Combining Wahhabism and Capitalism to Destroy Islamic Heritage

The current controversy of the potential Saudi demolition of Riyad-Al-Jannah and the graves of Islamic Caliphs Abu Bakar and Omar is one in a long line of projects that the world’s biggest exporter of crude oil has undertaken to erase Islamic Heritage sites. The Saudi obsession with everything concrete and steel is a cause of concern for Muslims around the world. The construction of enormous towers and skyscrapers including the ghastly Mecca Clock Tower tell us something about the future plans of the Saudis.

A 2011 report by The Independent  paper titled “Mecca for the rich: Islam's holiest site 'turning into Vegas” written by Jerome Taylor (who wrote the recent story about the planned Saudi destruction of Riyad-Al-Jannah etc), says that the Saudis are planning to turn Mecca into a playground for the rich, by building sky scrapers and luxury hotels that cater for the rich Muslims coming from all over the world. The same newspaper reported back in April 2006 about the Saudi construction rampage in Islam’s holiest sites.

Systematic destruction of the holy sites and building hotels and resorts is being backed by the blessings of its religious clerics, who endorse the destruction of the holy sites because of their (baseless) fear that idolatry might creep into Muslim ranks.  Wahhabism, which is an extreme and strict form of Islam that denounces the reverence of any holy site, is the official religion in Saudi Arabia. It is worth noting that the same brand of Islam is practiced by the Taliban who have been involved in the destruction of Bamyan Buddhas and the attack on the legendary Sufi Rehman Baba’s shrine  in Peshawar. However, the Wahabbi Kingdom seems to be on something more than destroying shrines, graves and imposing its own brand of Islam.

Even a cursory search reveals that the Saudis are embarking on a real estate and renewable energy projects as they plan for the future post 2030 when it is feared that the supply of oil, which generates 86% of the kingdom’s revenue, might start to dwindle thus forcing the Saudis to import additional oil from other countries. The Economist states that the rapid increase in demand for oil inside Saudi Arabia has increased by 37% and 65% of its electricity is generated by the oil that it produces. For now, increase in oil price has caused the wealth of Saudis to soar, quite literally, and their construction of the Kingdom Tower is a testament to the money flooding in.

But the increase in oil consumption, the increasing American reliance on Shale Gas , the expectation that Canada and Mexico might become the new middle east  and the awareness of  the fact that oil reserves would not last forever has led Saudi Arabia to consider alternate forms of revenue generation which include real estate, Hajj ( obviously),banking sector and other renewable forms of energy. Khalid Al Falih, the President and CEO of Saudi Aramco, reflects the future strategy of the Saudis when he says that Saudi Aramco wants to transform from an oil& gas company to a ‘global energy and chemicals enterprise’. Apart from energy sources, the real estate sector is booming thanks to the swelling population and the increase in tours by the increasingly affluent middle-class of the Muslim world.

So how does the new course of Saudi economy relate to destruction of Islam’s holy sites? In this regard, my hypothesis is that the Saudis under the valid pretext of real state expansion are destroying the holy sites by invoking the tenets of Wahhabism but on the other hand, in order to clear the way for capitalist expansion projects and to keep up with the rest of the world they are back tracking on the Wahabi doctrine which vehemently opposes all forms of modernization.  The real estate development and other modernization projects can be undertaken anywhere in the kingdom but it seems that the Wahabbi clerics are capitalizing on this opportunity to erase the early history of Islam and increase their hold on the religion. Few countries have dared to raise voice against this heinous crime of the destruction of Islamic holy sites, fearing diplomatic repercussions that might arise. Yet we Pakistanis Muslims scream over the depiction of the Prophet (PBHUH) in the western media, burn buildings, kill people and block websites in protests but do not raise a single voice when the house of Hazrat Khadija (R.A) is turned into a public toilet block and when the Saudi Islamic affairs ministry declares that “the green dome (of Masjid Nabwi) shall be demolished and the three graves flattened in the Prophet's Masjid".

The time to raise voice against this crime of titanic proportions is now!

US Led Drone Warfare in Pakistan. Strikes or Struck Out

The usage of drone technology by USA inside Pakistan is a hotly debated topic. Supporters of drone attacks cite the death of many Alqaeda and Taliban leaders and the reduction of terrorist attacks inside the Pakistani homeland as an example of the effectiveness of drone strikes. Detractors argue that the collateral damage is far too high for the drone strikes to be permissible and point to the moral dilemma that drone warfare faces.

Nobody denies that religious extremism and fundamentalism is an evil personified by the Taliban and the Alqaeda. Nobody argues that action should not be taken against the militants that are hell bent on the destruction of the fabric of society. Since September 2001, the fight against extremism has been raging on. Although there is no argument that many key terrorists have been killed but we also have to acknowledge that religious extremism has sharply increased rather than decline, which calls into question the USA led war on terror, which ( thanks to USA) has become our war too.

