Dear Israel… thank you

When we look into the mirror and like what we say, we can claim the mirror was made in Israel, and go on living in ignorance.Recommend

So overwhelmingly frustrating, tragic and pathetic! Everyday we seem to sink lower than before.
Superb article Sami – bravo! at least you said it all out.Recommend

This is very well written and very true.
Exactly how different are we?Recommend

Great satire… but truly, how long can we live with the hidden bruises on our socio-political fabric?! It would be far better if the whole world realizes what plague we are in Pakistan. We need to get humiliated, to realize the true face of bigotry and cruelty that we really are. We need to be the most hated corner, whichever corner we pick in the comity of nations. Until all of us realize how truly dirty we are, I don’t think we can expect much of a change.Recommend

Thanks for suhc a daring and honest article.Recommend

I feel that the article is an overly simplified analysis of a problem far deeper. This is a form of civil unrest, no international newspapers or journalists cry out in such circumstances. The flotilla episode is one on a greater scale, comprising many countries; and it involves an external oppressor. Our villain comes from within us. On some levels this mind game is far worse than Israel’s – we never know who the enemy is. The situation in Gaza and with Israel appears to be more black and white (perhaps due to all the scrutiny that has taken place over the years, dissecting the history of horrors into pieces).
Where do you start to protest? Jut because we are silent, it does not mean we are complicit. As a Pakistani horrified with the treatment of other Pakistanis, the prejudices and discrimination, I can only lament we do not have foreign newspapers and journalists fighting our cause but I do not blame the wider world. Nor do I take blame for not taking to the streets- its a sad sad day when protests and taking to the streets does no good and makes no difference. At least in other countries the power of crying out in unison and brightly coloured banners receives attention. But not in this country. The problem is not that we do not protest, the problem is that we know in our heart of hearts shouting slogans and carrying placards will do no good.Recommend

Brilliant and absolutely true!!!we people really are pathetic and despicable loosers.when we get to know that we might have to something more than just shout and burn tyres on streets, that we have to do something constructive, we prefer to look the other way.because those people believe something different than what we think is normal, we treat them as vermin.brilliantly said.keep it up.Recommend

Brilliantly written! Still darkly funny but also thoughtful.Recommend

@Sadduf and the rest – silence is compliance. You admit your self – you do nothing. How then, if you do nothing a difference will be made. We have a saying in football – if you don’t shoot, you don’t score. YOu never even took a kick and want to score?

Yes its not an exact science but if you are going to give up before even starting – then its the end!! Religion is a choice, so is citizenship – you are free to choose your nationality!

Moaning and whinning never got you anything. Those people who opened fire got what they wanted, what about you? are you willing to get up and fight for what you want??

we have given our state institution more power than what they should have, we have relegated our duties to them. we pay them (illegally) to get OUR work done. Whose fault is that?? OURS!!!!!!!Recommend

Take a bow Sami. You could replace the word Pakistan in this essay with any other country, even India and it woudl still hold true… In some ways i feel i am better off being an atheist, rather than following the well laid out (albeit bloody) path to God. I am sure he will forgive my choice….

Also my heart goes out to each and everyone of you helpless souls, who are crushed between zealots on one hand and loud political rhetoric on the other. I am sure you will emerge victorious in this war against the merchants of god’s will…Recommend

Woops that was Blunt and not Bunt sorryRecommend

When we look into the mirror and like what we say, we can claim the mirror was made in Israel, and go on living in ignorance.

well said @Nadir El Edroos…

we will go on to any length to say that the state of our nation today is not of our doing but our silence is killing the very future we are striving to save!!!Recommend

Well written . But i must say that why we are waiting for the proper leader leader comes from the ordanry man . u have spoken out the words and i read columns all say no leader here then why not you poeple come out and lead the nation. like Hamid mir, Talat hussain, Javaid Chodery, Orya maqbool.
you have base u people spaek than why not u people leaad us and pakisatn will support u.Recommend

a truly well – written piece sami! quite an eye-opener for many i would imagine!!Recommend

