[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by laeeqkhan: *
How come you never captured or martyred any kids in Kashmir? Seems like dialytimes is owned by you.
[/QUOTE]
It happens on a daily basis.
Go to Yahoo News and check out the Reuters/AP/AFP photos of the jihadis who get killed everyday. Virtually every other one of them is a teenager from Punjab or Karachi.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Talwar: *
It happens on a daily basis.
Go to Yahoo News and check out the Reuters/AP/AFP photos of the jihadis who get killed everyday. Virtually every other one of them is a teenager from Punjab or Karachi.
[/QUOTE]
How unjust! Instead of realizing the root cause - injustice to Kashmiris, you are going crazy about jihad and only jihad. Nobody loves to die until you push them to the corner. What about your army and your govt. policies?
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by laeeqkhan: *
How unjust! Instead of realizing the root cause - injustice to Kashmiris, you are going crazy about jihad and only jihad. Nobody loves to die until you push them to the corner. What about your army and your govt. policies?
[/QUOTE]
Let Kashmiris fight if they want to. What are Punjabis and Pushtoons doing there?
Also. who gave you *thekedaari * to send kids to Chechnya, Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia?
The root cause here is a bunch of bigoted people breeding kids with tales of real or imagined injustice and turning them into killing machines.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Talwar: *
Let Kashmiris fight if they want to. What are Punjabis and Pushtoons doing there?
Also. who gave you *thekedaari * to send kids to Chechnya, Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia?
The root cause here is a bunch of bigoted people breeding kids with tales of real or imagined injustice and turning them into killing machines.
[/QUOTE]
You are so close minded that you never will understand the concept of univeral Islamic brotherhood. How many times do we have to tell Indians that religion supercedes ethnicity for us. So learn some other stuff also instead of goolgling about jihad and anti pakistan stuff 24/7. and yes we are Kashmir's thakedars. It is an unfinished partition issue. Either Kashmir will be free or India as a whole would break.
Kashmir's freedom is used as a red herring by Pakistan. Kashmir was free until the start of 1948, when Pakistan tried to absorb it. The real issue is that Pakistan wants Kashmir and so does India. We all know how 'Azad', 'Azad Kashmir' is. LK, in theory it is true that Islam supercedes ethnicity for Muslims, but the reality is different.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by laeeqkhan: *
You are so close minded that you never will understand the concept of univeral Islamic brotherhood. How many times do we have to tell Indians that religion supercedes ethnicity for us. So learn some other stuff also instead of goolgling about jihad and anti pakistan stuff 24/7. and yes we are Kashmir's thakedars. It is an unfinished partition issue. Either Kashmir will be free or India as a whole would break.
[/QUOTE]
You Ummah types are such hypocrites. If Ummah is real, why do some Muslim countries refuse visas to Pakistanis? Heck why do they even have visas? Why did Bangladesh separate from Pakistan? Why are Bihari Muslims stranded in Bangladesh? Will you allow them to stay in your home in the name of Islamic solidarity? Why are sunnis killing shias and vice versa? Will you be okay for a Turkish person to steal Pakistan's nuclear secrets? How about you give me 100 bills in Saudi currency and take 100 Somali currency notes in the name of Ummah? Are you okay with that?
You live in a world where states have borders where their laws end and others' begin. You cannot train your youth to go all over the world to chop heads and fire grenades. If you do so, don't act surprised when the world reacts to it.
You cannot simply use Ummah when convenient and discard it otherwise.
Now let us get back to the topic.
Chachoo sir jee - awaiting your response to my above post.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Talwar: *
You Ummah types are such hypocrites. If Ummah is real, why do some Muslim countries refuse visas to Pakistanis? Heck why do they even have visas? Why did Bangladesh separate from Pakistan? Why are Bihari Muslims stranded in Bangladesh? Will you allow them to stay in your home in the name of Islamic solidarity? Why are sunnis killing shias and vice versa? Will you be okay for a Turkish person to steal Pakistan's nuclear secrets? How about you give me 100 bills in Saudi currency and take 100 Somali currency notes in the name of Ummah? Are you okay with that?
You live in a world where states have borders where their laws end and others' begin. You cannot train your youth to go all over the world to chop heads and fire grenades. If you do so, don't act surprised when the world reacts to it.
You cannot simply use Ummah when convenient and discard it otherwise.
Now let us get back to the topic.
Chachoo sir jee - awaiting your response to my above post.
[/QUOTE]
Mr. i am not saying we live in a utopia. I never said we are the best today. Yes what I believ in is the real and the most perfect way - Islam. This does not mean I am not human. Yes humans are not perfect and do make mistakes. Yes today the ummah is divided. Yes we have problems of our own. This does not mean we just throw away the concept. There is a difference in what ought to be an dwhat really is. So for now we Muslims try to work towards that goal where there will be peace all over the world.
I am confident calling for the relaity and the truth does not make one a hypocrite.