If this war has become ours. If TTP has become our enemy then, do we have to fight this war on the directives and with the assistance of USA, whose own withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan is a case study in strategic failure!

Surely, the enemy we are fighting is not a traditional enemy our operations against them might have reduced their military threat but they have not reduced their zeal to perpetuate terror. How drone strikes counter that shortcoming is anybody’s guess. But look at the bigger picture, there is a collateral damage in the drone strikes involved. That collateral then becomes fodder for the extremists who exploit the havoc wreaked by the drone attacks on civilians to recruit and BRAIN WASH more members and slowly this whole situation degenerates into a vicious circle whose only victim is the innocent civilian who’s killed regardless of a Hellfire Missile or a high velocity shrapnel emanating from the exploding jacket of a suicide bomber. Surely, if the solution to terrorism was a military one then the 11-year long war on terror might have made our world better today.

The drone attacks are one such mistake in a long line of mistakes that have been made when countering the disease of terrorism. To the satisfaction of its supporters, drone attacks produce quick results. Unfortunately, the short-term nature of the attacks is often confused with the rapid availability of results. Hence, important questions regarding the legality and future usage of drone technology has been consigned to the dustbin.  We should have the right to ask our governments that if drones are used a la’ American style, then what sort of precedent does it set up for the future of international military offensives. If USA can, with ease, violate the sovereignty of any country then, can other countries do the same? Can Iran target alleged Jundullah camps in Pakistan or MKO camps inside Iraq? Can India strike Hafiz Saeed in his home by using drones on the oft-used premise that the use of force is in self-defense or an imminent threat.

 Drones cause the local population to live in fear, the psychological toll of the constant fear of drones, the suddenness of a strike, the unseen attacker, may be more damaging to the psyche of the civilians than the battle hardened Taliban.  The argument that drone attacks reduce extremism are baseless because their proponents are sadly confused on the phraseology. Reductions in terrorist attacks do not constitute a reduction in an extremist mindset.

Hence, the question that must be asked is not Can Drones Reduce Terrorism. Rather Can Drones Reduce Terrorist Ideology? An ideology is not some bunker or hideout that could be destroyed by a Hell Fire Missile from the sky. Sadly, the proponents of North Waziristan Operation and drone attacks are similar in mindset to the Taliban who also claim that violence is the only solution. Hence, in my book both are the same. If drone strikes or military operations had been successful, then Malala would not have been attacked in the first place.

The fact that religion inspired terrorism is still alive in Pakistan is a testament to the joint failure of our military and political establishment to come up with a well-defined counter terrorism policy, the nation should be taken into confidence concerning that policy. If Pakistan were given the charge of drone strikes then the situation might have been different. Operations against TTP would have been more successful if it was followed up by commercial development but the rampant corruption, worsening economic situation and trampling of law is a major obstacle in the elimination of terrorism from Pakistan. In that case, drones can be effective against Taliban if they were part of the strategy, not the strategy.

The duplicity of Pakistani Opinion Makers

Stephen Covey once said; The most important ingredient we put into any relationship is not what we say or what we do, but what we are. And if our words and our actions come from superficial human relations techniques (the Personality Ethic) rather than from our own inner core (the Character Ethic), others will sense that duplicity. We simply won't be able to create and sustain the foundation necessary for effective interdependence.

For more than 60 years of its existence Pakistan has been ruled by the elite the rich the capitalist the landlord he affluent or whatever category you might want to assign to this group of people. Name me one instance..one event one government one military establishment where scions of the elite and liberal class did not preside over. How effectively and efficiently they have controlled our masses for 60years one must hand it over to them.

Right from the First president of Pakistan Iskender Mirza to the current president Asif Ali Zardari. From Nadeem F Paracha to Nusrat Javed how many of our journalists businessmen polticians and social workers have reaped the fruits of the western brand of liberalism and present  Janus like two faces to the world. One reserved for the masses and one reserved for their elite friends.

But one must stop here and ask, is it just he fault of our liberal elites that is the root of Pakistan's problems??

No!

A resounding No!! The mullah and fundamentalists championed by such figures as Mufti Mehmood, Shah Noorani, Khawaja Qamar Sialvi and Maulana Maudoodi..these men are as much responsible to the current state of Pakistan as are the liberals capitalists and generals.

So one may ask, which of these ideologies that one should choose in order to make Pakistan a better place to live. Should I follow the generals who although come in power and try to sew up a tattered country but once they depart, they leave the country in a much worse fix.Cases in point- the Ayub, Yahya, Zia and Musharraf Regimes. So should I follow liberals lead by PPP whose incoherent financial planning horrendous economic performance(1.7% GDP growth rate in the1995-96 period) has brought Pakistan to the edge of disaster and who ironically helped prop up the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

Or! Should I follow the religious parties who unholy blending of politics and religion has divided Pakistan along sectarian lines!

Or should  I follow the media who's antics were laid bare in the Malik Riaz Bahria scandal??

