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Abuse of History in Pakistan: Bangladesh to Kargil

Reader comment on item: Red Mosque in Rebellion
in response to reader comment: Actually, spain did capitulate

Submitted by Yvette Rosser (India), Jul 25, 2007 at 15:41

In mid-June I traveled from India to Pakistan during the height of the Kargil crisis. I made the trip on the Delhi-Lahore "diplomacy" bus. The rhetorical and ideological distance at the Wagh boarder crossing between India and Pakistan was like traveling a million miles and one hundred and eighty degrees in less than fifty meters. It was certainly an interesting time to be crossing that boarder. While in Pakistan, I felt as if I was experiencing history in the making, and the use of twisted history for nationalist justification.

I delivered a paper in Islamabad, in July arranged by the Islamabad Forum for Social Sciences. This paper discussed how Pakistani textbooks practice history by erasure and embellishment and how these distorted historical "facts" are used to corroborate contemporary political perspectives and justify current military adventurism. I cited examples from Pakistani Studies textbooks and compared these to the headlines which appeared in Pakistani newspapers during the Kargil crisis.

My lecture was discussed in a newspaper article published in "The News," a daily in Islamabad, (quote): "Yvette drew examples from state-sponsored textbooks used in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan to illustrate the appropriation of history to reinforce national philosophy or ideology wherein historical interpretations are predetermined, unassailable, and concretized." History by erasure can have its long-term negative repercussions. In Pakistani textbooks, which narrate the 65 War with India, Operation Gibraltar is never mentioned. Operation Gibraltar and the recent events in Kargil are products of the same processes.

The mistakes made in Kargil are a legacy of the lack of information that citizens have about the real history of their country. During the "war-like-situation" in Kargil, a headline in a Pakistani newspaper read, "Kargil: Revenge for ?71." This point of view can only be propagated by someone who is unaware of the real facts that led the Bengalis to secceed from the western part of the country, by someone who blames the breakup of Pakistan on India Gandhi and "Hindu influences" in East Pakistan rather than on 24 years of Panjabi-perpetuated internal colonization.

While I was out of the USA last year, I also spent six months in Bangladesh where I made several presentations. The first was in May 1999, entitled "Hegemony and Historiography: The Politics of Pedagogy." I also delivered a paper in Dhaka in late July when I returned to Bangladesh after a trip to Pakistan. That paper was called, "The Pakistani Historian and the Bangladesh War of Liberation." This talk received wide coverage in the Bangladesh media. Here is a message sent from Dr. Ratan Lal Chakravorty, a history professor at Dhaka University. This message describes some of the news reports about that talk:

"1. The news coverage about you appears in a Daily Newspaper which is very much popular at the present moment. It?s name is the Janakanta (Voice of the People) which I am a life subscriber. On 8 August, your photographs appeared with news in four columns of half a page. The paper appreciated you to such an extent that we had seldom received. The main topic covers your findings about the historiography and historical studies of Bangladesh and it suggests to follow your methodology to understand the things going at present.
"2. The second also appeared in the Janakanta (Voice of the People) on 11 August, 1999, where an analytical and critical assessment of your work and objectives were done in a very sophisticated way using metaphor. The writer appreciated you very much for speaking the truth and the reality."

Here are some observations about current events in Pakistan as they relate to the use of history in justifying current governmental and military actions and also about the psychological health of the nation:

Pakistani nationalism is characterized by ironies and contractions. Its ideology and national mythos have not been substantiated by its historical realities. In the last fifty-two years the vision or ideal of Pakistan, as a secure homeland where the Muslims in the subcontinent could find justice and live in peace, has not been realized by the citizens. There is a shared experience of disappointment and dissatisfaction among the populace that has not abated since the restoration of democracy in 1988, and in fact the feelings of betrayal and a collective mental depression have increased dramatically in the last decade. This intellectual fatalism and depression about the state of affairs is not something new, as can be seen in an excerpt from the book, Breaking the Curfew, A Political Journey Through Pakistan, published ten years ago by a British journalist, Emma Duncan, where she wrote, and I quote,"[. . . .] many Pakistanis I talked to seemed disappointed. It was not just the disappointment that they were not as rich as they should be or that their children were finding it difficult to get jobs; it was a wider sense of betrayal, of having been cheated on a grant scale. The Army blamed the politicians, the politicians the Army; the businessmen blamed the civil servants, the civil servants the politicians; everybody blamed the landlords and the foreigners, and the left and the religious fundamentalists blamed everybody except the masses.

"More than anywhere I have been - much more than India - its people worry about the state of their country. They wonder what went wrong; they fear for the future. They condemn it; they pray for it. They are involved in the nation?s public life as passionately as in their small private dilemmas. . . " (end quote).

In the ten years since this observation was written, the passion that the people in Pakistan have for their country has not abated, but the shared feelings of betrayal and disappointment have increased exponentially. A friend of mine who is a professor, the principal at a woman?s college in Lahore, confided that she and most of her colleagues felt not only disillusioned, but abjectly hopeless about the condition and future prospects of their beloved country. She said that she had lost all hope. She did not see that the nation could survive given the current situation and there was no alternative in sight.

Here is a dynamic woman, a sincere practicing Muslim, a patriotic Pakistani whose father was an officer in the Education Core. She serves on the boards of directors of numerous institutions and works with the government to develop and implement various educational projects. She gives generously of her time and devotes herself professionally and personally to her students, her colleagues and the educational organizations of Pakistan. Yet, though she is totally committed to her country, and by nature a jolly and friendly person not prone to any type of self pity or despondency, she is overwhelmed by feelings of loss, failure, and depression when she thinks of her beloved nation.

I was intrigued and disturbed by this expression of depression, which, regardless of Emma Duncan?s observations did not seem as profoundly obvious when I was in Pakistan two years ago. Since my dear sister working in Lahore informed me that many of her friends and colleagues also felt the same, I decided to ask the professors and scholars with whom I had scheduled interviews if they shared this feeling of depression and sorrow regarding their nation. I was astounded to find similar feeling of disempowerment coupled with a dissatisfaction which offered no solutions.

