QĬNG CHÌ SĀ DÀN

https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2019/01/28/qing-chi-sa-dan/

If Adam and Eve had been Chinese they would have eaten the snake rather than let it live to plague their descendants. Imagine, if you can: no Hitler, no Robespierre, no Henry the VIII, no general at the helm of affairs in Pakistan for eleven ghastly years, and in the United States there’d be no…you got it.

Also had Satan met that fate, the Pakistan cricket captain would not have been tempted to say what he did at the One Day International against South Africa last Tuesday. This may seem to be overreaching it a bit, and one certainly does not mean to stick Sarfaraz in the company of the likes of Hitler and the general with peaked eyebrows, but it does refer to what lies behind what he said. Because what Sarfaraz said – he almost definitely does not realise it — was only the visible, or rather the audible fragment of an infinitely much greater malaise.

Sarfaraz may not have said what he said directly to Phehlukwayo, but he said it aloud. Being couched in Urdu his words were loud enough to be heard by his teammates and countrymen who, as per Sarfaraz’s experience, would have found these sentiments funny, and snickered along with him. Sarfaraz, as representative of Pakistan, as the captain of Pakistan’s team, should give his responsibilities conscious consideration and not with as little thought as tying his shoelaces or flicking off a mosquito. He has shamed the country, and in the eyes of his young fans given racism the stamp of approval. Because what Sarfaraz said was racist, there is no two ways about it. He ought not to be let off the hook by giggling PCB officials pretending to be stern. Instead, the hero of so many young cricket lovers ought to be seen to be reprimanded seriously, even though his mental processes are also the fault of the attitude of the country in which he was raised.

Racism is more than alive in Pakistan, it is thriving, institutionalised and even encouraged.

Racism is what destroyed Asiya bibi’s life, what took Shama and Shahzad to their gruesome death, what led to the death of some six million Jews during the Holocaust. What could be more satanic?

What Sarfaraz said should not be treated as ‘mere’ words, or one stands in danger of trivialising the contributions of people who used their thoughts couched in the most effective language to influence the thinking of entire generations, people such as Faiz, Nazrul Islam, Ramakhrishnan, Walt Whitman, Fahmida Riaz, Plato, Marx, and Manto. We stand in danger of treating their writings as ‘mere’ words.  As Oscar Wilde said, “Men are the slave of words,” and also that “Language is the parent, not the child of thought.” He meant that words are important, and they influence the way we think.

In his striking talk on the subject of genocide Stephen Fry points out that all genocides in recent history had one thing in common: “each example was preceded by language (words) being used again and again and again to dehumanise the person that had to be killed”

As we condemn Donald Trump’s racist language, we should also condemn it when we hear for example Imran Khan’s comments made a couple of years ago on “so called foreign players,” who he said were “picked up from Africa or wherever” and called “foreign players.” The current PM of Pakistan was then speaking of the international players who were picked to play the International Super League final in Lahore in 2017.

In his striking talk on the subject of genocide Stephen Fry points out that all genocides in recent history had one thing in common: “each example was preceded by language (words) being used again and again and again to dehumanise the person that had to be killed.” So, the Nazis, knowing that not all Germans would support the wholesale slaughter of Jews started calling Jews ‘apemen’, ‘rats’ and ‘vermin.’ Is that not similar to when people from East Pakistan were called ‘bhookay Bangali’ or worse in the lead up to 1971? Remember the genocide at that time? Compare it to Donald Trumps remark about ‘shithole countries,’ when speaking of immigrants to the United States.

In the light of such examples, how funny does anyone find Sarfaraz’s words? Of course black Africans themselves call themselves ‘black’, and black is no longer a derogatory word in Africa and in the West, but it is definitely derogatory in Pakistan, let’s make no bones about that.

All cricket captains, past and present, all public figures, all those with a following should face the consequences when they use words in such a way. Pakistan needs to know that kala (black), langra (unable to walk), mota (overweight) are not to be used in lieu of abuse, that in itself these are not words of abuse, but are made so by contemptible minds. We need to understand that racism is wrong. It is cruel, condemned by all religions, and by all persons with any respect for humanity.