Hopefully the terrorist attacks in Lahore were not state-sponsored, unlike the attack on the flotilla…in which case the whole comparison falls rather flat on its face.
Having said that we are no aliens to state sponsored terrorism either. But is the US alien to that? Or India? Or China? Or Turkey itself?
Just to put things in perspective.Recommend

This is exactly what a friend and I were discussing this afternoon – the compulsion for exclusion. The indelible scar in the conciousness of the rest of the world of the holocaust is what keeps such societies (which continue to be plagued by extremism and discrimination, ’cause what can you do about human nature) from the brink of such an extreme reality ever again. The world remembers the horror of how an entire society can become complicit to atrocity.

Somehow, culturally, historically (I don’t know what to blame for this) we’ve bypassed this lesson completely. So much so that holocaust denial and/or admiration of Hitler is used as a childish taunt (nyah nyah, I’m defying you so I’m going to say I like things that you despise). The fact that this is considered acceptable just underlines depth of our ignorance (the most dangerous thing in the world).

But as a result, as a society we seem willing to test the limits of how far we will push exclusion, assured that the rest of the Muslim world is culturally and religiously just like us (our arrogance in our ignorance is astounding).

Thus we remain blind to the nihilist consequences to ourselves of such exclusion.Recommend

since people weren’t really saying all that israil deserves….( i really tried not to vent my feelings(on israil) and kill the whole spirit of the piece but couldn’t resist in my last comment) as for the article>>>>>
i can’t believe i would ever say that but….
SAMI>>>>i couldn’t agree more!point taken!Recommend

A very illogical, totally emotional column. You can write funny things and thats it.
The comparison of Israeli attack and attack on Ahmedi’s place of worship is far more senseless and idiotic Sami.

State sponsored terrorism and inhuman actions of individuals cannot be compared.
What Israel and US has been doing since long is worst kind of state terrorism. They have killed millions of innocent people using far more brutal force.

In Pakistan, we have problems and we have seen so many incidents recently after US invasion in Afghanistan where innocent people are killed by mislead individual groups and that are terrorist acts. Our people have seen these acts all over the country against almost everyone. Armed Forces, Police and other law enforcement agencies are attacked. Sunny, Shia ‘Masajid’ and “Imam bargahs” are attacked. Hotels, market places even factories with labors are attacked.

It is very much common and people feel helpless now. Does this all have anything to do with Ahmadi thing? No. Not at all.Recommend

This is the best piece of writing on the Ahmadi massacre that I have read so far. Brilliantly done.Recommend

very well-written. we have all the time and resources to take out processions against cartoons and what not, but never to protest against minority killings. That idiotic “We stand against draw muhammad day” facebook page had 80,000 members, most of which were Pakistanis, within 24 hours. I’m still waiting to see a single page with 80,000 members to protest against the Ahmedi massacre. We deserve to be ridiculed all around the world!Recommend

Back in 1984 when I was leading a company of fine Punjabi soldiers in Gilgit, all of us dressed as Mujaheddin under the leadership of Sheikh Usama bin Laden who was sent by General Musharraf, we disposed of many more than 100 Ahmadiyas. There is no comparison between the rioting inside Pakistan leading to occasional explosions, and the heinous killing of 12 innocent Muslims by the infidel Israelis.Recommend

Sad aren’t we….we just avoid looking in the mirror…may we truly find the ideals of goodness we all think we strive towards and be pure of purpose, heart and mind…create harmony based on discipline and an impartial and fair law tempered by love and tolerance for all who are Pakistanis…i would live nowhere else in the world and for all those who feel the same let us try and make it so and raise future generations to think and act on these ideals.Recommend

