Pakistan Link - December 11, 2015

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Friday, December 11, 2015

VOL. 25/50 - 28 Safar 1437 H PAGE 8

Paris Needs to Deliver Action, Not Talk Muslims Asked to Take up the Cause of Fighting Extremism

PAGE 17

PAGE 13

Altaf Booked in Imran Farooq Murder Case

US & Canada $1.00

Effort to Bridge Jewish-Muslim Divide

US Authorities Assure Ambassador Jilani

No Discriminatory Measures against Community Washington, DC: In a letter to the

Washington, DC: In a rare Oval Office address, President Barack Obama vowed Sunday night the US will overcome a new phase of the terror threat that seeks to “poison the minds” of people here and around the world, as he sought to reassure Americans shaken by recent attacks in Paris and California.

“I know that after so much war, many Americans are asking OBAMA, P28

New Consul General of Pakistan to Take Charge in Los Angeles

Pakistani-American community, Ambassador Jalil Abbas Jilani has stated that “the US authorities have assured us that Muslim community - particularly Pakistani-Americans - being equal citizens of the United States, would not be subjected to any discriminatory measures.” The Ambassador’s letter to the community states: The San Bernardino mass shooting incident has caused insecurity and unrest among the American Muslim community, in general, and Pakistani-American community, in particular.

While the investigation is underway to find the exact motives of the shooters, the suspicions of drawing inspiration from radical and extremist ideologies is a cause of concern. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Pakistan Embassy have condemned the incident in strongest possible terms and conveyed our sincere condolences and sympathies for the victims, their friends and families.

The Pakistani-origin of the

Ambassador Jalil Abbas Jilani

shooters obviously formed a shocking revelation for the law-abiding and peace-loving Pakistani-American community. The Embassy got in touch with the US Government and offered our full cooperation in the

CG, P21

AMBASSADOR, P28

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Pakistan Condemns Shooting Incident in San Bernardino

Islamabad: Pakistan has con-

demned the abhorrent and tragic shooting incident in San Bernardino in the US state of California in the strongest possible terms.

Pakistan’s foreign office in a statement said: “We offer sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims in this act of terrorism. Our thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathies are with those who have been injured in the incident. We sincerely wish them an early recovery from their physical and mental trauma.”

The statement said the loss of precious lives in the tragic incident is irreversible and unfortunate. “We hope that the investigations would lead the US authorities to bring the perpetrators and abettors of this act to justice.

“The people of Pakistan, being the worst victims of terrorism over the years, share the grief of the people of the United States and stand by them in their pain and suffering.”

“We will help in the investigation,” Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said.

Pakistan, India to Restart ‘Comprehensive’ Dialogue

Muslim Groups Raise Funds for San Bernardino Victims

Sushma Swaraj said.

Both Swaraj and Aziz condemned terrorism and resolved to cooperate in order to eliminate the menace.

They noted the successful talks on terrorism and security related issues in Bangkok by the two National Security Advisers and decided that the security advisers will continue to address all issues connected to terrorism.

Pakistan assured the Indian side that the government is taking steps to expedite the early conclusion of the Mumbai trials.

The dialogue process, which will start as soon as foreign secretaries agree on a schedule, will include matters related to peace and security, Jammu and Kashmir, Siachen, Sir Creek, Wullar Barrage, Tulbul Navigation Project, economic and commercial cooperation, counterterrorism, narcotics control and humanitarian issues, people to

San Bernardino, CA: As the United

Abdul Jabbar Memon

Los Angeles, CA: Abdul Jabbar Memon is scheduled to replace Hamid Ashghar Khan as the Consul General at the Pakistan Consulate in Los Angeles by the end of December 2015.

Immediately prior to his appointment as Pakistan’s Consul

ongoing investigation. We hope that the investigation would lead the authorities to the truth and bring those responsible to justice.

It is certainly significant

For news, updated round the clock, visit

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif meets Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj in Islamabad

Islamabad: Pakistan and India have

agreed to reinitiate the comprehensive dialogue process, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said in a joint press conference on Wednesday along with the prime

minister’s adviser on foreign affairs, Sartaj Aziz.

“Instead of composite dialogues, now comprehensive dialogues will be held in which all outstanding issues will be discussed,”

DIALOGUE, P4

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States grapples with the recent tragedy in San Bernardino, MuslimAmericans combat hate with charity and love.

In the wake of the tragedy in San Bernardino, American Muslims have come together to give back in an inspiring way. Housed on the crowdsourcing platform LaunchGood, Muslim individuals raised over $86,000 in only four days for families of the 14 dead and 21 wounded San Bernardino victims (Around $120,000 was raised thanks to a LaunchGood page run by Muslims United for San Bernardino, another story reported on Wednesday morning). .

Muslims United for San Bernardino set an initial goal of raising $50,000 to assist with the immediate needs of the victims’ families.

It reached its initial goal within 48 hours and has been funded by nearly 800 individual donors.

FUNDS, P21

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P2 – PAKISTAN LINK – DECEMBER 11, 2015

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OPINION

P4 – PAKISTAN LINK – DECEMBER 11, 2015

Pakistan Link President

Arif Zaffar Mansuri

ArifMansuri@PLpublications.org Editor

Akhtar Mahmud Faruqui afaruqui@pakistanlink.com

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urdulink@yahoo.com Resident Editor Urdu Link & Director Video Operations

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n By Mowahid Hussain Shah

Challenging Fear

W

hen the US invaded Iraq in 2003, France did not go along with that action. US politicians and policymakers derided the French, going so far as to make the puerile suggestion of replacing the term “French fries” with “Freedom fries.”

Now, 12 years later, the terror attacks in Paris are being seen in Washington as a virtual attack on the entire Western world. In effect, it is tantamount to invoking Article 5 of NATO, with its cornerstone principle of collective defense, meaning an attack on one is an attack on all.

Conversely, the hammering of Iraq and Gaza by the West and its allies did not evoke a similar collective expression of moral outrage in the Muslim world. In fact, some of them were abettors.

If the international Muslim community had seen the foregoing actions as an affront, would innocent Muslims today be continuously put on the dock for the unconnected actions of their killer co-religionists elsewhere?

But all of this has to do with the fundamental weakness of Western Muslims, and the crushing mediocrity of Muslim elites worldwide.

And whose policies fanned and inflamed the rise of OBL, the Hydra-headed sectarian monster, the ethnic polarization, and the creation of Daesh?

US Presidential contender John Kasich’s proposal to create a new federal agency espousing Judeo-Christian values is a fraud-

ulent sham given the facts that, for 2000 years, Christianity has been at loggerheads with Judaism.

These are harsh but incontrovertible facts. The very “Judeo-Christian” terminology has implications of exclusive incitement toward Muslims.

Kinetic overreaction is a trap

evidenced through the 2015 deals with Cuba and Iran.

Retrospectively in the West, there is enormous sympathy for the victims of the Holocaust. But, when it mattered, the West, in effect, became a doormat for Nazi extermination policies. The Republican rants of today eerily echo

The Pope has rung alarm bells of World War III. But it is not inevitable. To view it as such would be an admission of surrender and defeat. A drastic policy reset and rethinking can shift gears, as evidenced through the 2015 deals with Cuba and Iran laid by nihilistic cults and becomes a recruiting tool.

The Pope has rung alarm bells of World War III. But it is not inevitable. To view it as such would be an admission of surrender and defeat. A drastic policy reset and rethinking can shift gears, as

anti-Semitic rhetoric in America that prevented disembarkation from the ship Saint Louis in Miami in 1939, carrying German Jewish refugees seeking sanctuary in America. In this connection, the fact-based 1976 movie, “Voyage of the Damned” may be

It’s Time to Unite behind the President in the War against ISIS n By Salam Al-Marayati MPAC President

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e welcome President Obama’s call for all Americans to remain united and to not let the fight against ISIS be defined as a war between America and Islam.

Last night, the President reminded us that “we cannot turn against one another by letting this fight be defined as a war between America and Islam. That, too, is what groups like ISIL want. ISIL does not speak for Islam. They are thugs and killers, part of a cult of death, and they account for a tiny fraction of more than a billion Muslims around the world -- including millions of patriotic Muslim Americans who reject their hateful ideology. Moreover, the vast majority of terrorist victims around the world are Muslim. If we’re to succeed in defeating terrorism we must enlist Muslim communities as some of our strongest allies, rather than push them away through suspicion and hate.”

We thank President Obama for showing the leadership that we need to bring our country together

during this critical time. It’s time to rally behind the leader of our country -- whether Democrat or Republican, Muslim or Christian or Jew -- to push back against the political and violent ideologies we see being promoted today. We agree with the President that we will prevail over ISIS and we will best achieve that goal united as Americans.

In 2014, we released our Safe Spaces Initiative, the first major national grassroots effort to equip American Muslim communities with practical tools for prevention and intervention strategies for troubled individuals. Safe Spaces is a program that focuses on rehabilitation driven by communities for

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troubled individuals, so that they are left with more options other than incarceration or terrorism.

An updated version of Safe Spaces is set to be released in the upcoming weeks.

We agree with the President that a partnership is necessary, where communities push back against violent ideology and law enforcement deals with criminal behavior.

(Founded in 1988, the Muslim Public Affairs Council improves public understanding and policies that impact American Muslims by engaging our government, media and communities.)

worth a watch for those not conversant with this tragedy. This disgraceful episode took place during the presidency of Franklin D Roosevelt, to whom a memorial is erected near the Washington Mall (where I once played cricket).

FDR is now revered as a liberal icon, without adequate ascertainment of facts.

Japanese-American survivors of the post-Pearl Harbor internment camps in the US find disturbing echoes of their past anguish in the maltreatment of Muslims in US public space.

The glitter of the almighty dollar plus the inferiority-inducing VIP hunting priority of US Muslim elites sidetracked many in the community from investment in human capital and infrastructure necessary for building sociopolitical self-defense. That ensures living with dignity and security.

To cite Benjamin Franklin: “We must all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”

DIALOGUE FROM P1

people exchanges and religious tourism.

Earlier on Wednesday, Swaraj met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the ‘Heart of Asia’ conference to discuss bilateral issues.

The meeting is considered crucial as many long-standing issues were discussed.

Swaraj confirmed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Pakistan for the South Asian Association of Regional Coopera¬tion (Saarc) summit expected to be held in September 2016.

Earlier, the opening of the ‘Heart of Asia’ conference in the capital today was marked by a warm welcome from Pakistani authorities to visiting dignitaries from India, Afghanistan, China among other Asian countries.

Views and opinions express e d by authors and contributors in articles, letters, opinion pieces, reports, advertisements, etc appearing in Pakistan Link and Urdu Link are their own. The paper neither shares nor endorses them and thus should not be held responsible for the views/opinions of the writers & advertisers.

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OPINION

P6 – PAKISTAN LINK – DECEMBER 11, 2015 n By Syed Kamran Hashmi

A

Westfield, IN

side from rekindling the debate regarding Islam as being inherently more violent than other religions, the Paris attacks have sparked once again an argument within the Muslim community about how they should respond to such atrocities: whether they should sympathize with the victims all the way without any ifs-and-buts or just consider it as a necessary evil to seize higher objectives, a violent reaction to the series of systematic oppression, opportunism and greed unleashed upon the followers of Islam by the West over the last few decades.

First, let me say that no sane person supports terrorism, at least not overtly, as it can backfire and may even cause legal trouble; however, many Muslims - educated, moderate and pragmatic -find ample reason to condone it. And while they are doing so, one just wonders at the faint smile that spreads across their face, an exuberant glow betraying their words of compassion as if they are indeed rejoicing instead of feeling concerned. On the other end of the spectrum, there exist people who find it inhuman - what to talk about religious or not - to justify the mass killings of vulnerable civilians in any shape or form, the ones who grieve the loss of American soldiers in Iraq as much as they would if one of their own family member had died.

Both of them accuse each other

How Do Muslims Respond to Terrorist Attacks of being hypocritical and selfish, and both find the other to be responsible for the failure of the “ummah” in paddling out of the quagmire of poverty, illiteracy and foreign subjugation. Blaming the self-appointed defenders of Islam of religious bigotry, the pro-West group criticizes them for justifying violence in the name of God, a great sin, and reasserts itself by promoting universal human values. “Why do you have to dig in the past every time and look centuries behind in order to look forward?” they question. The defenders of faith strike back and call the latter as traitors, people who have lost faith and have either given up on Islam as the way of life or sold their conscience for money, the blue passport, the safe future of their children or maybe, all of them.

It does not take more than a few minutes to reckon that the two groups cannot reconcile their differences. It’s like a debate on a glass of water about which some think it is half empty while the others believe it is half full. Do you know which side you belong to? Are you among the ones who blame America for an attack on its soil in which thousands of people died? Or feel obliged to defend those who share your faith even when they do something as catastrophic as 11/13 in Paris? Or do you stand on the side of America even when someone recites the same verses of the Qur’an you hold so dear to your hearts, and sacrifices his life to (allegedly) revive the glory of Islam? I don’t think staying neutral is left an option anymore.

Not too long ago, Pakistanis struggled with the same dilemma.

Thousands of civilians died in suicide attacks from 2007 to 2014. The TTP terror ruled the country as if the government did not exist. Soldiers were martyred, their lives tak-

with full force by eradicating every form of religious extremism.

People in favor of a military operation were called the “scum of the earth” by the pro-negotiation group who in an attempt to find justification - like we notice after the current

After the Army Public School attack, everyone realized they can’t negotiate with savages and the only way to deal with extremism is to crush it with an overwhelming force, a force not only to get hold of the ‘ground soldiers,’ but also to track down the financiers, the abettors, the sympathizers and above all, the source of their inspiration en in the name of Islam by the people who shared the same faith. But the nation stood irresolute, divided in two groups, not sure whether they should negotiate with the TTP, accept their demands and provide them the political space that they were demanding; or quash them

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incident - thought insurgency could be explained with the drone attacks that killed children, women and elderly, or the American invasion of Afghanistan which fueled anger and frustration. They said it would end once America leaves Kabul and Pakistan stops tailing the US foreign

policy.

At the core of terrorism lies bad governance, poverty and oppression, according to one of their arguments. Not military action but good governance is what we need to wipe out militancy. I must confess that most Pakistanis were lured in by those arguments. Their claims hit the right nerves, why wouldn’t they? It helped Pakistanis to exonerate themselves from taking any blame and held the foreign powers responsible for everything bad happening in the region.

At that time Pakistanis also used to claim that the real reason for the US to get into Afghanistan did not have anything to do with 9/11 and everything to do with the country’s natural resources which the ‘imperial power’ was so eager to tap.

But, how did it all end? Did negotiations succeed? The federal government led by PML-N initiated the process twice, even when the Pakistan Army opposed it. Did it stop TTP from attacking the Church in Peshawar or avoid the Peshawar massacre?

After the Army Public School attack, everyone realized they can’t negotiate with savages and the only way to deal with extremism is to crush it with an overwhelming force, a force not only to get hold of the ‘ground soldiers,’ but also to track down the financiers, the abettors, the sympathizers and above all, the source of their inspiration. This is what the West needs to do as well. It needs to go after the place from where it all started.

For even if it stamps out ISIS, the scourge will reemerge in some other form as Daesh sprang out after AlQaeda.

OPINION

DECEMBER 11, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P7

Proceed to Peshawar – from the Army Navy Club Library n By C. Naseer Ahmad

L

Washington, DC

ibraries have a way to take us to some wonderful journeys, transporting us through time and across the oceans. The collection of books, magazines and other reading material provides an almost limitless resource for learning.

Some libraries, however, have a gravitational pull that can feel stronger than that of a black hole. Once you step foot near it, it is almost impossible to escape without learning something new. The library at the Army Navy Club on the south eastern end of Farragut Square, in downtown Washington, is both magnificent as well as well stocked.

“Proceed to Peshawar” by Dr. George J Hill was awaiting the readers on the table along with other interesting books. It is an interesting book about a secret US Naval Intelligence mission to the Afghan Border in 1943 – more than seventy years ago. Once the book is picked up, it is hard to put it down until you have read one of the most intriguing stories about the land which has suffered many invasions, served as the graveyard of empires, and been part of the contest known as the “Great Game.”

Through a painstaking effort – using his father-in-law’s coded notes, Dr Hill narrates “a story of adventure in the Hindu Kush Mountains, and of a previously untold Military and Naval Intelligence Mission along about 800 miles of the Durand Line in World War II.” He talks about the American officers who passed through the Tribal Areas and the princely states of what was the North-West Frontier Province (and now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and into Baluchistan. His book “also provides an insight into the background and daily life of a Naval Intelligence Officer who was stationed in Karachi, India (now Pakistan), in World War II.” His father-in-law Lt. Alfred Zimmerman was probably the first American official to travel to all of the provinces that are now part of Pakistan.

In the words of one reader, the book is a “compelling account of a fascinating journey in Central Asia during WWII.” Through this book, the reader learns about the detailed account kept by Lt Alfred Zimmerman of the journey during which he took numerous high quality photographs to chronicle this unique expedition.

From the de-classified material Dr Hill, Lt Zimmerman’s son-in-law “finally delivers the edited journal, photos, and a ton of research and maps to fill in the gaps and bring the story to life. The reader gets to know the characters involved, and appreciates the historical context of the situation.” Dr Hill introduces the famous “Great Game” which involved strategic contest between Britain and Russia after Napoleon’s retreat in which Afghanistan’s role was seen as a buffer between the British Empire’s colony in India and Russia. In this high level game, “Tibet, China, and even Mongolia later became factors, especially during WWII when the stakes were never higher.”

From one of the insightful reviews of the book by John E. (Jed) Williamson, Sterling College and the American Alpine Club, one learns that Dr Hill inspired by this archive of the declassified material “does more than describe the mission. He looks back at the political and historical events leading up to the journey and then forward to the present day. Thorough research and compelling writing will keep readers riveted. I was reminded that the Afghan people once liked us and that explorers and climbers today have nothing on these men.”

If the reader’s appetite for enjoying a historical perspective still remains to be filled, then Dr Hill’s interesting lecture surrounding this book can be viewed via YouTube also. In this video, made available by the Naval War College, Dr Hill starts the

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discussion by mentioning Chitral and then his father-in-law’s posting in Karachi from where this secret mission originated.

From his website, the reader will learn that George J. Hill graduated from the Harvard Medical School and served with a distinguished career in the US Marine Corps and the Public Health Service, retired as a captain in the Navy Reserve.

The title “Proceed to Peshawar” has a certain ring to it; it is part marching order and part desire to begin a journey. It is also a reminder of something attributed to Peshawar almost a year ago when cruel murderers cut short the many precious lives who could have discovered untold treasures hidden in the libraries of the world or whose own journeys would have been just as riveting as what Dr Hill narrated.

So it is appropriate to remember the statement made by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after learning about the attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar last year: “I have decided to proceed to Peshawar ...These are my children and it is my loss.”

In this context, it is also important to note President Barack Obama’s statement after the heinous attack on the Army Public School: “We stand with the people of Pakistan, and reiterate the commitment of the United States to support the Government of Pakistan in its efforts to combat terrorism and extremism and to promote peace and stability in the region.”

OPINION

P8 – PAKISTAN LINK – DECEMBER 11, 2015

I’ve Seen 21 Years of COP Failures. Paris Needs to Deliver Action, Not Talk n By Dr Adil Najam

I

Paris, France

t was December 2009. I remember sitting on a plane on my way to Copenhagen. I wondered if this would be the historic moment when the world came to its senses.

There was hope in the air. Indeed, I was greeted by stickers on the subway that renamed Denmark’s capital “Hopenhagen”. I smiled.

There was widespread anticipation – nurtured frantically by the host nation – that the UNsponsored climate summit (COP 15) would be “historic”. That the impasse on global climate change would be broken. That major CO2 emitters – the US, EU, China, India – would agree on a meaningful binding agreement that would (a) limit their emissions, (b) support developing countries in their transition to low-emission futures, and (c) create a mechanism to assist vulnerable countries in coping with the costs of adaptation and climatic disasters that, by then, had already become inevitable.

Today I am again on a plane, on my way to Paris for COP 21. This time, I am not holding my breath. Not smiling.

The hype around Paris is not dissimilar to what one remembers before Copenhagen. Except the aspiration is even lower, the proposals less bold. The scientific consensus on the threats posed by climate change even more definitive. And the interests of developing countries even more marginalised.

I am not a cynic – just old. Old enough to remember the dashed hopes of Kyoto (COP 3, 1997), the purposeful energy of Berlin (COP 1, 1995), the naïve optimism of Rio de Janeiro in 1992 where the UN framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC) was first

adopted, and even the calls for urgency when the negotiation process was first launched by the United Nations in 1990.

Most of all, I am old enough to realise that 11 December, when the Paris COP 21 officially ends, will mark to the day the 25th

globe-trotting to these COPs. Yet, talk is all that is on offer at Paris. Any mention of a “binding” agreement is squashed as being unrealistic, given the peculiar sensibilities of the US Congress. The sensitivities of the European Union, especially hosts France,

My own country, Pakistan, contributes less than 1% of global emissions, but is a frontline vulnerable state. Melting glaciers, messed-up monsoons, intense heat waves, erratic and severe floods: these are not just projections for the future, these are realities Pakistan is already having to adapt to anniversary of the start of these negotiations.

Let that fact sink in: we have now been talking about an international agreement for a quarter of a century. We have no agreement.

