Basic Rights?

Is there no limit to the amount of bullshit politicians can spout forth? Take a look: Sialkot Murders justified
Ok, so maybe they were thieves....that doesn't take away their right to a trial. They should be given the benefit of doubt. And it in no way justifies them being BEATEN to death. Imagine that: thwack! crack! phut! thwack! thwack! Eeek.

Extremism Much

That illustrious comment is located outside the Dove World Outreach Center, a Church in Florida. What I fail to understand is how Muslims can be referred to as "extremists" and "zealots" when signs like this and videos like this Kill the Ground Zero Mosque  are being displayed the world over. I have yet to see a mosque which displays a sign insulting Christianity or Judaism. A quote from Terry Jones, the Pastor of the above-mentioned church:
"It is a violent and oppressive religion that is trying to masquerade itself as a religion of peace, seeking to deceive our society," the church said. "Islam is a lie based upon lies and deceptions and fear. In Muslim countries, if you preach the gospel or convert to Christianity – you will be killed. That is the type of religion it is."
If you doubt me, go read this article Ground Zero Mosque fuels Islamophobia
As anyone living in Pakistan can testify, that's a bunch of lies. I've BEEN to a mass, out of plain curiosity because I studied in a Convent school and nobody came and shot down the monks or nuns there. I don't remember any Muslim condemning me for going there. Sure, there are countries like Afghanistan where fundamentalism is taken to a whole new level, but that's not Islam people. That's just some uneducated people twisting Islamic laws to serve their own means.
Books like the one advertised on this site 10 reasons to burn a koran are plain bullshit. It just shows how little these so-called scholars know of Islam.

Not so invincible

When I was younger, I had books which proclaimed the greatness of Pakistan; the bravery of its soldiers; the invulnerability of its army; the loyalty of its people. And those words used to make my heart swell with pride each time I read them. Then came a cruel reality check in the form of Pakistan Studies, and it was like an actual physical blow. Where was the victory of the 1965 war which we were so proud of? Certainly not in Ayub Khan's capitulation to the Tashkent Declaration. What kind of army kills the intellectuals of its own people as ours did in Bangladesh? Where would Sindh have stood if Zulfikar Ali Bhutto hadn't threatened the president? I acclaim our shaheed heroes; I admire the leaders of our past and hope for the future; I'm still proud to be a Pakistani; all my ambitions and talents are still for Pakistan, but for me 14 August no longer has the appeal it did years ago. And fortunately or unfortunately, I know a sizeable number who'd agree with me.

Raindrops on the roof

Rain in our part of the world is a rarity with us getting barely 7 days of rain a year. But it was after today's torrential shower stopped that I realized exactly how soothing the sound of rain is. You can be in the dusty, noisy center of your city and yet the sound of the rain against the window, the haze it casts on the world has an almost euphoric effect. For beauty so simple and yet so entrancing, I can only marvel and praise Allah, and hope that someday I'm skilled enough with a paintbrush to be able to render it on paper.