demo
Dr. Haider Shah’s Interview on Jugni TV
RSOP founding member Dr. Haider Shah was interviewed on Jugni TV in a dicussion program. He dicussed the condition of Pakistani Muslim society and how social prrograms are needed for a positive change. The interview can be heard here.
Dr. Shah’s interview on Awaz FM, Glasgow, UK
Dr. Haider Shah in another interview discussed the downfall of the Muslim society and the repercussions it is facing in the modern world. The interview can be listened here.
A talk on Water Run Cars
Akif Khan, member editorial board and a material scientist/chemist discussed the notorious water kit The Rationalist
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“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.� Voltaire The Rationalist
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EDITORIAL
After the success of our inaugural issue of “The Rationalist Pakistan”, the first online magazine of Pakistan that seeks promotion of “rationality and humanism“ based socio-political discourse , here we are with the second issue of our e-mag. With over 500 online subscribers of the first issue and a very good response from all over the world, our spirits are very high. But we are aware that without continued support of all our readers and like-minded people we cannot achieve our desired levels of success. We want to remind our valued readers again that RSOP is a purely charitable organisation and this magazine, from contributors to the editors, is the product of selfless voluntary work. This in itself is an admirable novelty as the e-mag brings together shared dreams and dedications of all rationalists, whether they belong to Pakistan or not. The ability to rise above our narrow country specific identities is a giant leap towards a better tomorrow shaped by feelings of mutual respect and tolerance. A tomorrow, where humanism reigns supreme and where the flowers of various faiths and identities add colour to the vase of one world and where discords and hatred give way to concerns for human dignity. Over past few months we saw occurrence of events that posed serious challenges to human reason. From the high claims of p s e u d o s c i e n t i f i c inventions to the recent episodes of violence in Muslim world, the conflict between reason and sheer emotionalism continues unabated. This issue of The Rationalist Pakistan contains some material on ‘ blasphemy of science’ in Pakistan. But of course the blasphemy that has shaken the entire Muslim world, and especially Pakistan, had its epicentre thousands of miles away in the United States. A 13 minutes trailer of a blasphemous movie made by an Egyptian-American (sometimes wrongly assumed as a JewishAmerican) triggered a reaction that soon turned into a massive tremor.
The Rationalist
The actual film movie made by an Egyptian-American(sometimes wrongly assumed as a Jewish-American) triggered a reaction that soon turned into a massive tremor. The actual film was never released and was only once shown in a rented theatre to a gathering of less than 10 people. The film was overdubbed by the producer without the knowledge of the actors working in the film. The man behind the movie, Nakoula B. Nakoula who produced the movie with a pseudonym of Sam Becile was arrested on 27th of September, 2012 by FBI, on criminal charges of spreading hate speech, misleading people by a pseudonym and offending his probation conditions as he was on probation from two other criminal offenses that he had committed in the past. The accused claimed to have written the script of the movie while he was in jail undergoing sentences in connection with earlier offences. Hatemongering is often a symptom of a diseased mind and the accused is no exception. The profiling of the main character behind the detestable movie clearly shows a criminal mind who used deception and malice in order to incite violence by spreading hatred and ill-feelings among various sections of the international community. Earlier the movie had proved a damp squib and its release in July proved a non-event. However when its trailer was uploaded to the youtube with Arabic subtitles in September the result was different. The sudden provocation was utilised by anti-US militants in Libya resulting in the murder of American Ambassador in Libya and loss of life and property. The greatest mayhem was witnessed in Pakistan where the anti-movie rallies devoured over thirty people including 7 members of Christian community. Two churches and a Hindu temple were also burnt by anangry mob. Needless to say the whole episode brings home the bitter truth that peace of our lives can easily be torn to pieces by forces of dogma and blindfolded beliefs. Abusing the right of ”freedom of speech“ the act of
producing the offensive film is an attempt by a hate-monger to cause wilful offence and thus ignite communal warfare. By changing his name and deceiving his movie crew, he was fully aware of his motives and also clearly anticipated the reaction the film would generate. In response the reaction in the Muslim world was also not reasonable. Instead of peaceful protests the angry mobs burnt the properties of their own people, took lives of innocent people who had by no means any affiliation with the person behind the movie. No government took the responsibility of patronising the act of Nakoula, still their officials were attacked and killed. At first the person behind the movie was wrongly accused as an American-Jew, however later it was not only proved wrong but found to be embarrassing for Muslim World when the person’s lineage was traced back to Egypt. The arrest of Nakoula was also not given proper coverage in the media and it did not appear much in the public discourse of the Muslim Clerics who led the rallies and protests. The saddest part is that in response the religious places of minorities were burnt and their people were killed. Holy books including Quran were also burnt by the Muslim rioters in places like Mardan. The question we need to ponder upon is if a person in any nook and corner of the world commits an act which another group considers offensive what should be the best way of lodging protest? Also we need to ask ourselves if burning religious books of other communities can restore sanctity of our holy personalities or is more a tit for tat reaction which we see in cases of honour killing in all tribal societies? Is blasphemy the right response to blasphemy? No doubt this is a very sensitive topic as many faith communities measure the strength of their faith by ferocity of their response but rationality demands a truthful, honest and in real terms “faithful” introspection over this issue. Only this way, the message of tolerance, goodness and peace can be spread in the world.
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COVER STORY
SIR SYED AHMED KHAN October 17, 1817 – March 27, 1898 Sir Syed adopted a new logical approach for interpreting Quran. He rejected the generally prevalent argument of blind faith as he argued that in that case we would reduce our faith to the same status as of a pagan African tribe. By Dr Haider Shah The Rationalist
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COVER STORY As advocates of rationalism we are often accused that we are the followers of western thinkers. Categorising thinkers and authors on the basis of west, east north or south itself is extremely unfortunate. From time immemorial we see a gradual development of human intellect to which thinkers of all lands have contributed in one way or another. If rationalist thinking can be identified as a discipline we have a rich legacy left behind by our own luminaries in the past. As a way of celebrating the contributions made by intellectual giants of our history we shall be paying tribute to one such thinker in our e-mag issue of The Rationalist. This time Sir Syed Ahmed Khan is our chosen personality. Five dimensions of Sir Syed’s personality are worth considering. One, he was a prolific author with a wide variety of interests that ranged from architecture to theology. Second, he was a community leader who used his position to provide guidance to the Indian Muslim community. Third, he was an employee in the judicial service of East India Company. Fourth, he was a social reformer and an activist and fifth, he was a rationalist who tried to introduce the Indian Muslim community to a new way of thinking about the world around us. The last two dimensions of The Rationalist
Sir Syed’s personality are of greater interest to us. Sir Syed’s prominence rests on his role as a social reformer and promoter of a new discourse that centred on rationalism and free thinking. Like all humans he also had his share of imperfections. One can charge Sir Syed of racism and communalism if his speeches made at Lucknow (1887) and Meerut (1888) are keenly examined. In that role he is clearly influenced by his aristocratic family background. In his keynote speeches he advises the Muslim notables not to join political activities of Congress as they would lose their aristocratic privileges in the populist rule aspired by Congress. This kind of discourse was certainly not helpful in promoting political consciousness in an inert Muslim community. Sir Syed can therefore not be seen as an ideal hero to follow in the field of intra-communal relations. Unfortunately, in our syllabus, it is this side of his personality which has been greatly glamorised and presented to unwary students while other more important shades of his personality have been totally concealed. Sir Syed adopted a new logical approach for interpreting Quran. He rejected the generally prevalent argument of blind faith as he argued that in that case we
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Sir Syed did not restrict his efforts to mere theological issues. He used his pen for social reform purpose as well. He started the journal “Tehzibul Akhlaq” in 1870 soon after returning from England. The journal was used as a vehicle of social change as Sir Syed aimed at reforming social habits of Indian Muslims.
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COVER STORY would reduce our faith to the same status as of a pagan African tribe. He contended that if we believed in divinity of our religion then we must not be afraid of going through the filter of rationality. Setting out a set of principles of interpretation of Quran he developed his basic paradigm of ‘tafseer’ on the notion of congruence between ‘Work of God’ and ‘Word of God’. The central focus of this argument is that if we believe in creation of the universe by one God then we can say that all laws that govern the universe are the laws of God which can collectively be known as ‘Work of God’. He further contends that as per our belief Quran is the ‘Word of God’. Since the ‘Word’ and ‘Work’ are from the same source therefore there can’t be any conflict between the two. In case of any conflict we can have two possible conclusions. Either the word is not from the creator of the world or that it is but we are unable to interpret the word correctly. In order to purge Muslims’ beliefs system of various irrational streams of thought Sir Syed argued that prophets had to deliver their lessons of morality to illiterate masses of very old times. He was of the view that prophets’ audience comprised illiterate people and men of very ordinary intelligence. Unlike Socrates or Plato The Rationalist
who had academies and would discuss philosophical issues with a very learned audience prophets would rather address laymen. Holy Scriptures therefore used the folklore and metaphors to help them understand moral issues in their own language. According to Sir Syed, various stories in Quran should not be literally believed but should be seen as fables for the benefit of illiterate Arabs of those days. It is the responsibility of the educated ones to draw real meanings which can never be in conflict with the ‘Work of God’. Sir Syed did not restrict his efforts to mere theological issues. He used his pen for social reform purpose as well. He started the journal “Tehzibul Akhlaq” in 1870 soon after returning from England. The journal was used as a vehicle of social change as Sir Syed aimed at reforming social habits of Indian Muslims. Of the 459 articles published in the journal 208 were personally written by Sir Syed. Some examples of the topics in the first issue were ‘Pabandi-e-rasm-oriwaj’, ‘azadi-e-rai’,’taleem’ which clearly show that Sir Syed thought that Muslims as a community should not take self-gratifying comfort in being Muslims and instead diagnose their social problems and try to resolve them. It is believed that Sir Syed
It is believed that Sir Syed gradually developed his interest in rationalist thinking as he was also a devout believer who like all others reproduced what he was told by his elders or the books he read in his early age. Ghalib seems to have been instrumental in inculcating rationalist thinking in Sir Syed. When asked to write introductory words for his book on ‘Aieen-Akbari’ Ghalib responded with a Persian poem in which he criticised Sir Syed’s reverence for Mughal administration and advised him to learn the British system of Governance. The conformist Sir Syed gradually turned into a pragmatic thinker who not only used his scholarship for creating a new kind of discourse in the Muslim world but also established the first ever educational institution i.e. M.A.O College that later became Aligarh University Sir Syed has been popularised as the founder of two nation theory in our national syllabus. It is high time his real message of rationalism was also shared with the youth of Pakistan.
