ASJAD BUKHARI FARID ALVIE BAACHA KHAN THE PASHTUN RATIONALIST LEGEND Vol I Issue 3 January - March, 2013 ISLAM & ISLAMISM CLOSED FOR BUSINESS MUNEEB TAHIR GOING PUBLIC SALMAN HAMEED ZERO DARK THIRTY RSOP MEMBERS QUOTES
Mar 07, 2016
ASJAD BUKHARI
FARID ALVIE
BAACHA KHAN THE PASHTUN RATIONALIST LEGEND
Vol I Issue 3 January - March, 2013
ISLAM & ISLAMISM
CLOSED FORBUSINESS
MUNEEB TAHIRGOING PUBLIC
SALMAN HAMEED
ZERO DARK THIRTY
RSOP MEMBERS
QUOTES
2 • The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org
FEATURES04 ISLAM AND ISLAMISM Asjad Bukhari
09 BAACHA KHAN Dr Haider Shah
12 AND I LEFT MY QUETTA Muneeb tahir
16 DEPRESSION:A GLOBAL CRISIS Humna Ayub
18 DEVELOPING REAL SELF WORTH Raajan Soni
22 QUOTES From Members
24 CLOSED FOR BUSINESS Farid Alvie
28 GOING PUBLIC Muneeb Tahir
30 RATIONALISING PAK US RELATIONS Muhammad Nadeem Mirza
34 PSEUDOSCIENCE Faisal Irshad
BOOK REVIEW20 I AM NUJOOD, AGE 10 Iman Bukhari
MOVIE REVIEW17 LIFE OF PI Iman Bukhari
26 ZERO DARK THIRTY Dr Salman Hameed
BAACHA KHAN POTRAIT BY BILAWAL KHOSOThe beautiful Bachaa Khan Potrait is designed by young, passionate graphic designer Bilawal Khoso.You can see his more work atbehance.net/blwlHe tweets as @BilawalKhoso
MEMBERS EDITORIAL BOARD•Jawad Hikmatyar (UK)•Bilawal Khoso (PK)•Awais Naeem (PK)•Abubakar Bullo (PK)•Gul Goraya (NL)•Shama Zainab (PK)•Ali Naqvi (UK)•Asjad Bukhari (CA)•Asad Masood (PK)•Arfan Rao (SW)•Zara Khan (UK)
LEGAL EXPERTS COMMITTEE•Mahnaz Nadeem •Umar Khan (UK)•Sanam Khan
MEDIA COORDINATORSAhmad Waqass Goraya General Secretary (International)/Chief Coordinator [email protected] Anila Athar Hasan Managing Editor/President (UK Chapter) [email protected] Muneeb Tahir Online Media Manager [email protected] Ahmed Chughtai Member Media and Publications Committee [email protected] Akif Khan Chief Editor/President (Pakistan Chapter) [email protected]
The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org • 3
Dr Haider ShahFounder & Patron, [email protected] Chief EditorAkif [email protected] EditorAnila Athar [email protected] EditorAtif [email protected] EditorMuneeb [email protected]
EDITORIALThe market for conspiracy theories in Pakistan remains insatiable as we continued to see an unending supply of such theories in the last few months. “Supply creates its own demand”, an old discredited Economics law may have some truth in the case of juicy con-spiracy theories. The preponderance of such theories, however, also signifies a strong pull factor of demand for all kind of mumbo jumbo in our society. Ajmal Kasab, the infamous lone survivor of Mumbai terrorist attacks and who was hanged in India last month, is the latest addition to the conspiracy theories making rounds in the social networking circles. Not only the title of ‘martyr’ was conferred on him by certain sections of our population, but in few cities his fanatic sympathisers even performed funeral prayers to express their solidarity with the departed soul. The Indian Consulate was asked by Kasab’s family members for handing over of the body for burial in Kasab’s hometown. It is indeed very surprising to see that up till now our security establishment and its spokespersons in the media had been claiming that Kasab was not a Pakistani. When a national TV chan-nel traced his connection back to his home in Punjab, we were kept in the denial mode and the media persons were dubbed as foreign agents who wanted to malign Pakistan’s image. Interestingly same people are now outdoing each other in offering prayers for their deceased hero. If left to these characters, we should not be surprised if the grave of a coldblooded killer is turned into a shrine in no time. Aided by the smokescreen of conspiracy theories, some alarming incidents took place in various parts of Pakistan from the North Western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the Southern commercial capital of Karachi. An observer of the international community finds it hard to believe that the humanitarian cause of eradicating polio virus should irk a certain section of any religious community so much that it would feel no qualms before opening its guns on women health workers and volunteers. But when rationality is on the losing side, any stupidity can rule over us. In many areas of Pakistan some armed miscreants motivated by the misguided clerics, mainly belonging to the Taliban’s sickening ideology, coerced ordinary parents not to cooperate in administration of polio vaccination drops to their children. The clerics propagated through their sermons that the polio vaccine administra-tion was a part of worldwide conspiracy by anti-Islam schemers to cause infertility so that the Muslim population was cut to size. It is pertinent to note that Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria are the last three countries in the world left with the polio disease while the rest of the world has been able to eradicate this disease through successful vaccination programmes.But instead of doubling our efforts we have amongst us people who are not only discouraging parents from cooperating with vaccination workers but also using militant methods to frustrate the public zeal. Malala Yousufzai, known to the world as an icon of courage and human rights campaign, is now an international celebrity. The young girl with an innocent face from Swat valley got discharged recently from Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, U.K after completion of surgical procedures. Even this child was not spared by the fertile minds of our con-spiracy theorists. Sun does not rise from the East and rainwater doesn’t fall due to gravity of earth. You can hardly convince them of anything if they have vowed not to use their brains. It was thus not surprising that they even disputed the fact of Malala being shot by Taliban. The fact that their many claims were extremely self-contradicting never bothers heavily their conscience. Those who were gracious enough to at least acknowledge that she was attacked ominously argued that she was attacked because she was a foreign agent. A third category of theorists, who always believe that the only mission of life of every Westerner is to defame Islam and Pakistan, were quick to claim that an ordinary incident of criminal attack was unnecessarily highlighted by the media so as to malign the image of Islam.Those with a geostrategic interest theorised that the drama was staged to create an excuse to start an operation in North Waziristan Agency against Taliban. While the world increasingly desires to see Malala become the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace prize, our conspiracy theorists feel devastated by mentioning of her name. With the facts unfolding right in the face, still our conspiracy loving theorists take delight by serious puffing of denial. The murders of Bashir Bilour, a prominent political figure and senior minister of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, and Manzar Imam, an MQM MPA, brutal killing of army personnel during a raid on the check-post at Serai Naurang, and many similar incidents are not enough to open their eyes and see the ever increasing monster of mili-tant extremism. Yet from the platform of RSOP, we would like to share our optimism that people in general have begun realising the gravity of situation and are thus raising their voice against militancy. Enough is enough. It is time to speak and act against preachers of hate and violence.
4 • The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org
The marriage between power and divine (in different forms) is not something new to
human society. Whether we read books on ancient Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Indian,
Greek and Roman civilizations, or we study the history of organized biblical/monotheistic
religions, the footprints of divine or sacred kingships are everywhere.
Religion by itself, is an expedient and voluntarily scheme to set up morality, spirituality
and social interaction. The synergy religion creates within society can contribute towards
progress, but it also has potential to generatebigotry and hatred. Throughout human
history, fanatics and extremists have exploited religion as a driving force for some of
the worst atrocities. Conquerors, monarchs and warlords justified wars on the base of
religious differences or sometimes in an effort to spread their faith. This religiously
motivated adventurism has cost millions of human lives. In modern history, 14th to 16th
century Renaissance Movements in Europe accomplished significant developments to
ISLAM AND ISLAMISMAN OVERVIEW BY ASJAD BUKHARI
“It is I, the King of Kings.” Gilgamesh was his name from the day he was born, two-thirds of him god, but a third of him human,from the epic of Gilgamesh.
IN ISLAM, THE IDEA OF BLENDING POLITICS
WITH RELIGION WAS INITIATED DURING THE
FIRST MUSLIM DYNASTY.
The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org • 5
The honor-system developed by early Muslims to run the society worked for a couple of decades
separate religion from power politics, but
still there are miles to go. In some societies,
the distance is in hundreds of miles and in
some, in thousands, but still we are far
from better. Although,in the developed
world,the Church has no authority to
govern the state, it still has some influence
and involvement into power politics via
political parties, pressure groups and
lobbies.
Islam is a monotheistic belief system
articulated by the Qur’an, a text
considered by Muslims to be the words of
Allah (God). It endorses certain moral and
ethical values to lead a person with the
blend of spirituality and morality. In Islam,
believers (Muslims) need to shape their
persona according to the prescribed
guidelines to progress their souls for
the betterment of this life and also to
get the reward from the divine, in life
after death. According to the Quran, this
message is the complete and universal
version of faith, that was revealed at
many times and places including biblical
prophets e.g. Abraham, Moses, Jesus etc.
In Islamic belief, Muhammad (c. 570 – 632)
is not the author of Islam, but instead is
regarded as the last messenger of Allah.
Islamism:Historically, Western writers used
the terms Islamism and Mohammedism
for Islam as a religion and Mohammedans
was an alternate to Muslims. By the turn of
the twentieth century, the term Islamism
replaced by the Arabic term Islam and by
1938, when Orientalist scholars completed
The Encyclopaedia of Islam, the term
Islamism disappeared completely. The
Orientalist scholars removed this term, as
it offended Muslim writers and readers.
