I am back in Pakistan visiting family right now. Though doubts have lingered in my heart since a very long time, this is my first time visiting family after thoroughly but privately renunciating Islam. Religion is pervasive in Pakistan and as a result, I can't help but experience a feeling of being an alien in my own land this time.
Though I have been forced into behaving like a good old muslim out of respect and concern for my parents, it has been an interesting experience observing the rituals and practices I once myself participated in as an outsider. Its been amusing seeing the almost hypnotic state of people as they go about performing their daily rituals, chanting the duroods and aayats in acts of communal devotion and praise. Its been amusing seeing the khateeb shout at the top of his lungs during the juma khutba, almost as if he can drown out the whimsy logic of his arguments by the sheer loudness of his voice. Its been amusing observing how the entire structure of religion and religious life which once seemed so commonsensical and matter-of-fact can come crumbling down once a few basic beliefs vanish -- beliefs which are so vulnerable to an honest and critical inquiry; beliefs which are hammered into us since our birth and held in place more by societal pressures and conventionality than any merit and coherence of their own. Its fascinating yet fearful to see the conviction and faith people have in such fantastic claims -- claims supported by a foundation far too fragile to support the enormity and implication of the structure it supports. It all seems so out of proportion.
I still have about a month left before I head back to Canada. I hope to be able to survive through all this with my sanity and those of my loved ones intact.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
An epiphany
I have been passing through rather tumultuous times lately. Things have been uncertain and they have tested my inner strength and resolve. There were times when I was scared. There were times when I was down. There were even days (though luckily only a few) when I was so depressed that I didn't even come out of my room most of the day.
Going through this whirlwind of emotions naturally drove me to find a solution -- to make some sense out of this mess. And luckily I did have an epiphany. I found an answer which put a lot of perspective on things, which made me feel better, which seemed obvious in hindsight but which still caught me off guard.
The main source of my anxiety and fear was an unhealthy focus on myself. The surprising aspect to all of this was that I have never considered myself to be a self-centered person. Perhaps the only self-centered aspect of my behavior was my desire to succeed and be successful. Society often idolizes successful people, narrates their success stories and there is an implicit pressure on us to be successful. As we grow up, we often state our desires in terms of being successful in this or that, and that is all considered acceptable social behavior.
So, why is this desire to be successful an unhealthy one? For one, and quite obviously, it is not potent enough to get us through the tough times. Secondly, and much more importantly, this desire is mostly accompanied by an ugly and paralyzing companion: the dreaded fear of failure. And when things aren't going in our favor, when we are forced out of our comfort zone, that fear of failure can be absolutely crippling and debilitating.
The funny thing is that I have been working on a personal project all this while and I was actually excited about that project. In spite of that, the uncertainty of not having a regular job and the fear of failure often got the better of me. Even though I dreaded feeling that way, it was very hard not to feel that way every once in a while.
It was a relief when I finally found a way out. I had to stop focusing on myself and stop stating my goals and ambitions in terms of myself and lose and consume myself in what I was passionate about. As simple and obvious as that sounds, it had become less and less obvious to me as I had grown up. It took an uncertain situation and a very real possibility of failure to drive this point back home.
Living a self-centered life is one of the most boring and depressing ways to live one's life. While no one wants to live such a life, what was surprising to me was how I was partly living such a life without even realizing it. Now that the realization has been achieved, I can finally start to nurture the child within me. The child who is least concerned about himself and who is lost and one with the world he finds himself in.
Going through this whirlwind of emotions naturally drove me to find a solution -- to make some sense out of this mess. And luckily I did have an epiphany. I found an answer which put a lot of perspective on things, which made me feel better, which seemed obvious in hindsight but which still caught me off guard.
The main source of my anxiety and fear was an unhealthy focus on myself. The surprising aspect to all of this was that I have never considered myself to be a self-centered person. Perhaps the only self-centered aspect of my behavior was my desire to succeed and be successful. Society often idolizes successful people, narrates their success stories and there is an implicit pressure on us to be successful. As we grow up, we often state our desires in terms of being successful in this or that, and that is all considered acceptable social behavior.