DR HAIDER SHAH The writer teaches public policy in the UK and is the founding member of the Rationalist Society of Pakistan. He can be reached at hashah9@yahoo.com October-December 2012
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MOVIE REVIEW
AGORA(2009)****
Adventure, Drama, History / Rated R / 127 Min / Imdb 7.1/10 [Editor’s Choice]
Great
atrocities in the name of religion have been committed in the past and are still unfolding. Agora is a captivating ,126 minutes of sheer class and the generalized history of world religions in a nutshell for you. The movie revolves around a brilliant Philosopher Hypatia (played by Rachel Weisz) who also holds the title of being the first historically noted female Mathematician and changing politico social landscape of the crumbling Roman Empire where a new religion (Christianity) has started to c hallenge centuries old Paganism. The situation depicted in the film is not much different than what we get to see in our country. Mobs of religious lunatics called the Prabalani, not much different from today’s Taliban, terrorize people. The leader of Prabalani, Cyril is aware of Hypatia’s influence over Orestes, the Prefect of Alexandria (a student of Hypatia). In the first offense by Christians, the city library of Alexandria called Agora is destroyed by Prabalani and is converted into a cattle house. All the scrolls and the research literature is burnt in the compound of library by Prabalani. In a bid to subdue him and
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maneuvering himself to a status even higher in the politic of the city, a public ceremony is arranged in which Cyril pressurizes Hypatia to accept the Christian faith via Orestes. Hypatia refuses to adopt Christian faith and Cyril leads people to believe that she is a witch. The mob moves on to lynch one of the greatest rationalists who ever lived by skinning her alive but is suffocated instead by her slave who secretly loved her but adopted Christianity and joined the ranks of Parablani. The movie depicts the state of ignorance and a fight between reason and dogma. Covering all major aspects of the man’s agony inflicted by himself, “Agora” presents a much detailed and symbolic analysis of much of today’s turmoil the society is facing. How greed for power, the politics behind this power, the abuse of women and the exploitation by religious authorities operate in a society, are the major themes of the movie. George Eliot did rightly say, “You should read history and look at ostracism, persecution, martyrdom, and that kind of thing. They always happen to the best men, you know.”
Directed by Alejandro Amenábar Writing credits Alejandro Amenábar Mateo Gil Cast (in credits order) Rachel Weisz ...Hypatia Max Minghella ... Davus Oscar Isaac ... Orestes Ashraf Barhom ... Ammonius Michael Lonsdale ... Theon Rupert Evans ... Synesius Homayoun Ershadi ... Aspasius
The situation depicted in the film is not much different than what we get to see in our country. The Rationalist
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RELIGION
DOES ISLAM ALLOW CRITICISM? By Hussain Khalid
T
he critical thinking philosophical frame traces its roots in analytic philosophy and pragmatist constructivism which dates back over 2,500 years, as in the Buddha’s Teachings: mainly in the kalama sutta and the Abhidharma; as well as the Greek Socratic tradition in which probing questions were used to determine whether claims to knowledge based on authority could be rationally justified with clarity and logical consistency. The one sense of the term critical means crucial; a second sense derives from kritikos, which means discerning judgment. The movement represented a pragmatic response to The Rationalist
expectations and demands for the kind of thinking required of the modern workforce. The criticaltheory philosophical frame traces its roots to the Frankfurt School of Critical Social Theory that attempted to amend Marxist theory for applicability in 20thcentury Germany. Critical thinking within this philosophical frame was introduced by Max Horkheimer in his book Traditional and Critical Theory (1937). Religious faith is likely a complex phenomenon, shaped by multiple aspects of psychology and culture, say the authors of a new study. But the researchers, Ara Norenzayan and Will Gervais of the University
of British Columbia in Canada, showed in a series of clever studies that at least one factor consistently appears to decrease the strength of people’s religious belief: analytic thinking. There are surely many factors at play here, but the researchers say their results suggest that one’s style of thought may be a crucial contributor to religious belief. Intuitive thinkers are more likely to be religious; analytical types, less so. Many believe that Islam has banned critical thinking and introduced a kind of stagnation in the field. People state, “Most Muslim schools focus on rote memorization of religious October-December 2012
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RELIGION texts and discourage independent thinking”. There are two different things; critical thinking and rational or independent thinking. There are categories where the mind should play its role and where it should not poke its nose. The clear and apparent meanings of the Koran and the Hadith, which are called “Mansusaat” or ‘Nusoos-eQatiyah’ in Islamic terms,
as ‘revelation’ which is by Allah almighty to his messengers and prophets through different ways. The action of ‘Wahy’ begins from where the action of human mind comes to an end. The ‘Wahy’ tells us specially about the things which generally a mere human mind cannot find out. The existence of Allah, His attributes, the hell, the paradise, Day of Judgment etc are known only by ‘Wahy’.
permanent and eternal world. This even we observe in our day-to-day life that if a villager is told about the facts of astronomy he nearly denies all the same. Besides, Islam allows critical thinking in other matters. The four major schools of thought in Islamic Fiqh i.e. Hanafi, Shaf’ee, Maliki, Hanbli are the clear proof of the claim. The scholars, having deep knowledge of the Koran,
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By Muhammad Mahdi Karim (www.micro2macro.net) Facebook (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
Besides, Islam allows critical thinking in other matters. The four major schools of thought in Islamic Fiqh i.e. Hanafi, Shaf’ee, Maliki, Hanbli are the clear proof of the claim. The scholars, having deep knowledge of the Koran, Hadith and Islamic sciences, discussed the matters, which were not explicitly mentioned in the Koran and Hadith, and they perform Ijtihad.
