Muslims of the West (Europe) (part 2)

In privous post i mentioned my analysis and observations about the European converted Muslims. Now i would like to write about some of my suggestions that how these brothers and sisters could better meet the challenges of life.

Few humble Suggestions:

1) There should be a group of dedicated (preferably Muslim) people who takes care for the converted Muslims in context of learning, practice of Islam and also in other matters of everyday life. This would make sure that their journey of life remains smooth, positive and on right track.

2) Converted Muslims should learn openly but should stay controlled! They should learn gradually about all the aspects of Islam and Muslims including sects etc. However, it should be made sure in this process that one does not lose him/herself and also does not get permanent confused neither one should make absolute fixed ideas at start rather stay open to learn but be careful, vigilent and selfdecisive. A general study should be made first and then some conclusions.

3) One should not leave for others to come forward and teach rather one should be self active and go for the active learning even if others are passive. It is matter of extreme importance so one can't sit and wait for others always.

4) There should be regular learning and also improvement in practice with every passing day since we get a bit lost if we stay away from Islamic (or anyother) teachings for longer period of time. Our current setup of life is quite busy and we might forget important things if we don't turn to them regularly.

5) Islam should be learnt and judged with eyes and thinking of a Muslim and Human being and not with glasses of a particular nation, group or sect otherwise we get limited in our perceptions, knowledge and decisions. There were and there will always be differences among people so if we want to follow people then we will remain confused. One should listen to all but decide ownself at the end of the day.

6) We should not be worried or disappointed of sects, divisions or bad practices of Muslims. One should stay focused, positive and spirited and in case of confusions one should turn to basics i.e. Quraan and Sunnah. We should not be worried about minor differences of interpretations, it is part of test and life, after some time we start understanding the reasons and facts.

7) One should neither be too suspicuious of others nor should be over relying, we should stay open but vigilent and cool.

8) One should move forward gradually and positively and there should be times when one could reflect with free mind from all pressures and worries.

9) If we can't understand or decide something then we must neither get disappointed nor should be frustrated rather stay calm and keep one learning and praying from Allah almighty for the guidance and help. Those questions which seem answerless to us, get solved after some period of time if our efforts are sincere.

10) Our faith should increase with passage of time, through our observations and reflections. It should be followed by positive actions.

11) Ibadah(worhsip) and spiritual aspect must be made quite stronger since it is battery for our positive actions. It was practice of Prohpets and other Pious people that they have been praying in the nights and during days were able to stay stronger for the obedience of orders of Allah almighty. This is very very important aspect( i.e. worhsip), it not only helps in cleansing of ill effects coming to our brain, spirit and body but also gives us energy and focus. Focus during prayer must be made as pure and good as possible.

12) Arabic langauge should be learnt as quickly as possible since translations are not equal to original content. However, in this context one must not get lost to only cultural aspects of Arabic world or other countries! Goal is not Arabic world rather Islam. There are many non Arab scholars too who have been fantastic in their reasearch and contributions so they should also be read.

13) It is very important that we stay in contact to the Muslim community, it helps greatly in learning, staying focused and getting motivation. After sometime, we start feeling familiar and good but if we stay shy and away from community then things stay similar.

14) One should be very patient and caring towards those fellows who don't share the same philosophy of life. One should neither force them nor tease them. Here it should be made sure that others are not resulting in deviation from the goal of life!!! since we normally trust our friends very easily.

15) Logic and philosophy is only one way to analyse and judge things and not the ultimate way. So one should not remain limited to specific tools in thinking and analysing.

16) Islam is combination of faith and intellect so one should use fairly and rightly capabilities of both mind and heart. There should be maximum and fair coordination between heart and mind!:-)

17) Very importantly one must try to be as humble in front of Allah as possible. This does not mean self denial rather it means realism and understanding. Please, never try to curse Allah or feel dissatisfied from HIM, never ever!!! Sometimes we can't understand the true reasons, since our knowledge is limited so one should not get angry on that occassions.

18) We should not mix actions of Muslims and Islam itself. There can be actions of Muslim followers which are contrary to Islamic teachings so this is fault of people that they don't follow Islam correctly. Islam is religion of peace but generally people are unaware of it so we should be very patient, caring and aware of their sources of information and perceptions of Islam, during our dealings and conversations.

19) Keep in mind that Allah knows best.

20) and Allah knows best.

I hope that i was able to convey something useful to you. These are just my observations and views and one naturally can agree or disagree.

May Allah help and Guide us. Aamin.

In next post i would write about those Muslims who migrated to West/Europe.

Muslims of the West (Europe) (part 1)

Every nation and culture do contain some people who belong to minority or groups which have a different identity than majority. These people do lead a different and interesting lives, which are sometimes quite challenging too.

West has a good number of immigrants and other minority groups including Muslims. I would like to give some insight into the lives of Muslims living in West especially in Europe. My views are based upon my personal interactions, discussions and reflections etc.

There are two main groups of Muslims living in Europe. 1) the ones who are native to the West: most of them converted to Islam, 2) migrators (permanent and temporary). In this and next post i would write about Native Muslims of the Europe then i will write in context of migrated ones.

Native Muslims could be divided into two main groups: First Group the generation which entered the world of Islam somewhere between 1930 and 1980. Second Group the ones who converted to Islam after 1980.

1) First Group: I did not had good chance to learn about this group of Muslims but still some of the things i can share. There are quite a few such people who belonged to different nations in Europe and converted to Islam at some stage of their lives. Some of the points attached to this group of people are as follows.

• Their main sources of conversion to Islam had been books, rare contacts to Muslims and visits to Muslim states
• They had to fight quite hard to sustain with a faith and religion which was not of mainstream. It is never an easy task to take steps in opposite direction of masses.
• they had not many sources for the information about Islam since resources of information and individuals were not in great number at that time. Muslims also were quite feeble and unfocused in those days. So these converts had to fight very hard to learn and also to practice their religion. If those converts had come across a practicing Muslim in Europe, it was like a surprise and gift for them!
• there were even those who converted to Islam but due to many factors, like lack of knowledge, social challenges, lack of guidance and contacts etc, could not hold strongly to Islam. It resulted either abandoning of Islam by them or very weak practice of it.
• The level of the prejudice was naturally higher in that period of time since world was not quite open and networked at that time, in addition to that religious authorities were stronger than today.

2) Second Group: These are the ones who have entetred the world of Islam in last two decades and most of them are young. Some of the important factors about this group of people are

• They have many diverse sources of information and guidance e.g. books, internet, other media, migrated Muslims, easy access and traveling to Islamic states etc.
• they also face similar social challenges as have been faced by older generation of converted Muslims but intensity and nature has been changed.
• main challenge for this group of people have been recent happenings at International level where Muslims are supposed to be part of problems. So this group has to face the normal treatment of suspicions and hate. To face pressure due to such happenings is a bit hard for the ones who are new to the Islam!
• Another big challenge for this group of people has been too much and diverse information. They have to deal with heavy flow of information coming from different diverse sources and it is even hard for the born Muslims to analyze and judge that flood of information. They have to deal against different sects in Islam and sometimes get confused whom to take as true:-)
• they really need to be quite active and alert to withstand many challenges of modern and fast life i.e. career, earning, education, social trends etc. This makes it harder for them to learn and practice Islam. They also get into troubles when environment and needs around them seem to be in conflict with their faith, although in my opinion it happens in many cases because of yet not complete picture of Islam. One needs to learn and reflect well to be able to make connections between Islam and realities on ground.
• Lack of understanding and practice of Islam by born Muslims makes it difficult for them to stay focused and motivated. They sometimes get disappointed when they see Muslims being divided, careless towards Islam, lacking confidence and having inferiority complexes! How a new person will feel if he/she observes that the Muslims are themselves destroying their religion?