So, why is this desire to be successful an unhealthy one? For one, and quite obviously, it is not potent enough to get us through the tough times. Secondly, and much more importantly, this desire is mostly accompanied by an ugly and paralyzing companion: the dreaded fear of failure. And when things aren't going in our favor, when we are forced out of our comfort zone, that fear of failure can be absolutely crippling and debilitating.
The funny thing is that I have been working on a personal project all this while and I was actually excited about that project. In spite of that, the uncertainty of not having a regular job and the fear of failure often got the better of me. Even though I dreaded feeling that way, it was very hard not to feel that way every once in a while.
It was a relief when I finally found a way out. I had to stop focusing on myself and stop stating my goals and ambitions in terms of myself and lose and consume myself in what I was passionate about. As simple and obvious as that sounds, it had become less and less obvious to me as I had grown up. It took an uncertain situation and a very real possibility of failure to drive this point back home.
Living a self-centered life is one of the most boring and depressing ways to live one's life. While no one wants to live such a life, what was surprising to me was how I was partly living such a life without even realizing it. Now that the realization has been achieved, I can finally start to nurture the child within me. The child who is least concerned about himself and who is lost and one with the world he finds himself in.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
The handshake of susceptibility
A friend narrated an incident recently where a bunch of people came up to him inquiring about the best place for currency exchange. The interaction started conventionally with a warm handshake. Then -- almost as if he had gone totally crazy -- my friend took out his wallet and handed over Rs. 7K to them upon their suggestion. A part of him resisted, sensing which they handed him back 3K but left eventlessly with the remaining 4K. It was only after they had left did he realize what had just happened to him -- in his own words, it was almost as if he had just 'woken up from sleep'.
Naturally, I listened to his story with a deep sense of skepticism as it sounded too fantastically absurd to be true. A little bit of searching however revealed that a mere handshake can in fact lead to momentary hypnosis of a person (here are some details).
If it weren't for what happened to my friend, I would have dismissed similar such stories as hogwash but apparently the human brain does appear to be *that* vulnerable and suggestible. And, the potential ease with which it can be pulled off is outright freaky and discomforting.
Naturally, I listened to his story with a deep sense of skepticism as it sounded too fantastically absurd to be true. A little bit of searching however revealed that a mere handshake can in fact lead to momentary hypnosis of a person (here are some details).
If it weren't for what happened to my friend, I would have dismissed similar such stories as hogwash but apparently the human brain does appear to be *that* vulnerable and suggestible. And, the potential ease with which it can be pulled off is outright freaky and discomforting.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Yahweh
I have been listening to this song almost all day today. It gives me hope for a better world and strengthens my faith in humanity and the healing power of love.
Take these shoes
Click clacking down some dead end street
Take these shoes
And make them fit
Take this shirt
Polyester white trash made in nowhere
Take this shirt
And make it clean, clean
Take this soul
Stranded in some skin and bones
Take this soul
And make it sing
Yahweh, Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh, Yahweh
Still I'm waiting for the dawn
Take these hands
Teach them what to carry
Take these hands
Don't make a fist no
Take this mouth
So quick to critisize
Take this mouth
Give it a kiss
...
Monday, August 17, 2009
Reflections on the grief of death
Growing up, the death of a loved one was something I always dreaded and preferred not to think about. It was extremely hard to imagine life without someone you had loved and known since birth. Death to me was this horrendous but undeniable opposite side of life; it was extremely hard to even accept let alone develop the courage to face the potential death of a loved one. The promise of an eternal life and the possibility of a reunion with those loved ones was the only thing that gave me solace and comfort.
