Free-choice?

Let me hear your shock
at my  heinous silence

Yes, I am your biggest sympathizer
I am to blame
for what you do is not
the brunt of what I bear                                

I can be furious
and blindly loyal to
your book


then they say that I don't have free-choice
that I am indoctrinated into
misogyny that I fail to
locate in my world


What rubbish!
I have freedom to choose
to make from all the stories
they narrate for me.

Stories they think are
worthless  lies
are actually my little disputed truths
for which I'm ready to sacrifice
my very existence.


Zeeba T. Hashmi

Lahore,
25th December, 2012




 

Freedom of speech: a sense of misplaced justice

Does free-speech equate to civil offense?

Freedom of expression is highly   reliant on the sort of expression  to be used freely and by what gender as it varies from society to society.  There are indeed, many paradoxes involved when it is to be used in public.  There are many a gaps to be found in what we are expressing and how it is perceived in a highly controlled, constricted environment.  If this is not so, use of violence comes in as the option to hold the reverence of the already dictated appropriateness of communication:  because of discouraging or blocking   divergent ideas or innovations in context to penetrate in communication system layout that is guarded by rigid hierarchy, differences in opinion are not properly understood or rationalized, and any attempt to bridge the gaps is seen with great suspicion; often delegated with punishment.  The inculcation of fear is the primary factor to be considered when deciphering expression here.  And those who show no fear are often considered foolish or suicidal.

There is a perfect situation in the making when common-sense takes a flight.  The our most  dis-appreciated   vocal Dr. Pervez Hoodhboy said something even more bolder about making favorable provision for scientific growth in the country.

"In Pakistan, unfortunately, the conditions for developing science are not good. Science is all about intellectual freedom and questioning the basis of ideas. It requires that people accept the scientific method, which puts logic and observation above preconceived ideas. These conditions are not fulfilled in Pakistan or in most Muslim countries."

Let's not forget how advocating freedom of expression and intrigue has cost him his job from one of the most renowned academic institutes in Pakistan.

If we flip the original question: how we respond is shockingly ironical.

Does taking human life equate to civil offense?

What sort of a question is this?  "No" in a heart-beat!

Think again how you can answer this question in the company of bearded, stout, pious men.  Again, you may have to answer it as diplomatically as you can, depending on how liberal you can afford yourself to be on the conundrum.

Intimidating slogans and banners that criminalize free speech can be found everywhere, starting from the back side of auto-rickshaws to the banners on Lahore Mall Road.

If equating freedom of speech allowed for one and limiting/criminalizing for others it to be analyzed, our sense of justice soon becomes misplaced or biased.  To elaborate it with a little example: there are actually laws against a sect of Muslims for uttering traditional Muslim Assalam u Alaikum greetings in public, yet there are no laws against certain religious clerical groups that openly  issue fatwas of murder and incite violence and harm against minorities.  

Where is our sense of justice here?

Sectarianism and the media

Since the trailer of Safeer-e-Ishq on HumTV, I had been curious to watch the drama. First of its kind to talk about sectarian violence. I was interested in knowing how sectarianism would be dealt with, as it is a very current and politically charged issue. Last month at least 29 shias were killed in different parts of the country at the hands of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Sipap-e-Sahaba and Tehreek-e-Taliban. While in November so far, already 53 people have died because of target killings and bomb blasts all over Pakistan. 

Tujhe ehsas-e-karbala bhi ho jayega kabhi

Tanha kisi aziz ki mayyat utha kar dekh

Before I digress too much and go into more statistics. 

Apart from every other scene punctuated with crying and speeches about not backing out, the drama was pretty decent. But, in my opinion, instead of showing the whole emotional side of the issue, it would have been constructive to make it educational.

For example, I have had a tough time explaining to people (specially the ones who get influenced by the Tableeghi clan) that Shias do go for Hajj, they don't spit in water, they don't have 40 siparas in the Quran, Ali is not considered the prophet, etc etc. Breaking away these myths is far more important. Cause they make the basis of legitimizing attack on Shias.

