By Khurram Ali Shafique This is an interactive summary of the works of the Poet-Philosopher Dr. Sir Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938), one of the most significant disciples of Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi (1207-1273) in modern times. It is a voice of hope and a call for bringing positive change. The Republic of Rumi: a Novel of Reality presents the works of Iqbal as a virtual reality: a “Garden of Poetry” which consists of five zones that come up successively. As you search for Joseph in this everchanging garden, you pass through seven stages and your role changes at each stage. The novel … Continue reading The Republic of Rumi: a Novel of Reality

telegraph.co.uk ‘Magic’ World Cup python seized in South Africa A snake used by a South African fortuneteller to “control” the progress of teams in the World Cup has been seized by animal welfare inspectors, a spokesman said Monday. Published: 12:59PM BST 05 Jul 2010 A nine-foot-long Burmese rock python was being used by a sangoma in a Cape Town township to communicate with the ancestors Photo: PHOTOLIBRARY The nine-foot-long Burmese rock python was being used by a sangoma in a Cape Town township to communicate with the ancestors, to ask them to intercede in World Cup matches, said Sarah Scarth, … Continue reading Magic Snake and The World Cup!

telegraph.co.uk Iran government issues style guide for men’s hair Ponytails are out but side-partings and Elvis quiffs are in. Not the latest fashion advice from a celebrity magazine, but a list of acceptable male hairstyles issued by the Iranian government. By Anita Singh Published: 8:09PM BST 05 Jul 2010 An official describes appropriate hairstyles for men at an official hairstyle show in Tehran Photo: REUTERS In an attempt to rid the country of “decadent Western cuts”, Iran’s culture ministry has produced a catalogue of haircuts that meet government approval. The list of banned styles includes ponytails, mullets and elaborate spikes. … Continue reading Hair must be to the Mullahs approval!

http://www.hyoho.com/ Continue reading Hagakure Kikigaki

VIEW: Terrorists and their apologists —Imtiaz Alam The strategy that served the purpose of forcing the former Soviet Union to leave Afghanistan was foolishly perpetuated to serve the narrowly defined designs of our hawkish security structures on both the eastern and western fronts Now the holiest shrine of the most revered saint Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh in the heart of Lahore has been sacrilegiously bombed by the ideologically motivated terrorists of Pakistani origin. This is not a lone and unimagined ghastly act, as some people in Punjab may assume, but a continuation of a mad drive against all spiritual, cultural, … Continue reading Terrorists and their apologists

VIEW: Et tu, water… —Andleeb Abbas Pakistan has one of the lowest agriculture productivity per cubic metre of water in the world. Our cash crops like sugarcane, rice and cotton are all water guzzlers and therefore we really need to question whether it is worth using 97 percent of the water on them “Only God knows” is the response we receive when we go in search of some extinct natural resource of this country. Energy has already become a lost cause and the negligence of water as a scarce resource is almost assuming criminal proportions. Any resource not taken care … Continue reading Et tu, water…

ANALYSIS: Political confrontation and democracy —Dr Hasan-Askari Rizvi The PML-N faces controversies about several aspects of governance, especially the two-rupee roti project, poor governance, growing activism of militant Islamic groups and refusal of the Punjab government to admit that Punjab has become an active centre of militancy Current efforts to sustain the democratic, civilian political order face three challenges: the troubled economy, religious extremism and terrorism, and the efforts of the superior judiciary to expand its role at the expense of elected institutions. The economic challenge, both at the macro and the micro levels, is so pervasive that Pakistan’s political … Continue reading Pakistans political confrontation and democracy

ANALYSIS: Whose progeny? — III —Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur Envisaging the emergence of a new Islamic identity from the ruins of old identities, the state arrogantly rejected histories, customs and values that existed before and actively tried to obliterate them The Pakistani state and elite have not only always turned a blind eye to the venomous hate and intolerance preached by millions of pulpits that adorn this ‘land of the pure’, but have also actively promoted it. They patronised preachers of murder and mayhem, thereby creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation in which no one can object to their … Continue reading Emergence of Identity lies within the Muslim peoples and not Mullahs

Smokers’ Corner: Manly manoeuvres By Nadeem F. Paracha Is it really liberation that a woman feels behind a veil, or is this liberation only about freeing oneself from the thought of ever daring to challenge male-dominated interpretations of exactly how a Muslim woman should dress and behave? It is rather startling to note how the powerful ‘Women’s Lib’ movement in the 1970s was manhandled by certain sections of society in the West. They scrapped the intellectual aspects of the concept and used the fruits of the movement by simply exhibiting it as a way to justify nudity. The above was … Continue reading What women wear or not wear – should not be the concern of men

Indonesian Islamists eye proselytising Christians dawn.com Religious-led violence has been on the rise for months in Bekasi while mobs have forced shut two churches this year. Reuters Photo World Religious intolerance is the new racism: NGO REPORT Religious intolerance is the new racism: NGO BEKASI, Indonesia: A banner with a picture of a young, bespectacled Christian man is draped in front of a mosque, a fiery noose around his neck and the words, ”This man deserves the death penalty!” Churches are shut down. And an Islamic youth militia holds its first day of training. Though the events all occurred less … Continue reading Islamists and Christianists in Indonesia play up?