Adil Najam
We have used the ‘Jahalat‘ caption before in headlines (here, here and here). It is time to do so again.
This picture is from PPI and the caption reads:
“A physically paralyzed girl lies half-buried in sand at the banks of river Indus. Local mythology suggests burying paralyzed children in sand and exposing them to solar eclipse helps overcome paralysis.”
Need one say more!
I guess even a solar eclipse is no cure for jahalat.
Dear Readers,
While All Things Pakistan has remained alive and online, it has been dormant since June 11, 2011 - when, on the blog's 5th anniversary, we decided that it was time to move on. We have been heartened by your messages and the fact that a steady traffic has continued to enjoy the archived content on ATP. While the blog itself will remain dormant, we are now beginning to add occasional (but infrequent) new material by the original authors of the blog, mostly to archive what they may now publish elsewhere. We will also be updating older posts to make sure that new readers who stumble onto this site still find it useful.
We hope you will continue to find ATP a useful venue to reflect upon and express your Pakistaniat. - Editors
I am sorry, but as a physician and as a parent of four kids, I cannot agree with the sentimentality of the comments.
I will not be a good parent nor a good person if I were to subject my child to such cruelty and, yes, jahalat, whether out of desperation or not. I would seek medical help and if not available or not curable would make every effort to make the life to my child as comfortable as possible rather than subjecting her to such cruelty that has no basis whatever.
I tend to agree with majority of the comments. It is jahalat out of parental desperation.
Like the famous statement “There are no atheists in foxholes” I think any other parent in this situation would do anything in their power. This has nothing to do with a person’s faith, religion, belief or any other such explanation. This is an act of desperation, pure and simple. Even in the most advanced and ‘Educated’ and enlightened of countries, the United States, people would go to any lengths to find a cure for their loved ones.
All his life, ex-president Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy were against stem cell research, based on their moral and political beliefs. But when Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease which eventually destroyed his life, Nancy was quick to endorse the stem cell research when it showed promise of finding a cure for Alzheimer’s.
So, my friends, think twice before you mock someone’s acts of desperation, lest you find yourself in such a despondent situation.
I usually agree with the titles of the blog posts here, but I have to disagree with this one.
I found this headline in bad taste. You may call this Jahalat, but as some of the other posters have noted, it’s an act of desperation by desperate people. If my loved ones were paralyzed, and I lived in a society as unfriendly as ours to the physically disabled, I, too, would resort to any means possible to help my children.
Perhaps a less judgmental headline would have been more appropriate and in better taste.
Some comments from the ATP Facebook Page:
– “Jaisay Des, Vaisa Bhes aur Vaisay log! Jahalt is universal & not a nation specific trait”
– “poor gal, she seems to be enjoying it though!”
– “what is the word for the ability to believe in one set of completely undemonstratable’ ideas and hold them to be not just knowledge, but the source of all Truth, all the while looking down upon those who have other notions of belief?”
– “it’s insanity”
– “when will we get educated !!??? and stop believing in this nonsense !!???”
– “there is no cure for ignorance .. !”
– “i agree with you 100% nosherwan!”
– “Yes…..it is very common practice here in Pakistan.”
– “jahalat???????do u really think that all such stupid customs and superstitions have anything to do with being educated… we need to educate the minds of ppl…school education only teaches us how to do rote learning and nothing about morals and logic:) so changing such yr old customs would take yrs….but lets start..”
– “AbbasWhat u stupid ppl think about this JAHALLAT (so Called). You dont knows and dont believe in super hyper spiritual miraculous doings, these things in fact have impacts and ppl are getting benefits but not always succeed; thats a separate issue…”
– “may be we should look towards Allah rather than looking for eclipse to cure someone!! THIS IS JAHALAT!!”
– “wah aala.kiya baat hai in logoon ki.pure Jahalat”
– “well i dont really think this is jahalat, because every individual has its own believes and perspectives. you cant just come to a conclusion because you dont know how it feels like to be in their situation! If they think this might work, then i dont think there is anything wrong in giving it a try, and ofcourse pray to ALLAH!”
– “JAHALAT ZINDABAD !”
– “i feel awful about them, they are ready to try like anything to get her child back into the race of human beings, and we have gone so cynical that instead of praying or helping we are sitting here commenting about the beard of that father…. my dad used to tell me that you will not feel me until you become me.. there is no limit for the love of parents how far they can go.. they will go for almost anything they are sure will cure, the rest is upon Allah… i pray and hope she turns healthy…. and the name of this thread should be rational not biased.”
– “i think its “jahalat” to judge someones feelings, esp when its parents!”
– “If you allow me to add, we have to think twice before we do anything… Personally, I do really like ATP. We are humans, nd we could think, criticize, make fun, & commit mistakes without we mean to hurt or any (i.e. have sleepy minds/unaware of what we do), since it would be considered as an opinion, but i strongly advise that we think twice before we act or say anything nd also take it from a neutral side. “Our tongues are our horses; if you keep them safe, they will do protect you, and if you insult them, they will also do likewise”. :)”
– “appaling”
– “With your permission, I would like to add that we ppl living in this region are having dual personalities. We are Muslims by name, but r Hindus by our culture, heritage and rites. It can be seen that the way our bros n sis did on this occasion, it is being practiced in a same manner by the Hindus in India. We can easily verify this by a little bit survey and ask these guys why they are doing. They will just say our elders have been practicing this…. This is one of the reasons that we have not been able to understand so far that what actually Islam has taught us. The teachings of Islam are above than all such rites. This all we need to figure out!”
– “Do they freakin care if she is able to breath half burried??? I was watching GEO and saw many like this couple practicing the same thing, and their kids were crying in pain because some had burried them till their freakin throat….Now does anyone care how this poor kid is feeling…for all you know, he might be loosing his breath….this is not love….this is insanity! and education has alot to do with it…Allah in bachon ko shifa day! ameen!”
– “a burqa clad woman is shown on the front page of THE DAWN who is sitting in the shade of an umbrella with her half buried child at the time of solar eclipse. people think this is islam. hey!OPEN YOUR EYES. THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ISLAM”
– “please can someone define jahalat?”
– “Is it really true?? Amazing”
– “It is in their brains, we cannot change them”
– “is liyey islam aya tha.Jahalat khatum karnay k lieye”
– “well…well…well…ever wondered when people say ke did this really had to happen with me only!! what is the exact answer to that!! now people forget that it is the test from the Al Mighty God!! we should really think about that!! these parents are showing in their test that they are ignorant to Allah!! they will believe any thing accept that what Allah told us in the Quran!! “this life is a test” and for some it is bitter!! if they r to be told that they should understand their daughter being born like this to be a test!! pity to say but then they must also be told they r Muslims!! and they should believe in it too!! we should show patience!! thats what i would do if i had someone cclose to me in the same situation the girl is!! and would fear and pray for nothing like that to happen to anyone around me!! we should atleast be logical!! think atleast how the girl would have felt getting buried in sand!! being paralyzed never means that she can not feel as well!! think about that!!”