Abay Talwar mian now I understand what you were refering to in your earlier post… I did not read the full article I just read the highlights that were posed in this thread and my responses were to those highlights…. That actually brings up an interesting point though, these are the types of highlights that defines generalization in its true sense, and creates hate and misconception in the minds of readers who don’t understand and don’t want to understand what the real problem is… but this is a totally different issue…
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The problems is not in teaching jihad, but in what else you teach and in what context you teach it.
This report and countless others prove that in Pakistani madrassas, jihad is taught along with military training and hatred of other faiths.
You teach a kid that violent jihad is justified to protect Muslims and then tell him that so and so other religions are oppressing Muslims and then next day you teach him how to fire AKs and Grenade launchers - what you have is a terrorist training school.
[/quote]
Nothing wrong in teaching Jihad and with military training for civilians…. , you never know when your ass might be on the line to defend your country, people, and above all your family and faith. Context, now that is where I think you do have a point. I don’t know much about the Madrasa system neither I have done any research on it.. but the general trend does show that there something wrong in the way these madrasas are being run… I have met very few people who are actually capable of teaching Islam and its values… I don’t doubt that a good majority of these madrasas are under the wrong influences…
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Ever wonder why jihadi groups from Indonesia to Turkey to Australia to the US send recruits to study in Pakistan?
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Yes, I do… and there are many answers and part of it is described above and the other part that everyone conveniently ignores is that what was the root of all this… why did it all start, who funded them, who backed them, and then who abandoned them without a plan… the unstable political & economical systems in Pakistan was exploited since day one and it is still being exploited and problems like these will keep on cropping up if the root causes are not acknowledged and addressed… getting rid of the problems and symptoms doesn’t do much, you have to go after the root cause…
Ever wonder what is the root cause?
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Worked on by who? Your government isn't doing anything. How many jihadi tanzeems in Pakistan have as their aims to pursue peaceful struggle?
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The only option is it has to be addressed by the people and government of Pakistan with planning, not by butchering people and by allowing others (non-Pakistanis) to intervene in their internal affairs… that is where things go wrong and I don’t have to show you the examples, just look around…. You give them violence, you encourage them and then one day you ask them to stop without any plan… and then when the don’t you start killing them, what did you expect? As far as governments not doing anything about it… none of the governments on the face of he earth including Manmohan Singh’s government does everything right and per public demands… you have to keep at it and struggle for it… but has to come from the people and people need awareness and that is where we are making progress… it is a slow process…
[quote]
Misleading argument.
Everyone has had to go through a rutta/rote curriculum. But what subjects you are forced to memorize is the key. I had to memorize history of europe, the water cycle and the pythagoras theorem. But these kids learn from one particular sect's version of the Quran which has very little place for other faiths and teaches them that things are black and white - they are good, others are evil, it is up to them to take up arms and avenge the injustice.
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My response was strictly based on the highlight that the little kids rocking back and forth memorizing Quran without understating the meaning of it… Quran is the same for all sects at least the majority 99% of them… I don’t know what versions of Quran you have seen but go look it up and see how many sects have customized to suit their agenda…
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Rutta-ing of science however doesn't produce terrorists.
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Good, at least we agree on something.
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They are not just talking about the Quran. Read carefully. They are referring to the Dars-i-Nizamiya curriculum which does not equip a student with the skills needed for modern society. The Dars was developed under Aurangzeb's rule in Mughal India and it was meant to train students to become Maulanas. But in Pakistan, millions are being trained under this curriculum of which only a miniscule percentage go on to become clerics.
[/quote]
Like I said I did not read the whole article I just read the highlights posted in this thread but thank you for pointing it out…
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What happens to the rest? What skills do they have to make money and feed their families? Is it any wonder that most of them, already full of distorted views on the world, easily join jihadi tanzeems which guarantee them money and provide work?
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Ever wonder why the poorest and most neglected neighborhoods in US have the highest crimes and drug issues… same issues here.. so instead of killing them, mocking them, and locking them in jails address their issues.
[quote]
1. There are about 25,000 to 40,000 madrassas in Pakistan. That number is increasing rapidly as time passes. (Many sources including World Bank reports, ICG reports etc.)
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MashaAllah, that is a good sign, just need to have a little control over what is being taught their…. Government needs to take an active role in establishing and running, and monitoring them. Kids need to go to school if govt. can’t provide them that they will find other ways.
[quote]
2. At any time, there are between 1.5 million and 3 million students in Pakistani madrassas. Of these, only a small percentage (less than 5%) go on to become religious scholars. (Same sources as above.)
[/quote]
That is ok, the goal of madrasa should not be to just produce religious scholars… it is to learn about religion and also how to become a productive member of the society.
[quote]
3. About 15% of Pakistani madrassas impart military training and/or are involved in violence. (Source Pak govt and World Bank)
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Don’t like the violence part but nothing wrong with military training for reasons mentioned earlier in this post.
