COMBATING AND UNVEILING ISL AMOPHOBIA

Many children especially girls are not able to get educated due to family traditions or poverty

Some are not given admission due to their race or religion

Thus it s important to take steps we should go to such areas and teach them about the importance of education

According to Nelson Mandela

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world ” The system has to be changed according to the age groups that are given a very big burden in many schools The education should give them the proper course structure which should be a must in all schools

This has to change right from primary education to graduation level The system of examination has to be changed from admission given by money power leaving the poor who have good marks unable to get admission in their choice of study Education is the most fundamental factor in one s social and economic success in life Our government should adopt the learning techniques which are useful for children in this competitive world, The government must work on those things before it gets too late

The writer is a freelance columnist

E d i t o r ’ s m a i l

GROWING Islamophobia calls for a firm action by the joint efforts of Muslim countries Cases of anti-Muslim sentiments have been seen across the globe which have fostered hostility and hatred towards Muslims leading to their exclusion based on religion in Western nations

The recent case of burning Quran outside a mosque in Sweden has sparked another debate and is for sure the result of a wave of hatred that has been implanted in minds through an organized action over the course of time

What is Islamophobia? It s the bitter and fearful feelings towards Islam that lead to such actions which ultimately consider Muslims and Islam as aggressive and harmful Beginning at the end of the 20th century Islamophobic sentiments paced up after the 9/11 attack followed by other events It is not a random phenomenon that just began and sparked but has been systematically inculcated through behaviours and expressions that lead to weakening of Muslims politically and hinder their progress in the Western world due to their engagement in actions protecting their identity and proving themselves to be normal citizens

It would not be wrong to say that such feelings are innate in the Western World A child born is continuously subject to such perceptions and representations that portray Muslims in negative roles The inculcation of the idea is so strong that a strong bias against Muslims remains with them throughout their lives Differ- ent platforms contribute to the idea among which media is the strongest Mainstream and social media have both played an active role in promoting the idea in West and a strong symbolic interactionism has been developed including negative feelings attached to dressing beard and sometimes prayers of Muslims One of the examples of how media platforms engage in spreading propaganda against Islam and pollute minds with this dangerous concept is how an important news platform Wall Street Journal shared a news headline Islam is a cancer” quoting a film maker Sam Bacile The issue isn t limited to individual hatred only, but is expressed structurally within the system which leads to such legislation and policies that exclude Muslims from many o p p o r t u n i t i e s and the civil liberties that West usually talks about ultimately unveiling the hypocrisy According to a report by Global Justice Program s Human Rights Agenda report, Because of their race, ethnicity, national origin, and religion, Muslims are unjustifiably the target of unlawful profiling exclusion and discrimination Islamophobia is understood as a type of xenophobia and ethnic and religious discrimination that targets and excludes Muslims This assumption serves as the foundation for a misguided worldview that considers Muslims and Islam to be inferior to Judaism and Christianity and a dan- ger to "Western" civilization Since 2010, there have been 223 anti-Sharia measures presented in state legislatures in the United States Twenty of the measures introduced have become law in 13 states These bills impose legal barriers that specifically seek to prevent Muslims from fully and freely engaging with their religion by preventing Islamic interpretations that guide ethical and moral life, as outlined in Sharia, from being considered in US state courts, as well as by infringing on Muslims' rights ”

The matter must be resolved through awareness on global platforms and seriously posing a threat to media houses that propagate views which are hostile towards the Muslim community Organization of Islamic Cooperation is the platform that can be used for the purpose. The matter must be resolved through awareness on global platforms and seriously posing a threat to media houses that propagate views which are hostile towards the Muslim community