The resurrection and redefinition of
Islamism, like its birth, took place in France
in the late 70s, as it started appearing in
titles of books and articles to describe
new Islamic movements and Islam as a
political ideology. Retrieval of the term
‘islamism’ never went without criticism
and most notably by a French historian
of Islam Maxime Rodinson, stating “If one
chooses this term, the reader may become
confused between an excited extremist
who wishes to kill everyone and a
reasonable person who believes in God in
the Muslim manner, something perfectly
6 • The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org
respectable.” Parallel to that, American
authors started using the term Islamic
fundamentalism for politically motivated
Islamic movements. In the mid-90s
American authors like, Graham Fuller,
expressed their disagreement with the
term fundamentalism and suggested
that “this more recent phenomenon in
the Muslim world is not so much of an
old-fashioned theology but it is a current
political ideology” and they suggested
using the term ‘Islamism’. Because of this, a
majority of scholars are now using this term
to describe the inflexible ideology of Islamic
movements and individuals they believe:
‘Islam (Islamic state) should rule personal,
social and political life of every Muslim
and wherever Muslims are in majority or
they are in governing position, the law of
the land must be in conformity with the
Islamic Sharia. Moreover, they believe it is
the core duty of every Muslim to spread this
ideology all across the globe. The ultimate
goal is to establish Caliphate (Islamic
theocratic rule) in the entire planet.’
Upon the appearance of Islam, the social
structure of Hijaz was based on tribal
systems, where, every tribe was considered
as a separate nation, with some variation
in their traditions. In Mecca, the birth place
of Islam, Quraysh was a powerful merchant
tribe, that controlled the area and it’s Kaaba
(the holiest shrine of the region). Prophet
Muhammad was born into the Banu Hashim
clan of the Quraysh tribe. When he was
in his late 30s, he periodically went off in
isolation to a cave in the surrounding
mountains for days. At the age of forty,
sitting in the cave, he reported receiving his
first revelation from God. Three years after
the first revelation, he started preaching
these revelations publicly: God is one and
submitting to Allah is the only way for
salvation and he himself is a prophet and
messenger of God, in the same vein as
other prophets e.g. Noah, Abraham,
Joseph, Moses, Jesus etc. Monotheist
theology and social values preached by
Prophet Muhammad were progressive and
different (in some areas), than the pagan
tribal traditions of Hijaz. This new religious
and social movement stressed the unity of
the Quraysh and that caused division and
discord. After decades of long struggle, by
means of preaching and battles, in the end
Prophet Muhammad and his companions
managed to convert all Quraysh and other
significant neighbouring tribes into Islam,
they once again united. Although, Prophet
Muhammad’s message brought a number
of social reforms in Hijaz, it still remained
a tribal society, where the status of an
individual was determined by what tribe
they were born into. On a socio political
horizon, there was no other tribe wealthier
or more powerful than the urban elite of
Mecca, the Quraysh. Coincidentally, the
most reliable and closest friends of the
Prophet were also from Quraysh. Aftermath
to the death of the Prophet, his closest
companions prudently influenced followers
that the caliph (leader/ruler after Prophet
Muhammad) should come from Quraysh.
This proposal was supposedly backed with
the words of Prophet Muhammad. In fact
during that time, the people of Hijaz were
not aware of anyone’s political leadership
except that of the Quraysh and they had
the popular support of the masses, and
no tribe could challenge this position.
History witnessed that all four Caliphs of
Rashidun and four major Muslim dynasties
after that established their legitimacy on
the basis of this. Evidently, this was not
the divine rule to impose one ‘chosen’ tribe
on all others. Rather, it was the pragmatic
strategy for that time by the Prophet’s most
reliable companions to avoid the battles for
successors and to progress Muslim society
after the Prophet’s death.
Compared to tribal pagan rituals, Islamic
monotheist theology with better social and
moral norms became a great source for
early Muslims to unite all tribes of Hijaz
under one umbrella. Since, these early
Muslims did not have a clear vision and
examples of the institution of the state;
their first model of the state was very much
like a tribal honor-system, where the chief
holds all of the sources of power. The honor-
system developed by early Muslims to run
the society worked for a couple of decades.
The reason for their success could possibly
be the lifelong companionships and direct
inspiration by the prophet. But, how
long this system survived and how it was
destroyed by civil wars and monarchs – is a
separate area of history and politics. What
needs to be identified is, rather a 1400 year
old tribal culture of the desert and power
structure is the core value in the message of
Islam. Or can this message be separated by
tribal traditions and power structure of that
time? In principle, the majority of Muslim
scholars, whether they are Islamists or
reformers, agree that values and guidelines
of Islam are core, not the tribal culture.
The differences begin when you identify,
what is desert culture and what are the
fundamental values and norms of Islam.
Traditionalists perceive the majority of tribal
traditions of that time as fundamentals of
Islam, and they drive principles of an Islamic
state from that tribal power structure. This
is the source from where Islamists get the
argument to justify amalgamation of power
politics and Islam. Contrary to that, generally
the subject of the Quran is not state or
In the beginning of the
twentieth century, the
concepts of modern state
changedrapidly;capitalist
democracies and
socialist states became
a reality.
Our species
needs, and
deserves, a
citizenry with minds
wide awake and a basic
understanding
of how the world
works.
CARL SAGAN
The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org • 7
politics at all. Character building of
individuals is the main topic of the Quran.
It provides moral values for how humans
should behave in family, as well as,in society.
In Islam, the idea of blending politics with
religion was initiated during the first Muslim
dynasty. Although Muslim monarchs of 7th
and 8th centuries were not considered as
spiritual or religious leaders, with the help
of early Muslim clergy,they systematically
narrowed down the concept of Jihad into
holy war. That was the time when under
the influence of monarchs, Muslim clerics
produced tons of literature that provided
religious cover up for rulers to invade foreign
lands as part of Jihad. Although, those
hostile Jihadi ideas never went without
criticism and disagreement,the opposing
voices suffered persecutions and had a
hard time reaching the masses, compared
to the voices from the courtyards. Some
opposing intellectuals argued on the bases
of rationality and some tried to use mystic
routes to highlight the tolerant and human
side of Islam. After establishing the empire,
those Muslims dynasties maintained
certain distance between state matters and
religion, but from time to time, they used
Islam for their political purpose as well.
However, in the beginning of the twentieth
century, the concepts of modern state
changed rapidly;capitalist democracies and
socialist states became a reality. In reaction
to this, some of the Muslim world authors
like, Syed Qutab of Muslim Brotherhood in
Egypt and Syed Maududi of Jamat Islami
inPakistan went in search of a modern
Islamic theocratic state. These authors
not only produced the literature,but
they also launched political movements
to achieve the dream of an Islamic state.
During the Cold War era, USA and other
capitalist powers recognized these
relatively unpopular Islamist movements,
as useful barricades against the spread
of communist political movements in the
Muslim world. They supported and invested
heavily on these Islamist authors and their
movements, to suppress liberal and socialist
Muslim thoughts. Afghan Jihad of 80’s, was
the climax of that unholy marriage between
capitalists and Islamists. After the climax
of an unnatural friendship,in the start of
new millennium, they become each other’s
rivals.
Establishment of an Islamic theocratic
state to implement Sharia (figh) law is the
main objective of Islamists. However, they
have no direct support from the Quran to
aspire this utopia. Other than a few general
guidelines, the Quran is silent on politics and
statecraft. It provides some fundamentals
on which society may be built, with the
assurance of equality and social justice. It
does not,however,endorse or sanction any
particular form of government, including
theocracy and neither does it demand to
create an Islamic state. Contrary to that,
it encourages individuals to follow the
morals and values mentioned in the book.
Islamists endorse Shariah law as divine and
insist all Muslims to oppose man made
laws and struggle to enforce this law. This
is nevertheless fraudulent claim, as Shariah
laws are also man made and developed
by Muslim jurists (Imams) gradually (in
their personal capacity) in the centuries
after the Prophet’s time. These laws are
somewhat based on oral traditions of the
Prophet’s time. These traditions (hadith)
were documented from verbal history, after
two to three centuries of the Prophet’s
death. In these compilations, not only is the
margins of error high, but also most of them
are 1400 year old tribal customs of that
time, instead of divine laws. These laws are
not written in the Quran. Most interesting is
the fact that, there are dozens of versions of
these Shariah laws. Some versions of these
laws were adapted by Muslim rulers,and
some were practiced by individuals in their
personal lives,while some just stay in the
books. This is the prevalent problem with
Islamists;they greet the personal opinions
of 8th and 9th centuries Imams as a divine
and integral part of Islam, while completely
ignoring the realities and needs of the
different time and space, that makes these
man made Shariah laws irrelevant to the
present time.
The author is founding member of RSOP/social activist and information management professional, he can be reached via [email protected]
8 • The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org
Work of young, passionate graphic designer Bilawal Khoso. You can see his more work at behance.net/blwlHe tweets as @BilawalKhoso
The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org • 9
have one great dream, one
great longing.
Like flowers in the desert,
my people are born,
bloom for a while with nobody to look
after them, wither, and return to the dust
they came from.
I want to see them share each other’s
sorrow and happiness. I want to see them
work together as equal partners. I want to
see them play their national role and take
their rightful place among the nations
of the world, for the service of God and
humanity.”
These are the kind of dreams that Baacha
Khan wanted to turn into reality. As we
are giving coverage to noted rationalists
of Pakistan, in particular, and the Muslim
world, in general, the story will never be
complete if Baacha Khan’s name does
not appear at the very top. Named Abdul
Ghaffar Khan by his father Behram Khan,
a local landlord of Hashtnagar, Uthmanzai
village, Charsadda, he is more famous
by the names given by the people that
saw a saint in him. A living legend of his
own times he was better known asBaacha
Khan/Baadshah Khan (King Khan),
Fakhr-e-Afghan (Pride of Afghans) and
Sarhaddi Gandhi (Frontier Gandhi).Like a
true rationalist BaachaKhan did not see
the world in black and white. He didn’t
blind himself by his hatred for any group
of people and was always ready to adopt
good things from those he considered
political enemies. Most of his young life
was spent in jail due to his bitter opposition
of British rule in India. Still Baacha Khan
drew his earliest inspiration of serving
the community selflessly from Reverend
Mr. E.F.F Wigramwho was the headmaster
of the Edwardes Memorial Mission High
School in Peshawar and was serving the
local community. His strong ego was also
evident very early on as he refused the
then prestigious commission in an elite
corps of Pashtun soldiers of the British Raj
after he saw that the local officers were
not treated well by their British seniors.