Fortunately, I haven't experienced the loss of any family member or friend that is dearly close to me. My parents however have had to face the death of their parents and several of their close family members. While their loss was my loss, I don't think I was completely able to relate to their pain as I hadn't developed the same degree of love and connection with them like they had. I was saddened each time however and did weep in sorrow along with the other family members. While the pain of separation is always deep and intense, I expected the notion of an eternal life and the promise of a future reunion to ease the pain, but it apparently never did. Now that I think of it, deep inside of me, I was always unsure of whether the notion of an eternal life had any grain of truth to it. It was only the violent event of death that managed to stare my precious fairy tales right in the eye and left me feeling skeptical and unsure. As an ironic result, my beliefs which should have made me feel better ended up making me feel much more sad and disillusioned than I would have been if I would have accepted the impermanent nature of life with an open heart and mind.
While embracing the impermanence of life has taken effort and reconditioning on my part, I do hope that it will enable me to accept the future death of my loved ones with more grace and dignity than I would have had otherwise. I do hope that it will make it a little easier to look back, embrace and cherish the lives of the ones precious to me and prevent me from nurturing potentially hollow hopes of a future reunion just to quench the thirst of separation.
Fortunately, I haven't experienced the loss of any family member or friend that is dearly close to me. My parents however have had to face the death of their parents and several of their close family members. While their loss was my loss, I don't think I was completely able to relate to their pain as I hadn't developed the same degree of love and connection with them like they had. I was saddened each time however and did weep in sorrow along with the other family members. While the pain of separation is always deep and intense, I expected the notion of an eternal life and the promise of a future reunion to ease the pain, but it apparently never did. Now that I think of it, deep inside of me, I was always unsure of whether the notion of an eternal life had any grain of truth to it. It was only the violent event of death that managed to stare my precious fairy tales right in the eye and left me feeling skeptical and unsure. As an ironic result, my beliefs which should have made me feel better ended up making me feel much more sad and disillusioned than I would have been if I would have accepted the impermanent nature of life with an open heart and mind.
While embracing the impermanence of life has taken effort and reconditioning on my part, I do hope that it will enable me to accept the future death of my loved ones with more grace and dignity than I would have had otherwise. I do hope that it will make it a little easier to look back, embrace and cherish the lives of the ones precious to me and prevent me from nurturing potentially hollow hopes of a future reunion just to quench the thirst of separation.
Disturbing statistics
The Pew Global Attitudes Project recently released a report on the views of Pakistanis on extremism, the war on terror and related matters. The report highlights a healthy trend of more and more Pakistanis seeing the Taliban and al Qaeda as negative elements. What prompted this post however were the alarming statistics on people's views on the punishments suggested by Islam. From the report:
While these statistics shouldn't be very surprising given that most Pakistanis are rather conservative and deeply revere Islam, they still managed to come as a very rude shock.
One of the ironies in the survey is the extent to which Pakistanis embrace some of the severe laws associated with the Taliban and al Qaeda, even as they reject Islamic extremism and these extremist groups. The new poll finds broad support for harsh punishments: 78% favor death for those who leave Islam; 80% favor whippings and cutting off hands for crimes like theft and robbery; and 83% favor stoning adulterers.
While these statistics shouldn't be very surprising given that most Pakistanis are rather conservative and deeply revere Islam, they still managed to come as a very rude shock.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Rational Smörgåsbord
I have been watching clips of A Bit of Fry and Laurie lately. While the clips are quite hilarious and gripping in and of them self, what makes them even more interesting is seeing Hugh Laurie (of House's fame) speak in his British accent.
I stumbled across the following video containing a series of clips of Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie (though mostly Stephen) talking about their views on religion and science -- part tongue in cheek, part serious. Have fun watching.
I stumbled across the following video containing a series of clips of Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie (though mostly Stephen) talking about their views on religion and science -- part tongue in cheek, part serious. Have fun watching.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Fortuitous happenings
Its the little things that help strengthen people's belief in God and the unseen.
I had a series of fortuitous and not-so-fortuitous events recently that gave me -- well -- a pause.
