Mughal Dreamer

Video Game Sequels of Our Dreams

2009-12-05T07:09:00.007-06:00

This is a favorite topic of mine. I spend a lot of my time on the internet reading opinions, reviews, first impressions, and general articles about video games. So the following are a list of some games which I would really like to see proper sequels to.

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Chibi-Robo

The first Chibi-Robo has to be one of my all time favorite games. It was a Gamecube adventure game where you are a tiny robot who has to explore the house and accomplish tasks for your friends and bring happiness to your family members. It was full of traveling back and forth to deliver items, and had some neat minigames. One of the defining features of the game was the presentation, where every movement and tool use created a musical sound.

Nintendo did release a sequel on the DS called Chibi-Robo Park Patrol, but it was more of a tech demo than a real sequel. Frankly, I was severely disappointed as I bought it when it first came out, excited to play it. The prospects for a sequel don't seem good, but we can hope.

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Seiken Densetsu 3

Also known as Secret of Mana 2, this action RPG only came out in Japan. It is however available for Super Nintendo emulator via a translated rom developed by fans. This game is perhaps the best action RPG ever released, and this is saying alot. You have three out of six characters on your team which you pick up along the way and select from when you first create a new file. This game's battle system is addictive and never feels like a chore. It is fast, precise, and exciting all throughout the game. Your unique characters level up, learning new abilities and magical spells as they grow. The story for this game is extraordinary, with emotional and sad moments along with seeking revenge as the primary bases for most of the game.

This game, first of all, has never been released in America to begin with. It would help build interest for a sequel to actually release this game. It is hard to believe that one of the best games of all time can be so under-appreciated by its developers.

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Megaman X

The first Megaman X game for the Super Nintendo was legendary for action games. Fast, furious, with hard, yet surmountable, bosses, and suit enhancements which vastly increased your powers. The best Megaman game, and perhaps the best action game ever made. Seeing a little X dash across the backs of giant robot sea monsters and flee a collapsing cave, whilst taking out massive enemies with a little buster shot, added to the splendid atmosphere. The controls were precise, even considering the great agility of the main character.

There have been 8 main sequels to this game, all of which have failed to capture what made the first one so good. Megaman X 2 and 3 were similar as they were released for the Super Nintendo, and yet nowhere near as fun. Megaman X4 comes in third being a good game, but it feels nothing like the first one. What I would like to see is a 2d platforming Megaman X game, preferably with 2d graphics, which faithfully represents the first game, ignoring the rest completely. Seeing as how Capcom released Megaman 9 with NES graphics not too long ago, it might happen.

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Chrono Trigger

This famous Super Nintendo RPG deserves a proper sequel. This is my favorite RPG of all time, which I have beaten probably around three or four times. What makes this game so good? Simple response: everything. The battle system is surprisingly intuitive, fast, and immersive, becoming a model for games afterwards. The story is one of the best, if not the best, in any video game. It spans timelines from Jurassic, Medievel, Future, and other worlds. Full of exploration and hidden items. The characters are unique and well-made (from the creator of Dragon Ball), with their backgrounds are thoroughly explored through the duration of the game.

This game was recently re-released on the Nintendo DS, and re-released a long time ago on the original Playstation, yet the best version, without a doubt is the Super Nintendo version. It was easy to view and play unlike the DS, and didn't have any load times unlike the Playstation version. The chances are slim for a legitimate sequel, however. Chrono Cross on the Playstation was vague sequel to it, yet it didn't share all the attributes which made the first game a phenoma. Japanese Console RPGs are fast becoming one of the worst genres for games in recent times. An outstanding sequel to this legendary game would be amazing. Sadly, it's not a likely prospect though.

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Def Jam: Fight for NY

A lot of you are probably laughing right now, but Def Jam for Gamecube is one of the best wrestling, street-fighting games ever released. The reason for this is that the developer AKI was responsible for all those brilliant N64 wrestling games we all enjoyed as kids. This game is indeed like a sequel to those games, except with gangsta rappers as the characters. That adds limitless charm to the game, especially with the atmosphere and the taunts.

The sequel, Def Jam: ICON, was horrible. Since when did rappers of psychic jedi powers to summon doors to hit people? The entire time cars and buildings bouncing in the background and random things like fire hydrants are exploding. It sounds fun, but its not, believe me. The main reason for this lackluster performance is that AKI had nothing to do with this game's development, and as a result the controls are unresponsive and the gameplay is vastly different. A legitimate sequel, with AKI as the developers, is truly needed. It may happen, depends on EA.

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In addition, I'd like to see a legitimate sequel to several Nintendo franchises.

Zelda: A Link to the Past is one of my favorite games, and I'd love another Zelda with the depth and adventure of that game. Zelda: Four Swords was a multiplayer sequel to it, but it was completely different in gameplay and no where near as good. Zelda: The Minish Cap was too short and easy, although it was a good game. Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is an outstanding game, but it is hardly traditional and I feel that Nintendo needs more traditional Zelda games also. While we are talking about this, I would also like to see a sequel to Zelda: Link's Awakening. Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages were both wonderful games and I would like to see more games based on the original Gameboy Zelda games.

Nintendo has released the old-school NES and Super Nintendo Super Mario platformers to death on first the Gameboy Advance, and now the Virtual Console. It's time for Nintendo to follow Capcom's lead and release a traditional Super Mario platformer akin to Megaman 9. I played New Super Mario Bros. on the DS and although it was a good game, it had nothing of the greatest of the originals. I also recently played New Super Mario Bros. on the Wii, and it was only just decent in my opinion. I believe the multiplayer aspect of the game destroys the immersion and control of the traditional Mario games. I'd like to see a Mario game with traditional psychics, diverse music (no 'Ah Ah!' nonsense), and most of all it should not be a third version of New Super Mario Bros.

Kirby Superstar is my favorite Kirby game, I'd love to see a good sequel based on this game. Kirby games, as of late, aren't doing so well, i.e. Squeek Squad and Kirby remakes. I enjoyed Kirby: Canvas Curse, but it was far from traditional. Furthermore, a console Kirby game is deeply needed for the Wii. I enjoyed Kirby 64 greatly, and would like a new and ambitious Kirby game.

Donkey Kong Country is no doubt one of the best platformers ever released. Nintendo is literally sitting on a gold mine and refusing to use it. A great Donkey Kong platformer could jumpstart the series, as well as improve the overall quality of platformers which have been suffering lately. This is a very good idea for a Wii game.

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Some more game sequels I'd like to see:

Super Smash Bros (more like Melee, less like Brawl), Resident Evil (based on RE4), Silent Hill (like 2 and 3), Bomberman (w/ singleplayer mode please), Earthbound (and release Mother 3 in US), Super Mario RPG, Lufia (like 1 and 2)

I'm excluding games whose sequels will probably come out.

Kashmir: Prehistory and Origins of the Conflict

2009-10-27T04:42:00.010-05:00

In this modern age, numerous people throughout the world are facing unending and criminal occupation by foreign powers. The super power states of the world feel no shame in not only ignoring the pleas of help from depressed people, but in being instrumental in the ongoing injustice which riddles our world like a virus. Some conflicts receive media attention, while many others are simply ignored. The biggest hurdle to peace and security of people living under occupation is the oligarchical Western media, complicit in the support of invaders' brutality and even labeling legitimate indigenous resistance groups as terrorist groups, further weakening support for demoralized people. No more is this phenomena observed with its sheer inhumanity and loss of innocent life, than in the Kashmiri conflict.

Beautiful Kashmir, you shall be free one day. Your sons and daughters have not died in vain.

Kashmir's history is replete with invasions and eras of long stability. It is a region lying directly south of the fabled Himalayan mountains, whose frozen caps provide the rich and pure water which flows into the Kashmir valley. The people of Kashmir are an Aryan people who make up a unique ethnic group among the people of Southern Asia. They share ethnic relations to the Punjabis, Pukhtoons, and other people who live in the vicinity of the Indus River. Together consituting one of the first human civilizations, the Indus River Valley Civilization, which originated in modern day Pakistan. I have discussed this civilization in several previous posts, refer back to them. Kashmir remained largely Buddhist in its Pre-Islamic history, which caused great strife on the region during the violent Hindu-Buddhist wars which shook South Asia during the 7th century. The decline of Buddhism, the threat of Hindu pogroms, left the Buddhists to convert en masse to Islam when it entered the Subcontinent.
Several Muslim dynasties sprung up in Sindh, Balochistan (Makran), Pukhtoon lands, Afghanistan, the Punjab, and Kashmir. Following the Mughal invasions, Kashmir again came into preeminience and the majoirty of the great historical architecture comes from this era. Under Mughal rule, Islam became the state religion of the region, and Kashmir developed both Turkish and Persian influence. After the construction of the Shalimar Gardens (not to be confused with the one in Lahore), Mughal Emporer Jehangir commented, "agar firdos bar rooh e zameen ast, harmeen ast harmeen ast harmeen ast," meaning "If there is a paradise on earth, it is this, it is this, it is this." The natural beauty of Kashmir, along with the beauty, kindness, and lightheartedness of its people has been well documented in Muslim history. Had Sultan Jehangir been witness to his beloved Paradise become an intolerable Hell, no doubt he would have more than couplets to sing. Kashmir prospered during Muslim rule, and became known throughout the Islamic world as a calm, serene paradise on Earth. Kashmir absorbed populations from Central Asia, Afghanistan, Iran, Punjab, Sindh, and other regions, as well established a successful tourism industry. Kashmir's people becamed famed basket-weavers, tailors (cashmere), carpet-weavers, boaters, and mountain guides. Who could resist a pleasant, cool boat ride through crystal-clear rivers banked on both sides with luscious greenery and magnificent snow-capped mountains? Kashmir prospered, even during invasions of its Muslim cousins to the southwest by the infamous Sher Shah Suri of Afghanistan and several invasions by Iran. Capitalizing on the desctruction of Muslim political power in South Asia, Britain launched a massive campaign against what was left of Mughal rule. Hindu and Sikhs, armed to the teeth from British, Portuguese, and French weapons launched relentless invasions into Kashmir, Punjab, Sindh, and even Peshawar. It was at this point in time when Kashmir lost self-government in the 18th century, and had to submit to alien Hindu rulers backed by British arms. About a hundred years later, Kashmir was incorporated into British India, but was still ruled by a dynasty of foreign Hindu rulers. After a long repressed history under British rule, which among other things forbid Muslims to speak Farsi, attend superior British schools, rebuild Mosques and Mughal sites, or recieve any employment under the state, independence was in site.

Protest for the Liberation of Kashmir. They have been a common sight in Kashmir for almost 60 years.

After World War 1, the Muslims had secured from the British, by threat of revolt and mutiny, the right to govern the lands in which Muslims were the majority. The British sneakily added one more condition, however, that Indian princely states, those not ruled directly by the British, would have their kings choose which country to join. Junagadh and Haiderabad, majoirty Hindu populations with Muslim kings, signed over to Pakistan, but were given to India instead. Kashmir, a vast majority Muslim population ruled by a Hindu king Maharaja Singh, was signed over to India. There is ample evidence to suggest the Maharaja wished for Kashmir to be an independent kingdom ruled by his dynasty, but may have been coerced by an Indian invasion and subsequent Muslim revolt to sign his territory to India. Regardless, the resulting decision brought internal revolt by the majority Muslim population, yet the movement was crushed by an invasion into the territory by India. The newly formed government of Pakistan, which did not even contain enough military supplies, due to British complicity in giving its major military arsenal of Firozpur, residing in a Muslim majority region, to India in pure spite, had to muster a ragtag militia force to assist the Kashmiri revolt. Pakistan's founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah stated quite clearly, "Kashmir is the jugular vein of Pakistan." Kashmir, not only was of intense importance because of a cultural and ethnic affinity with Pakistan's people, but it contained the source of all Pakistan's water from the Himalays. An India ruling Kashmir could starve Pakistan at whim, and thus completely dominate the country. India has recently renegaged on the Indus Water treaty, which divided water resources between the two nation and has caused an intense drought in the formerly fertile region of Punjab, which has caused massive crop failure reaching even to Sindh. The low level of the Ravi, Jhelum, Chenab, and the other rivers is open testament to the duplicity of the Indian government and the scorn for the lives of Pakistan's people. Yet the world community, led by the Western powers, refuses to acknowledge the human suffering of the people of the region. This proves the amount of insight and political genius of the founder of Pakistan, in the statement he gave regarding this matter. A ragtag Pakistani army consisting soldiers and tribal warriors with out-dated weapons and no formal military training entered the war on the side of their Kashmiri brethren. Afghani tribal soldiers also came south to aid the Pakistani army liberate their brothers in Kashmir. Were it not for that immediate action, all of Kashmir would have been perpetually occupied. The British relished the war, between two ungrateful subjects, but favored India as their legendary hatred for Muslims and Turks (whom they referred to the Mughals as) came out into the open. A hatred perserved from the era of the Crusades in the 11th century, evident when General Allenby entered Jerusalem in 1917 and declared in front of the great Muslim hero Salahuddin Ayubi with great disrespect, "Now the Crusades are over." More on this topic at a later date.

The map of Kashmir, as it is today. Azad (Free) Kashmir is controlled by Pakistan, Occupied Jammu and Kashmir by the Indian army.