He might have followed the footsteps
of his elder brother and proceeded to
London for higher studies but his mother
begged him not to go and he dropped
the idea. Perhaps destiny had earmarked
an altogether different mission for this tall
young Pashtun. Living among his villagers
he experienced a kind of nirvana without
sitting under any particular tree. Budha
began reformation by spreading his
message of nirvana in different lands and
preaching self-control over ambitions as
the key to happiness. Baacha Khan set out
reforming his society by educating it as
BAACHA KHANthe Pashtun rationalist legend
I A CONSCIENTIOUS
AND PRINCIPLED
ANTI-IMPERIALIST
BAACHA KHAN AS
In 1926 when Baacha Khan’s father died the local mullahs turned up in expectation of alms. But after consulting the gathered villagers he declared that the alm of 2000 rupees would go to the school instead of mullahs
10 • The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org
a socio-political activist. While other men
of his age were either busy in romances or
settling scores through vendetta, the young
Baacha khan at 20, opened his first school
in Utmanzai which proved so successful
that other villages also began inviting him
to do the same there. Thus was born one
of the most significant political movements
of the sub-continent with the name of
KhudaiKhidmatgar (Servants of God). In
Baacha Khan we see the combination of
spirits of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan as a social
reformer through education and of Gandhi
as a political leader using non-violent protest
as a strategic tool. Not surprisingly, Baacha
Khan soon emerged as one of the most
formidable enemies of the British Raj who
considered his politicisation of Pashtuns
a dangerous development. Through local
khans and religious leaders the British
rulers felt that the North Western Frontier
region did not pose a serious threat to the
British rule and hence they could focus their
energies on maintaining the Congress less
independence movement. Baacha Khan
was changing all that and was repeatedly
jailed and then was exile from NWFP. The
combined cause of freedom movement and
non-violence disciplined approach brought
Baacha Khan and Gandhi together which
lasted till the British left in 1947.
Baacha Khan, as a conscientious and
principled anti-imperialist politician, is well
known. To me the rationalist reformer side
of his personality is even more appealing.
Challenging a cruel despot is easier path to
follow compared to challenging the tyranny
of social norms and customs. Baacha Khan
had the courage and sagacity of fighting the
battle on two fronts. The proud Pashtun had
a pacifist spirit inside a formidable built. He
not only promoted the cause of education
but also went a step further by challenging
the cultural norm that an ordinary Pashtun
took for granted as the essence of the
Pashtun code; the cult of violent revenge.
Baacha Khan taught his followers that love
can create more in a second than bombs
can destroy in a century. This is not less than
a miracle that the people who were known
for vendetta on slightest excuse became
examples of non-violence in politics and
would swallow insult and provocations but
would refrain from retaliation.
In 1926 when Baacha Khan’s father died
the local mullahs turned up in expectation
of alms. But after consulting the gathered
villagers he declared that the alm of 2000
rupees would go to the school instead
of mullahs. Soon afterwards Baacha Khan
went for Hajj with his wife and sister. In
Mecca he attended a conference of Islamic
nations but as an honest rationalist he got
disillusioned by the constant bickering of
leaders over theological differences. When
Baacha Khan returned he formed a Youth
League of graduates of his Azad schools
with a view to launching social and political
reforms. One of the central objectives was
the uplift of women in a society dominated
by male chauvinist prejudices . Unlike
many hypocritical leaders, Baacha Khan
always began every change from his own
household. True to his conviction, Baacha
Khan’s sisters, therefore, became leaders of
the women empowerment movement and
began touring various districts and giving
speeches- a daring break with the taboos
ridden Pashtun society. To help spread his
reformation message, Baacha Khan, like Sir
Syed’s ‘Tehzeeb-ul-Ikhlaq’ magazine started
a Pashto journal ‘Pushtun’which proved
an instant success containing articles on
hygiene and social issues. Many authors
engaged in self-critical examination.
For instance, one female author bitterly
complained that “Except for the Pashtun,
the women have no enemy.He is clever
but is ardent in suppressing women…O
Pashtun….when you demand your
freedom, why do you deny it to women?”
Baacha Khan was also aware of the fact
that for long the religious identity of
Pashtuns subsumed their national identity
and freedom struggles were mostly led by
religious leaders in the Pashtun society. He
wanted to create a distinct political identity
of Pashtuns that did not rely heavily upon
religious affiliation. Once he said “ You have
heard of America and Europe. The people in
those countries may not be very religious,
but they have a sense of patriotism, love for
their nation, and social consciousness. And
look at the progress that has been made
there. Then take a look at ourselves ! We
have hardly learned to stand on our own
feet yet. Look at their standard of living and
then take a look at ours”.
Not only the followers of Baacha Khan
showered him with boundless love and
respect but his name became dear to all
freedom loving leaders of India and other
countries of the world. God also seemed
to be generous in bestowing honour on
Baacha Khan. His sons also made names
in different walks of life. Abdul Ghani Khan
became a noted artist and philosopher
poet of Pashto whose poetry has gained
international fame and translated in many
languages. Abdul Wali Khan became one of
the most prominent nationalist progressive
leaders of Pakistan and the third son,
Abdul Ali Khan distinguished himself as an
academic and remained the Vice Chancellor
of the Peshawar university
A few pages in this journal can do no
justice to the greatness of a man who was a
“match to his mountains” as his biographer
EknathEaswaran calls him. I have tried to
shed some light on the rationalist side of
that political and social warrior and reformer.
Through this we pay tribute to a legend of
rationalist humanism who unfortunately
spent most of his life in jails or in exile, at
the hands of British colonial rulers before
1947 and Pakistani establishment after
independence.
My head falls in shame that Baacha
Khan’sdream of transforming the Pahtun
society into a humanist secular society
where no discrimination on the basis of
faith or gender is permissible remains a
dream. Today girls schools are being
bombed and polio vaccination workers are
being killed in broad day light. Women
continue to be marginalised not just by
religious extremists but also by the cultural
norms. Perhaps all Pashtuns need a bit of
introspection and soul searching if they
genuinely want to pay tribute to the legend
that was Baacha Khan.
“Haider Shah is the founding member of Rationalist Society of Pakistan. He teaches Public Policy at University of Hertsfordshire, UK. He can be reached at
The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org • 11
QADRI STYLE
Mrugank Bhatt was born in 1970 at Porbandar (Gujarat), revolted and chose Fine Arts.You can reach him at [email protected]
12 • The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org
died today when masked
gunmen opened fire on a
bus carrying Shia pilgrims
in the suburbs of Quetta,
4 died today on Prince Road when two
unidentified motorcyclists threw a hand
grenade on a “settler’s” shop!
Yes, this is the everyday story of my
unfortunate city, my lost Eden and I am (as
they call me) a “Punjabi-settler”. Although,
my family had been living in Balochistan
since the year 1900 but still the “locals”
weren’t benevolent enough to ingress us
into the fold of being “locals”. This is the
story of many alike.
“Settlers” is a wider group of migrants
belonging to various ethnicities who
migrated to Quetta during different
periods of time in search of better
economic future. The irony is that the
Afghans who migrated to Quetta in the
aftermath of soviet invasion have fully
assimilated in the social order and are now
recognized as “locals”. This unfortunate
lot on the other hand which is called by
a slang (to me at least it is) “settlers”, after
living side by side with the “locals” for
more than a century, is still not recognized
as people who belong to this land.
The name Quetta is derived from the
Pashto word “Kwatta”, which means a fort,
the city itself is in a “bowl” hemmed in by
four mountains. It has been historically
inhabited by Pashtuns and Brahvis [with
Hazaras, Punjabis, Seraikis and Urdu
speakers being relatively newcomers in
the city’s demographic reality]. If Karachi
is a mini Pakistan then Quetta could
rightfully hold the title of being called
mini Karachi.
I remember growing up in this regional
hotpot of diverse cultures. The beauty
of Quetta is that it entails tinge of other
regional cultures from Pakistan’s western
frontiers (Iran, Afghanistan and as far
in the North West as Central Asia). The
strange fact is that even with all this
diversity; Quetta is still an immaculate
AND I LEFTMY QUETTA
16
WE AS A PEOPLE
ASKED FROM US
DID BITTERLY FAIL IN
DOING SO AT THE
SCALE OUR LAND
This Article is being published again due to some errors
The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org • 13
model of how a culturally diverse society
could yield something so distinctive and
beautiful than a monoculture society ever
could.
Quetta to me, is a unique cultural and
social experiment, many ethnicities
living in this valley contribute to a larger
“Quettian” culture. This reinforces the
narrative of liberal quarters of Pakistani
society that a rigid monolithic culture
forced upon various regional ethnicities is
the real cause for weakening of Pakistani
federation instead of its strengthening.
Culture is a unique social phenomenon
which becomes richer and inclusive
whenever it comes in contact with other
cultures, taking their influence.
Quetta was a city which remained calm and
peaceful even when other metropolitans
of the country were wrecked with havoc
in the 90’s. I remember the liberty this city
offered to its inhabitants, men and women
alike, when its streets were filled up with
families strolling late at nights, its bazars
jam packed with vacationers and tourists
from Punjab and other parts of Pakistan in
Quetta to me, is a unique cultural and social experiment, many ethnicities living in this valley contribute to a larger “Quettian” culture. ”
the summer, buying carpets, crockery, dirt cheap
electronic appliances and Ah! Delicious dry fruits.