Few more Challenges for Converted Muslims and their Characteristics:

• Social dealings: They have been facing difficulty to deal with social setup which has a bit different direction and philosophy of life. In general European societies are not very strong in spiritual aspect and trends are generally materialistic oriented. However, Islam and other religions do give very high priority to spiritual aspect and belief in Unseen. These Muslims have to face opposition and hard questions from their family, friends and other fellows. which is a natural phenomenon. It is one of the biggest challenge to find a life partner(wife/husband) having close/common philosophy of life. Here, females are a bit lucky that they find partners(from a big number of Muslims coming from other countries) but for the males is a bit harder.
• Learning and Patrctice: As mentioned earlier, it is quite hard for the converts to learn and parctice due to many factors. This leaves them into a state where they confess in a new faith but find it difficult to know and follow demands of the faith!!!
• Some Prejudices: As a natural phenomenon, it is always hard to believe and follow a philosophy which majority of a society does not follow!!! This naturally brings them to face few prejudices.
• Question of attachment: It is hard for the converts to find a social belonging and balance. They have to make a good/right balance between national attachment and religious attachment. It is hard task.:-), i know it very well.
• Practices of other Muslims: They get a bit confused and disappointed at some points when they observe the attitude of many Muslims who show ignorance towards Islam and strange behavior. This is definitely an irritating factor. However, fortunately there are quite a few good Muslim examples too which keep people moving forward.
• Suspicious: Converted Muslims don't rely upon born Muslims(mainly migrated ones) and show some sorts of suspicions towards them, it has been my personal expereince too:-). Some of the reasons for it could be
  

1. contradicting actions of Muslims
2. differences of cultures
3. sects
4. lack of Islamic knowledge and lack of broader exposure of it
5. greed and cheating by Muslims e.g. in business or marriages etc. There have been cases where Muslims did get married only to get nationality etc and then left their partner after fulfillment of vested interests, it creates bad feelings.
6. Muslims expect the new comers to be as much dedicated suddenly as an ideal Muslims should but it is hard for a new one, and sometimes he/she feels overly pressurized since he/she can't be immediately like an Arab or Asian Muslim!
7. backgrounds and nationalities do play a role in getting familiar and trusted. Naturally, one feels best with a person belonging to same nation or group.

• Contended, Ambitious and Sincere: They are normally quite contended at their decision to accept Islam and feel quite satisfied internally at it. In addition to that they are ambitious and sincere in learning and practicing new religion and if find proper and correct channels in this context then make very fast and good progress. However, if they stuck in a bad group then might lose track.
• Intelligent: Are normally quite intelligent because, firstly they come to a big decision and it needs a lot of reflection and courage, secondly they learn many cultures and get diverse knowledge.
• Are not Blind followers normally: Converted Muslims normally follow things with maximum understanding, reflection and self conviction. This might not be the case with a born Muslim who takes things as granted ones and normally correct but for a new one it is hard to digest things without understanding. Although it is quite important habit to analyze and understand but sometimes might create problems also. One can't go beyond a certain limit of exploration in case of faith(not because God is afraid of it rather because we get confused there) and for a person having been and thinking in a dominant materialistic world, it is sometimes hard to digest the unseen things or which he/she can't understand e.g. a person who sees only external factors will not easily understand existence and working of Angels.
• Language and Culture: Quraan was revealed by Allah(God) in Arabic language and in Saudi Arabia to the Prophet Muhammad(PBUH), he then taught, explained and demonstrated Quraan to the people. So the best way to learn Islam is to learn Arabic language and Arabic history first. However, this takes time and efforts, Arabic is much different from most of the currently used European/Western languages. Some people also get a bit worried by the huge differences between current Arabic world and teachings of Islam or history of Islam!
• A bit weak at Worship: I observed people (including born Muslims) with different concentration and dedication levels while making worship especially prayers including five obligatory ones. I could not find the exact reasons for it that why some of the Muslims, who are even very logical, knowledgeable and good at practice of Islam, do struggle in getting concentration and strength in their prayers. May be it is because of strong belief on the seen things, system where we live is based upon external and visible factors, prayers are not considered to be very important since one visibly doesn't see loss if not performed, one does not see strong rationale behind it etc.
  

However, beside all the challenges faced and due to their strong/special characteristics there is a big number of converted Muslims including women who stand firm and confident at the path of Islam. There are those who left far behind even the born Muslims in knowledge and practice of Islam. After facing initial challenges and difficulties, which are natural, they really emerge as strong and balanced personalities.

I hope, i was able to give some useful information about the native converted Muslims of Europe. In next post, i would try to mention few of the solutions to the normally faced challenges by converts.

Feel free to comment.

USA and Europe in a special context...

There were few questions raised by one Muslim brother living in USA about the activities/phenomenon of 'home grown' terrorists in Germany. His opinion is given below followed by my point of view on this subject. He writes

“I wanted to ask your opinion on why you think that Muslims of German Origin would think that Islam requires them to commit indiscriminate murder by setting off bombs and how that is likely to attract more Germans to become Muslim? The same question applies to English Muslims doing the same thing in UK!

The strange thing is that here in USA where Muslims have been discriminated against, profiled and the administration is the strongest supporter of Israel and waged aggressive warfare against Iraq, there is hardly any so called 'home grown' terrorist threat so far. Of course I don’t know how long that will remain so if the administration continues on the same path.

What are your thoughts on this and how can we prevent people from making these attacks which are clearly un-Islamic and make life worse for Muslims?”

My point of view goes as follows

“I don't think that any sensible and knowledgeable Muslim will try to attract people towards Islam by any act which itself is against rules and spirit of Islam i.e. the act of harming innocents.

I think we need to look at things in a bit different way.

I feel that people in Europe are freer, logically strong and also more informed about the international happenings than in USA! American media is very intelligently controlled and focused in desired direction(s) while in Europe it provides relatively diverse, neutral and free information. I feel this factor makes people well informed about what injustices are being done across the world.

Here in Europe especially in Germany police is normally very friendly but focused and effective, social benefits are good, life is not as competitive and hard as in USA, people normally are not pressed if they utter truth, judicial system is fairer, crime rate is lesser, political activities are open and well monitored, politicians don't have much chances to hide their agendas and activities: they are much accountable etc. These factors help people in thinking and acting more freely/bravely, so when they come across unjust happenings, they could easily act and sometimes in unexpected/unjustified ways.

There is another factor and that is history. European people experienced many wars in Europe(i.e. at home) and wars make people more careful, sensitive and foreseeable but USA did not had many such experiences. As a result people here in Europe have better feelings for those who are in problems due to wars etc. In addition to that European people have faced many problems in social and religious contexts and they are able to judge to a good extent the misuse of religions, religious feelings and nationalistic feelings etc but still there are chances that individuals could misuse sincere feelings of innocent people and can brainwash them in this environment.

When people have more information and free Will, it could sometimes become a side-effect but on the other hand it is very much necessary for free societies. I think fault is not with freedom, it is injustice which is normally the initiator of bad happenings. So instead of pressing freedom, injustice must be stopped! Secondly people must be educated more about true spirit of Islam. Thirdly, black-sheeps who brainwash people must be identified and punished.”

Every nation has its strengths and weaknesses including people of USA and Europe so everyone should be respected but should also be accountable. What i have written is my personal view and open to any agreements or disagreements by anyone.

In addition to that, in my opinion, there are three big groups who are involved in extremist activities.

1: Those who deliberately want to plan/commit brutal activities against innocent people due to their negative nature, biasing and hostility against others.

2: Those who are not much intelligent and could be easily brainwashed in the name of religion, nationalism, humanity, benefits etc. Such people don’t know themselves about real facts and are misused. This group is quite big since any ignorant could belong to it.