Many of the social activists and progressives with whom I spoke expressed this same helplessness while at the same time they counteract their feelings of loss by publishing journals, holding seminars and discussion groups?many work with NGOs to develop educational opportunities for girls in rural areas or contribute their time to other altruistic and progressive endeavors. They remain active?their work belies the futility which they expressed to me. They continue working, pouring their efforts and souls into positive activity aimed at improving the social and intellectual climate of their country, and they survive by not dwelling on the fact that ultimately, they feel powerless to effect any positive change.

It distressed me that these very people who could help Pakistan the most and whose voices should be heard and heeded are the very same people who, because of their political perspectives and social critiques, are often harassed by the authorities, denied jobs and otherwise discriminated against by the establishment. The current democratically elected government continues to make it difficult for intellectuals with alternative viewpoints to do research and even to travel abroad, not to mention what has happened lately to prominent journalists. Several professors at Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad informed me that a recent decree by the government mandated that professors must now obtain an NOC (No Objection Certificate) when planning to travel abroad even for a family vacation.

One well known and respected Physics professor, Dr. Parvez Hoodbhoy is a vocal critic about Pakistani affairs and writes magazines articles and essays about issues such as corruption, the unequal availability of educational opportunities and lately about the folly and danger of the nuclear option. Recently, Dr. Hoodbhoy was denied an NOC when he was invited to lecture in the Physics Department at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). He was able to leave the country only through the intervention of the Vice-chancellor of his university, Dr. Tariq Siddique, who also taught at the Civil Service Academy and served as the education minister under Zulfikar Bhutto.

Dr. Tariq Siddique is well-known for supporting his staff and helping his former students. However, his intervention on behalf of Dr. Hoodbhoy, I was informed, risked provoking official ire. However, this type of potential threat is not something new to Tariq Siddique, since he had been dismissed from Bhutto?s cabinet for too zealously advocating teacher empowerment and merit-based promotion.

Many scholars at the university level expressed resentment that research was discouraged and intellectuals were often seen as a threat by the establishment. They complained that mediocrity was encouraged and original research impeded. Surrounded by a completely corrupt system, which they felt powerless to change, yet endowed with self respect and moral conscientiousness, many of these caring and intellectually brilliant individuals lamented about their hopelessness and depression regarding the condition of their nation.

As I was disturbed by this shared expression of depression, I interviewed a psychiatrist and asked him his opinion about this phenomenon. He first pointed out that the depression was a tangible reality and could be quantified by the huge increase in the number of suicides in Pakistan in the last few years. He said that there are 20 to 30 suicides per day in Pakistan which occur primarily among the young between the ages of fifteen and thirty, mostly upper-class urbanized females and newly educated rural or newly urbanized lower middle class males.

Dr. Inayat Magsi, from the Civil Hospital in Karachi, explained that most of these suicides are the result of the loss of hope for the future. But he also pointed out that the dramatic rise in clinical depression which he has observed even among citizens with ample economic opportunities can be partly attributed to the fact that even though democracy has been practiced now for over ten years, there has been a decline in the development of civil society, a death of collective vision, of enthusiasm to change the system from within, a certain resignation.

During the time of Martial Law, the iron rule of General Zia-ul-Haq, the intellectuals and socially conscious scholars, along with large segments of the common people, had something to fight against, a mission and a purpose to rid their country of authoritarian rule. Dr. Inayat Magsi pointed out that this struggle against the military government and the hope for democracy united the people with a vision which kept them enthusiastic about the future potential of their country.

Once democracy was restored, the level of corruption certainly did not decrease, the practice of fomenting regionalism which was practiced by General Zia increased, promises of a better future rapidly died as the political parties fought a propaganda war for their ascendancy instead working for the good of the country. The often disenfranchised polity was once again dismayed and depressed by the inability of their officials to focus on the needs and priorities of Pakistan. Dr. Inayat Magsi added that now that there is no military government to rebel against, they can only blame themselves for the lack of leadership and since they are powerless to create other alternatives, they are disheartened. . depressed.

Pakistan is a land that is torn by ethnic differences and is seemingly unable to achieve unity within its diversity. It was founded on the principle that Islam, as the great leveler of class and caste, was a sufficient force to tie the Sindhis, the Pathans, and the Balouchi tribes, and also the Bengalis together with the dominant Panjabis to form a cohesive and stable national identity which would supersede regional loyalties and ethnicities. Through the years, this mission to create a strong centrally controlled government has been pursued by various methods including realignment of political associations between its minority groups, usually based more on gains for provincial party bosses than nation cohesion, and by the use of military coercion, which as in the case of the Bengali majority, resulted in the split up of the original country.

Even today the central government operates under the assumption that Pakistan is a unitary entity, though the rhetorical idea of "One Unit" was only abandoned immediately before the Bangladesh war of liberation. The Pakistani military and bureaucracy are still grappling with the problems that the contradictions inherent in the Ideology of Pakistan continue to create within the varied cultural landscape of the nation.

The powers at the center, usually more intent at retaining the profitable reins on the government, are inevitably unable to make equitable policies which can reverse the decentralized loyalties nor reconcile these tendencies with the imperatives of a highly centralized state apparatus. As Feroz Ahmed in his book Ethnicity and Politics in Pakistan, published by Oxford University Press in 1999, wrote, "The state and its ideologues have steadfastly refused to recognize the fact that these regions are not merely chunks of territory with different names but areas which were historically inhabited by peoples who had different languages and cultures, and even states of their own. This official and intellectual denial has, no doubt, contributed to the progressive deterioration of inter-group relations, weakened societies cohesiveness, and undermined the state?s capacity to forge security and sustain development." (end quote)

Denial and erasure are the primary tools of historiography as it is officially practiced in Pakistan. There is no room in the official historical narrative for questions or alternative points of view which is Nazariya Pakistan, the Ideology of Pakistan?devoted to a mono-perspectival religious orientation. There is no other correct way to view the historical record. It is, after all, since the time of General Zia-ul Haq, a capital crime to talk against the "Ideology of Pakistan."

