Trapped in conflicts and state failure Reality check thenews.com.pk Shafqat Mahmood Our collective prejudices and hypocrisies were on display after the Lahore attack on Ahmedi places of worship. Those multitudes protesting internet blasphemies earlier were silent. Those railing from the pulpit against international conspiracies had no voice. The cherished tolerant image of Islam had been tarnished but it did not register. The government response was also schizophrenic. Terrorism was condemned yet no important official of the Punjab government bothered to visit the injured. And, no compensation was announced for the dead. The coffers of the state were closed to the … Continue reading The prejudices and hypocrisies of Pakistans media

VIEW: Rationality wanted —Gulmina Bilal Ahmad Rationality has become a rare commodity whereas emotional statements, decisions and reactions have become the norm. This could be the only reason behind the provincial categorisation of the Taliban Exactly 12 years to the day we exhibited our nuclear capabilities, we were reminded of our inadequacies in other key areas. Friday, May 28, this year confronted us yet again with the challenge of terrorism based on the intolerance and extremist mindsets amongst sections of the common people. Ahmedis were attacked while at prayer, thus creating another tragic memory of the havoc created in our … Continue reading Emotional fingering

VIEW: Are we an unjust people? —Dr Mahjabeen Islam Our heroes are not Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and Jinnah. We are a nation adrift. We idolise looters and plunderers, we follow the morally corrupt, and we are roused to frenzy by the hypocritical voices of hate, garbed in beards and turbans, hijabs and niqabs It is like the pot, read Pakistanis, calling the kettle, read Israelis, black. Over 100 Ahmedis were massacred while praying and the protest from the Pakistani nation was individual, muted, minimal, and quickly forgotten. Just a few days later, Israel kills 20 activists in the Freedom Flotilla … Continue reading The heroes of Pakistanis

Blackened by Nadeem F. Paracha dawn.com Kudos to television journalist, Talat Hussain, for surviving the audacious Israeli attack on the Freedom Flotilla, and returning home to tell the tale. Now, if only our brave media personalities could exhibit exactly the same kind of commitment and guts in condemning all the gore and tragedies that take place in the name of faith in our own country … That would be asking for a bit too much, wouldn’t it? After all, they know that if they were to do so, not only would they suffer labels of being ‘liberal extremists,’ or ‘western/Indian/Zionist … Continue reading Queer Pakistani Media!

Has al-Jazeera changed its style? A row over female presenters’ clothing indicates that the channel may be getting mired in ideological conflict Nesrine Malik guardian.co.uk Al-Jazeera’s Arabic channel takes pride of place among Middle East’s satellite news outlets. It was the first of its kind, broadcasting – ostensibly with an unprecedented level of editorial independence – to a pan-Arab audience. It broke taboos and shocked audiences by hosting guests on debate shows who attacked the hitherto unassailable: the Saudi royal family, the Palestinian Authority and the Muslim clergy. In 2006, the channel even helped launch the infamous Wafa Sultan’s career … Continue reading al-Jazeera – is it dying?

How I secretly filmed the For Neda documentary The Iranian regime is trying to neutralise the impact of protest victim Neda Agha-Soltan’s death. The real story has to be told Saeed Kamali Dehghan guardian.co.uk For Neda, Mentorn Media for HBO Last November I went to Iran to film the family of Neda Agha-Soltan in secret for a documentary, which is now circulating virally in Iran even before its public release on 14 June. Neda was killed in the aftermath of the disputed presidential election in Iran last June and a video of her death was circulated around the world in … Continue reading Neda Agha-Soltans martyrdom and the role of Saeed Kamali Dehghan

Quickly and with overwhelming force … or not at all. BY JOSHUA E. KEATING | JUNE 2, 2010 The Israeli military has admitted that failures of both planning and execution led to the botched raid on a flotilla of pro-Palestinian activists last weekend, which left nine dead and has erupted into an international scandal. With two more activist ships on the way, a top Israeli Navy commander has promised to use more aggressive force next time and prepare “as if it was a war.” So what’s the right way to seize a ship? COMMENTS (39) <!–RSS FEED–> SHARE: Twitter Reddit … Continue reading What’s the Right Way to Board a Hostile Ship?

Bruce B. Lawrence: The Polite Islamophobia of the Intellectual loonwatch.com Worn Proudly by Some Just yesterday there was an excellent book review in ReligionDispatches by Bruce B. Lawrence, a Humanities professor and director of the Islamic studies program at Duke University. In it he reviews two books, one is Paul Berman’s, Flight of the Intellectual and the other is Andrew Shyrocks, Islamophobia/Islamophilia: Beyond the Politics of Enemy and Friend. His review is thoughtful, insightful and a must read for those truly interested in the topic of contemporary Islam and Muslims. It obliterates the shallow discourse that many pseudo-Intellectuals and their … Continue reading The Polite Islamophobia of the Intellectual

Religious Extremism and Islamophobia in the Military a Major Concern loonwatch.com The Bible in one hand and a gun in the other The Quran in one hand and a gun in the other The most common manifestation of Islamophobia is to call a person a “terrorist” simple because he/she is Muslim.  Currently, a U.S. soldier is being investigated for posting a video on his Facebook page in which he taunted Iraqi children calling them “gay terrorists” and used racial slurs against them.  ABC News reports: Spc. Robert A. Rodgriquez posted the video, titled “future gay terrorists!,” earlier this month. It … Continue reading Extremism and Islamophobia in the US Military