3: Those who play double games i.e. they act as hypocrites. They, for example externally belong to community B, can take money and other benefits from community A and can incite and brainwash people of community B, why? They create an excuse for the attacks of community A on community B, create bad picture of community B and also weaken community B!!! Such a group is almost invisible but is very intelligent and effective normally.

Questions, comments? Feel free.

Pakistan and Extremism (part 2)

Here are few more factors which have direct or indirect connection to "Pakistan and Extremism" factor.

4): Educational System including Madrasahs:
There has been no clear goal of our educational system like our political system. People who plan for the educational system are very few and also incompetent, curriculum is quite old fashioned and schools and colleges are not enough. There is no overall plan and execution strategy. A lot of private and costly educational institutions are spread here and there without a clear goal.
Religious schools(Madrasahs) have a quite diverging goal, their students and teachers normally don't interact much with other people. People normally admit those children in such schools which they think as not very competent and intelligent ones. In some Madrasahs, teachers are themselves not very competent and educated but since here too there is not much control and check and balance so such people could sometimes work without interference. These religious schools are very important for an Islamic society but they need to be managed and controlled in better way.

Solution: Educational system must be freed of politics and incompetent people. An overall goal of education must be decided and executed. Religious schools must be given true attention and should be encouraged to interact more with society and their students must be educated in such a way that they could be more active, confident and productive for the society after finishing their education and they should be trained to have a good level of patience:-)

5): Media: Media is very tricky agent. It has capability to show only those aspects of life which it likes to show e.g. if a city is quite clean but one small part of it, is dirty and a TV shows that dirty part everyday and not the major clean part of the city then viewers would start thinking as if the whole city is dirty.

People normally don't have enough time and resources to judge and confirm all reports coming right in their homes through media and they also can't move to the physical locations to know reality as result media has to be relied upon.

In case of Pakistan, media especially the International media sometimes does not show the real and neutral view. Definitely there are problems in our society and no society is free of problems but it is cheating to keep the focus of the eye of camera only at problems without showing the broader and balanced picture of the society.

Solution: I feel that media should get more positive and neutral. It is not going to bring much positive for anyone if a society is mostly represented as negative and extreme one! People should themselves try to explore real facts and situation through personal contacts and even by visits.

6:) External Invasions and Dictations: Right now, there is tricky situation in those areas of Pakistan which are along the border of Afghanistan. These areas are focus of International community. As i mentioned earlier, Pakistan was a key player in the war of Afghanistan against Russia and people have been fighting there and now these fighters are living on both sides of Pak-Afghan border. Now Pakistan is pressurized to control those old heroes(Mujahidin) of International powers mainly through power and weapons; in case Pakistan does not act upon the orders of "all clean and all wise International powers", they sometimes blackmail and sometimes even invade those Pakistani areas.

This creates much anger among the people of Pakistan due to following reasons: 1) Why do International powers want to only kill those who were once trained and supported by them? 2) why must these people be killed if they would want to live peacefully now, 3) what is the credibility of the intelligence reports of so called all clean and all reliable International powers who made quite a few mistakes in judging situations e.g. in case of Iraq invasion, 4) why should we kill someone without giving him/her chance to defend legally, 5) Muslims are strictly forbidden to kill any innocent person so why should we kill anyone who is not proven guitly in a court, 6) No one is allowed to invade our land or to dictate us like God!!!

I don't defend anyone who is guilty of any crime but everyone must be fairly tried in court without national/religious attachments before being punished. It is basic human right!!

Additionally borderer with Afghanistan is quite lengthy and area is quite rough. It is hard to control 100% movements and filtration there. Situation in Afghanistan is also quite volatile which makes control even harder.

Many of our political/army leaders and bureaucrats have weaknesses which might be misused e.g. some of them have inferiority complex, some of them have record of gross corruption, some of them come as dictators, some others have criminal records, some others are not educated, some others have lust for the power etc. All these weaknesses are sometimes misused by the external and internal powers to get their vested interests.

Solution: Tribal people along the border and the fighters should be handled fairly, intelligently and with sincerity. These people are simple but dangerous machines, they are fearless and volatile, they also have been cheated/misused many times so they don't trust much the all clean all wise powers. I think this issue could be solved through reliable people and dialog. These people greatly respect religious individuals so they should be used. Occasional invasion into Pakistani areas from International forces must be stopped since it makes dialog and peace efforts null!!! Fair, educated and brave politicians are required.

7): Kashmir conflict and India: Many people know Pakistan through Kashmir conflict. This is an old and complex conflict. We are thankful to the Britishers that they left something behind for us which we could permanently enjoy:-). Pakistan has fought quite a few wars with India over this issue. There always have been tussle between two countries. Pakistan became atomic power in this process of winning the race. This kind of permanent state of rivalry has made people quite emotional.
Intelligence agencies of both countries have been quite active to plot interesting games in opposite countries. Politicians and other people with vested interests have been using volatile situation for their personal greed and benefits. People of the Kashmir are really unfortunate ones, they are just between fight of two elephants.

Solution: ..... ???...!!! It is hard to find a good solution to this problem. May be a neutral and reliable International group of individuals must be allowed to analyze the situation and make its recommendations about Kashmir Issue. Don't blame Pakistan for it please, we are not the only ones responsible for all these conflicts :-).

I hope you got some familiarity to few real connections of Pakistan and Extremism.

Although current situation of Pakistan is undoubtedly not very pleasing but it is a transition stage for Pakistani society. There comes to every nation a bad patch and we are currently having our share of tough time but such periods make people more intelligent and strong.

I am quite optimistic that Pakistan is going to play a very positive, important and productive role in International community. The things which we need are patience, time, sincerity and realistic behaviour from others. People would be positively surprised if they knew Pakistan and Pakistanis in a bit more depth and broadly.

Feel free to ask anything you like or comment.

Best wishes,

Pakistan and Extremism (part 1)

During last few years, Pakistan has been in the news in context of extremism. People somehow feel that our society is a radical and extreme one. I feel that this perception is partially true.
I try to figure out some of the factors which have been playing some role in giving our society current shape. Please go through them patiently to have better understanding of Pakistan and Pakistanis.

I think that all the perceptions which are made about Pakistani people are mainly based upon the information gathered through few resources like media and selected individuals which might not be true representative of the reality. Sitting thousands of miles away from a society and making guesses is not the real method to judge it, best way to know about us would be direct contact and not total reliance upon media and allies:-)

Following are the few major factors which have been contributing to the extremist philosophy and actions in Pakistan.

1): Lack of broader knowledge and practice of Religion:-

Right from the creation of Pakistan in 1947, we have been facing this dilemma that not many people had broader and realistic picture of Islam. It is true that many people in Indian Subcontinent accepted Islam quite quickly but only this step was never enough. Islam is a broad, deep and diverse source of information and it requires a good amount of study and research to be understood to a satisfactory extent.
It was never going to be easy to understand and to follow a System and i don't see that there was enough research made about how to make connections between religion and ground realities of Pakistani society. I think we always tried to follow Islam strictly and in the form in which it was revealed in Arabian Peninsula about 1400 hundred years ago.
It shows love and sincerity of our people towards Islam. However, I think that unfortunately we ignored four important factors in this context: first, ground realities (culture, society, educational system, language, history etc) in South Asia were quite different as compared to Arabic culture; second, Islam was about 1400 years old so there were naturally changes due to time difference; third, dynamic aspect of Islam which helps in adaptation to the new challenges, lacknesses and needs; fourth, Islamic sources of guidance i.e. Quraan and Sunnah are in Arabic language. not many people tried to learn Arabic language and relied upon translations. There is always a chance of loss of information while translation from one language to another. In addition to that there could be intentional/unintentional manipulation in the meanings by the translator.