According to A.H. Nayyar from Quaid-e-Azam University, "What is important in the exercise is the faithful transmission, without any criticism or re-evaluation, of the particular view of the past which is implicit in the coming to fruition of the ?Pakistan Ideology.?" Rahat Saeed of the Irtiqa Institute of Social Sciences in Karachi explains that school level history teachers are often aware that what they are teaching in their Pakistani Studies classes is at best contradictory and often quite incorrect. They usually do not attempt to explain the "real" history regarding such events as the civil war in 1971, because to do so might jeopardize their jobs, and, as Rahat explains, the teachers are afraid "to corrupt their students with the truth."

In contemporary Pakistani textbooks the historical narrative is based on the Two Nation Theory. The story of the nation begins with the advent of Islam when Mohammed-bin-Qazm arrived in Sindh followed by Mahmud of Ghazni storming through the Khyber Pass, 16 times, bringing the Light of Islam to the infidels who converted en mass to escape the evil domination of the cruel Brahmins. Reviewing a selection of textbooks published since 1972 in Pakistan will verify the assumption that there is little or no discussion of the ancient cultures that have flowered in the land that is now Pakistan, such as Taxila and Mohenjo-Daro, though this lack seems to have been partly addressed in the very recent editions of several history textbooks published for Oxford-Cambridge elite schools.

In most textbooks, any mention of Hinduism is inevitably accompanied by derogatory critiques, and none of the greatness of Indic civilization is considered?not even the success of Chandragupta Maurya, who defeated, or at least frightened the invading army of Alexander the Great at the banks of the Beas River where it flows through the land that is now called Pakistan. These events are deemed meaningless since they are not about Muslim heroes. There is an elision in time between the moment Islam first arrived in Sindh and Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

This shortsighted approach to historiography was not always the case.

Up until 1972, the history textbooks included much more elaborate sections on the history of the subcontinent, while adopting the colonial frame of periodization?the books described the Hindu Period, The Muslim Period and the British Period. History textbooks, such as Indo Pak History, Part 1 published in 1951, included chapters with titles such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata Era, Aryans? Religion and Educational Literature, the Caste System, Jainism and Buddhism, Invasions of Iranians and Greeks, Chandra Gupta Maurya, Maharaja Ashok, Maharaja Kaniska, The Gupta Family, Maharaja Harish, New Era of Hinduism, The Era of Rajputs. This same basic table of contents, which also included the history of Islam, was prevalent in textbooks until post 1971.

A textbook published in 1964, for use at a military academy in Abbottabad included similar chapters, and even had a chapter entitled, Mahatma Gandhi, Man of Peace. This same edition of this textbooks was republished without any changes until 1971. It can therefore be seen that Pakistani textbooks were not always estranged from their associations with South Asian history and culture. but beginning with the Bhutto years and accelerating under the Islamized tutelage of General Zia-ul Haq, not only has the history of the subcontinent been discarded, but it has been vilified and mocked and transformed into the evil other, a measure of what Pakistan is not. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto?s influence on the textbooks was profound?he was furious at India, whom he blamed for the break-up of the country. Though ironically, his mother was a Hindu, a natch-girl (dancer) who had converted to Islam in order to marry his wealthy father, Bhutto vehemently launched an anti-Indian campaign with vituperative anti-Hindu rhetoric. This legacy of his orchestrated hatred is still the basis of Pakistani historical narratives where Gandhi is now usually referred to as a "conniving bania."

Much of the historical discourse and social analysis in Pakistan is based on negative methodologies which seek to justify Pakistan?s failures and shortcomings by pointing out similar problems that also exist in neighboring India. Instead of focusing their academic lens on the Pakistani situation, and be the view positive or negative, analyzing what is seen within their nation, scholars repeatedly use the tact of dismissing problems in Pakistan by discussions of parallel problems in India.

Within this paradigm, Pakistani scholarship is defined by placing the country?s problems in a less negative light in comparison to India?s problems. This could be called the theory of self justification, but more aptly results in self negation. A vivid example of this methodology can be found in the book by Akbar S. Ahmed, Jinnah, Pakistan and Islamic Identity: the Search for Saladin. It is one of a great number of books published in Pakistan during 1997. Many of these books published in honor of Pakistan?s fiftieth anniversary, such as Feroz Ahmed?s Ethnicity and Politics in Pakistan, and others such as the work by the linguist, Dr. Tariq Rehman, represent an effort to look objectively at topics such as Pakistani nation-building, society, cultural myths, domestic and foreign policy. Prior to this golden jubilee moment of self analysis, most books that graced the OUP or Vanguard shelves were basically biased and very much situated in the straight jacket of the two nation theory. This is not to criticize their nationalist orientation, all nations write nationalist histories, but an observation that historical discourse in Pakistan is dominated by negative images of India and Hinduism. In general, the majority of books in the field of the social sciences written in Pakistan have lacked theoretical basis and are short on angst and verve, though perhaps books by ex-pats, such as Mustfa Pasha are usually more circumspect. As Dr. Rahat in Karachi joked, "In Pakistan, social scientists are more social than scientific!" However, since 1997, there have been several books written about the Bangladesh experience, such as the recent book by Ahmad Saleem, Blood Beaten Track, which does not lay the blame squarely in Indira Gandhi?s lap, for conspiring to "Sink the Two Nation theory in the Bay of Bengal".

In Akbar S. Ahmed?s book, Search for Saladin, if judged by its cover, the fairly post modern title gives the impression that perhaps the book would be theoretically based and hopefully less biased than the standard fare offered up as state sponsored Pakistani scholarship. In this regard the book was a disappointment. Ahmed is a well know Pakistani scholar, and though a civil servant and therefore perhaps prone to rubbery research results stretching to accommodate the reigning regime, he is a fellow at Selwyn College, Cambridge and would probably get a wider reading audience in the West. Unfortunately, in this book he has fallen once again into the prevailing discourse of Pakistani historians who define their nation in the negative, in terms of what it is not. "We are not Hindus. We are not Indians. We will not be ruled by the Hindus. We do not practice the evil caste system. We do not mistreat our minorities. We do not attack our neighbors." Through the decades Pakistani writers have used this discourse of negation consistently describing their nation in contrast to Hindu India?s other. There have been far too few examples of reflexivity, inward looking analysis.