I was in Ottawa for a talk I had to give and was scheduled to leave Ottawa for Toronto at midnight. The talk finished at about 3 in the afternoon and I had the rest of the day to myself. A friend who lives in Ottawa but was in Toronto for vacations, suddenly and unexpectedly decided to come back to Ottawa the day before thus allowing me to recharge and catch up with him.
I left for Toronto from Ottawa at midnight. My experience with Toronto's transit system was just plain horrible. It didn't have an online trip planner and was full of other annoying little quirks such as the ticket only being valid in a single direction and having different transit companies operate in the surrounding cities which meant that I couldn't use the pre-paid tickets I had brought earlier in those cities. I was asking around on how to get to my relative's place when I stumbled across a kind couple (a Pakistani guy married to a gori (a white girl)) who offered to drop me near my relative's place. They easily saved me about a hundred bucks that I would have had to give to the taxi cab otherwise. Not only were they kind enough to drop me off near my destination but even served me lunch at their place. It was pleasant, even if not totally unexpected, to see his gori wife make roti and chai.
The fortuitous streak ended when I realized that I had forgotten my relative's exact address and phone number at the couple's place. I roamed around the streets a bit, scouting for wireless internet so that I could retrieve her address from my email account. I was able to spot a mall where a guy agreed to let me retrieve the address and I finally made my way to the destination after about an hour of roaming around.
While such events can be explained off as statistical occurrences, they sure mean heck of a lot to the person whom they happen to, which is perhaps why it is so hard to label them off just as mere statistical occurrences.
I had a series of fortuitous and not-so-fortuitous events recently that gave me -- well -- a pause.
I was in Ottawa for a talk I had to give and was scheduled to leave Ottawa for Toronto at midnight. The talk finished at about 3 in the afternoon and I had the rest of the day to myself. A friend who lives in Ottawa but was in Toronto for vacations, suddenly and unexpectedly decided to come back to Ottawa the day before thus allowing me to recharge and catch up with him.
I left for Toronto from Ottawa at midnight. My experience with Toronto's transit system was just plain horrible. It didn't have an online trip planner and was full of other annoying little quirks such as the ticket only being valid in a single direction and having different transit companies operate in the surrounding cities which meant that I couldn't use the pre-paid tickets I had brought earlier in those cities. I was asking around on how to get to my relative's place when I stumbled across a kind couple (a Pakistani guy married to a gori (a white girl)) who offered to drop me near my relative's place. They easily saved me about a hundred bucks that I would have had to give to the taxi cab otherwise. Not only were they kind enough to drop me off near my destination but even served me lunch at their place. It was pleasant, even if not totally unexpected, to see his gori wife make roti and chai.
The fortuitous streak ended when I realized that I had forgotten my relative's exact address and phone number at the couple's place. I roamed around the streets a bit, scouting for wireless internet so that I could retrieve her address from my email account. I was able to spot a mall where a guy agreed to let me retrieve the address and I finally made my way to the destination after about an hour of roaming around.
While such events can be explained off as statistical occurrences, they sure mean heck of a lot to the person whom they happen to, which is perhaps why it is so hard to label them off just as mere statistical occurrences.
Cultural muslim
I still make sure that the meat I eat is halal. I don't drink wine. I don't engage in sexual activities. My religious upbringing has a lot to do with that, but I believe that I don't indulge in these activities as I genuinely consider most of these activities to be unwholesome.
Its mind boggling to see how many different facets of your life are touched by religion -- from birth, to daily activities, to marriage and eventually death. While its easy to let go of certain rituals and practices as an individual, letting go of communal rituals and practices is a little harder to do. The coming ramadan will probably be the first (since growing up) in which I will not fast though I will probably celebrate eid -- not as a religious festival but as a cultural one.
I confessed my present state of belief to a friend recently. I had had extensive discussions with the same friend last year as I was drifting further and further away from Islam. Even though it was patently obvious to him that I did not believe in any of the fundamental tenets of Islam, I was surprised when he mumbled -- almost in a state of confusion and disbelief -- that I was still a muslim. It might have been that he genuinely believed that I was still a muslim at some level or it might be that being a muslim has got much more to do with your cultural values and traditions than a mere set of beliefs and that I was a muslim in the former sense if not the latter.