I have no sympathy whatsoever for Palestinians much less Arabs. Where is the Arab sympathy for Kashmiris and their outrage when people are massacred in Indian occupied Kashmir?Recommend

i cant help but feel chokingly sad at your article. discrimination can occur at any level and can be from any party, it’s not that non religious or people with a different ‘set of ideas defining islam’ do not discriminate. what does “And finally, there is us. We. You. Me. The general population of Pakistan.” go on to show? exactly what hintington said… the “us” and the “other”.the preceding paragraph talks about the “other” and then it’s “us”… the “GENERAL” popoulation of pakistan? what is general? are we general? really, less than 10% literate educated elites of pakistan are general? the general, my friend, fortunately or unfortunately, is what you call the “other”. we are the ones who would get out of this country on the very first opportunity. why are we holding dillusions about us being general? general is the guy who hasn’t read marx, or goes to a good hospotal, general is the man who sells his kidney to get medicine for his mother, general is the guy who is working, and his wife is also working, and who dont have time to watch the soaps or the talk shows for that matter, or read this article at the very least. what we should be doing and what they should be doing is a separate story. i do agree with you that we -yes, we – who don’t have to worry where the next roti in the house is going to come from, we who can think of going to nathiagali when it gets hot and get a generator if we have to stick to our cities in lahore, khi or islamabad – we have to do a lot more than what you suggest. the poor guy in the street doesn’t have time and cannot afford to have tear gas in his eyes when he protests because he’s got kids and wife and a sister and parents to feed. and we, while ‘educated’ don’t want to go out in the field, do a bit of QRM (if you know what i mean), and check out what they actually teach to the real ‘general’ population. sad as it is, we being educated and having the resources, reiterate the stereotypes that the media feeds us. we look at reality from a distance because we dont want to get our hands dirty. it’s very easy to write a post here, and then write a comment underneath, but who the heck from us want to take the pains of even listening to what the ‘general’ population of pakistan has to say. we want to prove Ahamadi/Qadiyanis just define islam in another way, we have got to prove it.ask ahmadis, read up on their OWN books, and their scholars because really, your value judgement is the last thing you yourself should rely on.

it’s pathetic how we make this they/us divide stronger and define it in our own ways. and then claim things on popular notions rather than doing a proper research and study on it. and no, by pursuing to knwo the reality, i dont mean checking out their fanpage on facebook. because thats now what defines us as “educated”. jeezRecommend

There is no comparison between Pakistan and Israel. The flotilla incident was a state sponsered act of terrorism in which a minister went and personally thanked the commandos involved. The mosque incident was an act perpetrated by a group condemned by all. And when we call invoke the wrath and hatred of the world upon ourselves by saying “we should be the most hated corner of the world” I believe thats known as cutting off your nose to spite your face. We are Pakistanis and until we learn to love defend and work for the betterment of our country we are simply contributing to our ghastly media image abroad by ONLY critisising. Ever caught Indians doing that? Hate the acts, dont lambast the whole of Pakistan morons!!!!!!!!Recommend

This is like accusing an evil against another and having a comparative analysis. Which one is better? Let me rephrase: Which one is worst? :)Recommend

Thank you Sami Shah for writing such an honest, apt and brilliant article. Keep writing such stuff and urge the government to repeal the anti-Ahmadi laws and put an end to the hate campaign being carried out by some religious parties and such anti-Ahmadi sections. Some people just never fail to show their callousness and rigidity in this matter. Its a shame that some people have become so immune to violence that even at a time like this, when hundreds of Ahmadis have been martyred and several injured are still critical, people are saying it happens to all and Friday’s attacks were not a result of a hate campaign against them. Why don’t these people open their eyes and look around them; anti-Ahmadi sections have posted hate literature everywhere and many ulemas have openly declared them to be ‘wajib ul qatil’…Why doesn’t the government take immediate action to strike down such hate mongers? Why are people not courageous enough to demand from the government to repeal anti-Ahmadi laws? What are they afraid of? Posting comments and writing articles is not enough anymore…I wish everyone could realize this…Sadly, even when I am writing this, i know its too much too ask for…Recommend