In this book by Ahmed, much of the discussion centers on communalism in India. He refers to books by Veena Das, Asghar Ali Engineer, Sarvepalli Gopal, Kumari Jayawardena, T.N. Madan, Ashish Nandy, Khushwant Singh, etc. He uses these Indian authors? work to prove his points about the sufferings of minorities in India, couched in the usual anti-Indian/Pakistani-centric rhetoric. He never pauses to question why there are so many open and frank books about the plight of minorities in India and there are very few such books about the problems faced by minorities in Pakistan. He doesn?t mention the bishop who blew his brains out on the city hall steps to protest continuing officially sanctioned harassment of the Christian community in Pakistan and the death sentence metted out to an adolescent from the Christian community for his alleged blasphemy. Akbar S. Ahmed fails to mention that Hindus and other minorities are delegated to second class citizens through their prejudicial voting system and blasphemy laws. Or that women are also second class citizens living under the burden of Hudood laws. He can not see the problems in his own nation, for he is too busy looking for problems in India. Once again, Pakistan is not looking at Pakistan for its own meaning, it is looking to India to justify its own failings. Akbar dwells extensively on rape during the Bombay riots of 1993, citing the suffering in several pages, but he dismisses rape by Pakistani soldiers in Bangladesh with less than one sentence. These types of examples are to be found throughout the book. It must be said that some of the most exciting and theoretically based and insightful scholarship in Pakistan is coming from the small group of feminist intellectuals associated with such centers as Simorgh, ASR, and Sahe in Lahore.

Discourses about Islam and its relationship to the Ideology of Pakistan make up the majority of Pakistan Studies textbooks, which dwell at length on how Islam will create a fair and just nation,"In the eyes of a Muslim all human beings are equal and there is no distinction based on race or colour. . . The rich or poor [are] all equal before law. A virtuous and pious man has precedence over others before Allah."

The Pakistan Studies textbook goes on to say, "Namaz prevents a Muslim from indulging in immoral and indecent acts." And regarding issues of justice, the 1999 edition of this Pakistan Studies textbook written by Rabbani and Sayyid which is in wide usage in Pakistan writes,

"On official level (sic) all the officers and officials must perform their duties justly, i.e., they should be honest, impartial and devoted. They should keep in view betterment of common people and should not act in a manner which may infringe the rights of others or may cause inconvenience to others." How does this discourse tally with the tales that the students have heard about corruption and the hassles their parents have endured simply to pay a bill or collect a refund? How do they rectify their cognitive dissonance when they hear about elected officials and wealthy landholders and industrialists buying off a court case lodged against them, or simply not charged for known crimes, with statements from their textbooks such as, "Every one should be equal before law and the law should be applied without any distinction or discrimination. [. . . ] Islam does not approve that certain individuals may be considered above law. The textbook goes on to state that "The Holy Prophet (PBUH) says that a nation which deviates from justice invites its doom and destruction" (emphasis mine).

With such a huge disparity between the ideal and the real, no wonder there is a great deal of fatalism and depression among the educated citizens and the school going youths concerning the state of the nation in Pakistan. Further compounding the students? distress and distancing them from either their religion or their nation-state, or both, are the contradictions found in this same Pakistani Studies book. On page 63 is the statement that "the enforcement of Islamic principles . . . does not approve dictatorship or the rule of man over man." Compared with the reality unfolding a few paragraphs later when the student is told that,

"General Muhammad Ayub Khan captured power and abrogated the constitution of 1956 [. . . .] dissolved the assemblies and ran the affairs of the country under Martial Law without any constitution. "Since nearly half of this textbook is dedicated to chapters with such titles as Islamization Under Zia, Hindrances to Islamization, and Complete Islamization is Our Goal, the other themes and events in the history and culture of Pakistan are judged vis-a-vis their relationship and support of complete Islamization. Within this rhetoric are found dire warnings that Islam should be applied severely so that it can guard against degenerate Western influences, yet a few pages later the text encourages the students to embrace Western technological innovations in order to modernize the country. One part of the book complains that Muslims in British India lost out on economic opportunities because conservative religious forces rejected western education yet a few pages later the authors are telling the students to use Islam to fend off Western influences and lauding the efforts of conservative clerics who are the last hope of protecting the country by the implementation of the Shari-a Law. This seems to be schizophrenic reasoning.

Non-Muslim cultural influences are often blamed for regional allegiances, such as in this discussion in Dr. Mohammed Sarwar?s Pakistani Studies book, which states that, "At present a particular segment, in the guise of modernization and progressive activity, has taken the unholy task of damaging our cultural heritage. Certain elements aim at the promotion of cultures with the intention to enhance regionalism and provincialism and thereby damage national integration."

Once again progressive forces and regional cultural affinities are deemed anti-Pakistani and thereby inherently anti-Islam. This is the same stance that is used in describing the emergence of Bangladesh. This textbook goes on to state that "It is in the interest of national solidarity that such aspects of culture should be promoted as reflect affinity among the people of the provinces." This type of discourse seems to deny the impetus and urges of the cultural expressions of the Sindhis, the Pathans and the Balouchis, instead of valuing them as part of the whole, these regional cultural tendencies are seen as a threat to the nation, and Islam is employed to ameliorate these dangerous cultural differences.

