The Verdict
Ban Tom & Jerry

Ban Tom & Jerry

If the Punjab government does decide to ban Hindu mythology cartoons, there are a few other things that should be banned on TV.

Ali Syed September 14, 2010

Recently the Punjab government formed a committee to see whether cartoons based on Hindu mythology should be banned or not. The reasons given were that the children of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan might come under the influence of such animations and deviate from Islam.

I am not going to get into how that is clearly ridiculous or how it is not in line with Jinnah’s vision as many have already addressed those issues. However, I would add that in case the Punjab government does decide to ban these cartoons, there are a few other things on TV that it might want to take a look at.

Tom and Jerry: A cartoon show that features a cat, Tom, and a mouse, Jerry, who indulge in the most violent form of behaviour, without suffering any sort of critical injuries. Now, if the government considers children in Pakistan to be so impressionable, or the parents to be incredibly incompetent of raising their kids, I would urge them to form a committee to ban this cartoon as well.

Tom may burn into ashes, get his tail chopped up or have a huge bump on his head, but in the next scene he returns, completely healed and rejuvenated. It would be unthinkable for us to believe that this can happen in real life but for the young kids, this may prove to be a matter of grave concern. Of course, the cat and the mouse are not Hindu so I might be wrong.

Commercials: I want the Punjab government to look into some, no, all the commercials on television that show Pakistani society to be happy, satisfied and prosperous, because such visions are also a thing of myth, and as such, possibly merit banning. Bear in mind that I might be entirely wrong in suggesting these bans, but that is why we have an elected government in place; to stop such erroneous thinking from becoming law. Right?

WRITTEN BY:
Ali Syed

The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

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COMMENTS (25)

Anoop | 13 years ago | Reply @Nobody: I bet the Khans of Bollywood and members of the minority community in our Indian Cricket team(The 2 most popular past times of India) would disagree with your sarcasm. I bet Azim Premji, the owner of the multi-billion dollar empire, in the form of Wipro(who was the richest man for the longest time in India), would disagree. Yes, there are fanatics in India, as in any other Country. But, the thing is we show them their place quickly when they get out of hand, thanks to a continues system of uninterrupted Democracy. Pakistan cant even admit it helped the US forces(whether true or not) in killing Osama, due to fear of violence. Surely if the Majority are peaceful in Pakistan, this should have been done, even it was false. Anyway, Indian Muslims are in a much better position to succeed then any Pakistani Muslim.

Nobody | 13 years ago | Reply @Anoop: Correct, Indian Muslims are so pure and non violent; they only respond when forced to after being viciously targeted by Hindu fanatics.

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Hasan | 14 years ago | Reply Let's ban Hindu cartoon and Muslim mosque at ground zero, that'll make majorities in both countries happy.

Amira | 14 years ago | Reply Friends, Aren't we forgeting that Hanuman, Ram, Laxman are all a core part of indigenous Pakistani culture. For heavens sake, Lahore was founded by Ram's son Loh (and thus named Lahore). It is silly to call the culture of our forefathers foreign. We were Hindus and Buddhists first, before we became Islamic. Or, do we still fantasize that we magically landed on the subcontinent descended from the nomadic Bedouins of Arabia? That would be quite a feat, though wouldn't put it past the mass deception that we are all so capable of. Amira

Noor-ul-aln Hanif | 14 years ago | Reply I am agree with ur point but question is dat y our children r watching dese hindi myth cartoonS? answer is dat there are no islamic base cartoons, private channels etc should start series of cartoons based on islamic stories i.e stories of prophets, or islamic history to engage children because dere are many cartoons like Choota Bhem, hanuman telecasting on channels and children are watching dem becz dey have no alternative. and ur point to ban tom n jerry also, yeah its pretty good but i my self grown up watching dis cartoon n i love it!

Anoop | 14 years ago | Reply Indian Muslims, I am sure, have watched these cartoons. But, they haven't spoiled their culture. Infact, they practice the most purest and the most non-violent form of Islam in the world. For instance, there is no Indian in Al-Qaeda. So, surely something is terribly wrong with people who argue that its going to spoil their culture.

Pakistani | 14 years ago | Reply Ridiculus Article. Banning the hindu culture is totally differnt to banning the cartoon. Go and do something else than expressing your stupid articles and views here.

shy | 14 years ago | Reply Many unethical adds and dramas are producing on every channel,but Punjab govt not bothered.

Hasan | 14 years ago | Reply PS: Apparently it's OK to ban Hindu mythology, but not OK to ban Islamic text in non Muslim countries. How's that? Are sentiments of Hindu/Non-Muslims worth nothing? Why are sentiments of Pakistanis so special over and above all the rest of the world's?

Hasan | 14 years ago | Reply I wonder how these cartoon ban supporters would feel if any of the Islamic channels are banned in west or India for religious hatred reasons as these people are exhibiting here. I wonder if it is OK to ban Islamic text in west as it is causing bad effect on western youth causing some of them to convert to Islam. I bet these same people would be making the most noise in favour of freedom to preach their religion to others anywhere and any way they like. I wonder how these people would feel when the shoe is on the other foot.