Its picnic spots like Hanna Lake, stunningly
beautiful and full of contrasts Urak and Karkhassa
valleys were a source of tourist attraction in
summer for people from all around the nation.
Local businesses boomed and gradually Quetta
was coming at par with other metropolitans of
the country, purchasing power of people was
improving and a well-educated intelligentsia
started to emerge which aspired to explore new
frontiers.
Those were the best times of my life and of any
Quettian for that matter.
Hope was ripe but then something happened,
Nawab Mohummad Akbar Shehbaz Khan Bugti
was murdered in cold blood by a dictator who
called him a traitor to the motherland.
This personality, whose role was instrumental in
efforts for Balochistan’s succession to Pakistani
federation and who also played a wide role in
acceptance of 1973’s constitution as a fundamental
social contract was brutally executed by the
14 • The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org
protectors of “ideological” and geographical
boundaries of the Islamic republic, the same
republic for whose cause, Late Nawab Sahib
fought with all his voice.
The irony was that the person who gave
Nawab Sahib the title of being a “traitor”,
himself qualified for this title under article 6
of the Constitution of Pakistan, for abrogating
the constitution and revolting against a
government elected by the people of Pakistan
(that too by a 2/3rd majority).
Great upheaval followed and I for the first time
saw widespread ethnic violence in Quetta
since I became conscious of my surroundings,
in the aftermath of this travesty of justice in
epic proportions. Balochistan was burning
and the dictator was busy in burying the
body (whose presence in the coffin is still
ambiguous) of Nawab Sahib along with many
other secrets. Those were strange times; the
people I held dearest to my heart started
becoming aliens and ignoring me because of
my ethnicity.
I remember an incident with one of my best
friends at school. He had suddenly started
attending public gatherings of Sardar Akhter
Jan Mengal, who now seems to have the
softest core take on Balochistan issue, but
in the absence of radical separatist forces
like Balochistan Republican Party (BRP)
and Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF),
Balochistan National Movement (BNM) those
days, his Balochistan National Party (Mengal)
was the most rigid voice from the province.
When I along with another ethnically Punjabi
speaking friend asked about the proceedings
of the public gathering out of general curiosity
once, his response was blunt and cold as ice,
“why would I tell two Punjabis about the
happenings at our Jalsa, So that you guys
could spy on us for the agencies?”- [incidents
of target killings had not gained momentum
by then].
For two 13 years old kids that meant a great
deal to hear from their closest friend. I am still
perplexed when I attempt to contemplate
that how could such an immense amount of
hate be induced into the mind of a 13 year
old, which makes him loathe his own best
friends.
This was the turning point, lines were drawn.
You were either with the “oppressors” or with
the Baloch national cause (that happened to
be freedom), neutrality meant silent support
of the oppressors-which most Punjabis
adopted (this was a huge mistake as I will
reflect upon at the end). Initially, Balochistan
Liberation Army (BLA) started to drop
manifestos giving two choices to Punjabis;
either give your daughters in marriages to
locals or leave Balochistan. There was no third
choice, only the absent announcement of
certain death in the event of failing to select
from any of the two choices.
Soon after, target killings started. None
was spared; barber shops became the
favorite killing fields for the killers because
they normally housed labor from Punjab.
Afterwards many lower middle class school
teachers were targeted and killed. The
statements claiming responsibility (claiming
killing trophies) after each of these killings
came from an “undisclosed location via
satellite phone” and the addressee would
usually be newspaper offices.
The excuse for each act of slaughter would
be the same, “They were killed because they
were spying for Pakistani secret agencies” and
every time I used to hear this I fell deep into
the bitter memories from the past of my 13
years old Mengal friend telling me, he can’t
tell me about the happenings in a public
demonstration because I would spy for the
agencies.
Technical and Professional Education Sector
became the favorite “target site” for these
“unidentified men” in the later stages.
Lecturers and veteran Professors were
ruthlessly slaughtered daily in the streets
of Quetta and the city’s roads washed with
innocent blood. Many of these dedicated
individuals had spent all their lives in this
land illuminating the decades old darkness
unleashed by ignorance of the masses and
sheer rejection from the central government,
with knowledge (many of whom I personally
knew).
It was not that they could not pursue better
career goals elsewhere in the country
(specially Punjab) or lacked opportunities, but
the level of commitment in these individuals
who wanted to give back something to the
land they were born and raised in, kept them
going. These poor souls got naught, but their
families did get their bullet riddled bodies
questioning why they were, who deemed
themselves equally as Balochistani as any
other, killed in vain.
Even a Pro Vice Chancellor of Balochistan
university was murdered by the same people
claiming their killing trophies after each
“triumph” over the helpless, unarmed and
innocent people.
A time came ultimately when the life for any
Punjabi-“settler” in Quetta, became paralytic.
Mobility itself became an issue and frequent
grenade attacks on residences of Punjabis
started. This was a city once deemed so
peaceful that people didn’t even bother to
close the doors to their houses. Going outside
the houses out of extreme necessity would
bear no surety that the individual would
come back alive. It was like marauding hordes
reigned supreme, stealing innocent people
of their most valued possessions, “their lives”!
It was then my family decided to vacate the
land we called our’s land for over a century,
the land in whose heart our elders slept their
eternal slumber.
Now the repatriated Punjabi “settlers” like
me, face a dual dilemma not only we have no
hope for returning back to our true homeland
i.e. Balochistan, but also aren’t we accepted
here in Punjab, many face extreme economic
problems. The struggle for an identity of
Punjabi “settlers” has just begun.
Did the Punjabis not go wrong anywhere?
This is the fundamental question many would
ask, after reading this story of mine. I would
try answering that with an anecdote.
My father always used to explain it to me
(when the state of affairs was still normal)
that, “Son always stand alongside the people
of this land in their every ebullient and
disconsolate moment, which has given you
roof over your head, food which you eat and
a life which could be the envy of many, for
these are the people who will stand beside
you in every moment of your hardship.” I
could just wish now that there were more
fathers from my community, saying this to
their sons and daughters.
We as a people did bitterly fail in doing so at
the scale our land asked from us. The brutality
of time and lack of this realization took all
from me (and many others) AND I LEFT MY
QUETTA.
MUNEEB TAHIR
The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org • 15
Lets Think Rationally!
www.rationalistpk.orgCLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE THIS E-MAG
16 • The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org
cross the world, depression has been the main contributor to
the burden of disease. It is estimated, that around
350 million have been affected by depression. A
study conducted by World health survey in around
17 countries concluded, that on average 1 out
of 20 people were affected by depression in the previous year.
Depressive disorder usually starts at a young age. It reduces the
functioning of people and is also recurring. Just because of this
reason, depression has been the leading disability, which uses up
most the time lost in one’s life. Globally, the demand to curb it has
been on the rise.
Depression is a mental disorder that is categorized by disturbed
sleep, low self worth, decreased energy, feeling of guilt and loss
of interest. Many times depression
comes with symptoms of anxiety.
These problems can impair one’s
ability to undertake daily activities,
if it turns out to be chronic.
Depression can also lead toward
suicide in its worst stage. In this
world, almost 1 million people
commit suicide every year.
A person can suffer from multiple
variations of depression. Depressive
episode mostly involves, depressed
mood, increased fatigability, loss
of interest and enjoyment, as the
main symptoms. A depressive
episode can be classified as mild,
modest or severe. A person who
is affected by mild depression, will
continue to work normally, but will
have some problem executing it,
whereas, in the extreme case, the
related person won’t be able to
undertake normal activities.
For both males and females,
depression is the major cause for
the disability, but females are 50%
more affected than males. Both in the high and low income
countries, depression is the principle cause behind disease in
women. Research done in developing countries shows, that
the main reason for poor growth in the young people may be
depression.
Depression can be reliably identified and treated in the presence
of primary care facilities. According to the guide lines given by
WHO, depression treatment consists of psychological support with
medication. Psychotherapy could also be used, which includes
interpersonal psychotherapy, cognitive behavior therapy and
problem solving therapy. Antidepressant medicines can be very
effective form of treatment for moderate and severe depression,
but in case of mild depression, therapies are recommended. Other
than both these treatments,self help based programs have shown
some positive results. Self help books and internet based help
have been able to treat depression, as shown in various studies in
western countries.
Lack of trained personnel; lack of resources and social stigma
associated with different
mental disorders have
been the main barriers to
the provision of effective
care in different countries.
These barriers pose a
great deal of threat to the
global health. To counter
these barriers, there have
been different strategies,
which could yield better
results if used. Some of
the economic analysis
done shows, that dealing
with depression on a
primary level can be cost
effective; affordable and
feasible. The prevention
of depression is also an
important side to be
looked upon.
Depression is such
a disorder, that is
enveloping this world
casting negative effects
on humanity. A solution
to eradicate this disorder through an effective treatment is present
to improve the living condition of people around the world. It is
the time to educate ourselves about depression and support
those, who are suffering from it, on an individual, community and
national level.
DEPRESSIONA GLOBAL CRISIS
A HUMNA AYUB
The writer Humna Ayub is a graduate student of Psychology at GCU Lahore.
The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org • 17
“I was sitting in this coffee house and this old man at the table
next tome struck up a conversation with me.Hesaid that you have
a story, which would make me believe in God.”
Based on the best-selling novel, with an academy award winning
director, Life of Pi is visually stunning and mentally thrilling.The
film starts with an Indian man named Pi Patel, living in Montreal,
Canada, telling his story to a local writer. Although, Pi narrates
of his younger years in India and his fascination with multiple
religions, the focus of his story revolves around his journey as a
16-year-old, who’s shipwrecked at sea with a small boat and a
Bengali tiger. During Pi’s journey, he does everything and any-
thing to survive, but also shows his humane side by constantly
attending to the tiger’s needs. Although, they both survive, the
meaning behind the journey is up to the audience. Some can
interpret it to be human’s resilience to survive, and others fate.