At the same time this textbook claims that Islam sees no differences and promotes unity while it also discriminates between Muslims and nonbelievers. For example, on page 120 the author states, "The Islamic state, of course, discriminates between Muslim citizens and religious minorities and preserves their separate entity. Islam does not conceal the realities in the guise of artificialities or hypocrisy. By recognizing their distinct entity, Islamic state affords better protection to its religious minorities. Despite the fact that the role of certain religious minorities, especially the Hindus in East Pakistan, had not been praiseworthy, Pakistan ensured full protection to their rights under the Constitution. Rather the Hindu Community enjoyed privileged position in East Pakistan by virtue of is effective control over the economy and the media. It is to be noted that the Hindu representatives in the 1st Constituent Assembly of Pakistan employed delaying tactics in Constitution-making."

That this claim is spurious as can be seen in the recent book by Allen McGrath, published by OUP, The Destruction of Democracy in Pakistan, in which the author, a lawyer, analyzes the efforts at constitution making in the first decade after independence before Iskandar Mizra dissolved the National Assembly. In the McGrath book the productive role D.N. Dutt played in constitution making is mentioned. Yet, in Pakistan Studies textbooks, the anti-Hindu point of view and the vilification of the Hindu community of East Pakistan are the standard orientation. In this particular version of Pakistani history, which is the official version, General Zia-ul-Haq is portrayed as someone who, "took concrete steps in the direction of Islamization." He is often seen as pious and perhaps stitching caps alongside Aurangzeb. Though Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is generally criticized in the textbooks, General Zia usually escapes most criticism though he was the most cruel and autocratic of the military rulers who usurped the political process in Pakistan. Each time that martial law was declared in Pakistan, and the constitution aborted, the textbook by Dr.

Sarwar describes it as an inevitable action stimulated by the rise of unIslamic forces. For example,

"The political leadership did not come up to the expectations and lacked commitment to Islamic objectives. Moreover, the civil service had not undergone socialization process commensurate with Islamic teachings. Bureaucratic elite had Western orientation with secular approach to all national issues. [. . . ] the result was political instability and chaos paving the way for the intervention of military and the imposition of Martial Law. "

In the next paragraph, however, Ayub Khan is accused of imposing unIslamic laws, especially family laws, and the author claims that it was Ayub?s secular outlook which ultimately brought about his decline.

General Zia, on the other hand, is described on page 138, "During the period under Zia?s regime, social life developed a leaning towards simplicity. Due respect and reverence to religious people was accorded. The government patronized the religious institutions and liberally donated funds. "

This textbook, and many like it, claim that there is a "network ofconspiracies and intrigues" which are threatening the "Muslim world in the guise of elimination of militancy and fundamentalism." In this treatment Pakistan takes credit for the fall of the Soviet Union and lays claim to have created a situation in the modern world where Islamic revolutions can flourish and the vacuum left by the fall of the USSR will "be filled by the world of Islam." This textbook continues by saying that "The Western world has full perception of this phenomena, [which] accounts for the development of reactionary trends in that civilization." Concluding this section under the title Global Changes, the author seems to be getting ready for Samuel Huntington?s Clash of Civilizations when he writes, "The Muslim world has full capabilities to face the Western challenges provided Muslims are equipped with self-awareness and channelize their collective efforts for the well being of the Muslim Ummah. All evidences substantiate Muslim optimism indicating that the next century will glorify Islamic revolution with Pakistan performing a pivotal role." (page 146)

Pakistan Studies textbooks are full of inherent contradictions. One page the book brags about the modern banking system, and another page complains that interest is unIslamic. There is also a certain amount of self-loathing written into the Pakistan Studies textbooks, and the politicians are depicted as inept and corrupt and the industrialists are described as pursuing "personal benefit even at the cost of national interest." Bouncing between the poles of conspiracy theory and threat from within, the textbooks portray Pakistan as a victim of Western ideological hegemony, and threatened by the perpetual Machiavellian intentions of India?s military and espionage machine, together with the internal failure of its politicians to effectively govern the country coupled with the fact that the economy is in the hands of a totally corrupt class of elite business interests who have only enriched themselves at the cost of the development of the nation. All of these failures and conspiracies could, according to the rhetoric in the textbooks, be countered by the application of more strictly Islamic practices. In fact, while I was in Pakistan recently, I spoke to several well placed individuals who told me that they would welcome a Taliban type government in Pakistan so that the country could finally achieve its birth right as a truly Islamic nation. Though this is certainly not a majority opinion, there is a large segment of society who thinks along this line. Perhaps the choice of this alternative Taliban vision for Pakistan is also a result of those feelings of helplessness discussed previously, perhaps between the conspiracies and corruption, they see no alternative.

When the textbooks and the clerics cry conspiracy and the majority of the newspapers, particularly the Urdu press, misinform or disinform the people, the tendency for the Pakistanis to feel betrayed and persecuted is not surprising. During the 71 War, the newspapers in Pakistan told nothing of the violence of the military crack down nor did they keep the people informed of the deteriorating strategic situation. The role of the Mukti Bahini was practically unknown in Pakistan, and when defeat finally came, it came as a devastating and unexpected shock that could only be explained by Indira Gandhi?s lies and treachery. It is no wonder that during and in the aftermath of the Kargil crisis, newspapers often ran stories which called the occupation of the heights above Kargil as Pakistan?s revenge for 1971. There has historically been a lack of information available to the citizens of Pakistan both in the 65 War and during the Bangladesh War of Independence. Yet that split-up of the nation, and the creation of Bangladesh is a potent symbol in Pakistan as evidenced by one headline that ran last summer in "The News", which said, "Nawaz Shariff?s Policies are Turning Sindh into Another Bangladesh."

During the recent war-like situation at the Line of Control in Kashmir, the government claimed again and again that the muhajideen were not physically supported by Pakistan, that they were indigenous Kashmiri freedom fighters. However, the presence of satellite television, the internet, and newspapers which are now more connected to international media sources, prevented the usual propaganda machine of the government from keeping all the facts from the people. Perhaps there is at least one positive outcome of the tragic Kargil crisis where hundreds of young men lost their lives, in the aftermath of the crisis there was a dramatic outpouring of newspaper and magazine articles which attempted to analyze the brinkmanship from various angles. This new found critical reflexivity is a positive development and though some of the essays in Pakistani newspapers called for the military to take over the government in the wake of Nawaz Shariff?s sell out to the imperialist Clinton, most of the discussions were more circumspect and many authors looked at the Kargil debacle through a lens of history, trying to understand the cause of Pakistan?s repeated failures arising from military intervention. Many of the observations made during and after the Kargil situation, such as the complete inadequacy of Pakistani international diplomacy, are interestingly also cited in Pakistan Studies textbooks regarding India?s perceived manipulation of world opinion during the 71 war and Pakistan?s inability to counter it.

