The World According to Islamophobes
In a world where Islamophobia is the prevailing mindset of some of the most powerful people that exist, the Christchurch incident does not surprise us. Muslims have been living under an ominous cloud of fear ever since the far-right grew powerful enough to gain control of the United States and some parts of Europe.
Of Posters & Patriarchy
For men who have grown accustomed to patriarchy’s ability to let them control women, feminism is a scary thing. If feminism scares you, perhaps you need to introspect. Because feminism will only scare you if you are the sort who likes controlling women.
The Lies of Narendra Modi
It is strange that many people in India have fallen for what Modi is doing. A brief look at his past shows he used the same strategy of fear and hate to win a second term as Gujarat’s chief minister. Back then, Modi used the death of Hindu pilgrims to fuel anti-Muslim riots that would result in the death of thousands. All the while stoking the flames of Hindu-Muslim animosity. It worked then, Modi wants it to work again. The same strategy that got him a second term as a chief minister is being used to get him a second term as the prime minister.
War Games
You do not need to be from Pakistan or India to come to the conclusion that what is happening in India-occupied Kashmir is cruel and inhumane. Modi perhaps realises that it is the BJP’s relentless brute force policy that is the root cause behind the Pulwama attack, but it is easier to blame Pakistan.
Beware the Predator
A worker’s freedom from unfair termination is the essence of his right. Right up there with the freedom to be paid a decent living wage. That simple freedom doesn’t exist in Pakistan apart from a few limited instances. It is completely up to the person you work for to treat you fairly. In an ideal world that would be great, if only living in such a world was an option for us.
Remembering Asma Jehangir
Today, Pakistan’s legal system is still plagued by misogyny. The loss of Jahangir meant the loss of a strong and prominent female voice that female lawyers could gravitate towards. Her passing has left a space that can never be filled, but her passing doesn’t mean she is forgotten. The young women she has inspired continue to enter a profession that is flooded with men. Her legacy can remain alive through them, her voice just as sonorous in our minds, if we continue to fight for the rights of the oppressed and victimised. If we continue to stand up to misogyny, to the violations of human rights in the name of security, religion or nationhood.
A Dream of Peace
Without resolving the hostility between the Taliban and the Afghan government, the US may be leaving behind a land ripe for civil war. Consider the statement of the Taliban’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, who has said that he expects the Afghan army to be disbanded after a peace deal.
Murder Reigns
This is a point that needs to be understood. Due process is important. Its value as a constitutional right in a democratic system cannot be understated. But no amount of veneration for due process will convince people to trust the court system until it is actually seen to work. If the killing of innocent people like Naqeebullah Mesud and the family in Sahiwal does not galvanise us to think seriously about reforming our criminal justice system, then, I am pessimistic that it will ever happen.
Change We Can Believe In
We have yet to come around as a country to the mindset that change comes slow. By polishing and tweaking things one at a time. When things go wrong, we still scream for new legislation and new institutions, but only a few hushed voices talk about slowly fine-tuning the existing system to achieve big goals.
A Conundrum Called Gilgit - Baltistan
It is full provincial autonomy and full citizenship status that the people of Gilgit-Baltistan deserve. Anything less would be an insult to the people of a region that was one of the first to join Pakistan.