They who puport to work for the people and claim to be from the masses but are entirely different personalities behind the scenes, should I believe those duplicitious figures??

NO! I follow none of them becuase none of them represent the Pakistanis per se. Some of them are liberals, some of them are socialists some of them are saudi or iranian aligned religious politicians some are pro India and some are pro USA...but pray, name me one of those so called  political military and religious demagogues who have in actuality, followed the Ideology of Jinnah, the ideology of the founding fathers.

NONE OF THEM!

You people have a problem with my tweeting of the so called scandalous pictures of Marvi Sirmed Mehmal Sarfaraz and Nusrat Javed. You who think that I am breaching privacy ethics. Well, I dont have a problem with their drinking wine or bedding each other..its their life. My problem is their duplictious personalities. How many times havnt I heard Nusrat Javed call upon God,Prophets and their companions to deplore the condition of Islam and Pakistanis and then I see those pictures. I ask you why? Why this duplicity??

It is my dream to hold high office in Pakistan and I dont know if this dream comes true or not but let me make it plain clear. I will purge Pakistan off these two faced monsters, I will cleanse Pakistan, off this extremist filth. I will hunt them down till none of them or descendants remain alive. And then will Pakistan be free of the vermim that are eating away its foundations.

Thankyou for reading my humble blog.

Blog on Malala YousafZai coming soon.

The Casual Vacancy Book Review: A Dark Masterpiece by JK Rowling

The Casual Vacancy

Published: September 27, 2012 Author: J. K. Rowling Genre: Black comedy

Einsjam Rating: 

JK Rowling has done it again. Her new novel Casual Vacancy is a magnificently written piece of literature and one, which will be hotly debated in the coming months. Its language is salacious, its prose is incisive and its delivery is forceful.  By writing Casual Vacancy, JK Rowling has made it clear that her range is not limited to writing fantasy novels only.

J.K.Rowling. A masterful story teller.

Casual Vacancy is the story of a little, apparently idyllic, English village of Pagford, whose façade of calm and serenity actually conceals an ongoing war between its inhabitants.  The novel begins with the death of Barry Fairbrother who is the local councilor from Pagford, a champion of the underrepresented and the disadvantaged inhabitants of The Fields, the nearby council estate, whose very existence is a thorn in the eyes of the well-to-do Pagfordians.  Barry Fairbrother has a tendency to see good in every one and he sees good combined with talent in a young bold and aggressive skank from the Winterdown School named Krystal Weedon and her classmate, a bullied dyslexic girl of Indian parentage, Sukhwinder Jawanda. He motivates them to stun other schools by winning the rowing championship but any hopes of these girls making it big into society vanish with the death of Barry Fairbrother. Upon his death, the old guard of Pagford lead by the Mollison family want to cut the Fields adrift from the council because it’s a drug and crime infested place and a threat to the well to do and superficially peaceful life style of Pagford. They also want to close down the drug addiction prevention institution named Bellchapel Clinic, which they think, is eating up precious government funds by producing no noticeable results in its patients, most of whom are the residents of The Fields. They can only succeed in achieving their objective by getting their candidate elected for the seat left empty by Barry Fairbrother and thus a Casual Vacancy is opened.  But also with Barry’s death, the purposefulness in the lives of Krystal Weedon and Sukhwinder Jawanda is gone.

Soon the ill-disguised racism, alleged child molestation, personal vendettas, corruption, whistle blowing and petty personal grudges push this election into the backdrop and bring forth the simmering hatred in the inhabitants of Pagford for each other. Teenagers are at war with their parents, neighbors at war with each other, white English folk at war with the brown-skinned immigrants and affluent people at war with the poor.

And so in this novel JK Rowling launches into a no holds barred, bold, incisive and brutal attack on the privileged classes who think that they are cut above the rest. The comedy in this novel is black as coal, the language is industrial and the wit is sharp as a Samurai sword. Anguish is etched in plain black letters across the novel and the depiction of human misery is authentic. It has a Dickensian feel to it in the way it shows the harsh reality of life in the recession hit Britain. JK Rowling highlights the gaping holes in the fabric of society, which definitely need to be stitched up.

But in the end, it is a tragedy. A tragedy that leaves you thinking about the flaws in human nature  and the direction in which our society is heading towards. Just like in Harry Potter books, death plays a key role in the novel but unlike the Harry Potter books, this one doesn't only just deals with the death of characters but also the death of dreams of the disadvantaged and the aspiring.

Like all JK Rowling novels, this novel again taught us the importance of seeing good in everything, human compassion and believing in oneself.  If you come out of this novel, having learnt those lessons then JK Rowling will have achieved her objective. I rate this novel  with 4.5 stars, cutting 0.5 for being boring in the beginning. Highly recommended.

Ref: Sketch of Jk Rowling by Niruh

The Article Also Appeared in Express Tribune http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/14156/spoiler-alert-the-casual-vacancy-rowling-shines-again/