Pakistani textbooks are particularly prone to a historical narrative manipulated by omission. According to Avril Powell, professor of history at the University of London, "The ?recasting? of Pakistani history [has been] used to ?endow the nation with a historic destiny.?"

Textbooks in Pakistan are the domain of distorted politics which have victimized the Social Studies curriculum. History by erasure can have its long-term negative repercussions. An example of this is the manner in which the Indo-Pak War of 1965 is discussed in Pakistani textbooks. In standard narrations of the 65 War manufactured for students and the general public, there is no mention of Operation Gibraltar, even thirty years after the event. In fact, many university level history professors whom I interviewed had never heard of Operation Gibraltar and the repercussions of that ill-planned military adventurism, which resulted in India?s attack on Lahore. In Pakistani textbooks the story is told that the Indian army, unprovoked and inexplicably attacked Lahore and that one Pakistani jawan equals ten Indian soldiers, who, upon seeing the fierce Pakistanis, drop their banduks and run away. Many people in Pakistan still think like this, and several mentioned this assumed cowardice of the Indian army in recent discussions regarding the war-like situation in Kargil. The nation is elated by the valiant victories on the battlefield, as reported in the newspapers, then shocked and dismayed when their country is humiliated at the negotiating table. Because they were not fully informed about the adventurism and brinkmanship of their military, they can only feel betrayed that somehow the Pakistani political leaders "grabbed defeat from the jaws of military victory."

It is interesting to note in this context an episode from the book by Akbar S. Ahmed in which he tells of a personal conversation with General Niazi, who according to Ahmed, claimed that he was planning to "cross into India and march up the Ganges and capture Delhi and thus link up with Pakistan." Niazi told Ahmed that "This will be the corridor that will link East with West Pakistan. It was a corridor that the Quaid-e-Azam demanded and I will obtain it by force of arms." This absurd reasoning can still be seen among those who were battling the Indian army in Kargil. In a recent newspaper article published in The News, a commander of the Pakistani based muhajideen told the reporter that their plan was first to take "Kargil, then Srinagar, then march victorious into Delhi."

Operation Gibraltar, the recent debacle in Kargil, and especially the tragic lessons that could have been learned from the emergence of Bangladesh are products of the same myopic processes. As mentioned earlier, the mistakes made in Kargil are a legacy of the lack of information that citizens have about the real history of their country. How similar the public knowledge and their naive response, how similar the disinformation pumped out by the government, and how sad the loss of life, the continued hostilities, the inability or unwillingness to negotiate diplomatically. Hegel and Toynbee among others, have warned that nations do not learn from their history. There is, however, significant merit to the argument that access to information about past mistakes and successes and their consequences can guide decision makers and citizens as they chart a course into the next millennium between diplomacy and disaster.

If you like, I can send more messages about my adventures in South Asia. I was in Bangladesh supported by a fellowship from the American Institute of Bangladesh Studies and I was in Pakistan funded by the American Institute of Pakistan Studies. I will be returning to Pakistan in November and December and plan to travel in interior Sindh to meet with scholar and intellectuals there, and interview them concerning their perspectives about the writing of history in Pakistan. Is anyone on this list can be of some assistance to me while I am there, I would be most grateful. The recent series of translations submitted to this list-serve by Dr. Gul Agha concerning the history of the invasion of Sindh by the Arabs is in direct contrast to how these events are treated in the Pakistan Studies syllabus which devotes considerable space to Muhammad-bin-Qasim who is hailed for bringing Islam to the subcontinent. In Social Studies For Class VI, published by the Sindh Textbooks Board, Jamshoro, April 1997 the story of the Arabs? arrival in Sindh is narrated as the first moment of Pakistan with the glorious ascendancy of Islam. This textbook tells the young sixth class school children of Sindh that, "The Muslims knew that the people of South Asia were infidels and they kept thousands of idols in their temples." The Sindhi king, Raja Dahir, is described as cruel and despotic. "The non-Brahmans who were tired of the cruelties of Raja Dahir, joined hands with Muhammad-bin-Qasim because of his good treatment." According to this historical orientation, The conquest of Sindh opened a new chapter in the history of South Asia. "Muslims had ever lasting effects on their existence in the region. . .

For the first time the people of Sindh were introduced to Islam, itspolitical system and way of the government. The people here had seenonly the atrocities of the Hindus. . . . The people of Sindh were so much impressed by the benevolence of Muslims that they regarded Muhammad-bin-Qasim as their savior. . . . Muhammad-bin-Qasim stayed inSindh for over three years. On his departure from Sindh, the localpeople were overwhelmed with grief." When I visited Hyderabad, Sindh in 1997, I discussed the contents of this textbook with local Sindhis, who assured me that they told their children an alternative version of this story. They informed me that any good Sindhi knows that "in several cities in ancient Sindh, Muhammad-bin-Qasim beheaded every male over the age of eighteen and that he sent tens of thousands of Sindhi women to the harems of the Abbassid Dynasty." They also explained that impact of these textbooks was minimal because, though the back of the book indicated that 20,000 copies were supposedly printed annually, that, because of corruption, "fewer than 10,000 were ever printed and distributed."

Submitting....