[quote]
4. To date, less than 300 of Pakistani madrassas have even registered under government proposed curriculum. In Jan 2002, Musharraf said that all will be registered by March 29, 2002. Nothing has happened yet.
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That is a shame…
[quote]
5. Pakistan govt has not closed any jihadi group affiliated madrassa to date, despite many Al Qaeda suspects being arrested from those places
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Ever wonder why? I mean US is twisting the arm of Mush to do everything and they can’t ask him to close these madrasas… is there more to it than what just meets the eye?
[quote]
6. Pakistan government has so far not passed or enforced any law to monitor the madrassa finances and their ties to jihadi or sectarian groups
[/quote]
That is a shame and that has to change…
[quote]
Can you now understand the magnitude of the problem?
[/QUOTE]
Absolutely…. understood it loud and clear even before your post and this thread...
What did the SDPI report say about the curriculum that dictates the writing of our textbooks in the provinces? A 2002 directive from the Curriculum Wing for Pakistan Studies went on to define the following learning objectives: “Develop understanding of Hindu-Muslim differences and need for Pakistan (Class IV); Hindu-Muslim differences in culture, India’s evil designs against Pakistan; identify the events in relation to Hindu-Muslim differences”. How did the textbooks respond to these directions? The SDPI report tells us that in the Class V textbook prepared by Punjab there is a sentence that says “Hindu has always been an enemy of Islam”; a Class IV textbook said “The religion of the Hindus did not teach them good things, Hindus did not respect women”; a Class VI textbook said “the Hindus lived in small and dark houses. Child marriage was common in those days. Women were assigned a low position in society, in case a man died his wife was burnt alive with him, the killing of shudras was not punished, but the killing of a brahmin was severely punished, caste system made people’s lives miserable”.
The “hate material” goes on: “Hindus thought that there was no country other than India nor any other people other than Indians, nor did anyone possess any knowledge”; [a cooked-up story titled The Enemy Pilot] stated that “he had been taught to have no pity on Muslims, to always bother the neighbouring Muslims, to weaken them to the extent that they forget about freedom, and that it is better to finish off the enemy. He remembered that the Hindus tried to please the goddess Kali by slaughtering people of other religions, they regarded everybody else as untouchables. He knew that his country India had attacked Pakistan in the dead of the night to bleed Pakistani Muslims and to dominate the entire Subcontinent” (Class VI, Punjab). “The Hindus who had always been opportunists cooperated with the British” (Class VI, Punjab). The Class VI books generally speak inaccurately about the nature of All-India Congress, seeking to convince the children that the party was Hindu, was close to the British and prevented them for doing anything in favour of the Muslims.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_8-12-2004_pg3_1
Kudos to Mohammad Shehzad for saying this. It take guts. Mr. Shehzad substantiates my point that for peace in South Asia, Pakistan govt must promptly and completely clean up what it teaches its kids.
From the December 16 issue of Kashmir Images, at http://www.kashmirimages.info/
The site does not archive, so posting in full.
Why Indo-Pak friendship is not possible? - 1
Mohammad Shehzad
The current India-Pak relations compel even the most pessimistic minds to raise a question i.e. are India and Pakistan really moving towards forging friendship with each other. The hawks on both sides believe that friendship between the two countries is not possible. The Pakistani hawks say it without mincing words-‘a Hindu can never be your friend.’ This sentence has been echoing in my minds since 1987 when I was a student of B Sc at Federal Government Degree College H-9. My Zoology professor Mr Waheed ud Din said to the class that we should be careful from the Hindus because ‘a Hindu can never be your friend.’
I never bought this argument and always maintained that friendship is beyond religion. As a matter of fact, my parents were saved by a Hindu family during the riots of 1947. My mother Raisa Fatima has passed away. My father Gulzar Ahmad is 62 now. He would often recall the partition. He was in Kalyana, near Dera Dhoon. He was only 5 at that time. On the morning of August 14, 1947, his Hindu neighbor told my grandfather (my father’s father) that Sikh rioters would attack Kalyana in the evening. The neighbor advised my grandfather that he should take refuge in his house along with the entire family. My grandfather did so. The Sikhs attacked Kalyana and massacred the entire population. My father tells me that the streets were full of Holy Koran’s torn papers.
A Muslim had five daughters. Sikha murdered all of them. My father saw their bodies mutilated with the cuts of swords. I would not have been writing this column had that Hindu neighbor not saved the life of my father, grandfather and the rest of the family. ‘How could we have thanked them?’ asks my father from himself.
‘The Sikhs had torched our house and destroyed all the property. My mother had brought her Singer’s sewing machine with her while moving to the house of the Hindu family. She gifted that machine to that Hindu family who had saved our life, while leaving their house,’ says my father. That’s my father’s real story. Now I tell you my own story. When I got married, God blessed me with a beautiful son. He was only a few months old. All of a sudden he fell seriously ill. I took him to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences. He was in a life-threatening situation. You know who looked after him? A Hindu doctor! Dr Jai Krishan! Jai nursed him and saved Osaama-my son. He was out of danger.