Here, I don't mean that Islam was/is unpractical in our society or at any other place; it is a universal and dynamic religion but still with change in ground realities and with time, it itself provides flexibility to adapt but people somehow ignored it and as a result made their lives difficult.
When a person does follow a belief but is unaware of the system which must be followed due to this belief then it creates a lot of conflicts. That person is going to struggle in real life when he/she can't find solutions to his/her problems by the help of his belief. He would quickly turn angry and emotional when he can't defend his belief; reason is simple, he does not know what he has to say and to do due to his/her belief.
The half baked scholars so called Mullahs did not let any chance to misuse the sincere intentions of people towards Islam. There are many ill traditions and theories which ignorant people attach to Islam e.g. in some areas people make a marriage of the girls with Quraan, just to deprive them of their legal share in wealth of father/mother etc, women are forced for the marriages sometimes, many murders happen in the name of protection of respect etc. All these and others similar forms are forbidden in Islam but people are unaware mostly. They prefer their cultural and inherited customs over rules of Islam.
In this case, problem is not with belief rather problem is due to lack of understanding of system attached to the belief. It is very much possible that ignorantly a person is doing something which is totally detrimental to his/her belief.
A simple example: Suppose that a belief is like a very strong racing car which could win a race if used properly but if driver of that car, who loves the car(belief), is unaware of the system of the car, doesn't know about driving rules and regulations then what might be the result? That driver will not only lose race but also will be a big danger for other participants of the race.

Similarly our society is a heavy racing car(having strong belief in God) but there are many illiterate drivers. This not only lead to many different groupings of Muslims but also divided society into extreme poles.

Solution: To make more research about Islam and to increase its awareness among people in Pakistan. Any other solutions would be short lived!!! If people will not get enough education of Islam then their love and sincerity towards it would always be used/misused.

2): Misuse of Concept of Jihad(Physical war):

During the war of Afghanistan, it was needed that a lot of people should be trained to fight against Russia. Since this war was an urgent need and true scholars of Islam were not taken into confidence for the decision in this context. Half baked so called scholars of Islam(Mullahs) were used to propagate the message to prove to the innocent people that this war was a holy mission and Muslims must participate in it.

I feel that both the Mullahs and Fighters for this war were brainwashed(by powers and intelligence agencies) and used for this temporary task and direction! I think it was not planned that what to do with such brainwashed individuals after war is over. These Mullahs and Fighters did not had enough capabilities, education and skills to integrate into society, they mostly knew how to fight since they were trained for it. Today, Pakistan and Afghanistan are reaping the results in the form of group of individuals who see physical fight only way out from problems. I personally feel that it is not true Islamic methodology i.e. to talk in the language of fights/threats only, it creates uggly and difficult situations for everyone!

Here i will say that Pakistan, USA and other powers must have been wise enough to plan how to integrate these Fighter Machines(Jihadis) after war is over! I can't understand that when these people were fighting against Rushia they were supported, cheared and trained but after war was over they and other civilians were killed like animals and branded with all possible dirty tags!

Solution: These brainwashed individials need to be treated very carefully, intelligently and sincerily. Killing and cheating these people would increase problem further! One needs to talk to them and build trust, these people must be shown the real and broader picture of reality. Love, care and respect can win hearts and not the missiles and guns can do it!!! Intelligence agencies and powers must be requested to stop from plotting dirty tricks to further misuse innocent brains.

3:) Diversity, Corruption and Dictatorship:
Quite unfortunately true goal and system for the Pakistan were never clearly decided and followed. This country was created in the name of Islam and this was wonderful achievement but later this objective was somehow lost. At the start of the creation of Pakistan, this baby state was very weak in economic, social, defence, political and management sectors. Pakistan was not given even agreed shares in money, weapons and other resources at the time of division. Although things gradulally improved but still a lot needs to be done.

Our society is quite diverse in many aspects e.g. there are quite a few religions and sects(e.g. it contains Muslims(more than 90%), Christians, Hindus, Sikhs etc and sects like Sunnies, Shias, Wahabies etc) , there are those who are native in Pakistan and there are those also who migrated to Pakistan at its creation time, people have contrast in context of wealth, there are many communities(e.g. Balochis, Sindhis, Kashmiris, Punjabies and Pathans etc), there is difference in context of educational qualifications(starting from PHDs to total illiterates) , in context of political influence etc. Such a diversity required individuals who could keep people together but it was not realized.

Political,religious and other forms of corruption have been common and uncontrolled. We had to bear many dictators mostly from army. They were not the only people who made lives of Pakistani people difficult; politicians, religious people and bureaucracy also did not forgive poor people.
To run the affairs of state, is not the business of Army men, they are trained with different view and methodology. Their brains are normally not very flexible and broader to fix delicate political problems. Although sometimes they sincerely wanted to help Pakistan, they miserably failed and brought many problems to us. They mostly tried to use methodology of divide and conquer like sometimes they supported one party, sometimes other one, sometimes created religious fronts etc just to control things.
Politics has been mostly revolving around only few families who possesed resources, had contacts and influence. Most of them were illiterate. This small bunch of politicians only fought for personal gains at any cost to society, politics in our society mainly meant to tell lies and to cheat people.
Bureaucracy has been like a wild horse since normally no one asked them what they were doing and why? They were used by the Politicians and Intelligence agencies for the vested interests and vice versa.
Judiciary also has been servant of Army and Politicians! People did not have any place to get comfort and compensation. As a result society became a place full of crimes and there were no rules and regulations except the rule of power.
Most of religious people obviously lacked the competence and they mostly escaped all kind of accountability and control. They learned and propagated normally only that part of religion which suited their personal interests.
So all these factors lead to a society full of despair, corruption and aggression.
Solution: Religious, human and national attachments are the main factors which can keep people united so they must be used. Army must avoid politics and politicians must be sincere and educated ones, Bureaucracy should be controlled through a good system of check and balance, Intelligence agencies should be brought within rules and regulations, Judiciary should get responsible and must lead from the front and religious people need to learn more and practice themselves sincerely first what they learn.

In part 2, i would mention few more reasons e.g. educational system, Media, external invasions and Kashmir conflict etc.

Love affairs...(part 2)