The source of the conflict, was the Indian Congress' blatant disregard for the rights of Muslims and the willingness to commit mass-murder to preserve a 'united' India, in which Muslims were to be views only as a minority. The Muslims, in turn, simply wished to rule themselves in the lands in which they were a vast majoirty by their own laws, traditions, and leaders. For 60 years, India has been trying to undue Partition, arguing that the Muslims of South Asia are sub-class of Indians, not a nation of itself. The Muslims, regardless of rhetoric, view themselves as a major nation which is a sub-class of the Muslim world. This is why the Muslims in the 1920s organized the Khalifat agitation against the British, in support of the Turkish Ottoman Islamic Empire, though they suffered tremendous loss of property, resources, and lives due to British repression. The Muslims have always referred to themselves as a separate nation from the Hindus. On a deeper level, the Muslims of Pakistan and Kashmir are descendants of the prehistoric Indus River Valley civilization, which has had a profound affect on the cultures of Pakistan, developing differently from that of other regions of South Asia. This ethnic division is further marked by the fact that the Afghani Pukhtoons of Afghanistan have more homology with the people of Pakistan than the Indian Hindus. Beyond the pressure of the British and Hindus attempted to define the place of the Muslims in the history of the Subcontinent, the Muslims had succeeded, due to the genius of their leaders, in defining themselves and their place in the world. The British views them as Turks whom were invaders into the land, and hence blamed them for Christian losses during the Crusades and viewed them with suspicion, always fearing a global, unified Muslim revolt from their acquisitions in Africa, the Middle-East, Turkey, South Asia, and Indochina. The Hindus used a double policy, on the one hand to convince them that they were infact Indians and therefore that they should re-embrace Hinduism, and at the failure of the first method, of referring to them as Persian-Turkish invaders whom had no right to the land and thus must be ethnically cleansed from Indian lands. The second point ignited massive Hindu riots against Muslims throughout the breath of British India, proving once and for all, that Muslims could not live in security in a Hindu-dominated country. Pakistan was the natural progress of political self-determination of the Muslims. The Muslims of the Punjab were under Sikh rule due to British fears of Muslim resurgence, the Kashmiri people were under similar conditions but under a Hindu monarchy. The Punjabi Muslims successfully organized to rid themselves of the yoke of Sikh oppression, the Kashmiris did not have the economic, social, or political capacity to do the same. The destiny of Punjab could have ended up like Kashmir, except that the Muslims of Punjab were better equipped to force themselves into a position of power of their own affairs, along with a greater cohesion in the Islamic world and warlike history. Kashmiris, being a peaceful people, did not have the resources or will to fight as hard for their freedom. When they did organize, it was too little too late.

A Kashmiri girl at a protest with a photograph of her abducted brother. Many innocent people have been kidnapped and murdered by Indian soldiers in Kashmir.

Thus, the Kashmiris have endured countless hardships over the last 60 years. They have never been a warlike people, and never had to fight for their freedom before. The Kashmiris are a gentle and mild-mannered people, thus they have suffered far more under occupation than others. Whereas the Punjabis or Pukhtoon are world-renowned for their tremendous endurance for suffering, the Punjabis toiling under the hot sun in their fields, the Pukhtoon living a semi-nomadic herding lifestyle in the dry, desolate mountains, the Kashmiris live peaceful lives providing boat rides to tourists and living in pleasantly cool environments. Thus it is with tremdous grief that we see a people have never done anyone in history any harm, whom are the subject of barbaric and unrelenting oppressions. People prone to have a quiet cup of tea on their light boats in the middle of calm lakes, being forced to witness the murder of their sons and the abuse of their daughters. The anguish is double-fold, as they have never had experience in dealing with this type of oppression, and yet they are forced to endure it for nigh 60 years. It is a horrible testament of our times, that peaceful people are forced to endure such suffering. Yet it seems no one cares.

Xbox360 pricecut

2009-08-28T14:53:00.006-05:00

As of today, Xbox360 Elite (120gb black console) are now $299 from $399 and Xbox360 Pro (60gb white console) are now $250 from $299. This price cut is in response to the new PS3 slim which is a 120gb system selling for $299. The video game world is an uproar. Such a massive price drop has not been witnessed before. All of which occurred literally in less than a month.

Black or white, 120 gb or 60 gb, better Jasper or cheaper Halo 3/Fable 2 bundled non-Jaspers. Do you know how impossible it is to find a jasper black elite. Microsoft, why do you make things so difficult?

I bought my Xbox360 jasper unit as a white pro at the original $299 over a month ago. As I look back, I think it is for the best, as that console has preoccupied much of my time since then. I only wished that the price drop was announced much earlier. I was initially looking for a black elite console, but could not find a jasper version. Now that I have spent some time with it, the white color has grown on me and I prefer it over black. To each his own, I guess.

The new PS3 slim sending massive shockwaves through video gaming entertainment.

By the way, I highly recommend the PS3 slim. I already have an older model (which can play PS2 games unlike the new ones), but the new PS3 slim is easier to find (vis-a-vis Jasper, which is a massive headache to find), cheaper, better made, no red rings of death, and a blu-ray player. The Xbox 360 has better exclusives, in my opinion, being mainly shooters such as Halo 3 and Gears of War (which are both amazing games), along with a larger online network (provided you pay $50 a year for it) and better downloadable games, more demos, etc. The PS3 has several good exlusives as well including Metal Gear Solid 4 (a stealth shooter) and Little Big Planet (a 2-D platformer like Super Mario). Both of these games are must buys. The PS3's online capabilities are not as good, but they are free, it is a better made system taking less heat, quieter, and generally not being poorly or hastily manufactured like the Xbox 360. If you buy an Xbox360, be prepared for the possibility of having to send it in to Microsoft and being without a system for 2 weeks. This really should not be acceptable. Microsoft has included a 3 year warranty with the system, so make sure you keep the receipt somewhere you won't lose it, i.e. the xbox packaging. Regardless, the vast majoirty of console games are available on both systems, so whichever you choose, make sure you enjoy it to its fullest.

The latest in Wii technology. Good luck competing with PS3 or Xbox360.

As far as the Wii is concerned, its just sad. No online, no demos, no downloadable content, no HD, no media playback, and for the last year: no good games, still $250. 'Enhanced' Wii, however, is a completely different story.

Xbox 360

2009-08-16T15:01:00.006-05:00

I recently bought the Xbox360 with the new Jasper chipset. The new chipset does not have the Red Ring of Death which caused overheating and melting of the processor which was prevalent in older models. I can safely say this must be the wisest purchase I have made in a long time. The Xbox360 is probably the best system out right now for video games, especially since the PS3 has a very low number of good exclusives and the Wii hasn't had any good games come out in at least a year, maybe longer.

The best system out right now. The Xbox 360. Halo, Gears of War, full HD games, hundreds of downloadable demos, downloadable content, xbox live, and relatively cheap game accessories.

I had a very hard time finding a Jasper chip. I was initially looking for a Jasper Xbox 360 elite, but then I decided to settle for a Jasper Xbox 360 pro. The difference is that the Jasper pro has 60 gb instead of the elite 120gb. The elite also has a black color, while the pro is white. It is basically impossible to find a Jasper elite, I figured this out the hard way after spending about a week looking for one. What I did then was that I bought a Xbox 360 120gb harddrive and replaced my old 60gb harddrive. Basically, now I have a white Xbox360 elite. Another problem I had with the system is that it is does not support wi-fi out of the box like the PS3, and even the Wii. You have to buy your own network adapter.

Halo 3, one of the best shooting games of our generation.

I immediately bought Halo 3, because I am a big fan of Halo 1 and 2 for the original Xbox. I played the first level and was immediately surprised at how crisp and clear the game looked in 1080p. I also brought one of my friends over to play Halo multiplayer, and although he never had played a Halo game before, it was very fun, especially when we found the new Covenant charging laser canon weapon that destroys vehicles in one shot.

In addition to Halo, I also bought Silent Hill Homecoming, Halo Wars, and Gears of War. Silent Hill Homecoming is also in 1080p, and it is probably one of the best looking games on the system. I am a fan of Silent Hill 2 and 3, so as soon as I started playing this game, I got hooked. Halo Wars is a Strategy game developed for Xbox by the creators of Age of Empires, Ensemble Studios. It is basically a Halo strategy game in the Age of Empires gameplay style using an xbox controller. At first it was rather odd using a controller instead of mouse to play a strategy game, but once you get the hang of it, it just works out. I played skirmish mode, and really enjoyed the game.

Single-player or two-player co-op campaign featuring endless swarms of heavily armed enemies. Bliss.

Gears of War deserves some special attention. This game is amazing. It is a heavy shooter based on gun battles, where you have to hide behind objects and exchange fire with the enemy, flank the enemy, and take advantage of the terrain to defeat the enemy. Unlike Halo, you can't take a lot of damage, nor can you jump 20 feet in the air. In some ways, I would go as far as to say this game is better than Halo. In many ways it is, but it is an altogether different game. This game is not for the light-hearted, it is a serious shooting game which is at the same time difficult and violent. Definately not for all ages.

I'll post more when I get the chance.

Wake Up Call

2009-07-07T16:52:00.009-05:00

Mrs. Marwa al-Sherbini shall always be remembered as a hero to all Muslims. Her martyrdom should serve as a wake up call for the world's Muslims.

This new story hits close to home for many of us. Marwa al-Sherbini, a pregnant Egyptian woman, was stabbed to death by a German racist in a courtroom in Germany. Her husband was also critically injured and is now in intensive care. The body was brought back to Egypt, where it was buried. The situation caused turbulence in Egypt and led to mass protests against European racism, while Western media has tried to downplay the incident and intentionally ignored it. The trial, incidentally, concerned the racist referring to the woman as a 'terrorist.' Perhaps it is time for Germany and other Western country to increase the punishment of accusing an innocent person of murder, and furthermore of cracking down on Western anti-Muslim extremists whom they have nurtured due to their slanted media reporting on Muslims. All I can say is that there are many more people responsible for this woman's death than merely this attacker. The German government (which has forbidden hijab for school teachers in some provinces and requires Muslims to take extra tests to prove loyalty and liberal mindedness), the German and Western media promoting vilification and hatred of Muslims as a propaganda strategy, and racist right-wing parties who appeal to hatred of Muslims and other minorities all throughout the West to gain votes and further marginalize Muslims. Events such as this are quite common in many Western cities, but hate crimes against Muslims tend to be under-reported in the West, as it opposes the dominant Western narrative that Islam is the threat and Muslims are never victims, and deserve any suffering they receive. This was quite obvious in the reporting on the Israeli invasion of Gaza, Mumbai attacks in India, and the current Uighur riots in Western China. Muslims don't deserve the same respect as other human beings, because we are to be hated and vilified and our legitimate causes are to be denied and ridiculed.

Denial of the right of Muslim women to wear the clothes which they choose is not freedom, it is oppression and denial of freedom. Hypocrisy in dealing with Muslims must come to an end.

Justice, however, shall always triumph in the end. The deeds of man shall be revealed for all to see, and each individual shall be judged according to how he carried his life. The tyrants, oppressors, racists, enslavers, and usurpers shall have their just recompense. Those who have been victims of injustice by other men shall not be wronged in the least. Mankind should fear the day when all shall be revealed, and when he will cower over the weight of his sins. Those innocent beings who had borne the punishments of the people of this world shall be blessed and find happiness with their creator for all eternity.

Brutally occupied East Turkestan, known to the Chinese as Xinjiang, was an independent Muslim homeland of the Uighurs for thousands of years.

East Turkestan, known by the Chinese as Xinjiang (New Frontier), is facing ethnic violence as a result of tensions between native Uighurs and the Han Chinese immigrants in the territory. Turkestan was an independent land until 150 years ago when it was conquered by the Communist Chinese. The Uighur are a Turkic Muslim people who are relatives of the other Central Asian Turkic groups. They have largely preserved their heritage, language, culture, and religion, despite official Chinese persecution.

The Uighurs face intense ethnic marginalisation as a result of the banning of Arabic, forbiding fasting in Ramdan, forced secularization, banning of independent religious leaders (many Imams are servants of the state), and enforced demographic change through Han Chinese immigration, forced sterilization of Uighur women, and strict population control of Uighurs (while encouraging growth of Han Chinese in their lands).

Uighur students reading the Quran. Islam has long been persecuted and marginalized in Communist China. Many Uighurs have immigrated to other Muslim countries, such as Pakistan and Turkey, to practice their religion in peace.

What strikes us as the most odd, is the lack of reporting in the Western media regarding the Uighur's right to an independent state. Infact, the US and many Western countries have attempted to justify Chinese oppression of the Uighurs as another front on the war against terrorism, i.e. war against Muslim self-determination. This is in blatant contradiction to the stance taken by the West in regards to Tibet, which is a Buddhist majority population occupied by the Chinese. This situation brings up many questions. Do Non-Muslims have more of a right to freedom than Muslims? Are Muslims inherently dangerous, such should be oppressed and subjugated as a national policy? Is it beneficial to the West to support oppression of Muslims wherever they may reside, as all Muslims are a threat to them? The case for an independent Uighur state is far more justifiable and practical than an independent Tibet. The reason being that Turkestan was an independent nation for the vast majority of its national history. Chinese hatred of the Uighurs is quite apparent. Their lands are used to test nuclear weapons, which have had adverse birth defects to the people living there. Their oil is pumped out of their lands, without any benefit to the Uighur people. Uighur diaspora communities have established free East Turkestan movements in a variety of nations including Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan. The difference of reporting and sympathies from the West regarding the two conflicts in China, reveal a deep moral void and genuine hypocrisy to the cause of freedom of people around the world, especially when the subjugated are Muslims.

Click image to make larger. Some facts relating to the oppression of Uighurs by China. 8.5 million forced abortions, 750,000 killed by the effects of nuclear waste, 500,000 murdered. Let the truth be heard.

Both of these two cases are related by the fact that they reveal inherent hypocrisy in the Western propaganda claims of supporting freedom and self-determination, especially in the case for Muslims. In fact, it seems from the policies of Western nations that a substantial portion of the ruling elite and a large section of the overall populace of Western nations support the subjugation, control, and exploitation of Muslim people throughout the world. The American government and media area major factors in the population's negative and hateful views of Muslims.