And there is none in sight. One has to wonder if all the hot air that has been generated by all this talk was worth the carbon cost of all our

to another Copenhagen-style failure have conspired to produce a constant ratcheting down of aspiration.

Instead, we are told to put faith in the ridiculously named INDCs – the intended nationally determined contributions. Major emitters were adamant that they could

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not make any “commitments” or “pledges”.

Those, of course, sound like things that have to be actually done. “Intentions”, on the other hand, are fungible. They are voluntary, even optional.

Some INDCs do, indeed, make bold claims. But, in many cases, we are expected to believe that countries that chose to not fulfil their binding Kyoto commitments will now be faithful to these voluntary intentions. In other cases, the intention is kicked so much into the future or riddled with so many caveats as to become meaningless.

Meanwhile, in the real world, emissions continue to pile on and impacts stack. Many of the most vulnerable countries have such low emissions of their own that they can do nothing themselves to remedy the problem that they did nothing to cause.

For example, my own country, Pakistan, contributes less than 1% of global emissions, but is a frontline vulnerable state. Melting glaciers, messed-up monsoons, intense heat waves, erratic and severe floods: these are not just projections for the future, these are realities Pakistan is already having to adapt to. Research suggests that by 2040,agriculture productivity could drop by 8-10%; by 2050, the cost of adaptation could be as high as $14bn a year.

Vulnerable developing nations need climate change to stabilise at 1.5C or less. The INDCs cannot deliver that.

Vulnerable nations worry most about adaptation – and adaptation is already marginalised on the COP 21 agenda.

I am on my way to Paris. I still hold hope, but not much.

Without a binding agreement, without a relentless focus on limiting climate change to 1.5C, all that Paris offers is more talk. For that, it is already too late.

It is time for action, Paris friends. Not empty promises.

OPINION n Professor Nazeer Ahmed

I

Concord, CA

slam is under intense pressure in America. According to published reports, only a third of Americans have a positive view of Islam. More than fifty percent are negative and view Islam and Muslims with a degree of fear and suspicion. The rest have no opinion.

The reasons for this state of affairs are both external and internal. The relentless barrage of Islamophobic propaganda, well financed and well executed, has found its mark. The unending wars in the Middle East, which have destroyed a vast swatch of earth extending from the river Indus to the sands of Tripoli, have taken their toll. Concurrent with these external events, there has been a steady increase in right wing Salafi propaganda, much of it directed against traditional Islamic practices packaged as “Bida”, “Shirk”, “Kufr” and “Haram”. The trend towards Salafism is historic and has been going on for more than three hundred years, ever since Aurangzeb won the Battle of Samugarh in 1658. There has been a steady increase in momentum in recent years.

It is like a hammer and an anvil. Caught in the gristmill of Islamophobic propaganda and the compulsive pull of right-wing Salafism, many a Muslim youth is confused and has become susceptible to extremist movements, which seem to pop up under a new avatar every ten years.

The recent attacks in Paris and California have thrust the debate about radicalization and Islamophobia to the front page. As noted by President Obama in his address to the nation on December 7, 2015, the issues are urgent and can no longer be avoided. This article looks at Islamophobia from an internal perspective and examines what can be done to close the fear gap in America. tive

Islam in America- An Historical Perspec-

Islam is not new in America. In his book, Deeper Roots, Dr Abdullah Quick has documented with scholarly care the arrival of African Muslims in the Americas before Columbus. Al-Masudi (d 956), in his monumental work, Muruj adh-dhahab wa ma’adin, describes how a young man, Khashkhash of Cordoba, sailed west, visited far off islands and came back with untold riches. Al-Idrisi (d 1165) who served in the court of Roger II of Sicily, in his Kitab al-Mamalik wa-l-Masalik, describes the journey of a group of seamen who reached the isles of the Americas. The report describes travel between islands whose inhabitants spoke Arabic. Al-Idrisi prepared a map of the Atlantic which shows the contours of Brazil and Central America with remarkable accuracy. The Hajj of Mansa Musa (1324), the majestic ruler of the Empire of Mali, is well recorded. He took with him so much gold for the Hajj that it affected the currencies of Egypt as well as other lands he passed through.

Shihab ad-Din al-Umari, a famous Arab geographer, in his Masalik al-Absar fi Mamalik al-Amsar describes how the predecessor of Mansa Musa sailed west at the head of a thousand ships never to return. Archaeological, linguistic and sculptural evidence in the Americas confirms the presence of the Mandinkas in Central and South America. The 1512 map prepared by Piri Raees, the well-known Turkish admiral, shows with great clarity and accuracy the latitude and longitude of Brazil, the Cape Verde Islands, the Canary Islands as well as the course of the Amazon River. These geographical features were unknown to the Europeans until the end of the sixteenth century. As documented by Professor Leo Weiner of Harvard University (1920) the presence of Muslim Africans in the New World was known to the early Spanish explorers but this information was suppressed.

The post-Columbus era has seen four waves of Muslim arrivals in the United States.

The first wave came from West Africa. The Atlantic slave trade (1607-1859) brought millions of Africans to the Americas. Estimates of men, women and children who were loaded

DECEMBER 11, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P9

Closing the Fear Gap in America on the slave ships vary from a low of 12 million and continuous struggle to create such a soto a high of 100 million. Millions perished at ciety on earth superseding the more narrow sea. Among those who were brought in chains allegiance to race, tribe or national origin. were scholars, noblemen, carpenters, masons, Thus Islam becomes a process wherein tribal metal workers, farmers and tradesmen. As Is- or ethnic allegiance is continuously challenged lam was the most prevalent religion in the Se- by allegiance to a universal idea.

In Islam, man is the trustee of his own free ne-Gambia and Niger River areas, there were a large number of Muslims among the arriv- will and all that is between heaven and earth is ing Africans. Considering the demography of subject to this will. It is his manifest destiny these regions, I would estimate that twenty to to exercise this free will, to mold, shape and thirty percent of the Africans who landed in bend the created world, and to be judged by the Americas were Muslim. Bilali Muhammed the consequences of his action. However, un(b 1777) was one such Muslim scholar. Despite like the unfettered free will of Nietzsche, the the oppression of slave life, Bilali retained his free will of man in Islam is a gift bestowed by scholarship and wrote a manuscript on Islamic the Creator, a trust to be exercised in justice law which is preserved in the library of Geor- and in balance.

Interestingly, there is no concept of origigia State University and has inspired generanal sin and salvation in Islam. Man is created tions of American Muslims.

The second wave came in the middle of in the most noble of molds and is endowed the nineteenth century when an attempt was with reason and judgment so that he may fulmade to introduce camels into the Ameri- fill the moral regency bestowed by the Creator. can Southwest. The United States army hired The Islamic concept corresponding to salvacamel drivers, some from Egypt and some tion is falah, or well-being, which man strugfrom the southern Punjab in British India. The gles to attain through his actions and through experiment was not a success and this genera- an exercise of his free will. The focus of indition of Muslims disappeared. The last of them, vidual and collective life is thus an unceasing effort for the material and moral well-being of Haji Ali, died in Arizona in 1902.

The third wave arrived after the First mankind.

The immigrants who have come here World War from Turkey and Greater Syria. from places as diverse The defeat of the Otas Egypt and Pakistan, toman empire, first in the Balkan war The verdict of history is clear and Indonesia and Morocco with them an of 1911 and then in the writing is on the wall: If the brought Islam coated with the the First World War current generation of Muslims cultural crust of their (1914-18), precipitated a large refugee wish to survive in America and native lands and modulated by their historiinflux from the eastnot disappear like the previous cal experience. In the ern Mediterranean from a region which generations, there must be zero American melting pot, crust falls away includes modern day tolerance for extremism. Islam this along with traditional Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Palestine in America must be rescued from and regional bias, exand Lebanon. They political extremism and guided posing the universal settled in northern towards its spiritual core. Khateebs core of the immigrants’ religiosity.

New Jersey around America opened the Hoboken area. and religious teachers need basic Some migrated to the training in science, history, and its arms to immigration from Asia and Africa American heartland in Cedar Rapids, Iowa the culture of a pluralistic, multi- including Muslim imHowever, and Ross, North Da- faith, secular society. Use reason in migration. kota. The pull of the everyday life. Be moderate. Avoid there was no religious infrastructure to supAmerican secular culture was too great and rigidity. “Indeed, Allah does not port the Islamic comlove the extremists”. munity. The new arrivthis wave, too, melted als, therefore, plunged away into the larger themselves headlong into building mosques American matrix. where they could hold congregational prayers and primary schools where their children The Current Generation of Muslims The current generation of Muslims is the could learn their own culture. They had a dual fourth wave since Columbus. Prior to 1965, challenge: reach out for the American mateimmigration from Asian and African coun- rial dream while at the same time preserve the tries was restricted with each country receiv- Islamic cultural and religious legacy for their ing a quota of 100 immigrants annually while children and grandchildren. In this effort they immigration from Europe was open and unre- have been remarkably successful. Mosques stricted. When the Immigration and National- and minarets now grace the American landity Act of 1965 lifted these restrictions, a large scape from New York to California.

A second generation has now taken over. number of immigrants came from Muslim countries and the process continues to this The American children of first generation imday. Estimates vary, but judging by attendance migrants are bringing Islam close to what the at mosques, there are about 4 million Muslims mystics and the reformers of the last century in the United States and Canada. Although a were unable to do: create a multi-ethnic somajor portion of this community is made up ciety of faith that is cleansed of parochialism of immigrants, there has been a steady in- and is universal in character. crease in the number of Americans accepting What the New Immigrants Did Not AnIslam.

Significant as these numbers are, the ma- ticipate Even as Islam found a niche in the Amerijor impact of Islam on American life is not so much in demography but in the world of can social spectrum, there were clouds gatherideas. Much as America is the melting pot ing on the horizon. The unending Palestinianof nations, it is also the melting pot of ideas. Israeli conflict cast a continual shadow over Americans traditionally have considered their the community. The implosion and collapse ideas as rooted in Judeo-Christian teachings. of the Soviet Union in 1991 saw the simultaOnly recently are they becoming aware of the neous ascendancy of the neocons in America third, co-contemporary monotheistic faith, Is- who turned their attention from the Soviet lam, and they ask where it fits in their world Union to the “democratization” of the Islamic world, by military force if necessary. Concurof ideas. rently, there was a rise of extremist movements in the Islamic world such as the Taliban, Al What the New Arrivals Achieved Islam sees its raison d’etre as the creation Qaeda and Daesh (ISIL). The ghastly tragedy of a society enjoining what is good, forbidding of 9/11 was quickly followed by an invasion what is evil, and believing in God. Muslim life of Afghanistan and Iraq, then Libya and the has at its core the imperative of a persistent more recent bombing of Syria. Long is the list

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of countries that have been devastated by this endless war – Afghanistan, parts of Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Eritrea. War opens up old wounds and begets hatred. Shia-Sunni and tribal tensions that were held in check by despotic rulers erupted into open civil strife once the central authority was destroyed by war. Millions have been killed or displaced and a refugee crisis unlike any seen since WWII has shaken the Middle East and Europe alike. Concurrent with these wars, there has been a sustained increase in Islamophobic propaganda in the United States.

The nascent Islamic community in America was ill prepared to take on these challenges that emerged so rapidly towards the end of the twentieth century: the demise of the Soviet Union, the rise of the Taliban, Al Qaeda, 9/11, rising Islamaphobia, hate propaganda, ISIL, the endless wars in the Middle East and the onset of terrorism on American soil. The magnitude and rapidity of these challenges have overwhelmed the scant intellectual resources of the community. The Salafi training of the religious leadership, with some outstanding exceptions, has not prepared them to lead the community in these times of crises.

The result is that Islam is adrift like a rudderless giant ship on the stormy seas.

A Search for Solutions - Faith, Knowledge, Service, Worship With all of its flaws and deficiencies, America remains a beacon for much of humankind. Given a free choice, much of the world would want to migrate to America.

There is no other country in the world that continues to welcome thousands of people from around the world. This is a unique experiment in human history.

America offers an historical opportunity for Islam to discover its essence, namely, its existential spiritual, universal self. The freedom of expression available to immigrants in America is precisely the element they lacked in their native lands, to express their religiosity. The Islamic world, faced with the loss of independence in the 19th Century and the subsequent challenge from Western ideologies, has been unable to muster the courage to open itself to political and social processes where its own internal ethos can express itself.

Thus freedom is often muzzled and religious expression stage-managed so that it does not pose a threat to the established order.

The American experience offers a breath of fresh air to the Muslim. Here, he can search his soul in peace and freedom, articulate the universal elements in his religion, and participate in the struggle for equity and justice. Thus Islam may yet find its golden age in America much as Judaism found its golden age in Muslim Spain. Faith, knowledge and service will be the drivers of this golden age.

Here are some recommendations: 1. Zero Tolerance for Extremism The Qur’an declares: “Innallaha La Yuhibbul Mo’tadeen” (Indeed, Allah does not love the extremists). What Allah does not love cannot succeed. How can the Muslims hope to prosper when they are beholden to the extremists? The global Islamic community has been marching headlong towards the Salafist version of Islam for more than three hundred years so much so that the extremists have now hijacked the religion and use coercion against those who disagree with them. The origins of the salafist virus are historical and will be explored in a separate article. Suffice is it to point out that traditional Islam is spiritual and its function is to bring the soul closer to God. Mainstream Muslims who have stood aside and allowed the salafist virus to sicken the body politic of Islam must speak up and be active participants in the construction of a just, rational, spiritual Islam that is at peace with the social matrix of the United States. For this to happen, the religious discourse must move from discussions of hijab and beards to the more substantive issues of radicalization of the youth and the survival of the community.

Salafist Islam stands discredited in the court of global public opinion. The verdict of history is clear and the writing is on the FEAR, P24

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DECEMBER 11, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P11

India Rows Back to Discuss Kashmir in Surprise NSA Talks

Pakistan Hosts the Largest Number of Refugees in the World

The foreign secretaries of the two countries, due to meet in Islamabad, also attended the Bangkok talks. The meeting was otherwise notably headed for India by a former police officer and for Pakistan by a former army officer

Pakistan has hosted the world’s largest refugee population for three decades, and it was essential to mobilize more support from the international community to sustain this effort

Bangkok: The national security advisers of Pakistan and India met for a brief and unannounced meeting in Bangkok on Sunday and a joint statement they issued shows New Delhi rowing back from its recent position and agreeing to discuss Jammu and Kashmir in the otherwise familiar mix of issues.

The ‘candid and cordial’ meeting between Pakistan’s recently appointed NSA retired Lt Gen Nasser Khan Janjua and his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval is being seen by political pundits as a ‘side effect’ of the Bihar elections in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP was humiliated.

However, according to knowledgeable circles, a meeting in Paris between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and PM Modi on the sidelines of the Climate Change Summit broke the ice.

Britain and the United States are said to have nudged the two leaders to make a fresh attempt by restarting their dialogue on outstanding disputes.

The Bangkok talks fanned speculation that Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj could be in Islamabad on Tuesday albeit in the cover of an Afghanistan-related conference.

But only a team of diplomats led

by Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar had been given visas till Sunday.

Sources close to the talks in Bangkok said chances of Ms Swaraj’s visit were “bright”.

The Indian media expectedly underscored terrorism as the main thrust of the Bangkok talks.

The foreign secretaries of the two countries, due to meet in Islamabad, also attended the Bangkok talks. The meeting was otherwise notably headed for India by a former police officer and for Pakistan by a former army officer.

Analysts saw the involvement of Lt Gen Janjua as a significant pointer that the military was keen to steer Pakistan’s India policy.

The joint statement was brief. It said: “Pursuant to the meetings of the prime ministers of India and Pakistan in Paris, the national security advisers, accompanied by the foreign secretaries, met in Bangkok today.

“Discussions were held in a candid, cordial and constructive atmosphere.

“They were guided by the vision of the two leaders for a peaceful, stable and prosperous South Asia.

“Discussions covered peace and security, terrorism, Jammu and Kashmir, and other issues, including tranquility along the LoC. “It was agreed to carry forward the constructive engagement.”

Who would carry forward the

Islamabad: By the end of 2013, Pakistan continued to host the largest number of refugees in the world (1.6 million), nearly all from Afghanistan, according to a report released by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in Islamabad at a ceremony marked in connection with World Refugee Day celebrated on Friday.

Speaking at the World Refugee Day commemorative event in Islamabad, senior UNHCR official Ms Maya Ameratunga, lauded Pakistan’s role.

She said Pakistan has generously hosted the world’s largest refugee population for three decades, and it was essential to mobilize more support from the international community to sustain efforts such as the Refugee Affected and Hosting Areas (RAHA) initiative, which is a way of thanking the hosts of these refugees.

The report titled, “War’s Human Cost: UNHCR Global Trends 2013”, shows that the number of refugees, asylum-seekers, and internally displaced people (IDPs) worldwide has, for the first time in the post-World War II era, exceeded 50 million people.

The situation is similar for the Islamic Republic of Iran, which hosted 857,400 refugees by year-end, almost all Afghans.

constructive engagement? That was not clear, setting off curious surmises.

Allowing Ms Swaraj to head future talks would involve the external affairs bureaucracy, which is not Mr Modi’s preferred method of working.

On the other hand, the Indian minister can by protocol only interact with Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz, a scenario that could dampen Lt Gen Janjua’s recent appointment as the implied point person for big-ticket India parleys. Officially, Ms Swaraj will be visiting Islamabad to attend a meeting of the ‘Heart of Asia’ process on Tuesday and Wednesday.

There are reasons why Ms Swaraj’s chances of visiting Islamabad are brighter than some other minister being assigned the job. The Afghanistan-related ‘Heart of Asia’ is expected to be attended by representatives from Azerbaijan, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and the UAE. There seems to be no choice for India but to send her for the conference involving high-level interactions.

So far, according to diplomatic sources, the foreign ministers who have signaled their participation belong to Iran, Turkey, China, Kyrgyzstan and Sweden. Russia and the United States are also expected to be present at a visible level in the heart of the discussions, which are of just as much interest to India, if not more.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s presence is an obvious attraction.

The Pakistan-India talks remained suspended since Jan 2014 because of violations of ceasefire on the Line of Control. Bilateral ties have mostly remained frosty since the BJP came to power last year.

The two prime ministers took a number of initiatives, including a visit

by Mr Sharif to Delhi for Mr Modi’s inauguration in May 2014, a secret meeting between the two in Kathmandu on the sidelines of the SAARC summit in Nov 2014, an interaction in Ufa (Russia) on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in July this year and most lately in Paris.

Additionally, the two leaders have on a few occasions, during this period, had telephonic conversations and exchanged letters. But all these engagements prior to Paris failed to achieve sustained progress towards normalization of ties.

Mr Sharif and Mr Modi had in Ufa agreed on a meeting of their NSAs for discussing terrorism threats, but it could not take place because of differences over agenda and Pakistan’s insistence on a meeting with the Kashmiri

leadership.

The Paris meeting in a way found a way of getting past the impasse that led to the cancellation of the NSAlevel talks previously scheduled for Aug 23 by settling for a neutral venue and including Kashmir dispute in the agenda.

The two countries, according to a source, initially planned to meet in Singapore, but later the venue was changed to Bangkok.

Notwithstanding media excitement over the meeting, in private conversation diplomats in Islamabad looked extremely cautious about any breakthrough.

A senior Pakistani official, who had been briefed on the Bangkok meeting, described in a conversation with Dawn the process started after the Paris meeting of the two prime ministers only as “talks for talks”.

“Modi government is still not ready to return to Composite Dialogue. At these meetings our discussions are about a mutually agreed dialogue framework. Let’s see how things evolve in weeks ahead,” the official maintained. Another diplomat, while talking to Dawn, too looked circumspect about the engagement producing any result.

PCB’s Former Chief Dr Zafar Altaf Dies Islamabad:

Former PCB chief and Pakistan Agriculture Research Council chairman Dr Zafar Altaf died in Islamabad on Saturday. He was 74.

Born in Agra, India, in 1941, Altaf studied psychology at the University of Punjab before earning his doctorate in economics at the University of Birmingham, UK. He played first class cricket from 1958 to 1972, and represented Lahore, Punjab University, Karachi, and Rawalpindi, among other teams.

Along the way, he had joined the government of Pakistan as a civil servant and rose up the ladder to federal agriculture secretary, a post he held for much of the 1990s.

He also served two stints as PARC chairman.

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Rupee Sinks in Open Market

Karachi: The rupee dropped past the 107-mark against the dollar in the open market last week as the dollar rates continued to widen in interbank and open market trading.

On the interbank market, the rupee commenced the week by remaining unchanged at the prior week’s closing level of Rs105.50 and 105.51 in the first trading session.

It dipped by two paisas for buying and three paisas for selling in the second trading session, as the greenback rose slightly to Rs105.52 and Rs105.54. The rupee shed another one-paisa in the third trading session, allowing the dollar to edge up to Rs105.53 and Rs105.55 for the day.

The rupee-dollar parity then remained unchanged at this level in the fourth trading session amid thin trading.

As a result, the dollar appreciated by three paisas against the rupee for buying and four paisas for selling in the interbank market last week.

However, the rupee fell past RUPEE, P15

At the same time voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan to Afghanistan has also been the largest in the world, with 3.8 million having been assisted by UNHCR to return home since 2002.

The report said 51.2 million people were forcibly displaced at the end of 2013, six million more than the 45.2 million reported in 2012 and added that the reason for this massive increase was driven mainly by the war in Syria, which at the end of last year had forced 2.5 million people into becoming refugees and made 6.5 million internally displaced.