In last post, i tried to mention some of the factors which affect love affairs(negatively). I hope that i was able to mention correct and enough factors!
The matter of relationship between opposite sexes is core for the smoother functioning of a society so we should take it a bit seriously, i think. As far as solutions to the problems(mentioned in last post) are concerned, i feel they should not be that much difficult to pinpoint. I would try to share my perspective in this context, you may yourself decide better about logical strength of my views.
Few of the things which could help for a positive, happy and strong relationship.
A bit sacrifice: If we are not ready to sacrifice something for a healthy relation then how could we expect positive results. To take every step in life one needs to put some energy and how could a relation start and move without putting energy?
Goal of Life: This factor alone could be one of the strongest factor in keeping the pair sticked together. A true, positive, balanced and higher goal of life can not only help in paying rights of each other but also can make life much open, dynamic, balanced and tolerant. Just think!!!
Commonalities: We all are human beings. We are different from each other in some aspects but we also posses so many common aspects. I have observed in multicultural groups that after some time we start thinking and acting amazingly unitedly and positively! So apparent differences must not win over unlimited commonalities. Our appearances, histories and philosophies might be different but our souls and consciences are very much similar. We should use these aspects to strengthen relationships.
Checking Priorities: These are priorities in life which decide about our dedications and direction of life. If money is first priority then we struggle and plan for it, if it is human welfare then we plan accordingly, if it is business then plans/actions are different and so on. I will again say that money is a one need of life and not the ultimate goal, it is slave of man and not the other way around! We need to give true priority to our relations, social needs and spiritual aspects! There are many examples where people have little money etc but they are very happy. It us up to us!
Stay a bit stronger: Not all the things happen according to our wishes and plans, one has to show some strength in difficult times. Pairs have to be patient and sincere at the time of natural difficulties. One should not hang between two decision and in worst case should get separated instead of hanging in the middle. I feel that females are normally stay more dedicated and stronger for a smooth relationship.
A Marriage: A marriage is the best way to have stronger relationship. It has many good aspects e.g. it reflects a firm decision, people clearly get to know about the firm relationship of the couple, couple pays good attention to mutual rights, couple gets focused/united and it is normally source of beautiful kids. Children play a very vital, positive, pleasing and strong role in keeping the relationship between the couple smoother. One should not be worried much about religious, economic and political hindrances. By marriage, one gets a partner who stands firm with a person in all situations of life, what else can one expect? A partner is not a burden, it is there to help you.
A controlled integration: We are created in society and it has some logic and sense behind. We should neither be so individualistic that life gets extremely narrow and becomes a burden nor should we be so much open that we lose our own selves! A good relation requires a controlled integration.
Stability: Stable relations lead to stable life. If we are always changing partners and looking for better ones then where and how can we stop? What will be the stopping criteria? Frankly there is no universal criteria. If a partner is sincere and caring then we should stop, get focused and try to take it further.
Controlled external involvement: We should allow some external involvement from the sincere fellows e.g. parents, relatives, friends etc. There is no alternative to the natural love of parents, no matter how many differences we do have with them. We must take benefit from their love, sincerity and experiences. Same is the case with relatives and friends. Yes, final decision should be our own, but a wise one.
External Bond: We can't ignore the effects of religion, society, culture etc on our relationship and life, so instead of fighting blindly against these effects one should try to take positives from them.
Don't only expect rather try to be initiator: Sometimes we sit and want to be good to others only after others show good behavior towards us! I don't agree to this strategy. Imagine all people are having such expectation from others! what will happen? It will be a deadlock, no one will be able to be good to others:-). We should think about being initiators of sincerity and dedication, we will be amazed by the good behavior of others then! Don't be disappointed by rare unexpected results:-)
Externalities: One should not always be affected by the externalities since there are always different views and examples, so one should try to make relation stronger with consideration of personal situation, goal and needs.
Leaving some things open: Planning can't be done 100% correctly. After our best planning, we need to leave some things at coming situation and future. Pair should go for firm relationship with sincerity and braveness then future will be much easier.
Steps: I think first step to establish a good relationship is to get maximum mental compatibility then should be firm decision(e.g. marriage) and not sexual testing:-). In subcontinent (Pakistan, India etc) people normally don't get into sexual relationship before marriage and it is working quite well. There is very low divorce rate and also people are able to have children i.e. they are able to have sexual satisfaction too:-)
As early as possible: This relationship is for young age and not for the old people. Earlier we get into stable and permanent relationship, stronger and focused we do stay. What is better: a stable, reliable and sincere relationship or an uncertain and temporary one? First one is much better, i feel. At later stage of life, one does not have much energies(physical and hearty) and flexibility to establish an ideal relationship.
Best Match: A best match is not an Angel or special creation or hidden at some special place:-). We don't know about it, we should search it but we should also not let this search continue forever. One should also try to avoid sharing feelings with those whom he/she does not find compatible. Decision should be made and executed bravely and intelligently. Personally i feel that females can much early judge about nature of men so they could play a good role in this context.
Media should play positive role: Media should encourage and give proper coverage to those people who stand as role models for the society: those who have strong relationships. If day and night it shows those celebrities who have no stable relationship, no family life and no children then people would also start taking them as role models.

Encouraging established bonds: One should encourage those who are together and should respect their unity.

Clear Intentions: One should be clear about the nature of the relation and should express it clearly to the expected partner at start.

Be natural: We should be natural, caring and straightforward in our relationships and artificiality should be avoided.

At the end i would say that it is intention, sincerity and goal of life which play a vital role for a healthy relationship.

If you find some point(s) unclear or unsatisfactory then feel free to express.

Over to you.

Best wishes

Love affairs...(part 1)

Today, Let us talk on a different but interesting topic of life:-).

Almost everyone wants to have a partner (from opposite sex) which could play a vital, supportive, caring and trustworthy role in life! This is the relation which is required for many reasons: social, physical, mental, spiritual etc. I feel this is one of the toughest decision and challenge in life i.e. to find and convince a partner of life. Please bear in mind that what i write is my personal view and observation, you are free either to agree or to disagree.

What does mean love(between opposite sexes)?
Is it name of only few kisses and exchange of few beautiful words etc or is it something which goes beyond these aspects and needs of life? Should not loving pair help and support each othert through thick and thin of life or this is not part of modern love affairs? What does happen when people seem to be deeply involved in love but all of a sudden get separated why...? What could be the reasons behind such heart breaking incidents and who is responsible for it, boys or girls? How could the situation be improved? No way! No, there is always a way!

Personally i feel that if one really claims to be a true lover then this relation should be eternal one and based upon maximum possible care, understanding, respect and very importantly upon mutual tolerance and patience. What kind of love is it which breaks down with even a weak wind of problems? Yes, i must not be an idealistic person since there are many things which effect our life but still we should be optimistic, realistic and brave.

Personally I could figure out following few reasons which effect love cases negatively!

• obligations: I feel that most of us are afraid to take responsibility and obligations which are required to have permanent and trusted relationship
• lack of a common goal(priorities): it is true that everyone is different but when two people come closer they need to agree on some points of life to make a shared journey of life
• lack of a bigger goal of life: If goal of life is too narrow e.g. only restricted to few financial and social status milestones then this makes life quite restricted and also life gets boring after some period of time but in opposite case if goal of life is much bigger then one thinks and acts in much bigger perspective.
• busy life: yes, life is getting faster, demanding and competitive with passage of time and it is getting harder to keep the social relations and promises. It is really a pity.
• localities: People do live, study and work at different locations and in this age they even have to move in another country which makes a big difference. It is human nature that he/she starts getting interested in what is in front of him/her and might forget other important things. Well, it is very hard to fulfil the demands of such relation from a different location. Again this is a sad aspect!
• individualism/materialism: Individualism when goes beyond certain limits could result in lesser interaction and interest in people and things sorrounding us. On the other hand total materialistic approach may result in change in priorities and lesser interest with people and society. Personally i feel that material things (money etc) are not goal of life rather they are needs of life! When a need becomes itself a highest goal then it disturbes the balance and direction.
• partners, partners, partners: Although this might be a difficult pill to swallow but i feel it is one of the big hindrance in having long term and trustworthy relationships. I think whenever one changes a relationship it does effect our feelings, it makes us colder, weaker and suspicious. It is never easy and without side effects to leave a person with whom one was feeling quite good few days ago! We even start loving our places where we live, our pets etc then what would be the case when we break our relations with a human being?!!!
• lack of a trustworthy arbitrator(Family, relatives, friends etc): When two people live together then there is always a natural possibility of having few disagreements, disputes etc and although the source of dispute might be a petty one but in flow of emotions and sometimes egoism they can break their relations due to such natural problems/conflicts. So if there is not a common and trustworthy arbitrator then they may not realize the situation but if there is such a person(or persons) then it can definitely help in keeping the relations smoother and continues! Unfortunately our life has taken such courses that we don't benefit much from such important arbitrators e.g. parents, relatives!
• lack of an external source of bond(religion, society, persons etc): There are different sources which help in keeping the relationships of pairs stronger and smoother although sometimes such sources themselves become unduly oppressing. I feel relationship of the pair should be stronger but in case there is no way to live together they should be allowed to get separated. In any case external wise bond is very helping and effective.
• these are opposite sexes:-): It is even harder for the same sex people (i am not talking about gays and lesbians) to live together happily for longer term then how challenging it would be to live together with someone from opposite sex? In this case there are not only differences of emotions but also physical and mental ones so it is a big challenge. However this challenge is very interesting, positive and necessary one, it makes life balanced, focused and stable.
• social trends: Direction of society has a deep effect upon a family life. There was a time when most of the people have been living together after having marriages but gradually trend of the society has been changed. It is harming or benefiting, we need to think realistically based upon broader perspective!!
• too micro level calculations: No one can calculate exact details what will come in future so when we start thinking that we must be in total control of future then we put ourselves in pain since future is not fully in our control! So those who start thinking like e.g. it will be hard to sustain relationship in future due to such and such things, they may never have permanent relationships. If intentions are pure and dedications are strong then future is easier otherwise... Plan is very necessary but the parameters for the plan in this case are enormous and very divergent.
• testing each other in all aspeccts: Another hard pill, i personally feel it marginally decreases interest for a permanent relation in future if we test each other almost in all aspects! A relation should be a much broader and durable one instead of consideration of only few temporary aspects(e.g. emotional, sexual etc).
• lack of guidance at early youth age: When one takes his/her first steps into youth then he/she is very anxious, excited and hot. This is learning period for the young ones. At that period of age their blood is very hot and their mental maturity is quite low so at that point of life they do need intelligent, realistic, friendly and sincere guidance. I think many people don't get that guidance due to many reasons e.g. due to their lack of maturity, excitement and generation gap etc.
• i am too young!: Many of us think ooh i am too young, i should not get into any serious relationship, i should enjoy first! Well, as i mentioned earlier every broken relationship(even the one taken as not very serious) weakens our emotions and trust so i feel that such adventures can very easily transform us into individuals who have very little energy to sustain a caring, long term and trustworthy relationship. There is another important aspect: as we grow older our habits get fixed and it becomes harder and harder to accommodate another individual in life!!!
• search of best match: what is best match and where he/she is? How could one know who is the best one? we don't have any database where one could see all the candidates and their priorities, habits, characters and intentions! So if one will keep on searching in this way then he/she might end up spending whole life in this search. If one is really serious to have best match then he/she should avoid sharing feelings with non-ideal ones otherwise it looks as a kind of cheating!!!
• political/economic/religious reasons: There are rules and regulations which hinder people from getting into permanent relationships i.e. marriage.
• media: as usual Mr. or Ms. media has got a very pivotal role in our life. It can very easily show only those aspects of life which it wants and can hide what it does not like, it can propagate which it likes, it has somehow power to prove white as black and vice versa. Now role models are changing, everything is just available at home at our screens. I don't say that media is a bad thing but we should not leave everything on it. Media is just a virtual life not complete or real one.
• ...