Its mind boggling to see how many different facets of your life are touched by religion -- from birth, to daily activities, to marriage and eventually death. While its easy to let go of certain rituals and practices as an individual, letting go of communal rituals and practices is a little harder to do. The coming ramadan will probably be the first (since growing up) in which I will not fast though I will probably celebrate eid -- not as a religious festival but as a cultural one.
I confessed my present state of belief to a friend recently. I had had extensive discussions with the same friend last year as I was drifting further and further away from Islam. Even though it was patently obvious to him that I did not believe in any of the fundamental tenets of Islam, I was surprised when he mumbled -- almost in a state of confusion and disbelief -- that I was still a muslim. It might have been that he genuinely believed that I was still a muslim at some level or it might be that being a muslim has got much more to do with your cultural values and traditions than a mere set of beliefs and that I was a muslim in the former sense if not the latter.
Officially muslim
My official religion is still Islam. I haven't made any efforts to change that either as I haven't talked things through with my family. I am also concerned about the legal repercussions of leaving Islam while being a Pakistani citizen. Has any of you readers ever considered renouncing Islam officially? Do you know of the legal repercussions? Can apostates legally be sentenced to death in Pakistan?
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Defiling the sacred
We hold values of love, honesty and universal justice in high esteem. Honesty seems better than dishonesty. Love and compassion seem better than indifference or hate. Being just seems better than forgoing justice in the name of practicality.
These attributes matter to me. I am pretty confident that they matter to an overwhelmingly large majority of the human population. What bothers me is the alleged universality of such attributes. These attributes might appear universal to us because all humans, and perhaps most animals share the same cognitive machinery.
Why are these attributes significant? Why do they matter? What if their significance lies just in the way our brains are wired? What happens, as we gain the ability to alter our genetics and construct new life forms, we create a world where the things that we consider so sacred to life can be defiled with just a switch of a button, with the re-assignment of a variable and the rewiring of a bunch of neurons?
Will we want to create such a world? Will we want to live in such a world?
Update: I am usually optimistic and hopeful about the future -- it has its due share of challenges but it also offers exciting opportunities. I am feeling particularly disharmonious and agitated today, and your overall mood affects the thoughts that come to mind. I do consider the points I raised to be valid so I will leave the post as is but just note that I am rather hopeful that we will figure things out along the way.
These attributes matter to me. I am pretty confident that they matter to an overwhelmingly large majority of the human population. What bothers me is the alleged universality of such attributes. These attributes might appear universal to us because all humans, and perhaps most animals share the same cognitive machinery.
Why are these attributes significant? Why do they matter? What if their significance lies just in the way our brains are wired? What happens, as we gain the ability to alter our genetics and construct new life forms, we create a world where the things that we consider so sacred to life can be defiled with just a switch of a button, with the re-assignment of a variable and the rewiring of a bunch of neurons?
Will we want to create such a world? Will we want to live in such a world?
Update: I am usually optimistic and hopeful about the future -- it has its due share of challenges but it also offers exciting opportunities. I am feeling particularly disharmonious and agitated today, and your overall mood affects the thoughts that come to mind. I do consider the points I raised to be valid so I will leave the post as is but just note that I am rather hopeful that we will figure things out along the way.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Silent night
Just found this little gem on Butter's blog.
The song truly is a spiritual experience. It almost made me lose sense of time, freeing my soul and making me feel calm, peaceful and warm inside. My eyes were mostly closed the first time I heard it. I didn't know what it was about -- it didn't matter. I read the lyrics at the bottom of the screen the second time around, and the wordings and imagery, though beautiful, made me a little uncomfortable. Perhaps we need another set of metaphors and images, not associated with any of the major religions when talking about spiritual experiences.