Internal displacement mounted to a record 33.3 million people globally.

The UNHCR report said with some 2.56 million refugees in 86 countries, Afghanistan remained the leading country of origin of refugees in 2013 – the 33rd consecutive year it has topped this list.

Today, on average, one out of every five refugees in the world is from Afghanistan, with 95 per cent located in Pakistan or the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The strategy helps Afghan refugees to return home safely and voluntarily and to reintegrate as citizens in their own country.

Egypt Interested in Buying JF-17 Thunder

Rawalpindi: Egypt is interested in the purchase of JF-17 Thunder aircraft, Egyptian Ambassador to Pakistan Sherif Shaheen told Federal Minister for Defense Production Rana Tanveer Hussain during a meeting here on Friday.

The minister informed the ambassador that Pakistan was at present selling its traditional weapons to US, UK, Germany and some Far Eastern countries.

He offered the sale of JF-17 Thunder and Super Mashak to Egypt and said Iraq had already signed an agreement with THUNDER, P28

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DECEMBER 11, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P13

MQM Emerges Victorious in Local Government Polls Karachi: As unofficial results pour

in, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) appear to have emerged victorious in the third and final phase of local government (LG) polls held in Karachi and Punjab respectively on Saturday, Radio Pakistan reported.

The MQM clinched 135 seats in the election for six Karachi districts, trouncing the electoral alliance of the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), both of whom bagged 11 and seven seats respectively. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) emerged the runner-up in Karachi, securing 32 seats, according to unofficial results.

The MQM appeared poised to clinch the office of Karachi mayor as these results were reported.

Polling was held in Karachi’s 209 union committees (UCs) for which all major parties — the MQM, PTI, JI, PPP and PML-N — were in the run.

There are 51 UCs in Karachi’s Central district; 46 in West; 37 in Korangi; 31 each in East and South and 13 in Malir district.

The party that wins more than 105 UCs will be able to grab the mayor’s slot.

Polling in the city was marred by accusations and counter-accusations of rigging, but the major contestants eventually accused the Election Commission of Pakistan for making inadequate arrangements.

While the ECP said it had made the best security arrangements possible, citing the deployment of Rangers at extremely sensitive polling stations, political workers clashed in many city areas. However, no casualty was reported. Fifteen people were caught for rigging and other violations.

PML-N secures lead in south, central Punjab: PML-N emerged the leader in Punjab, winning 882 seats, according to unofficial results.

Independent candidates secured 831 seats altogether, while the PTI

followed up with 236 and the PPP with 106.

The elections were held in seven south Punjab districts — Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalpur, Rajanpur, Muzaffargarh, Rahim Yar Khan, Layyah — and four central Punjab districts — Jhang, Khushab, Sialkot and Narowal as well as Rawalpindi.

Bloody violence was reported from Rawalpindi, where a cousin of an independent candidate was gunned down. Sporadic incidents of violence, clashes and injuries were also reported from other districts, but the elections were largely peaceful with negligible complaints of rigging.

Law-enforcement agencies and Rangers’ vigilant security coupled with a ban on carrying and displaying arms bore fruits as voters, an overwhelming number of women among them, used their right to franchise. Reports suggested that the turnout of voters crossed 50 per cent in almost all 12 districts.

The first two phases of the elections were held in 12 districts on Oct 31 and Nov 19. The Election Commission of Pakistan’s Punjab office has announced that the results will be consolidated in a day or two and notified in one go.

Show-cause notices for Sherry, Sattar: The ECP issued show-cause notices to PPP vice president Senator Sherry Rehman and MQM leader and MNA Farooq Sattar for holding rallies in the run-up to the Karachi LG polls.

Nine MQM leaders, including Sattar, were earlier booked for violating the Loudspeaker Act, Section 144 of the Pakistan Penal Code and ‘harassing commuters’ during the Nov 26 rally.

The protest rally which started from Liaquatabad was scheduled to culminate at the Rangers Headquarters, but turned into a sit-in at Numaish Chowrangi after police barred the protesters from moving towards the Red Zone.

The PPP’s Nov 29 rally led by Sherry Rehman, which began at the Bilawal roundabout in Clifton and culminated at Muwach Village in Karachi’s western fringes, was the highlight of its election activities for the Dec 5 LG polls.

The ECP directed Farooq Sattar and Sherry Rehman to submit replies within seven days.

According to the ECP code of conduct for political parties and candidates, the use of loudspeakers is banned except for corner meetings.

PML-N Government Paves Way for PIA Privatization

Islamabad: President Mamnoon Hussain on Saturday promulgated the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Corporation Conversion Ordinance, paving the way for the privatization of the national flag carrier.

The government chose to issue the ordinance on a day when all eyes were on the final phase of local government elections in Punjab and

Sindh, to hush up the controversial decision using the tactic it used while introducing the Rs40 billion new tax measures. The mini-budget was introduced when the second phase of those polls was being conducted.

Through the PIA Corporation Conversion Ordinance, the government has repealed the PIA Act of 1956 – which remained a legal hindrance for the airline’s privatization – and

converted PIA Corporation into PIA Company Limited with immediate effect.

The promulgation of the ordinance marks the second time in less than a week that the government has bypassed the parliament in order to save the two-year-old $6.2 billion IMF bailout. The decree was issued just 48 hours before the new National Assembly session was scheduled to begin.

Ordinances are traditionally issued in cases of emergency, but there was no such urgency in this situation as the government had known since February that it had to amend the PIA Act to privatize the airline.

The affairs of the company will now be out of the domain of the federal government, giving greater freedom to the buyer in taking decisions regarding the company, including those pertaining to employees, a finance ministry official said.

Although the government has protected PIA employees’ benefits for the time being, the wording PIA, P28

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MQM Candidates to Be Elected Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Karachi Karachi: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement is set to get its candidates elected as mayor and deputy mayor of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation after a landslide victory in the Saturday’s local government elections.

While the MQM clinched a maximum number of union committees – 134 of 209 – the PPP and the PML-N emerged as the second and third-largest parties.

The PPP won 23 UCs and the PML-N 16 in Karachi’s six districts.

The electoral alliance of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Jamaat-i-Islami collectively won 17 UCs, but both parties had contested the election with their own symbols. The Election Commission of Pakistan’s record also showed them as two separate entities.

A spokesman for the JI told Dawn that of the 17 UCs, 11 were won by his party and six by the PTI. Sources close to the ECP said the turnout was less than 40 per

cent. They said the elections were held on 208 UCs, as the polling in one constituency was postponed after the death of a candidate.

In addition to the mayor and deputy mayor, the MQM is also set to grab the posts of chairmen of the district municipal corporations of four of the six districts.

The MQM became the single largest party in four districts — Central, Korangi, East and West. It clinched 50 of the 51 seats in Central district, 34 of the 37 UCs in Korangi, 19 of the 31 UCs in East and 21 of the 46 UCs in West district.

The MQM also got five of the 13 UCs in Malir and 10 seats in South district.

The PPP got majority seats in districts South and Malir by winning 11 of the 31 seats in South and five in Malir.

The PML-N won 16 seats, three UCs in Lyari, once considered a PPP stronghold.

Altaf Booked in Imran Farooq Murder Case Islamabad: Altaf Hus-

sain, the London-based MQM chief, was formally booked in the Dr Imran Farooq murder case on Saturday.

Mr Hussain, who already faces money laundering charges in London, was nominated in an FIR registered over the murder of Imran Farooq, a former lawmaker and leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

The government, through the counter-terrorism wing (CTW) of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), is the complainant in the case.

Others named in the FIR were Iftikhar Hussain, a senior MQM leader and Mr Hussain’s relative; Moazzam Ali Khan, Khalid Shamim, Kashif Khan Kamran and Syed Mohsin Ali. The five have been charged with conspiring, assisting, abetting and ultimately murdering Dr Farooq.

The case has been registered under Sections 7, 34, 109, 120-B and 302 of the Anti-Terrorism Act. The three men in custody — Moazzam Ali Khan, Khalid Shamim and Mohsin Ali — are likely to be produced before an anti-terrorism court on Monday.

Many have questioned whether it was a coincidence that the FIR was registered on the day of the local government elections in Karachi, a city MQM has ruled for years. Some legal experts expressed surprise on another count — registration of the case in Pakistan as the crime was committed in another country.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had recently disclosed that the government had decided to register an FIR for the Dr Imran Farooq murder case in Pakistan.

“After the expiry of the remand of the key accused under our custody, we only have two options: to let them go, or book them,” he said.

Mr Khan indicated that revelations made during the investigation were sufficient grounds for not releasing them. He also told reporters that the United Kingdom had not sought

the extradition of the three suspects Scotland Yard had been given access to.

Dr Farooq was stabbed and bludgeoned to death near his apartment in Green Lane, Edgware, in Sept 2010.

Investigators from the London Metropolitan Police, which has been probing the murder, flew to Pakistan in July and September this year to interrogate the suspects who are being held by Pakistani intelligence agencies.

Moazzam Ali, who allegedly facilitated Dr Farooq’s killers, was arrested in Karachi in March, while Khalid Shamim and Mohsin Ali were arrested by the Frontier Corps in Chaman, Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan.

Two of the suspects, Mohsin Ali and Kashif Khan Kamran, are said to have acquired British visas on the basis of their admission to the London Academy of Management Sciences.

Mohsin Ali had travelled to the UK in Feb 2010, while Kashif Khan Kamran arrived in the city in early September the same year.

According to information shared by the UK with Pakistani agencies, phone records show that they usually moved together and were allegedly in touch with Iftikhar Hussain.

The frequency of contacts between the three men, as well as other information, led investigators to believe that instructions for the murder of Dr Farooq had been issued directly

by Altaf Hussain.

There were rumors at the time of his death that he had developed serious differences with Altaf Hussain and was in the process of laying the groundwork for his own faction of the MQM. The investigators also concluded that the two suspects monitored Dr Farooq’s movements for some time before executing their plan. They left Britain hours after the murder, on Sept 16, 2010, for Sri Lanka, and then travelled to Karachi on Sept 19.

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Recreational activities including; Ice Cream treat, Halwa Puri breakfast, McDonald’s, Pizza hut, KFC meal treats and morning walks are organized on weekly basis, and Eid parties twice a year Saba girls attend one of the well reputed private schools to get for the orphan girls at Saba Homes to make sure they enjoy life just like other quality education. Private tutors are hired to help girls with children. their home work and to help them further improve in their studies so that they can excel to be the best.  17 of Saba Girls Received A+ and A  15 of Our Girls Received B+ and B  Most of Saba Girls are Prefect in their class A fully equipped computer lab is setup at Saba Homes for the girls to learn computer skills.

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PAKISTAN

DECEMBER 11, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P15

Government Will Not Compromise on Karachi’s Law and Order: PM Nawaz

Karachi: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif were in Karachi on Monday to sort out the issue of the Rangers’ deployment in the provincial capital city as the term of the paramilitary force’s operation expired two days earlier.

The law and order situation in Karachi as well as the rest of Sindh also figured in the discussion.

While chairing a high-level meeting at Governor House, PM Nawaz Sharif said, “There will be no compromise on the law and order situation of Karachi.”

The meeting was attended by General Raheel Sharif, Corps Commmander Karachi Lt Gen Naveed Mukhtar, Director General Rangers Sindh Major General Bilal Akbar, Chief Minister Sindh Qaim Ali Shah, Federal Interior Minister Sindh Chaudhry Nisar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Inspector General Sindh Ghulam Haider Jamali, Commissioner Karachi Shoaib

Ahmed Siddiqui, Provincial Finance Minister Murad Ali Shah, Sindh Home Minister Suhail Anwar Siyal and Home Secretary Sindh.

Operation should have started eight years ago: “The Karachi operation should have been initiated eight years ago,” the premier said during the meeting, adding that the decision to undertake the operation was made with consensus. “The federal government fully supports the Sindh government for peace in Karachi.”

“The targets of the Karachi operation are very clear,” he said.

The premier said business activities in the city have picked up after an improvement in the law and order situation and foreign investment is being redirected to the country from abroad.

The PM expressed his disappointment on the weak prosecution and investigation procedures that were being implemented in Karachi.

Nawaz Sharif earlier met with

Chief Minister Sindh Qaim Ali Shah at the Governor House.

IG Sindh police briefs meeting: Sindh Police Inspector General (IG) Ghulam Haider Jamali said that there are 2,688 cases under way at Karachi ATCs. “There were 66 cases handled during the month of November,” he said.

Out of these, 30 cases resulted in convictions while the remaining resulted in acquittals, he added.

“Assailants involved in the attacks on Rangers and the Military Police personnel have been caught,” he stated.

Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah also said on the occasion that the security operation in Karachi will continue till the elimination of the last terrorist in the metropolis.

In order to expedite the process of prosecution, 200 prosecutors have been appointed, he informed.

“The Sindh Police should be given access to APCs, additional arms and the NADRA database in order to effectively manage the city,” Interior Minister Nisar further recommended. He said an additional 30 ATCs are under production.

The Sindh CM also recommended that the apex committee should be summoned as frequently as possible.

“The Karachi operation seems to be lacking the amount of support it initially witnessed when the operation commenced,” said Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar.

He further recommended that all prosecutions be monitored by the apex committee.

Baseless and Misleading Story about Ambassador Jilani

Islamabad:

Khawar Ghuman’s story carried by The Dawn today on “Ambassador drawing pension benefits despite audit paras” is unfortunately baseless and misleading. Ambassador Jalil Abbas Jilani, a Foreign Service of Pakistan officer, retired in Grade-22 after a distinguished career in the service of Pakistan spanning over 37 years including as Foreign Secretary. He is presently serving as our Ambassador to the United States in Washington DC. 2. Like all other civil servants, Ambassador Jilani duly completed all the required formalities after retirement in obtaining requisite clearances and certificates before drawing his pension benefits. One such requirement indeed was the settlement of all outstanding audit paras, which was strictly complied with in Ambassador Jilani’s case. Any suggestion or insinuation otherwise including the claim that Ambassador Jilani “received all his benefits without having cleared the audit objections” is com-

pletely unfounded and scandalous and is categorically denied.

3. Interestingly, the news story also contradicts itself by quoting sources in the same report that claim that Ambassador Jilani did get the requisite clearance leading to payment of all his retirement related dues.

4. It needs to be appreciated that all the procedural requirements pertaining to retirement of officials in the Foreign Service of Pakistan are duly observed as a standard practice and without exception by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

RUPEE FROM P11

the 107-mark against the greenback in the open market as the local currency was said to have come under fresh speculative attacks. Investors were also said to have been spooked by unrelenting foreign outflows from the local equity market, which also weighed heavily on the rupee.

Islamic State Is Having a Hard Time Taking Root in Pakistan

n By Tim Craig

Islamabad: The revelation that the

Pakistani woman involved in the San Bernardino massacre was an Islamic State supporter has put a spotlight on the radical group’s reach into this country. But surprisingly, there have been only scattered signs that the group’s tactics or ideology are taking hold in Pakistan, a nation with a history of extremist violence.

Tashfeen Malik lived in Pakistan from 2007 to 2013 to attend pharmacy school in the city of Multan. While investigators are still trying to piece together whether she was radicalized here, the news that she sympathized with the Islamic State is sure to rattle Pakistanis who worry about the group’s potential appeal.

A year ago, Islamist militants shot and killed 157 students and teachers at an army-run school in Peshawar.

And until now, as much of the world struggled to combat the Islamic State, memories of that horrifying day appeared to be helping to shield Pakistan from its influence.

Even as the Islamic State gains strength in neighboring Afghanistan, there have been only scattered signs that it is gaining followers in this nuclear-armed country of 180 million.

Muhammad Amir Rana, a security analyst based in Islamabad, said the Peshawar school attack, coming as it did amid a general lessening of extremist tendencies in Pakistan, galvanized public support for the army.

The military’s successful effort to clear Pakistan’s northwestern tribal belt of militant groups that posed a threat to

the state has won it additional respect.

“The space for violent narratives has shrunk,” Rana said. “You can argue we still have extremists, but in terms of taking that to violence, public support is decreasing.”

Rifaat Hussain, a longtime international relations professor, recalls how there was open support in the classroom for the Taliban and other Islamist extremist groups in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. But that was 14 years ago.

When it comes to the Islamic State, he said, “There is a general sense of revulsion.”

“People now realize what terrorism has brought to Pakistan,” Hussain said. Nearly 60,000 Pakistanis have been killed since 2001 in terrorist at- A boy carries a picture of his brother who was killed during a 2014 school attack by tacks or battles between militants and the Taliban. That attack led to revulsion against terrorism, curtailing the Islamic security forces. “Now, there is a conscious effort, both by the state and the stanis held a favorable view of the Is- say. people, and particularly in the past lamic State, while 28 percent had a “All the ingredients are still here,” year or so, to put up a rather civilized negative view. said Saifullah Mehsud, head of the Fata face,” he said.

But a surprisingly large number Research Center, which monitors miliBut analysts have been arguing of Pakistanis — 62 percent — had no tant groups in Afghanistan and Pakifor months that this Sunniopinion of the group. That number stan. “The lessons of the past 35 years dominated Muslim country could fuels concerns that in Pakistan — a here will not be so easily erased.” become fertile ground for the -Islamic country with endemic poverty, where Late last year, militants known State. prominent religious clerics still ad- as the Khorasan Group launched opLast month’s attack in Paris and vocate Sharia law — the Islamic State erations in Afghanistan and Pakistan recent Islamic State-inspired attacks on could pose far more than just a super- and pledged allegiance to Islamic State foreigners in Bangladesh have height- ficial threat. leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The Though security has improved, group, which includes a number of ened unease here over whether the IsPakistan remains home to more than former Pakistani Taliban fighters, has lamic State can be held off indefinitely.

A poll by the Pew Research Cen- two dozen Islamist extremist groups, seized territory in eastern Afghanistan ter, conducted this past spring and re- some of which continue to organize but is still viewed as largely disconnectleased last month, showed there is still and plot attacks against Afghanistan, ed from the parent group’s wealth and the potential for the Islamic State to India and the West. Some of them organization in Iraq and Syria. could eventually form dangerous almake significant inroads in Pakistan.

“There is no space or conducive Pew found that 9 percent of Paki- liances with the Islamic State, analyst environment for the so-called Islamic

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State or Daesh in Pakistan,” said Qazi M. Khalilullah, a spokesman for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, who was using the Arabic acronym for the group.

The reality of the threat, however, is far more complicated.

In April, Islamic State literature was left at the scene of a shooting in Karachi that injured an American college professor. A month later, also in Karachi, the Islamic State and another militant group both asserted responsibility for an attack on a bus that killed about 45 Shiites. Police later arrested five men suspected of carrying out the attack, several of whom had attended prestigious colleges.

More recently, two men from Karachi were handed over to Pakistani authorities after being arrested at the Turkey-Iran border on suspicions that they were trying to join the Islamic State in Syria.

Investigators concluded that the men had formed an Islamic Statelinked militant group of at least 53 members, according to a Pakistani security official familiar with the case.

In Peshawar, counterterrorism officials say they have arrested 25 people in recent months for suspected links to the Islamic State.

But when it comes to the broader international fight against the Islamic State, Pakistan has been absent from the discussion.

Of the estimated 25,000 to 30,000 foreign fighters who have traveled to Iraq or Syria, only about 500 have been Pakistanis, according to a report by the Institute for Economics and Peace ROOT, P28

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DECEMBER 11, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P17

Community Link Friday, December 11, 2015

VOL. 25/50 PAGE 19

Dr Ahmed Named a 2015 Global Thought Leader

28 Safar 1437 H

PAGE PAGE22 17

PAGE 20 egum PAGE

Malik’s Killing Spree Horrifies Pakistani Relatives

Pakistan’s Disappointing Start at COP

For news, updated round the clock, visit

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Washington DC Synagogue Leader Aims to Bridge the Jewish-Muslim Divide n By Matthew Agar American University School of International Service Washington, DC

I

n Judaism, there is the phrase Tikkun Olam, or “Repair Our World.” Jews across the world invoke this phrase with a desire to mend disputes between their communities and non-Jewish communities.

In light of the recent violence in Israel and Palestine, where a cycle of stabbings and retaliatory attacks plague both sides, the notion of repairing the world of Jewish-Muslim relations seems as far from reach as ever before.

Followers of these two Abrahamic religions, whose basic teachings preach compassion, understanding, and the pursuit of knowledge between and beyond followers of one God, are denying the humanity of one another. For this reason, mending ties between Jews and Muslims is critical. Only through thoughtful dialogue and discourse on our shared values can we repair our world.

In a timely fashion on this subject, I had the pleasure to attend a lecture on November 6 in my “World of Islam” class at American University in Washington, DC. Twenty-four bright, young, and optimistic university students and Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University and former Pakistani High Commissioner to the UK and Ireland, had the opportunity to hear how one Jewish leader, Washington Hebrew Congregation Director of Religious School, Stephanie Tankel, seeks to build bonds between these Muslims and Jews.

Tankel’s discussion flowed from three shared themes between the two faiths: prayer, practice, and place. Both Islam and Judaism engage in prayer based upon the Old Testament. Each religion has common dietary practices of Halal and Kosher. Lastly, and most significant to the wave of violence engulfing the two communities, they have an affinity for places of significance, with a sanctuary of hope, and at the mo-

Author Matthew Agar (center left), Ambassador Akbar Ahmed (center), and Washington Hebrew Congregation Director Stephanie Tankel (center right), along with Ambassador Ahmed’s team of researchers and students. Photo by Joseph Marcus, American University School of International Service

ment, divisiveness, in Jerusalem.