Some Muslims tend to make excuses for the rise in hatred in Western people as a result of media coverage and government policies, but this reveals an apologetic view. It is not the act of forgiveness alone, which shall save the Muslim populations of the world from subjugation and genocide, but it is only the cause for truth. Pursuit of truth and justice, the paramount principles of the human world, need to be revived and appropriated to the situations of today. Unless we resolve to deal with justice and to study these matters with the intention of discovering the whole truth, and not allowing our own biases and moral failings to deviate us from it, only then can we lead to a genuine human intellectual renaissance. When the weak and oppressed make excuses for their exploiters, this deeply curtails our quest for the truth.

Click image to make larger. A flyer distributed by a student group at an American university shows the extent to which hate speech and demonisation of Muslims is propagated. None of the students nor the organization were reprimanded for their hate speech.

A Muslim woman stabbed to death, among thousands of other Muslim women and children who have been the victim of violent anti-Muslim crimes throughout the West, is not something which we should ignore. Each life is precious, particularly those of women and children. Those who attack and murder innocents deserve no pity, and harsh punishments need to be taken against them. The media should also not deflect blame to other sources (sometimes they very cleverly and dishonesty blame the Muslim victims), but the people of the West should accept that the rise of intolerance and racism in their nations are a homegrown problem, based in hundreds of years of state-based propaganda promoting Western racial superiority to other people of the world. Combating violence is the duty of all honest people who call themselves human beings, and those who justify the murder of innocent human beings should be ostracized and even punished by the governments in these nations. Calling for people to commit acts of vandalism, violence, rape, and murder against Muslims should be a serious crime. Throughout the Western world, media outlets, newspapers, radio talk shows, and right-wing parties are furthering these notions and gaining support through propagation of violence. It is the duty of these Western nations to prosecute those found encouraging others to violence with harsh punishments, and official counter propaganda measures to further the view that Muslim lives are just as holy as any other human being.

Muslims of the West need to re-evaluate their presence in the Western nations. Whether they are a source of genuine propagation of good, truth, and justice, or whether they have completely no effect on the present moral standing of the nations in which they reside. These nations have, from time to time, a tendency to slip into violent genocidal policies against minorities and those whom are different from them. The Holocaust, with its persecution of Communists, Gypsies, and Jews, was but one example. Another is the seizure of immigrant Japanese property by America during World War 2, and forced Japanese settlement into internment camps for fear of Japanese having sympathies with Imperial Japan. Both moves were overwhelmingly backed by their populations, due in part by government and media propaganda. If such a thing ever happened to Muslims in one Western country, I suggest the Muslims in the other Western countries should leave immediately. The lives and the continuation of our progeny are way more important than any mild monetary gain to be had.

A young Uighur child. If not for the decimation of our religion, children, and culture, What then will make us resist subjugation? Let all Muslims join hands together for a better future.

I pray for the continuation of Islam and the eventual liberation of Muslim lands from foreign occupiers. May Allah (swt) bless the believers, and humiliate the enemies of the believers. Know that truth and justice shall always prevail in the end.

Pakistan World Cricket Champions!

2009-06-21T12:42:00.003-05:00

Today, Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka in the Twenty20 World Cup Cricket finals earning them the title of T20 Cricket Champions. The final score was Pakistan 139/2, Sri Lanka 138/6.

Pakistan on the road to a promising future in cricket. Is the glory of the 90's returning?

Sri Lanka won the coin toss and thus chose to bat first. Pakistani bowlers, of most pre-eminience, Hamid Gul, kept Sri Lanka in check for nearly the whole game, taking out in the beginning three of Sri Lanka's finest batters. Sri Lankan captain Sagakkara scored nearly half the teams points at an impressive 64 runs with 52 balls, keeping Sri Lanka competitive until Pakistan's batting turn.

Pakistani players line up for National Anthem of Pakistan. Nationalistic passions run high in the crowd.

Pakistan's team started with the excellent batter Kamran Akmal with 37 runs from 28 balls. Sri Lanka took him out in the 7th over. Shahid Afridi and Shuaib Malik managed to stay in the game until the end, managing to scoring 54 runs with 40 balls and 24 runs with 20 balls, respectively. This despite tremendous pressure from Sri Lanka's world renknowned bowlers (the three M's). In many respects it can be said that Shahid Afridi won this game for Pakistan.

This is a welcome relief for Pakistan and Pakistanis throughout the world. The next following days will be one of joyous tribulation throughot the streets of Pakistan and Pakistani diaspora communities in London, Dubai, New York, and throughout the world. Pakistani news, if you have been following it, has been rather depressing of late.

Devoted Pakistani fans in London take to the streets in celebration of their teams victory. Everyone is proud to be Pakistani today.

I sincerely wish that this great victory for the people of Pakistan will enhance their resolve to alter the inadequacy of the present state of affairs for the security and welfare of Pakistan. After so many heartaches and headaches, this is almost seen as a sign of God that Pakistan has not been forgotten and left to be dissolved by its enemies. Pakistan, will and must, perservere despite the complicity of its enemies in the American, Israeli, and Indian governments. Pakistan is the thousand year evolution of the Muslim presence in Asia and a bulwark of Islam in a land which is antagonistic to Muslims. Pakistan's survival and well-being is a covenant with God almighty, and those millions who died in the creation of Pakistan and those hundreds of thousands who have died to keep Pakistan alive shall never be forgotten.

My best of wishes to Pakistan and the brave, courageous people of Pakistan. May the enemies of Pakistan have troubling sleeping due to the roaring of Pakistani cricket fans in the night. May they have green flags shoved in their faces. May they forever live a shallow and worthless existence. Ameen.

Back

2009-04-18T00:52:00.008-05:00

I am back in the location from which I am most comfortable in typing in my blog. I have material and access to knowledge and resources which I don't always have when I am on the move or someplace else. Not to forget the most important resource required for a writer, silence and privacy.

They are watching. Be careful of what you read or write online.

Recently, I have been reading on several ways to keep myself safe and anonymous on the web. I have come across several online programs and even some temporary e-mail providers. With the rise of the centralizing and attempt at controlling the web by large multinational corporations and governments, the privacy of the common individual is greatly at risk. Internal Service Providers (ISPs) have conspired with the governments of the world to silence criticism of them, and to further monitor citizens to further their goals in controlling their people and crippling dissent. To the extent, that the only safe and unfettered way of communication is through talking with a person one on one, physically, in front of him. E-mails, messaging programs, online forums, cell phones, and any other form of external method of communication are thoroughly monitored and recorded. To the extent, the government may even hack into personal computers through spyware and other utilities to search the drive for potential information on the citizens. When the government becomes over-arching and imposing on the common man, especially in the realms of his home and his right of privacy, this is only the beginning. After this, governments begin sinking into a decline in authoritarianism and state-control of citizens through media, propaganda, and silencing dissent. One must be very careful to maintain a high degree of professionalism in his conduct and use in the internet. ISPs monitor usage of their customers to provide ammunition to the government to deny the freedoms of certain individuals whom they wish to silence. This is why we must be very careful with technology. Bank accounts have now become electronic, credit cards can be traced and the records are easily accessible by those who have a purpose with this information. Furthermore, blackmail is the most common form of silencing critics of governments, with bribery being the second. Therefore in a materialistic society which is secular (and lacks moral values of honesty and justice), the status quo is easily formed with a selfish populace and maintained by elaborate brainwashing of the common individual by the giant media corporations, with full patronage by the governments in the world.

Click for larger image. Boycott Bollywood.

In other news, I have officially begun my boycott of Bollywood movies and Indian food products to protest India's domestic and foreign policies. Bollywood movies are complete rubbish anyway, with very little intellectual thought. Furthermore, these movies are propaganda tools to further both a materialistic, shallow, and hedonistic way of life which promotes the destructive values of greed and selfishness which are producing a growing world population of mindless, woman chasing, hormone-filled dirty males who care only for wealth and women, and moreso objectifying women as merely lusty, physical obects of pleasure, while focusing more attention on flashy dresses, make-up, and promisciousness and protraying womanly modesty, dignity, and honor as old-fashioned and unattractive. Bollywood movies also portray a relatively homogenized fantasy Indian culture where Vedic Hinduism is predominant, and all other Hindu sects, and particularly Muslims are viewed as trivial or outright evil. Progation of Hindu philosophy, especially the destructive ideologies of hatred of minorities (Muslims, Dravidians) and hatred of mostly Muslim foreignors (Pakistanis, Kashmiris, Arabs, etc.) which are in line with Hindutva teachings, are commonplace in Bollywood. I am boycotting Indian products particularly in response to the occupation and genocide of Kashmiris, the oppression of minoirty Muslims in India and the complete tolerance of progroms against them, and also of India's intense destabilization of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and other countries due to its arming of agents and supply of suicide bombers to fight sovereign neighbors to further Indian goals of hegemony in South Asia and abroad. India, consequently, completely supports Israel against the Palestinians, and fully backs the invasions of sovereign Muslim countries in other continents and regions simply based on its xenophobic hatred of Islam and Muslims. On another note, Pakistani food products are vastly superior in quality than Indian products. The world's top masala mix brands are Shaan and National, which are Pakistani. The best basmati rice (Zebra, etc.) grow along the tributaries of the Indus river, which flows fully in Pakistan, thus its land is most fertile for the growth fo this high demand rice product. These are merely a few examples. From now on, all of us who know of injustice from India's neo-colonial adventures in Muslim lands, its close ties to apartheid states such as Israel, and its support of terrorists to destabilize neighboring countries should boycott India completely. Now that you know, there is no more excuse not to, otherwise you will be further supporting injustice and be complicit in it. Let's all make a resolution together to boycott India en masse to force it to halt its policies which deprive people of the world of their self-determination and freedom, and those policies which encourage and foster communal genocide in India against minorities.

This post has been a long time coming. I'll finally post it. Inshallah (by God's will) I hope you have learned something from it.

Break

2009-03-16T00:21:00.011-05:00

Some of my friends recently had a break from school and we enjoyed several days together. It was rather hectic. We did several things which included going to the beach to swim, driving around, going for walks in the park, and watching some movies. It lasted for a only a couple of days, yet it felt like only one day.

It was a pleasant distraction from the usual routine which is based around my research and studies, keeping up with affairs in the Muslim world, reading books, playing my PC games, and until very recently biking. I also play some sports such as basketball, table tennis, and soccer.

I wanted to post several of my opinions concerning some topics which I have been researching.

Massive protests in Pakistan against the tyranny of the present government have began. Hopefully this trend will continue until a more representative and stronger government takes power.

Pakistan recently had a major political demonstration against the present government concerning its corruption, theft of venue, lack of maintaining security in the face of foreign armies, widespread economic problems, and belligerence in the eyes of the public due to bullying of political opponents and sacking of its independent judiciary, mainly its chief justice who was seen as the people's judge. A long march was carried out by Pakistan's major opposition groups, Pakistani Tehreek e Insaf (a social justice party), Jamaat e Islami (a popular religious party), and Muslim Leaque Nawaz Sharif Faction (which once held government and is the major party in the Punjab province). After massive arrests of thousands of protesters and the injuries of several dozen, it seems the pressure has forced the government to reinstate the country's judiciary. This is a major triumph for all Pakistanis, and is seen as a major victory for the common man. What happens further remains to be seen, however.

One thing, which has always been foreign to me, that I have found among some populations of Muslims is extreme ethnic nationalism. Due to my limited research in this subject, I would like to specifically refer to Turkish nationalism. I have noticed by my research of several sources, from videos to websites to articles, modern Turkish nationalism is unique in the Muslim civilization in that its roots lie outside Islam. I will explain.

Ultra-nationalism in Turkey. A natural reaction given Turkey's turbulent history. Does it benefit Turkey or harm it? Has it outlived its usefulness?