In the last week of August, I visited India. On way back from Bhopal, I fell sick. I had high fever. I was not in my country. You know who nursed me? A Hindu woman! A married Hindu woman. She brought food and medicine for me. She fed me from her own hands. I recovered very quickly-with the help of medicines and her loving care. How could one say that a Hindu can never be a Muslim’s friend? So many Hindus were saved by the Muslims and vice versa during the partition.
It is the establishment that spearheads such propaganda which promotes hatred among the people of the two countries. Very recently, a professor of sociology at Allama Iqbal Open University was found defending the two-nation theory. We, the students had to give him our piece of mind. We told him that he should teach us sociology, not the two-nation theory. He then realized that we were not school going kids whom he could have brainwashed.
**I am of the opinion that friendship between India and Pakistan is impossible not because of the absurd Hindu-Muslim philosophy but because of the indoctrination that we perpetuate to create hatred between the people. From textbooks to non-curriculum books, we have tons of material that preaches hatred against the Hindus and India. As long as we will not destroy such material, take steps to change the existing mindsets, and lay down a new foundation of friendship with India, things are not going to change. **
I recently came across a book on the Hindu religion. The book has been written by a rabid extremist-Amir Hamza, who is known among the jihadi circles as the intellectual supremo of Jamatud Dawa [JD], the defunct Lashkar-e-Taiba. The book came out in June 1998. From the excerpts, one could understand why friendship between the two countries is not possible and what are the problems in this effect.
The preface has been written by Hafiz Saeed, Amir, JD. Excerpts:
‘There is no authentic book on Hinduism. It has been portrayed as a religion of philosophy. But in fact, Hinduism is a conundrum. The preachers of Hinduism will ask the people to just follow the Hinduism blindly without asking any question. That is why, in the Hinduism, people are asked to worship idols. They are taught to be afraid of fairies. They are taught to believe in superstitions. Amir Hamza has exposed the true face of Hinduism in this short book. Today, Lashkare Taiba is fighting jihad with the Hindus, therefore, we should link jihad with religion and in this effect target the Hinduism.’ p3, 4
Introduction by Amir Hamza:
‘Hinduism is the enemy of Islam. Hindus are the enemy of the Muslims. Whereas, Islam is the friend of its enemies. It extends hands of friendship to them but the friendship is impossible unless the enemy comes into the fold of Islam.’ p8
‘The Hindus are extremely jealous of the Muslims. Wherever they would see prosperous Muslims, they would destroy their shops, torch their property and occupy their business. This does not happen in Islam. The faith of the Muslims is whoever would work hard, will get the reward from Allah.’ p12
‘The Hindu confectioners would think that they would become polluted and defile if they would be touched by a Muslim. They would not take money from their own hand from the Muslim customers. They would use a wooden pot that would have a handle. They would ask the Muslim buyers to put the money in the pot. One day, my hand touched the hand of the Hindu confectioner. He became furious and starting abusing me. From that day on, I decided never to buy anything from any Hindu shopkeeper.’ p13-14
‘Whereas, our religion does not believe in such discriminations. It is extremely liberal and open and tolerant. Islam allows the Muslims to eat in the crockery of the non-Muslims in which they would cook pork and drink alcoholic beverages.’
‘A shoodar [untouchable Hindu] would fetch honey with his own hands and the Hindus would not mind eating it but at the same time, they would not allow him to enter their house or share the dining table with him. In fact, the Hindus have been changing their religious books. Lord Krishan has been fighting against the injustice and social divide but Geeta [the religious book of the Hindus] endorses the class difference as part of religion.’ p15
‘The festival of Holi [the festival of colors] teaches the Hindus the lesson of oneness of Allah but the so-called preachers of Hinduism have distorted the true message of Holi. The festival of holi is celebrated to commemorate Pehlak who fought with a tyrant ruler Harnakash. The latter put Pehlak into fire but he remained safe. In fact, Pehlak in the Hindu mythology is the Prophet Ibrahim who was put into fire and he remained safe.’
‘The Hindu celebrate Holi with the red color. In fact, they would like to celebrate Holi with the blood of the Muslims. They have been celebrating the Holi with the Muslims’ blood since Pakistan’s creation. They massacre the Muslims in riots. They are massacring the Kashmiri Muslims in the Occupied Kashmir.’
‘Now look at the difference of treatment to minorities in the two countries. In India, the Muslim minority is being slaughtered, whereas, in Pakistan the Hindu minority enjoy the full rights and freedom. In Sindh, I have several friends who are very rich businessmen. I eat with them and they tell me that Hinduism is a biased religion and the class difference is the mastermind of the so-called custodians of Hinduism.’ p26
‘The Hindus have been tampering with their religious book. Allah has sent a holy messenger with a holy book to every tribe. Allah also sent a messenger and a book to the Hindus but the so-called custodians of Hinduism tampered with it to further their vested interests. The Hindus hated their enemies and declared them shoodar [untouchable caste]. The holy book that Allah gave to the Hindus was Vaid which was badly tampered. It now has four versions! The then rulers bribed the religious figures and they changed the teachings of Vaid. The original Vaid discusses the Holy Prophet, oneness of Allah, etc. At the rulers’ behest, the religious figures masterminded the class system in the Hinduism. Earlier, the Hinduism was just like Islam.’ p30.