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Title Commenter Date Thread
3Red mosque Rebellion [130 words]JameelDec 12, 2009 04:10165707
3Mercy [197 words]munaMar 8, 2009 12:32151858
2Pakistan is epicenter of Islamist Terrorism... [75 words]Counter TerrorismDec 31, 2008 13:09146459
thank you very much [24 words]mz ravin blackMay 28, 2008 16:19130345
1Once Again [442 words]shaynaOct 18, 2007 21:43111875
1Pakistan trained Islamic Jihad Union Terrorists planned mega Terror Attacks against US interests in Germany [1332 words]YanaSep 5, 2007 12:48107823
Global Jihad: Uzbeks To The Fore [1581 words]AslamSep 7, 2007 10:21107823
1The Problem with Pakistan ! [749 words]RodiaAug 29, 2007 16:31107228
Jihadis want to liberate "Muslim Hyderabad " from Infidel India ! [302 words]RamAug 27, 2007 09:04107054
Pakistan Looking at Return to Democracy : Islamists planning to capture power by using Democracy as a tool like Hamas did in Gaza [1894 words]BRAug 27, 2007 09:00107052
1I am a Moderate Muslim , I am against Islamism , Al Qaida , Pakistani Terrorism and Taliban [66 words]Hanif SalatAug 25, 2007 10:43106955
1IT'S WHAT ISLAM MEANS TO YOU!! [59 words]ahmadzafireAug 28, 2007 20:02106955
Moderate Muslim is the one who calls for reforming Islam and purging Jihadi verses in Koran [19 words]TikritAug 30, 2007 05:40106955
wow !! [71 words]SalvatoreFeb 26, 2009 08:26106955
1muslims are not terrorism [68 words]btigulMar 12, 2009 00:33106955
Waziristan has become base of Taliban and remaining Pakistan is hotbed of Terrorism by Al Qaida allied groups like JeM , LeT and Hizbul Mujahideen [38 words]KarpiAug 24, 2007 15:47106914
Pakistan in danger [27 words]roseSep 8, 2007 08:18106914
Arrest Dr. A.Q.Khan ( Father of Pakistani Islamic Bombs ) [163 words]CarolinaAug 24, 2007 15:30106911
Second Opinion: The Al Qaeda empire in Pakistan [1136 words]Khaled AhmedAug 24, 2007 09:57106888
Terrorism [125 words]Foundation Against Continuing TerrorismAug 22, 2007 14:34106768
Almost 15 % of Talibaan ( students ) in Pakistani Madarassas are foreigners [276 words]JJAug 22, 2007 14:10106764
Who is our real enemy ?? [161 words]JeenaAug 22, 2007 13:37106759
1Khilafah the only way to have peace in the world – Hafiz Saeed [646 words]Oppose IslamismAug 22, 2007 04:19106719
A recharged jihadism is rising in Pakistan and Afghanistan [780 words]BillaAug 22, 2007 02:52106707
6"Union of Afghanistan and Pakistan." [976 words]M.AKRAM NIAZISep 8, 2009 04:01106707
Racial Profiling , Finger Printing and Database of Muslims in general and Pakistanis in particular are must for War against Terror. [65 words]AdeelAug 21, 2007 15:37106661
Pakistan can prove its credentials by recognising Israel ! [77 words]Man of PeaceAug 21, 2007 15:05106658
Every Islamic Terror Plot has Pakistani Contribution [629 words]ZephyrAug 21, 2007 14:50106654
West's policy failures in Pakistan : Double Game of Pervez Mushharraf [578 words]DalbaAug 21, 2007 14:48106653
2Most wanted Islamist Terrorists hiding in Pakistan with the help of ISI , Military and Mullah Alliance [347 words]Counter JehadAug 14, 2007 13:20106199
The kashmir is one of the part of our India [106 words]vil gopalMay 1, 2014 15:39106199
Even North Korea is less dangerous than Pakistan? [59 words]BHAug 14, 2007 12:46106198
Iran , Libya , Saudi Arabia , Syria will all have Nuclear Bombs and Long Range Missiles with in five years or less. [431 words]LeonardAug 15, 2007 02:33106198
Just whose side is Pakistan really on ? An ally in the war on terror or a haven for jihadists ? [809 words]NazneenAug 14, 2007 12:39106193
Bahawalpur is Mecca of Pakistani Jihadis ! [452 words]NicoleAug 14, 2007 12:37106192
The Road to Jehad runs through Islamic Pakistan ! [890 words]AteeqAug 14, 2007 12:31106190
Hamas representative had meeting with Pakistani ISI agents in Saudi Arabia during Hajj Pilgrimage [138 words]JadeAug 13, 2007 08:08106093
2Difference between Hajj and Umra and its importance for Islamists [237 words]BobbyAug 14, 2007 07:39106093
Terrorism will exist till Islam , Koran , Mecca and Medina Exist [177 words]TimiDec 21, 2007 12:39106093
asking [6 words]mamushOct 10, 2009 10:07106093
reply to Bobby [31 words]sunnyAug 10, 2011 08:15106093
cia and haj [46 words]samin khanOct 1, 2012 10:18106093
Pakistan should be Policed properly . [103 words]HowardAug 13, 2007 08:01106092
Pakistan will not allow inspection of Nuclear sites . [140 words]RulerAug 14, 2007 07:44106092
Pakistan at the crossroads [1186 words]GordonAug 11, 2007 07:05105890
Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami Bangladesh- A Cocktail of ISI, Al-Qaeda and Taliban [1888 words]R. UpadhyayAug 11, 2007 07:00105887
China pressing Pakistan to act decisively against Islamic Terrorists. [1554 words]KKAug 11, 2007 06:59105886
Musharraf under siege in Pakistan ! [1166 words]PaulAug 10, 2007 03:46105826
Calls for jehad against India and US were made in Pakistan's national assembly on Tuesday by a parliamentary secretary for defence, Syed Tanveer Hussain [203 words]RahulAug 10, 2007 02:30105821
Our Tax Money is used to equip our murderers in Pakistan and Afghanistans ! [74 words]GeorgeAug 14, 2007 12:45105821
I hoped to be a glorious martyr : Female survivor from Red Mosque [978 words]MarianaAug 9, 2007 04:41105768
How Pakistan is Being Lost ! [1087 words]DGAug 7, 2007 16:31105649
Musharaf illustrates the problem of having Moslem "allies" [204 words]Charles MartelAug 28, 2007 11:34105649
