I came across the following in the PA forum. I’d like the input of those in and outside Pakistan and also from fist time, potential or infrequent visitors:
**Apart from the panoply of religion-oriented programmes in the electronic and print media - Na’at khwani, sermonizing etc. - their loud echoes are heard even at the arrival/departure lounges of major airports. These would be enough to give a wrong message to newly arriving foreign passengers.
Shouldn’t something be done to dispense with the practice without undue delay? I don’t remember having heard or seen such programmes at the Dubai, Abu Dhabi airports. Unless the problem is attacked at the source, it would stay. **
What would be your initial reaction? What would be your assumptions based on the above as you enter a country or do you even notice what’s playing? (I think some Arabic tunes play at the Dubai Airport. but then again Dubai may not be a a good example).
Personally, I sense a change in the seasons or holidays by the change in music that’s played everywhere.. what would you think about a society that’s fixed on a solo religious track on repeat?
Are we talking about azaans played through loudspeakers? I don't have a problem with it, I have always thought it gave character to Pakistan and other muslim countries. I don't like seeing maulvis serminising on ptv though. Most of them have bad teeth and generally don't relate anything of use to the current world.
The writer of the article is over-worrying about what a foreigner would think. It's not really the problem, they will go home without it affecting them so no big deal IMO.
Apparently there was a debate on geo recently about how areas with excessive religiosity in some areas of Punjab are the same areas with the highest levels of illegal immigration.
** In the recent stream of illegal ‘returnees’ from the Gulf, Turkey and Sri Lanka, the largest number were from the most religious city of Pakistan, Gujranwala, where they lock up musicians and artistes in the name of Islam. *** link
this is what i call 'Talebinization' of Pakistan.. take a look back and we were not this society with such emphasis on bringing everyone in line with our own religious thinkings..
Allah poochay General Zia koa.. iqtidaar kee khatir pooree quom ka huliya bigarR diya..
^^PA are you blaming Zia for all the ills of Pakistan? That does not seem fair. True, a lot of problems can be attributed to Zia and his policies but it has been some years now since he was killed. Pakistani people had plent of time and chances to change/reject the policies put in place by Zia. I dont think you can keep on blaming him for today's problems.
Well if we can keep on blaming the British for colonizing half of the world and creating lopsided boundaries across the fallen Ottoman Empire and cite it as the primary reason for the oppressed state of the 'Ummah' in general.. i can certainly blame Zia whose policies are definitely not history yet.
If anyone cares to investigate, Pakistan wasn't like this pre military rules.. we were really forward looking and progressive in the fifties and even sixties..
The current military rule is slightly different.. and yes given a few more tenures like these we may see a shift back to normalcy.. until then.. we'd be stcuck arguing whether to present our 'Muslim' face or just 'Pakistani' face as a welcome to whoever steps into our land.
PA bhaijan, I think we should present our Muslim face, because that is what we are. This does not mean that we should have Naat's and hamads played at the airports.
You will have to define "forward looking" and "progressive" pakistanis of 50s and 60s. I know one that was there in the 70's ZAB.
bhaijaan, tell that to the Hindus, Christians, Parsi, Sikhs and other non-Muslims living in Pakistan... we are Pakistanis.. we are free to practice whatever religion but let's not thrust it on everyone.
I was more talking about the whole societal transformation of a nation that used to be focused on being more Pakistani to the shameful period where religion was forced down the throat of the entire nation in an organized fashion... we're still reaping what the dictator sowed.. seeds of hatred among different factions.. fundamentalism, tribalisim, sectarianism and a whole lot of other isms..
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by PakistaniAbroad: *
bhaijaan, tell that to the Hindus, Christians, Parsi, Sikhs and other non-Muslims living in Pakistan... we are Pakistanis.. we are free to practice whatever religion but let's not thrust it on everyone.
[/QUOTE]
do u mean to say they r not pakistani's.
then i think u urself is not a pakistani in that ur pakistani abroad.
good logic bhai.
great thoughts.
i didnt get what u were about to tell except that u don consider other religion as citizens of pakistan.
I beleive i would love to hear those bell sounds from shoulan temples if i m going to visit Tibet, out side the air port if i see those religious ppl in those kinda red dress, followers of Budha.
Or church bells, it all feels good, knowing about other cultures & beleif’s.
I wonder why would it be a problem, arriving at Muslim country’s air port if, one hears the sound of Azaan.
^^
i agree its great to see other cultures religions and beliefs in full swing esp. when its immediately at the airport,
i dont have a problem with Islam, what i do have a problem is the idea of what Islam is many pakistani ppl have put forward
many of those speeches, if they arent to do with us, improving ourselves, or current issues and famous teachings, basically anything other than the Quran and sunnah i dont give them much importance at all
According to ‘Jang’ (6 November 2003), serial killer of two dancing girls of Gujranwala, Maulvi Muhammad Sarwar would go scot-free because witnesses who had earlier deposed against him had all recanted. He was now only wanted in one case of injuring a dancing girl called Musarrat after an attempt to murder her. Moved by religious passion, Maulvi Sarwar went around catching dancing girls outside cinema halls, theatres and hotels and shot them to death. He shot Sajida alias Dabbi outside a hotel with his pistol but now the witnesses had recanted owing to Sarwar’s priestly status. He had also murdered Razia Bilqis and in that case too the witness had recanted because of the city’s new moral drive. According to ‘Nawa-e-Waqt’ he will now face two cases in Lahore on the same charges.
It is a Gujranwala phenomenon and it first started when the strongmen of the city began preparing youths for jihad on payment of money from various quarters. The first victims of this armed Islamic revival appeared when the Sunni Tehreek raised its head in the city. A family of Christians was targeted under the Blasphemy Law. Then other hardline Islamists got attracted to the city. A local maulvi was responsible for getting a ‘hafiz’ of Quran murdered by a mob by instigating them on the mosque loudspeaker. The latest trend is being unleashed by the magistracy against the seven theatres that offer entertainment to a city population that is sick of excessive zealotry of those who control it. The magistrates order the police stations to raid the theatres and arrest female artistes singing there. At least in one incident the actresses were brought to the bedroom of the magistrate.