have no place for criticism. Here, rational thinking to find out the depth is not only permissible but also encouraged in Islam. The principle beliefs, obligatory practices are from this category where the human mind is allowed to explore the reasons and the facts of the matters, but it is not allowed to criticize since the mind has its own limitation as other human faculties have. But ahead of this, there is difference between Muslims and others. Muslims believe in ‘Wahy’, which can be translated The Rationalist
Since, these matters are out of the reach of human mind so the human beings are asked just to believe in. The issue of ‘wahy’ is based on a principle that every action of human being is poised with error, it is only Allah and His Messengers who are free from human mistakes. That is why there is no possibility of error and criticism in their matters. The human body is temporal and mundane so the parts of the body are also mortal. They cannot have the feeling of things which belongs to another
Hadith and Islamic sciences, discussed the matters, which were not explicitly mentioned in the Koran and Hadith, and they perform Ijtihad. In this course, they many times contradicted each other and had different opinions about same issue. But, after all, there opposition was barely not an opposition to play down the other but sincere and concrete opposition based on proofs and evidences. That is why today nearly all of the Ummah follows any of the four schools and none of October-December 2012
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RELIGION them deny the other, each of them believes that all are on right path. Likewise, in Islam ‘Amr bil Maroof’ (enjoining the right) and ‘Nahy anil Munkar’ (forbidding from wrong) are the basic rules of a social life, which Allah almighty has counted in one of the characteristics of this Ummah as He states: “You are the best community that has been raised up for mankind. You enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency; and you believe in Allah.” (Surah Ale-Imran, 3:110) This is emphasized by other verses and holy Hadiths, as for example a Hadith says: “If any of you sees an evil done he/she should stop it by his hand, if he/she cannot he/ she should protest against it, if cannot then at least he/she should repulse it by heart, and this is the weakest from of faith.” (Sahih Muslim, V 1 p 51) As another Hadith assets “The best form of Jihad is to utter the truth before an oppressor ruler”. You might know the story of a common person who stood before Hazrat Umar Farooq while he was delivering a sermon and said if you will go wrong we will rectify you by our swords, in reply Hazrat Umar thanked Allah that his caliphate enjoys persons determined for truth and justice. Here, one thing should be kept in mind The Rationalist
that, though Islam has allowed criticizing, it sternly prohibits backbiting and hurting others. “Oh you who believe! Let not a folk deride a folk who may be better than they (are), nor let women (deride) women who may be better than they are; neither defame one another, nor insult one another by (insulting) nicknames. Bad is the name of lewdness after faith. And whoso turneth not in repentance, such are evil doers. O ye who believe! Shun much suspicion; for lo! some suspicion is a crime. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Ye abhor that (so abhor the other)! And keep your duty (to Allah). Allah is Relenting, Merciful.” (Surah Al-Hujrat, 49: 12, 13) So, this means that criticism should not be for the sake of criticism, and on personal basis but it should be with a good intention, i.e. ‘Islaah’ based on social etiquettes. All these things prove that Islam has never discouraged independent thinking and criticizing, it has allowed human mind to function in areas where it can work. Not only this that Islam has allowed independent thinking, but it is The Glorious Qur’aan which has set the tradition of thinking in the creation of Allah and asked its followers to reflect on the natural phenomena. For example the Koran praises people who think:
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“In the creation of the heavens and the earth and (in) the difference of night and day are tokens (of His sovereignty) for men of understanding. Such as remember Allah, standing, sitting, and reclining, and consider the creation of the heavens and the earth, (and say): Our Lord! Thou created not this in vain. Glory be to Thee! Preserve us from the doom of Fire” (Surah Ale-Imran, 3: 190, 191)
Before Islam, nearly every religion, which existed then, adopted creatures as God. This concept stopped them to think in the reality of the creatures of the heaven and earth. When Islam came it concentrated the human belief only in Allah and regarded the entire universe as the servant of the human beings. Thus, Islam opened the door of independent thinking in Muslims and it led them to a grand era of science. It is not correct to write: “they (students) are not allowed to learn about modern scientific ideas such as evolution, secular histories of other nations, or anything which would conflict with the religious tenants of Islam.” There is a vast difference between believing and learning. Islam has fully allowed Muslims to learn scientific education but not to believe in the matters that contradict with established Islamic beliefs. Because, the science is ever-growing and ever-changing. October-December 2012
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RELIGION For example, the scientific facts of Newton in 17th century known as ‘Gravitation Laws’ were so widely believed that those who denied were called as insane. But, later in 20th century Einstein came and the entire theory of Newton turned up side down. So, as a Muslim, one should think whether one is going to change one’s beliefs which are told by Allah to the notions that have no concrete ground. Let’s focus on Manji’s ideas about reformed Islam, which has sparked controversy in the Muslim world, including Indonesia and Malaysia. In fact, most ordinary Muslims have not read Manji’s books, The Trouble with Islam Today (2003) and Allah, Liberty and Love (2011). Consequently, they easily fall prey to the propaganda of hard-liners. Meanwhile, some Muslim activists have read Manji’s works with uncritical thinking. There are two ways to respond to Manji’s books. First, those who read Manji’s books with hatred, resulting in ideological prejudice and subjective accounts as they judge the author’s personal identity and sexual orientation. The strengths of Manji’s ideas lie in her ability to synthesize personal narrative, the paradox of Muslim societies and deconstruct the sacred Islamic texts. Manji’s approach can be categorized as The Rationalist
“ultra-liberal” ijtihad (independent reasoning), promoting the power of reason and construction of fatwa-free lives. Interestingly, Manji is also committed to using her personal narrative; writing with conversational style and producing her work as an “open letter” to Muslims to fight “the tribal and desert Islam” constructed by Arab cultures.
Noted journalist Thomas Friedman suggests that Manji’s The Trouble with Islam is “critical thinking and self-reflection of a Muslim who is committed to promoting a vigorous and reformed Islam”. The weaknesses of Manji’s work lie in capitalization of her personal narrative, subject position and offensive arguments in characterizing Muslims within the larger text against “Islamic troubles”. This includes her self-proclaimed role as a reformer who
pretends to “reform” the sacred Islamic texts, particularly deconstructing patriarchal, authoritarianism and anti-human rights tendencies. Tarek El-Ariss of New York University argues that Manji’s knowledge of Islam is reduced to her personal narrative, calling for Islamic reform by her identification as a “Muslim refusenik”, promoting her “theoretical model” of ijtihad for liberating Muslims based on Western and secular traditions (The Muslim World, January 2007). Clearly, Manji is committed to the “Westernization of Islam as a liberating force on Islam and Muslims”. A Celebration of Heresy: Critical Thinking for Islamic Reform was an Islamic conference organised in Atlanta, USA, on 28 till 30 March 2008. The conference was organized to promote and present Islamic reformist ideas. The conference generated a lot of controversy and as it was not held in a Muslim majority country, the conundrum of reconciling critical thinking and Islam remains a Pandora’s box.
HUSSAIN KHALID The writer is studying BSc management at Royal Holloway, University of London and can be reached at hk61@student.London.ac.uk
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POLITICS
A Stable and Neutral Afghanistan
IN THE INTEREST OF PAKISTAN BY HAZRAT WALI KAKAR
Afghanistan is located on the western border of Pakistan. Owing to its geostrategic location, the foreign policy of Pakistan encompasses Afghanistan on the western and India on its eastern border-side. The Durand line, approximately 2,450 km (1,519 miles) long, is an imaginary line which divides the Pashtun-dominated region between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The people belonging to this region are synonymously referred to as Pakhtuns, Pathans and Afghans. The people dwelling on the Afghan side of the Durand line have ethnic, cultural,
The Rationalist
and religious affiliations with Pashtuns in Pakistan. On the account of this setting, Pakistan has some legitimate interests in Afghanistan that call for a ‘friendly government’ in Kabul. It is an established fact that you can change your enemies, but not friends. In the foreign policy of any state, the national interest is of primary concern. A stable Afghanistan is not only in the interest of Pakistan but also of the whole region. Unfortunately, Pakistan and Afghanistan, over a period of years, have failed to establish friendly relations based on mutual interests with each other.
One of the dominant factors that have undermined the peace process and further aggravated the situation between the two countries is the practice of meddling in each other’s affairs. Pakistan exploited Afghanistan’s access to the open sea through transit route which adversely affected the already appalling economy of the war-torn state. On the other hand, Afghanistan’s friendly relations with the former USSR and India have been the basis for a version of Pakistan towards Afghanistan. In this context, both
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By Cpl Joosten (ISAF Headquarters Public Affairs Office from Kabul, Afghanistan) [Public domain or CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
POLITICS Afghanistan is located on the western border of Pakistan. Owing to its geostrategic location, the foreign policy of Pakistan encompasses Afghanistan on the western and India on its eastern border-side. The Durand line, approximately 2,450 km (1,519 miles) long, is an imaginary line which divides the Pashtun-dominated region between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The people belonging to this region are synonymously referred to as Pakhtuns, Pathans and Afghans. The people dwelling on the Afghan side of the Durand line have ethnic, cultural, and religious affiliations with Pashtuns in Pakistan. On the account of this setting, Pakistan has some legitimate interests in Afghanistan that call for a ‘friendly government’ in Kabul. It is an established fact that you can change your enemies, but not friends. In the foreign policy of any state, the national interest is of primary concern. A stable Afghanistan is not only in the interest of Pakistan but also of the whole region. Unfortunately, Pakistan and Afghanistan, over a period of years, have failed to establish friendly relations based on mutual interests with each other. One of the dominant factors that have undermined the peace process and further aggravated the situation between the two countries is the practice of meddling in each other’s affairs. The Rationalist
Pakistan exploited Afghanistan’s access to the open sea through transit route which adversely affected the already appalling economy of the war-torn state. On the other hand, Afghanistan’s friendly relations with the former USSR and India have been the basis for a version of Pakistan towards Afghanistan. In this context, both countries have failed to comprehend the interest of each other which is
regime in Afghanistan in 1995. Owing to Indian hostility on the eastern border, Pakistan sees Afghanistan as Strategic depth - In case of aggression on its eastern side, Pakistan can move into Afghanistan’s area to find respite. However, the concept of strategic depth is no more a practical approach in the digital world because now world believes more in pursuing and promoting socioeconomic policies
indispensable for a promising neighborly-relationship. Many a times, the threat of Pakhtun nationalism which aims to build up the Greater Pakhtunistan had materialized especially during Ayub’s Era 1960’s . The validity of Durand line has been questioned by successive governments and still now. Some sources also indicate a role of „foreign hands“ in it. On the other hand, in order to secure and promote its due interests especially on the matter of the Durand line, Islamabad supported and backed the Taliban
and political stability of a country . Pakistan has a vital role to play in the future of Afghanistan. The peace and stability in Pakistan is directly and profoundly linked with the peace and stability across the border. Hence, Pakistan and Afghanistan are interdependent for achieving peace, stability and prosperity in the region. Pakistan has repeatedly expressed reservations regarding the increasing Indian influence in Afghanistan as it has complicated relations October-December 2012
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POLITICS between Pakistan and Afghanistan. India is also accused by some to plan an initiation of construction of a dam on river Kabul in Afghanistan back in past, which may affect the flow of water into Pakistan along with some other influences that could’v created problems in Pakistan. The summit in Chicago was primarily meant to focus on issues related to NATO matters. Which was held in May, 2012. NATO Allies participate in this Summit to decide the future of Afghanistan after the withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan. In this summit, President Asif Ali Zardari invited to attend the summit owing to Pakistan’s importance of Strategic location and being a partner in the War on terror. In this particular summit NATO allies drew a specific road map for withdrawing NATO forces from Afghanistan at end of 2014.The period from now until the end of 2014. However, a narrow window of opportunity was provided to Pakistan to work with NATO and the US to develop a shared strategy that protects our national interests. For attaining peace and stability in the region, India and other countries must seek to develop economic cooperation with the Afghan government in order to protect it from its own warlord dominations, The Rationalist
civil war as well as from exploitation by other foreign funded actors. There is also a need to ensure that, in the future, the territory of Afghanistan will not be used against any other country in the region. As far as Pakistan is concerned , Pakistan should ensure to Afghanistan and other regional countries that her land especially tribal area should not be used against any state and Pakistan should take action against hidden hideouts of terrorists in the far off area of the country. Furthermore, it needs to mend its ties with the existing Afghan government by making efforts to acquire cultural and economic cooperation rather than considering it a military strategic depth. Moreover, it should also put an end to its policy of preferring the Pashtuns over the Tajiks, Uzbeks, and other ethnic minorities. Hence, the only thing that would guarantee peace in the region is a stable Afghanistan without the influence of any foreign hand. Only a policy aimed at winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people can en sure a neutral Afghanistan.