The movie however, tends to point at an interesting theme, with
its twist ending. When Piis found on shore, he is asked by officials
what happened. After Pi tells his story, the officials believe it is
a lie, and so,he is forced to tell a different version of the same
story. The second story has the same turn of events, but involves
humans and is more emotionally disturbing. The twist ending
shows, how story-tellers can embellish reality in order to bring
out a deeper meaning. In the end, it is the audience that is left to
decide, which truth they prefer, much like their belief in God.
LIFE OF PI IMAN BUKHARI
Director:Ang LeeWriters:David Magee (screen-play), Yann Martel (novel)Stars:Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Adil Hussain
The author is a freelance journalist and new media specialist, she can be reached via [email protected]
18 • The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org
DEVELOPING REAL SELF WORTH
OUR SELF ESTEEM IS CONNECTED WITH
OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH
With the world hit by financial crisis and value of
property and other assets dropping substantially,
we have a big question before us; what is our self
worth? Can our personal worth be calculated only
in terms of our material possessions, which can appreciate and
depreciate any time by the circumstances beyond our control and
thus manipulate the quality of our lives. Or, whether our peace
of mind and equilibrium of our life is in the hands of our material
possessions only?
Moreover, another question arises that whether it is all erroneous
due to our wrong perception of self worth as we measure it in
material context only while excluding our personaity. Hence in
case some crisis takes place, not only does it change the face of
economies but it also affects people’s lives as well. As somebody’s
material desires are compromised his self-worth also diminishes
alongwith his self esteem.
When our most measurable possessions are suddenly taken away,
we seem to lose our ability to live without them. There is such a
high emotional attachment to one’s possessions that a feeling
of helplessness creeps in. But why? After all earlier man survived
without any amenities. He found creative ways for survival.
While he was short of food, had no clothing and no shelter.
He operated from the knowledge that he carried with him to
overcome challenges of day to day life. Then, what is the reason
which compels us to measure our self worth in terms of material
possessions only?
One need that dominates all of our other needs is the desire of
approval from other people and society. We seek approval by
looking good, having a beautiful home, good saving, better social
status and so on. We depend on others to give us a sense of self-
worth. In order to fulfill the need to fit in people’s expectations we
try to gain material success, fame and money.
FOURSELVES
The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org • 19
DEVELOPING REAL SELF WORTH
And gradually this urge propels us to
climb higher up the social ladder. Our
efforts translate into success and our basic
needs graduate into indulgence. Our basic
need for a house grow into the need for
a larger house and then desire to have
a best address in town, for that we even
resort to unethical means in a bid to get
approval. So ultimately the constant search
for validation of our real personal self-
worth exhausts and debilitate, making us
dependent on others to feel good about
ourselves and the constant waiting for
positive affirmation restricts our personal
growth. Later we start accumulating
material things at the expense of personal
growth. Our material possessions become
an integral part of our identity and thus
we enter into an unending vicious circle.
In fact, we become victims of our own
success.
Although, it would not be wise to deny the
value of material things as well as personal
accomplishments that are required to
lead a good life and to curve a good
future for our next generations. But the
biggest question is that how much is too
much and at what cost? And whether it
should be at the cost of personal growth?
And can material growth substitute our
personal growth? And what is the cost of
not striking a balance between material
growth and personal growth? Is it not true
that lack of personal growth results in a
poor self esteem and a high self esteem
is an integral component of life same as
food, clothing and shelter?
Our self esteem is connected with our
relationship with ourselves. The higher
our self esteem is, the better we feel about
ourselves. That relationship determines
everything about our lives and every
personal crisis, we face, is ultimately
caused by inadequate self-esteem, which
is the result of lack of personal self-worth.
The well-known psychologist Abraham
Maslow, who charted out a hierarchy of
human needs, placed self-esteem above
basic survival needs such as food, shelter
and clothing.
People with low self-esteem do not feel
comfortable in being themselves. So they
cover up who they are. One of the chief
manifestations of this cover-up is creating
a false self with the help of material
objects. Even high achievers often fuel
their actions by the need to earn society’s
approval. According to psychotherapists
“Those aspiring to be the center of
attention actually have rock-bottom self-
esteem. When your self-esteem is high,
you can accept yourself as you are, as you
don’t need to prove anything.
Our personal self worth correlates
with rationality, realism, intuitiveness,
creativity, independence, flexibility, ability
to manage change, willingness to admit
and correct mistakes, benevolence and
cooperation. Similarly, lack of personal
self worth correlates with irrationality,
blindness to reality, rigidity, fear of the new
and unfamiliar, inappropriate conformity
or inappropriate rebelliousness,
defensiveness, an overly compliant or
controlling behavior, and fear or hostility
towards others.
The best method to develop self-worth is
to develop oneself into a human resource
by developing one’s intellect. This is
the only way of creating self worth. It is
entirely personal and realization of true
source of our usefulness and value, that
can only be measured by the strength of
one’s intellect and a strong mind and not
by our personal possessions. Hence even
if value of our property and other assets
drops substantially what remains intact is
the value of our wisdom or the knowledge
within us. It is this love for ‘self’ that gives
us the basic material to overcome difficult
circumstances and create miracles in life.
So investment in oneself and giving time
to oneself for personal growth leads to
development of a human being who has a
high self-esteem and a real understanding
of self-worth.
Raajan Soni is a practicing law-yer at Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chandigarh, India. He can be reached at [email protected]
The best method to develop self-worth is to develop oneself into a human resource by developing one’s intellect.
20 • The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org
Photo taken of Nujood by Stephanie Sinclair for the National Geographic MagazineIman Bukhari is a freelance journalist and new media specialist, she can be reached via [email protected]
The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org • 21
Yemeni law allows girls of any age to be wed, it forbids sexual intercourse until they have reached puberty. ”
“I’m a simple village girl who has always
obeyed the orders of my father and
brothers. Since forever, I have learned
to say yes to everything. Today I have
decided to say no.”
A compelling memoir written by a 10
year old girl in Yemen who was forced
by to marry a man three times her age,
due to her poor family’s fear that their
young daughter may become a rape
victim, like her older sister. Her husband
had promised her father that he wouldn’t
consummate the marriage until she had
reached puberty, but began daily raping
her starting on the wedding night. She
was also regularly beaten by her husband
and in-laws. Although Yemeni law allows
girls of any age to be wed, it forbids
sexual intercourse until they have reached
puberty. In regards to why child marriages
are permissible to begin with, Nujood
commented stating it’s not a major
concern in Yemen due to religious reasons.
Nujood escaped two months after her
wedding by the advice of her father’s
second wife, and went directly to court
to seek a divorce. “Where’s the judge?
I want a divorce!” With no money, no
education, nor understanding of the law,
she was lucky enough to find a lady lawyer
and judges who were sympathetic to her
cause. On April 15, 2008, Nujood Ali was
granted the first divorce given to a child
bride in Yemen, and has since then served
as an inspiration to other child brides.
New York Times op-ed columnist Nicholas
Kristof, impressed by Nujood’s courage
I AM NUJOODAGE 10 &DIVORCED
Book Review byIman Bukhari
BY
N U J O O D A L I
Photo taken of Nujood by Stephanie Sinclair for the National Geographic MagazineIman Bukhari is a freelance journalist and new media specialist, she can be reached via [email protected]
wrote in his article Divorced Before Puberty stating “The United States last month announced $150 million in military assistance for Yemen to fight
extremists. In contrast, it costs just $50 to send a girl to public school for a year — and little girls like Nujood may prove more effective than missiles
at defeating terrorists.” Kistof is the same journalist who brought Malala Yousafzai in limelight.
SUNSET(TOP RIGHT) BY JESSIE EASTLAND AKA ROBERT DEMEO (OWN WORK) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (HTTP://CREATIVECOMMONS.ORG/LICENSES/BY-SA/3.0)], VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS - BULB BY JONAKA DHARMASENA AT STOCK VAULT - BY GNUCKX [CC-BY-2.0 (HTTP://CREATIVECOMMONS.ORG/LICENSES/BY/2.0)], VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS - PIAZZA DI SPAGNA ROME ITALY BY GNUCKX [CC-BY-2.0 (HTTP://CREATIVECOMMONS.ORG/LICENSES/BY/2.0)], VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
22 • The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org
RSOP-QUOTES
YASIR MALIK
NEHAL VAIDYA
MAIJA ATHENA
ASHFAQ SHEIKH
AKIF KHAN
MARIAM GORAYA
Quotations compiled from discussionsat Facebook Group of RSOP.
A man’s sexuality is something that he and he alone should be burdened
with, not a woman. Maija Athena
1.
The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org • 23
Saudi Arabia and other GCC states are more loathsome towards Iran than
Israel but please keep it to
yourself. Ashfaq Sheikh
Ek hon Muslim h a r r a m k i pasbani k liye, Neel k Sahil se
le kr Tabkhak-e-Kashghar! I hope Iqbal is not talking about the harems of Sheikhs. Akif Khan
The greatest differ-ence between sci-ence and pseudosci-ence is, in first you get
straight answer while in second you are taken round and round and you never get the answer. Nehal Vaidya
“Girl announced to resume her education without any fear”. I think this
will make a perfect definition of “Liberal Fascism” for our people. Yasir Malik
There is no gas, no power, no econ-omy and it has a direct causative
relationship with drones and it’s all Malala’s fault. Only if she didn’t get shot in the head by my poor Taliban brethren, we would have been able to make enough electricity to give it to Afghanistan and moreover elec-trocute women rights workers with that same electricity. Mariam Goraya
Rationalist Society Of Pakistan
Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/rationalistspk/
Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/RationalistsPK
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/rsocietypk
3.