Brilliant piece ! Pakistan has become the killing field or should I say a slaughter house of human beings.No one is safe in this land of Pak which was created on the name of religion . This monster of fanaticism and extremism nourished by the State itself is ready to swallow everyone.Pakistanis (Majority of them) are still occupied with the conspiracies theories created by the media anchors , journalists , politicians and ex-military Generals.According to those theories the whole world should be blamed for the present mess in Pakistan.For how long they will deny the fact that for the last 63+ year of its history a lot went wrong.The destruction is looming and this criminal silence is continued.Recommend

i want to say something that. Israel will always do such mischiefs bcoz this is his aim in this world to disturb others. Always be aware of such unexpected event done by these villainous. if u are true Muslim then struggle to overcome our deficiencies. and dont be a slave of these animal like humanRecommend

Very well written. Just a comment to all those well-informed people here who bleat repeatedly, that Israel’s attack was state-sponsored terrorism – you need to get your facts right. The Ahmadi community also faces state-sponsored terrorism. News to you? Read your constitution! If that isnt terrorism, permitted and accepted and lauded by the State of Pakistan, then I dont know what is. Its as Sami said, it Pakistan worse than Israel.. because Pakistan terrorises Pakistanis!Recommend

The Gaza Blockade epitomizes human cruelty and the Israelis justify this cruelty in the name of self-defense. The Flotilla massacre only highlights the lengths to which the Israeli government will go to defend their claim that they are the only victims that really count and that the Blockade, even if it creates human suffering, is a necessary evil. The protests against the Flotilla massacre are aimed at highlighting how shallow and cruel this Israeli position is.

The massacre of Amhedis in Pakistan even if it has been committed by non-state actors is neverthless backed by state discrimination against a religious minority. As the author suggests, this means that we are all in some way complicit in this activity insofar as we do not take a stand against it. But, the question is still, why should these two forms of injustice be pitted against one another? Do we have to choose between them as the author suggests? It seems that too many so called liberals in Pakistan think that we should abandon all political causes, like the Israeli occupation, simply beacause these causes are being championed by the religious right in Pakistan. This is a horribly flawed way to approach the problem. We need to show the rest of Pakistan that we are willing to stand up against injustice whether this takes place within or beyond our borders. If we do not, then we will never have the moral high ground at home and we will be seen by most as hypocrites.Recommend

Thanks for sharing this interesting article. We are so ready to condemn Irael’s move on the aid ships blockade, but as a nation seem to have forgotten about the Ahmadi losses in Lahore. What a tragedy, we are hell bent on being the protectors of Islam and all it encompasses, and have brushed under the carpet the minority rights.
I interviewed several people only last Sunday on the issue, and strange as it may seem – five respondent said its a non-issue but were so ready to talk about Seattle’s cartoonist and DRAW Muhammad contest on Facebook. Several people brushed off my question with laughs and comments, quoting them here ‘ well – the Ahmadi’s deserve such fates, they are not real muslims, and so on and so forth.’
Being a developmental journalist myself, working on Violence against women/children and gender issues, I am afraid to report that I counter such attitudes on a daily basis and it is really difficult to come to terms with how as a society we tend to brush under the carpet issues and incidents that need to be debated and taken forward for the betterment of ourselves and as a progressive nation. Or maybe — we don’t want to consider being moderate at all and are happy with our fundamentalist image.Recommend