(to be continued)
Re: “Pak Studies” was taught in a very very biased way.
http://www.dawn.com/weekly/dmag/dmag1.htm
The myth of history
By Prof Shahida Kazi
History is a discipline that has never been taken seriously by anyone in Pakistan. As a result, the subject has been distorted in such a way that many a fabricated tale has become part of our collective consciousness.
Does mythology have anything to do with history? Is mythology synonymous with history? Or is history mythology?
Admittedly, the line between the two is a very fine one. From time immemorial, man has always been in search of his roots. He has also been trying to find a real and tangible basis for the legends of ancient days - legends that have become a part of our collective consciousness. As a result, we witness the quest for proving the existence of King Arthur, the search for whereabouts of the city of Troy, and many expeditions organized to locate the exact site of the landing of Noah’s Ark.
During the '60s and the '70s, there was a worldwide movement to prove that the ‘gods’ of ancient mythologies did actually exist; they came from distant galaxies; and that mankind owed all its progress to such alien superheroes. Several books were written on the subject.
We, in Pakistan, are a breed apart. Lacking a proper mythology like most other races, we have created our own, populated by a whole pantheon of superheroes who have a wide range of heroic exploits to their credit.
But the difference is that these superheroes, instead of being a part of a remote and prehistoric period, belong very much to our own times. A seemingly veritable mythology has been created around these heroes, their persona and their achievements, which is drummed into the heads of our children from the time they start going to school. So deep is this indoctrination that any attempt to uncover the facts or reveal the truth is considered nothing less than blasphemous.
Here are some of the most common myths:
Myth 1
Our history begins from 712AD, when Mohammad bin Qasim arrived in the subcontinent and conquered the port of Debal.
Take any social studies or Pakistan studies book, it starts with Mohammad bin Qasim. What was there before his arrival? Yes, cruel and despotic Hindu kings like Raja Dahir and the oppressed and uncivilized populace anxiously waiting for a ‘liberator’ to free them from the clutches of such cruel kings. And when the liberator came, he was welcomed with open arms and the grateful people converted to Islam en mass.
Did it really happen? This version of our history conveniently forgets that the area where our country is situated has had a long and glorious history of 6,000 years. Forget Moenjo Daro. We do not know enough about it. But recorded history tells us that before Mohammad Bin Qasim, this area, roughly encompassing Sindh, Punjab and some parts of the NWFP, was ruled by no less than 12 different dynasties from different parts of the world, including the Persians (during the Achamaenian period), the Greeks comprising the Bactrians, Scthians and Parthians, the Kushanas from China, and the Huns (of Attila fame) who also came from China, besides a number of Hindu dynasties including great rulers like Chandragupta Maurya and Asoka.
During the Gandhara period, this region had the distinction of being home to one of the biggest and most important universities of the world at our very own Taxila. We used to be highly civilized, well-educated, prosperous, creative and economically productive people, and many countries benefited a lot from us, intellectually as well as economically. This is something we better not forget. But do we tell this to our children? No. And so the myth continues from generation to generation.
Myth 2
Mohammad Bin Qasim came to India to help oppressed widows and orphan girls.
Because of our blissful ignorance of history, we don’t know, or don’t bother to know, that this period was the age of expansion of the Islamic empire. The Arabs had conquered a large portion of the world, comprising the entire Middle East, Persia, North Africa and Spain. Therefore, it defies logic that they would not seek to conquer India, the land of legendary treasures.
In fact, the Arabs had sent their first expedition to India during Hazrat Umar Farooq’s tenure. A subsequent expedition had come to Makran during Hazrat Usman’s rule. But they had been unsuccessful in making any in-roads into the region. Later on, following the refusal of the king to give compensation for the ships captured by pirates (which incidentally included eight ships full of treasures from Sri Lanka, and not just women and girls), two expeditions had already been sent to India, but they proved unsuccessful. It was the third expedition brought by Mohammad Bin Qasim which succeeded in capturing Sindh, from Mansura to Multan. However, because of the Arabs’ internal dissension and political infighting, Sindh remained a neglected outpost of the Arab empire, and soon reverted to local kings.
Myth 3
The myth of the idol-breaker.
Mahmood Ghaznavi, the great son of Islam and idol-breaker par excellence, took upon himself to destroy idols all over India and spread Islam in the subcontinent.