By the way, the simplified Chinese word for Satan, is Sā dàn. And ‘please eat’ is: Qĭng chì. I’m not sure at all sure if ‘Qĭng chì Sā dàn’ is the right way to say ‘please eat Satan’, its straight from Google translate, but for the purpose of this column right now it is meant to say, rather indirectly, please stop racism.

THE UN-BREATHABLE AIR

https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2019/01/21/the-un-breathable-air/

• Burning crops is not the only source of pollution

There are several reasons why you’re having a problem breathing in Lahore these days.

The air over Pakistan is always polluted, but for several months in winter the quality of air becomes almost unbearable and has been getting steadily worse over the years.

It is due mainly to the practice of residue crop burning.

Residue crop burning takes place at any time of year, and in many places, but it takes longer to disperse in winter due to various meteorological factors. The effects are however most apparent in winter in the region in and around Lahore where the smoke forms a noxious blanket smothering the residents, affecting both health and visibility.

Residue crop burning occurs when one crop is harvested and the fields prepared for the planting of the next major crop. That is in turn harvested in summer, around April-May.

When a crop is harvested a stubble remains. The next crop in the recently harvested field can either incorporate this stubble, for example by seeding directly into the previous stub, or it can be planted after removing the stubble, in a clear field. To clear the field is a time and labour consuming process in the absence of mechanisation. The residue is therefore burnt.

It was once the practice in more leisurely times to allow stubble to remain in the field for a while before another crop was planted. This allowed what remained of the crop to degrade and pass its nutrients back into the soil. The next crop was nourished by the old nutrients, in addition to what the farmer fed it after it was planted. But things have changed and burning is now perceived to be an integral aspect of preparation a field and has become common practice in Pakistan.

Burning stubble does more harm than good. Preventing farmers from burning the crop is important for both agricultural as well as health reasons and requires an ongoing educational campaign. There appears to be none at present.

At present Pakistan is self-sufficient in the staple crops of wheat, sugar cane and rice, but while wheat is important, sugar cane and rice use too much water and are not crucial to a healthy diet

Crop residue burning has significantly raised greenhouse gas levels. Smoke travels surprisingly long distances. The smoke produced in the Indo Gangetic Plains is able to carry over and across the Himalayas. People all across this area breathe in this smoke and fumes and suffer from respiratory illnesses, particularly the young and the elderly. In addition to humans, wildlife living, nesting and feeding off the area also suffers. Their food sources and nesting sites are destroyed. These fires can be particularly disastrous for animals that nest on or close to the ground, and for those animals whose young are less mobile. Other harmless creatures such as bees and rodents that are ecologically valuable also suffer.

Burning crops is not the only source of pollution. There is also the pollution from factories and that produced by other practices, such as the burning of trash.

According to an article by Rachel Lew in July of 2018 in BioEnergy Consult, ‘more than five million people die each year in Pakistan due to waste-related diseases where roughly 20 million tons of solid waste is generated annually. Karachi, the largest city in the country, generates more than 9,000 tons of municipal waste daily. All other major cities, Islamabad, Lahore or Peshawar, are facing enormous challenges in tackling the problem of urban waste. The root factors for the worsening garbage problem in Pakistan are lack of urban planning, outdated infrastructure, lack of public awareness and endemic corruption.’

You wish the powers that be would concentrate more on these issues, because with effective waste management and better controls over agricultural practice many of the problems faced by this country would be addressed simultaneously. Farmers need to be provided with guidance as to what to grow, with better seeds to help them grow it, and with a more effective chain of production that provides buyers for producers. Knowing which crop is more efficient to grow at which time in the year with the least consumption of water would impact positively on the water shortage faced by Pakistan.

At present Pakistan is self-sufficient in the staple crops of wheat, sugar cane and rice, but while wheat is important, sugar cane and rice use too much water and are not crucial to a healthy diet.