This process of connecting Islam and Judaism in a single narrative was particularly insightful. As a liberal American Jew from New York, I grew up in a household

brace and love your neighbors. It also contradicts the ideals of the pluralistic, democratic country I love with all my heart.

To my parents, our people may be assimilated; we may be

Jews, we can never make a full transition to wholeheartedly embrace those many Jews affectionately or not refer to in Yiddish as ‘Goyim’, or those who are not Jewish. There is still too much misun-

Author Matthew Agar ( right), Ambassador Akbar Ahmed (center), and Washington Hebrew Congregation Director Stephanie Tankel (left). Photo by Joseph Marcus, American University School of International Service

where Judaism and the Jewish community was seen as a world apart from the non-Jewish world.

This flies in the face of what all Abrahamic faiths teach us: to em-

open minded; we may even have frequent and intimate interactions with people of different backgrounds. However, in their eyes, and in the eyes of many American

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derstanding, mistrust, and blatant anti-Semitism towards the Jewish people to completely drop our guard. Even in my interactions with non-Jewish acquaintances at

American University, I was once innocently assumed to have horns and a tail per a caricature of my Jewishness. It is best to play it safe and not engage in dialogue at all for fear of being too vulnerable.

Stephanie argues otherwise, and in the spirit of dialogue, Ambassador Ahmed, and countless classmates, concur. Not only do Muslims and Jews have a common heritage of universality, thoughtfulness, and humanity. They also are both seen as an “Other”, two minorities that share what one insightful woman in the class called “the commonality of tragedy.” For Jews, our tragedy is a series of expulsions from places we called home, reaching a nadir with the murder of six million Jews at the hands of Nazi Germany, a state whose ideology is seeped in scientific racism. For Muslims, the tragedy is forced displacement and sequestration at the hands of European colonialism and a fledgling Jewish settler state. Neither group has fully moved past these issues. The rise of anti-Semitism and harsh anti-Muslim sentiment in Europe before, during, and after the most recent Paris terror attacks is indicative that even in the West, the tide of progress is slow and steady.

Yet, on November 15, outside the Bataclan concert hall, where 89 people died at the hands of Islamic State terrorists, something transformative happened. Hassen Chagloumi, Imam of the Paris suburb of Drancy, and French Jewish author, Marek Halter, came together with members of their respective communities to assemble a memorial. They even broke out in an ecstatic rendition of the French national anthem, La Marseillase. For me, and for the world, this is a sign of hope. We can and must come together, in a spirit of tawhid, to make amends.

We must repair our world, for my generation, and for future generations to come.

(Matthew Agar is a senior at American University studying International Relations with a focus on peace and conflict resolution in the Middle East and North Africa)

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P18 – PAKISTAN LINK – DECEMBER 11, 2015

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Muslim Groups Condemn San Bernardino Killings

eproduced below are messages received from various Muslim groups condemning the San Bernardino shooting:

The Islamic Shura Council of Southern California joins the nation in condemning the senseless violence and mourn the loss of innocent lives in yet another mass shooting at the Inland Regional Center in the city of San Bernardino.

We extend our sympathies and prayers to those who were senselessly killed and ask the Most Compassionate God to grant full recovery to the injured and bless them with patience and strength.

Earlier at a press conference, the chairman of the Shura Council, Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi said that “we condemn the horrible violence in San Bernardino and stand in solidarity with the victims and the survivors.”

Shura Council appreciates the support from all its interfaith partners and civic groups and reaffirms its commitment to work together for the common and the greater good.

The Islamic Circle of North America is appalled at today’s mass shooting at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino. Our condolences and thoughts are with the families of the victims of this senseless shooting and we pray for the speedy recovery of those that are wounded.

Once again we hope for peace and stability in our society and we thank our law enforcement agencies for the quick response in stopping any further violence.

As the investigations are still

ongoing, we remind the American Muslim community to be extra vigilant and to immediately report any suspicious activity to the law enforcement agencies.

ICNA also supports President Obama’s call for “common sense gun safety laws” to end these senseless shootings plaguing our nation.

“And do good as Allah has done good to you. And desire not corruption in the land. Indeed, Allah does not like corrupters.” Qur’an (28:77 UMAA condemns California attacks, urges calm: UMAA Thursday issued a press statement in which it condemned the violent attacks in San Bernardino, CA. UMAA Advocacy Director Rahat Husain said, “This is an attack on every American, Muslim and nonMuslim alike. We can’t let incidents like this fracture the close knit bonds that have developed in this country between the American Muslim community and our neighbors and fellow Americans, because that’s exactly what America’s enemies want.

Creating a culture of fear and distrust is their goal.”

UMAA urges calm in light of the attacks, and recommends Muslims take common sense safety measures to protect themselves against violent reprisals.

The Council of Pakistan American Affairs (COPAA) condemns the barbaric mass shooting that occurred on Wednesday December 2nd, 2015 in San Bernardino, California at the Inland Regional Center.

COPAA extends its deepest condolences to the victims, their families, and all those affected by this tragedy.

Qutubuddin Aziz Passes away

A press release received by Pakistan Link states: It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing away of our beloved father, Mr Qutubuddin Aziz. He was a patriotic Pakistani, who devoted his entire life to the service of his country. Having witnessed the birth of Pakistan and stood side by side with Quaid-i-Azam, Aziz Sahib served Pakistan dedicatedly as a leader, human rights activist, journalist, writer, bureaucrat, and diplomat and as the finest ambassador of Pakistan.

Grieving Family: Samina and Iqbal Qasim, Fariha Khan Zoff Khan, Anila Ali Karim Ali, Farhan Aziz Sumara Aziz, Mahmoodul Aziz, Khalidul Aziz, Zuleikha Zar, Malka Iftikhar, Zaid and Asad Aziz, Rashid Zar. For details: Anila2008@gmail. com 333-210-2558 His funeral was held on Monday, December 7th, 2015 in Karachi.

According to a Dawn report veteran journalist and diplomat Qutbuddin Aziz died of respiratory complications at a hospital here on Saturday night. He was 86.

He was born in 1929 in Lucknow where his maternal grandfather, Nawab Abdullah Khan, owned and edited Urdu daily Hamdam. He was educated in New Delhi, Simla and Hyderabad Deccan.

He was vice president of the St. George’s Grammar School Students

Society and Nizam College Students’ Union, Hyderabad. He participated in an international youth conference in London in 1948. He did his masters in Madras, studied international relations at the London School of Economics and was trained in journalism at the Fleet Street.

Qutbuddin Aziz was managing editor of United Press of Pakistan, a news service which he and his father founded in late 1949.

During his journalistic career, he interviewed world famous personalities, including US President Harry S. Truman, Chinese Premier Chou En-lai, Japanese Prem-iers Yoshida and Hatoyama, President Garcia of the Philippines and Soviet Premier Bulganin.

Mr Aziz worked on a government assignment with the Pakistan embassy in the US in 1971 and was awarded Tamgha-i-Pakistan the same year. He testified before the

Whether this was a matter of “workplace violence” or “extremist ideology,” what transpired was horrendous and unequivocally unjustifiable. It is evident that now, more than ever, we must work together to counter extremism. Our heavy hearts are with the families of the victims.

Ar-Rahman Islamic Center: The ARIC community condemns the tragic San Bernardino shootings and violence that killed 14 people and left many injured.

We stand in solidarity with our fellow Americans as we mourn the loss of innocent lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims.

American Muslim Women’s Empowerment Council: AMWEC is deeply saddened by the heartwrenching tragedy in San Bernardino. Our hearts bleed for the victims of this heinous crime against humanity.

Just as we condemn violence and stand against killings, we hope this will not add to overreactions and generalization against the majority of Muslim Americans who are against violence.

As Muslim Americans we are working to build better and stronger partnerships with our interfaith friends and engage more in civic duty and work with law enforcement. We are urging mosques to open their doors so we are inclusive.

Moreover, we are encouraging Muslims to speak up against violence.

We encourage you to join us in our voice against violence, extremism, and bigotry.

1971 War Inquiry Commission on Feb 9, 1972 and later wrote a book on the plight of the ‘pro-Pakistan’ citizens of East Pakistan during the conflict. Books written by him included a biography of the Quaidi-Azam.

Link’s Editor Akhtar Faruqui adds: We were greatly saddened by the news of Aziz Sahib’s death. He was a quintessential gentleman, embodying the best of traits that were the hallmark of the shurofa (nobility) of the subcontinent. His achievements were many but it was his personal warmth, affection and kindness that I would gratefully remember and always cherish.

During one of his visits to the US he happened to come to Pakistan Link’s office. That memorable evening, Mansuri Sahib hosted a dinner in his honor at an Irvine restaurant. We were impressed by his interest in the paper. The restaurant owner too was visibly appreciative: Aziz Sahib’s mannerism, deportment, demeanor, and attire were impeccable. He was duly complimented as being one who reminded her of the Quaid. A richly deserved tribute. A message he left on my phone a few years back is still part of the recorded messages. Some consolation that I can hear his inspirational words of encouragement.

Words are not enough to express the family’s loss but they should know that we in Pakistan Link, and many more like us, share their grief and pray for him.

www.PakistanLink.com

CAIR-LA & Shura Council Condemn, Caution Community Vigilance

Anaheim, CA: The Greater Los An-

geles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIRLA) and the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California held a news conference with leaders of the Muslim community and interfaith representatives to condemn the deadly shooting spree in San Bernardino, Calif., and to offer condolences to the loved ones of those killed or injured.

“We unequivocally condemn the horrific act that happened today and we stand in solidarity with fellow Americans and we offer our heartfelt prayers and condolences to the injured, to the families of those who have been killed,” said CAIRLA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush. “We stand in solidarity in repudiating any possible ideology or mindset that could have led to such a horrific act. There is absolutely nothing that could justify [it]. We stand in mourning and sadness for what happened, and we pray for the quick recovery of those who were injured.”

The brother-in-law of the alleged male shooter attended the press conference to express his shock on behalf of the family and condolences to the victims.

Ayloush also remarked that a motive for the shooting is yet to be determined, “We don’t know the motive yet. This could be workplace rage, it could be the result of some mental instability, or it could be some twisted ideological belief.”

CAIR-LA has begun receiving reports of hate incidents against Muslims in the Southern California area. In light of these reports, CAIRLA is advising the American Muslim community to take all threats seriously and ensure that local law enforcement are contacted in a timely manner to investigate and address them. We urge community members to be extra vigilant.

CAIR-LA’s Civil Rights Department is here to assist you with vetting the credibility of the threat and the proper means of reporting.

REPORT AN INCIDENT 1.Report any suspicious activity or individuals to the local police, and to the mosque or organization that it involves.

2.Report Islamophobia, hate incidents, and hate crimes to CAIRLA, so we can document it, and provide assistance as needed. To contact CAIR-LA’s Civil Rights Department call (714) 776-1177 or submit this online form *Note: all reports to CAIR are confidential, and all services provided by our Civil Rights Department are free of charge.

Additionally, CAIR is urging community leaders, mosque officials, Muslim school administrators, and Muslim organization officials to implement safety measures and increase security efforts as outlined in CAIR’s booklet, “Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety.” A free copy can be requested online or by calling (714) 776-1847.

Killings Contrary to the Teachings of Islam Los Angeles: California’s Muslim community expressed its horror at the mass shooting that killed at least 14 in San Bernardino, after a local Muslim man was widely identified as a suspect.

Syed Farook, a US citizen who worked for the town’s health department, is believed to have been killed in a shootout with police hours after opening fire inside a Christmas party at a local social services center.

Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Los Angeles chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said its members “unequivocally condemn the horrific act that happened today.”

“The Muslim community stands shoulder to shoulder with our fellow Americans in repudiating any twisted mindset that would claim to justify such sickening acts of violence,” he added in a statement.

Authorities have drawn no con-

nection between the attack and radical Islam at this stage in the investigation.

Farook’s brother-in-law, Farhan Kahn, came forward at the press conference to voice his shock at the notion his brother could have committed mass murder.

“I have no idea why he would do that,” a visibly shaken Khan told reporters, adding that he had last spoken with Farook about a week ago.

“I am in shock that something like this could happen,” said Khan, who is married to Farook’s sister. “I am very sad that people lost their lives.”

Farook’s father, quoted by the New York Daily News tabloid, described his son as a devout Muslim.

“He was very religious. He would go to work, come back, go to pray, come back. He’s Muslim.”

Dr Muzammil Siddiqi, the religious director of the Islamic Society of Orange County, also condemned TEACHINGS, P28

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DECEMBER 11, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P19

Silicon Valley Book Launch of A.H. Cemendtaur’s “The Green Ibn Battuta”

Ambassador Akbar Ahmed Named a 2015 Global Thought Leader

From left: Dr Waheed Siddiqui, Mrs Talat Khan, Faraz Darvesh, Dr Aifra Ahmed, Misbah Azam and Riaz Haq

n By Riaz Haq

M

places and interesting cultures. It is written in an easy to read and highly engaging style that will keep you absorbed and make you finish it in one sitting once you start reading it.”

The event concluded with a very self-deprecating and humorous monologue by Ali Hasan Cemendtaur that reminded the audience of Zia Mohyeddin’s reading of Mushtaq Yusufi’s work.

CA

embers of the PakistaniAmerican community gathered for the unveiling of Ali Hasan Cemendtaur’s travelogue “The Green Ibn Battuta” at the Pakistan American Cultural Center in Silicon Valley on Saturday, December 5, 2015.

The event featured Urdu poetry, reading of excerpts from the book written in English and a highly entertaining monologue in Urdu by the author. It was organized by senior community leader Dr Waheed Siddiqui of the PACC and emceed by Faraz Darvesh, the host of the popular Viewpoint From Overseas weekly Pakistani-American show based in Silicon Valley. The main presenters included Mrs Talat Qadeer Khan, Dr Aifra Ahmad, Misbah Azam, Ijaz Syed, Riaz Haq and Ali Hasan Cemendtaur.

In his presentation, Riaz Haq said “the history is often referred to as “His Story”, a description acknowledging the fact that the history writer’s worldview influences his or her work. This reality applies to travelogues as well”.

We are used to reading world travel accounts written by Western travelers; Ali Hasan Cemendtaur’s Ibn Battuta is a rare exception as it sees the world through the eyes of a Pakistani. The title is a tribute to Ibn Battuta, the 14th century Muslim traveler from North Africa, who wrote extensively about his travels of much of the known world at the time. Ali’s Ibn Battuta covers his travels starting in the1990s.

Ali’s Pakistani-ness drove his curiosity to visit Multan Karavansarai in Baku, Azerbaijan, where he discovered old trade ties between the Pakistani city of Multan and the Central Asia region dating back to the 15th century. His Pakistani origin compelled his interest in The Caucasus (Koh Qaaf), the mountainous region 1,000 by 600 km in size that lies between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, where Azerbaijan is located. Koh Qaaf (Caucasus mountain) is associated with many fairytales that Pakistani children have grown up with. Dastaan e Amir Hamza is an Urdu collection of fairytales from Koh Qaf that continues to fascinate Pakistanis to this day. The Caucasian label, the US official race classification for American whites, traces the origin of all white Europeans to the Caucasus region. Harvard genetic studies have confirmed that the ancestors of many Ancestral North Indians and Pakistanis came from this region.

Ali’s Muslim identity took him to the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, Islam’s third ho-

Don’t Fall for Utility Bill Scams

Author Ali H. Cemendtaur and his book

liest place, in Jerusalem now controlled by Israel. It was a Friday when Ali went to the AlAqsa, a day when only Muslims are permitted to enter it. He was stopped at the entrance to the mosque by armed soldiers who tested him to ensure that he is Muslim. It’s an experience I can relate to.

I, too, was subjected to similar tests at two different mosques prior to entering for the Friday prayers: At AlAqsa in Old Jerusalem and Ibrahimi mosque in Hebron on the Israeli-occupied West Bank in Palestine.

Riaz Haq told the audience, “I have known my footloose friend Ali, fellow Silicon Valley NEDian, disappear for weeks, sometimes months at a time, only to reappear via email or social media posts from some remote exotic locations in different parts of the world. And he doesn’t travel alone; he has his wife Hina and twin babies in tow. In fact, he’s been doing it since the days when his daughter and son were still infants in diapers”.

The list of the locations he’s written about is long with countries located on every continent and every corner of the world. And he has done most of it using his green passport issued by the government of his native Pakistan.

Along the way, Ali ended up in brief Interpol detention in Colombia, robbed in Swaziland and stranded at the Romania-Hungary border.

When Ali’s Avianca flight to Caracas, Venezuela, was delayed till the following day, his loud protests at Bogota Airport in Columbia helped him get out of the Interpol jail and he was put in the VIP lounge at the airport. Riaz Haq read the following excerpt from The Green Ibn Battuta: “The Interpol man started talking to people on the phone. He finally put down the phone. ‘No, we can’ not let you go to the hotel, but we will put you in the VIP lounge. I’m sure you’d like it there,’ we were told. Shortly, a security man came and took us to the VIP lounge. The VIP salon at Bogota airport had drinks and munchies, and reclining seats. We were still in the Interpol surveillance but the VIP lounge was a better jail than the one

left behind just minutes ago. “ Ali has travelled through varied terrains ranging from dry deserts to thick rain forests. He has visited the hermit kingdom of North Korea, the conflict-ridden Israel, and the hitherto pariah state of Cuba, at least for the Americans. His travels have taken him to the failed state of Haiti, post-apartheid South Africa and the highly industrialized rich nations of Western Europe. He has ventured into the countries that used to be behind the Iron Curtain in the Cold War era, and seen the developing nations of Asia, Africa and Latin America and the Middle East.

In South Africa while traveling on a bus from Cape Town to Johannesburg, a woman fellow traveler sought to proselytize Ali. “Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your savior?” she asked. When Ali said “no”, the woman gave him a long sermon that lasted the entire bus ride. Here’s an excerpt from the book read by Riaz Haq at the event: My “no” cost me heavily. I had to listen to Cynthia for a very long time. Later, she asked me, “On whose recommendation have you come to South Africa?” putting emphasis on each word.

I had a strong temptation to say “Jesus Christ’s” but then I had a second thought. She would not appreciate the joke. I mumbled something to the effect that I was a student and I was in South Africa to learn through observation. When I spoke out my critique of the South African society, she let her guard down.

“Before, we could not travel like this,” she told me.

I wasn’t sure if by “we” she meant all of the South Africans of color, or she meant she and I. “People would travel secretly in much poorer condition. But when you know that Lord loves you, you can put up with all that,” she said.

No wonder Marx called religion the opium of the masses.

Riaz Haq described The Green Ibn Battuta as a book “filled with entertaining anecdotes and insightful observations about many exotic

www.PakistanLink.com

n By Caroline Aoyagi-Stom Southern California Edison

W

hen Jinza Teriyaki restaurant owner John Lee, 40, answered the phone at his business six months ago, the suspicious caller identified himself as a Southern California Edison (SCE) representative and asked for immediate payment or his electricity would be turned off.

Sensing that something was not right, he went online and checked his account. He saw that his bill was current and paid in full.

“This is a scam, right?” Lee asked.

The scammer hung up the phone immediately.

Lee’s story is all too common.

Since last year, more than 16,000 SCE customers have received calls from impostors asking for money. Of this number, at least 700 customers have paid them using prepaid cash cards, losing nearly half a million dollars.

This year, more than 5,500 SCE customers have received such scam calls.

And SCE hopes to bring these numbers down, especially during the busy holiday season when there is often a spike in scams.

“Customers who suspect they’ve received a fraudulent call should ask for the caller’s name, as well as their department and business numbers,” said Kevin Payne, SCE senior vice president of Customer Service, who was joined by the Monterey Park Police Department and AARP at a recent news conference hosted by the utility. “End the call and report the incident immediately to local police and SCE.” SCE has a web page with information on scams and how to avoid them in multiple languages.

In addition to creating awareness among business owners, customers were urged to help their family and friends avoid becoming victims.

“We do not want to become the grandparents of fraud,” said Patricia Perez, AARP California state president. “The AARP … wants its members and non-members to SCAMS, P28

A

mbassador Akbar Ahmed, the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University and former Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK and Ireland, has been named a 2015 Global Thought Leader by the WorldPost and Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute (GDI).

Ambassador Ahmed joins such dignitaries as Pope Francis, Malala Yousafzai, Henry Kissinger, and the Dalai Lama on this prestigious list for his notable recent work studying the Muslim communities of Europe.

A world-renowned anthropologist and Islamic scholar, Ambassador Ahmed’s array of award-winning films and projects have worked to build new bridges between the West and the Muslim World and counter the idea that we are living in a world defined by the “clash of civilizations.”

Ambassador Ahmed has just released his newest film, Journey into Europe, on Islam in Europe and European identity, to great critical acclaim, and will be screening the film in the next few months at such prominent institutions as the German Embassy in Washington and Georgetown University.

Ambassador Ahmed is currently writing the companion book to Journey into Europe (Brookings Press, forthcoming).

Trump’s Call to Ban All Muslims from US Condemned Anaheim, CA:

The Council on American-Islamic Relations – Greater Los Angeles Area office (CAIR-LA), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, condemns Donald Trump’s statement Dec 7 to ban all Muslims from America.