Mahmud, who came from neighbouring Ghazni, Central Asia, invaded India no less than 17 times. But except Punjab, he made no attempt to conquer any other part of the country or to try and consolidate his rule over the rest of India. In fact, the only thing that attracted him was the treasures of India, gold and precious stones, of which he took care and carried back home a considerable amount every time he raided the country. Temples in India were a repository of large amounts of treasure at the time, as were the churches in Europe, hence his special interest in temples and idols.
Contrary to popular belief, it was not the kings, the Central Asian sultans who ruled for over 300 years and the Mughals who ruled for another 300 years, who brought Islam to the subcontinent. That work was accomplished by the Sufi Sheikhs who came to India mainly to escape persecution from the fundamentalists back home, and who, through their high-mindedness, love for humanity, compassion, tolerance and simple living won the hearts of the people of all religions.
Myth 4
The myth of the cap-stitcher.
Of all the kings who have ruled the subcontinent, the one singled out for greatest praise in our text books is Aurangzeb, the last of the great Mughals. Baber built the empire; Humayun lost it and got it back; Akbar expanded and consolidated it; Jahangir was known for his sense of justice; Shahjehan for his magnificent buildings. But it is Aurangzeb, known as a pious man, who grabs the most attention. The prevalent myth is that he did not spend money from the treasury for his personal needs, but fulfilled them by stitching caps and copying out the Holy Quran. Is there any real need for discussing this assertion? Anyone who’s least bit familiar with the Mughal lifestyle would know how expensive it was to maintain their dozens of palaces. The Mughals used to have many wives, children, courtiers, concubines and slaves who would be present in each palace, whose needs had to be met. Could such expenses be met by stitching caps? And even if the king was stitching caps, would people buy them and use them as ordinary caps? Would they not pay exorbitant prices for them and keep them as heirlooms? Would a king, whose focus had to be on military threats surrounding him from all sides and on the need to save and consolidate a huge empire, have the time and leisure to sit and stitch caps? Let’s not forget that the person we are referring to as a pious Muslim was the same who became king after he imprisoned his won father in a cell in his palace and killed all his brothers to prevent them from taking over the throne.
Myth 5
It was the Muslims who were responsible for the war of 1857; and it was the Muslims who bore the brunt of persecution in the aftermath of the war, while the Hindus were natural collaborators of the British.
It is true that more Muslim regiments than Hindu rose up against the British in 1857. But the Hindus also played a major role in the battle (the courageous Rani of Jhansi is a prime example); and if Muslim soldiers were inflamed by the rumour that the cartridges were laced with pig fat, in the case of Hindus, the rumour was that it was cow fat. And a large number of Muslims remained loyal to the British to the very end. (The most illustrious of them being Sir Syed Ahmed Khan.)
Furthermore, the Muslims did not lose their empire after 1857. The British had already become masters of most of India before that time, having grasped vast territories from both Hindu and Muslim rulers through guile and subterfuge.
The Mughal emperor at the time was a ruler in name only; his jurisdiction did not extend beyond Delhi. After 1857, the Hindus prospered, because they were clever enough to acquire modern education, learn the English language, and take to trade and commerce. The Muslims were only land owners, wedded to the dreams of the past pomp and glory, and when their lands were taken away, they were left with nothing; their madressah education and proficiency in Persian proved to be of no help. As a matter of fact, it was a hindrance in such changing times.
Myth 6
The Muslims were in the forefront of the struggle against the British and were singled out for unfair treatment by the latter.
Not at all. In fact, the first ‘gift’ given to the Muslims by the British was in 1905 in the form of partition of Bengal (later revoked in 1911). The Shimla delegation of 1906 has rightly been called a ‘command performance’; the Muslims were assured by the viceroy of separate electorates and weightage as soon as their leaders asked for them. After that, he Muslim League came into being, established by pro-British stalwarts like the Aga Khan, Justice Amir Ali, some other nawabs and feudal lords. And the first objective of the Muslim League manifesto read: “To promote feelings of loyalty to the British government.”
The Muslim League never carried out any agitation against the British. The only time the Muslims agitated was during the Khilafat Movement in the early '20s, led by the Ali brothers and other radical leaders. Not a single Muslim League leader, including the Quaid-i-Azam, ever went to jail. It was the Congress which continued the anti-British non-violent and non-cooperation movement in the '30s and '40s, including the famous ‘Quit India’ movement, while Muslim League leaders continued to denounce such movements and exhorted their followers not to take part in them.
Myth 7
The Muslim League was the only representative body of the Muslims.
It is an incontrovertible fact that it was only after 1940 that the Muslim League established itself as a popular party among the Muslims. Prior to that, as evident in the 1937 elections, the Muslim League did not succeed in forming the government in any of the Muslim majority provinces. In those elections, out of the total of 482 Muslim seats, the Muslim League won only 103 (less than one-fourth of the total). Other seats went either to Congress Muslims or to nationalist parties such as the Punjab Unionist Party, the Sind Unionist Party and the Krishak Proja Party of Bengal.
Myth 8
Allama Iqbal was the first person to come up with the idea of a separate Muslim state.