If the authorities come down heavily on crop burning and the burning of trash, it would impact very positively indeed on the air quality and the health of the nation.

TOO MANY WALLS

https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2019/01/14/too-many-walls/

• Not enough bridges

It’s an ageless process, building walls in an attempt to protect oneself from perceived or real external threats, which does not justify the proposed wall between the US and Mexico. It simply identifies it as one of the many walls by means of which man tries to keep ‘his’ possessions from leaving him, not just money but also rank, privilege, power and beliefs. Rulers stoop to anything to extend their tenure, including building walls to please an electorate. Some people justify shooting Malala to stop her from speaking about women’s education, because educated women are seen as a threat to men. Or they murder Taseer to punish him for speaking up against the inhuman laws that set up a wall between people. There are those who killed Shama and Shahzad Masih because Shama questioned their bonded labour status. In other words she was seen as a threat to the feudal system of society that exists like the blind monkey behind a high wall.

At the end of the day everyone dies and only deeds live on.

Zia ul Haq’s tenure ended, but not quite the way he had planned, but his legacy of religious extremism — the Taliban he fostered, and their trail of murder remains. Malala found away through her wall away from her tormentors, setting an example of courage in the next ten years of her life for other girls. Taseer lost his life, but even his critics during his life respect him after his death for his act of bravery. As for the children of Shama and Shahzad, they are receiving an education, which is the best way out of bondage. May they grow up to be happy and make a positive difference to the lives of their community.

Progress is often understood to be just about material things and on the personal level alone, when really,it is limited by the very walls that were put up to protect it, like the frantic beating against the wall of a man inside a cylinder. Real progress is about an attitude and is a shared process, moving towards a time when there is no need for guns, when men do not need to push down their women to maintain their superiority, when a belief system is secure because its strength rests on its enduring values and inclusion, not petty acts of force and exclusivity.

Societies can be educated out of its limited mindset, which although necessary is a long-term process. Meantime there are other things that would help. Such as immediate repercussions for certain things, such as maltreatment of employees. You see such treatment every day in organisations and homes, persons treating the ones reporting to him/her with astounding rudeness.

There must be rigid fines and imprisonment for discrimination. In some parks in Defence Housing Authority in Lahore, persons belonging to a less affluent background are expected to produce an identity card before they are allowed in

This society is also rife with cruelty against women and children, who because they are physically weaker live under all sorts of restrictions. No human being can prevent another from getting what is rightfully theirs, education, or employment. Those who do try to prevent these things should be made to face consequences.

There must be rigid fines and imprisonment for discrimination. In some parks in Defence Housing Authority in Lahore, persons belonging to a less affluent background are expected to produce an identity card before they are allowed in. Why? These are public parks belonging to all of us. The government itself is guilty of horrific discrimination with advertisements specifying non-Muslims only for cleaning jobs in some of its institutions. Muslims, apparently, do not clean as well as non-Muslims. Strange, isn’t it, given the stress on cleanliness in the religion?

“Men build too many walls and not enough bridges” said Joseph W Newton, a Baptist minister. It is not the Taliban and their brethren who generate peace and goodwill but foundations like the Malala Fund, an NGO that deals with the education of girls, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that promotes healthcare and education around the world, the Edhi Foundation, Medicine Without Frontiers, the Aurat Foundation, the Agha Khan Rural Support Programme… these are the groups that build bridges. Not IS or ISIS, the various Lashkars or al Qaeda. And not several groups that have received electoral sanction in Pakistan despite their extreme right wing leanings. We need to perceive the difference.

ADOPT A MADRASSAH

https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2019/01/01/adopt-a-madrassah/

• Good, although these ‘business enterprises’ will need to be monitored

The PTI manifesto states as part of a promise to transform education that it will ‘map out and register all seminaries across Pakistan including information on finances and introduce literacy and mathematics teaching as formal subjects within the madrassah curriculum’.