During the Ottoman Empire, Turkish opinion used to be thoroughly Islamic and concerned with Muslim dominance. The Ottoman Empire sent numerous preachers and even sent soldiers to defend their allies when they were threatened. Modern Turkish nationalism emerged out of the ruins of the Ottoman Empire, and was one of the propaganda pieces used to unite the Turkish populace during the rise of Mustafa Kemal, known unsurprisingly as Ataturk, father of the Turks. Due to his strong efforts, he eventually succeeded in defeating an alliance of Western powers consisting of almost all the nations of Europe and Russia. This further increased his standing among the Turkish populace and lent legitimacy to his notions of Turkism. Despite his achievements in freeing Turkey from the threat of invaders, domestically he openly criticized the backwardness of Islam (seeing that as part of the Ottoman past which kept Turkey in the past) and invented a new form of Turkish nationalism which went as far back as the Huns, Mongols, Proto-Turkish peoples of Central Asia, and used ancient Turkish symbols such as the wolf (ancestor and symbol of Turks), star and crescent (explained as devoid of Islamic meaning as it was originally a Turkish people symbol, which is actually the truth), and the color red symbolizing the bloody rise of the Turkish people in a sea of enemies and the warrior spirit of the Turk. The Turkish language was further changed to incorporate an Eastern European script, more in line with the ancient Turkish language, than Arabic, which was seen as the language of the Arab rebels. Turkey further became distanced from its once great influence over the Middle East. Though the Saudi Arabs and Northern Peninsula Arabs resisted Turkish influence, those Arabs of North Africa and Egypt retained a nostalgia of the Ottoman Empire, and felt they were betrayed by the new Turkey, which did not want anything to do with them. In Turkey itself, the Kurds which were Islamic and supported the Ottoman Empire and had fought Ataturk's revolution were suppressed and their culture/language was essentially banned. This lead to years of bitter feelings among them, but also essentially lead to many Kurds adopted the dominant Turkish culture. The Persians, now and also under the Safavi during the Ottoman era, had traditionally remained enemies of the Turks and resented their influence in Central Asia, which Persia saw as its Khwarezmi domains. The conquest by the Russians of the Central Asian provinces cut Turkey off with its cousins in Central Asia and further isolated Turkey. The only regions were Turkey still had a large influence was over the Eastern European former provinces and Muslims regions of Albania, Kosova, and Bosnia. This influence has continued today. Turkey furthermore has influence over Cyprus, which Greece had colonized during the demise of the Ottoman Empire, northern Cyprus remains solidly Turkish to this day. The animosity between Greeks and Turks is well known. Turkey also exercised considerable influence over Azeribaijan, who are Turkish Azeri people who struggled with Armenia to prevent the conquest of their lands shortly after the demise of the Ottoman Empire. Today Turkey is beginning to realize its problematic past as being isolationist in Middle Eastern affairs. This was demonstrated by the strong stance of the Pro-Muslim solidarity with Gaza during the Israeli invasion by Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey is struggling to further its influence and beginning to realize its potential in its backyard after nearly 60 years. It's influence in Central Asia, despite Turkish vocal support of fellow Turkish people among the Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Turkmen, Kazakh, Uygur, Tatar, Tuvan, and Mongols, has largely fallen on deaf ears. Most of these countries are still largely under the influence of either the Russians or the Chinese, both of whom see Turkish influence as a threat to their continued dominance in Central Asia. Despite mainly seeking support from fellow Turkish nations, Turkey has excellent relations with Pakistan as well. Pakistan's relations with Turkey go back to its Mughal era where it had a strong alliance with the Ottoman Empire, largely established to curtail the influence of Safavi Iran. The Safavis under Nadir Shah were instrumental, incidentally, of breaking apart the Mughal empire and leading to the disintegration of Muslim rule in India for nearly 200 years. This was due to the attack by the Sikhs, funded by the French and British, and the similarly European backed Maratha confederacy immediately after the Safavi invasion. The final British assault on India ended the Mughal empire forever. Turkey's friendly relationship with Pakistan is the result of several events in Muslim Indian history, notably the Khilfat movement whose main purpose was an agitation against British rule because of the planned dissolution of the Ottoman state. After Pakistan's independence, Turkey was one of the first nations to recognize Pakistan, and Pakistan's founder idolized Ataturk's educational and modernist policies. Pakistan and Turkey have since established a deep military alliance. The only issue which remains between the two countries is that of Pakistan's dominant religious Islamic nature with Turkey's more secular nature. As Pakistan becomes increasingly destabilized in recent years, it will become further known if Turkey's friendship with Pakistan is based on genuine concerns, or only mutual cooperation. Pakistan and Turkey, both, are in need of more allies and friends, as they have many enemies.

Granted that Pakistan itself is an extremely nationalistic nation, but the difference lies that Pakistan espouses an Islamic nationalism, or Pan-Islamic ideology as it was referred to by the father of this movement in the 19th century, Syed Jamaluddin Afghani. Yet even before the Independence wars in Southwest Asia, there was always an Islamic nationalism present from the early days of Islam. Hazrat Bilal the Abyssinian African, Hazrat Salman the Persian, and Suhaib the Roman were united with their Arab Muslim brethren by the power of faith alone. This idea was intrinsic to the later dominance of Islam and the strength of unity found among Muslims as they reached the lands at the edge of the West, East, North, and South of the then known world. It remained that an Indian Muslim was more of a brother and fellow citizen of the same great nation to an Arab Muslim than an Arab Christian, and vice versa. This remained the lifeblood of the Islamic way of life and the philosophy of brotherhood and unity among the world's Muslims. Sometime during the colonial wars of the 19th century, however, the Muslim world began to split itself off by ethnic lines. It began first with the British and French funded insurrection of the Saudi Arabs against the Ottoman Turkish empire, lead by the British agent Lawrence of Arabia. The Ottoman Empire was viewed as the foremost defender of the faith of Islam and the liege of all Muslims of the world. The Mughal Empire in India was an ally of the Ottoman Empire which dissolved sooner. In the gap between the fall of the Mughal Empire and the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the Muslims of India (the ancestors of modern-day Pakistanis, Afghanis, and Indian Muslims) waged countless campaigns against the invading Europeans, hoping that they could buy time for the Ottoman Empire to recover its strength and help them rid the Europeans from their lands. Needless to say, the wars of resistance, though forgotten outside of South Asia, caused the deaths of millions of gallant Muslims and caused tremendous headaches for the British. However the eventual triple alliance of the British, Hindu Marathas, and Sikhs eventually vanquished Islamic rule in the Indian continent for nearly 200 years, meanwhile the genocides and hunt of Muslims continued unabated. The Muslims eventually recovered their pride and earned their independence much later in the 1940s due to the charismatic leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah, known affectionately as the Quaid e Azam, the great leader, to the Muslims of South Asia today. As far as my views go, I believe it would be beneficial for the Turkish populace to adopt a more balanced and enlightening Pan-Islamic nationalism, which still retains the pride of the Turkish Islamic heritage. This would naturally be based on the Ottoman era, as the zenith of Turkish civilization.

Another topic I have been researching about lately is that of the theory of evolution as envisioned by Western scientists of the materialistic persuasion. It has always bothered me how this movement had rejuvenated and gave momentum to the atheist and materialist, capitalist factions of the Western elite during the colonial era. This theory, though applying originally to animals and plants, was used later to exploit colored people throughout the world, as they were seen as vastly inferior to white people. The originator of this theory, the British scientist Charles Darwin, often thought of as the hero of atheism and evolutionary thought, was responsible for a new method for which those who gave his ideas currency viewed the world. The order of survival of the fittest prevailed, and thus colonialism entered its most ruthless era. The beloved God-given principles of kindness, peace, justice, compassion, unity, and harmony were seen as weaknesses and discarded in favor the of the confrontational view that all human civilizations must compete for dominance to establish a hierarchy which will insure the Western domination. As a matter of fact, this idea was already popular among Western elites and colonizing powers, but after the advent of this theory, it was further strengthened. These ideas were directly responsible for the death of millions of enslaved African blacks, and the outright extermination of numerous of Native American tribes by European powers and their offspring.

Now the idea comes of the actual scientific basis for this theory. When Darwin first unveiled his theory, he backed it with very little evidence and mainly used inferences and outright guessing to prove his theory. The Western based Materialist scientific community fully backed this proposal and propagated it simply because they disliked the alternative, belief in God as the Creator and Cherisher of the world. This ignorance was allowed to perpetuate itself, until we reach today, in the modern age, where all of Western scientific thought is built on this faulty idea. This concept further alienates us from the truth and hinders our ability to scientifically progress as a human civilization. In diagnosing the problem and finding a solution, we must first study the details of this misguided idea in more depth.

The supposed basis of evolution was the fabricated idea that all complex creation develops from simplistic creatures. This idea has been proven wrong by several enlightened scientists, and especially by one Turkish group which goes under the synonym of Harun Yahya. In addition to several revolutionary books produced which will undoubtedly lead to a new era of scientific progress in the very near future, when materialism is thoroughly exposed for the scam it is, there is a video available which all individuals concerned with this topic should see.

One of the most astonishing revelations is the fact that several creations which exist today such as the turtle, crocodile, shrimp, the coencanth, and other such species have not evolved for hundreds of millions of years.

An artistic reconstruction of a Trilobite from a fossil. These fossils are found all throughout the world. Advanced prehistoric creatures such as the Trilobite are the most effective way to disprove the evolutionary theory.

Other creatures such as the ancient extinct trilobite, were complex and extremely functional, at a time when scientists expected proto-creations, which were the ancestors of animals today, to be undergoing evolutionary changes to adapt them to their environment. Creatures, such as the trilobite, seemingly came out of no where with no possible ancestors or evolutionary links observed. At closer observation, much of the supposed evolutionary theory is full of holes and guesses. It is hardly a significant and new observation that animals whose environment changes tend to die out. This has been noted by philosophers and scientists of the old world civilizations as well, and even by nomads and Bedouins. The preposterous notion is that animals somehow undergo changes by a process of trial and error over millions of years until they reach a state where the creation resembles a modern descendant more and more. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, which obviously is not present. If such a notion were true, we would find numerous mutated and dysfunctional animal species in the fossil record, but yet this fossil record of the main source by which we disprove evolution. Rejecting God almighty, indeed leads to preposterous notions, and ultimately hinders scientific progress.

The text of the image: While you are reading this sentence, More than a million chemical reaction occur in your eyes. Each of them much more complex than you can imagine... Much more complex than the workings of screen that you are gazing at... Of course a hi-tech company built your screen, Then, who built your eyes?

Yet can you believe that it is the notion of a creator God and creationism which the materialist and atheist scientists teach children and the populace as an obstacle to science. Truth is seen as hindering science, what an ignorant and deceptive notion which has blinded the world. There is a concerted campaign by the atheist materialists to indoctrinate the Western populace, which is more readily receptive to this deceit, and finally to rid the world of belief in God. Being Muslims, we know what God tells us in the Quran. God is the sole Creator and Sustainer of this world, and He Himself created all the creations of this world. Some Christians state that the earth is a few thousand years old, but this is an erroneous concept as God hasn't revealed to us how old the Earth is. As we know from scientific discoveries and the hadith books, humans were sent down from Jannat (Paradise) much later to this world. Evolutionary scientists among human beings are being manipulated by one enemy of humankind who wishes for us to deviate from the true worship of Almighty God, the enemy being the accursed Shaytan (devil), avowed enemy of mankind. It is he and his followers who are indoctrinating humans into this line of thinking to create a human world which is devoid of God, to establish a materialistic lifestyle against God's chosen path for mankind, and to further push back all mental contemplation of our Creator. Another more sinister goal is to mock and ridicule those human beings who retain belief in God, and disavow the wicked one's trickery. As we will see, this is further used by our enemies to exploit the Muslim cause, and further alienate us from the rest of the world. It is part of the wicked plan to exact genocide and oppression upon all the Muslims of the world. We should reaffirm our full commitment to Allah swt (God) and reject all the tricks of our enemies. Evolution is a great deception, and it has now been proven to be false through the fossil record. Do not be one to hinder the advance of human scientific progress by keeping this outdated notion. Let us advance together, under One God, one people cherishing truth, into a glorious future of human achievement.

Aryan Origins

2009-03-07T18:56:00.011-06:00

The following is a collection of posts from the Internet which I made. Edited and now with pictures. This post will deal with the various hypotheses, research, and history of the Aryan people, along with an analysis of who is Aryan and who is not. Aryan here refers to the original Aryan nations of Asia, and not the convoluted European idea of Aryan or Nordic superiority.

The term Aryan is still widely used in Iran, India, and, to an extent, Afghanistan to this day. The term has fallen out of use in modern Pakistan because of its attachment to Hinduism, the term Sindhi is used now (referring to Indus river valley civilization).

The spread of the Chariot along the ancient world. This invention is believed to be Aryan in origin, thus it may shed light on the Aryan migrations. The years are in BC.

According to the popular history of the region (as told in Iran, Pakistan, Northwestern India, and Afghanistan), the Aryans came from the north of the Amu Darya river in what is now either Western Kazakhstan, or Russian territory by the Volga river north of the Caspian Sea. The Aryans brought with them knowledge of horse drawn wheeled chariots and domestication of cattle. The Aryans did not come in one large migration but several migrations over a long period of time. There is evidence that the first settled people of the Indus river valley civilization (in the Punjab, Sindh, Kashmir regions of Pakistan, called Sappta Sindhu [seven rivers]), were in fact relatives of the Aryans which Hindu scriptures claim came much later. There does not seem to be any evidence of a massive invasion. Though the Indus river valley civilization was destroyed, we haven't yet figured out the cause of it. The cause is largely speculated.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Aryan_migration

The current hypothesis is that the Aryans were a collection of related but diverse tribes who migrated in waves into present-day Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and some bordering regions of Northwestern India. The Aryans gave rise to several different civilizations: Persian (Iran), Parthia (Afghanistan, Northern Pakistan), Indus River Civilization (Pakistan, bordering regions of Northwest India). Several Ancient people were descended from the Aryans, The Scythians were another such group. The regions they inhabited (Southern Russia, Kazakhstan, Caucasus, Western Central Asia) correspond to the paths of Aryan migrations into Persia and modern-day Pakistan and Northwestern India. Influenced by the Aryans, various Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms also arose, including the Gandhara Empire, etc. Eventually, the majority of the Aryans embraced Islam. This lead to the establishment of the Muslim kingdoms of Persia, Afghanistan, Mughal dynasty in India, and Bukhara, among others.

A map showing the two cradles of civilization in South Asia. The Indus and Gangetic civilizations are two ethnically and culturally diverse civilizations. As we see, the Indus river valley and its descendants reside mainly in Pakistan, while the Gangetic people correspond to modern-day Indians and Bengalis.

A deception has been propagated in our present day that the majority of Indians are ethnically Aryan. This simply false. Along with the Indus river civilization, there was another civilization which started along the Ganges river. This gave rise to Bengalis and darker colored Indians. Culturally and linguistically, there are numerous differences between Indic and Gangetic peoples. The most obvious being physical appearance. Genetic tests have been done to prove this point. One main proponent of this view is a famous politician/researcher Aitzaz Ahsan. There was never one India, as I have stated earlier, South Asia is like a continent with hundreds of different languages, dialects, and ethnic groups. In modern Pakistan, people still identify with their family tribal names, which can still be traced back hundreds of years.