This is one of the most deeply embedded myths in our country and the one which has been propagated by all governments. In fact, the idea that Muslim majority provinces of the north-west formed a natural group and should be considered a single bloc had been mooted by the British as far back as 1858 and freely discussed in various newspaper articles and on political platforms. Several variations of the idea had come from important public personalities, including British, Muslims and some Hindus. By the time Allama Iqbal gave his famous speech in 1930, the idea had been put forward at least 64 times. So, Iqbal voiced something which was already there, and was not an original ‘dream’. After his speech at Allahbad was reported, Allama Iqbal published a ‘retraction’ in a British newspaper that he had not been talking of a separate Muslim sate, but only of a Muslim bloc within the Indian federation.
Myth 9
The Pakistan Resolution envisaged a single Muslim state.
The fact is that none of the proposals regarding the Muslim bloc mooted by different individuals or parties had included East Bengal in it. The emphasis had always been on north-western provinces, which shared common frontiers, while other Muslim majority states, such as Bengal and Hyderabad, were envisaged as separate blocs. So, it was in the Pakistan Resolution. The resolution reads: “The areas in which the Muslims are numerically in a majority as in the north-western and eastern zones of India should be grouped to constitute independent states, in which the constituent units shall be autonomous and sovereign.”
Leaving aside the poor and ambiguous drafting of the entire resolution, the part about states (in plural) is very clear. It was only in 1946, at a convention of the Muslim League legislators in Delhi, that the original resolution was amended, which was adopted at a general Muslim League session and the objective became a single state.
Myth 10
March 23, 1940 is celebrated because the Pakistan Resolution was adopted on that day.The fact of the matter is that the Pakistan Resolution was only introduced on March 23 and was finally adopted on March 24 (the second and final day of the session).
As to why we celebrate March 23 is another story altogether. The day was never celebrated before 1956. It was first celebrated that year as the Republic Day to mark the passage of the first constitution and Pakistan’s emergence as a truly independent republic. It had the same importance for us as January 26 for India. But when Gen Ayub abrogated the constitution and established martial law in 1958, he was faced with a dilemma. He could not let the country celebrate a day commemorating the constitution that he had himself torn apart, nor could he cancel the celebration altogether. A way-out was found by keeping the celebration, but giving it another name: the Pakistan Resolution Day.
Myth 11
It was Ghulam Muhammad who created imbalance of power between the prime minister and head of state, and it was he who sought to establish the supremacy of the governor-general over the prime minister and parliament.
When Pakistan came into being, the British government’s India Act of 1935 was adopted as the working constitution. And it was the Quaid-i-Azam himself who introduced certain amendments to the act to make the governor-general the supreme authority. It was under these powers that the Quaid-i-Azam dismissed the government of Dr Khan Sahib in the NWFP in August 1947 and that of Mr Ayub Khuhro in Sindh in 1948.
Besides being governor-general, the Quaid-i-Azam also continued as president of the Muslim League and president of the Constituent Assembly.
It was these same powers under which Mr Daultana’s government was dismissed in Punjab in 1949 by Khawaja Nazimuddin, who himself was dismissed as prime minister in 1953 by Ghulam Mohammad.
However, in 1954, a move was started by members of the then Constituent Assembly to table an amendment to the act, taking away excessive powers of the governor-general. It was this move which provoked the governor-general, Ghulam Mohammad, to dismiss the Constituent Assembly in 1954, and thereby change the course of Pakistan’s history.
These are some of the myths that have been drummed into our heads from childhood and have become part of our consciousness. There are scores more, pervading our everyday life. And there are many unanswered questions such as:
• What is Pakistan’s ideology and when was the term first coined? (It was never heard of before 1907.)
• Why was Gandhi murdered? (He was supposedly guarding Pakistan’s interest.)
• What is the truth about the so-called traitors, Shaikh Mujeeb, Wali Khan, and G.M. Syed?
• What caused the break-away of East Pakistan?
• Why was Bhutto put to death?
• Are all our politicians corrupt and self-serving?
• Why does our history repeat itself after every 10 years?
The answers to all these questions require a thorough study of history, not mythology. But history unfortunately is a discipline that has never been taken seriously by anyone in our country. It’s time things changed.
Re: "Pak Studies" was taught in a very very biased way.
^ copy paste # 345772 from our friend nicols_john :p
Re: "Pak Studies" was taught in a very very biased way.
what is the problem yaar? every country in the world brainwashes its youth and makes its own country superior to its enemies.
Re: "Pak Studies" was taught in a very very biased way.
Bias is a hallmark of desis in general. Dont think its specific to Pak. All desis are the same with this nonsense
Re: “Pak Studies” was taught in a very very biased way.
History in itself is biased but too much of a bias makes you a Republican or a producer at Fox News. khehehe
Actually most high school histories texts around the world with very few exceptions are biased. I have read history books used in US high schools are they aren’t any different. Only recently the Native Americans started getting humanly treatment.