CAIR-LA Executive Director, Hussam Ayloush, said in a statement: “Donald Trump’s d a n g e r ous rhetoric seeks to create fear and division between Americans. This type of harmful and ‘fascist’ speech should not be tolerated from any individual, let alone from a candidate running for the highest office in the land. Though Mr Trump has the First Amendment right to his bigoted views, this is a time for leadership and building stronger communities, not for xenophobia.”

Presidential candidates from both parties spoke up again Trump’s comments. Democratic candidate Martin O’Malley said Trump “removes all doubt; he is running for President as a fascist demagogue.”

Staff from Republican candidate John Kasich called Trump’s rhetoric “dangerous and bad for America.”

Trump has in the recent past advocated the closure of CALL, P28

COMMUNITY

P20 – PAKISTAN LINK – DECEMBER 11, 2015

Muslim Americans Fear Demonization of Islam after Mass Shooting

n By Ben Klayman

Dearborn, Mich.: Muslim Americans fear their religion will be demonized and Islamophobia will spread after a young Muslim couple was accused of carrying out one of the bloodiest mass killings in the United States.

Across the country, Muslim Americans responded with shock and outrage after a shooting in which authorities said Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27, stormed a holiday party attended by San Bernardino County employees in California on Wednesday, killing 14 people and wounding 21.

“I was at the gym yesterday while the shooting was taking place and all the TVs were showing that footage and all I could keep thinking to myself is ‘God, I hope they don’t have any Eastern descent, not just Middle Eastern, anything we’d associate with a Muslim’,” said Adam Hashem, 32, in Dearborn, a Detroit suburb with one of the country’s largest Muslim populations.

“We’re all worried. We’re all concerned,” he said.

It was the deadliest US mass shooting since the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre three years ago. While the motivation remained unclear as authorities investigated the attack, details of Farook and Malik began to emerge. Farook was described as a second-generation American born in Illinois and raised

by Pakistani parents. Malik was born in Pakistan and lived in Saudi Arabia

until she was introduced to Farook.

San Bernardino police said they found pipe bombs and several thousands rounds of ammunition at the residence of the couple, who died in a shoot-out with police.

In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Attari Supermarket bustled on Thursday with customers shopping for Middle Eastern products.

“In every culture and in every religion there are bad apples that will spoil the rest of the apples. That has happened toward us,” said Dawod Dawod, a 25-year-old Muslim American, who manages the store that his family has owned for a decade.

Between taking orders over the phone, Dawod said he was concerned that politicians will use the mass shooting as a way to further demonize Muslims. He noted Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s endorsement of the idea of creating a Muslim database. “It’s scary.” he said. “Ninety-nine percent of Muslims are hardworking, good people.”

Muslim community groups condemned the massacre and urged the public not to blame Islam or Muslims.

“The Muslim community stands shoulder to shoulder with our fellow Americans in repudiating any twisted mindset that would claim to justify such sickening acts of violence,” said Hussam Ayloush, an executive director at the Council on AmericanIslamic Relations.

Within hours of the shooting, his group had organized a news

conference with Los Angeles Muslim leaders and the brother of suspected shooter Malik to condemn the assault. The speed at which they went on live television underlined the depth of concerns in a community already buffeted by a rise in anti-Muslim rhetoric this year and increased public scrutiny after the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris that killed 130 people and were claimed by Islamic State militants.

Some Muslims say they have felt singled out during a US presidential race that has tapped a vein of anger and bigotry - from comments by Trump to those by fellow Republican candidate Ben Carson, who said in September Muslims were unfit for the presidency of the United States.

There are some 2.8 million Muslims in the country.

Some Muslims questioned whether this week’s shooting will

Farook Had Troubled Upbringing n By Michael R. Blood and Holbrook Mohr Los Angeles: One of the suspects in the deadly shooting rampage at a California social service center grew up in a family riven by violence, with his mother accusing his father of being an abusive alcoholic, according to divorce records.

Syed Farook’s mother, Rafia Sultana Farook, in 2006 alleged that her husband, also named Syed, attacked her while her children were present, dropped a TV on her and pushed her toward a car, according to the records obtained Thursday by The Associated Press.

She filed a no-contact, stayaway domestic violence protection petition on July 3, 2006. Rafia Farook said she was forced to move out of her home with three of her children because her husband continually harassed her “verbally and physically and refused to leave the home,” according to the divorce records.

The AP couldn’t immediately reach the father for comment. No one answered at Farook’s brother’s home, where a neighbor said the father lived.

The details about the younger Farook’s childhood emerged as authorities tried to determine what could have motivated him and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, to, as police say, open fire at the center in San Bernardino, killing 14 people and injuring more than a dozen others.

One US official briefed on the investigation said the FBI was treating the shootings as a potential act of terrorism but had reached no firm

conclusions.

The official, who was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Syed Farook communicated with individuals who were under FBI scrutiny in connection with terrorism investigations.

But the official said the contact was with “people who weren’t significant players on our radar” and dated back some time. The official also said there was no immediate indication of any “surge” in communication ahead of the shooting.

San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said the couple had more than 1,600 bullets when they were killed by authorities, and that the shooters had more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition at their home, as well as 12 pipe bombs and tools that could be used to make explosive devices.

“There was obviously a mis-

sion here. We know that,” said David Bowdich of the FBI. “We do not know why.”

Muslim leaders in the community said they were unfamiliar with Farook or where he worshipped.

“We don’t know the motives. Is it work, rage-related? Is it mental illness? Is it extreme ideology? At this point, it’s really unknown to us,” said Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, based on conversations with Farook’s brother-in-law.

Syed Rizwan Farook was born in Chicago in 1987 to parents born in Pakistan. He was raised in California. His job at the county Department of Public Health took him Wednesday to the Inland Regional Center, where the department held a holiday banquet, Ayloush said.

Patrick Baccari, who sat at the same table as Farook at Wednesday’s party, recalled he was short on words and inclined to talk about cars, not religion.

A friend of a man killed in the rampage said he and Farook had a heated conversation about Islam two weeks before the attack.

Kuuleme Stephens said she once happened to call Nicholas Thalasinos, a Messianic Jew who was passionate about pro-Israel causes, while he was having a discussion with Farook. Thalasinos, 52, identified Farook by name and told her that he “doesn’t agree that Islam is not a peaceful religion,” Stephens said.

Stephens said Farook replied that Americans don’t FAROOK, P28

www.PakistanLink.com

embolden supporters of Trump, who is current front-runner to be his party’s nominee in the November 2016 election and who has backed the idea of requiring all Muslims living in the United States to register in a special database as a counter-terrorism measure.

Critics have also accused Trump of stirring resentment toward Muslims by asserting that he saw thousands of Muslims in New Jersey celebrating the destruction of the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001. That claim has been disputed by public officials.

Faizul Khan, 74, an Imam at the Islamic Society of the Washington Area, said he was “horrified” by the San Bernadino shooting. “Unfortunately people don’t understand that we as Muslims, we basically want to promote what is good and just for the entire humanity.”

He said he feared the shooting would strengthen calls to increase surveillance on mosques.

Achraf Issam, 22, national spokesman for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association in Silver Spring, Maryland, said it makes no more sense to say that Islam led to the San Bernardino shootings than to say Christianity led to an attack on the Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado last week by a suspect police have named as Robert Lewis Dear.

“No one should say that because this couple is Muslim that it led them to commit those acts,” he said.

That sentiment was echoed by Sara Nabhan, 20, a junior majoring in biology at the University of Houston who was born in Jordan and came to Texas when she was 2 years old.

“Two people’s actions do not constitute a whole population’s actions,” she said.

Jersey City real-estate agent Magdy Ali, 52 and of Egyptian descent, said he uses the name Alex when working to avoid conflict with people who distrust Islam. He said he expects Trump to use Wednesday’s massacre to push for anti-Muslim measures such as monitoring of US mosques.

“We are in a jam right now,” he said. (Additional reporting by Ruthy Munoz in Houston, Brendan O’Brien in Milwaukee, Ian Simpson in Washington, Mary Wisniewski in Chicago and Barbara Liston in Florida; Writing by Jason Szep; Editing by Frances Kerry. Reuters)

Malik’s Killing Spree Has Horrified Her Pakistani Relatives Karor Esan: The estranged rela-

tives of Tashfeen Malik, a Pakistani woman accused of shooting dead 14 people in California, say she and her father seem to have abandoned the family’s moderate Islam and became more radicalized during years they spent in Saudi Arabia.

Malik’s killing spree has horrified her Pakistani relatives.

Her father cut off contact with his family after a feud over inheritance, they told Reuters, and moved to Saudi Arabia when his daughter was a toddler. There, it seems, he turned to a stricter form of Islam.

“From what we heard, they lived differently, their mindset is different.

We are from a land of Sufi saints... this is very shocking for us,” said school teacher Hifza Bibi, the step-sister of Malik’s father, who lives in Karor Lal Esan town in central Punjab province.

Sufism emphasizes a mystical, personal religious connection.

“Our brother... went to Saudi and since then he doesn’t care about anyone here,” Bibi said. “A man who didn’t come to attend his own mother’s funeral, what can you expect from him?”

Tashfeen Malik returned to Pakistan and studied pharmacy at Bahauddin Zakaria University in Multan from 2007 to 2012. She lived in a university hostel. An identity card said she was 29 years old at the time of the shootings.

“She was known to be a good student with no religious extremist tendencies,” an intelligence official based in the nearby town of Layyah told Reuters.

Malik’s uncle Javed Rabbani, a clerk in the town’s education depart-

Hifza Batool, a relative of Tashfeen Malik, talks to The Associated Press at her home in the town of Karor Lal Esam

ment, said he has not seen his brother in 30 years.

“We feel a lot of sadness but we also feel ashamed that someone from our family has done this,” he said.

“We can’t even imagine doing something like this. This is a mindset that is alien to us.”

Malik visited Pakistan in 2013 and 2014, security officials told Reuters, but it’s unclear who she met or where she visited.

On Saturday, the militant Islamic State (IS) group claimed the couple as their followers in a broadcast. However, there is no evidence yet that IS directed the attack or even knew the attackers.

The broadcast came a day after Facebook confirmed that comments praising IS were posted around RELATIVES, P24

COMMUNITY

DECEMBER 11, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P21

Void of Multi-dimensional Leadership in the Pakistani-American Community

By Azra Ashraf and Sameena Rahman

B

Fontana, Ca

ewilderment. That’s how I describe my state of mind, as I turned on the news last Wednesday. “San Bernardino” —I rushed to my phone to call my parents to confirm their safety only to be re-directed to voicemail. “14 dead and 14 wounded…”

This event occurred only a few miles away from my parents’ current residence in San Bernardino. Shortly thereafter, my mother called and affirmed that she was safe in the local Senior Center. I immediately instructed her to remove her hijab and not to attend the weekly Friday prayers. I feared for their security not solely because “assailants” were on the loose, but even more importantly, because of potential reactive hate crimes.

The events of this past week have compelled me to pause and reflect. Although I fail to comprehend the mind of an individual who would pledge allegiance to any form of radicalism resulting in harm, I certainly see a void of multi-dimensional leadership in the American Pakistani community. I have personally benefitted from multiple Ivy League degrees and assimilated into the mainstream. Yet, I have failed because I have refrained from mentoring our young minds and participating in leadership.

Our community has suffered a brain drain. The treacherous misguided passion and allegiance of a young American Pakistani to radicals who abuse and misrepresent the teachings of Islam to brainwash and to commit heinous crimes, illustrates the desperate lack of rational guidance and inspiration. Our mosques need to transition beyond places of worship to avenues of leadership independent of level of conviction, denomination of religion, and personal lifestyle choices. I urge all my peers and colleagues, many of whom have benefitted from elite educations and senior professional careers, many like myself, who have graduated from the cultural norms of suburban Pakistani communities, and assimilated into the mainstream to participate in a grassroots effort, to throw out an anchor and to mentor our young, whether it be through an active role in the community or set up apprenticeship programs. President Obama’s promise to prevail against terrorism must also include a robust plan to cultivate strong balanced domestic Muslim leadership.

The sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that I experience with fellow American Muslims every time there is a major violent

Khadija Zadeh, left, and Noora Siddiqui stand next to signs while listening to a speech during an interfaith memorial service at the Islamic Community Center of Redlands, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015, in Loma Linda, Calif. The memorial service was held to honor the victims of Wednesday’s shooting rampage that killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California

event in the news as we pray, “Please let it not be a Muslim”. The subsequent horror that occurs as we wonder, like the rest of the world, what type of sickened individuals could kill and maim the innocent. Then, it is the typical fear that we develop… Fear of the backlash and the hatred that will follow. Fear, not just for myself and my loved ones, but for the brothers and sisters of different faiths who happen to have a similar appearance as the rest of us. This is the typical cycle of emotions that I experience as a Pakistani American Muslim woman in the post-9/11 era: am I going to have to answer the “why” questions to my non-Muslim and nonPakistani friends and colleagues? Why did they do this? Why are you angry?

As a health care provider, I have a basic understanding of the complexities and ubiquity of mental health illnesses. The perpetrator came from a family of abuse and alcoholism. Whether the motive is mental health, workplace disgruntlement or “self-radicalism”, Pakistanis and Muslims as a community are judged. We are placed on the court-stand to answer on behalf of villains we do not know nor understand. Islam and the radical, fanatic abuse of Islam are mutually exclusive. Terrorists who confuse the Islamic faith and perform acts of unfathomable violence defy the very basic Islamic tenets of peace. Terrorists and their leaders who mis-

represent the Islamic faith as a cheap excuse to compromise the international security of the innocent at large defy the principles of any religion; they are a diseased cult.

As a petite Pakistani-born American female, one may say - (laughingly of course) - I was born with issues. Educated both by my family and liberal institutions, I grew up with a moral compass that was guided by spiritual values that emerged from Islam. Integrity, diligence, remembering God, treating others with mutual respect and love, and providing assistance to those in need were essential principles that guided me as a young girl and through my pursuit of a career in health. I pledged my allegiance to the flag of the United States of America”. I was a Girl Scout. I loved the Cowboys. I had the American Dream pulsing through my veins and embodied the same core American values as any other southern girl. “I had strong role models, both Muslim and Non-Muslim.

My view of religion, perhaps was spiritual or liberal: all religions teach strong values and the expression -- whether Islamic, Christian or Jewish -- were personal choices.

I was one of the few “brown skinned girls” in my small town in the south who obtained a liberal education en route to becoming a physician. That said, however, as any disenfranchised population, I would be remiss if I fail to ac-

FUNDS FROM P1

The initiative - launched by Faisal Qazi, president of the MiNDS Network, and Tarek El-Messidi, Founder of CelebrateMercy – later revised its goal to raising $100,000. For reference, a GoFundMe page launched by San Bernardino mayor Carey Davis has raised $39,540 at the time of this writing.

In the words of the organizers, “We wish to respond to evil with good, as our faith instructs us, and send a powerful message of compassion through action. Our Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: “Have mercy to those on earth, and the One in the Heavens (God) will have mercy upon you.” And the Qur’an teaches to “Repel evil by that which is better” (41:34).”

The campaign has been endorsed by multiple American Muslim organizations including: • Local Organizations: The MiNDS Network, UPLIFT, MECASoCal, Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, CAIR-LA, MAS-LA, Institute of Knowledge (IOK) • Regional Organizations: Tarbiya Institute, CAIR Florida, CAIR Arizona • National Organizations: CelebrateMercy, Islamic Networks Group, Islamic Society of North America, Mental Health for Muslims, Zaytuna College The fundraising campaign is similar to a July 2015 crowdsourced campaign, in which Muslims raised over $100,000 to help rebuild black churches in the South following the shooting of nine people at a church in Charleston and a spate of arsons.

According to the LaunchGood founders, this crowdsourced campaign is raising money at an even higher rate.

“The Prophet Muhammad said that even a person of little faith will remove a harmful object from the road. Contrast that with extremists like ISIS who are blowing up roads and killing civilians,” says Tarek El-Messidi. “This united American Muslim campaign aims to reclaim our faith from extremists by responding to evil with good, by rebuilding what they destroy. We know

knowledge experiencing racism and sexism at various points of my personal career development. Professional success has neither left me immune nor tolerant of such “isms”. However, I did not fight back with more hatred, ignorance or violence. Instead, I felt love for others despite their misinterpretations and forgave. I knew through my own diligence and acceptance of others that if I could eventually achieve my goals of breaking stereotypes of the women in my culture and help me to emerge as a leader and mentor for others.

“I came to this country in 1960 as an immigrant for you…” were the first words my elderly father stated, shocked and confused. This is the typical story many of our parents share: the transition to the United States for opportunity, freedom and education. Their hard labor and toil to provide their families and progeny with a better life. Yet the Wednesday events have not only halted progress as a community, they have potentially maimed the hardships our parents and families endured to establish their homes in the United States. Many Pakistanis have left their birthplace in pursuit of safety and security, only to face the very same challenges.

Many years ago I participated in a course led by Noam Chomsky inspiring young minds to become leaders and fight the “isms” through academia. I recall the final assignment vividly—to voice our opinions in op-eds regularly.

Today, angry, frustrated and bewildered, 12 years later, I am submitting my first homework assignment.

As a health care provider, I send my sincerest condolences and thoughts and prayers to my neighbors, colleagues and their families in San Bernardino who have personally faced loss and injury, but I also send you my word and diligence as an American citizen that I will do my duty to provide mentorship and leadership.

I will pledge to return to my local community, set up workshops and open my door to mentor those with a similar interests. The violence, whether perpetrated by those who wish to breed fear and ignorance among us through displaced religious rhetoric or violence perpetrated by those disgruntled and mentally unstable individuals who should have been rigorously screened prior to being allowed to bear arms, needs to be annihilated. (Azra Ashraf is an American Pakistani plastic surgeon who travels to Pakistan annually to teach and participate in international medicine. Sameena Rahman is an American Pakistani Ob/gyn who travels extensively to developing nations for humanitarian efforts)

CG FROM P1

that no amount of money will bring back the loved ones of the victims’ families, but we hope that it at least alleviates some financial burdens in the wake of this tragedy.”

LaunchGood is committed to highlighting the incredible values of the global Muslim community with every project. For more information on this project, please visit www.launchgood. com/SB. Statements by Muslim Leaders “We are sad at the suffering of our neighbors in San Bernardino. We are with them not only with the words of sympathy and condolences, we should show the acts of kindness and compassion. Victims’ Fund is a noble idea. I urge all American Muslims to contribute to this fund.”

- Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, Chair - Southern CA Islamic Shura Council “The center and its members offer their deepest condolences to those affected by this tragedy and we stand with our fellow Americans in this difficult time.”

- The Islamic Community Center of Redlands

www.PakistanLink.com

General in Los Angeles, Abdul Jabbar Memon served as the Director General Afghanistan, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad.

Memon has held various diplomatic assignments in Pakistan Missions abroad. He has served as the Third Secretary, Embassy of Pakistan, Madrid, First Secretary/Counsellor, Embassy of Pakistan, Cairo and Counsellor/Minister, High Commission of Pakistan, Pretoria.

Memon is tentatively scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles by December 21, 2015.

The outgoing Consul General Hamid Asghar Khan has been recalled by the Government of Pakistan and though his last day as the Consul General was November 20, 2015, it is reported that he will continue to serve in this capacity till the new Consul General takes over the charge.

Government’s dissatisfaction with Hamid Asghar Khan, largely stemming from the community complaints against him, forced his premature replacement, according to insiders. He has served less than a year at this posting. The normal tenure for such postings is three years. A report published in Paki-

Outgoing CG Hamid Asghar Khan

stan’s leading newspaper Dawn on October 14, 2015 noted that this is not the first time that Khan has been recalled from a foreign posting.

Khan is reported to have alienated and split the community. Unlike his predecessors, he has not received any farewell parties as is the custom of the community. Also several events that were planned with him as the chief guest have been cancelled. One such event was scheduled to be held on December 3, 2015 by the Orange County World Affairs Council. It is speculated that the event was cancelled by the organizers due to concerns about the reputation of the CG.

COMMENTARY

P22 – PAKISTAN LINK – DECEMBER 11, 2015

Soldiers from the Subcontinent and the First World War n By Mustafaen Kamal London, UK

It must seem odd writing about the role of a country in a war which started 29 years before its conception, and even stranger that it fought on the side of the Imperial power that ruled over it. However, it is important to note that the subcontinent has a great story to tell when it comes to World War 1.

When Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, sparking the Great War, Pakistan didn’t exist, neither did Bangladesh, nor Sri Lanka. All these countries belonged to an entity commonly known as British India. When the dominoes of disaster began to fall in Sarajevo, the ripples would be felt vividly in the foothills of the Himalayas, the banks of the Indus and even the administrative offices of Delhi.

The assassins of the Archduke were Yugoslav nationalists, and of course India had belonged to Britain for many decades by this point. The Indian Independence movement was slowly building momentum and the War provided an unforeseen obstacle to its progress.

Britain could hardly divert its attention from fighting the Kaiser to assuage the concerns of Indians at this time of crisis, and the Indians were astute to this. Hence a decision was made by the political class of India to aid its ruler in its efforts in the War, in the hope that the reward at the end would be the prize of Home Rule.

The Indian force, on the advent of War, significantly outnumbered the British army. It stood at 1.3 million soldiers, who were swiftly deployed to Europe, Africa and the Middle East. In fact, there is a strong argument to say that the resources of British India were very much key to the eventual success of Britain and her allies. Food was sent to the front line from the very Nawabs the British had so successfully manipulated to their own advantage in the preceding decades. My grandmother even tells me tales of her aunts knitting sweaters that eventu-

n By Rina Saeed Khan

A

fter months of tedious preparation, I finally landed in Paris this past weekend to attend the UN Climate Change Conference 2015 (or COP21 since this is the 21st meeting of the Conference of the Parties).