All sciences are now under the obligation to prepare the ground for the future task of the philosopher, which is to solve the problem of value, to determine the true hierarchy of values.
Friedrich Nietzsche
HAZRAT WALI KAKAR The author is a student of Geography, Political Science and History at GCU Lahore. He is also an Associate Editor, Scienticfic Ravi GCU Lahore. He can be reached at happylife_kakar99@hotmail. com October-December 2012
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A logical Discourse
| Mariam Goraya
The tussle of ideologies on social media has redefined the rightists from the leftists like it has never before and coined terms such a “liberal fascists” and “Taliban apologists”. It started off with Orkut and now those internet phadaas on Facebook can keep you engrossed for good part of the day. To whatever category the reader belongs, I am sure most of us active on social media have indulged themselves in a political, religious or a social discussion every once in a while. Here are some of the popular logics for a standard logical debate that you must know when trying to debunk haalalcontroversies and questioning holy institutions.
Logic no 1 (The references): Mind you, I am very conscious of plagiarism and follies that internet can play with our national pride. Therefore I always need references and solid examples when you claim that religious extremism and holy alliances are disastrous. Never mind that I will simultaneously keep on defending and maintaining my point that nice patriotic mullahs are good for this country without any references, examples or whatsoever because that totally gels well with our national narratives and a large chunk of the majority loves basking in the holy lights. Logic no 2 (Fabricated sources): when it comes to Facebook discussions, your so-called factual arguments are totally useless because the sources of your information are the websites moderated and fabricated by RAW. Nevertheless I can totally rely on Wikipedia and Jewish internet sources when it comes to copy-pasting scientific knowledge for writing research papers. Logic no 3 (Turning the caps on): I totally believe that turning on the magic key aka the Caps on button helps substantiate my comments and makes my point appear all the more strong. I will, therefore, type sentences like: “YOU need to get some REAL knowledge and you are an IDIOT for NOT agreeing with me.”
Logic no 4 (Ad hominem): You have said something outrageous that aims at shaking the very foundations of our Islamic Republic of Mars and I am too lazy to Google it. So how do I begin? No problem! I can instantly defuse the infidel bomb by going personal and calling you downright idiotic and lame. I will start defending my position with a snort (LOL in caps on), point out all the spellings and grammatical errors to embarrass you, call you an Indian unable to chew halaal meat and comment on the display picture to the nose pin you wear (as if right size of a nose pin could solve Kashmir dispute). The ‘discussion’ would finally end with a kind suggestion that you need to get some ‘real’ knowledge on the topic being discussed. Never mind that I just totally ignored the topic under discussion! Logic no 5 (Islamic debates and fatwas): I can give my scholarly opinions over religious matters with all the piety and confidence that I am bestowed with. I can put up the all the fatwas and even come up with one right on the spot (thanks to my imagination) but if you keep on questioning the rationale behind these fatwas, I can always knock-ya-down on the forum of verbal akahara by saying that I am no scholar and you are a kaafir for asking such questions in the first place. Logic no 6 (the poor people): While I sip my Darjeeling tea, imported all the way from India to Dubai to Europe and back to Pakistan, don’t say anything against the sacred establishment which remotely resembles something poor ‘fruit-ki-rehri-walla’ types have been saying all along. I would consider it lame and a lie simply by virtue of the economic status of fruitwallas!
Mariam is a student of Environmental Science at University of Cologne,Germany and is a self-professed annoying liberal Fascist.She can be contacted via mariam.goraya@hotmail.com The Rationalist October-December 2012 19 Background Image By DieScreamie (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)],
FEATURE
Claiming
theKhilafat Muhammad Jawad
The Rationalist
Pro-Khilafat internet warriors have built up an increasing presence in the cyberspace. You can hardly spend a few hours on a serious political discussion forum until you come across an emotional brother eager to break the news of a fresh advance in the war to proclaim a Grand Khilafat that would comprise all Muslim majority lands and perhaps a few bonus extra stretches too. One Facebook anti-democracy forum has over 20,000 members and there is even a weekly video broadcast from Lahore by the name of Khilafat Forum. Despite the temptations, I have deliberately stayed away from exploring the concept in any detail. My reasons are pretty simplistic yet they are going unaddressed thus far. I am sort of a proud Punjabi Muslim and until and unless I am given stone cast assurances that a fellow Cheema and Chatha and Toanna and Gujjar can also become a Khaleefa in the would-be Grand Khilafat, for me there is no point in exploring the concept any further. Anyway why stop at the Chathas and Cheemas? Why not include Mengals and Memons and Waziris and Abros and Gilgitisetc into the equation as well? I am sure they are just as keen to become a Khaleefa-till-death of this empire-to-come. What the Khilafat brothers forget is that there are more Muslims in
Pakistan and Bangladesh alone than the entire Arab world put together and this numerical strength alone creates more questions before the project can take the flight of fantasy. Until and unless the Khilafat Brigade can reveal that this can happen and that Punjabi and Urdu and other South Asian languages will be given an equal footing to Arabic, I should not be expected to have a sympathetic ear. The speakers of the South Asian languages once again outnumber the Arabic speakers by a long margin. The Grand Khilafat will be about protecting the interests of the Muslims after all and the South Asian Muslims have a bigger stake in the project due to their sheer numbers. I can understand the Tunisians, Syrians, Jordanians, Egyptians and Saudis getting excited about the Khilafat because they have an axe to grind if it comes to reality. Their language and culture will spread as a result but I am equally keen to be able to hear the words “Khilafat” instead of “Khilafah” and “namaz” instead of “salah” and “maseet” instead of “masjid” and “khudda” instead of “Allah” in the far flung lands of the Muslims. How could a Punjabi (or Sindhi, Baloch, Pathan, Bengali, Indonesian etc for that matter) whose name does not carry an “Abu” or a “Bin”, jump up and down with excitement October-December 2012
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FEATURE every time a propagator of the real or imaginary glories of Khilafat gets into a trance? In fact, I feel threatened by this Khilafat Brigade because I see the capital of the Grand Khilafat to be many thousands of miles away from our KotAddu, Gilgit, DI Khan, Larkana and Ziyarat. If the Khilafat Brothers can provide something more concrete than mere theoretical assurances (a written document with the plans for instance) to make the centre of the proposed Khilafat to be geographically near this more numerous mass of Muslims, where Egypt, Iraq and North Africa are merely outer provinces of the grand empire, then perhaps why not? Who in Pakistan would resist the temptation of a newly chosen/elected/ selected/whatever Sudanese governor coming all the way to KotAddu, the capital of the Grand Khilafat, and kiss the hands of KhalifaMasroorGujjar or Dilpazeer Khan or DastageerKhosa or SarmadMemonetc to take ‘ba’iyat’ and then present his credentials? I am fully convinced that Arabs will be ready to leave Islam in hordes if they are told that a Grand Khilafat is being established with KotAddu as its capital, PervaizGuddu as its Khalifa, Punjabi as its language and Islam as the official religion. However, these very Arabs and Khilafat Brigade The Rationalist
expect us Pakistanis to remain loyal and faithful to the Khilafat when they say that the Khilafat will be centred round Baghdad, the Khalifa will be called Abu Dajajah Abdulaziz al-Hammed al-Shahbaz and the official language will be Arabic! I understand the concerns about gender equality here too but perhaps we should claim the seat of Khilafat for South Asia first and then enter into further negotiations on behalf of ShahnazParveen, GullalaiKakakhel, HameedaBano and SassiChanna to be treated on equal footing when the time comes to chose/select/ elect/whatever a Khalifa. Till the day I get these assurances, the whole concept of Khilafat carries little interest for me and I am content in being ignorant of it. I will continue to think that Khilafat is merely the image of a 17 years old general in a flowing robe on a white horse with a covered dosheeza (damsel) sitting at the back. And while sprinting on a rocky plane, the horse gets into an orgasmic spirituality emitting sparks from it hooves and imagining the full scenario gets some people into a trance demanding a return of the Khilafat.