Mohammed Abbasi | 14 years ago | Reply Actually I finished watching cartoons ages ago but this ban makes me want ti watch the banned ones.... thanks for the publicity oh mullahlites of punjab

Ghausia | 14 years ago | Reply Exactly what Shumaila said we have millions of IDPs to worry about. If people like Rizwan don't monitor their children's TV viewing habits and then moan and groan about how their children are talking in Hindi. Its not the TV's fault. Its not Star Plus's fault.make sure you know what they're watching, monitor how long they're watching it for, check which shows you're watching and try to watch it with them. If you can't, then blame yourself, not Hindus. As a child I was very interested in mythology and my dad never had a problem with it, even when I read up on it because he knows I've read up on Islam as well, and he always told me that reading stories is a good thing. Because to us, that's all they are, just stories. Its your responsibility to tell your kids the same thing.

parvez | 14 years ago | Reply I like your tongue-in-cheek style of writing.

Shumaila | 14 years ago | Reply their*

Shumaila | 14 years ago | Reply I have to agree with Ali here. And Ghausia, we're not here to cater to parents who don't monitor what they're children are watching. If that's the case, then there's a lot more on TV that could be cause for concern than cartoons based on hindu mythology. I grew up in England, watching all sorts of cartoons on TV and exposed to a completely different culture, but my parents always told me the exact same thing that Ali above mentions whenever I encountered things that weren't Islamic - that this is not part of our culture. That everyone is free to do and believe what they like, but we as muslims consider this and this and this as part of our faith and our culture, and other behaviors as inappropriate. And I had no trouble understanding. Its the duty of parents to guide children about right and wrong. Banning a cartoon isn't going to make muslim children here more pious if parents aren't doing their bit.

Ali | 14 years ago | Reply Dear Rizwan, If your children ask about Ram, Sita, Laxman and their relationships, you should be able to explain it to them without feeling guilty. I am sure at the end you can also add that all of this is mythical/fictional (just like Harry potter is) and that as Muslims we don't believe in Idol worshiping. Its natural to feel curious about different cultures. And don't you think it would be better if you are the one to explain this to them, rather than them finding out later without your guidance (because sooner or later they will find out about everything). You have to understand that the more you hide/ban books/movies/cartoons from people, the more curious they get to find out about them. Sincerely always, A concerned human being.

Rabia Jalal | 14 years ago | Reply the folks who are advocating a ban on these cartoons dont seem to have issues with scantily clad women dancing in indian movies or star plus/sony dramas which depict hindu cultures..why not waste our time and efforts fighting the battles that matter?

Simba | 14 years ago | Reply Hmmmmmm. Banning these cartoons would solve a lot of things don't we think so, and it will certainly absolve the duty of the parents to monitor what their children are watching on the telly tube. Shudnt the parents be guidiing thier children abt whats rite and what not. Wonder whatever happened to the famous qoute " a mother is the childs first teacher". the more we surpress things out of our system, the more they will rise in a much aggravated form..... Instead of banning, we should counter with more appropriate ways. Has anyone ever considered reviving our cartoon character of yonder years called GOGI, or for the matter of fact, how abt an animated KALIYAAN.

Ghausia | 14 years ago | Reply It is stupid to make such a huge controversy and issue out of it, but I sort of agree with the bad impression part. I mean, I monitor my niece and nephew's TV watching habits as do their parents, but what about other people who plunk kids in front of the TV for whatever reason? I don't think they'll turn Hindu from watching it but they're not learning Pakistani culture. Then again, Hannah Montana may teach good values, but its teaching American culture as well, so where can we draw the line? Ban anything but Pakistani cartoons? Good luck with that, at least with nothing to watch on TV, kids will be left with just their studies and grow up to be productive citizens. They should however, create a separate channel for our Hindu citizens because they're Pakistanis as well. BUT without having to get a special license or fees for it, else we might as well impose jizya on them as well.

Umair Hassan | 14 years ago | Reply I don't get it. Why are you so pissed about Punjab Government banning cartoons based on Hindu mythology. The concept behind children being influenced by these cartoons is about Religion and not about the safety concerns ! Of all the stupid decisions the government might have been taking these days, this one sounds like the most sane to me.

Amanullah | 14 years ago | Reply President zardari won't be getting tax from these cartoons maybe the reason for ban.! LOL what can we say on this, but one thing more let the stupid GOV ban these all stuff and you will see YOUTUBE.COM will get more hits on this now.! Like all the Drama Serials are watch on YOUTUBE.COM now

Rizwan Younas | 14 years ago | Reply freinds, i am in favor of banning these cartoons, my kids are 7 and 5..both school going , and watching indian cartoons and indian transalted cartoons , their language and natural phenoman of asking questions about stuff are turning badly into hindi and hindu culture.. askign seeta , rawan, ram , laxmans and their relations , worshipping idols and all..i am certinly / fundamental agiant india due to thier behavior towards pakistan..and i feel thier culture should not be there..so must ban indian cartoons and indian translated cartoons.. tom and jerry and other cartoons are off course out of that category but if punjab govt want to ban it as cost of banning cartoon, we should accept it.. thanx, Rizwan.

samaha | 14 years ago | Reply i agree with the commercials part, a lot of commercials are highly vulgar..

Hummayun Javed | 14 years ago | Reply What serious matters are those? I want to know.

Khadija Masood | 14 years ago | Reply Banning the cartoons was ridiculous; the Punjab government should deal with the more serious matters at hand.

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