Comparison is not befitting.
The question is why Muslims are so weak. Do they have a right to survive as a nation? What are they doing whether in the Middle East, Africa or even we in the sub continent. We Pakistanis are ten months older than Israelis. What did a amall country of little less than six million Jews of Israel did all Jews of the world, inspite of more differences among them than between we Muslims, still united they stand and can afford all aggression against all anti-semites/zionists. They have no natural resurses. They were given an area of around 5000 km at the time of their birth. Now they have more than 20000 km. Now look all natural resourses given by nature to us i.e. we Muslims Like oil, gold, uranium, all four seasons, fertile lands, and ample waters and huge human power of around 1,500,000,000 and look at what we are doing in the world? Because of corrupt Leadership of ours we have no SAY in the Worldly Affairs. And perhaps it is going to be worse when we will face our Lord.Recommend

Great Writing, Wel Done, I believe we need to make a new start altogether, starting from nullifying the objective resolution which is the basis for discrimination.

Guys please moderate this page, The post by one (Rtd. Major)is bizarre. In gilgit region sectarian violence could only erupt in 1988 just before Zia died, a state sponsored sectarian violence (Shia/Sunni), and also am not aware of any Ahmadi living there. Unless this guy ferried them from other parts of the country for the purpose.Recommend

We need more voices of sanity like yours! Keep it up!Recommend

nice piece. Sarah Silverman (comedian) tweeted just today “How could anyone’s religion be right when what u believe is almost entirely based on where ur born?” and I completely agree. Then I saw Sharmeed Obaid Chinoys’ talk (TEDx) about her documentary on how the taliban recruit and what goes on inside their ‘schools’. It can be viewed @ http://bit.ly/ciJXv6
These suicide bombers are not representative of whatever banner they are carrying; they’re nothing but zombies. Because of poverty & a million other reasons the very basic structure of family (what we once used to pride our desi selves on) has collapsed. These kids have been forgotten by society – they have no jobs, no friends, no future. And guess who’s around to comfort them? armed hairy men. to quote a term from NFP. We are a sad nation and will self-combust if we don’t do something about it nowRecommend

In reference to the word’s of the author; “We don’t protest because it would be too difficult. We don’t protest because it might mean danger to us. We don’t protest because Facebook is back online and there is so much catching up to do.”
I am not too sure if it is a good thing or not, but I certainly have to admit here that I am glad that we don’t protest! Why do we have to publish such ideas when we have already witnessed what protests in Pakistan leads to?
Burn vehicles, stone each other, face Police tear gas exposure and damage your own property just in the name of ‘Protest’ is certainly the most uncivilized form of expressing one’s disapproval. Also, if the subject for which protest has been carried out is further analyzed, it mostly turns out that half the crowd is unaware of what they were really protesting for.
The irony is that in the fierce process of protesting, the protesters miss out on their prayers in the name of ‘religion’ , they dont let ambulances make their ways in the name of ‘social service’ and kill each other in the name of ‘human rights’.Recommend

Interesting to see a confused/lost writer invoke comments of a lost nation who is more bent on ensuring their image abroad is not tarnished further. People who say weldone are the wannabees the real lost generation. And the best is the joker who says he has no sympathies for the Palestinians. This is the state of affairs that not one but multiple generations are totally lost in a inferirority complex. Grow up. At the same time do not mind the comments of our friendly neighbours like @ Kumar who proves that there could be people even more whacko then ourselves. Wonder when losers would leran to grow up and think about winning instead of whining.Recommend

@A siddiqui:
Its tough to look into the mirror na ?
One can either be an ostrich or accept his ugly face and do the correction. The writer has only done his part to put things in correct perspective.Recommend

I have risen from my chair, in the middle of my university library and al giving you a standing ovation. Give me a minute.

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Well said; and so honest. I like how Pakistani’s conveniently rise and unite against Israel when the Gaza murders are broadcasted on TV or Print, but then they (I too sometimes) forget about any such atrocity within a day and return to their bubbles of Facebook and Sunday Bazaar.

Ah, the librarian has left for his 11th tea break .. I think I’m going to start clapping again.Recommend

Greetings, I enjoy your blog. This is a nice site and I wanted to post a note to let you know, good job! Thanks TammyRecommend