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Albert Einstein
MUHAMMAD JAWAD An Economics Graduate and a freelance writer based in Glasgow, UK. He runs a blog at h t t p : / / c a f e - r e a l i t y. b l o g s p o t . c o. u k
and
can
be at
reached
mohammed.jawwad@gmail.com
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INTERVIEW
An Interview With
Dr. Mobarak Haider Q.Dear Sir, first of all, we on behalf of RSOP would like to express our deep gratitude for taking out time to answer our questions and would also like to take this opportunity to thank you for joining our education network on Online Social Media. Sir, your book “Cultural Narcissism” was very well received by the progressive people all over the world. Can you please summarise the theme of the book for our readers who have not yet read the book? A. The book’s Urdu name can be translated as ‘Civilizational Narcissism‘. It endeavors to point out the present psychological state of Muslims. It tries to show that we, the Muslims in general, led by political Islam, are afflicted with pathological narcissism, a state of deep delusion. We justify everything that is presented as Islamic and hate modern human rights as evil. Our pride and love of the past is pushing us to a dangerous clash with the present-day realities.
Q. In your talks here and abroad you suggest that the Muslims all over the world, due to their superiority complex are not only left behind but this complex is a very flawed concept. What do you think about the notion that “Islam is the ultimate and best religion in the world“. Does your argument not contradict this notion? A. No and yes. Our belief about Islam does not prove our claims of superiority firstly because Qur’an or the prophet never claimed that Islam provides solutions to all problems or that it is a complete code of life. I have discussed this in detail in my book “Mughaltay, Mubalghay“; and secondly because we are miserably incompetent in our collective systems, which incompetence increases as our emphasis on Islam becomes more aggressive. There is nothing in the Muslim countries which the world can admire or copy. Self-love and self-righteousness keep us from improving our performance.
Q. The recent phenomenon of tension and violence across the Muslim world due to a movie has raised many questions. What do you think about the behaviour of the western world towards accepting Muslims as a part of the society and realise their sensibilities in such matters? A. There is not a single nation or government in the modern world that insults our sensitivities. The recent movie or the earlier cartoons were not produced by any representative body or government. These are acts of a couple of individuals, and their governments have taken serious note of the mischief. Modern states guarantee freedom of belief and expression of their citizens and the Muslim citizens and visitors in western countries equally use these laws to preach their faith and their views. Modern states cannot change these established laws which people have earned after centuries of struggle. We cannot ask the western world to give up their freedom to please us. In reality it is we who do not respect law anywhere in the world. We must learn to improve our own level of religious tolerance for others. We have a foul record of behaviour toward minorities in our countries.
The Rationalist
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INTERVIEW Q.“Freedom of Speech” is thought to be one of the fundamental rights in a liberal sense. How do you define this terminology? A. I have explained above the status of rights in the western world. But this freedom of speech has already some restrictions placed on it; it does not allow hate speech in these countries. The state deals with hate speech according to the relevant law. But they cannot hang someone for a bad word or expression as we can proudly do in our countries.
Q. Is political Islam a threat to world peace or is it an overblown perception that exists only in the minds of the deriders? A. I think it is a threat. We can see how the world has changed after 2001, how tensions have grown in international relations, how good citizens, Muslims and moderns alike, suffer scrutiny on airports and how immigration procedures are tightening. The political Islamists have a clear mission. They wish to arouse the entire Muslim world against the rest of mankind. West is the first target. Other non-Muslims will be the next. All those who disagree with Islamists are equally evil in their eyes. They are spreading disruption and clash between Muslims and the world through campaign for Shariah laws in the whole world.
Q. You have stated 10 underlining beliefs that define political Islam in your book. These beliefs are pretty much mainstream Islamic thought that are mimicked at every level of our collective lives. A simple glance at these essential elements of political Islamism reveals the dangers and traps amply. How best to wage a war against such a belief system? A. These beliefs are baseless. They are not based even on Islam. The ruling Muslim elite promoted them through centuries and our narcissism nourishes them today. We have to educate our masses to return to reality. This task can best be performed through correct syllabi in schools and colleges and through media debates.
Q. What kind of early education at home be given to the children you happy with the present norms inculcated in the young minds
in of
Pakistan? Are our children?
A. Education at home is every family’s domestic matter and right. But we have to understand what real life requires of us in the modern world. What is being taught in Pakistan on different levels of education is not only academically wrong but is politically suicidal. They teach hate against the world and against our own minorities and smaller Muslim groups. Therefore the international community has the right to demand correction and reform in our curriculum. That is a painful option but it seems to be the only one in the present state of affairs. If the world community doesn’t demand today, they will do so tomorrow.
Q. Pakistan is demanding an international law on blasphemy? legitimate demand and how will Pakistan deal with the situation at home?
Do
you
find
this
a
A. The demand is no more than weak populism of our government. They know it is not possible to impose Islam on the free world. We are too naïve and too presumptuous to see our reality. In the heat of our fever we tend to forget that ‘beggars can’t be choosers’.
Q. What role Pakistani expatriates can play in improving the situation in Pakistan? Are you happy with the existing activities of Pakistani Diaspora and what changes do you suggest?
A. They have a choice. They can accept the advanced world as their teachers. That will mean joining modern societies, integrating with them and benefiting from their knowledge. Thus they can act as ambassadors of progress in their lands of origin. But if they choose to take their uneducated Imams as leaders, nothing will be achieved. Instead they will blast the hopes of their coming generations.
Q. Do you feel the electronic, print and social media is doing enough to educate, enlighten and empower the Muslim community?
in
the
Muslim
world
A. No. On the contrary they have been promoting the sickness among our unfortunate Muslim people for decades. During the past one decade that negative role touched its pernicious heights. But recently some slight change for the better is visible to the keen eye. More efforts on national and international levels are bitterly needed to improve the educative role of our media.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO DR HAIDER’S INTERVIEW ON AWAZ FM
The Rationalist
October-December 2012
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HEALTH & SOCIETY Pakistan is surrounded by countries with huge populations suffering from HIV/AID. India has the highest numbers of HIV patients in the world. China tops the chart by the highest number of HIV among Injecting Drug Users (IDUs). Pakistan also shares the culture with India and may eventually emerge as a country with a huge population suffering from HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDs is not on our priority list. Pakistan is one of the few countries who don’t have any HIV/AIDS Policy. The focus is on Malaria , Tuberculosis, Dengue and recently on hepatitis Band hepatitisC. A literature review and study of the situation tells us that Pakistan is actually sitting on a ticking bomb and there is nothing being done to defuse the bomb. There are numerous risk factors in Pakistan and entry gates of disease are open. The number one risk factor is the is unsafe medical practices both by the quacks as well as the qualified professionals in the medical field. The second factor is the unhealthy sexual practices. Condoms are used by less than 20% of the population. Safe Sex is not practiced even among sex workers. As per World health organisation (WHO), 94% of the syringes in Pakistan are re-used. It is not uncommon to find blood in new syringes. Same is true for the The Rationalist
other surgical equipment. Per capita Injection ratio is around 13.5% . The patients as well as the doctors prefer to administer medicine via the drip or an injection. A huge proportion of workers consider getting a glucose drip with some multivitamins a safety from the disease and a source of energy. Most Quacks practice this all over Pakistan. Hepatitis B and hepatitisC affects around 10-15% of the total populatoin,one of the highest in the world. Along with many other factors, the number one factor of this spread is unsafe medical practices and the needles being the number one source of it. The statistics of prevalence in Pakistan aren’t very accurate and encouraging. As per the goverment’s figures, Pakistan has 0.1% (97,500) HIV cases. This is based on statistics from the World Bank, World Health Organisation and other international organizations from 2005. And only 4000 patients are getting treatment in Pakistan. The organisations estimated it to be between 90,000-250,000. These reports are based on accidental discoveries during blood transfusion or medical procedures etc in 2005. However the reports from the ground data by various NGOs show different results .Overall we can see that there is no general epidemic but a very high and alarming figures of concentrated epidemic. i.e. disease
HIV A
A Tickin
Ahmad Waq
October-December 2012
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HEALTH & SOCIETY
AIDS
ng Bomb
qass Goraya
The Rationalist
in some risk groups. The avialable date from the last few years suggests that IDUs have 20-31% HIV in Sindh , 10-15% in Sargodha, Lahore, Peshawer and Quetta. Along with IDUs , we have another unique highrisk group, that is the boys accompanying long route truckers as well as the street children. The ratio of HIV among them is alarmingly high. Some random testing camps in various areas showed alarming rates of disease in certain areas. In 2008, a testing camp by New Light AIDS Control Society found that almost 30% population of the two neighborhoods in JalalPur Jattan(Gujrat) is HIV positive. Test were carried out on 312 people and out of that number 101 were found to be HIV postivie. One of the major entry points in the society and another group carrying diseases is the deported immigrants from UAE, Saudi Arabia other gulf countries. These countries deport the immigrants immediately if Hepatitis, HIV or any other such diseases are found during bi-annual tests they conduct. The workers who undergo these tests aren’t usually informed about test results. And many don’t disclose the results on their return to pakistan, even if they know . So these people serve as entry points of disease in the society. We have many other pockets with high rates in HIV some of which are Peshawar, DG Khan, Larkana along with others.
During a study conductedin 2009, many people were found to be HIV positive in Sindh, Southern Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhawa due to unsafe medical practices. Disease load was found to be below 1% among sex workers of both sexes and transgenders. What we see from various figures is that HIV is present 10-31% among various closed groups and these carriers are present all over Pakistan. IDUs, deported individuals and other high risk groups can caues HIV out burst and in a matter of years this concentrated epidemic can turn into a general epidemic. Just like we had Hepatitis out burst and got 15% population infected. Pakistan needs a national HIV/AIDS policy. This should be our priority in the health sector. The second step after having a policy is the legislation to provide safety to HIV patients in a hostile society.Furthermore, there is a dire need to take action against the medical mal-practices as well. Further considerations can include community level awareness programmes, sex education in university and colleges and awareness through the media.