I have always found the three part Christian conception of God to be utterly confusing. For the first time however, I realized how the father son relationship can evoke feelings of love and compassion in a way that a single God perhaps cannot. Our most potent experiences of love and warmth are associated with the relations we build and nourish with other humans and it is not surprising to see humans externalizing those relations when constructing notions of a loving God. This provides an emotional explanation of why most Christians stick with their beliefs even when it apparently makes no logical sense.
The song truly is a spiritual experience. It almost made me lose sense of time, freeing my soul and making me feel calm, peaceful and warm inside. My eyes were mostly closed the first time I heard it. I didn't know what it was about -- it didn't matter. I read the lyrics at the bottom of the screen the second time around, and the wordings and imagery, though beautiful, made me a little uncomfortable. Perhaps we need another set of metaphors and images, not associated with any of the major religions when talking about spiritual experiences.
I have always found the three part Christian conception of God to be utterly confusing. For the first time however, I realized how the father son relationship can evoke feelings of love and compassion in a way that a single God perhaps cannot. Our most potent experiences of love and warmth are associated with the relations we build and nourish with other humans and it is not surprising to see humans externalizing those relations when constructing notions of a loving God. This provides an emotional explanation of why most Christians stick with their beliefs even when it apparently makes no logical sense.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Evolution and intelligent design in Pakistani schools
I came across this article talking about Pakistani schools integrating a strong religious component into their curriculum.
What prompted me to write this post was a mention of how to deal with evolution in the curriculum. From the article:
I feel for the poor students whose minds will be filled with this pseudo-scientific nonsense as part of their curriculum. The evolution/intelligent design debate has been a very controversial one in America but America at least has a well established and respected body of scientists which can intervene and talk some sense into people. That is hardly the case for Pakistan. We certainly don't need an army of educated people who get their scientific 'facts' from the likes of Harun Yahya and the Quran. In the longer run, the Quran might very well shoot itself in the foot because of its claim of being the final and immutable word of God, or perhaps we might see an imaginative acceptance of evolution similar to Catholicism.
What prompted me to write this post was a mention of how to deal with evolution in the curriculum. From the article:
To their dismay, the book begins with a description of the evolution of man. ‘We need to give them the facts,’ says one teacher. ‘They need to know that Darwinism is just an opinion.’ Some teachers recommend books and videos by Harun Yahya, a controversial Islamic creationist, as a classroom alternative. ‘Our students should first learn the truth as stated in the Quran, and then learn about these other versions.’
I feel for the poor students whose minds will be filled with this pseudo-scientific nonsense as part of their curriculum. The evolution/intelligent design debate has been a very controversial one in America but America at least has a well established and respected body of scientists which can intervene and talk some sense into people. That is hardly the case for Pakistan. We certainly don't need an army of educated people who get their scientific 'facts' from the likes of Harun Yahya and the Quran. In the longer run, the Quran might very well shoot itself in the foot because of its claim of being the final and immutable word of God, or perhaps we might see an imaginative acceptance of evolution similar to Catholicism.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
The human loss
Reading the story of the sad demise of Captain Omerzeb over at Pak Tea House made me somber. His tragic demise on the birthday of his fiance made my heart heavy. The bonds of love that bind us together can so tear our existence apart when they are snatched away like that.
While we glorify and praise all those who die fighting for Pakistan, it is very easy to de-humanize all those who we perceive to be the 'other' in such a situation. While I am not a bit sympathetic to the cause of the Taliban, that shouldn't make us forget that they are human too. Their deaths send very similar waves of agony rippling through and tearing apart their families. Then there are all the civilian casualties in this unfortunate war on terror. So many lives have been so adversely affected because of it; so many ties of love have been so ruthlessly broken apart.
While religion is only one of the sources that has fueled human conflict through the ages, it has been one of the sources nonetheless. It almost makes me very angry at all those supposed prophets of God whose teachings formed the basis of all this hatred, deceived so many and provided fodder for conflict for so many years to follow after them. How irresponsible of them.
