Adil Najam
This picture is carried today by both Dawn and Daily Times. Dawn’s title is “Still Heroes” and the caption reads: “Bronze statues of Quaid-i-Azam, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and Allama Iqbal put on display at the Science and Technology Expo-2007 being held at National Memorial Museum in Shakarparian in Islamabad.”
A visit to the Museum is on the top of my ‘To Do’ list when I return to Islamabad end of the month. I hope they are still there.
My first thought on looking at the picture was to note how both Jinnah and Iqbal are wearing suits here (this penchant of ours – me included – to dress up these guys in the garbs of our desires has been has been quite a remarkable historical see-saw!). My second thought was to wonder what the folks at Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa might have to say – or do – about this. I hope there is significant security against vandalism here.
But even more than that, I wonder what these three men are sitting there thinking about what is happening today in the country they helped conceive. Late at night when the museum is closed and the statues come alive and walk about, what is it that they sit together and talk about?
[quote]For the last time, Law was written to PREVENT PLAGIARISM OF ISLAM,[/quote]
What is ‘PREVENT PLAGIARISM OF ISLAM’ exactly? Aren’t there 72 or so sects already who call each other kafir? But first what is PLAGIARISM OF ISLAM or for that matter PLAGIARISM OF A RELIGION? Are you talking here of western law studied at Loyola or something else? Who decides when it is PLAGIARISM OF A RELIGION? If it is left on majority they will always decide in their own favour. There has to be a fairer way to decide it. In US/West/International Law how many examples have you seen where majority is given free hand to prohibit any minority from not professing their faith because majority considered it PLAGIARISM?
[quote]the religion in the name of which Pakistan was created. [/quote]
Can we leave emotional bits to a side for now? What has that got to do with anything? You are a lawyer let’s talk principals and laws and leave slogans for politicians and Mullahs.
[quote]What part of Islamic Republic of Pakistan do you not get?[/quote]
The part that was created by the same Mullahs who opposed Pakistan in the first place and shouted Kafir e Azam and Na-Pakistan when Pakistan was being created.
Nazir, at this time the muslims are the most prosecuted minority in the west. Second I know atp will gladly chop my post but here is the answer. The sect you are so vehemently defending here was a Freemasons/Illuminati conspiracy agaisnt mulsims of subcontinent. And till today they play very well in the hands of western powers against Islam in general and Pakistan in particular.
Adnan
Thats a good one. thanks for sharing.
[quote]Mr. Nazir, please consult a lawyer some day. I am an L1 constitutional and corporate law major at Loyola, [/quote]
You are a lawyer (of sorts), let’s consult you.
[quote]There is no issue of humanity and human rights when it comes to faith-based plagiarism. [/quote]
According to what law? Proof this. How many in US have been put in prison for going to church or doing other Christian rituals while majority Christians did not accept them as Christians? People who live in west know very well that your claim is false. People freely believe what they want to believe and can express to a large extent what they want to and no one puts them in prison even if majority disagrees with them whether religiously or otherwise. So don’t go ahead and make any false statements.
Please go ahead and prove me wrong with examples where people have been put in prison because they professed a particular faith peacefully despite being considered heretic by the majority.
[quote]Muslims in other countries wouldn’t practice islam and claim to be practicing Christianity, would they? [/quote]
An interesting question here is why would a person be adamant to practice a faith which he/she does not really believe in and will continue even under pain of punishment? In all likelihood they probably DO believe the faith to be true whether you agree with them or not.
But whether a Muslim does that or not is entirely on that Muslim and to that he/she is completely entitled to under freedom of faith which does not define what set of beliefs you need to have, in the same as Islamic teaching of “no compulsion in religionâ€
Dear Mahi,
Stanley Wolpert actually is someone who believes that both Jinnah and Gandhi, despite their human failings, were trying to do the right thing… and that it was Jawaharlal Nehru who, because of his impetuous temperament, brought disaster to the subcontinent… and that British made a mistake listening to Nehru and Patel instead of Jinnah and Gandhi….
However… reading H M Seervai’s book… I am forced to conclude… that Gandhi had a major role… equal to, if not bigger than, Mr. Nehru’s in the disaster. H M Seervai, as you may be aware, is one of the greatest constitutional lawyers produced by India and a true patriot… his estimate, painful and upsetting to himself even, is that Maulana Azad was the only person in the Congress willing to do the right thing.
So read it… and I am sure you’ll get a fresh perspective on things.