So these are few of the reasons which i could understand and observe that effect negatively most of love affairs. There will be others which i will learn from you and others in future:-).

In next post i will try to present some answers and solutions to questions and problems. In meantime you may reflect upon the authenticity of my presented reasons and also upon possible solutions. Sorry if there was something annoying.

I will be back soon so stay tuned:-)

Best regards and wishes,

A Goal...!!!

In every human being rather in every living thing there is strength which helps that entity to survive in different situations and environments of life. Every one of us is able to defend in one or other way his/her identity and uniqueness. Although there are different roles, characters and abilities of the people but still everyone makes one special and necessary part of the life.
Our exposure and strengths always do need to be increased. There are human beings on the same planet that we never see or talk to in our whole life but they are still part of our world! There are places on the Earth which we never explore but they are part of our planet! There are books and knowledge which are written for human beings but we never get chance to read them or even to know their titles! Every day thousands of events occur on the earth which we don't reach. There are many people who cry for the help every day but we even don't hear the faintest of voice of them. There are people who sleep without eating enough, there are people who die without getting medication but we don't know!!!...
Sometimes we are so much busy in our lives, in our jobs, in our survivals, in our luxuries, in our fun that we even don't get chance to know that what is going on next to us! Yes, it is natural to strive for the self survival, it is blessing on man that he has built in characteristic for self survival otherwise people might have not been caring about themselves! Yes, it is true that when we live in an environment we automatically start thinking and acting according its needs and motions. When a person is in library, he/she would think and act differently than when he/she is in sports club! This is our nature and strength but it can become very easily a hindrance for broader thinking and actions. I feel there should be a balance, openness and control in our thinking and actions it should be neither too local nor too global! At the end every human being at one time can't think and act beyond certain limits but these limits should be appropriately understood, sometimes we might underestimate them while sometimes we might overestimate!:-)
The setup and flow of life is very interesting and challenging, there are different nations, there are different tribes, there are different philosophies, there are different arts, there are different cultures, there are different histories, there are different climates and so on. Even in every nation people have different physical and mental characteristics. There are different ways of living a life, everyone makes his/her own priorities and takes a way of life.
There could be different ways which lead to a goal, there could be different solutions to a problem but not all of them could be necessarily the correct ones. There could be different levels of difficulty and accuracy of different solutions and ways. I feel that an intelligent is the one who gets clear about the goal and does not deviate much from it!
Goal! Which goal? Well, everyone has a goal in life and everyone has right to have anyone he/she likes. It depends upon personal experiences and priorities. I would just like to mention that we don't feel good without having a goal, a sense and a purpose in life. We do look at others and try to think why it is so, what is the purpose of doing it etc? I think this is our natural instinct that we ponder and try to figure out the causes and reasons. A child is normally more curious about small things around him and he asks a lot from the parents. With our growing experience and exposure our questions and sources of information do change. This process of curiosity and exploration continues. For some questions we might get immediate answers while for some others we need to learn and experiment more. But we always like to have sense, purpose and goal(s).
In this process when we observe for example the mechanism and system around us, we definitely feel why, what and how? We observe and try to explore the universal system, it is simply awesome. There are planets and galaxies which are so big, there are even planets which we never knew before and there are which we still have to know about! Creation and control of this mighty universe is out of our hands and its working is very complex and delicate. If we compare our Earth with the Universal system, comparatively it is very small. But our small planet is also full of wonders and beauties. Sun, moon and earth make a beautiful coordination. There is wonderful balance of gases on the earth according to exact human needs. Sun provides us required light and energy and it is doing its job strictly and punctually since a long long time! Moon is also not late and lazy in doing its job! We have wonderful system for rains which brings life to earth! Water and other resources are wonderfully made and placed according to human needs! Water is fitting wonderfully to needs of human body! Trees are playing there roles! Human body is itself a wonder, there is brain, there is heart, there are limbs, there are eyes, there is stomach, and there is skin and so on. All these things work together with a wonderful coordination! Life on earth speaks loudly and clearly!
All these things ask questions and encourage for exploring and finding more! There are people who look only upon the external setup but there are also those who try to find reasons, purposes and strategy behind what looks external! It is our nature that we look for the sense and logic then what is the sense and logic for this whole setup and life?
If we work in a company, we get all resources and money and we are obliged to work well with a direction and purpose then is it possible that we have whole setup and resources of life without any direction and purpose? If we are answerable to the owner of a small company for his/her provided resources and money then is it not the same case with life and all resources? :-)
Every one of us is blessed with unique intellect and life then should we not be responsible personally also? Well, i feel it is not very appropriate and logical to blindly ignore all the signs around us and within ourselves and to decide without any efforts and dedication that all this is happening itself and without a purpose! Yes, one should make decision her/him self but at least one should try to know more and enough! We spend a lot of time to have fun, money, comfort but why do we not invest time to know the purpose of life(if there is one)?
There could be excuses e.g. lack of resources, wrong behavior of believers, variety of religions etc. but all this does not free us from responsibility of self exploration. There will remain all the time both good and bad examples and it depends upon a person what he/she takes as an example for his/her self. It depends upon a person what he/she wants to have in life, he/she will find people and philosophies according to his/her needs.
I feel that we should make our goals neither too static nor too dynamic. For those who want to reach at goal there is definitely a way but for those who want to make excuses are complexities and problems. Humans are very capable and precious but sadly many of them don't know it or may be they don't want to know!!!