The night before the conference was scheduled to start; Paris bore a deserted and somewhat desolate look.

People in the city are still in mourning after the terrorist attacks that hit the city two weeks ago.

I walked to the River Seine from my hotel near the Notre Dame Cathedral — usually a popular tourist attraction. Instead of throngs of tourists descending from large coasters, I found somber-looking Parisians lining up to enter the Cathedral for an evening sermon that paid tribute to the citizens killed by the terrorists.

The city is still under a state of emergency and with more than 150 heads of state expected for the opening ceremony of COP21 the next day, the security was tight.

Around 2,000 policemen were patrolling the streets of Paris and with many roads blocked, I guess most people decided to stay home this particular Sunday night. It was sad to see the normally bustling city of lights looking so empty and forlorn.

The COP21 is to be a decisive summit where countries are expected to agree to a new global deal to tackle climate change.

Scientists say that if we cannot restrict global warming to 2 degrees Celsius, the world will face ‘cata-

ally found their way to the battlefields of France where so many Indians perished.

The achievements of Pakistani provincial military regiments are just one of many successes in their notable history of combat. There are many accounts that praise the contributions of the Punjab, Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. Soldiers who served from these regions displayed an exceptional sense of duty, vigor and resolve when it came to battle, according to British contemporaries. To my mind, it is hard to fathom the sheer weight of the sacrifice of the soldiers of India. A teenager born in an isolated village of Punjab who had never seen the sea would be sent across oceans to fight in an alien place with an unfamiliar climate and almost inevitable consequences which included no contact with their families.

Nevertheless, these Pakistani provinces constituted 80% of India’s army and were generating 70,000 recruits a year by 1916. 74, 000 Indians paid the ultimate price in the War, 13,000 medals were granted to them and many more were deserved.

So, did the Indians get the reward for their immense sacrifice? No. The British returned in an unyielding fashion and gave only token concessions. This attitude paved the way for Independence as the relationship between Britain and those whom it ruled soured from being

amicably allied to scorn. History would repeat itself in 1939, but this time India’s main political parties were divided. The Muslim League cooperated with Britain’s struggle against Hitler’s tyranny while Congress demanded Indepen-

There are many accounts that praise the contributions of the Punjab, Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. Soldiers who served from these regions displayed an exceptional sense of duty, vigor and resolve when it came to battle, according to British contemporaries. These Pakistani provinces constituted 80% of India’s army and were generating 70,000 recruits a year dence first. Nevertheless, India’s army was the largest all-volunteer force ever assembled and sure enough it fought valiantly for King and Country once again. In the aftermath, Britain’s option to be stubborn was taken away. Crip-

pling debts finally granted Pakistan and India the sought-after prize of freedom.

Since the Indian sub-continent stopped fighting the battles of others’, it has found ample reason to fight within itself. Pakistan and India have been plagued with a relationship punctuated with hostility and suspicion. The two nations have been to war four times and have inflicted wounds upon those with whom they once fought side by side. This sad tale continues as no sign of diplomatic friendship emerges.

I would ask all the readers to remember fondly those who had died in the name of a just cause, and also ponder over the lives that had been ended for no good reason, and perhaps taint their opinions of war with the thought of the individual sacrifice which is at stake. We must remember the heroes of the past in order to shape a world where there is no need for heroes anymore.

(Mustafaen Kamal is a graduating student of the London School of Economics. He has attained several positions whilst at the institution: President of the Economics Society, Undergraduate Representative for Student Affairs and Trustee of the School. He has been involved heavily with Human Rights Campaigning. Mustafaen has delivered speeches on political issues within the Middle East and Asia at various institutions across the UK)

Pakistan’s Disappointing Start at COP21 strophic’ climate change — we are already almost half way there as the world has warmed 0.85 degrees Celsius.

Some experts are calling this conference “the last chance for humanity” and media from all across the world has flown in to Paris to cover this important negotiation.

The next day there was a buzz of positive energy emanating from the Le Bourget — the venue of the conference in the north of the city. Trains leaving for the center were packed with delegates from around the world.

An expected 40,000 delegates (from NGOs, media houses, businesses and government-led delegations from 190 countries) were expected to attend the conference.

The roads were blocked for VIP movements as heads of state moved to the conference center rather early in the morning to be received by Francois Hollande.

I thought I had managed to arrive early, but the queues for registration were already quite long.

A mini model of the Eiffel Tower stands inside Le Bourget conference center.

As we alighted from the special buses transporting us to Le Bourget from the train stations, a group of ‘angels’ wearing large white wings greeted us on the steps of the conference center. These were activists who had traveled from places as far as Australia, urging humanity to save the planet.

The night before, I had seen Sir David Attenborough’s interview on TV. The most famous naturalist and nature broadcaster in the world told the interviewer that the climate conference in Paris is “almost the last chance” to get a handle on climate change.

He was upbeat about the outcome of the conference, saying, “I sense a realization among people and politicians worldwide that this is real, this is it, something has to be done.”

I felt exactly the same, walking through the large conference center that was teeming with people from all over the world. The energy was palpable and the presence of so many heads of state had made it even more exciting.

I headed towards the Pakistani pavilion which was basically a small booth with a tiny Pakistani flag on it; later I visited the Indian pavilion which was a sleek, hi-tech affair with a

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dancing water fountain. I know comparisons are unfair, but Indians really know how to project their image in large international gatherings.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, had also arrived at COP21 early in the morning. He had flown in from Malta on a small 12-seat plane.

There were just a handful of Pakistani journalists covering COP21 and they spent the morning chasing him around Le Bourget, hoping to get him to give an impromptu press conference since none had been planned.

Then came his ‘famous’ handshake and chat with Indian PM Narendra Modi after which the Indian media, which was covering the conference in large numbers, also joined in the chase, hoping to get Nawaz Sharif to reveal what had been discussed, but to no avail.

Modi later inaugurated the Indian pavilion and took ‘selfies’ with the people present there. President Obama was also spotted in the hallways surrounded by hordes of reporters.

I managed to miss them all and so was told to sit outside the plenary where the Leaders Event of the conference was taking place (I could not enter with my media badge). I finally got lucky as I was allowed to enter before Nawaz Sharif gave his speech around 5.30 pm.

While waiting for his speech, I heard King Abdullah speak as he touched upon the subject of Syrian refugees being hosted by his country,

and the water-related problems they were facing in Jordan.

He was followed by the new prime minister of Canada, Justine Trudeau. “Canada is back as the climate leader,” he announced in his charming manner and the audience burst into applause.

I walked over to where our own premier was sitting and asked if I could take a picture, to which he agreed – he looked a bit exhausted and sure enough he took less than three minutes to give his speech before hurrying off to the airport to go home.

By the time I got back to my seat and got hold of my notebook, his speech was over!

I was saddened when Nawaz Sharif barely touched upon Pakistan’s vulnerability, and presented no vision of action to be taken at the national level. Other world leaders gave ambitious targets in comparison and managed to explain their country’s positions adequately.

Two weeks prior to the conference, the PML-N government appointed a new Minister for Climate Change, Zahid Hamid, a very competent lawyer who is now heading the 20-strong Pakistani delegation.

After submitting its disastrous ‘Intended Nationally Determined Contributions’ document ahead of the Paris Conference, and receiving a lot of criticism, it was hoped that the Government of Pakistan would get its act together by the start of COP21.

Here’s hoping Pakistan manages to at least contribute meaningfully to the global conference in the next two weeks. - Dawn

COMMENTARY

DECEMBER 11, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P23

Nostalgia Street: Elphi as It Used to Be n By Anwer Mooraj

O

Karachi

n August 15, 1947, I was on Rhodesia Pitch along with other 16-year-old boys of St Peters High School, Panchgani, a hill station tucked away in the verdant wilderness of the Western Ghats, 64 miles from Poona.

We had gathered to celebrate the independence of India from the British, to witness the lowering of the Union Jack and the hoisting of the Tricolor. None of us really knew what it was all about.

What was uppermost in our minds was which of the four boarding schools would win the forthcoming quadrangular cricket tournament; and we were anxious to get back to practice.

As a sapling was being planted, we all sang Vande Mataram Jai Hind Jai Hind Jai Hind in a lusty voice which must have echoed across the valley.

Ma Hoyle, the Anglo-Indian matron had specially prepared samosas and halwa puri for the occasion which, for us hungry schoolboys, was the best part of the program — it was like manna from heaven.

Four months later, an uncle in Bombay put me and my younger brother on a Dakota at Santa Cruz airport. Two hours later the airplane touched down at Karachi airport.

My parents who had migrated from Bhopal to Karachi at the end of August straight from Bhopal State came to receive us.

We lived in an upstairs flat in a building called Jeevat Ashram near the old numaish and close to Haider Manzil, the residence of the Sindhi leader G.M. Syed.

1951 — commuters board a tram. —Photos: courtesy Nadeem F. Paracha I have memories of my mother having a difficult time taking a nap

in the afternoon because a vendor down the road who used to sell salted peanuts and dried bhuttas used to advertise his wares in a shrill falsetto at the top of his voice.

I went up to him and said that ever since his arrival, the hen in the maths teacher’s house has stopped laying eggs and Sub-Inspector Almeida lost control of his motorbike and crashed into an ice cream van.

Next day, the vendor disappeared.

We lived close to the residence of the Mirza family who traced their origin to Georgia in the Soviet Union. The head of the family was Farhad Mirza, a jovial, friendly and hospitable citizen in the old Sindi tradition.

He had one daughter and two sons whose nicknames were Minky, Jhang and Perry. The two brothers were accomplished pianists. Perry, in fact, went to Germany on a scholarship to study classical music.

He stayed on, became a composer and taught in one of the universities. One day while Jhang was playing at my request a nocturne

by Chopin a skinny black pariah walked into the lounge and sat on the carpet, his head cocked to one side. That’s how Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky became a part of the Mirza

I wasn’t old enough to be allowed to enter the place but my height and a false stuck-on moustache allowed my parents to smuggle me in. The choicest music from the Golden Age of Europe and South America was provided

by Stefan Eros and his Hungarian Serenaders household.

Uncle Farhad had a number of brothers each of whom played a musical instrument. A classical concert in the Mirza household was always a treat.

Unlike Bombay, Karachi had a very small population, less than 300,000 people. There were Hindus and some Sikhs who had decided not to cross over. Also Parsis and Anglo-Indians and a sizeable Goan community that had their own club where they put on Gilbert and Sullivan Savoy operas at regular intervals and on weekends held dances.

All religious communities had their places of worship. There was also a fire temple for the Parsis and a synagogue for the few Jews who read the Torah on Saturdays. Karachi was a secular city, like Bombay. All Muslim, Hindu and Christian holidays were observed.

Saddar area. —Photos: courtesy Nadeem F. Paracha Karachi, in December 1947, was a relatively quiet and peaceful place in which people of various religions had been living in harmony for years and years.

A number of educated and more affluent Muslims from the United Provinces, Delhi and Hyderabad Deccan had already de-

cided to move to the new country and brought with them the Urdu language, while the business community that had migrated from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kathiawar and Cutch conversed with one another mainly in Gujrati, Memoni or Cutchi which became the private language of commerce.

There were gentlemen’s watering holes like the Sind Club, the Gymkhana and the Boat Club.

And there was also a restaurant in the Central Hotel on the first floor which doubled as a nightclub. It was called The Casino and was managed by a white Russian émigré named Arty who became something of an icon.

I wasn’t old enough to be allowed to enter the place but my height and a false stuck-on moustache allowed my parents to smuggle me in. The choicest music from the Golden Age of Europe and South America was provided by Stefan Eros and his Hungarian Serenaders.

On weekends revelers were too inebriated with the distilled essence of grain or the fermented juice of the grape to notice either the music or the food, and it was extremely rare for the night to pass without a brawl taking place.

Tables and chairs were overturned, glasses were smashed and at least 12 guests were offered the hospitality of the local police station.

There was also striptease for men with jaded appetites, and the ones with a taste for fading continental blondes flocked to two oft frequented sweat shops in the city.

Very few cars could be seen on the roads and people travelled either by bicycle, or the four-wheel gharry. On Wednesdays and Sundays gamblers flocked to the race course clutching tips they had been given by the trainer or jockey or owner or the hawker who sold them the racing calendar for eight annas.

What’s the Most Important Factor in Keeping Your Retirement Money Safe?

D

on’t be so quick to simply accept what a financial advisor offers for your retirement – that’s the takeaway from multiple red flags since the 200809 economic crisis.

First, there’s an important difference between advice that’s “suitable,” called the suitability standard, and what’s best for an advisor’s client, called the fiduciary standard. As reported in PBS’s “Frontline,” just 15 percent of financial advisors met the “what’s best for the client” standard as recently as 2013. The majority fit into the suitable category – the bare minimum in professional qualifications – which often translates into the sale of financial products.

This year, the President’s Council of Economic Advisers estimated that non-fiduciary advice costs Americans 1 percentage point of their return annually, which amounts to $17 billion each year.

“But that estimate is probably just the tip of the iceberg, because the consequences of non-optimal advice for retirement planning are hard to quantify,” says Casey B. Weade, a retirement-planning professional and author of the book “The Purpose-Based Retirement” (www.thepurposebasedretirement. com).

“Let’s be clear: There is no silver bullet when it comes to retirement planning. Each individual and family requires a tailored plan based on their wealth, needs and goals.

However, an advisor who is professionally required to meet your best interest, and not a minimal one, is a good place to start.”

Weade says the single-most important factor in keeping one’s retirement money safe is having the involvement a third-party custodian, an entity independent of an individual’s financial planner.

“I’ve dealt with dozens of cases in which people had been scammed, and each one lacked a third-party custodian,” he says.

He reviews the role of these custodians and the associated multiple benefits.

• Third-party custodians: Bernie Madoff is arguably the most villainous name today in finances.

He’s currently serving a 150-year sentence for scheming billions of dollars from his high-wealth clients in a Ponzi scheme. He was able to get away with it by acting as his own custodian, a financial institution that holds customers’ securities for safekeeping so as to minimize the risk of their theft or loss. Custodians tend to be large reputable firms be-

cause of the high volume of money they deal with. Always make sure that your financial advisor is not the same as your custodian.

• Reduced opportunity: When you advisor uses a custodian, he or she will never directly touch your checks, deposits or withdrawals.

While your advisor can be given authority to make withdrawals, those withdrawals may be directed only to another account of yours, or sent by check to your address of record. If withdrawals are directed elsewhere, they will require your signature, and the custodian is responsible if funds leave your account due to a forged signature.

• Advanced technology for

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signature fraud: Custodians use advanced technology to detect signature fraud. The custodian will reject a signature and request verification if it fails authenticity checks performed by the custodian’s signature matching technology. This detection process is very sophisticated and doesn’t rely on the quick glance of a human eye to determine if the signature presented doesn’t match previous signatures on file.

• Insurance: Custodians carry large insurance policies – both liability insurance to protect against errors and omissions, in case unauthorized transactions occur, SIPC insurance for undirected transactions, and FDIC coverage for cash

positions.

• Duplicate statements: While your advisors may send you a summary of investments from time to time, you should receive a summary of your investments directly from the firm where your assets are held. Otherwise, unscrupulous and criminal advisors like Madoff may scheme by generating their own fraudulent statements and send them to you.

About Casey B. Weade: Casey B. Weade is president of Howard Bailey Financial Inc. in Indiana and author of the book “The PurposeBased Retirement” (www.thepurposebasedretirement.com). Weade, a retirement-planning professional, hosts Purpose-Based Retirement radio and TV shows in the Fort Wayne area. Weade graduated from Stetson University with a bachelor’s degree in Finance and as a member of the honorary finance fraternity Beta Alpha Psi. He earned the prestigious CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) certification in addition to being a Retirement Income Certified Professional® (RICP®). He is also an Investment Advisor Representative (IAR), as well as life, accident and health insurance licensed and Long-Term Care Certified.

COMMENTARY

P24 – PAKISTAN LINK – DECEMBER 11, 2015

Estate Planning is Job Best Tackled with the Help of Pros - 1 n By Saghir Aslam Rawalpindi, Pakistan

(The following information is provided solely to educate the Muslim community about investing and financial planning.

It is hoped that the Ummah will benefit from this effort through greater financial empowerment, enabling the community to live in security and dignity and fulfill their religious and moral obligations towards charitable activities) Some people believe patience and a good do-it-yourself book will get them through any project. This may be true if you want to add a deck to your house or rebuild a car motor. But estate planning, like a root canal, is a procedure that is best left to the pros. I believe laymen should attempt only the simplest estate-planning procedures, such as drawing up a simple, uncomplicated will.

If you have a spouse and children and you want to leave each of them shares according to Shariah, with no other contingencies, a doit-yourself book, if it’s accurate and well-researched, might help. The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) has booklets available which can be directly purchased from them or from Islamic bookstores for small donations. But if you have a large estate and attempt a more complicated will, you most likely will create a problem rather than solve one.

Why? Books, software programs and do-it-yourself guides can teach you the basics, but they can’t cover the complex issues related to the lawful disposition of property.

What’s worse, some of these materials are inaccurate, out-of-date or incomplete.

The states have different signing and execution requirements for wills. For example, if your state now requires two witnesses to sign a will, but if you use an old self-help book that says just one is required, there will be problems.

A will that lacks the proper FEAR FROM P9

wall: If the current generation of Muslims wish to survive in America and not disappear like the previous generations, there must be zero tolerance for extremism. Islam in America must be rescued from political extremism and guided towards its spiritual core. Khateebs and religious teachers need basic training in science, history, and the culture of a pluralistic, multi-faith, secular society. Use reason in everyday life. Be moderate. Avoid rigidity.

“Indeed, Allah does not love the extremists”.

2. Pay Attention to the Youth Institution building is the foundation for the long-term survival of a community. But these are extraordinary times and they require extraordinary solutions. The focus of the community must shift from acquiring more land and more buildings to sustaining the youth and the survival of the community. Bereft of guidance from busy parents and ignorant imams, the Muslim youth (like millions of youth all over the world) turn to the internet where

signatures can only be corrected through costly court appearances.

A poorly drawn will is also more likely to be contested by disgruntled heirs.

The worst-case scenario: People who take the do-it-yourself route and make a mess of it can completely reverse their last wishes.

Even those who write do-ityourself books and software programs admit that complex wills, trusts and estate issues should be handled by professionals.

I believe even simple do-ityourself estate planning efforts should be reviewed by a lawyer.

There is no such thing as a simple trust, and I am not so sure there is such a thing as simple will.

People start with simple wills, then they think of conditions they want to add, and the will gets complicated.

I have suggested during my formal and informal sessions the importance of estate planning and most importantly having a will is a must. A task that must be done right now.

I have worked with an attorney who has studied and understands the Islamic inheritance laws. Make sure you seek professional help.

What’s a Trust? Knowing Terms can Simplify Process Wills and trusts are the nuts and bolts of estate planning. With them, you create the framework for carrying out your wishes after you die. Without them, protecting and passing on your wealth to heirs and beneficiaries becomes much more difficult.

they are bombarded with information and misinformation. Unable to sort out what is right from what is wrong, a few end up radicalized. The consequences can be tragic both for the youth and the family.

In an earlier article, The ISIS Phenomenon (www.historyofIslam. com). I outlined, from an historical perspective, the radicalization of societies. Here, the focus is on the radicalization of individuals which happens in stages: 1. First comes the grievance.

This could be a result of persistent discrimination, peer teasing, job loss, workplace abuse, unhappiness with international events and the like.

2. Anger. This is the second phase and is born out of a helplessness to confront and overcome the grievance. Published reports claim that the prevalence of anger among Muslim youth is somewhat higher than in the general population.

3. Radicalization. In this phase, a person, a group or an FEAR, P31

Most people know what a will is. But many folks don’t have the foggiest idea what a trust is. To clear up the confusion, with the help of an attorney, I have put together a glossary of key estate-planning tools.

Wills. Few of us would be without a will if we knew how much trouble that might cause our heirs.

Without one, state law dictates who gets your assets. Loved ones could lose out to estranged family members. Still many of us don’t have a will.

A will is a relatively simple document. It should name an executor to oversee carrying out your wishes.

If you have children, it must name a guardian. And it must be specific on how you want your assets-cash, stocks, real estate, family antiquesdistributed to your heirs and beneficiaries. We are blessed that Allah (SWT) has spelled out the inheritance laws in the Holy Book of the Quran. We simply need to put it on paper according to the laws of the state.

A will’s coverage is limited to property you own individually and that does not have a named beneficiary. That means joint property with rights of survivorship goes to the other owner no matter what your will says. Life insurance, retirement accounts and tax-deferred annuities go by law to the named beneficiaries. So none need be included in your will.

You can write a will yourself by obtaining a kit from the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).

(Saghir A. Aslam only explains strategies and formulas that he has been using. He is merely providing information, and NO ADVICE is given. Mr Aslam does not endorse or recommend any broker, brokerage firm, or any investment at all, nor does he suggest that anyone will earn a profit when or if they purchase stocks, bonds or any other investments. All stocks or investment vehicles mentioned are for illustrative purposes only. Mr Aslam is not an attorney, accountant, real estate broker, stockbroker, investment advisor, or certified financial planner.

Mr Aslam does not have anything for sale.)

RELATIVES FROM P20

the time of the shooting to an account set up by Malik under an alias.