2. 5.
4.
6.
24 • The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org
alvation, it seems, is finally at hand. An article
published in the latest edition of the prestigious
New Haven Journal of Metaphysical Anomalies and
Scientific Theology informs us that Professor Allan
Bloom might have been right after all but not in the
way he had imagined. The title of his famous book, The Closing
of the American Mind, hinted at the truth that is now verified
and institutionalized at a small elite center 73 miles northwest
of Reykjavik. Linked to the prominent journal and run by a
group of science coordinators and theological technicians, the
Metaphysical Anomalies and Scientific Theology Institute (MASTI)
has discovered that mankind can achieve nirvana only through
the closing of the human mind.
“A perfectly closed mind is one that encourages peace by ensuring
that all cerebral activity takes place in a vacuum,” said the principal
co-investigator of the research that led to this discovery. “This
mental state allows one to view all problems through a single
black-and-white lens, thereby making them incredibly easy to
solve. In order to achieve this state, one must begin in earnest by
trying to be as narrow-minded as possible. Strict adherence to this
will eventually lead to a state where not even light can enter (or
escape) the closed sanctity of one’s mind. Never forget: the mind
is simply a tool… you must allow it to turn you into one as well,”
he added.
Whether it is pure religion or even purer science, filthy lucre from
the world of global finance or rich traditions from an ancient
heritage, a closed mind can overcome and enhance anything,
thus leading to self-righteousness and egotism (which can easily
be passed off as self-confidence and self-assurance). This attitude
also enables one to pity others for their belief systems and
bestows one with a feeling of superiority and delusion about one’s
own greatness.
“Our research has conclusively shown that thinking frequently
leads to vulgarity, obscenity and lack of morality,” said the other
principal co-investigator. “Questioning leads to uncertainty and
creates confusion. We must appreciate the fact that there is
no room for doubt in a closed mind…therefore, no resulting
confusion…ever.”
Welcoming the research, former US Vice President Dan Quayle
repeated his famous quote: “What a waste it is to lose one’s mind.
Or not to have a mind is being very wasteful. How true that is,”
proving once again that a closed mind works best when coupled
with a closed mouth.
The research has won acclaim far and wide and is being embraced
with open arms by governments, multinationals, military
forces, religious organizations, robber barons, scientific and
CLOSEDFOR BUSINESS
S
RESEARCH HAS CONCLUSIVELY THINKING FREQUENTLY
LEADS TO VULGARITY , OBSCENITY AND LACK OF MORALITY
The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org • 25
academic communities, terrorist outfits,
self-awareness movements, marketing
campaigns, and even twentysomething
liberal artists all over the world.
Farid Alvie is a veteran journalist and writer. He
writes for The News, Tehelka and Friday Times. He can be followed at @faridalvie
What a waste it is to lose one’s mind. Or not to have a mind is being very wasteful. How true that is”
BRIGHT IDEA</A> BY ZALDY ICAONAPO
26 • The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org
ZERO DARK THIRTYThere cannot be a spoiler for this film. Zero Dark Thirty is about the efforts to track Osama Bin Laden. The movie has already garnered a lot of controversy over its depiction of role of torture in procuring information that led to the Bin Laden’s compound in Abottabad (or as the Americans like to call it, “Batabatabad”!). The film - whether one likes it or not - is important. It is going to shape the story of the hunt for Bin Laden. It is certainly not a triumphant film. But then, it is not exactly a documentary either. Instead, it is a tout action film.
If the torture theme touched a raw nerve in the US , we have to wonder how it is going to play out for Pakistani audiences. The news so far is that it will not not be shown in the movie theaters in Pakistan . I watched the movie at Times Square , New York , on its opening night. It was an intense experience. At one point, the film talked about Pakistani-American, Faisal Shahzad, and his plans to blow up Times Square . A chill went through my spine. But while the movie portrays a somewhat complicated picture of America ‘s “war on terror”, the depictions
The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org • 27
of Pakistan are still quite bland and narrow. Just like the recent film, Argo, there are no real sympathetic local characters (other than in the role of a loyal servant or a subordinate agent).Ultimately, is the film worth seeing? I sit down with a film professor at University of Massachusetts , Amherst , to review the merits of the “Zero Dark Thirty” as a thriller, as a drama, and as a political tinderbox. Here is our “Film Autopsy” of “Zero Dark Thirty”: http://www.irtiqa-blog.com/2013/01/zero-dark-thirty-film-
autopsy.html
Dr. Salman Hameed is an astronomer and Assistant Professor of Integrated Science & Humanities at Hampshire College, Massachusetts. He also writes on the blog “Irtiqa”. His blog tracks and comments on news relevant to the interplay of science & religion - including scientific debates taking place in the Muslim world.
IMAGE FROM GOOGLE.COM
28 • The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org
Pakistani moderates/
liberals until now have
opted to stay way lower
on the radar. There is no
doubt that this society
is becoming less receptive with each
passing day. Fanaticism in Pakistan is just
another day, but could the reason for this
on wheel progression be the absence of
an easily accesible alternative narrative?
The abundance of ultra-right wing
misinformation and propaganda is
something, which people like us meet
daily through various media. This material
is being channeled through every media
known to the dictionary. Where is the
equally vocal liberal narrative, needed
to confront the populist, ultra-right wing
version?
Those days are long gone when a
silent majority of Pakistani moderates
existed. People, who engage the masses,
are well aware and concerned of this
development.
Pakistan is truly a magical land, where
any well has to reach out to people,
for quenching their thirst, instead of
people coming to the well, to get theirs
quenched. So, an alternative narrative to
this rhetoric of hate and ignorance has
to be channeled in a manner to Pakistani
masses, that it is comprehendible and a
source of least contention.
Last year after having a good look at
Beghairat Brigade’s (BB’s)“Aalu Anday”, I
finally had my answer. The song has been
immensely popular amongst all classes.
Its ‘controversial’ lines were digested in
most cases by the listeners, with smiles
drawn to their faces. The reason being
that, the message was comprehendible
for many Pakistanis who understood
Punjabi (if not spoken); the manner in
which it was presented also blunted
possible criticism from the far right.
Lines holding rebellious disapproval of
society’s collective behavior, did certainly
make Pakistanis scratch their heads.
The song at some level was successful
in engaging the largest segment of
Pakistanis, whom liberals consider
outcasts andare content with calling,
“simpletons”.Too bad there was more
from the band!TaimurRehman’s “Jhootka
sir ooncha” based on Jalib’s poetry was
another exception. Forums like “Khudi”
are also making a difference in whatever
narrow space they are provided with.
Just like politicians have been facing
allegations of ‘drawing room’ politics, I
think Pakistani moderates and liberals
too should involve themselves in
introspection. Engaging the “simpleton”
is the key, some online liberal forums
like had that opportunity, to engage
this segment of Pakistanis, they instead
have since recently, started using this
opportunity for misdemeanors. They
were initially doing a pretty good job,
addressing the easy comprehension and
accessibility problem, rather effectively.
This tells us that this engagement needs
to be carried out in some prescribed
bounds, so that offense is minimal, while
the message is also conveyed tactfully.
If anything is done to the contrary, then
it would be just like providing fodder
to conspiracy theorists and ultra- wing
wingers, hell bent upon proving liberals
to be enemies of state and the religion
of majority.
We must learn this and learn it quickly,
that the space available for liberals to
maneuver in this highly intransigent
society is very thin. To make any difference
would require a mixture of perseverance
and sugar coating one’s message.
Today we see many liberal forums
on Facebook and Tweets from the
“enlightened ones”. There are all sorts
of debates, regarding politics, religion,
notions of ‘ghairat’ etc. Ideological
rhetoric is being splashed against groups
and pages walls, but I ask you, what I used
to ask my own self:
Frankly speaking, it doesn’t make much
of a difference, because rightists don’t
give a fish about all this blabbering.
Liberals immersed in their drawing room
culture and extreme cynicism keep on
crying all day long about the injustices
and ignorance in our society, but do not
engage the “simpletons”.
Exchange of ideas between the
“enlightened ones” alone can’t make
miracles. The rationale has to trickle down
to the common man in a comprehendible
and “toned down” language, for things
to change for good.Presently, this
is not happening, liberals are content
with communicating amongst closed
communities, which give little space to
simpletons. They need to at least start
pitching their version to a larger audience.
When you do not engage other side in
a rational dialogue and put forth your
options, how do you expect it to start
thinking out of the “establishment’s box”?
There are numerous forums, which
attract far greater following (from the
age group of 15-30, mainly) than liberal
forums. These basically promote the same
tattered versions of history and farfetched
conspiracy theories, which present day
Pakistani liberal/moderate detests with all
his/her power of reason.
Present day Pakistani moderates and
liberals have yet to embrace this fact that
social media is a revolution in itself. While,
The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org • 29
A SILENT MAJORITY OF PAKISTANI
MODERATES
in Pakistan’s case it is an opportunity
unparalleled by any other, since the past
three ‘lost’ decades. This media of all
others could provide a robust platform
for objective discourse, ultimately
concluding itself in reshaping public
opinion and redirection of priorities (in
matters encompassing state and religion).
Over 8 Million Pakistanis maintain regular
Facebook accounts. The number of
internet users in Pakistan is over 20Million
with 11.5% internet penetration, per
ITU statistics. Pakistan is amongst the
top thirty countrieswith most Facebook
users, while the breakup of the Pakistani
Facebook users in terms of age groups
tells us that, 98% of Pakistani Facebook
users are between the age group of 13-44.
Intellectuals have been writing extensively
regarding the fact that Evangelists and
Televangelists both targeted Pakistani
middle class youth, since the 80-90’s.