Balance, patience, care...

We are neither the first inhabitants of this world nor are we the last ones. There have been people before us and there will be people after us but few questions come into mind time and again: Is our way of life natural? Is our age the best one? how and why? is there no need of improvement? Is technical advancement solution of all problems? etc.
Well it's difficult to define that what the natural way of life is but at least we should be somehow critical to our way of life. May be currently we are leading the best way of life but still we should not leave it uncontrolled and unanalyzed. I also don't mean that we should question each and everything taking as wrong and should also change things completely and should have new start. This is neither possible nor feasible. We have to move forward from the current point where history has naturally brought us!
Although i have already mentioned in my previous writing of clarifications that i am just one individual and not the ultimate truth so if i say something it does not mean that it is kind of final word or there is nothing beyond it. I don't want to be like an individual who pretends to be as the best one or the Savior. I don't need any kind of authority, i am just happy with simple life but i would definitely voice my feelings. Anyway...
Current systems in the world have taken their natural ways due to all what went on in their long history. I feel for any system to work, it is important to put belief into it. We need one system at a time to run our affairs. In the market of world many has been introduced and many would come, all of them were fine according to circumstances and requirements. Here i would like to mention that i feel that no system could be perfect since man who is partially involved in the working of any system himself is not perfect. But it also does not mean that there can't be any improvements! We have to move forward positively and sincerely wherever we are, whatever our situations are.

Currently there are many poles in the World; people are living at different places with different ways of life: its a natural case and beauty of life. Some of them are inclined more towards economic benefits, some towards social one, some are more inclined towards religions, some are more secular based etc. Every system is working fine according to its needs and it should keep working.

As i said earlier we should also be positive for improvements. I am not pointing finger at any particular way of life, i respect all of them. I feel that we should not try to hide if there is any need of improvement and one should also not try to look at deficiencies of others all the time to prove them inferior or to prove ourselves better. Every nation is capable, every human is capable, its use of their capabilities in negative or positive way and difference of priorities which makes contrast. But in any case respect of others and patience is very important.
It's is a bit worrying that there are few huge contrasts on our planet. For example in one society people are even struggling for enough basic food for survival while in another one people are looking for variety of foods: where super markets are full with new products and flavors. In one society they have very good system of law and order while in another one nothing is safe. In one society they have best system of travelling while in another one they are even struggling to find something to reach to the destination. In one country people have best health care facilities but in another one they even are not able to get treatment against minor diseases and so on. Contrast is quite visible in many ways, areas and aspects.
Well all this does not mean that i am cursing those who have enough or are leading comfortable lives, comfort should be enjoyed but i feel it is also important that we think about those who are deprived even of basic needs of life. We should feel that those who are dying due to hunger are also human beings and have been living on the same planet. If one has facilities of life and other one is deprived of it then how this gap will be filled and who will do so? Why should we think only about ourselves although we can do something good for others too? Why should not we look beyond our personal materialistic interests although we can look beyond? Survival of the fittest is a good slogan but it results in a lot of conflicts, anger and disappointments! If all people would like to have maximum then situation would become hard and complex!
A person who is strong if he is not ready to help the weak one then how the problems of weak will be removed, how will he get comfort and confidence? A person who is strong he can very easily get stronger since he has resources, experiences and contacts while a weak will keep on getting weaker! where will this stop? what is the limit of materialistic gains or greed? what is limit of technical gains and advancements? THERE IS SIMPLY NO LIMIT! I am not sure if it is justified that we make projects worth of billion of dollars to conquer other planets while our own planet is full of hunger, problems and corruption. If we can't take care of our this planet then what is the guarantee that we will be successful on new planet?
Definitely we can't know each and every detail of happenings around us but at least we should give some thoughts that where life is heading to? Yes, trust should be put on others and we need to trust to some extent but its true that at the end of the day we have to face in one or other way what comes as a result of ours and others actions! World was always a global village, people have always been connected to each other, there was always influence of happenings on each other but it was a slow procedure and i feel currently due to fast movements and communication facilities these connections and influence have strengthened!
It is not logical just to keep on running blindly, we should be clear about our goals and also should take care of people behind and around us i.e. so that we don't leave them too far behind! There should be plan and balance. Social values, spiritual needs, economic and technical advancements, political goals etc all should be combined together. It is not very appropriate to stretch one aspect of life too far while ignoring other important aspects! Balance, patience, care dear fellows.

Over to you :-)

Few clarifications...

I would like to clear few questions which might cross minds of the people about me and my writings.
First, like any other person i have a faith and goal of life so my thoughts, words and actions are definitely influenced by it. It is a natural phenomenon: every one moves according to his/her beliefs, knowledge and priorities. I don't know how to remain totally neutral or if it is possible to be so?! I think it is not possible, we all are inclined to some philosophies and beliefs. So it is something we have to live with but i feel main thing is to remain open, fair and positive.
Second, my thoughts might look like preaching! which is true. But i would like to add that every human is a preacher: whatever he or she believes, he/she tries to show it through his/her words or actions. Even a person who says that he is an atheist, he does preach his belief. Again preaching is neither a crime nor an unnatural thing but it is intention behind it and also its effects on others which need to be analyzed instead of labeling something as preaching and closing minds towards it.
Third, i definitely respect the faith, beliefs and religions of other people. Everyone is free in this regard but i feel it is also important that we share and analyze our faiths and philosophies in best possible ways to judge and improve them. This is definitely one of the most difficult things to do i.e. to question the strength and authenticity of our beliefs since we normally take them as right. We help each other in finding the truth. So please never get feelings from my writings that i only want to prove others wrong and right to all my opinions. I am not the ultimate truth and i am a simple human being who learns on the way of life. Let me assure you that i will support and follow truth wherever it might be!! It is my responsibility.
Be happy.
Best wishes,

Muslim Lands, extremism & co. and West

Almost everyone of us comes across issues related to this topic regularly so i decided to have a bit broader and deep look at it. Please do keep in mind that these are just my views and are open to agreements and disagreements from everyone. Any additions and corrections are most welcome.
No doubt about that currently Muslim World is marginally fragile, exhausted and in disarray due to many internal and external factors. Most of the Muslim lands are bearing dictators; these dear rulers have strange goals and philosophies. There is a lot of corruption in Muslim societies including religious one. Economic, educational and technical advancements are very slow. Majority of Muslims are neither practicing Islam with understanding and dedication nor are they ready to follow secular ways:). Muslim societies are mainly divided into two main groups: 1. those who show very little flexibility on religious affairs/injunctions; this group somehow ignores the dynamic part of Islam 2. those who don't care much about religion and they try to become so much modern and dynamic that they lose their identity, goal and get confused; these people normally don't have feet to stand on:)! There are quite a few sects also and they just like to criticise each other normally in an emotional way.

Well, personally i could find few reasons for this situation. First, i think the main reason for the current down situation of Muslims is their lack of understanding, dedicated practice of Islam and self confidence: i feel this is true for any people and religion, whenever people lost connection with Creator they were caught up in problems. Second, Muslims did not work much during last couple of centuries: they enjoyed a lot since they were blessed with natural resources, power and wealth etc and they did not appropriately move with the pace of time and changes. Thirdly, there are always ups and downs for all nations and powers and last couple(or more) of centuries have been down period of Muslims:) . But all this does not mean that the whole Islamic world is similar and they don't have ability anymore to live normally or to contribute positively to the World. Things are changing and as i wrote earlier changes need continues struggle, time and patience!:) So stay tuned please:)

As far as so called terrorism and extremism is concerned; i feel these terms and other similar terms have been both misunderstood and misused. Almost all of the Muslim scholars do agree upon the concept that Muslims should fight for self defense only and also there is no room for the casualties and harm of civilians and innocent people anywhere and anytime. Sadly, these rules have been ignored by quite a few Muslims. I feel that response of the Muslims have not been very strong against wrongdoings of their fellow Muslims who might be involved in such acts. Real test comes when one has to accept and punish wrongdoings of his/her own people! How a Muslim could be hero for Muslims when he/she clearly violates the commands of Allah by harming civilians and innocent people???