The problem is not emotional, rather political. I do not think that one can counter the Takfiri ideology by merely showing crying orphans and widows. 

PS Let us hope to see something similar for the Ahmedis, Christians, Hindus and other minorities in the near future.

Xenophobia, internal-racism deadly combo!

OMG, I went to Pakistan and it is so dangerous. Agreed!

It is impossible to live there as a liberal/secular person. Excuse me? I have been living here as a liberal, atheist whatever for the past 5 years at least.

I thank my lucky stars I came back alive! Excuse me?

Pakis are so pathetic and illiterate, it is impossible to reason with them. Err? I understand you have a blue passport now, but were you not once a Pakistani? How did you manage to get out of that rut of pathetic-ness and illiteracy?

A few of the gems one gets to hear from closet atheists, so-called liberals and the ones who love sucking up to the Right Wing BS in the West. Yes, you got it right, these are the types who went through their teen-years reading xenophobic material off faithfreedom.org or packs of lies spewed by the likes of Hirsi Ali types.

Then you have those who are merely apologists. Not much different then some of the religious people. People who when they read the news about a 14 year old getting raped say, "Why was she even roaming outside at 3pm? She knew this will happen to her, and she chose to get herself raped." Here's an example from one of the supposedly 'sane' voices. Oh and please do not forget the class difference between the religious and not so religious. Or the ones who follow the right form of religion, compared to the poor who follow the 'poor form of religion'. Class never ceases to be the basis of how one behaves in society.

Why should the Shia take out a procession when the situation in Pakistan is so bad? Next probably we will get to hear, why do the Christians and Hindus live in Pakistan? The problem of Shia Genocide is not because of the Takfiri ideology. No Shia is targeted right in front of his/her house. Wait a minute, why do they get out of their house when they know there are Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Sipah-e-Sahab target killers backed by ISI roaming about all over Pakistan? Be it Quetta, Karachi, Parachinar, Gilgit or even the GHQ city Rawalpindi.

It is wrong to be a Shia in Pakistan. Since it is not an Islamic Republic any more, but the Salafi-Deobandi Republic of Pakistan.

What is more important?

Protection of sentiments or protection of lives?

Freedom of thought or freedom to kill?

The teaser or the teased?

Rationality or insanity?

Hate or compassion?

Love of God, or bloody barbarity?

If I can see it through, then why can’t you?

Zeeba T. Hashmi

28^th September, 2012

Lahore.

An Innocent Muslim

Things bring me to dance at your idiocy.

Not really, that’s blasphemy.

 let’s rob a bank, smash a car

And kill a person or two.

Such intensity is  in my love,

Yet I defy mysticism.

And I abhor human love too.

But,

Let’s make the guy richer now

For making a film

exposing our innocence

To the world.

Which was unnecessary

I must say this irony is not in your essence

But it is just me, proudly following

In whatever direction your bloody innocent

Mob takes me.

And you can see a smile on my face,

But what the hell am I really doing?

I have no idea.

They just  tell me it is Ishq e Rasool

And so I believe, it is such.

Zeeba T. Hashmi

Islamabad

21^st September, 2012.

Tyranny

So I relate, a story of my tyranny
and obtrusive onslaught of my closed heart,
a beating heart---alive still,
waiting for its break from
the shallowness of the mind
confiscating my sanity for the want
of an answer
to something I never dared  question;
but this has remained my reluctant learning.

I have become  stone
Indeed I had suffered
In my blind faith.

My Pain  ensued with the want
to dream and die in them,
so never might I face
it growing into another reality of
disillusionment.

Hostile became my soul to my self,
Tearing it between  conscience
Cruel exasperation.
Fits, never  rationalized
In my most primitive rage against
Time that reached me there.

My world, my cruel world.
I see you now detestable
You took away all the hope from me
Amidst all the madness
You defined me with.

Zeeba T. Hashmi

14th September, 2012
Lahore