They penetrated universities and
colleges. They then made inroads to the
electronic media. Even Pakistani pop
music industry was approached, resulting
in transformation of two singers, one
into an evangelical and another into a
Televangelist. The religious conversion of
Pakistani cricketers is not news unheard,
either.
Without spiting the evangelicals and
televangelists for what they did, I would
like to guide the attention of my readers
to the success their strategy bore.
There are lessons to be learned from
the strategy adopted by these groups.
They mainly targeted youth, which had
humongous amounts of potential and
were easy to manipulate after a decade
long fundamentalist indoctrination
during Zia’s regime. They invested in the
FUTURE.
Visibly evangelicals and televangelists
cashed this situation big time.
Liberals and moderates aren’t
approaching their fellow countrymen and
women with their versions of the story,
they instead keep whining about the role
of state agencies, the government, army,
religious elite (religion itself at times),
Saudis, right leaning media and Zaid
Hamid for all ills of the country without
making any serious effort to play their
part in bringing some lucidityto this freak
show. This all happens in small restricted
groups, composing liberals, hence no
trickling down.
It is often observed that these episodes
transform into bashing or disowning
Pakistan after getting frustrated. Does
bashing the only place we could call as
‘home’ in the name of realism help? The
answer would certainly be in negation.
Rational argument never goes by unheard,
if your addressee refuses to accept the
validly of your rational argument on your
face, he/she will certainly give it a thought
once trying to sleep at night. There is
something about a rational argument,
that some part of it always seeps deeper
into the skin and touches hearts. Even if,
some of it seeps in, consider you have a
job well done at your hands.
Key will always be the same, keep pitching
the liberal narrative in easy access and
comprehension of the simpletons.
Availability of options will provide people
with choices, something, which they
really never had before. Beghairat Brigade
could make an effort, could YOU?
The author is a writer and founder of facebook group Pakistani Nationalism and a student of Textile Engineering. He can be reached at [email protected]
EXISTED
GOING PUBLIC
PEOPLE BY FRANCISCO FARIAS JR
United States is not an
‘enemy’ of Pakistan; it
is neither a ‘friend’. It
only does business with
Pakistan and that is how states should
deal to each other – at least this is what
those belonging to the realist school of
thought in international relations believe.
The core of international relations can
be described in one word and that is
“national self interest”. States behave in
the international arena only to achieve
certain ends determined by their national
interests.
As every state pursues its own national
interest, so there is a bright chance that
they might clash at certain points. In this
case, they try to search a “way” which best
satisfy the interests of both the states
concerned. And if that consensus on a
certain ‘policy issue’ could not be achieved,
then the stronger state using available
means – political, economic, diplomatic,
military – allures or forces the weaker state
to redefine its national interest according
to the changed situation.
The impression, that the weaker state
had to submit to the demands of the
stronger, and “put aside” its own national
interest, is not true. It simply “redefines”
its national interests in the wake of the
changed geostrategic environment of the
world. This is exactly what happened after
September 11, 2001, when Pakistan had
to take a u-turn on its Afghan policy and
redefine its national interests to be in
congruence with those of the American
national interests.
United States had been accused of leaving
Pakistan ‘alone’ in the times of crises. The
accusations’ list is very long but here, a few
will be discussed.
First it is being accused to not come to
Pakistan’s support in 1965 war against
India. But the question arises that why
United States should have come to
Pakistan’s help? SEATO and CENTO that
had been signed were not directed
RATIONALISING PAK-US RELATIONS: THERE IS NOTHING PERSONAL; IT’S ALL ABOUT BUSINESS!BY MUHAMMAD NADEEM MIRZA
16
The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org • 31
against India.
They were directed against communist
threat arising from Soviet Union. United
States never said, nor committed, to come
to Pakistan’s help in the times of a war
with India – though there existed certain
“verbal” promises made by a number of
American officials in this regard, which
proved to be just “lip service”.
Similarly Pakistan never committed to
help United States in its ‘possible’ war
against Soviet Union. Both Pakistan and
United States came closer to each other
for different reasons. . Former Ambassador
Tariq Fatimi stated that the same reasons
that brought them together became the
reasons of their ‘parting away’. United
States wished to use Pakistan against the
communists while Pakistan wished to
use American weight to counter-balance
Indian hegemonic designs in the region
Indeed throughout the early decades
Pakistan did what its national interest
demanded it to do. It refused to send its
troops to help Americans in the Korean
War in early 1950S – because that was what
Pakistan’s national interest demanded it to
do.
It again refuted American pressures and
pursued purely its national interest on its
‘opening up’ to Communist China in late
1950s. Henry Kissinger warned Pakistan of
committing a ‘grave mistake’ in this regard,
but Pakistan did not give a heed to it and
afterwards time proved Pakistan’s policy
on the Chinese issue to be on the ‘right’
track.
Scholars again accuse United States of
rushing advanced weaponry to India
in its war against China in 1962. If one
puts himself in the American ‘seat’ then
one realises that whatever Americans
did then, was ‘right’ according to their
national interests. India was fighting with
a communist country and United Sates
was at war (though it was ‘cold’) with
the communists throughout the world.
So what other options it had in this case
except to support India – though Pakistan
was also right in its accusation that it
was not ‘consulted’ before providing any
American weaponry to India, as was
agreed upon between the two.
Besides if India could have been ‘won’
and lured into the Western bloc by the
Americans, then it could have been a
big achievement for the United States.
Because India was a much bigger country
than Pakistan, and having a big ‘say’ in
the third world. Naturally United States
preferred India over Pakistan and it still
does so, not because of some personal
issues, but simply because that is what its
national interest demands it to do.
Similarly in the 1971 crisis, United States
did not come to Pakistan’s help – although
it had sent 7th Fleet to the Indian Ocean,
but the purpose seemed only to force
India not to escalate the conflict to the
West Pakistan.
If we read the American ‘declassified’
documents around the era, we find out
that the American public, along-with
the American diplomats and other State
Department officials, was continuously
demanding President Nixon to take a
“tough stance” against Pakistan because
of its actions in East Pakistan.
But President Nixon took the risk and
contrary to public pressure showed a
behaviour, what latter on termed as an
American ‘tilt’ towards Pakistan. He later
wrote on a memorandum “to all hands:
Don’t squeeze Yahya at this point”. Reason
of this behaviour of the United States
was simple; Nixon was using Pakistan to
‘open up’ to China at that time. Because at
the international level, American national
interests now demanded it to ‘befriend’
China, thus cornering Soviet Union, and
US did succeed in her efforts – although
to a certain extent.
Pakistan once again defied American
pressures and pursued its national interest
in its nuclear policy. When it decided to
go nuclear, United States left no stone
unturned to stop Pakistan from acquiring
the technology. But Pakistan simply proved
itself to be too slippery to remain clear of
the American pressures and developed its
nukes. Yet there is another view stating
that United States deliberately allowed
Pakistan to develop nuclear technology to
keep a check on ‘ambitious’ India – but the
facts state otherwise.
1980s Afghan Jihad – one of the most
controversial decades in the Pak-US
relations – was a true test of the nerves
for the diplomats at both ends. Pakistan
defined its national interest in supporting
the Afghan guerrillas against Soviet
supported government at Kabul.
After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan,
Pakistan got a chance to be at a better
bargaining position with the United
States. The question here is that whether
Pakistan used the issue in the better way
to achieve the ends defined by its national
interest or not?
If one such ‘end’ was keeping Soviet Union
‘at bay’ and to abstain it from reaching
‘warm waters’ by attacking Pakistan, then
it was achieved.
If one such ‘end’ was the development
of the nuclear capability – United States
could not have risked antagonising
Pakistan because of its need in defeating
Soviet Union in ‘Soviet Vietnam’, thus it
had to close its eyes over Pakistan’s nuclear
development – then it was achieved.
If another such ‘end’ was to get the most
advanced technological weaponry from
the United States, then again it was
achieved. There have been reports that
Pakistan even managed to convince
Americans to sell them AWACS, but the
deal could not be materialised because
United States left no
stone unturned to
stop Pakistan from
acquiring the
NUCLEAR
TECHNOLOGY”
32 • The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org
materialised because of the opposition
by certain groups in Pakistan. Pakistan
recently managed to buy the AWACS from
Sweden and China.
There is no denying the fact that the current
problems of Pakistan, mostly notably
the rise of militancy and the Kalashnikov
culture, are a product of Pakistan’s poor
handling of the issues then? But that is
how the state’s business is being done.
Even United States having one of the
world’s largest think-tank pool, and most
advanced technology could not predict
and avoid the ‘blowback’ of its policies –
right or wrong. Pakistan is no different.
Miscalculations have been made by the
statesmen throughout the history. But the
true wisdom lies in learning from those
mistakes and avoids repeating them.
Next accusation levelled by most of
the Pakistanis against United States is
that, they left the mess in Afghanistan
for Pakistan to deal with. Even American
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, during
a Congressional hearing accepted it as an
‘American mistake’ to leave Afghanistan
in ruins.
United States was here in the region to
defeat Soviet Union. It succeeded in this
effort. During the decade it had closed its
eyes over Pakistan’s nuclear development.
But the Congress had already passed the
Pressler Amendment in 1985 demanding
American president to certify every year,
that Pakistan is not possessing a nuclear
weapon. Since passing the law, Presidents
Reagan and Bush Sr. had been providing
this certificate.
But when the need for Pakistan in
Afghanistan was over and American
minimum objectives were achieved,
President Bush Sr. found no further reason
to ‘lie’ to Congress, thus resulting in the
enactment of certain nuclear related
sanctions against Pakistan.
Since September 11, the national interests
of both the states again got redefined.
American sanctions against Pakistan were
lifted immediately. Pakistan took the
u-turn on its policy to support Taliban
regime at Kabul. American ‘war on terror’
had since then claimed thousands of lives.