Though some concepts of Hindusim can be traced to Aryans, the religion itself is a amalgation of differing tribal beliefs which were codified and established as a unified religion in the wake of Islamic conversion in the Aryan regions of South Asia, modern Pakistan and Afghanistan.

It seems that different Aryan tribes settled in differing regions giving rise to the various ethnic groups found in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Northwest India. There are apparent differences in physical appearance between the people of Punjab, Kashmir, Pukhtoon lands, or Faris, yet all are remarkably similar when compared to Europeans, Arabs, Mongols, Tamils, or Bengalis.

Being Aryan does not make one superior to non-Aryans. This is a false concept, perhaps established by our ancestors to keep their supposed racial superiority, i.e. the caste system. Whether Aryan, Semitic, Gangetic, Mongolian, we are all human beings first. That's very important.

A Parthian drawing, 300 BC. The Parthians were Aryans who settled in modern-day Afghanistan and Northern Pakistan. They are famous for their Parthian horse archer warfare tactics, whereby an archer advances and then bends backwards while retreating to fire a volley at the enemy. This tactic was later harnessed by the Mongols.

Uzbek, Turkmen, Kurd, Tajik, and other Western Central Asian, Northern Middle Eastern people are also Aryan. The regions of the Uzbek, Turkmen, Tajik were referred to as Khwarezm, the northern regions of the Persian empire. Not all Turks are from Mongolian blood, though they are related by language and culture, the different physical appearances shows us that there are mainly two types of Turkish/Mongolian people. Oghuz, western Turkish, and Chagatai, eastern Turkish. I use the term Turkish to refer to all the Turkic (Turaani) tribes, Mongolians, Tatars, and Turks (Turks of modern Turkey who are mixed with European, Byzantine blood). It is believed that from the Oghuz Turks, the Aryans originally came.

The question which begs itself is how did the German Nationalists appropriate the term Aryan to refer to their race, which to them is defined by blond haired, blue eyed people? Some Iranian researchers have speculated that a tiny group of Aryans may have migrated to Germany, but became mixed with the populace there. It seems rather odd that Aryans are defined by traits which are foreign among them.

For a long time people assumed that the Aryans were red haired and had light skin (from Indian standards). The people of Northern Iran, on the south coast of the Caspian, are blond or red haired and pale (though with Iranian features), perhaps this refers to their ancestors. There is also the prevalence of light eye color and light hair color among these people, the people of Afghanistan, and Northern regions of Pakistan. Does this indicate a higher prevalence of Aryan blood? Unfortunately we have little way of knowing. The standard belief was that lighter skin was related to a higher proportion of Aryan blood, but modern archaeological evidence contradicts this. Perhaps the Aryan society was one which contained these genes of light eye color, skin color, but was mostly representative of their black haired, and wheat (olive) colored descendants in southern Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. It might be that this trait was much sought after in Aryan society because it was rare. This is just a hypothesis of mine.

A portrait of a Mughal prince exhibiting definite Aryan characteristics. The differences in physical appearance is striking between the mostly Muslim Northwestern South Asians [Pakistanis] with Indians, Tamils, and Bengalis.

One more vexing issue is the Aryan superiority complexes found among Hindus, often used to discriminate against Muslims or other minorities. This is odd considering that the vast majority of Indian Hindus may have little to no Aryan blood whatsoever. As a matter of fact, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the bordering Indian states such as Punjab, Rajputana, and a small (almost miniscule) proportion of Indians from other states seem to have a higher proportion of Aryan blood. It has long been propagated in India by Hindu thinkers (from the 1930s) that the prevalence of light skin among the Muslims was because of Arab, Turkish, or Iranian mixing. Yet as we can see from the family histories of Pakistanis and Indian Punjabis and Rajputs, these people tend to be very thorough and precise concerning their lineages. Those with Arab or Turkish patrilineal lineage use titles such as Syed, Farooqi, Siddiqui, Qureshi, Hashmi, Baig, Mughal, Bukhari, Khan (not the title). These, though found among Muslims, are not very common when compared to the Aryan names such as Gujjar, Jatt, Rajput, Bhatti, etc.

I think the British, too, found it odd when dark-colored Indian rulers claimed a similar white Aryan heritage with them, to ally themselves against Muslims, who in many cases, looked more European than the Hindu Indians. It still makes me laugh when I see a dark southern or southwestern Indian claiming Aryan heritage to prove his superiority over a Pakistani Muslim, who most likely is more Aryan than the majority of Hindus. I think this obsession with light complexes has been a thorn in the side of the subcontinent's advancement for a long time. What need have we to prove we are somehow related to European invaders to prove we are somehow superior to our countrymen? This concept is deeply erroneous and reveals the simplicity and depth of psychological inferiority complex which plagues South Asia.

Pakistan has recently rid itself of this complex in the last 60 years, due in part to pan-Islamic nationalism. Indeed, the term Aryan is basically extinct in Pakistan. India, however, still suffers from the mental baggage of a long history of self-hate, which is further perpetuated in the Bollywood and music industries. Until we accept our own appearance for what it is, and have pride in it, we will forever be mired by this. This goes for anyone.

A statue of a nobleman found in Mohenjo-daro (3000 BC) ruins in Punjab, Pakistan. The shawl worn in this sculpture, an Arkun, is still worn by the people of Sindh. This shows the lasting influence of the Indus River Civilization on the culture of Pakistan.

Unfortunately, much of the Indus river valley civilization has been lost in time. This is perhaps the greatest gap in the story we have at the moment, archaeologists in Pakistan are trying to figure out the language, origin, and demise of this once great nation. Like the Mayans, they just disappeared mysteriously. We probably know more about the Mayans than the Indus river valley civilization.

A New Cold War

2009-03-03T16:35:00.005-06:00

How can Pakistanis kill their own police so mercilessly? Whoever did this has the worst in mind for Pakistan. It cannot be Pakistanis.

Today's attack on the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team by a well-trained group of gunmen comes at a time when Pakistan is in the main battlefield for the West's 'war of terrorism'. The attack occurred just outside of Gaddafi stadium in the popular Liberty Market shopping district in Lahore, the capital of the Punjab region of Pakistan. I have shopped here many times and I am well familiar with this area, it seems almost surreal that the attack occurred in a place where so many people walk by everyday on the way to work or to shop in the fabric stores. The Punjab region is the one region in Pakistan which until this moment was free from violence and widespread acts of sabotage.

This violence comes at the moment when the reigning PPP of Zardari has illegally wrestled political power away from the popular party in this region, the PML-N of Nawaz Sharif. It is no doubt that this political upheaval was the time the agents were looking for to carry out this vile attack. All major opposition parties have voiced protest against the political corruption and illegal maneuvers carried out in Punjab by Zardari. Pakistan is one of those countries were the opposition parties make up the majority of the populace, so much for democracy. Zardari has become de-facto civilian dictator of Pakistan, with full support from the West, and has begun a political crackdown on domestic political opponents unrivaled even by Musharraf's worst vengeance.

Apart from the political upheaval in the Punjab, the Pakistani government has recently concluded a peace deal with militants in its Swat valley, part of the NWFP, where the military was carrying out a full scale invasion and routing out militants at the behest of the West. Upon finally defeating the militants (most of whom were Afghani (Karzai) backed militant leaders), the people of Swat have pledged to support the government in exchange for allowing autonomy and the practice of sharia (religious law) and tribal law in the region. The Pakistani government's agreement with this deal has been met with severe opposition from the West, Karzai's Kabul government, and India. Similar deals are being negotiated in all regions of the FATA and NWF which have experienced some unrest in previous years due to the American bombing and occupation of Afghanistan.

Another dimension to this conflict is the Mumbai attack which occurred several months ago in India. Without any proof (even now), India has blamed Pakistan for the attack (as it always does with anything). Several Western media stations have taken up the Indian story, without any research, and condemned both Pakistan and Kashmiri mujahideen group Lashkar e Tayyaba for the attacks. The LeT denies any involvement with the attacks which it calls 'cowardly,' while the Pakistani government denies in 'the strongest terms the shameless attack on Mumbai.' Furthermore, Pakistan had agreed to try those Pakistanis who India claimed to have proven were behind the attacks in a UN televised court case with no secret evidence, where everything is plain and in the open. India, however, denied Pakistan's cooperation explaining it 'did not believe in Pakistan's judicial system' and blames Pakistan fully for the attack. Eerily reminiscent of America's attitude after the 2001 attacks. Indian and Western media outlets have routinely pronounced verdict of Pakistani guilt for months now, even though Interpol has stated there is no sufficient evidence to try Pakistan, a sovereign nation, for hands in a terrorist attack. As if Pakistan does not have problems of its own.

The reason why I have laid out this information is to give you a history and background into the context of this event. This is important because this will help us identify the aims and ultimate purpose of this attack. It can be seen that this attack had several purposes, with the main one being harming the global image of Pakistan. Asif Haroon Raja has written a very informative article about this issue. An excerpt is as follows gives several reasons:

Some of the motives behind the attack are as under. One, add fuel to fire in Punjab. Two, impress upon the world that even Punjab has become insecure and hence Pakistan is turning into an ungovernable and failed state. Three, prove to the world that Pakistan is an unsafe place and no country should ever think of sending its sports team to Pakistan. Four, further weaken Pakistan economy, discourage investors, isolate Pakistan and get it declared as a terrorist state. Five, give a mortal blow to Pakistan cricket and to weaken Sri Lankan cricket team which is the real challenge to Indian cricket team in the coming world cup. Six, cover up the embarrassment of Mumbai and humiliate Pakistan. Seven, stage-manage Mumbai like attack in Pakistan to prove that it was Pakistan and not India that had masterminded Mumbai attacks. Eight, spoil Pakistan-Sri-Lanka relations. Nine, teach Sri Lanka a lesson for not heeding to its command of not sending its cricket team. At the same time, assuage the hurt feelings of Indian Tamils wailing over the successes achieved by Sri Lankan forces in crushing RAW sponsored LTTE insurgency in northern Sri Lanka by targeting the whole Sri Lankan beloved cricket team.

http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?212123

As we see, this is one of those rare opportunities in history whereby it is almost impossible not to resist to act. Sri Lanka and Pakistan are both regional enemies of India, and the RAW. The Sri Lankan government, with overt Pakistani support, has finally achieved key victories against the Indian-backed Tamil tigers terrorist group. The Sri Lankan civil war, which has lasted two and a half decades, is nearing an end and this has greatly frightened the government of India and the Hindu Tamil population of southern India. Not only this, Pakistan itself is embroiled in several destabilizing conflicts, with separatist militants from Afghanistan who are funded by Karzai and the Americans, with Pathans who oppose Pakistani support of America, with the notorious Western and Indian-backed MQM terrorist group in Karachi, and now with total PPP dominance over all government institutions. We cannot overlook that Indian intelligence agents from RAW have been arrested providing logistical and military support in the sabotage of Pakistani government institutions throughout the country from Balochistan, FATA, NWFP, Karachi, and now in Punjab. The rebel movements in Balochistan, FATA, and NWF, however, have been crushed by the Pakistani government and these provinces are returning to normalcy.

Long live Sri Lanka. Our condolences to those injured. You have proven yourself a true friend of Pakistan. Press forward and defeat the RAW sponsored Tamil Tigers.

This whole situation started with India cancelling their scheduled cricket tour of Pakistan as a result of the Mumbai bombing, and with increased rhetoric against Pakistan in the Indian media. Pakistan faced huge financial loses due tot he planning of the visit by the Indian team, therefore the Sri Lankan team offered to visit Pakistan to cement ties and to save Pakistan's face in the global arena. The International Cricket Council (ICC) had banned any cricket teams going to Pakistan due to the security situation. The two member countries, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, bilaterally agreed to this test series inspite of this. Indian government tried several times to dissuade Sri Lanka from sending its players to Pakistan, claiming Pakistan is a terrorist state and should be economically and politically cut-off. Sri Lanka ignored Indian pressures and went ahead with the scheduled trip to Pakistan. Several matches were played, and on the third day of playing, the terrorist agents struck the convoy carrying the players. The convoy was underguarded, which is the fault of the PPP government which has seized power in Punjab, as stated by both Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif. The Pakistani police fought the attackers after hearing the two initial explosions, resulting in the deaths of five police officers. The Pakistani bus driver carrying the Sri Lankan players immediately increased the speed and burst through the ambush saving the lives of the players. Several Sri Lankan players and politicians heralded the bravery of the bus driver and the police forces in combating the attackers. The perpetrators of the attack, unfortunately, have gotten away. Leaving behind backpacks filled with weapons, dried fruit, and water. The weapons captured by the police consisted of Kalashnikovs, rocket launchers, and grenades. The players themselves have suffered minor injuries and have been air-lifted outside of the country. Currently, four suspects have been arrested by the Pakistani government in relation to this attack. It remains to be seen what will become of this.

Right now it is is a matter of who gains the most form this attack. Without a doubt there are several parties which have greatly benefited. These include, but are not limited to Indian RAW, Israeli Mossad, CIA, and Karzai's agents. It is widely perceived by Pakistanis that this attack is a joint venture carried out by India, Israel, and the US to weaken the image of Pakistan and set the stage for weakening Pakistan. The aims are to de-tooth Pakistan by removing Pakistan's military nuclear defensive ability, weaken Pakistan's military, weaken Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI, increase the enmity between Pakistan and its traditional allies (this has already been attempted by RAW agents against Chinese nationals), and weaken Pakistan's credibility as a sovereign country. And finally, in a few years, the Cricket world cup is scheduled to take place in South Asia with several matches being played in Pakistan. This completely ruins the chances for Pakistani cricket. Pakistan, itself, has now been completely isolated in the world arena. With the world's Muslim countries, especially its neighbors, Iran and Afghanistan, complicit in Pakistan's isolation, the future seems shaky.