The problem is that here in the US you can easily get a different point of view, and are actually encouraged to research on public money on such topics. But in countries like Pakistan everyone is soo interested in becoming an engineer or doctor that humanities & social studies get sidelined. And those who actually pursue these subjects have little choices in term of good education and guidance, thus very little research is done.
The ‘Pak Studies’ taught in Engineering or Medical school is not different than the one in high school with no extra depth. So the little educated population of Pakistan when later confronted with the fact that Qaid actually drank & used to have a good time when he was young, they are grief stricken and don’t know how to react sensibly.
I hope Allah really grills Zia for trying to brain wash my generation in the 80s. 
Re: "Pak Studies" was taught in a very very biased way.
If Hindus don't like what Pakistani schools teach, they should move out. Hindus or any other religion followers have no business being in Pakistan. It is called Islamic republic of Pakistan. BTW most if not all of my Pakistani friends in Canada admit that they thought all Hindus were devil incarnate before they met any Hindus on equal basis here in Canada. Thats is what they were taught. No way any Indian school taught the same about either muslims or Pakistanis.
Re: “Pak Studies” was taught in a very very biased way.
Oh Pappoo Ji, nobody even remembers their high school history book, even 6 months after graduation.
Pak-Bharat love hate relationship is much more dependent on current affairs than anything that may have transpired 300 years ago. Remember Pakistanis look towards East for two things. Monsoon rains, or Bharati fighter planes. Monsoon rains good, Fighter planes no good.
Hindus may not be devils, or Hinduism could be the most peaceful religion on the Earth (and it may as well be). However for Pakistan, situation in Kashmir, Siachin, River dams, Bangladesh etc. are the examples enough to prove that Bharat or Bharatis are friends of suspicious nature.
Sure you and I can sit around a Chai table and drink cup after cup of hot tea (or coffee) and discuss our particular versions of the history.
But Pakistani people on the Gujranwala streets want to see a kinder gentler Bharat who doesn’t throw its weight around. People in Pakistan genuinely seek peace and friendship with Bharatis. Haven’t you heard about the heart-warming stories from Bharati visitors during the last cricket series? Go do google on Rediff and you will find them aplenty.
So I urge you to get off your Kompooter Keyboard and buy a ticket to Islamabad. See how people will open their hearts and homes for you. This I guarantee you, will happen regardless of the pitiful state of our history books.
So Pappoo Ji, get a ticket and fly and have some life.
Re: “Pak Studies” was taught in a very very biased way.
[quote=“antiobl”]
Oh Pappoo Ji, nobody even remembers their high school history book, even 6 months after graduation.
Pak-Bharat love hate relationship is much more dependent on current affairs than anything that may have transpired 300 years ago. Remember Pakistanis look towards East for two things. Monsoon rains, or Bharati fighter planes. Monsoon rains good, Fighter planes no good.
Hindus may not be devils, or Hinduism could be the most peaceful religion on the Earth (and it may as well be). However for Pakistan, situation in Kashmir, Siachin, River dams, Bangladesh etc. are the examples enough to prove that Bharat or Bharatis are friends of suspicious nature.
Sure you and I can sit around a Chai table and drink cup after cup of hot tea (or coffee) and discuss our particular versions of the history.
But Pakistani people on the Gujranwala streets want to see a kinder gentler Bharat who doesn’t throw its weight around. People in Pakistan genuinely seek peace and friendship with Bharatis. Haven’t you heard about the heart-warming stories from Bharati visitors during the last cricket series? Go do google on Rediff and you will find them aplenty.
So I urge you to get off your Kompooter Keyboard and buy a ticket to Islamabad. See how people will open their hearts and homes for you. This I guarantee you, will happen regardless of the pitiful state of our history books.
**So Pappoo Ji, get a ticket and fly and have some life./**QUOTE]
I expected more honesty from you. What you mean is devil is a hindu incarnate.
I can’t even get a visa to the land of pure, dirty and impure ex-Indian that I am.
Plus my insurance company wants to cancel my life insurance if I am foolish enough to got to Pakistan.
Maine London ke ticket parso hi khareed liye hain! Thanks for the advice.
Re: “Pak Studies” was taught in a very very biased way.
As a I said Pakistanis have proven time and again that they want to treat Bharatis as equal. Ask any Bharati who has “actually” been to Pakistan.
Your life insurance etc. seems to be from some Al-cheepo place. Buy a better one man and fly. Visa to Pakistan is open unless you work for a tiny aloo-store (grocery store) where no one guarantees your good behavior.
Best wishes.
Re: "Pak Studies" was taught in a very very biased way.
And this history is biased from another angle also i.e. it doesn't reflect freedom struggle of the leaders of Sindhi, Baluchi, Pashtuns, etc. (Well Punjab has almost no contribution in freedom struggle). All it glorigies are the Muslim League leaders from UP and Punjab, who mostly were British title holders (Khan Bahadars, Nawabs, Jagirdars, etc.).