Federal agents tore through a garage door to search a house in Riverside, a few km southwest of San Bernardino, on a street where neighbors said Farook once lived.

An FBI spokeswoman confirmed agents made a “precautionary tactical entry” while serving a federal search warrant, but she declined to give details.

Neighbors named the man who lived there as Enrique Marquez and said he was often seen with Farook.

NBC News said the house belongs to a man who authorities believe bought the rifles used in the attack.

No Signs Shooters Belonged to a Larger Organization: attorneys representing the family of the California mass shooters described the couple on Friday as devout Muslims but said there was no sign they had become radicalized.

“There is no sign that the alleged shooters belonged to a larger organization or a terrorist cell,” David Chesley, one of two attorneys representing the family, told a news conference.

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Sign up for Automatic Direct Payment from your checking or savings account on our secure website to give monthly towards this project or others.

Hidaya Foundation 866.2.HIDAYA | www.hidaya.org Hidaya Foundation is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) charitable organization with Tax ID # 77-0502583

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RELIGION

DECEMBER 11, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P25

Responsible Living

Gems from the Holy Qur’an

n By Dr Muzammil H. Siddiqi

P

eople, be mindful of your Lord and fear a day when no parent will take the place of their child, nor a child take the place of their parent, in any way. Allah’s promise is true, so do not let the present life delude you, nor let the Deceiver delude you about Allah. Knowledge of the Hour [of Resurrection] belongs to Allah; it is He who sends down the relieving rain and He who knows what is hidden in the womb. No soul knows what it will reap tomorrow, and no soul knows in what land it will die; it is Allah who is all knowing and all aware.

These are the last two verses from Surah Luqman. In this Surah Tawhid and Akhirah are the two main themes. The Surah speaks to all human beings, but it is especially addressed to youth and the parents. Through the wise man Luqman’s advices, the parents are told how to raise their children and how to educate them. Youth are also told to think for themselves and follow the right path.

Then we have the last two concluding ayat telling all people to be mindful of their Lord and fear the day when neither the parents can help their children, nor the children can help their parents.

Every person will be responsible for his/her own self. The Day of Judgment will indeed come. This is the promise of Allah. Do not be deceived by the life of this world and do not be deceived by the devil. Then five things are mentioned that are only known to Allah: the exact knowledge of the Last Hour, the time and amount of rain, the nature of the babies in the wombs, what will happen tomorrow and where and in what condition one is going to die. Allah is all knowing and all aware.

Islam emphasizes that this world is transitory and our life time here is limited. Allah reminds that we should not be deluded by the life and glitter of this world. This is not the permanent world and we are not going to be here forever. This world will go away and we are all going to

From the translation by Muhammad Asad (Leopold Weiss) About the translator: Muhammad Asad, Leopold Weiss, was born of Jewish parents in Livow, Austria (later Poland) in 1900, and at the age of 22 made his first visit to the Middle East. He later became an outstanding foreign correspondent for the Franfurter Zeitung, and after years of devoted study became one of the leading Muslim scholars of our age. His translation of the Holy Qur’an is one of the most lucid and well-referenced works in this category, dedicated to “li-qawmin yatafakkaroon” (people who think).

leave sooner or later. This world, however, is very important. Every moment here is very important.

We can succeed or fail both temporarily and eternally by our own actions in this world. So every person should live in a responsible manner. Follow your Creator who created you and who has placed you here. He knows what is best for you. He has sent His Prophets and Messengers to guide you and show you the right path. Finally, he sent before the end of this world His last and final Prophet Muhammad –peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and upon all His Prophets and Messengers.

What is responsible living?

Responsible living means that we should understand: 1. Who brought us to this world?

2. Why are we here?

3. Where are we going?

4. What will happen after

death?

There are people who live their lives without thinking and learning the answers to these questions and there are some who invent their own answers without paying attention to the words of their Creator. There was a famous Lebanese poet Elia Abu Madi. His family was Christian, but he was, probably, an agnostic. He migrated to United States and died in 1957. He had his famous poem: I came not knowing wherefrom, but I came.

And I saw a pathway in front of me, so I walked.

And I will remain walking, whether I want this or not. How did I come? How did I see my pathway? I do not know!

Am I new or am I old in this existence?

Am I free and unrestrained, or do I walk in chains?

Do I lead myself in my life, or am I being led?

I wish I know, but… I do not know!

And my path, oh what is my path? Is it long or is it short?

Am I ascending in it, or am I going down and sinking?

Am I the one who is walking on the road, or is it the road that is moving?

Or are we both standing, but it is the time that is running?

I do not

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know!

Is there beyond grave and death resurrection, then life and eternity?

Or there is nothing but the annihilation and extinction?

Are the words of the people true or lies?

Is it true that some people know? I do not know!

The poet very eloquently has described the philosophy of agnosticism. But agnosticism creates anxiety and does not give any moral guidance. It cannot help us live in a responsible manner. The only way to live in a responsible manner is to listen to the words of Allah, pay attention to them and live by them. Responsible living means to use to your eyes, ears, mind and your physical body in the right manner. We must always keep in our mind that we shall be questioned about our words, deeds and even thoughts. Allah reminds us in the Qur’an: O Man, what has lured you away from your generous Lord, who created you, shaped you, proportioned you, in whatever form He chose He framed you?

Yet you still take the Judgment to be a lie! Over you stand watchers, noble recorders who know what you do: the good will live in bliss, and the wicked will burn in the Fire.

They will enter it on the Day of Judgment. And they will find no escape.

What will explain to you what the Day of Judgment is?

Yes! What will explain to you what the Day of Judgment is?

The Day when no soul will be able to do anything for another; on that Day, command will belong to Allah (Al-Infitar 82:6-19) (Khutbah at ISOC – Rajab 21, 1434)

Chapter 102, At-Takaathur (Greed for More and More), Verses 1-8 (Complete Surah) [ 1 ] You are obsessed by greed for more and more and more until you go down to your graves.

Nay, in time you will come to understand!

And once again: Nay, in time you will come to understand!

Nay, if you could but understand [it] with an understanding [born] of certainty, you would indeed, most surely, behold the blazing fire [of hell]! [ 2 ] In the end you will indeed, most surely, behold it with the eye of certainty: [ 3 ] And on that Day you will most surely be called to account for [what you did with] the boon of life! ______________________ Translator’s Notes [ 1 ] The term “takaathur” bears the connotation of “greedily striving for an increase”, i.e., in benefits, be they tangible or intangible, real or illusory. In the above context it denotes man’s obsessive striving for more and more comforts, more material goods, greater power over his fellow-men or over nature, and unceasing technical progress. A passionate pursuit of such endeavours, to the exclusion of everything else, bars man from all spiritual insight and, hence, from the acceptance of any restrictions and inhibitions based on purely moral values – with the result that not only individuals but whole societies gradually lose all inner stability and, thus, all chance of happiness. [ 2 ] Sc., “in which you find yourselves now” – i.e., “the hell on earth” brought about by a fundamentally wrong mode of life: an allusion to the gradual destruction of man’s natural environment, as well as to the frustration, unhappiness and confusion which an overriding, unrestrained pursuit of “economic growth” is bound to bring – and has, indeed, brought in our time – upon mankind that is about to lose the remnants of all spiritual, religious orientation. [ 3 ] I.e., in the GEMS, P28

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DECEMBER 11, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P27

Amir Cleans up Hafeez

DHAKA: Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Amir has cleaned up Mohammad Hafeez in his first

encounter against the later in Bangladesh Premier League match.

According to details, Hafeez was

playing from Dhaka Dynamites side where Amir was running to bowl from Chittagong Vikings team and then Amir has replied Hafeez's statement against him with his performance and sent him back to pavilion after just 4 balls.

Hafeez was unable to open his account on the crease.

Earlier The former captain, Hafeez, said he could not 'share a dressing room with a player who tarnished the image of Pakistan.'

Opening batsman added that"It is not about individuals or any personality clash. It is about the image of Pakistan cricket. I cannot play with any player who has tarnished and brought a bad name to the country," "This is my personal opinion and this is not just about Pakistani players, it's about all players," Hafeez said.

"I didn't get a direct offer from the BPL team but some agent came up with the offer and I turned it down only because I didn't want to share a dressing room with that player." J

Modi, Nawaz Sharif Give Go-Ahead for Pakistan-India series KARACHI: One of the most anticipated cricketing events of 2015 - a bilateral series between Pakistan and India - is finally set to become a reality as the governments of both countries agreed on the series in principle, with a formal announcement expected to be made on Tuesday.

Both boards have kept their cards close to their chest on the issue thus far but Pakistani local media chennel has learnt that an affirmative decision has been made by both sides, with Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and Narendra Modi both agreeing to the series.

Several 'soft' interviews have been given in recent days in order to rein in the increased tension and escalating animosity between the two countries. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is especially vulnerable to an attack from activists similar to when the Shiv Sena recently stormed the BCCI headquarters before expected talks between the two nations.

Along with the announcement of the bilateral series, which will be held in Sri Lanka, will come the confirmation that Pakistan will participate in

next year's World Twenty20 in India.

Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj was scheduled to arrive in Islamabad early Tuesday to attend a conference on Afghanistan, and is expected to meet Nawaz and Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz.

"The Pakistan-India series is set to take place after an exchange between Nawaz and Modi, with a formal announcement to be made either on Tuesday evening or on Wednesday," revealed a high level government official close of the development. "As planned, the short series will be played in Sri Lanka, and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been told that it is as good as done; with only a formal declaration remaining."

Shaharyar expects decision soon PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan, while addressing the media in Lahore, however said no final decision has been made yet and the board is still waiting to hear back from the Indian government.

"We expect to hear from the Indian government by Tuesday or Wednesday regarding their decision

on the bilateral series," said Shaharyar. "If the series does take place, then there will be big interest from everywhere and people will face visa issues. However, the PCB and Pakistan government will request the Sri Lankan government to iron out these issues."

The board also praised the islanders for their role. "We want to thank the Sri Lankan government for the way they welcomed the initiative of a Pakistan-India series in their country, while England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Giles Clarke and the International Cricket Council also played important roles."

The PCB chief hoped that the arrival of India's foreign minister would have a positive impact on the fate of the series, adding that if the series does take place, the board would try to make arrangements as quickly as possible.

"It would be tough to make the necessary arrangements in such a short time but we'll try to sort out the logistics, while I've already received the name of the players selected for the series from the selection committee," he said. J

ICC Targets World Twenty20 on US Soil SYDNEY: Cricket chiefs hope to stage a Twenty20 World Cup in the United States within a decade as the game ramps up efforts to crack the huge American sports market, a report said recently.

The International Cricket Council´s head of global development Tim Anderson said the world governing body had ambitions to further popularise the sport in a country more used to baseball, basketball and gridiron.

While still alien to many Americans, thousands travelled from the United States to this year´s 50over one-day World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, while a lucrative broadcast deal with the United States is already worth big money to ICC. "If we continue to make good progress, we would (hope to) see a World Twenty20 in the USA in the next rights cycle," Anderson told the Sydney Daily Telegraph, with the newspaper pointing to 2024 as the likely date.

"We think that´d be a great concept. Other sports have done that, not just football, but rugby are doing that with major events as well so we see that as a medium-term goal."

India are scheduled to hold the next Twenty20 World Cup in 2016 with Australia hosting the event in 2020.

Cricket greats Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar recently took a

number of former international stars to the US for a three-match ICCsanctioned T20 series, attracting large crowds.

Among the throng of big-name retirees playing were Brian Lara, Courtney Walsh, Curtly Ambrose, Muttiah Muralitharan, Wasim Akram, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Glenn McGrath and Brad Haddin.

Some of the world´s biggest active players could also be padding up in the United States soon.

"In the shorter term, our full members are keen to play some big cricket in the USA. I think that´d be a fantastic way to take cricket to a new heartland for the game," said Anderson.

"There´s already an ODI-accredited venue in Florida (and another potential site in Indianapolis) but, within the next 12-18 months, you could potentially have full members playing cricket (one-day internationals) in the USA." To strengthen its bid to establish itself in the American market, the ICC is also looking at trying to enter the country´s college sport programme to boost participation at a grass roots level, the report said.

The ICC´s full members are Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe. J

India Seal 3-0 Win After Dour South Africa Crumble NEW DELHI: South Africa's spectacular stonewalling came unstuck in the final session as India cruised to a 337run victory in the final Test to win the four-match series 3-0 at the Ferozeshah Kotla stadium recently.

Beaten inside three days on either side of the rain-ruined second Test in Bangalore, Hashim Amla and his men had finally managed to take a test into its final day with some dogged resilience.

Resuming on 72-2, South Africa employed the same ultra-defensive approach that marked their batting on Sunday, hoping to eke out a pride-salvaging draw than chase an improbable 481-run victory target.

Amla (23) led their dour reply with his 244-ball resistance and AB de Villiers (43) battled for about six hours, much of it with a swollen thumb, before the slow-scoring tourists folded for 143 in 143.1 overs.

Their single-minded blocking also allowed India's left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja to send down 17 consecutive maiden overs.

Ravichandran Ashwin claimed 5-

61 to finish with 31 wickets which also earned the off-spinner the man-of-theseries award.

"All wins are pretty special but this

one because we had to work harder for this," captain Virat Kohli said after India rose to number two in test rankings with the series victory.

"We were surprised with the way they were defending the ball, but the bowlers didn't go off their plans.

"It tested our patience but I think

India wrapped up a 3-0 series win, India v South Africa, 4th Test, Delhi, 5th day.

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it's more special to get wickets in that situation," said Kohli.

The Indian captain employed as many as eight bowlers, including himself, to overcome the Proteas' resistance and populated the crease with up to six close-in fielders for his spinners.

Jadeja earned the breakthrough in the fifth over after the hosts had taken the new ball, spinning one past Amla's tentative bat to hit the top of the offstump before embarking on a celebratory run. Amla departed after nearly five hours of dour defending, scoring 25 painstaking runs in what was the slowest ever Test inning of 200 or more balls. The 27 runs he added with de Villiers in 253 balls was also the slowest Test partnership of 175 balls or more. New man in Faf du Plessis displayed the same obduracy with the bat and took 53 balls - seven more than skipper Amla - to get off the mark.

Jadeja ended du Plessis' (10) twohour stay after lunch but it was once again Ashwin, the standout bowler in the series, who virtually sealed the match in India's favour by dismissing de Villiers soon after tea. J

PAKISTAN

P28 – PAKISTAN LINK – DECEMBER 11, 2015 FAROOK FROM P20

understand Islam. According to Stephens, both men worked as restaurant inspectors and regularly discussed politics and religion.

It was unclear how Farook met his wife. He returned from a trip to Saudi Arabia in July 2014 and told coworkers he had been married.

Malik traveled through Islamabad, arriving on a K-1 visa for fiancées and with a Pakistani passport. The couple had a 6-month-old daughter, who they left with relatives before heading to the center on Wednesday.

Dane Adams, of Corona, said Syed Farook’s father, who moved in with his son, Syed’s brother, two doors down a few months ago, was talkative, often visiting as Adams worked on classic cars in the garage.

He talked about his family and said he was divorced.

Adams said he often saw the man walking with his grandchild.

“That baby’s got the cutest smile in the world,” he said.

(Tucker reported from Washington, DC. Associated Press writers Holbrook Mohr in Jackson, Mississippi, Gillian Flaccus in Anaheim, California, Garance Burke in San Francisco and Jason Keyser in Chicago also contributed to this report) TEACHINGS FROM P18

the killings saying they were contrary to the teachings of Islam.

“We have condemned all violence everywhere because human life is precious,” he said. “And we respect and honor human life.”

According to local news reports Farook was employed by the San Bernardino County health department which is believed to have organized the party at the Inland Regional Center.

The attack triggered a massive manhunt that ended when police shot dead two heavily armed suspects -- a man, believed to be Farook, and a woman -- on a quiet residential street.

ROOT FROM P15

that was released last month. France and Russia account for more than three times that number, the institute estimates.

Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, said Pakistan “simply doesn’t present many opportunities” for the Islamic State to flourish the way it has in Iraq and Syria.

But in a country where twothirds of residents are younger than 30, it may take at least another decade before Pakistanis can fully assess whether the Islamic State has been held at bay here, said Mosharraf Zaidi, a columnist and former government foreign affairs adviser. “Far too many kids still don’t feel invested” in Pakistan’s economy and political system, which makes them vulnerable to radicalization, he said.

“We have made some strides in the last year and half,” Zaidi said.

Now, he added, “ ... we have to make sure this isn’t just about cleaning out the [tribal areas].this has to be about confronting demons that are embedded deep in our society and social norms.” - The Washington Post PIA FROM P13

of the ordinance suggests that the terms governing the employees could be changed in future, if needed.

There are about 18,000 employees of the PIA and many of them are on contract. The PIA has one of the highest aircraft-to-staff ratio, hovering over 500 per plane against the industry average of

150. The PIA is overstaffed by at least 5,000 employees.

PIA still a manageable entity, says former MD: “Salaries of those employees of the corporation who upon conversion become employees of the company shall not be changed to their disadvantage, unless such change is in accordance with applicable law,” reads Clause 6(ii) of the ordinance.

“The employees will continue to enjoy all the benefits”, said Privatization Commission Chairman Mohammad Zubair. He said the financial adviser hired for PIA’s privatization will now finalize the privatization structure, which will be taken to the Cabinet Committee on Privatization for approval within two weeks.

Under a condition of the IMF loan, Pakistan is bound to invite investors to participate in PIA’s privatization through media advertisements before the end of this month and to sell off the carrier by June next year.

The government has given a written assurance to the IMF that it will sell at least 26% of shares but an official said some prospective buyers have shown interest in acquiring a majority stake. A consortium belonging to Punjab and a Gulf country is said to be interested in acquiring the airlines.

Government gives fresh commitment to IMF: In the second phase, the government will divide PIA Limited into two entities, separating the airline’s liabilities so that they are not transferred to the new buyer. As of March this year, PIA’s liabilities have ballooned to Rs297 billion, Rs248 million of which is debt.

By the end of March, PIA owed Rs65 billion in long-term financing and Rs54.5 billion in short-term debt.

In addition to this, PIA owed over Rs104 billion in trade and other payables, Rs19.6 billion in term of finance certificates and Sukuk, and Rs5 billion in running finance facility.

According to Clause 4 of the ordinance, the federal government may issue orders providing for the transfer of specified assets to a relevant entity substantially on terms set forth in the relevant arrangement.

THUNDER FROM P11

Pakistan for the purchase of 20 Super Mashak while a deal with Turkey for the sale of 52 Super Mashak had almost been finalized.

Rana Tanveer emphasized the need for joint venture in defense production between the two countries.

Ambassador Shaheen said Egypt seeking collaboration of Pakistan in the defense industry. A delegation from Egypt would visit defense production facilities in Pakistan to look into the possibility of buying defenserelated products, he added.

The minister invited the distinguished guest to visit the defense production establishments of Pakistan.

GEMS FROM P25

hereafter, through a direct, unequivocal insight into the real nature of one’s past doings, and into the inescapability of the suffering which man brings upon himself by a wrong, wasteful use of the boon of life. ___________________ Note: In one of his books, Muhammad Asad has described how, while he was travelling in a Berlin underground train in the 1920s, reflection upon this Surah convinced him of the truth of the message of the Qur’an. All around him, the faces of the evening commuters showed signs of deep stress. He saw that the Qur’an was referring to this stress, arising from the rat-race and the desire to keeping up with the Jone-

ses, which is a phenomenon of modern times - unknown in the Arabian 5. Community Outreach society of more than thirteen hundred The current efforts at comyears ago. These verses convinced him munity outreach are clearly insufthat the Quran’s message from God is ficient to meet the challenge of for all people and for all times. the times. These efforts must be doubled up and expanded. Local and national organizations that SCAMS FROM P19 protect themselves against the utility are engaged in this effort must phone scam and stay alert this holiday be encouraged and supported.

Bridges of understanding and coseason.”

Local police departments have alitions of purpose must be built been working with SCE to capture these with like-minded civil organizaperpetrators. The Monterey Park Police tions. Operational transparency Department has been issuing search and close coordination with law warrants to track down the telephone enforcement agencies are essennumbers used by the suspects. They have tial. also issued warrants for the IP address to At the highest spiritual level, locate which Internet carrier and portals there exists a covenant between the scam came from. man and God. “Al Astu Be Rab“We believe there are many more bikum” (Am I not your Creator, victims out there who have not reported Sustainer and Cherisher?) asked these scams,” said Monterey Park Police the Divine voice (7:172). “Qalu, Department Detective Bob Hung. ”We Bala’ (Yes indeed, You are!) ando want the public to be made aware swered the human. At the temand be cognizant of what is going on out poral level, every citizen has a there.” contract with the United States. It Since the first scam call came in six is obligatory on all citizens of the months ago, Lee continued to receive United States, Christian, Muslims, calls at his business weekly for several Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, months. secularists, believers, disbelievAnd he has some advice for other ers, indeed all the people of the businesses to avoid being scammed. land, to honor this contract and “Be on top of your bill and use the defend the Constitution. Muslim SCE online services to confirm every- children must receive instruction thing,” he said. in the Constitution of the United Here are some other tips to avoid States and the Bill of Rights so that they become conscious of being scammed: • SCE never calls customers on their rights and responsibilities. the telephone and demands immediate Honoring of contracts is a Divine payment with the threat of service dis- commandment: “O you who have certainty of faith, do honor your connection.