However, we are very proud of the conduct of two allies of Pakistan, who have no matter what, supported the will of Pakistani people and helped Pakistan in times of need. Sri Lanka and China, both, have proven, without a doubt, to be Pakistan's greatest allies in the region. No matter what Sri Lanka has faced in its in this event, it has never once blames Pakistan for the injuries received by its players. The Sri Lankan Foreign Minister has arrived in Pakistan to assist in the investigation and the capturing of these foreign agents. China has continued with its plans to improve in infrastructure of Pakistan, and has even permitted Pakistan to indigenously manufacture the JF-17 Thunder (with all technology available in Chinese hands) aircraft fighter in Pakistan, thus further stabilizing Pakistan's economy. Compare this to the sale by the US of stripped down F-16s to Pakistan, which Pakistan paid for but neither received the aircraft nor was given its money back. This proves who is the friend of Pakistan and who is not. With these trustworthy allies, along with several major Muslim allies such as Turkey and Malaysia being the most significant, Pakistan needs to realize who are its allies and who are its enemies.

The JF-17 joint venture is but one area of Pakistan and China's enduring friendship. Here is for a great future together.

Once the government of Pakistan realizes this, they can concentrate of ridding Pakistan of all foreign agents who are meddling in Pakistan's internal affairs and build a new Pakistan which is strong from outside and strong from within. We still have a long way, but we must always remember why Pakistan was created in the first place. It is the collective struggle and history of the Muslims of South Asia for independence from others. It is the successor state of the Mughal legacy, the great hallmark of the Muslim experience in South Asia, and with the potential to be the greatest leader of all Muslims in the world. There was a dream called Pakistan, we cannot let it die, we will carry it with our blood. Even if we are beaten by every single power, we must recover our pride and get up. We are Pakistan, we are not afraid. Allah made Pakistan, only Allah can destroy it. Let us never forget this. No one has power over us but Allah swt. May Allah save Pakistan and save the Muslims of South Asia and the world. Ameen.

What binds us?

2009-02-28T10:17:00.005-06:00

What binds us together? This is the question for this age which needs to be addressed by the all self-proclaimed leaders of our people. In fact, this is how you discover real leaders from fake ones. Real leaders always stress unity in the face of civil strife.

In this age most of us can only see what divides us against each other. This is part of the plan, to keep us at each other's throats so that the truth and importance of unity cannot dawn on us. Another method they use is to keep some of us mired by small petty groups, uniting only a fraction of our people, while keeping the rest excluded. This serves to limit the scope of our vision snd blinds us to our true potential.

Unity must be stressed among all else if we are to proceed as a people in the coming age. Various elements and improper ideas are blurring our vision of the truth. Pan-Arabism, Pan-Turkism, Pan-Africanism, Pan-Persianism, Ethnic Superiority, and Sectarianism. These elements need not always be an obstacle to our path, but they have began to outlive their usefulness. The goal should be unity, so anything which hinders this goal should be termed as an affront to our very way of life. I am not saying to do away with ethnic and cultural identities, but to allow them to become subservient to Islamic unification.

This leads to the question of what is it exactly which binds us, the Muslims of the world, together? The obvious answer would be the religion of Islam, our one God, Allah swt, and the reverence of the Holy Prophet (s). Any young child can give you this simple textbook answer. Although, in essence this answer is completely true, a further explanation is needed, because so far this answer alone has not prevented division among us.

Although for some, the above answer would suffice, for someone such as me who views religion, history, and world affairs in the same prism, it is not enough. I would go even further to suggest that what binds us together is a common cultural mileu, a unified and transcendent history whereby all of us are the budding saplings from one original seed, and a similar past whereby we have faced the same oppression and exploitation, not because of our ethnic identity, but because of our religious views which is our basic defining feature. For what binds a Muslim from Pakistan, Muslim Uighur, or a Melayu Muslim, to an Arabic, Persian, or Turkish Muslim other than faith?

Unless we are sure of ourselves and our religion as our main defining features, then we that is the only way unification can be achieved. There is nothing sinful or abhorrent of recognizing different ethnic make-up and origin of different nations, but to use that as an obstacle and form this nationalism as an affront to Islamic unity is a sin. Not only is it a sin and displeasing in the eyes of Allah swt, but it is also the major cause for the lack of unification among Muslims today. Many of our leaders have forgone religion and used ethnicity to unite the people, ignoring that while their particular minor ethnic group compose several million members, the Muslim world composes more than one and a half billion individuals. To not use the resources and tremendous strength capable to our people is a crime which makes our leaders complicit in the fall of power among the Muslim masses. This si the main reason for the state of affairs today.

Anyway, this post has taken several days to finish. This is the result of my busy personal life. I should end this here and type again. Let's all do our small part to enhance the idea of Islamic unity by learning of the history of our brethren in the Muslim world. Let's pick up a book on the creation of Pakistan, let's study the history of the Ottoman Empire, let's study how Islam entered Africa, let's read of how Islam entered through Central Asia into the lands of Southern Asia, China, and South East Asia. We, unfortunately, are the biggest obstacles to peace in the Muslim world and understanding. Let's stop being a part of the problem and begin being a part of the solution. It is time for us Muslims to become one unit, one body, whereby if one portion bleeds, all of us feel the pain. The sons and daughters of Islam will rise, no one can prevent this but ourselves. Here is to a glorious future

The End Times

2009-02-27T07:53:00.012-06:00

One Eye Symbol of the Dajjal (Anti-Christ) on the back left of the American Dollar. Annuit cœptis means He approves (our undertaking), Novus Ordo Seclorum means New Secular (or Worldly) Order.

I've been doing some research on Islamic end times prophecies lately. I recently watched this serial on the end times called The Arrivals. Regardless of some minor sectarian messages and some unsubstantiated views regarding the future, it was indeed insightful for my purposes. I want to encourage the reader not to get too caught up with any one view when researching such topics. It is one thing to trust someone fully after having knowledge of where he stands, but trusting too easily has been the problem with our generation of human beings. We are fed information at such a pace, if we believe all of it, we will fall into vast error and never find the truth. Self-criticism of a particular view one may hold, and well-thought out criticism, is the greatest asset of a researcher. There, however, comes a time when one's belief concerning a particular event or ideology become more or else cemented. We should be careful, though, not to get caught up in falsehood and deceived by others. Others may advise us, but it is we who must make the final decision to accept or reject the information we have received. It is also important not to reject fully what is presented, unless it is obviously false. Because in some instances, a small trickle of truth may be hidden in a sea of lies and fabrications.

Some people may criticize these beliefs as 'conspiracy theories,' but the fact remains that if we believe everything which is told to us, we become completely dependant on one view, while ignoring all others. As George Orwell's book 1984 shows us, those who readily accept information become pawns of greater powers who wish to suppress knowledge which will make us too comfortable or intelligent, and this able to resist influence. I am not telling anyone to read the book, it is rather boring and long winded with some questionable things in it. One can simply read a few articles about the book to understand the message behind it. Many commentators, however, have presented a limited commentary on the book while truncates the original message to only apply to communist and fascist regimes. This is far from the truth. No matter what form of government is available, the monopoly of power, language, media, and even human thought is possible anywhere.

Look at America today, it is a perfect example of using words and giving them new definitions, and inventing new words. You may recognize the following new words or newly defined words: terror (to refer exclusively to Muslims), islamic fundamentalist (person following Islam to closely is a threat), islamofascist (imaginary link between islam and athiestic fascist systems like the Nazis), beheading (as opposed to murder, a supposed Muslim form of killing), honor killing (when a supposed 'Muslim' kills a relative, it is for honor and religion, instead of ego, which it really is), 72 virgins (supposedly Muslims kill innocent people to get these, this comes from an ancient tafsir and is being falsely propagated by Western media as one of Islam's main tenets; Most Muslims aren't even aware of it until they hear it on Western news), sharia (an oppressive form of law derived from supposedly Islam, which only includes cutting of hands for thieves, death for adulterers, and murdering apostates; Sharia is all encompassing and the punishments for certain acts are not always the same, sharia is not monolithic, actually the Islamic law is properly termed as Fiqh), mullah (this is a derogatory term for an Islamic scholar used by more secular Muslims, or used by Muslims to refer to a fake scholar, it has recently been picked up by the West), madrassah (a supposed extremist school which teaches children to hate America and provides forced religious indoctrination and military training; madrassah means school in Arabic, can apply to secular schools as well, and in the Non-Arabic world to applies to Islamic schools which are not related to government and operated free of charge for poor students by donations from contributors, most madrassahs are harmless and focus on education and teaching children to read and write; closing them down may be a way to further decrease the literacy of poor Muslim countries), regime sponsoring terror (a designation for Muslim states who tend to be America regardless of whether they are secular or democracies, it is used to build up eventual negative views against them to justify future invasions), caliphate (a supposed expansionist radical Muslim empire which stretches from Spain to Indonesia; I will explain this in more detail in the next paragraph).

They want to portray the Muslim quest for Khalifah as a threat to Western civilization. How wrong they are. By the way, picture has nothing to do with this propaganda, I just thought it fit. :)

The Islamic ideal of rule is similar to the European Union ideal, whereby all Muslim countries are autonomous regions with their own militaries, economies, trade policies, and social structures, yet are governed by a unified assembly of representatives from each nation. There is one head decided by the federation of nations by consensus, named the Caliph (or Khalifah, viceregent of God), who decides the policies of the federation using the national representatives of each nation, and a council of the highest Islamic scholars from each of these lands (majlis e shura). The Islamic scholars also function as an independent judiciary, based on the Quran, sunnah, and the rulings of their predecessors. In this scenario, if one nation is attacked in the union, all nations go to war in support of their brother nation. This is how the Islamic form of government works in theory. Though this model has not been implemented for nearly a thousand years. Islamic societies had regressed to dictatorships and monarchies relatively early in their histories. This was related to several invasions from outside the Islamic realm and civil wars within, but the topic needs to be touched on further in another post.

The borders of an Islamic Caliphate (Khulafah) are rightfully established by the lands where Muslims are a majority. Thus Spain or any Western countries are out of the question, besides Turkey, Bosnia, and Albania which are Muslim majority countries. Furthermore, the will of the people is important to determine whether these people join the Islamic state or not. Non-Muslim countries can join the Islamic state, if this is the will of the people and their leaders, as protected states or allied nations. The Islamic state is important the economic, military, and social security of the Muslim majority nations in the world. It is not expansionist, but it will, like any other nation, defend its sovereignty when attacked. In such a nation, free trade, transport, energy resources, produce, and military solidarity, will forever end the dependence on foreign nations for protection. This is the only method for Islamic independence and security for the world's Muslims. This nation will be the protector, not only of Muslim majorities within its realm of dominion, but also of Muslim minorities living in foreign lands. It will do this through negotiation, reciprocating treaties, and military means if needed.

At the end of this discussion, we see that no country which respects its Muslim population or the sovereignty of Muslim countries should view the Islamic Caliphate as a threat, but rather an opportunity. Unfortunately, those nations which have a vested interest in controlling Muslim countries will never agree to allow independence for Muslim nations to pursue a more equitable order for themselves. This is the crux if the debate on the topic of Caliphate. Muslims represent 25% of the world's human beings, yet they are thoroughly underrepresented in the UN, exploited by the IMF and World Bank, and used by foreign powers as pawns in their games with each other. If the Muslims achieve independence from foreign nations, this will end all the exploitation and degradation of Muslims.

That is why the war against Muslim self-determination will go on. Eventually all the materialistic and imperialist regimes, even those who have some sympathy for Muslim causes now, will eventually conspire against the Muslim majority nations to further weaken and humiliate them. We live in a world, controlled by the elite, who knows only to steal for sustenance from the downtrodden and oppressed of the world. It is possible to have a more equitable world, but this will not come through negotiation, it will come by the humiliation of the elites through the impoverished masses, Muslims and Non-Muslims. That's why great leaders of indigenous and grassroots movements throughout the the aspiring world were assassinated. In the 70's, a number of Muslim nations had strong leaders who were bringing their people and nations to power and strength. However all of these great leaders were assassinated or made ineffective. Thus we live in the age of the shadow of the murder of our great leaders. Without true leaders, a people's chance of rising is not possible. It is the hope of a leader, though, which keeps us living. Maybe another one will rise among us who will lead us to recover our lost pride and strength, or perhaps it will be the fabled Mahdi (rightly guided one from Islamic prophecies), along with the return of Hazrat Isa (Jesus) the Messiah who will help us.

All I know is that the situation cannot stay the same and MUST change. The Muslims are living like soul-less creatures, neither alive nor dead. Waiting for a promise which seems like it will never come. The depression and humiliation of the Muslim mind is at the maximum of history.

In the last 15 years alone, close to 10 million Muslims have died in the above wars imposed on them. Eighty percent (80%) of the world's 20 million refugees are Muslims, and all we have are flags and organizations like O.I.C. and the Arab League. These groups can only meet and make statements begging the U.N. and U.S.A. to "do something," while 40 million impotent Muslim armies, armed to the teeth, can only fight their Muslim neighbors and oppress their own people, while most of the Muslim masses remain in poverty, uneducated and unemployed. Thousands of Muslim children sleep without shelter and without food.

Dr. Shahid Athar

We are a people whose pride is lost and whose lives seem expendable to everyone. However, according to our Holy prophet Muhammad (pbuh), it is at just an age that the Mahdi will rise. Peace to the righteous, for the glad tidings are coming.

