Re: I Thought My Ivy League Degrees Would Protect Me From Bigotry. I Was Wrong.
ok.
point made.
Re: I Thought My Ivy League Degrees Would Protect Me From Bigotry. I Was Wrong.
I agree. This is why I can’t take literature written by our well-to-do muslim FB-mipster type activists seriously. They’re disconnected with reality.
Ex. We go on and on about Palestinians. Anyone know of the Jewish girl who got shot by two palestinians in Jurusalem?
What the heck do I expect from the world when our own people won’t behave and follow the very Islam that they’re supposedly defending?
Re: I Thought My Ivy League Degrees Would Protect Me From Bigotry. I Was Wrong.
yes...we definitely "should" speak up for others.....but not all of us are able to. we have to admit that not every single person has the wherewithal or the strength of personality/character that is required to speak for someone else....in short, some people are just meek. does this mean they should forfeit the right to protest if they are victimized? I don't see that as being fair.
yes, if you come across someone that has had the opportunity and the skill to speak up against injustice to others but has failed to do so yet shouts loudly when they are subjected to the same, then perhaps you would have a little less sympathy for them.
I think we are on the same page. I am still confused about the first para - if a person is too meek to stand up for others, I would assume that person woukd be too meek to stand up for himself. If the person is not too meek to stand up for himself, the he shoukd not be too meek to speak up for others.
I agree with your second paragraph.
Re: I Thought My Ivy League Degrees Would Protect Me From Bigotry. I Was Wrong.
I hear you… and I accept that this is the norm in Pakistan.
I was raised with a different value system and so were all the relatives and social circle that we kept in Karachi (of course they were because people normally associate within the same mindset anyway). But I still witnessed the discriminatory attitudes that prevailed. And I still remember my parents not only being vocal about how wrong it was but also leading by example and working to eradicate those prejudices. May Allah reward them for their efforts…they were well ahead of their time and their example gave me the ability to understand that race, religion and financial status are not relevant factors; that everyone on the face of this earth has been put here by the Almighty and deserves the same rights and level of respect.
There are no grey areas in my mind about the discrimination that is faced by minorities in Pakistan. It is wrong and will always be wrong no matter what guise the attitude is wrapped up in.
Other than add my voice to agree with view points like yours’ or show my disdain in other ways for such practices, is there anything else that I can do to better the situation in Pakistan? Until such time as I am able to vote in Pakistan while I am a citizen of Canada, not really. There isn’t much that I can do to bring about real change.
Should that limitation preclude me from the right to protest against injustice where I live? No.
Re: I Thought My Ivy League Degrees Would Protect Me From Bigotry. I Was Wrong.
I think we are on the same page. I am still confused about the first para - if a person is too meek to stand up for others, I would assume that person woukd be too meek to stand up for himself.
No.....a person can find it difficult to stand up for someone else because they may perceive potential danger to exist for themselves if they do so.
But if a person finds his own livelihood or safety in jeopardy then even the meek may find a voice or take action since it falls into the category of self-preservation.
Get it?
A significant enough threat to a person can drive him/her to action.
If the person is not too meek to stand up for himself, the he shoukd not be too meek to speak up for others.
I agree with your second paragraph.
Yes....the key word in your statement above is "should".
Re: I Thought My Ivy League Degrees Would Protect Me From Bigotry. I Was Wrong.
I hear you..... and I accept that this is the norm in Pakistan. I was raised with a different value system and so were all the relatives and social circle that we kept in Karachi (of course they were because people normally associate within the same mindset anyway). But I still witnessed the discriminatory attitudes that prevailed. And I still remember my parents not only being vocal about how wrong it was but also leading by example and working to eradicate those prejudices. May Allah reward them for their efforts...they were well ahead of their time and their example gave me the ability to understand that race, religion and financial status are not relevant factors; that everyone on the face of this earth has been put here by the Almighty and deserves the same rights and level of respect.
There are no grey areas in my mind about the discrimination that is faced by minorities in Pakistan. It is wrong and will always be wrong no matter what guise the attitude is wrapped up in.
Other than add my voice to agree with view points like yours' or show my disdain in other ways for such practices, is there anything else that I can do to better the situation in Pakistan? Until such time as I am able to vote in Pakistan while I am a citizen of Canada, not really. There isn't much that I can do to bring about real change.
Should that limitation preclude me from the right to protest against injustice where I live? No.
i would say that your parents were definitely well ahead of the time and like you said, May Allah reward them for their efforts. I am saying this because i know how hard it to stand up for minorities in our society since our society unfortunately punishes and ridicules you instead of rewarding you should you decide to stand for minorities. you are labeled among your relatives and friends as a "moral dramaybaz" or a "weird guy".
And like i said in my earlier post, I am absolutely not providing excuses to accept any form of discrimination towards us. we shd resist it at any cost but when we are discriminated, we should also promise ourselves not to practice this back-home either.
and you asked what can we do? i would say how about doing those small small things that all of us can do in Pakistan. Like i said in my other post how about we stop our mother, aunt or mother in law from mistreating christian workers or any kam karnay walie at home next time. Stop your father or brother or friends saying bad things about qadyanis/jews/hindus from social perspective. Do not discrminate any resume for racial or ethinic basis no matter what. Hire a qadyani/christian if he is the best guy for the job. These are very simple things that we can do and will collectively make some difference.
Re: I Thought My Ivy League Degrees Would Protect Me From Bigotry. I Was Wrong.
No.....a person can find it difficult to stand up for someone else because they may perceive potential danger to exist for themselves if they do so. But if a person finds his own livelihood or safety in jeopardy then even the meek may find a voice or take action since it falls into the category of self-preservation. Get it? A significant enough threat to a person can drive him/her to action.
Yes....the key word in your statement above is "should".
I agree. Didn't think of your previous posts first para that way. But I get it now.
(PS - the grand poobah title - now I understand why it was bestowed )
Re: I Thought My Ivy League Degrees Would Protect Me From Bigotry. I Was Wrong.
......and you asked what can we do? i would say how about doing those small small things that all of us can do in Pakistan. Like i said in my other post how about we stop our mother, aunt or mother in law from mistreating christian workers or any kam karnay walie at home next time. Stop your father or brother or friends saying bad things about qadyanis/jews/hindus from social perspective. Do not discrminate any resume for racial or ethinic basis no matter what. Hire a qadyani/christian if he is the best guy for the job. These are very simple things that we can do and will collectively make some difference.
Completely and wholeheartedly agree.
We can and should do this no matter where we live.