SECOND OPINION: Is ‘Muslim blood flowing everywhere’? — Khaled Ahmed’s Review of the Urdu press

In Sudan and Somalia, Muslims are killing Muslims. Muslim states have been warring with Muslim states, doing far more damage than any non-Muslim could have done. In Afghanistan Muslims killed Muslims in the civil war before the world moved in with daisy-cutters with a UN legal cover

The latest dominant trait of the Muslims is victimhood. They think they are being persecuted and killed everywhere in the world. They want the world to take notice of this while the Muslims as a rule feel nothing about those outside the umma who suffer. The feeling of victimhood has something to do with the expatriate Muslims’ inability to integrate among host societies and their dissatisfaction with their own states.

Renowned historian Dr Safdar Mehmood stated in Jang (April 18, 2006) that during colonialism the Muslims lived under slavery but they were never killed like flies. That was because they did not feel like slaves and there were liberation movements everywhere. But after they were made independent their blood became cheap. When a few Europeans are killed they make a hue and cry (asman sar par utha laytay hain) but when the Muslims are killed no one takes notice.

The only big injustice that the Muslims can truly enlist in their story of victimhood is the Palestinian issue. In Sudan and Somalia, Muslims are killing Muslims. Muslim states have been warring with Muslim states, doing far more damage than any non-Muslim could have done. In Afghanistan Muslims killed Muslims in the civil war before the world moved in with daisy-cutters with a UN legal cover. In Pakistan, Muslims kill Muslims then blame it on India. Bosnia and Kosovo were offset by the action by the West, especially the United States. In Chechnya there was a wrong-headed Muslim campaign, but in Central Asia and Sinkiang, it is the Muslims including militias located in Pakistan threatening the states there. Muslim blood is flowing because of the attitude of the Muslims. The world is not a just place, but most other nations take care to live in it with caution and restraint.

Quoted in Nawa-e-Waqt (April 21, 2006) PML leader Mushahid Hussain Syed stated that RAW was training 600 pararis (Baloch rebels) inside Afghanistan. He said that Indian diplomatic missions were being used to create trouble in Pakistan.

If India is doing this, it may be an argument to make Pakistan stop what it is doing in Azad Kashmir and the NWFP in the jihadi camps. The jihadi option is reserved by Pakistan and, according to the latest reports in Pakistani media, the infiltration from Pakistan into Kashmir is still continuing. If Islamabad is fingering India, India will finger back. Only in our case the insertion is deep and it hurts more.

Columnist Dr Hussain Paracha stated in Nawa-e-Waqt (April 17, 2006) that a white paper issued by the MMA had alleged that in 2005 around 676 people were killed, including 37 important political personalities, in Karachi. The MMA also alleged that the MQM not only killed its enemies, it also killed its own unwanted people. MQM had replied that if the party was known to kill, why were all the political parties seeking alliance with it and going to London for meetings with Altaf Hussain?

Is any more evidence needed to explain the Muslim victimhood? Muslims have learnt to kill in many inventive ways. When convenient, they blame it on America and India. The irreducible fact is related to levels of violence in all Muslim societies.

Retired army chief Aslam Beg stated in daily Pakistan (April 17, 2006) that in 1994 prime minister Benazir Bhutto fired from ISI service 78 officers, including eight brigadiers and 70 lieutenant colonels, which was a big victory for the Americans. From this it was clear what would happen to Pakistan if the army was allowed to become subservient to the elected government. He said America and India were united in their plot to annex Balochistan to get access to Afghanistan. He said America was able to get Musharraf to agree to its demands in a shameful way (dhair ho gaya). Columnist Nazir Naji wrote in Jang (April 21, 2006) that Aslam Beg was the same army chief who had accepted a special medal of acclaim from Ms Bhutto. It appeared that Aslam Beg as army chief did not believe in democracy and had nursed bad thoughts against elected leaders. The medal he received for Ms Bhutto was a ‘democracy’ medal.

This is the latest aslambegism. The man lives in his ivory tower and thinks the ISI more important to Pakistan than its elected prime minister. Nobody saw the fired ISI hoods, some of them from the Pakistan embassy in Washington. They (the ISI hoods) were sent to a woman leader of the Nawaz League in Lahore where they were paraded as heroes. The said leader was then not greatly enamoured of democracy and loved the ISI more.

Sarerahe wrote in Nawa-e-Waqt (April 20, 2006) that President Musharraf’s children were divided over whether he should remain in uniform after 2007. His son was in favour of his remaining in uniform as president while his daughter wanted him to doff his uniform. It meant that the daughter had taken after the Pakistani nation while the son had taken after the Muslim League(Q).

If it is true that Musharraf’s own children are divided, they are not to blame. Even the ruling PML is divided. It is in the nature of the question of Musharraf’s extended tenure. People who supported him on the LFO thought he should go at the end of 2005. He himself said so on TV.

According to Jang (April 21, 2006) there were 246 women rotting in jails in Pakistan because they were either accused of fornication or had accused men of rape. The law attracted a lot of abuse but politicians and ulema were not agreed on reform of law. Nor were they agreed on the lessening of the suffering of innocent women.

Unfortunately, the debate over Hudood laws has produced an unbridgeable polarity in Pakistan. The MMA will stick to the Hudood and the women can go on rotting in jails. What will the PMLN and the PPP do? The PMLN will easily side with the MMA. Fears are that the PPP too may not let the ruling PML repeal the Hudood Ordinance. *

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