• SCE does not accept prepaid contracts” (Qur’an, 5:1). cash cards for bill payments.

6. A Charter of Ehsan (Excel• SCE does not have a Disconnection Department. lence) for Muslim Organizations For more information: on.sce.com/ When asked by the Angel JiScamAlert. brael, the Prophet explained the inner meaning of Ehsan: “It is to CALL FROM P19 American mosques and recom- worship (serve) Allah as if you see mended special IDs and databases for Him. And if you do not see him (and for sure you cannot), know American Muslims.

CAIR recently joined leaders of that He sees you.” What is Ehsan?

New Jersey’s Muslim community, in- It is the love of a mother for her terfaith partners and public officials baby. It is the compassion of a fain Jersey City, NJ, to condemn leading ther for his children. It is the light Trump’s false claim that Muslims in imparted by a teacher to her pupil. that state “celebrated” the 9/11 terror It is feeding the hungry and giving attacks. shelter to the homeless. It is supporting a poor student. It is a kind word spoken to a neighbor or the FEAR FROM P31 Wahab of Najd. In the twentieth good counsel given to a friend. It century, as the stranglehold of co- is lending a hand to a man when lonial European rule loosened with he is down on the ground. It is to the two World Wars, there emerged serve the community that gives the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt, you work and sustains your famthe Jamat e Islami of India-Paki- ily. It is to protect your habitat and stan, and other right wing move- excel in deeds that make life on ments offering the promise of a planet earth beautiful. return to the golden years of early I call upon Muslim organiIslam. A large number of Muslims zations in America to draw up a bought into the promise but the re- Charter of Ehsan, in fulfillment of sults were disappointing. the Divine command to struggle The Salafi movements gath- and create a society “enjoining ered momentum with the rise of what is good, forbidding what is the Taliban after the Soviet invasion evil and believing in God.” Disof Afghanistan and the subsequent card the soiled clothes of excluemergence of Al Qaeda and Daesh. sion and hate. Don the resplenWhat is significant is that Islamic dent robes of compassion and scholarship failed to evolve a co- love. Focus on excellence – excelherent, determined and successful lence in knowledge, excellence response to Salafism for three hun- in worship, excellence in service. dred years except for rear guard ac- This is the inner meaning of the tion by a receding and moribund Divine mandate: “I created not Sufi tradition. beings of energy and beings of If Islam is to reclaim its spiri- clay except to serve Me”.

In today’s world when hutual core as a faith dedicated to knowledge, service and worship, man progress is limited only by and a rightful place alongside other the speed of light and the human great traditions of humankind, it capacity to absorb change, civilimust discard its salafist robes and zations overlap and complement rediscover the universal message each other. Spiritual Islam has the of the Qur’an and the love of the historical opportunity to round Prophet. This is a challenge that the off the jagged edges of a materialAmerican Muslim community can ist global civilization and awaken no longer defer. humankind to its pristine noble

www.PakistanLink.com

destiny.

Islam is a living civilization.

Each time it faces a trial, it dives deep into its own soul, renews itself and comes out triumphant. In America, Islam will go through a two-way osmosis, providing yet another color to the rich spectrum of ideas in the American crucible, and in the process rediscovering its own soul.

(Note: An earlier version of this article by Dr Ahmed was published in the Los Angeles Times on April 9, 1988. It has been revised and considerably expanded for Pakistan Link to reflect the current socio-l political context) OBAMA FROM P1

whether we are confronted by a cancer that has no immediate cure,” he said, speaking from a lectern in his West Wing office. “The threat from terrorism is real, but we will overcome it,” he declared.

He called on Muslims in the US and around the world to take up the cause of fighting extremism. The spread of radical Islam into American communities, he said, is “a real problem that Muslims must confront without excuse.”

AMBASSADOR FROM P1

that President Obama in his address to the American nation on Dec 6, 2015 rightly acknowledged the positive role played by Muslim Americans as friends, neighbors, co-workers, sports heroes and men and women in uniform willing to die in defense of the United States. We are thankful to President Obama for his prudent approach towards this issue.

We draw satisfaction from the fact that Pakistan and the United States have been long-standing and trusted partners in the global effort to combat terrorism and closely cooperate to address challenges facing their respective countries.

During the course of our engagement, the US authorities have assured us that Muslim communityparticularly Pakistani-Americansbeing equal citizens of the United States, would not be subjected to any discriminatory measures. The Embassy intends to sustain these constructive measures with the authorities concerned for ensuring that the community is continued to be recognized as peaceful, lawabiding and responsible citizens and residents of the United States.

The Government of Pakistan accords a high priority to safeguarding the interests of PakistaniAmerican community and we have full confidence in the community’s resilience to cope with such challenges.

I am sure that as an active member of the Pakistani-American community, you would be able to reassure your fellow Pakistanis with regard to our efforts for the protection of their rights and interests.

You can play an important role at this challenging time to reinforce the community’s role as peace-loving, moderate and hard-working citizens. I strongly recommend that the positive and constructive approach reflected in President’s address must be duly acknowledged by the Pakistanis American community. I would encourage you to optimally utilize social media and other appropriate means to that end.

As the Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States, let me reiterate continued cooperation and support of my team in this noble endeavor.

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DECEMBER 11, 2015 - PAKISTAN LINK

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

ENTERTAINMENT

P30 – PAKISTAN LINK – DECEMBER 11, 2015

his past October, in an essay now gone viral, Jennifer Lawrence wrote about her frustration when she found out - vis-a-vis the great email hack of Sony last year - that she and co-star Amy Adams were paid less than the rest of the (male) American Hustle cast.

Despite Jennifer being an Oscar winner and Amy being an Oscar nominee, and, in the case of Amy Adams, having far more screen time than most of the men in American Hustle, the women still took an approximate 7% hit on pay day compared to their male co-stars.

Doesn't seem like much except we're talking about millions of dollars, in which case - well, that's a whole lot of money.

In the aftermath of Jennifer Lawrence's essay, plenty of Hollywood starlets (and a couple of prominent actors) have opened up

T

about the injustice of male co-stars consistently out-earning female actors.

Bollywood celebrities have also spoken up about the salary imbalance at home with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan tackling the issue alongside Salma Hayek at a Cannes Film Festival panel.

Though a fledgling industry, it's been a great year to be an actor or actress in Lollywood. As actor-producer Humayun Saeed puts it, "Pakistani artists are very well paid with the average actor making 10 lakh rupees a month (Rs 1 million) and some lead actors making 25-30 lakh rupees (Rs 2-3.5 million)."

Most artists interviewed for this piece agreed that yes, there is a pay gap between male and female co-stars in Pakistan. But opinions on the extent and countervailing factors behind this wage gap disparity vary.

What's the biggest factor: star

power or gender?

Humayun Saeed admits to having been the highest paid cast member of Bin Roye (also featuring the very bankable superstar Mahira Khan).

But, according to Saeed, other factors influence an artist's salary other than just gender.

"Pay is dependent on how much value one has at the box office," says Saeed, who attributes his seniority in the industry as the main reason for why his superstar-female colleague was paid less.

Veteran actress Atiqa Odho's experience echoes that of Humayun Saeed.

"Pay is dependent on how much value one has at the box office," says Humayun Saeed. However, he has also said he walked away with the biggest paycheck from Bin Roye, which also starred the very bankable Mahira Khan "If you're a senior artist with box office pull, you can dictate in your contract everything from hygienic food, AC, working toilets to your paycheck.

If you do your craft well, the money follows," says Odho, adding that she has "never been in a project where a man has been paid more than [her]."

Upfront, Atiqa Odho's claim that she earns more than her male colleagues might seem like a stretch.

Instantly, her very famous, on-screen son Fawad Khan comes to mind. But, based on anecdotal evidence provided by all artists interviewed for this piece, it is quite possible that someone like Atiqa Odho would walk away on payday with the heaviest pockets.

"Don't take female actors lightly these days," says Ali Kazmi. "Since the late '90s, early 2000s and for sure in this past decade, our TV industry has [greatly] empowered our female actors."

"Pakistan's film and TV industry is surprisingly progressive because women have been a powerful presence in the media for some time," says Kazmi listing a long roster of successful women who dominate Pakistan's entertainment industry; from Hum TV network owner Sultana Siddiqui to the abundantly creative, internationally renowned director-producer Mehreen Jabbar to the bold and brilliant Oscarwinning documentary maker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.

When it comes to both the silver and small screen, Pakistani actresses

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do dominate in terms of presence, no doubt. But whether this means they get to pack up and go home with the big bucks is not as clear.

Is it all about the money, or is there something else?

You can't have a conversation about Pakistani films and genderbased wage gaps without bringing in Mahira Khan, arguably one of Pakistan's most popular and most bankable stars.

This past year, Mahira Khan starred in Bin Roye (opposite Humayun Saeed), played a small part in Sarmad Khoosat's Manto, is set to

commercials my outlook is different.

And in that area, I do try to set certain standards, financially or otherwise."

"How much money I demand -- or don't demand -- is my prerogative as an actor," says Mahira Khan.

"However, when it comes to commercials my outlook is different. And in that area, I do try to set certain standards, financially or otherwise."

Khan reveals that the financial standards she sets for herself as a brand ambassador were inspired by a conversation she had with Atiqa Odho, when the two appeared in Humsafar together. "Atiqa Odho is one of first

appear in upcoming film Ho Mann Jahaan, and filmed Bollywood flick Raees opposite the king himself, Shahrukh Khan.

"Actresses have always been in a position of power," says Khan. "In fact, both male and female actors are in that position now."

Still, the actress confesses that money isn't the deciding factor for her when it comes to choosing roles.

"Money is not a driving force for me when it comes to my passion, that is, dramas and films," she says. "How much money I demand -- or don't demand -- is my prerogative as an actor. However, when it comes to

people to set standards for in the industry for how actors are paid and treated," says Khan. "She told me: 'even if you don't do it for yourself -do it for the others."

Indeed, Khan is of the opinion that what's even more important than cold hard cash right now is the creation of an infrastructure that supports actors and their creative endeavors. "We don't have managers, we don't have agencies, we don't have any investment in that area. That's where the problem lies. It's very hard for an artist to negotiate their fees. My job is to act, my manager's job should be to handle the business side of it."

COMMENTARY

DECEMBER 11, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P31

Turbulent Times

n By Azher Quader Community Builders Council Chicago, IL

W

e live in turbulent times. We have witnessed enormously significant happenings that will be long remembered and oft written about in the days and years to come. In science and technology of course there is so much for us to rejoice and celebrate as we look back these past fifty years.

From the days of the Russian sputnik to Armstrong’s landing on the moon, from the inability to predict major storms to the accurate tracking of destructive hurricanes, from the introduction of the microchip to the beginnings of the Internet, from the bulky PCs to the portable laptops, the tablets, and the palm size cell phones, from open incision operations to non-invasive robotic surgeries, from the magic of faxes and copiers to the convenience of emails, texting, whatsap and to the connected world of Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, and the list goes on and on.

In politics we have experienced both delight and dismay from such momentous events as the election of Obama, the assassinations of Kennedy, Malcolm X and King, the revelations of Watergate, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the wedding of Diana and Charles, the retreat from Vietnam, the tragedy of 9/11, the start of the war on terror to the current crisis with ISIS to name a few.

In sports who can forget Muhammad Ali, who captured our imagination both in and out of the ring and our victory over the Russians on Olympic ice in 82 which gave us a thrilling moment to remember. In music we danced to the songs of the Beatles and rocked with Elvis and hummed the tunes, which Rafi immortalized for us.

Yes, our generation has already lived through much and witnessed a lot. Our rendezvous with destiny still continues. America today is at a crossroads, where our founding principles are being challenged. There is reason for concern and need to reflect as our understanding of democracy; freedom, justice and security are being tested. Our priceless gift of democracy, once a repository of the peoples’ will, is being auctioned off to the highest bidders in the country. Our freedoms and liberties we once used to so cherish, are under attack. Our privacy and security once enjoyed without questions, unencumbered by the surveillance of anyone, public or private, are being threatened.

Life and death play fateful games every day on our urban streets. Our lives are not safe even in the custody of those who are sworn to protect FEAR FROM P24

ideology promises to right the wrong, sometimes offering the promise of a reward in return for radical deeds.

4. Violence. This is the destructive phase where an individual takes out his anger causing harm and destroying himself in the process.

There is no room for destructive behavior in a civil society. It is imperative that the youth be counseled, supported and nurtured in these difficult times.

First, at the most basic and human level, learn to listen to the youth. Anger begins when a person feels he is not heard. Anger subsides when a person feels he has been “heard”. Every mosque or community center must offer counseling to the youth by trained personnel or by community elders who can share what they have learned from the “school of hard-knocks”.

Secondly, Islam must be taught in its pristine core as a loving and living faith whose function it is to elevate humankind to the pinnacle of inner knowledge of the soul and the outer knowledge of the universe so that man attains the highest consciousness of divine presence and

us. After the lapse of four centuries we still continue to ask that age-old question, do black lives matter? Indeed we may go even further to ask, do any lives matter in our country today? Our valiant youth, our pride and joy, are being sent away to shed their blood and give their lives on distant lands, so our hunger for global power and our thirst for cheap oil may get satisfied. Over four thousand have perished and the number keeps growing every day. Our longest war in the nation’s history continues without an end in sight.

Our shameful greed for profits, our incessant denial to share the benefits with the workers who make those profits possible, leaves an ugly stain on the clean canvas of capitalism. We are told our businesses will suffer if workers are paid more.

Try living on minimum wage in the richest country on earth, to know what it is like to live pay check to pay check, to show up for work when you are sick, to go to sleep when you are hungry.

We have a code word for our indifference: compassionate conservatism! Whither the wealth we possess, the compassion we claim?

What about a political system where the voice of the people is silenced? How about a criminal justice system where black lives don’t matter? How about a healthcare system which denies health coverage to all? How about an educational system which leaves the student buried in debt for life? How about a banking system where banking overlords commit financial murder, rob millions of their life savings and no one goes to jail? Whither the long arms of justice?

When the extremism of a few clouds the conscience of the many, can we remain to be sensible or even sensitive to the rights of those who pursue another faith, or to the plight of those who

discharges his divinely ordained mandate to know Him and serve Him. Third, methods and processes for addressing grievances must be offered. If a job is not a good one, then one gets a different job or starts a business. If there is harassment, one has recourse to legal remedies.

If there is discrimination, one moves away from the sources of discrimination and associates with those who accept him. Which ethnic group in America has not faced some form of discrimination? The blacks, the Chinese, the Jews, the Irish all faced discrimination in their journey to the American dream, some more so than others. Each group has learned to overcome it in its own way, consistent with its internal social genius.

3. Disengagement from Foreign Conflicts The nascent Islamic community is in no position to weather the storms generated by foreign conflicts. The Qur’an declares “Allah does not place a burden on a soul greater than it can bear.” ( 2:286 ).

If you attach a jack fruit (a large fruit that grows in the tropics and in Southern India and weighs up to

linger and toil in the shadows of a system that denies them legal status? Can we be the welcoming nation we once were for the huddled masses who came to our hopeful shores from troubled lands?

We live in turbulent times indeed. We are today at such a crossroad where the voices of passion are becoming more louder than the voices of reason. Our fear of the unknown has pitted citizen against citizen, patriot against patriot. We no longer want to be a refuge for the tormented and a home for the dispossessed fleeing from the tyranny of their intolerant societies. We talk about internment today. About building walls and mass deportations. How far have we moved in the darkness of our fears? How far from the light, which guided our ways? Our failure to control violence at home mirrors the violence abroad that we cannot contain. The justice we practice neither touches the criminals on Wall Street nor the innocents in our back streets.

Our culture of dependency imprisons the poor to remain poor. Our high cost of college creates debtors for life. Our courts give verdicts denying the will of the voters, the knowledge of science and the wisdom of God. We were once pilgrims of faith who valued family structures. Our ethics were strong, our promises were lasting. Marriages were built on commitments we made. Today marriage is out, cohabitation is in. Kids grow up not seeing their dads. Life is such a struggle to survive who has the time to be a parent anymore.

We worry about the kids not performing in schools. How will they without the love they crave from the people they care? Our pride in sexual freedoms mocks the morality we so proudly uphold. Adultery is in fashion. Premarital sex has become the new norm. Unwanted

100 pounds) to a twig, the twig will snap from the weight of the fruit.

Much of the convulsion in the American Muslim community is a blow-back from foreign conflicts and the continuing devastations in West Asia. If the peoples of the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia cannot resolve their political disputes, is it reasonable to expect the struggling American Muslim community to resolve them? Politics is the art of the possible. It requires emotive intelligence. One can demand moral outrage at perceived or real injustices in the world but moral outrage carries no weight in real politic. The arbitration of realism is invoked here. The capability of a nascent, struggling, small American Muslim community is limited to working with like-minded civil society organizations in America, extending humanitarian and moral support to suffering people around the globe on the basis of equity and justice.

4. Rediscover the Qur’an and the Love of the Prophet: Faith, Knowledge, Service, Worship Faith is the basis of civilization.

Where there is no faith, there is no

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pregnancies are an inconvenience. Abortions are the answer and sanctioned by the law. Pornography is big business. Sex crimes lurk in the sacred spaces where we go to pray. Look where freedom without any boundaries takes us to. The freedoms we demand deny the boundaries they require.

Our right to free speech refuses to feel the pain and agony it creates when exercised without limits. Our right and freedom to bear arms shuts its eyes to the carnage we see from the absence of common sense gun laws we fail to accept.

Look again at the outcomes of freedoms without boundaries. Less than a hundred years ago, a poet philosopher of the East, warned a people of another place in another time, against the real threats for losing relevance and power. His simple message to practice love not hate, to be just not unjust and to act without prejudice for race or creed, may still be a good start for us to regain our compass. Ujaarha Hai Tameez-e-Millat-oAaeen Ne Qoumon Ko Mere Ahl-e-Watan Ke Dil Mein Kuch Fikar-e-Watan Bhi Hai? Distinction of sects and disregard for justice has destroyed nations Is there any concern for the homeland in my compatriot’s hearts? Taassub Chorh Nadan! Dehr Ke Aaeena Khane Mein Ye Tasveerain Hain Teri Jin Ko Samjha Hai Bura Tu Ne Give up prejudice O imprudent one! In the world’s mirror house They are your own reflections which you have taken as evil ones Na Samjho Ge To Mit Jao Ge ‘Mere Hamwathan*’ Walo ! Tumhari Dastan Tak Bhi Na Ho Gi Dastanon Mein You will be wiped out if you do not understand, O people of my country! Even your tales will not remain among the tales of history Iqbal (with an apology for changing * Ai Hindosthan walo to Mere Hamwathan Walo). Here perhaps is the troubling message on our wall we are not paying attention to, as we walk by it worrying about so many other issues of our turbulent times. Ignoring family as the foundation for our societal life is bankrupting us as a nation. Ignoring justice as a value that transcends our politics and our passions, is blinding us in our search for security. Ignoring the boundaries of freedom to have necessary limits, is frustrating us in our pursuit for peace.

The writing on our wall will likely not change, for it is written with the enduring ink of permanent principles. Are we willing to read and pay heed? In the interest of our children and our future, let us hope that those endowed with vision and capacity will pause to read and rise to make a difference. Whenever America’s vision has been blurred by misguided passions, people of faith have stood up to speak out and correct the course. As the newest faith community to grace the scene and join the ranks of the faithful, Muslims too can add their voice and become more audible. - azherquader@yahoo.com

civilization. Faith makes it possible for ordinary people to work together and achieve uncommon results Spiritual Islam is a commandment of Allah. Political Islam is a development of history. The Qur’an declares: “Ma Qalakhtul Jinna Wal Ins Illa Le Yabudoon” (I created not beings of energy and beings of clay except to worship (serve) Me). A Hadith e Qudsi declares: “I was an unknown treasure. I willed that I be known. Therefore, I created”. Thus knowledge, service and worship are at the core of Islamic faith.

Traditional Islam cultivated these core values. That is how it attracted to its fold millions of people of different races and regions, from lands as diverse as Nigeria, Indonesia, Bosnia, Bangladesh, China, India and the United States. Historical Islam moved away from these core values. It started with the destruction of tombs and ended up with the destruction of historical monuments.

The first significant milestone on the road to Salafism occurred in 1658 when Aurangzeb defeated Dara Shikoh, the heir apparent to the Mogul emperor Shah Jehan.

Dara was a scholar-prince who was

trained by the Qadariya Sufi Shaikh Mian Pir of Lahore. His translation of the Hindu epics, the Upanishads, into Farsi under the title Sirr-e-Akbar (the greatest of the mysteries), was an honest intellectual search for the truth that transcends dogmatic religion. The book became available in Europe through its Latin translation and influenced the works of the German philosopher Schopenhauer.

Suffice it to state here that after his defeat at the Battle of Samugarh (1658), Dara was brought to Delhi and paraded on a dirty elephant as a renegade to Islam because of his scholarly pursuits and his befriending of Hindus and Sikhs. He was executed and his head was sent on a tray to the ailing emperor Shah Jehan. People of wisdom say that the genesis of nightfall is at midday when the sun is at its brightest.

The genesis of Salafism occurred in the mid-seventeenth century, at the height of Islamic power in India, Iran and the Ottoman Empire.

As Muslims lost their political power to a resurgent Europe, they receded further into a cocoon of Salafism. The subsequent century saw the rise of Shaikh Abdel FEAR, P28

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P32 – PAKISTAN LINK – DECEMBER 11, 2015

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