In this war, United States accuses Pakistan
from time to time of playing a ‘double
game’. Once asked to comment on these
American accusations, a retired ISI chief
said that ‘Americans are also playing
double game with us. So why blame
Pakistan only.’ If this is what national
interest of Pakistan demands, then we
should not hesitate to do this.
Recent release of the Afghan Taliban from
Pakistani jails to facilitate the Afghan peace
process – and their refusal to go back
to Afghanistan and staying in Pakistan
instead – is also seen as an action on the
part of Pakistan to secure its interests vis-
à-vis Afghanistan.
As far as Pakistan’s overall policy regarding
Afghanistan is concerned, this is clear that it
has certain legitimate concerns regarding
Afghanistan. Besides fearing an anti-
Pakistan government at Kabul that might
fan the separatist elements in Pakistan,
they fear of a rising Indian influence in
Afghanistan, which has already reached
to a very high level – and they seem to be
right in this direction. Thus they wish to
preserve links with certain elements in the
Afghan power game.
United States now promised Pakistan of
maintaining a long-term engagement
with it. But those who think that it will
continue to support Pakistan economically
and politically – just like it is doing now
– even after American withdrawal from
Afghanistan, are making a mistake of
forgetting the history.
Dr Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, Professor of
International Relation in Quaid-i-Azam
university, Islamabad once opined that
with the withdrawal of American forces
from Afghanistan ‘there are ample chances
that the anti-Pakistan forces would be
able to convince the Western powers,
particularly, the United States to impose
nuclear related sanctions against Pakistan.’
As soon as American ‘minimum’ ends
are met in Afghanistan, it will reduce the
support to Pakistan to the minimum levels
of just making the both ends meet. So
the question arises that are we prepared
enough to deal with the mess left by
US after its withdrawal from Afghanistan?
Have we defined our national interests
in accordance with the changing
international and regional environment?
Have we learnt from the mistakes being
committed in the past and prepared
ourselves to deal to any sort of eventuality
– arising from both inside and outside?
It is only the ‘time’ which will answer these
questions, and will tell us that how the
policymakers in Pakistan will define or
redefine its national interests and whether
Pakistan will succeed in achieving the
‘ends’ set by those interests?
But one thing is certain that in dealing to
United States, Pakistan had to take care
of its own national interest – whatever
the situation may be. Rather the policy
of pursuing the national interest must be
followed in its dealing to any other state
– friend or presumed enemy alike. And it
seems that those at the helm of policy-
making in Pakistan – despite having a lot
of constraints – are aware of this fact very
well.
One of the most interesting dialogues
of the film sequel ‘godfather’ is that
“there is nothing personal, it’s all about
the business”. But the events in the films
suggest that it is always the ‘personal’
“coupled” with the ‘business’ that served
the ends. We will have to see that whether
it applies to Pak-US relations also or not?
Author is a PhD candidate of International Relations in France. He can be reached at [email protected]
34 • The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org
hile entering the Jinnah International Airport, Karachi,
your vehicle is stopped for a routine security check.
A security personnel passes by your vehicle with an
“explosives detector” device. The device is made up
of a radio antenna attached to a piece of plastic and
is supposed to work like this: The security personnel walks by your
vehicle with the antenna of the device extended out in horizontal
position and if the antenna of the device turns towards your vehicle,
then your possessions are checked thoroughly for any explosives.
Well, more than 50% of the times, nothing dangerous is found
(dangerous as the Airport Security Standards also contain spray bottles,
like deodorant and body sprays, because this device sometimes points
towards them as well). This 50-50 chance of detecting the purported
explosives is nothing but ridiculous.
These sort of devices, according
to Michael Shermer, editor and
publisher of the Skeptic Magazine,
have been sold to the US Army
for around $60,000 a piece and
another version was being sold to
schools in America for detecting
marijuana in student lockers. As
Shermer says, if you check a large
number of student lockers, with
or without the device, you are
bound to find marijuana in some
of them. The same logic applies
to, detecting explosives employing
the above procedure.
The device in question is called
“Sniffex”, produced by Sniffex,Inc.,
that has been charged for fraud
by U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission. Famed magician and
the debunker of pseudoscience
James Randi discovered and
published online, the excerpts
from the U.S. Navy’s report on
testing the Sniffex for possible
military uses. The results showed the device to be worthless. Here are
the excerpts from that report:
“The test objectives were to evaluate the vendor’s claims concerning
the device’s ability to detect explosives. Testing was performed in a
manner consistent with the specifications of the SNIFFEX, and was
designed only to evaluate the device’s principles of operation, not
to test its limits……. …….the SNIFFEX handheld explosives detector
performed no better than random chance over the course of testing…
The vendor never suggested that the SNIFFEXs were malfunctioning
during any test despite the fact that the devices were not correctly
identifying the location of explosives… Based upon the observed test
results, the SNIFFEX handheld explosives detector is not capable of
detecting explosives regardless of the distance between the device
and any explosives… The antenna [on the SNIFFEX] is prone to
deflection from slight breezes, magnetic influences, and improper
handling. Furthermore the device is extremely susceptible to a well-
documented phenomenon known as the ideomotor effect…”
So how does the device “actually” work?
The Sniffex and other such
devices (ADE-651) are purported
to work on the principles of
nuclear quadrupole resonance
(NQR) or nuclear magnetic
resonance (NMR) but these
explanations have never been
proven or substantiated. The
only possible explanation is
“ideomotor effect” in the form of a
pseudoscientific technique called
Dowsing. Dowsing is a method
supposed to find underground
water, hidden treasures, oil,
minerals and grave sites by using
a Y or L-shaped rod, known as a
Dowsing Rod. Traditionally, most
dowsing rods were made of tree
branches, but modern dowsers
use metallic ones. The dowser
holds the two forked ends of the Y
in each hand and the stem of the
Y is pointed straight ahead. The
dowser then walks slowly over
the places where the targets (e.g.
oil, water, “explosive material”) are
suspected to be found. The dowsing rod is supposed to twitch, dip or
incline, when a discovery is made.
An earlier attempt for a scientific explanation from William Pryce’s 1778
Mineralogia Cornubiens is: The corpuscles that rise from the Minerals,
entering the rod, determine it to bow down, in order to render it
PSEUDOSCIENCE
AND THE THREAT TO PAKISTAN AIRPORT SECURITY
W FAISAL IRSHAD
The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org • 35
parallel to the vertical lines which the effluvia describe in their rise. In
effect the Mineral particles seem to be emitted from the earth; now
the Virgula [rod], being of a light porous wood, gives an easy passage
to these particles, which are also very fine and subtle; the effluvia are
then driven forwards by those that follow them, and pressed at the
same time by the atmosphere incumbent on them and forced to enter
the little interstices between the fibres of the wood, and by that effort,
they oblige it to incline, or dip down perpendicularly, to become
parallel with the little columns, which those vapors form in their rise.
Explanations of this kind have no scientific basis. A 1986 article in
Nature included dowsing in a list of “effects which until recently
were claimed to be paranormal, but which can now be explained
from within orthodox science.”Dowsing, as is true for many other
pseudoscientific claims, could easily be explained in terms of sensory
cues, expectancy effects and probability.
Since the dowsing apparatus has no power of its own (being made of
ordinary matter), the effect is probably caused by slight movements of
the hands, caused by a phenomenon known as the ideomotor effect:
people’s subconscious minds may influence their bodies without their
consciously deciding to take action.There is another very interesting
psychological effect called, confirmation bias, which can also be a
sound explanation for this effect. People tend to find “evidence” for
their preconceived beliefs, by observing or confirming the information
that fits their preconceived ideas.
Returning to the ineffectiveness of Airport Security devices, let’s say
there are two cars approaching the Airport security personnel. One
car has a family with kids and the other one has only males. Which
car would be more probable to carry a security risk? Once the mind
is made up for the second “suspicious” car, the confirmation bias
and ideomotor effect come into play. If the “Sniffex’s” antenna turns
towards the car and after thorough checking some explosives are
found, then it is a “hit” and is considered a success. Otherwise, we tend
to forget the “miss”, unless the car explodes afterwards!
The ineffectiveness of such devices haspreviously been brought to
the notice of Pakistan Airport Security Agency, but they have declined
to accept it and are adamant at using these devices. The trouble lies
in our society’s indifference to the scientific research and method
of critical thinking. We are more interested in using technology,
rather than havingan interest in actual scientific methodology and
understanding of the world.
Author is a science enthusiast, with particular interest in Quantum
Mechanics, Evolutionary Theory and Einstein’s Theories of Relativity.
He has graduated as Software Engineer and currently works as MIS
and Analytics Manager in a bank. A LIST OF “EFFECTS WHICH UNTIL RECENTLY WERE
CLAIMED TO BE PARANORMAL, BUT WHICH
CAN NOW BE EXPLAINED FROM WITHIN ORTHODOX
SCIENCE.
SCIENCE, RATIONALITY AND MODERNITY
Islamabad, Pakistan (15:00 PST, Thursday, 21st of Feb, 2013)at Hotel Crown Plaza*, 99-E Jinnah Avenue, Blue Area, Islamabad
SPEAKERSMobarak Haider (Author Civilizational Narcissism aka Tehzeebi Nargasiyat)
Dr. Khalid Masood (Ex-Member Pakistan Ideological Council and Judge Shariat Court).
TOPICSHistory, advantages and the need of Rationality for Muslims for the advancement in
Science and solution of contemporary problems in the context of modern world.
For any queries send an email to [email protected] or contact Mr. Shabbir Bukhari (Khudi Correspondent) at 051-2261066 (Khudi Office) or (+92) 305 5555 372
Alternatively, please text your name and organizational affiliations on this number (0344-4577552 or 03459585995) to get registered.
36 • The Rationalist • www.rationlistpk.org