There is a strong clash of civilizations that has led to this hatred for reaching political purposes and anti-Muslim feelings have been spreading like fire in the West The implications of this agenda can be seen in the form of violence against Muslims due to the instilled fear against the whole community including the recent case The French anti-separatism bill was yet another step towards curbing the freedom of Muslims which although it seemed to be a step towards secularization but the main purpose is not hidden anyway Protests across many Muslim countries including Iraq and Turkey were seen as a result of the Swedish desecration In Pakistan too, masses participated in protests as disrespecting the Holy Book isn’t acceptable for the Muslims at any cost The West is clearly aware of the cards it has to play to instigate reactionary response from Muslims which helps them prove their agenda right Pakistan demanded Sweden to clarify its position on burning of Quran in Stockholm and Sweden too has condemned the scenario but this seems to be a part of a greater game than it seems It is high time Muslim countries come together at an organized platform and take practical steps towards combating Islamophobia rather than unorganized protests within countries which bear no fruit The matter must be resolved through awareness on global platforms and seriously posing a threat to media houses that propagate views which are hostile towards the Muslim community Organization of Islamic Cooperation is the platform that can be used for the purpose and must be actively involved in protecting the interest of Muslim community as a whole

The writer is a freelance columnist

S e n d y o u r l e t t e r s t o : L e t t e r s t o E d i t o r Pakistan Today 4 - S h a a re y F a t i m a J i n n a h L a h o re P a k i s t a n E - m a i l : l e t t e r s @ p a k i s t a n t o d a y c o m p k L e t t e r s s h o u l d b e a d d re s s e d t o Pakistan Today e x c l u s i v e l y

Elite capture

LIAQUAT Ali Khan must have known the future of Pakistan when just before passing away after being shot by an assassin, he said, May Allah protect Pakistan In our dear homeland, things are getting messy and the future of Pakistan looks bleak and gloomy

Economy is in a tailspin, crime rate is high, electricity is rapidly becoming a rare commodity youth is directionless infrastructure is not up to the mark and political scenario is confusing Is there any ray of hope for the people? In the foreseeable future no The current political battle in the country points to the fact that the only class that seems to be secure and the centre of all debate is the one called elite For instance, hundreds of opposition workers belonging to middle and lower-middle classes have been arrested by police, but no news channel talks about their fate But the same media is pretty concerned about the powerful few having high social status and influential family background They remain the centre of attraction and in the spotlight all the time It seems the biggest issue facing Pakistan now is whether such souls will be dealt with in accordance with law or otherwise There should indeed be justice for all, but why should the media focus only on the elite?

It shows the pathetic manner in which society tends to view and treat the middle and lower classes Such is the sorry state of affairs in Pakistan that they are forced to live a life worse than that of, say, insects

The people of Sindh and Balochistan are particularly disadvantaged as they have to endure skyrocketing inflation and poverty and perpetual tribalism feudalism and political parties that are indifferent to their sufferings and misery I have come across many people who till a few years ago were enthusiastic about changing the fate of the country and who wanted to play a vibrant and positive role in the process However, they are now the most depressed souls and want to leave the country Why would anyone want to live in a country that offers nothing but depression frustration hopelessness and elite capture? Those who cannot leave for whatever reason can only continue to hope against hope that things will someday get better in the country

Wasting talent

I am a student at Harvard University and was lucky enough to receive a full scholarship from the university to cover my tuition and living expenses for my two academic years While I am extremely grateful for this generosity, I do remember how frustrating the process of finding scholarships had been for me I was accepted into the prestigious master’s programme for three consecutive years but funding was scarce to come by leading me to despairingly either defer or decline the acceptance each time At this moment I am the only South Asian enrolled in this programme and while two more very capable students from Pakistan have gotten accepted, they cannot find a way to pay for this education; therefore, they have deferred the acceptances till the next year This is heart-breaking, considering how rare such opportunities are to come by for hardworking intelligent students and how important it is for our country to be represented in a positive light at a coveted international university My cohort includes students from Indonesia China and Egypt and the governments of these countries have funded these students education without them having any political connections or overtly affluent backgrounds The question then arises: why can we not have such funds available to our students? I understand we are struggling economically and are severely disadvantaged but should this not be a point of concern for the authorities in any way, even if a few years down the road? Would they not want to see Pakistani students return to their country with a stellar education so they may make some difference?

The Pakistanis I have met at Harvard are mostly those who could fund their education themselves or take loans to pay off later But what should the students who cannot afford either option do? Those in power should pay attention to the matter As things stand currently, they suggest a rather sad state of affairs