As i wrote earlier, i am not a scholar but i have right to convey my opinion. I think term of Jihad is also sometimes misused. It means to strive and this striving is not restricted only to physical fight rather it has many different areas and ranks. Few of these higher ranks are e.g. to strive for personal correction, to strive for getting rid of personal evil habits and thoughts, to strive for sacrificing personal benefits over help of others etc. One of the best forms of Jihad is to raise voice against wrong doings of a cruel ruler and i feel currently Muslims do need to concentrate on this form of Jihad to have just rulers in their lands. Also Muslims do need to control their habit of having short temper and anger while anger is strictly forbidden in Islam.

Physical fight is the last option after all legal(positive) options for peace, self defense and cooperation has been exhausted but unfortunately many of my Muslim fellows like to go for this last option immediately almost giving it first priority which i feel is not the right and intelligent way. I can understand their natural emotional feelings after losing close ones and property but a Muslim should show maximum patience and restraint while he/she obeys God; and there is simply no room to damage civilians belonging to any religion.

It is natural that if back of a person is continuously being burnt then it will be very hard for him/her to behave logically and with patience all the time, he/she may lose rational thinking sooner or later! So such a practice should be stopped if we are serious about having peace in world. Wars, invasions and double standards can't bring peace in world; if lasting peace and cooperation is required then we will have to win hearts and minds of the people by being good, fair and open to them. No human being likes to be cornered or to be mistreated!

It is stupidness and hypocrisy to first destroy a country and then to do its development; this way not only many innocents sustain casualties but also the expenses are doubled(both for weapons and development). Casualty of a single person in war creates many angry minds since his/her family, relatives, friends and other nearby people naturally don't feel happy over it!

It is also a strange way to arrest people due to suspicion and to put a suspect in detention without giving a chance of fair trial! Behind the wall unfair activities/measures in the name of national/international interests can create mistrust, suspicions and problems in long run. Hidden measures could easily be misused. All criminals (belonging to any group) must be punished but after fair and neutral trial !

I see it as hypocrisy and shame if we support wrongdoings of someone due to religious, national, economic and any other attachments/reasons. I firmly believe that Justice and fairness are the real ways which lead towards a lasting peace.

At the end i would like to mention two important points: 1. A united and happy nation(belonging to any religion and ethnicity) is in benefit of ALL and opposite situation is not good for ALL. In this age communication and movement is so fast that ill effects of any problem in any part of the world spread out very quickly. So i feel right now world problems need to be solved very carefully, fairly and quickly. 2. Islam and majority of Muslims are not threat to the West(Or World) rather i feel real problems are lack of mutual understanding, trust and communication. In addition to that problem are those few individuals in all groups of people who have vested interests, greed and have a lust of harming others.

I feel it is very important to stop the never ending process of violent actions, reactions and blames by joint, open, peaceful and brave efforts. How long innocent people will have to pay for the lusts, greed and egos of few Big Fishes?! Everyone of us needs to join hands together so that we have maximum peace and unity in the world. Every human is precious and this world is home of all human beings! It is, it is.

Over to you.

what are the causes?

Why do really religious people fight with each other? Why can people not live peacefully? why do they have egos? why are they so short tempered? Religious people say that we have Common God but still they fight with each other! Why? So does the problem lie in the religions or?

These are things and questions which are quite disturbing for many people. People want to look inside religions but when they observe the theories and actions of the religious people they think it is better to stay away and they feel better by calling themselves 'NOT RELIGIOUS'.

what and where might be the problem(s) by the way? :).

I feel that the main reason behind inter-religious conflicts is lack of understanding and practice of respective religions by the followers. I wonder that most of them really don't even get the basic concepts of the religions e.g. justice, respect, tolerance and care of others. They are familiar with these terms but don't know what it means for them and what it requires from them. It is pity that instead of being the best people on the Earth, religious people currently are not even at the level of being satisfactory. They must be the most caring and tolerant but reality is somehow different.

Many of the religious followers don't have deep and enough knowledge and they just feel proud at belonging to a particular religious group there is nothing beyond that for them. What religious authority says is the final word; they normally don't try to confirm and learn themselves, leaving themselves at the mercy of religious authorities who may intentionally or unintentionally misguide! But from this it should not be concluded that all religious people in any group are not good, such a conclusion will not be true. We should respect all of them especially religious authorities/scholars since we can't judge intention of anyone fully and they are quite important for us too.

Yes, most of religious people know that they have common God and they know that they have common enemy: Devil, but still they are failing miserably at being sincere, caring and open towards each other by forgetting this reality very easily very quickly. How could we be religious when we even can't look beyond our personal egos and destroy the basic religious values of sincerity, justice, love and respect? No religion allows damage of innocent people and injustice but unfortunately it is being made lawful by some. All religions do recognize the right of free existence and respect for other religions but it is being made unlawful by few.

I think in every group of human beings there are three types of people: 1. a small group which is strongly positive, intelligent and fair about life and people, 2. a small group which is strongly negative, clever and corrupt, 3. a majority which is moderate, passive and doesn't like to get involved in complicated issues of life, they like simple and straight forward life. I think the main contest happens between first two groups and they try to win not only over each other but also try to win sympathies of majority i.e. 3rd group. Majority normally has to follow the winner:).

So in religious groups same contest occurs. Unfortunately currently, some negative fellows are dominating in almost every religious group, they keep people unaware about reality and like to keep them divided otherwise how will they sustain:)! But it will not stay like that since other groups of good people are not sleeping, they are not strong enough so far . Changes need time, patience and struggle. Justice and truth can't lose, it might be temporarily pressed though!

I think, it is human nature that he/she feels good at belonging to a group and nation. All of us do need to have friends, family and national attachment otherwise with whom will we share? We feel comfortable with the closest ones and the place we were born at. People are divided into many groups on the basis of religions, families, nations, colors, sects and other philosophies and factors. This diversity makes life interesting but the problem starts when one starts losing fairness and respect for others due to such attachments.

Here i would also like to describe that fight between good and bad does not happen only outside, it also continues inside of every human being. Everyone has some negative germs and sometimes they appear from our thinking and actions too e.g. in the forms of lies, cheating, deceptions, biasing, undue favours, laziness, violence, anger, hate etc. I think these negative germs can not be completely destroyed but could be minimised. It is up to everyone of us which dimension: negative or positive, we want to grow! For those who can win inner fight, outer fight becomes easy!!!

I am quite sure that problem is neither religious diversity nor national diversity; it is something else! It is due to lack of religious understanding and its practice by us. In addition to that it is due to that small negative minority in every group of people which can't look beyond their personal greed and interests, they have to keep people divided, fighting and abusing each other. This way they can win easily and get their interests. They even don't care about using religions as excuses/means to get vested interests. I pray that they could see and act positively, realistically and farsightedly not only for the sake of others but also for the sake of their own selves and next generations. How much they do need and what will they do with it?

Everyone needs to win internal fight(between good and bad inide us) by making positive aspect stronger, i feel that is the real, permanent solution and success. It is not very hard to discriminate between good and bad, between justice and injustice, we have strong inner instinct(conscience) which is quite good at such judgments, we just need to use it properly, fairly and regularly. Why should we crush it for petty things and benefits? Do we not love ourselves and others naturally? WE DO, we do!!!

Best wishes,