All this makes one pine for a time when we will learn to resolve our differences through dialogue and discussion instead of mindless use of force and violence. It makes one pine for a time when human life wouldn't be so cheap and readily expendable.
While we glorify and praise all those who die fighting for Pakistan, it is very easy to de-humanize all those who we perceive to be the 'other' in such a situation. While I am not a bit sympathetic to the cause of the Taliban, that shouldn't make us forget that they are human too. Their deaths send very similar waves of agony rippling through and tearing apart their families. Then there are all the civilian casualties in this unfortunate war on terror. So many lives have been so adversely affected because of it; so many ties of love have been so ruthlessly broken apart.
While religion is only one of the sources that has fueled human conflict through the ages, it has been one of the sources nonetheless. It almost makes me very angry at all those supposed prophets of God whose teachings formed the basis of all this hatred, deceived so many and provided fodder for conflict for so many years to follow after them. How irresponsible of them.
All this makes one pine for a time when we will learn to resolve our differences through dialogue and discussion instead of mindless use of force and violence. It makes one pine for a time when human life wouldn't be so cheap and readily expendable.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Letting go of God
Came across this talk by Julia Sweeney in which she candidly and rather hyper actively narrates her de-conversion story. Nothing particularly unique about what she has to say, but enjoyed it nonetheless.
You can find the latter parts of the talk on youtube.
You can find the latter parts of the talk on youtube.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Do Saudi textbooks teach hate?
This is somewhat related to my previous post. The Quran contains several verses inciting ill-will towards the non-believers. The Quran and Sunnah had to define the Islamic identity in contrast to all the other existing religions, so its not very surprising, though sad and unfortunate, that they contain such verses.
Update: Found a selection of excerpts from Saudi textbooks here (look at the end of the article). They seem dangerous at one level, yet so familiar at another level so as to almost seem innocent. Disturbing.
Update: Found a selection of excerpts from Saudi textbooks here (look at the end of the article). They seem dangerous at one level, yet so familiar at another level so as to almost seem innocent. Disturbing.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Dreaming of a better future ... in heaven
I came across this article discussing the role Bush's religious beliefs might have played in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The prophecy in the Old Testament reads as follows:
Most religious people, save the most die hard literal fanatics, would probably balk if their leaders profess such opinions. Yet, prophecies are part of most religions, and as true Muslims, Christians, Jews or whatever, believing in those prophecies is a required tenet of faith.
The depiction of the end times in the ahadiths has always disturbed me. They paint a picture of such doom, gloom and death and destruction -- and with such assurity and certainty. As disturbing as the details of those prophecies are, even more disturbing is the fact that large swaths of human population believe in such utter crap with unflinching faith. Its scary.
You have to dream before you build. You have to get inspired and see a better future before you go about working for one. Religious belief can mentally handicap and paralyze one's imagination by forcing its ghastly version of the future upon oneself. Not only does religion erect divisive boundaries between humans, but its teachings have the potential to subtly influence human decisions and actions, steering humanity on a path of mutual death and destruction.
I once shared these concerns with my mother. Her reply was innocent, though disturbing. She told me not to worry -- after all, everything will be fine in heaven.
“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle … and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them."Bush is said to have told France's president Jacques Chirac:
“This confrontation is willed by God, who wants to use this conflict to erase his people’s enemies before a New Age begins.”It is disturbing to see the president of the world's sole super power exhibit such delusional thinking. Bush is not alone. I was talking with a friend from Iran last week and he mentioned how Ahmadinejad often says that he has the backing of the Imams when justifying his decisions. Most of the Imams are dead, and the last one, Imam Mehdi, is prophesied to come when Christ returns. Its hard for any sane person to take him seriously if he openly goes about making such claims.
Most religious people, save the most die hard literal fanatics, would probably balk if their leaders profess such opinions. Yet, prophecies are part of most religions, and as true Muslims, Christians, Jews or whatever, believing in those prophecies is a required tenet of faith.
