Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
not a bad thing it all… what is being ‘debated/criticized’ is the rationale given or the stated reasoning… everything in life comes down to personal preferences…and it doesn’t really reflect badly on you if you just say it like it is… personal preference… when you give reasons/justifications…they will be debated upon and criticized and commented on etc etc…
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
Got it! and I see your point
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
how did that happen 
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
Don’t get used to it 
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
That is my point. Here we are…the ABCDs. There you are…the FOBS. Now tell me why I should be bothered with keeping a language alive of a nation who’s own people refuse to accept me as a Pakistani? Hmm? 
Why should I or anyone be criticized for not teaching our kids Urdu? Answer the question being asked. This entire thread is a critique of us, isn’t it? So why?
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
It’s not crucial for kids to learn urdu. However, if with a little help from parents they can learn it easily, it’s a huge advantage, over someone who cannot.
I can speak 4 languages fluently, urdu, English, punjabi and Arabic. And I have seen the benefits compared to people who do not. Languages open doors. Language makes you accepted and understood.
However, more than all the advantages, the reason I am teaching my kids urdu & punjabi is the rich literary and poetic tradition that these languages have. If I cannot transfer this rich tradition to my kids, I would feel like a failed parent. I got the understanding & taste of poetry from my mother and i want to share it with my kids.
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
I am not a FOB..i think technically that would be diwana or RV may be…
You don’t need to… i never said you needed to… but please make up your mind about why you dont’ want to do it?
Either…its because you got a too many other things to teach your kids and it would be a burden for them to learn to read and write a language that they would probably be familiar from early years
Or… Because pakistanis don’t accept you, so you dont’ want to teach the kids language of those people?
You seem to be shuffling your arguments…
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
No I did not come up with my own conclusions. Why would I want to do that? “Hey I am bored, let me twist Reha’s words and spice it up a bit”
But ok then,
Firstly, nowhere did I state that you said that learning urdu will disadvantage them. I said: You make it seem like as if learning them their mother tongue, or anything about their culture will disadvantage them in striving to become a good human being and a good muslim.
Look at the parts that I made bold. That is how you have put it down. Maybe that is not what you meant, but that is how it is written.
And yes, the word I was looking for is ‘effort’. It will take one minimal effort to teach their children about his culture/ language/ family.
Had my parents not taught me anything about my roots, I would have felt like a loner and that would for the very reason that we live in a practical world.
Yes I am muslim first. Deen should always come first and that is what bonds the Ummah . But then we have our own set of families, our own kind of foods, and languages and certain customs which define our identity more (and I am not talking about doodh pilai or any of that sort of noobiness. I couldnt care less of that).
There is nothing wrong with that. It gives us the feeling that we belong to a group. If you put together muslims from different countries together, you will see that they differ in certain habbits and mannerism because of their different backgrounds, despite them all being good muslims.
It will never be either exclusive the one or the other.
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
Not shuffling at all…adding to them. That would be the right phrase. There isn’t just one reason.
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
So you made up your mind…now fishing arguments in favour of it 
As i said earlier… its much more easy to just claim the ‘‘personal preference’’ thing…instead of doing this
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
Languages are like a gift. A gift that you must pass it on if you have it. It’s an invaluable asset. It empowers you, adds to your knowledge, intelligence, confidence and self esteem while also opening the door of countless opportunities for many wonderful adventures. It’s not just about Urdu, I’d be quite to committed to teaching my children Punjabi - I can already imagine that teaching Punjabi would be the most fun part. The language is just so haughty, naughty, full of vigour and cheerful humour.
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
I don’t know which of my posts ever implied I hadn’t made up my mind. Its pretty much been this way for about 7 pages now. 
Ab apki samaj mein baat dayr se aati hai…is mein mera to koi qusoor nahin.
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
I like the way your respond
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
I am wondering if these people that you’re making a reference to don’t give a hoot about Pakistan or Pakistanis, then how are they still commenting on the state of affairs in Pakistan? If they have the same detached attitude ke “jis gaon jana nahi, uska pata kyon poochna”, then wouldn’t the same “I couldn’t care less” attitude apply in whether they concern themselves with Pakistani affairs or not?
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
I think there is a bit of misinterpretation regarding people who stated that having their children learn Urdu is not a priority. They don’t mean that they have something against the language or that they don’t want their children to learn it. They simply have other things which they find more important and more advantageous for their children to learn.
In response, several people have stated that people shouldn’t have to choose between teaching Urdu and teaching another language. Well, in an ideal world they wouldn’t have to. In an ideal world, where time and resources are limitless, people would not have to choose and would be able to have their children learn as many languages as possible. Unfortunately though, we don’t live in an ideal word and time is often quite limited, forcing us to prioritise certain things over others. The things that we prioritise are things that help give us an advantage and help us succeed in the environment in which we live.
I speak five languages, in addition to English, and am able to read and write in them. Quite frankly, the reason for this is not terribly lofty or intellectual and has nothing to do with culture or the loss of culture. It’s quite simple actually: I lived in countries where these languages were spoken and it was necessary to learn them in order to succeed and hence, my parents made them a priority. Similarly, I can understand why people living outside of Pakistan, would prioritise other languages over Urdu.
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
So, no opinions on this? Interesting.
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
^ Personally, I don’t believe so. My parents primarily speak to each other in pashto but never went out of their way to teach my brother and myself (although we are fluent and do read and write) and focused on English (as well as, Dutch and Danish, when we lived in their respective countries). I never felt that they thought any of these languages were superior to ours. To me, it simply meant that they felt that living in the UK (and previously Holland and Denmark), we would be judged on how well we could communicate in these languages rather than pashto. Similarly, parent’s having their children focus on another language rather than Urdu does not mean that they feel that said language is superior.
Also, language alone does not define identity or even culture. There are many aspects that make up culture and identity and language is only one of them. Growing up, my brother and I always knew what our identity was and never had any issues. I think this is because our parents taught us about our culture in other ways besides language (i.e. food, music, particular traditions, etc). I think that if language is a person’s only link to their culture or the only thing that defines their identity, there’s something slightly amiss there.
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
Language, as I’ve said before, is not the only link to a culture as they are other aspects (clothing, cuisine, traditions) but I do believe it’s the strongest of all of them. For example, architecture and artifacts only provide a limited amount of info about the ancient Egyptian civilization, but the decoding of the hieroglyphics provided an in-depth understanding of their beliefs, rituals, their daily lives. Language reflects intricate nuances of a culture; I feel it’s the most concentrated or potent feature, it brings people together and is essential to the establishment and preservation of a civilization and culture. I do not know why you’re assuming that the proponents of learning Urdu in this thread view language as the “only” link to culture and don’t engage or value other aspects of culture.
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
Because a couple of them have made comments that imply this. A couple of posters actually stated that if you don’t speak Urdu, you’ve lost your “Pakistani-ness” or that if you don’t speak Urdu, you have no right to comment on anything related to Pakistan. To me, that sounds as if they view language as the sole component of culture. Now, that may or may not be what they mean but as I am not a clairvoyant and cannot read their exact thoughts, I interpreted exactly as it came across. I did not imply that you subscribe to this line of thinking or that you have ever made such comments, but merely pointed out that a couple of posters do.
Re: Sorry, I am born to a Pakistani but cannot read Urdu
Urdu hai jiska Naam, Hamin jante hain Dagh
Sare Jahan mei Dhoom hamari Zubaan ki hai