AHMAD WAQASS GORAYA The author is a biochemist and a medical anthropologist based in Pakistan. He is also a member of the Editorial Board of the Rationalist Society of Pakistan. He tweets at @goraaya October-December 2012
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MYTH BUSTING In rural Pakistan, among all the socioeconomic strata, the practice of Dum by religious and spiritual healers (commonly known as Peers) is quite common. Although with better outreach of health facilities it is fading away yet it maintains a stronghold among relatively less educated populace. A brief review of this practice follows. Mostly women suffering from chronic headache visit a spiritual healer for getting some kind of a relief by him. The gentleman performs various acts on the patient alongwith continuous recitation of holy verses from the Quran. This results in betterment of the symptoms of the patient. Now let’s dissect this whole cultural practice. First of all, to be precise, in most instances the patients are females of different
age groups. Most of them are poor, illiterate and overburdened with domestic work load. All these circumstances make them an ideal case to be afflicted by depression and/or conversion disorder (previously known as hysteria). An interesting fact to be noted at this point is that the most common symptom of depression in our female population is of long standing mild headache. Now what happens is that due to ignorance and lack of health facilities these semi literate women end up at the door step of some spiritual healer for treatment. On the face of it the spiritual leader treats the ailment of the visiting patient by virtue of divine power embedded in the holy verses. The healer while reciting the holy Quran verses, at the same time performs certain other maneuvers on the patient
like putting excessive pressure on the head of patient with his hands, placing a cake of mud on the head of the patient and later cutting it with a knife. Reportedly all this results in considerable relief for the patient as is also evident from the fact that this practice has survived for centuries in the rural hinterland. The question to ponder is that how all this gives relief to the visiting patient. There are many factors involved in this complex scenario. First and foremost, the “attention seeking behavior� of these patients. Mostly patients of conversion disorder &/or depression show attention seeking behavior and thus taking these patients to a spiritual healer by family members in itself gives the requisite attention to the patient and has its own
DUM
Mostly women suffering from chronic headache visit a spiritual healer for getting some kind of a relief by him. By Ali Zubair
The Rationalist
October-December 2012
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CARTOON
(Continued from last page) psychological benefit. Second factor is the change of environment for the visiting patient. Obviously for a rural female, bound inside the four walls and dealing with endless domestic issue, it’s a welcome change to go out of her home let it be a visit to a spiritual healer. Third factor is that of holding the patient’s head with such a force that the actual mild headache seems to have disappeared in the face of excessive pressure applied over the head by the healer.
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Some teen age girls often faint at the moment because of the pressure resulting from the grip of the healer. Interestingly as can be noted above that all the effects of this visit are of short duration and the symptoms are bound to return sooner or later. Thus the vicious cycle of visits to the peer sahib continues unabated until and unless the patient can consult a psychiatrist to correct her neurological chemical imbalance with the help of antidepressants.
CARTOONIST Mrugank Bhatt was born in 1970 at Porbandar (Gujarat), revolted and chose Fine Arts. You can reach him at mrugankbhtt@gmail.com
ALI ZUBAIR The author can be reached at pak1589@yahoo.com
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WOMEN First the good news. Mariam Sultana has recently received a PhD in astrophysics in Pakistan. She works in extragalactic astronomy and her research focuses on understanding the stability and the formation of Ring galaxies (Ring galaxies are actually quite awesome. Ring Galaxies, may be most of them are a result of a collision between two galaxies of different sizes. This is a tough area of research and one of her PhD. advisors, James Binney, is one of the leading authorities in the field of galaxies and theoretical astrophysics. I used two of his co-authored books in graduate school, and both were tough and incredibly useful books (I still remember sleepless nights trying to solve problem-sets in Galactic Dynamics by Binney and Tremaine). So first of all, congratulations to Mariam Sultana!! As if getting a PhD. in astrophysics is not challenging enough, she had to fight off some idiotic misconceptions and incredible bureaucracy. The misconceptions have to do with the confusion between astronomy and astrology. This is not limited to Pakistan. I have had to explain the difference many many many times. However, some people consider astrology to be against Islam - and then take it out on astronomy. One of my uncles used to BY SALMAN HAMEED
Story of a
woman astro physicist
from Pakistan
The Rationalist
confuse astronomy and astrology. But even after I would explain the difference (that astronomy is basically physics as applied to the workings of stars and galaxies), he would still mutter “uhmm...yes, but it is still against Islam”. However, I should hasten to add that far more people were also appreciative of astronomy - and that is still the case as evidenced by the thriving amateur astronomy scene in Pakistan. But Mariam experienced the confusion from the parents of te kids she was teaching - and that could become more complicated: Instead, she finds herself warding off the invective heaped on her and clearing the misconception that she has studied astrology, a pseudoscience which is considered haram. “The students somehow confuse my field of study, extragalatic astronomy, with fortune telling or palm reading,” she told The Express Tribune. “Their parents do the same thing and advise their children to stay away from the subject.” But this is still a relatively minor problem compared to the bureaucracy she had to face. This is an additional challenge that is common in the developing world - but she Mariam’s perseverance paid off in the end. I also had a brief phone conversation with her on my last trip to Karachi in 2011 and she mentioned some of
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WOMEN the technical difficulties associated with her PhD. Here are some more details: Her work was supervised by Dr Salakhutdin Nuritdinov, a professor at the National University of Uzbekistan. He was appointed in 2006 to FUUAST [Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology] through the Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) foreign faculty hiring programme. Dr Nuritdinov is a pioneer in the field and allowed Sultana to further develop mathematical models that he had created. “I didn’t feel worthy enough to do such high standard work,” said Sultana. “It was Dr Nuritdinov who led me all the way through.” In her thesis, she investigated the instabilities and physical conditions which gave galaxies their ring shape. Sultana was thrilled when two eminent professors agreed to become examiners for her doctoral thesis. One of them was James Binney, a professor of physics at the University of Oxford. He also heads the Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics. The second examiner was Dr Ana Katrin Schenk, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California. Dr Binney wrote to her and said that “[Sultana’s] thesis represents a considerable body of work, and from a technical aspect, it is surely worthy of a doctorate.” Sultana plans to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship in
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the United Kingdom. “But first I want to supervise all the PhDs which were left incomplete because of Dr Nuritdinov’s departure from Pakistan,” she said. She is currently supervising the doctoral students at FUUAST’s mathematical sciences department. Sultana did admit that there were many hurdles that she had to cross in order to earn her degree. During her studies, she found out that KU did not accept foreign supervisors unless they agreed to stay in Pakistan for at least seven years. Her supervisor only planned to stay in the country for four years. “I submitted the abstract of my thesis to the university in August 2006 and it remained pending for the next 22 months because of foreign supervisor issue,” she said. Sultana even approached the chairman of the HEC, who had advised her to ask Dr Nuritdinov to be her supervisor. “The authorities at KU did not even listen to him,” she said. Finally, in October 2008, her abstract was accepted after she replaced Dr Nuritdinov with Dr Shahid Qureshi, a Pakistani professor at the Institute of Space and Planetary Astrophysics. Two months before this happened, Sultana’s research paper was published in a Russian journal called “Astrofizika” (Astrophysics) and was later printed in another journal,
Astrophysics. But after accepting her abstract, KU kept on insisting that she spend a year in the MPhil programme, as is the rule. Dr Nuritdinov admitted that he was not expecting Sultana to get the PhD because of “the bureaucratic behaviour and incompetence of upper-level academics.” He was pleasantly surprised when Sultana broke the news to him. Ultimately, this is a success story and I’m sure she will shine in her post-doctoral work as well. Best wishes to Mariam Sultana.
SALMAN HAMEED Salman Hameed is an astronomer and Assistant Professor of Integrated Science & Humanities at Hampshire College, Massachusetts. Currently, he is working on understanding the rise of creationism in contemporary Islamic world and how Muslims view the relationship between science & religion. He also writes on the blog “Irtiqa”. Listen to Salman’s Radio interview on awaz fm http://i.mixcloud.com/CBn3Y8.