It is one of the PTI’s many promises that is yet to be acted upon, but if the promise is made good it would have far-reaching consequences, becausemadrassahs are the breeding ground from which terrorists are picked.

Following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Carter and Zbigniew Brzezinski along with several Muslim countries funded those very same terrorists via Pakistan, to help drive out the Soviets. ‘Foreign money helped establish hundreds of madrassas in Pakistan’s cities and frontier areas. These turned out thousands of Taliban who joined the mujahideen in the anti-Soviet campaign’. (BBC July 2010)

Since the end of the cold war, the Taliban and their ilk have been acting on their own agendas and have grown into a scourge for the world, and definitely for their host, Pakistan.

Madrassahs are the ‘schools’most accessible to the public in Pakistan and other Muslim countries, and with exceptions, theyare at the root of a dangerous riftin society that leads to terrorism.That rift is a chasm between the haves and have nots, the‘good’ guys and the ‘bad’ ones who dress in Western clothes and adopt the ‘Western’ or ‘worldly’ curriculum. Recreation for madrassah students appears to be stints at the local mosque where with mikes turned on high they test the range of their fledgling male vocal cords, their voices rising on Allah and falling flat on Akbar followed by a desperate squeal from the mike. It would be funny if it were not a manifestation of such a serious problem.

The manifesto also promises to promote sports by providing playing grounds sports complexes and gymnasiums

Learning mainstream subjects is considered ‘bad’ in the madrassah stream of education. The attitudeturns out a large number of students who, to their resentment and anger, spend several years being ‘educated’ to find themselves still unqualified to compete for jobs in a market composed of young people with a more all-round learning. It is these young men who become imams at mosques or carry on as teachers in madrassahs with the greatest exposure to vulnerable young persons. Or they get other low paid jobs.

In a recent initiative to facilitate their pulling out of Afghanistan, and therefore“eager to persuade the Tailban to join the Afghan peace process, the United States is offering them a safety network that includes job opportunities (Anwar Iqbal).”

American foreign policy is best viewed askance. Yet in honest hands this initiativemay well be the only thing to turn the extremists away from violence, even though it sounds like offering the sphinx a cookie. It is hard to imagine the Taliban queueing at job centres, so one presumes the idea involves some other, more creative, approach.

Still, somethings need to be kept in mind. Such as whoever is disseminating this particular brand of religion will resist change if prevented, because their role as fount of this brand of wisdom bring them power, and they will resist all efforts to take that away. The clergy in every religion has been prey to this weakness.

This brand of religiosity is taken on board as easily as it precisely because poverty encourages it. Unless something is done to break the poverty its hold upon people will remain. It takes little effort to visualise persons, even large groups of persons being persuaded to commit acts of violence in return for support for their familiesand/or for a twisted conviction of the rewards offered for such acts in the afterlife.

People need jobs, but all young peoplealso need access to recreation. In the absence of recreation youngsters play on the street, or mess around ‘one wheeling,’ or teasing girls. Because that too is ‘recreation’, and so is joining a groupcalled the ISIS or the Taliban. When it comes to losing their lives the desperation of poverty kicks in and forces them to commit violence and even destroy themselves.

In their manifesto the PTI have also said that they will focus on restructuring syllabi and mainstreaming madrassas by providing them with proper educational facilities. This, as the manifesto points out would entail teacher training, including the establishment of special Islamic teaching academies (good, unless it turns out to be more of the same thing) with diplomas for teaching. ‘Another component of mainstreaming madrassas’ the manifesto says ‘would be a public private “adopt a madrassah scheme” where the business enterprises in the local area are given tax benefits etc for adopting a madrassah, upgrading it, and offering apprenticeships to its graduating students’. Once again good, although these ‘business enterprises’ will need to be monitored.

The manifesto also promises to promote sports by providing playing grounds sports complexes and gymnasiums.

Let’s hope that if this ever materialises students from the madrassahs are able to work off steam right there instead of becoming part of the violent juggernaut otherwise known as violent extremism.