Nasrum min Allahi wa fathun qareeb

With help from God, the victory is near

Ameen, Ya Rab, Ameen

Invigorated

2009-02-22T06:00:00.004-06:00

Well, there is a change in the air. Things are looking up. A new life is starting, I feel invigorated with energy. My eyes are as sharp as an eagle. My hearing like a rabbit. My mind sharp, perceiving. All praise be to God. I feel somehow like a burden has been lifted. I can't yet describe it.

In other news, I really want to go to the beach today, but alas it is yet too cold to even consider it. One of the only good things about where I live is the calmness one gets from swimming in the ocean. It is both calming and exciting actually. I guess I have developed an affinity for swimming and being in the water. I also like taking long hot baths. It gives me time to relax and think about life.

I have been missing my relatives lately, especially my cousins, my aunts, and my uncles. I love them all very much. Hopefully, I'll see them soon. Inshallah.

I have finished watching the Roots tv series about the book by Alex Hailey, which I liked very much. It portrayed slavery in light of the view of African Americans who were the victims of this great crime in human history. It details the life of a family, starting from its patriarch in Africa and until modern times. It was very insightful concerning the subject. I would highly recommend the book for anyone interested in the subject. The series was filled with too much drama, and not enough facts or reality as the book was. I especially enjoyed the life of the first Africans and their experience being brought from Africa to the new world, along with their opinion of the pacified and humiliated 'Africans' who lived in the new world. It really showed me how the similarity is between the way I may view Westernized Pakistanis who forsake their culture and heritage to myself who would never give up an inch of my pride in being who I am. I could really relate with this African warrior, because his sentiments seemed also to resonate with me. This part of the book was very real and informative to me.

Well, other than this I have been biking very much and also I have been watching alot of movies in my free time. Well, that is all for this. I need to get back to my real life. Later.

Devoid of Leadership

2009-02-14T00:30:00.009-06:00

Muslims today face one of the greatest dilemmas that any community or civilization could face in its history, and that is the void of leadership which has left the Muslim world without a clear vision and path to follow. This issue is perhaps the greatest challenge which must be addressed before the Muslim world can reclaim its lost pride, honor, and place in this world. I dare say, this problem is even greater than the continual genocides, occupations, bombings, rapes, abductions, deaths, poverty, illnesses, starvation, and exploitation we face as a civilization. Without proper leadership, how can we change our place in this world? Our situation will only get more and more perilous, and this will lead to the collapse of our civilization (if it hasn't collapsed already that is!). We, as Muslims, need honest leaders with a vision for our future, especially one which appeals to our Islamic religion, Muslim heritage, and foremost, unites all the Muslims into one spiritual and physical body which can lead our people to a glorious future.

Bahadur Shah Zafar (Mercy of Allah be upon him) a true Muslim leader who fought the British in South Asia during the 1857 revolution. He died in a lonely jail cell after being tortured and left to let his depression finish him. He remains a grand symbol of resistance to his people even today.

This is the era of incompetent and corrupt leaders, and it has cast such a shadow over the Muslim world that it seems like there is no hope. One of the curses of living in such a state is the tendency to reach out and try to hopelessly identify with people who seem powerful, courageous, and whom you may wish that care for you. Unfortunately, this has misguided not only Muslims, but many of the other people of third world societies who have been kept under neo-colonialist grip by puppet regimes and harsh exploitative dictatorships. The tendency has shifted from ideological and theological unity to personality worship, which is not only divisive but exploitative. When a society, stripped of all honor and respectability, laments their states, a hero is needed for them to recover what little pride they can salvage, even if it means the hero they look up to isn't perfect and may abuse their power. It is a time when people reach a state which can be best explained by the view that 'anything is better than this.' This leads into full motion those vultures who prey on the misfortunate suffering of common people seeking change to work to win prestige over these simple people by rhetoric which they agree with and promises of change which will help them find a new sense of honor. When sympathy has been won, then they are further pressured to prove their love for such leaders by giving money to them or offering up themselves to be used as may be required of their leaders. When these individual 'heroes' of the people have acquired the love of a significant minority among the masses, and usually this is done very quickly, then these leaders become effect rulers over their subjects. They become like faultless kings in the eyes of their people, and hide their dark characteristics from them. From here, these rulers disrupt the societies around them, they cleanse enemy tribes or races, and they pave the way for a fascist ideology which is devoted not to ideals, but to the worship of one man or small echelon of society. There is a reason why personality worship is forbidden in Islamic theology, and one man dictatorship seen as an obstacle to the correct way sent by God. That man who has limitless power, yet is not held to check by his constituents, is a scourage of not only the earth but of the lives of men. No man should have this much power, unless he is sent by God to have such power.

Those sent by God are three. Prophets, of which no more shall arrive after the last prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), according to the Islamic faith. The ressurrected (form heaven) Messiah Jesus (peace be upon him), who will arrive in a specified location and specified events have taken place (Holy Land after the arrival of the Anti-Christ, Al-Masih Ad-Dajjal in Arabic). Lastly, the prophesized Mahdi (rightly guided one) who will restore Islamic primacy in the Muslim lands and who will be identified forthwith due to his exceedingly honest, just rule and endless victories against his enemies. The Mahdi, furthermore, will arrive after certain events have taken place, those mentioned in the hadith about the End Times.

Unfortunately, as Our Prophet (peace be upon him) told us, the Muslims will be faced by hundreds of false liars who will decieve us by using the allure of this world and even personality worship to drag us away from the correct religion, Islam, which does not believe in personality worship. In Islam, man's complete submission must be to God Almighty, Allah (swt). God is the only one who can decide matters of life and death for a man, and only God can ultimately guide a man to the correct path. Islam is very simple in that regard, as the intercession or approval of others is not needed to be rightly guided. This concept of the Islamic creed, is the very concept that breaks the chains of human slavery to other humans or to the glitter and glamor of this life, and sets man free from the eons of slavery into complete freedom. In Islam's concept, freedom is obedience and love of God, because that is the natural state of man. Man was made by God, through His immortal love, and raised through His immortal kindness, and given gifts through His immortal affection. Until man realizes that all gifts and bounties of this life as given to him by His Master in heaven, then he cannot truly be conscious of what he owes to his Creator.

Indeed, everything we love in this world was given to us. Our bonds with fellow human beings was a gift of God, our nurturing parents, our companian siblings, our beloved young relatives, our wise older relatives, and those unrelated to us who became our true friends in this life. the bounties of the earth, of the skies, the the elements, and of human civilization is a testiment to the love of God Almighty. All this and he asked only of a few things, for us to love Him, though He knows we can never love Him like He loves us, and to respect Him, and to worship Him in our actions. Man is ever ungrateful of the favors of God, for even if man spent his entire life in prostration before God, it would not be enough for all the gifts God has given him. And that, my friends, is the truth.

The Muslim Dilemma

2009-02-10T05:49:00.008-06:00

I recently watched the movie Slumdog Millionaire which is about the life of an orphaned Muslim child growing up in the streets of Mumbai (Bombay) and so it reminded me of, or rather resurfaced my old feelings concerning the misery of the Muslims of India. India is one of those countries which sees its minority Muslim population as a threat to its existence and a problem to be solved through the use of pacification and assimilation of Muslims into Hindu culture, depression of Muslims through discrimination in education and employment, and finally to politically alienate and sideline strong Muslim organizations to push Muslims to support Hindu majority parties. The plight of Muslims in India is desperate. Among all the classes, even including the Dalits [untouchables], Muslims are the lowest in education, employment, and literacy. This coupled with the constant fanatical massacres perpetrated by the Hindu extremist organizations against them results in untold misery for the Muslims of India. Muslims are even discriminated against in the area of housing, with Muslims forced to etch out a living in ghettoes or slums, where the living situation becomes even more desperate due to the high crime rates, lack of adequate shelter, poor drinking water, lack of jobs, and unsanitary living. The Indian government seems to be doing nothing to help the Muslims of India to recover their financial stability, and further blames them for economic, political, and social problems.

One may argue that Muslims have come to the top of many Indian entertainment industries, but this is again only shallow thinking. Famous actors, such as Shahrukh Khan, and singers, such as A.R. Rahman, are the exception to this rule. Furthermore, it does not help that these entertainers do not try to bring attention to the suffering of their people because they don't want to fall in disfavor with the Hindu public. This leads to an unrealistic view that the situation of Muslims in India is improving, when it is only getting worse and worse. Indeed, these actors deliberately avoid talking about or playing roles which depict their Muslim identity. In this way, they become aloof from the suffering of their community and may as well be the greatest problem stopping India from taking serious measures to financially uplift the Muslims of India.

Another issue in India, is the wide held belief of many Hindus that Indian Muslims secretly support Pakistan and pray for Pakistan's victory against India in any wars between them. Though denied by more secular Muslims, this belief is still prevalent amongst the religious Muslims and the poorer Muslims who blame their poverty, discrimination, and deaths from mob violence on the Hindu majority. In this sense, Pakistan is seen as an external force which acts as a hope of salvation for the Muslims of India. This feeling is even present in the streets of India during cricket season where Indian Muslims prevalently cheer the Pakistani team even over the team from India. In Pakistan and even among Indian Muslims, it is common belief that the government of India and the majority Hindu populace supports the massacres of innocent Muslims by Hindu extremists. The fact that the government ignores pleas for help in cracking down on the groups responsible and stopping the attacks confirms these suspicions of many Muslims. In the case of Narendra Modi (Chief Minister of Gujurat who still enjoys popular support in that state) in which he not only allowed Hindu extremists to murder innocent Muslims, but condoned their actions speaks volumes for the argument that the Indian government supports these atrocities. It has been found complicit is several massacres carried against Muslims in recent years.

Whereas a Hindu might refer to this as the Muslim Problem, I have chosen to refer to this as the Muslim Dilemma, or the Dilemma of the Muslims. This is because I myself am a Muslim, and therefore it is important for me to raise awareness of the plights of my brothers and sisters, and to help find a solution to this conflict for the better interests of my people. Until this situation is solved, there cannot be any peace between Pakistan and India, and between the Muslims of India and the Hindus of India. I have chosen not to even touch the topic of Kashmir, because that post will be saved for another day.

Unless India and its Hindu population decide to make peace with and accept that Pakistan and Indian Muslims are an integral part of South Asia, this issue will never be resolved. In conclusion, it is important to realize that the Muslims of South Asia have never forgotten their great legacy which they carved into this land, with such masterpieces like the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, and Badshahi Masjid. All Muslims reflect with nostalgia and longing for the brilliant and vibrant civilization which they created in this land. Also, the Muslims will never forget the betrayal of the Hindus and other communities in favor of the British, which led to the destruction of their political and economic power, along with their pride and honor. Indian Muslims look West at the great lands of Islam, and it is important to realize that they don't consider themselves a minority but a majority nation (along with all the Muslims of the world). In this fantasy, is it so hard to image that the Muslims of India look west at their untamed cousins in Pakistan as a source of pride and hope for the future? What a grand dream for another Mughal Empire in India.

Free at last!

2009-01-11T10:38:00.006-06:00

I have recently graduated from my program and went from a student lifestyle to a more relaxed graduate one. With nothing to do except to indulge in hobbies and recreation while all my peers are busy studying and working on assignments is odd, to say the least. I feel glad however, and nothing describes how I feel accept that I feel free for the first time since I was a child.

It feels good to come back home after such a long time away. Not having to eat out or cook my meals anymore. I don't even have to do my laundry or clean dishes anymore, though I do take out the trash every few days, that hardly takes a few minutes.

So I have gotten into the habit of simply reading, books upon books, and of even writing down my thoughts about politics, life experiences, or simply just dreaming of fiction stories. I may even write a book one day, who knows.

My dreams have become much more vivid and I have started to ponder more on the meanings of certain events around me and the significance of human progress in this day and age. I have come to the conclusion that man is falling into a moral lapse from which there seems to be no way out. Such a lack of character and virtuousness has not been present for thousands of years.

It is in this state that I have decided to finally leave my region and travel a bit. It is long overdue as the last time I have gone anywhere was before I started going to university.

Well, my trip is coming up soon and I have packed all my things. After such a long time "stranded" in one area, it will be nice to travel for a change.

Plus, I really want to see my aunt and my little cousins who I am going to visit. The thought of them filled my heart with love and affection. I'm sure that somewhere in their little hearts too there is love for their bhai jan. hahaha. Seeing them reminds me of my own childhood and how I was as a kid.

I was a very mischievous and hyper kid. Now that I think about it, I'm still pretty mischievous, though I have long grown out of being hyper. My elders and my parents still think of me as that little kid who would run all day and tire everyone out. I think of the immense affection my elders had for me, and I think of my love for the younger members of our family and I feel the same.

Several of my older relatives even kept pictures of me as a child in their homes. When I think of all the days they came back from work or college and looked at me with love and affection. The tears from my eyes come forth and my heart with filled with a feeling I cannot describe. Being so far away, and yet holding me close to them. Indeed, there is no love like that of family.

Indeed, I am indebted to them as they showed me how to love others. When I was younger, I never really had anyone younger than me to love outside of my immediate family. It was a bit of a void in my heart. When adults saw children and laughed at them and kissed them, I didn't understand. I love and deeply respected my elders as I was taught to, but I had little love for ones younger than me.

Then I went on a long trip and I visited my family overseas. And when I saw my little cousins, clinging to me and looking at me with such affection, my heart exploded. For the first time I felt like a parent, like an elder. So I would sit and then they would come and sit in my lap, I would tell them stories about me when I was younger, or about a great hero, or a funny folk story. When the laughed or when they were sad from the story I was telling them, my heart would light up and mercy would enter into me. Almost like a subconscious parental instinct. Then, they would sit with me and I would take a spoon and feed them with my hands, and then they would laugh and smile. That feeling, it was something I never felt before.