The depiction of the end times in the ahadiths has always disturbed me. They paint a picture of such doom, gloom and death and destruction -- and with such assurity and certainty. As disturbing as the details of those prophecies are, even more disturbing is the fact that large swaths of human population believe in such utter crap with unflinching faith. Its scary.
You have to dream before you build. You have to get inspired and see a better future before you go about working for one. Religious belief can mentally handicap and paralyze one's imagination by forcing its ghastly version of the future upon oneself. Not only does religion erect divisive boundaries between humans, but its teachings have the potential to subtly influence human decisions and actions, steering humanity on a path of mutual death and destruction.
I once shared these concerns with my mother. Her reply was innocent, though disturbing. She told me not to worry -- after all, everything will be fine in heaven.
Monday, May 11, 2009
May the master be with you
Certain experiences can totally catch us off guard -- I happened to have one today.
On my way back home on the bus this evening, a caucasian guy sitting besides me asked me about the spelling of 'beneath'. He appeared to be a drunk junkie from his disheveled appearance, and his inability to spell 'beneath' only strengthened my suspicion. I spelled it out, taking a quick peek at the text he was writing. The writing was far from neat but I could make out references to 'love' and 'heart' from the little I was able to peek at. It appeared to be some sort of a love letter.
A few moments later, he inquired where I was from. Upon hearing Pakistan, he mentioned that he was a poet and in fact had read many of the poets from that region. He mentioned Kabir and Rumi among several others and inquired whether I knew about any of them. Most of the names were alien to me, other than Rumi, and the guy seemed rather surprised at that, rightly so perhaps, exhorting me to read more about my culture and heritage. He also appeared rather concerned, almost a little angry, when talking about the present situation in Pakistan, rhetorically asking about how one can put a life back once its taken.
My stop was near when he volunteered to read aloud his poem. I reluctantly agreed. I don't remember most of it as I was still taken aback by the suddenness of the experience and the anxiety of my stop arriving, but it did sound very beautiful and spiritual -- ending with 'beneath your feet'.
He mentioned sos.org several times during the conversation -- turns out that its a spiritual organization led by a Sikh guy. From first impressions, it seems to be have a low fishiness to usefulness ratio.
My stop finally arrived and I shared my first ever fist bump goodbye with him along with the parting expression: "May the master be with you".
Its not everyday that you get to have such eventful and novelty filled bus rides :-)
On my way back home on the bus this evening, a caucasian guy sitting besides me asked me about the spelling of 'beneath'. He appeared to be a drunk junkie from his disheveled appearance, and his inability to spell 'beneath' only strengthened my suspicion. I spelled it out, taking a quick peek at the text he was writing. The writing was far from neat but I could make out references to 'love' and 'heart' from the little I was able to peek at. It appeared to be some sort of a love letter.
A few moments later, he inquired where I was from. Upon hearing Pakistan, he mentioned that he was a poet and in fact had read many of the poets from that region. He mentioned Kabir and Rumi among several others and inquired whether I knew about any of them. Most of the names were alien to me, other than Rumi, and the guy seemed rather surprised at that, rightly so perhaps, exhorting me to read more about my culture and heritage. He also appeared rather concerned, almost a little angry, when talking about the present situation in Pakistan, rhetorically asking about how one can put a life back once its taken.
My stop was near when he volunteered to read aloud his poem. I reluctantly agreed. I don't remember most of it as I was still taken aback by the suddenness of the experience and the anxiety of my stop arriving, but it did sound very beautiful and spiritual -- ending with 'beneath your feet'.
He mentioned sos.org several times during the conversation -- turns out that its a spiritual organization led by a Sikh guy. From first impressions, it seems to be have a low fishiness to usefulness ratio.
My stop finally arrived and I shared my first ever fist bump goodbye with him along with the parting expression: "May the master be with you".
Its not everyday that you get to have such eventful and novelty filled bus rides :-)
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