Those who can make you believe absurdities can
make
you
commit atrocities. Voltaire
October-December 2012
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Demystifying Agha Waqar’s Many people in the past have claimed to run vehicles on water. But all of them have turned out to be frauds. It is very simple. If water could be used as a fuel, then it is the most abundant fuel on earth and there would have been no hassle in using other expensive fuels. Any student of basic sciences knows that water bonds do not have enough energy that could run an engine by merely breaking them. It cannot be used as a fuel. People will argue, and as claimed by Engineer Agha Waqar, that water is first split into Hydrogen and Oxygen and then this mixture runs the car. It is Hydrogen that runs the car and not the water (contrary to Agha’s initial claims). There is nothing wrong with this claim except that it is false. Hydrogen is also a very uneconomical and inefficient fuel when used in cars. Much research is being carried out on Hydrogen to be used as a fuel but its storage, the economics and inefficiency are big problems. Certainly, it is also used in rockets and there are many countries where vehicles are run by Hydrogen fuel. In California, Columbia and Los Angeles, there are Hydrogen freeways. But the problem is that Hydrogen has a very low energy density in terms of volume, which is three The Rationalist
times less than gasoline. environment friendliness and In simple words, it means if it is producing more that when you compress CO2 in its production, Hydrogen to be stored in then what use is it? smaller cylinders, its If one wants to provide efficiency decreases. So direct Hydrogen to the you need big cylinders vehicle, then one will to provide more efficient have to install Methane to hydrogen and good Hydrogen converter and amount of it to run a car. In then again the source expensive cars, bigger tanks will be Methane and not are used and modified Hydrogen. Furthermore, in internal combustions are this process Water has to utilized. Scientists are react with Methane at researching new ways above 700 Degrees Celsius to store Hydrogen at low to produce Hydrogen. Can pressure in other perforated this plant be fixed on a car? materials, but those Electrolysis of water to materials add to the cost of produce Hydrogen! Agha the energy making it more Waqar claims that he splits expensive. In rocket fuels distilled water into Hydrogen liquid Hydrogen is used, and Oxygen. First of all, compression of which is distilled water does not a high energy consuming conduct electricity, process and again makes unless you put electrolytes the fuel expensive for a like strong acids or bases common user. And the in it. In the world only 4% storage of liquid hydrogen Hydrogen is produced by requires even more electrolysis because of the expensive Dewar Flasks inefficiency and cost of this as it boils at 20 Degree process. Moreover, a major Centigrade. amount of this Hydrogen is What If one provides produced as a by-product DIRECT Hydrogen to the car in the manufacturing of without storing it anywhere? caustic soda. High energy Let’s study this claim. The is required to break up the most efficient and widely activation barriers in used process to produce water in electrolysis. So it Hydrogen is by Methane. is impossible to produce It produces Hydrogen with required amount of 80% efficiency but in the Hydrogen from one process more CO2 is litre of Water with the produced than directly help of a car battery. burning methane. Hence, it Ok, fine, Mr Waqar says that is not only less environment he will step up the battery’s friendly but also of no use. If voltage and this “ENERGY” you have natural gas, why will be enough to split the do you need hydrogen? water and run the car and Hydrogen is used for its again recharge the battery. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO AKIF’S INTERVIEW ON AW October-December 2012
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Water Kit Fraud By AKIF KHAN
if only our dear Sir Agha Waqar knew that voltage has nothing to do with energy. It is an electromotive force which drives the current from one terminal to another. It is merely a force between two electrodes. Remember the high school’s F=ma, it is not energy. The energy in a battery comes from electrons. Where will the electrons come from? Can an air conditioner be run by 1.5 Volt battery cell by stepping it up to 250V? It is not possible because one needs current, amperes or electrons for the process. The power remains the same; the current is decreased according to Faraday’s law. Resonance is a concept used to step up or step down the voltage. Without a continuous source of electrons the battery will be discharged within minutes. And resonance does not create electrons hence it does not create energy. DC to AC conversion requires inverters that do not change the frequency of the current and the maximum current or energy is the energy that is already present in the battery in the forms of electrons and not the voltage. As far as the recharging of the battery again by the energy produced is concerned, this is a concept of perpetual machines. It is non-realistic. It defies the second law of WAZ FM REGARDING WATER KIT The Rationalist
thermodynamics and Hess’s Law. Can we do this that on a water dam one uses water pumps run by the produced electricity, which throw the water again in the lake and also get enough energy to be used by the people? Once Tarbela Dam is full, you make infinite electricity using same water again and again and divert the other water to the brethren in Afghanistan or Iran or even don’t bother if India takes that water, as it is useless to you? Two other very important factors related to Hydrogen run internal combustion engines are auto ignition temperature of Hydrogen and air to fuel ratio (A/F). Hydrogen has different auto ignition temperature to gasoline, hence the internal combustion engine needs to be modified and as Agha Waqar claims he can run the kit on any engine, I wonder how does he do it? The result is premature ignition and bouncing back of the engine. Secondly, Hydrogen’s air to fuel ratio is 34:1 which means 34 parts of air and 1 part of Hydrogen, where Hydrogen’s density is low and you cannot make this fuel ratio practically possible in an ordinary internal combustion engine. I suggest readers to read basic physics and chemistry of O and A levels who do not agree with me, those who want more detail can read a book, “The Hype about Hydrogen: Fact and
Fiction in the Race to Save the Climate” by Joseph J. Romm published in 2004. Furthermore, to those who were criticising Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy’s outburst towards the pseudo scientist, I say what Agha Waqar was claiming could frustrate any person familiar with the laws of Physics! Even Dr.ShaukatHameed Khan, who is an ex-rector of GhulamIshaq Khan Institute of Engineering and Chief Scientist of PAEC, became angry at the end in the interview conducted by Hamid Mir on his show. It is a blatant joke and I wonder how people with some knowledge of science could believe in it! Dr.Hoodbhoy couldn’t possibly teach the laws of Physics on a TV show. He could just tell the audience that Mr Waqar is a fraud. No doubt, that media should not bring such people on TV, but again this is a proof that our society is running out of sanity and they believe in anything claimed in Talk Shows. Sadly, today’s students refer back to Talk Shows, instead of Books. Is this the same nation which once produced scientists like Al-Razi, Khawarzmi and Ibn-e-Sina?
AKIF KHAN
The author is a social activist on online media as Akif Khan, chief editor of The Rationalist Pakistan quarterly and member of administration team of RSOP. A university faculty member, he does research in the fields of environmental nanotechnology and teaching. He tweets @ akifzeb and can be reached at akifzeb@rationalistspk.org
October-December 2012
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BOOK REVIEW
Reading the Qur’an is a serious attempt by Ziauddin Sardar for serious people who are really curious about
the Qur’an to enhance their understanding of the book. One often observes that the non-Muslims, when referred to the Qur’an, seem confused as to which version of the interpretation they refer to as there are hundreds of them. But, when the meanings are taken literally, they lead to floods of confusion ranging from hostility of God towards non-Believers(in Islam) to the punishments which seem contrary to the modern humanistic values. Which one to consider? Ziauddin puts it this way: The Qur’an is an open book, read it without the prejudices of traditional commentators and only in the context of the needs of that society and the needs of this society. Ziauddin Sardar, a cultural critic and a writer, puts this book together from the collection of short articles from his blog that he wrote on the Guardian’s website. (http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/quran/). Sardar calls the Qura’n a “training manual for humans” which brings to them guidance with wisdom and examples. Reading the Qur’an touches the critical areas of the divine book and explains them with the help of translations by Marmaduke Pickthall, Laleh Bakhtiar and Yusuf Ali. Sardar emphasises that no commentary in the past is absolute and should be contextualised according to the needs of the society. He further argues that in the traditional process of interpretation it was a healthier trend to reconsider the interpretations with time until modern times when some elements have imposed a halt on this process. Interestingly, Sardar’s book contains the implementation of same thought on the sensitive issues of the day. For example, he separates transgression from homosexuality in the case of Loot’s tribe. At another place, he puts the argument that the punishment for the thieves for their hands to be cut should be seen in the context of a society where there were no prisons. Sardar has also touched on the important aspects of feminism throughout the book from inheritance to social relations of women. The critics of the book suggest that there is nothing new in it, neither does it bring conclusive arguments for and against the issues addressed, nor does it fail in drifting away for some reason of sensitivity. But as Sardar claims in the preface that the book is written for the Muslims who want to think out of the box and for those non-Muslims who really want to know the Qur’an. For the latter, this book is a must read, so that before a conclusive remark, they may have at least a thorough insight of the divine book. The Rationalist
October-December 2012
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WORDS OF WISDOM
Our species needs, and
Reserve
minds wide awake
right now is
think, for
even
The saddest aspect of life
right to
deserves, a citizenry with
your
to
think wrongly
that science gathers
is
knowledge
understanding
better than
faster than
of how the
not to think at
society gathers
and a basic
world works.
Carl Sagan
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all.