So when I came home from visiting another relative or from taking a walk, and I would be coming home tired and worn out from the heat of the day. I would see them running towards me from the house as fast as their little legs could carry them, and then I would simply smile. I would tease them from time to time, tickle them, and then I realized for the first time how my elders felt when they held me in their arms, when they blew on my stomach, when the kissed my face, my hands, and my feet. I finally knew how it feels to love someone younger than you. It is this feeling, this mercy which God has given elders. The love that a parent or an older relative shows to a child. It is a natural instinct.

Then it dawned on me. This Western society completely lacks this concept. It exercises it in its most bare and shallow form. This society is selfish. I am glad for one thing, more than anything, that I know how man should live. With love and kindness all those elder and younger than him. And with respect to those of similar age or older then him.

Sure, people have problems from time to time, but unless there is that philosophy deep down inside to one another, then we cannot move forward. A last thing for all people to understand is that, no matter what others think, it is most important to understand the feelings inside one's self. People talk, and they will never stop talking. You must ignore what they saw, and look past it. For men, especially, it is not proper to get involved in the arguments or bickering of women. And so on, we should just move forward.

I have let out much sentiments in this post. I may be reminiscing to a degree, but I have also been thinking of how to move forward. Our goals should be to build the bonds of friendship and love between each other, only then can man truly exist in his true form. Man is not a lonely creature, he is a creature who is social and who loves others. In a world so devoid of that love, it is easy for man to leave his true nature and become lost in an illusion.

It is important for us never to be caught by something which is not real, we should know that our heart and soul live in the hearts of others. That is the only way to move forward and realize one's true self.

Eid Mubarak

2008-12-09T06:34:00.002-06:00

Eid started yesterday and it was great. Besides the fact that I had to leave the Eid speech early because of an exam. Though I feel I did well on my exam, so it was well worth all the studying.

Everyone was busy studying and doing assignments so we couldn't really get together and do anything. By the time I got out, everyone had finished having breakfast and starting going home to sleep. Didn't anyone get sleep last night??? Three or four people I called were sleeping in the afternoon.

So I went to a new Bengali restaurant which opened in town, and it was great though I could not pronounce any of the entrees. I had some kind of chicken kabab which had some green masala on it. It was delicious.

In the daytime, I sent out messages to my friends to say Eid Mubarak and talked to some of my relatives.

Eid ul Adha is a Muslim holiday which takes place during the Hajj season, and commemorates the episode when Allah swt tested Abraham by commanding him to sacrifice his only son, Ismail (yes, he was the only son during the time, it has been proven). Allah swt tested Abraham, and when he was about to slaughter his son, Allah swt revealed to him that his intention and faith has been sufficiently tested and that he could sacrifice a ram instead. Muslims sacrifice animals for this Eid in commemoration of the event. This is the reason it is called Bakri Eid in South Asia, bakri meaning goat. It is also known as the Bigger Eid, Bari Eid.

Cultural studies of Western Asia

2008-12-06T00:31:00.008-06:00

Some posts I made on the internet:

Middle Eastern, Southwest Asian, and Central Asian cultures share one common trait which is that all of these societies are majority Muslim states who have dominated global politics between 7th century till the 17th century. These include the Pakistani, Iranian, Central Asian, Turkish, or Arab cultures.

Pakistan is the 6th most populous country in the world. It is the birthplace of the Indus River Civilization which is as old as 3,000 BC. The Indus river runs through modern Punjab and Sindh in Pakistan. It was the site of the most advanced sewage and agricultural layout in all of Asia. It was the birthplace of the Number system we use today, and the site of the major defeats by indigenous people of European colonizers in the region during the colonial period. The people in this region had been waging a massive guerrilla war against British dominance for nearly 200 years. Pakistan itself is a federation of 5 different ethnic groups: Punjabis, Pathans [Pashtuns/Pukhtoons], Sindhis, Balochis, and Kashmiris.

The port city of Karachi is one of the largest Asian cities in the world, with a population of 12 million. Pakistan is renowned for its exceptional textile industry (rugs, blankets, etc), leather industry, food export (beef, goat, lamb, wheat, basmati rice, and produce such as mangoes, sugarcane, pomegranates, coconuts, dates, etc.) and for its decentralized educational system which brings in students from all throughout Central Asia and Southwest Asia. It is regarded as the breadbasket of Southwest Asia. It is also known for its advances in agricultural studies which is among the best in the entire world. Pakistan is basically a South Asian Muslim nation, whose cultural relations extend into Central Asia, Iran, the Arab world, and Eastern Africa.

Central Asia is another region replete with a great history. Technological advancements such as the chariot, warfare advances such as the hazara [thousand regiment] system, Parthian horse archer warfare, and various agricultural advances occurred in this region. When the Mongols unified in the 13th century, they drew on their cousins in Central Asia for support. They achieved this by forcing their enemies to join them and thus enjoy the wealth associated with their expansion. The Mongols/Turkic people of Central Asia eventually settled down and embraced Islam, bringing them into contact with the Muslims of the Middle East and South Asia. Central Asians (known as Turkic people or Oghuz/Turani) are also relatives of the Mongols, Turks, and have relations with both Iran and the Muslims of South Asia.

Iranians [or Persians] are one of the oldest civilizations in the world. The Persian dynasty first established itself with the unification of Persia by Kuroosh (Cyrus) the Great. The people of this region call themselves Iranians because they believe they are direct descendants of the original Aryan people who migrated into Southwestern Asia from Central Asia beyond the Darya river and the Oxus. The ancient Persians were renowned for their hospitality, compassion, and high degree of culture. Polo, chess, and many other luxuries originated with the Persians. In addition to South Asia and Turkey, Iran is also known for its exquisite Persian rugs. When Islam entered Iran, it became a center for learning of philosophy, mathematics, and chemistry. Ibn Sina, El Khwarezmi, and Al Jabbar (the father of Algebra) are a few prominent scientists from this era.

The Turkish and Arab heritage ares widely known. I'm a bit tired so I may post on this later.

http://www.turkishculture.org/

http://www.alhewar.org/ArabCivilization.htm

There are two main groups of Turkish people. Chagatai (eastern Central Asian, Uygur, Kyrgyz) and the Oghuz (western Central Asia, Turkey, Northern Iran, Uzbek, Tajik, Turkmen, Kazakh). The two groups have difference physical characteristics as Chagatai tend to look like Mongolian/Chinese with East Asian features, while Oghuz look European/Middle Eastern.

Turkish people in Turkey have since developed a very different ethnic makeup and culture as a result of the conquest and assimilation into the Byzantine empire. All Turkish people are Muslim and highly influenced by both Iranian culture and Ottoman culture.

Please comment if you have any questions.

Prehistory, Ethnography in South Asia

2008-12-04T12:55:00.006-06:00

I have been doing some research regarding the Bombay blasts which happened last month and have come to the conclusion that the official story is false due to various inconsistencies in its explanation by the Indian government and lack of evidence to substantiate these claims.

It is more worrying because several Hindus on campus have given me dirty looks and I feel there is a widespread perception that Pakistanis and Indian Muslims are all to blame for these crimes. The communal tensions between Muslims and Hindus go back to the dawn of Muslim rule in South Asia which is almost 1300 years ago. Over the centuries, enmity on both sides has increased dramatically with violent consequences, especially for the Muslim minorities in India. This hatred between these two communities is also behind the occupation by India of Muslim majority Kashmir and the invasion of Pakistan three times by India.

Some Hindu extremists still believe it is their duty to bring Pakistan back into the fold of Hinduism, by force if necessary. Hindu thinkers for roughly a century have furthered a theory that Muslims are not indigenous people who converted from Hinduism to Islam but actually foreign invaders who have little to no South Asian blood. They use the presence of a lighter skin color, longer, thinner noses, taller height, larger ears, more facial/body hair, and general different anatomy to suggest that these differences are related to these people not being indigenous to the region.

What these people fail to realize are the differences between the various ethnic groups in South Asia, being further accentuated in the Northwestern regions due to different racial stock. The prehistoric migrations of people into the Northwest of South Asia, notably Pakistan and the bordering regions of Indian Punjab, Rajastan, and the occupied Kashmir valley share far greater homology with each other than with the rest of South Asia. It has been proven that the modern people of Pakistan are the descendants of the people who made the great Indus river valley culture and also of Aryans spoken about in the Hindu scriptures. Punjabis and Sindhis, in particular, are the direct descendants of these people. The Indus river valley, as it did in the past, continues to provide a unique culture to the people of this region.

Kennedy (as cited in Bryant 2001:230), who examined 300 skeletons from the Indus Valley civilization, concludes that the ancient Harappans “are not markedly different in their skeletal biology from the present-day inhabitants of Northwestern India and Pakistan”. The craniometric variables of prehistoric and living South Asians also showed an "obvious separation" from the prehistoric people of the Iranian plateau and western Asia.^[29] Furthermore, the results of craniometric variation from Indus Valley sites indicate "significant separation" of Moenjodaro from Harappa and the others.^[29]

Kenoyer (as quoted in Bryant 2001:231) states that "there was an overlap between Late Harappan and post-Harappan communities...with no biological evidence for major new populations."
Kennedy (in Erdosy 1995:54) concluded, "there is no evidence of demographic disruptions in the north-western sector of the subcontinent during and immediately after the decline of the Harappan culture. If Vedic Aryans were a biological entity represented by the skeletons from Timargarha, then their biological features of cranial and dental anatomy were not distinct to a marked degree from what we encountered in the ancient Harappans.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Aryan_migration

The people of the Ganges river valley are a different race altogether, which is noticeable in their different physical appearance. Namely, shorter height, darker skin tone, a more fleshed out face, less facial/body hair, smaller noses, smaller ears, and generally different anatomy.

These two (or more) different nations were united in one state only once in their history, and this was during the Mughal empire. Without the Mughal Empire, there is no common ground between the varied nations of South Asia. One being predominantly Muslim, the other predominantly Hindu.

There are instances of Muslims with a patrilineal Arab, Persian, Turkish, or Mongol heritage in South Asia, but this is rare and the blood is rather diluted due to marriage with indigenous Muslims. Their identities tend to be shaped by their cultural awareness, not necessarily patrilineal heritage. The Mughals themselves were from Bukhara, descendants of Timur Lang, who was the descendant of Chingiz Khan. During the latter days, the Mughals had basically become South Asian, namely Rajputs, due to the tradition of intermarriage between the men and women of the Mughals with the royal Rajput class of South Asia. Foreign patrilineal heritage, however, is not the norm in Pakistan. Most Pakistanis are solidly South Asian. Many of them may actually be more Aryan than the Hindus, due the latter's mixing with Dravidians.

Though to most Muslims, race is not as significant as it is to the Hindus. This is proven by the invitation of many Iranian, Turks, and Mongols into South Asia during the stay of the Muslims. The Muslims felt then, as they do now, that different ethnic groups were not inferior nor superior to their own. Islam brings a sort of human consciousness about, in which all humans are seen as the children of Adam and thus brothers and sisters to one another. Muslims tend to shun racial supremacy, therefore it is exceedingly rare to find a Muslim who declares his race to be the most superior, and for him to still remain a devout Muslim.

Anyway, this is getting long so I'll cut it short.

First Post

2008-12-03T21:03:00.001-06:00

I have decided at long last to try my hand at a blog, seeing as many of my friends have already starting blogging and have had decent success in this regard.

First, I'll introduce myself. My name is Ammar and I am a Pakistani college student.

My hobbies include such diverse topics as Islamic theology, Islamic and South Asian History, Middle Eastern history, Global political development concerning Muslims in particular, Culture studies, Islamic revolutionary thought and the work of contemporary Muslim thinkers.

In a lighter tone, I also enjoy Video Games (especially Nintendo games), Hollywood movies (Gangster movies, Comedy, Superhero movies [like Dark Knight], and Classics), Anime (Dragonball Z, Fruits Basket, Full Metal Alchemist, Cowboy Bebop, Wolf's Rain, etc.), Pixar movies [WALL-E], and I like drawing alot. I watch alot of History, Discovery, and Animal Planet Channels also.

What do I like to do? I like simple things. I like to be with my good friends, to drink a nice hot cup of tea [doesn't matter which kind, I drink many varieties], discuss about religion with my friends from the mosque, I like to go out for walks, I like to workout, I enjoy swimming in pools or at the beach [though I'm not very good], I like to joke with my friends and everyone says that a small joke or funny thing makes me laugh for hours, I like to be happy and I try my best never to let anyone feel left out in a conversation, I like to offer my friends or family advice, I'm very easy to get along with. People say that I am poetic and I think very deeply about things. I try to think the best of others, and I try to extend the hand of friendship to everyone.

When it is cold outside, like right now, I like to wear lots of clothes and get warm so I can watch a movie or just relax. I also like to take hot baths when it is cold outside. I, however, enjoy the hot temperature. I like to seek the shade and just sit there and relax. I enjoy eating mangoes, annar [pomegranates], aloo samosas [potato filled]. I am a big fan of Biryani, Tandoori Chicken, many types of Kababs, and chicken karahi or qorma dishes. I like Pakistani food, Malaysian/Singapore food, and some types of Arabic food.

I think that's it for now. I have a tendency to get carried away with things I love to do and I have alot of passion for the things I like. I love the Prophet Muhammad (sallahu alayhi wa sallam) more than anyone alive. I love my Allah subhana wa ta'ala more than anything. I love my extended family, and I honor the memory of my deceased ancestors. I love children and I like to listen to the words of my elders. More than anything I am proud to be allowed to be a Muslim and a by extension a Pakistani. I could not imagine my life if I was neither.

Alright, I'll type again another day.