Make it snappy dad! Father dangles baby son above crocodile’s jaws during religious festival By Sara Nelson As he dangles his writhing baby over the open jaws of a hungry-looking crocodile, you would be forgiven for thinking this man had lost his mind. But there is method in his madness, for he is a Sheedi devotee seeking blessings for his five-month-old son. The terrifying event is part of an annual spiritual festival in Karachi, which sees a community of African-descended Pakistanis appease the crocodile – which is regarded as sacred. Don’t slip! A Sheedi devotee seeks blessings for his five-month-old … Continue reading Sheedi Pakistan Ceremony

New era of stability and prosperity Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah By BADEA ABU AL-NAJA | ARAB NEWS Published: Jun 8, 2010 23:31 Updated: Jun 8, 2010 23:37 Saudis savor five years of King Abdullah’s benevolent rule MAKKAH: The fifth anniversary of the Baiah (Pledge of Allegiance) to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah falls on Wednesday. “The Baiah” is the traditional Islamic system of the subjects expressing their approval and welcoming a new ruler. Since the Pledge of Allegiance on Jamad Al-Thani 26, 1426 (Aug. 1, 2005) the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has witnessed … Continue reading Saudis savor five years of King Abdullah’s benevolent rule

Prisoners of conscience by Guest dawn.com How many of us have experienced prejudiced discrimination and prejudice first hand? Post 9/11, Pakistanis are often subjected to random security checks, prolonged questionings and distrusting stares at international airports, not to mention an unspoken, unwritten “discouraging policy” for visa applicants wishing to study or travel abroad, despite legitimacy of the applications.  Being misjudged and misunderstood abroad has become the norm and we complain, we point fingers at the unfairness of the system and we sit back disgruntled and frustrated, unable to change anything. Here, we’re touching the surface of the iceberg that symbolises … Continue reading Jews and Ahmedis – why so much hatred against them?

Smokers’ Corner: Whiplash By Nadeem F. Paracha dawn.com Jinnah’s death in 1948 reduced his Muslim League (from being a dynamic organisation of visionary action) to a rag-tag group of self-serving politicians. It became a pale reflection of its pre-independence past. Gone too was the party’s ability to bring into policy Jinnah’s modernist Muslim vision. A consensus across various academic and intellectual circles now states that violent entities such as the Pakistani Taliban and assorted sectarian organisations are the pitfalls of policies pursued by the state through its intelligence agencies to safeguard Pakistan’s ‘strategic’ and ideological interests. The supposed ideology was … Continue reading The intellectual bankruptcy of Mullahism compared with Islam

Culture of bigotry By Huma Yusuf dawn.com The day someone like Sharif is awaiting an ulema board’s verdict on whether or not he committed blasphemy is the day that the government should brainstorm and implement non-military means to curb bigotry. The calls for a thorough reform of the education system and curriculum and the repeal of Article 2 are endless, but they continue to fall on deaf ears. – File Photo. What kind of sick democracy do we live in, where the declaration of equality of all citizens of the state can be deemed unconstitutional? This twisted logic was deployed … Continue reading A wake up call to those who would excuse Mullahs for crimes

VIEW: How to de-develop a country —Andleeb Abbas Pakistan’s rating on the human development index is appalling; it has one of the lowest literacy rates and one of the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the world If there were an international tender floated for consulting on how to retard development in a country, the Pakistani leadership would win hands down. The present budget is a classic example of this. The economy has retrenched to half its size, inflation has broken previous records, unemployment is at an all time high and basic amenities like water and energy are endangered … Continue reading Women in Pakistan ‘must’ be educated to develop the future

Pentagon hunts WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in bid to gag website Soldier Bradley Manning said to have leaked diplomatic cables to whistleblower, plus video of US troops killing Iraqis Chris McGreal in Washington guardian.co.uk, Friday 11 June 2010 19.02 BST Article history The Wikileaks footage of an Apache helicopter attack that killed civilians in Iraq Continue reading Is Julian Assange a Terrorist?

Father jailed after violent EDL protest in Hanley AN ENGLISH Defence League demonstrator who was at the forefront of a group which broke police lines has been jailed for 16 months. Mark Doel became involved in violence at the demonstration in Hanley city centre on Saturday, January 23. Prosecutor Paul Spratt told Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court yesterday that at about 1.30pm, items were being thrown at police including glass bottles, cans and a smoke cannister. “About 100 people had broken free from the group being cordoned to come round the rear of the police lines,” said Mr Spratt. // “A police … Continue reading EDL thug jailed for hitting woman!

Columnist Peter Oborne slams media’s Muslim slurs as ‘un-British’ Published: 11 June, 2010 by JOSH LOEB COLUMNIST Peter Oborne warned that Muslims were being unfairly represented in the media at a conference on Islamophobia on Saturday. The Highbury-based journalist said his anger at Islamophobia stemmed from patriotism. He said: “We should stand up for British values and that means examining how society treats Muslims.” The journalist, who writes for the right-leaning Spectator and Daily Mail, spoke alongside left-wingers including Tony Benn and Islington North Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn at the conference in the Camden Centre, off Euston Road. “I teased … Continue reading Peter Oborne slams media’s Muslim slurs as ‘un-British’

Whose turn next? By Irfan Husain Home-grown terrorist groups have many cheerleaders among our TV chat show hosts. –Photo by Reuters I was going to write about something else this week, but when I read the reaction of sundry clerics to Nawaz Sharif’s statement that “Ahmadis were my brothers and sisters and were assets to Pakistan”, I thought I should salute him for his political courage. Showing solidarity for the oppressed is a sign of decency, a commodity in short supply in today’s Pakistan. Among other things, the spokesman for the Wafaqul Madaris asked the Muslim League leader not to … Continue reading I am Deobandi and Ahmedis are my brothers also – Whose turn next?