Hypatia
wisdom
Issac Asimov
October-December 2012
33
CRITICAL THINKING “16 died today when masked gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying Shia pilgrims in the suburbs of Quetta.” “4 died today on Prince Road when two unidentified motorcyclists threw a hand grenade on a “settler’s” shop!” These are the daily news items from Quetta. The silence and the blast following these news has very big gap in between it. This is the everyday story of my lost Eden where I was a “Punjabi-settler”. Although, my family had been living in Balochistan since the year 1900 but still the “locals” weren’t benevolent enough to ingress us into the fold of being “locals”. This is the story of many alike. “Settlers” is a wider group of migrants belonging to various ethnicities who migrated to Quetta during different periods of time in search of better economic future. The irony is that the Afghans who migrated to Quetta in the aftermath of soviet invasion have fully assimilated in the social order and are now recognized as “locals”. This unfortunate lot on the other hand which is called by a slang (to me at least it is) “settlers”, after living side by side with the “locals” for more than a century, is still not recognized as people who belong to this land. The name Quetta is derived from the Pashto word “Kwatta”, which means a fort, the city itself is in a “bowl” hemmed in by four mountains. The Rationalist
It has been historically inhabited by Pashtuns and Brahvis[with Hazaras, Punjabis, Seraikis and Urdu speakers being relatively newcomers in the city’s demographic reality]. If Karachi is a mini Pakistan then Quetta could rightfully hold the title of being called mini Karachi. I remember growing up in this regional hotpot of diverse cultures. The beauty of Quetta is that it entails tinge of other regional cultures from Pakistan’s western frontiers (Iran, Afghanistan and as far in the North Westas Central Asia). The strange fact is that even with all this diversity; Quetta is still an immaculate model of how a culturally diverse society could yield something so distinctive and beautiful than a monoculture society ever could. Quetta to me, is a unique cultural and social experiment, many ethnicities living in this valley contribute to a larger “Quettian” culture. This reinforces the narrative of liberal quarters of Pakistani society that a rigid monolithic culture forced upon various regional ethnicities is the real cause for weakening of Pakistani federation instead of its strengthening. Culture is a unique social phenomenon hich becomes richer and inclusive whenever it comes in contact with other cultures, taking their influence. Quetta was a city which remained calm and peaceful even when
And I left Quetta
By Muneeb Tahir
October-December 2012
34
CRITICAL THINKING other metropolitans of the country were wrecked with havoc in the 90’s. I remember the liberty this city offered to its inhabitants, men and women alike, when its streets were filled up with families strolling late at nights, its bazars jam packed with vacationers and tourists from Punjab and other parts of Pakistan in the summer, buying carpets, crockery, dirt cheap electronic appliances and Ah! Delicious dry fruits. Its picnic spots like Hanna Lake, stunningly beautiful and full of contrastsUrakand Karkhassa valleys were a source of tourist attraction in summer for people from all around the nation. Local businesses boomed and gradually Quetta was coming at par with other metropolitans of the country, purchasing power of people was improving and a well-educated intelligentsia started to emerge which aspired to explore new frontiers. Those were the best times of my life and of any Quettian for that matter. Hope was ripe but then something Great upheaval followed and I for the first time saw widespread ethnic violence in Quetta since I became conscious of my surroundings, in the aftermath of this travesty of justice in epic proportions. Balochistan was burning and the dictator was busy in burying the body (whose presence in the coffin is still ambiguous) of Nawab Sahib along The Rationalist
with many other secrets. Those were strange times; the people I held dearest to my heart started becoming aliens and ignoring me because of my ethnicity. I remember an incident with one of my best friends at school. He had suddenly started attending public gatherings of SardarAkhter Jan Mengal, who now seems to have the softest core take on Balochistan issue, but in the absence of radical separatist forces like Balochistan Republican Party (BRP) and Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), Balochistan National Movement (BNM) those days, his Balochistan National Party (Mengal) was the most rigid voice from the province. When I along with another ethnically Punjabi speaking friend asked about the proceedings of the public gathering out of general curiosity once, his response was blunt and cold as ice, “why would I tell two Punjabis about the happenings at our Jalsa, So that you guys could spy on us for the agencies?”- [incidents of target killings had not gained momentum by then]. For two 13 years old kids that meant a great deal to hear from their closest friend. I am still perplexed when I attempt to contemplate that how could such an immense amount of hate be induced into the mind of a 13 year old, which makes him loathe his own best friends. This was the turning point,
lines were drawn. You were either with the “oppressors” or with the Baloch national cause (that happened to be freedom), neutrality meant silent support of the oppressors-which most Punjabis adopted (this was a huge mistake as I will reflect upon at the end). Initially, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) started to drop manifestos giving two choices to Punjabis; either give your daughters in marriages to locals or leave Balochistan. There was no third choice, only the absent announcement of certain death in the event of failing to select from any of the two choices. Soon after, target killings started. None was spared; barber shops became the favorite killing fields for the killers because they normally housed labor from Punjab. Afterwards many lower middle class school teachers were targeted and killed. The statements claiming responsibility (claiming killing trophies) after each of these killings came from an “undisclosed location via satellite phone” and the addressee would usually be newspaper offices. The excuse for each act of slaughter would be the same, “They were killed because they were spying for Pakistani secret agencies” and every time I used to hear this I fell deep into the bitter memories from the past of my 13 years old Mengal friend telling me, he can’t tell me about the happenings in a public October-December 2012
35
CRITICAL THINKING demonstration because I would spy for the agencies. Technical and Professional Education Sector became the favorite “target site” for these “unidentified men” in the later stages. Lecturers and veteran Professors were ruthlessly slaughtered daily in the streets of Quetta and the city’s roads washed with innocent blood. Many of these dedicated individuals had spent all their lives in this land illuminating the decades old darkness unleashed by ignorance of the masses and sheer rejection from the central government, with knowledge (many of whom I personally knew). It was not that they could not pursue better career goals elsewhere in the country (specially Punjab) or lacked opportunities, but the level of commitment in these individuals who wanted to give back something to the land they were born and raised in, kept them going. These poor souls got naught, but their families did get their bullet riddled bodies questioning why they were, who deemed themselves equally as Balochistani as any other, killed in vain. Even a Pro Vice Chancellor of Balochistan university was murdered by the same people claiming their killing trophies after each “triumph” over the helpless, unarmed and innocent people. A time came ultimately when the life for any Punjabi-“settler” in Quetta, became paralytic.. The Rationalist
Mobility itself became an issue and frequent grenade attacks on residences of Punjabis started. This was a city once deemed so peaceful that people didn’t even bother to close the doors to their houses. Going outside the houses out of extreme necessity would bear no surety that the individual would come back alive. It was like marauding hordes reigned supreme, stealing innocent people of their most valued possessions, “their lives”! It was then my family decided to vacate the land we called our land for over a century, the land in whose heart our elders slept their eternal slumberment, which has Now the repatriated Punjabi “settlers” like me, face a dual dilemma, not only we have
‘‘
Mobility itself became an issue and frequent grenade attacks on residences of Punjabis started. This was a city once deemed so peaceful that people didn’t even bother to close the doors to their houses.
no hope for returning back to our true homeland i.e. Balochistan, but also aren’t we accepted here in Punjab, many face extreme economic problems. The struggle for an identity of Punjabi “settlers” has just begun. Did the Punjabis not go wrong anywhere? This is the fundamental question many would ask, after reading this story of mine. I would try answering that with an anecdote. My father always used to explain it to me (when the state of affairs was still normal) that, “Son always stand alongside the people of this land in their every ebullient and disconsolate mo given you roof over your head, food which you eat and a life which could be the envy of many, for these are the people who will stand beside you in every moment of your hardship.” I could just wish now that there were more fathers from my community, saying this to their sons and daughters. We as a people did bitterly fail in doing so at the scale our land asked from us. The brutality of time and lack of this realization took all from me (and many others) and I left my Eden.
MUNEEB TAHIR The writer still remains a Balochistani and a Quettian at heart and soul. He vows not to halt fighting the case for his land and people.” October-December 2012
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Lewis Collard [Attribution], via Wikimedia Commons & By Leonum (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
SCIENCE
Science Behind The Blue Skies & Exotic Red Sunsets By Atif Gohar
The Rationalist
October-December 2012
38
SCIENCE The striking blue colour of the sky and the exotic reddish orange colour of a sunset have always made us wonder at the beauty of nature. It serves as an inspiration for all those who appreciate this beauty. This colourful display might also make you wonder, what process is responsible for this exotic display of colours? When we observe the earth from space, we see it covered with a blue layer of atmosphere, which actually is its lower atmosphere. This blue can be seen fading into blackness of space. So why is our sky blue? The colours of sky we see at different times of the day are due to the scattering of light waves by the particles present in our atmosphere. You might assume, that you hardly see anything in a clear sky that could interact with the light waves, but our atmosphere is a gaseous sea consisting of many particles, mainly Oxygen and Nitrogen in a gaseous form. The sunlight bounces off these air molecules, and gives our sky its blue colour. The visible light emitted by the sun consists of violet, blue, green, yellow, orange and red. This light takes 8 minutes to reach the earth surface; some
The Rationalist
of it is reflected back into space by air molecules while some of it reaches the earth surface after interacting with the air molecules, and occasionally some is reflected back by clouds. Then among all these colours why is our atmosphere blue? The scattering of light waves depends upon the wavelengths of colours that make up the light. Violet and blue colours have the shortest wavelengths, while red and orange have the longest. Air molecules can only scatter the waves which have a wavelength nearly identical to the size of these molecules. Thus blue and violet are easily scattered by air molecules as they have shorter wavelengths; however, orange and red are scattered much less or passed without any interaction, due to their longer wavelengths. So the scattering of blue light by air molecules is what gives our sky the blue colour. When we look at the blue sky, we are actually looking at the scattering of short wavelengths by the air molecules. Then why is the sunset red? As suggested earlier, the orange and red colours hardly get scattered by
the air molecules, so the red and orange colour we see is what is left after the blue is scattered by the air molecules. At sunset when the sun reaches the horizon line, the path of light reaching us is elongated, and light now has to move through a much thicker layer of the atmosphere.
‘‘
This blue can be seen fading into blackness of space. So why is our sky blue? The colours of sky we see at different times of the day are due to the scattering of light waves by the particles present in our atmosphere. The distance covered through the atmosphere by the sunrays from the sunset, is much greater than that of sunrays from the midday. Due to the elongated path more of the blue, yellow and violet light is scattered due to greater interaction with the air molecules, and what is left of scattered light is the exotic orange and blue. This is how the sunset gets its orange and red colour.
ATIF GOHAR Contact Email atifgohar@ymail.com October-December 2012
39
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