Musharaf is cunning like a Fox and knows how to help Islamists while posing as a western ally . [165 words]KaruppuAug 30, 2007 05:50105649
Several Lal Masjids waiting to explode !! [929 words]ORFAug 7, 2007 10:52105622
Al Qaeda & The Amirs Of The Cyber Ummah [1231 words]AnalysisAug 7, 2007 10:39105620
"May Allah destroy America and Britain… May Allah help the Mujahedeen in Iraq, Kashmir, Palestine, Chechnya and around the world." [1428 words]Anti Radical IslamAug 6, 2007 15:11105579
1Breeding for killing!!!! [36 words]JaladhiAug 7, 2007 15:14105579
Red Mosque Jihadis were infact members of Jaish-e-Mohamad [258 words]ArzAug 9, 2007 03:07105579
How Pakistanis are helping Al Qaida to nuke America and remaining West. [1835 words]Fight and Defeat TerrorismAug 11, 2007 06:03105579
Monitor everything which is related with Pakistan and we will see so many leads to Al Qaida [1016 words]DhilmaAug 13, 2007 07:28105579
Next 9/11 coming from Pakistan ! [62 words]S.ChoudharyAug 14, 2007 12:43105579
AMERICA MUST TO LEAVE US ALONE [82 words]Bamba TiemokoJun 30, 2008 21:13105579
Britain? [94 words]KheilaApr 20, 2011 19:24105579
the Taliban's Favorite Charities [274 words]Anti JehadAug 5, 2007 16:43105528
"Hijra" ( Journey in Islam) of Molly Campbell from United Kingdom to Pakistan [92 words]ChloeAug 4, 2007 06:18105463
British teenager Molly Campbell is already converted to Islam and they named her as " Misbah Rana " in Pakistan [44 words]PhilAug 7, 2007 16:19105463
Red mosque Rebellion [49 words]GeorgeDec 12, 2009 03:58105463
Identify Moderate Intellectual Muslims in Pakistan and give them support to oppose Islamism in Pakistan [73 words]AnastasiaAug 4, 2007 05:57105460
Pipe Dream!! [23 words]JaladhiAug 7, 2007 15:39105460
Even If they show , They will be lynched in public [90 words]KamraanAug 7, 2007 16:26105460
It was Pakistani Islamic Scholars who honoured Terrorist Osama with a title of " Saif allah " or " Sword of Allah " and no one condemned this in Pakistan [84 words]ReenaAug 4, 2007 05:46105458
Islamist Terror has forced US army to withdraw from Saudi Arabia , Lebanon ! [186 words]TonyAug 2, 2007 06:37105271
Withdrawal of Troops will invite more Terror attacks in West [223 words]HawkinsAug 3, 2007 08:03105271
1God is great and Islam is right. If they misunderstand the religion (islam), they get killed in the name of jihad [97 words]SridahrJul 31, 2007 05:17105157
One day everybody will realise and kick out Islamists from their countries [33 words]RayAug 1, 2007 13:56105157
Pakistan is sheltering Al Qaida and Talibaani elements : Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai [66 words]MurtazaJul 24, 2007 12:44104582
We need to put a fence on Afghanistan - Pakistan border with a clear orders to shoot every intruder / infiltrator [82 words]JasonJul 25, 2007 01:01104582
Pakistan's Jihad Culture [114 words]GajjuJul 27, 2007 14:20104582
Jason, please think it through [150 words]moderate MuslimJul 31, 2007 20:53104582
Its not only Pakistan's Jehad's Culture , its Islam's Jehad Culture which motivates muslims to strike non muslims with all means they have [44 words]YanaAug 2, 2007 05:57104582
Exist along side... [72 words]donvanAug 2, 2007 14:03104582
to the 'moderate' muslim [73 words]ASAug 2, 2007 14:11104582
Moderate who? [208 words]surjAug 2, 2007 19:23104582
Muslims immigrate to West not to leave the medieval and barbaric culture of Islam , but to Impose Islam in West. [112 words]CarlaAug 3, 2007 09:51104582
1Government should also consider putting up a fence between US and Canada [118 words]MichaelAug 3, 2007 13:15104582
And the problem is even wider than the Moslem refugees-cum-radicals-cum-Jihadis [115 words]Charles MartelAug 28, 2007 11:53104582
Musharaf's Drama to fool US led West to get more Financial Aid to finance its Islamist Structure [342 words]AhmedJul 24, 2007 08:40104554
Few US leaders have realised the truth now [63 words]KarenAug 1, 2007 14:04104554
A little nuance would be helpful [266 words]pratikJul 22, 2007 22:11104386
These Red Mosque Mullahs and Saudi Wahabis will be most deadly enemies of United States. [98 words]MTAug 1, 2007 14:09104386
The Red Mosque And Its Members [130 words]AnneMJul 22, 2007 17:59104353
Every Mosque will become " Lal Masjid " when appropriate time comes ... [105 words]NuksaJul 24, 2007 02:40104353
Every mosque is potential base of Terrorism , we should start monitoring all mosques and islamists visiting mosques [127 words]RonJul 25, 2007 01:16104353
For Muslims, no piece of land can ever be finally renounced, but none compares in significance with Arabia and Iraq [119 words]BernJul 27, 2007 14:23104353
NO Islam For Me [28 words]T.J.Jul 28, 2007 00:46104353
Civil war is a short skirmish nothing else , The real war is against all of us [134 words]CharleyAug 1, 2007 14:14104353
Pakistan , Saudi Arabia , Iran and Syria are the axis of evil : We need to break and destroy this axis of Evil [40 words]HoribunailJul 22, 2007 14:04104337
We must break their will by crushing them Militarily and make sure that we destroy their every cell of Terror Groups [200 words]AlexJul 24, 2007 01:25104337
Israelis are trying for Peace with Palestinians and their Arab Neighbours whereas the other side is hell bent in destroying Israel [342 words]GandhiJul 25, 2007 01:37104337
We should investigate thoroughly the links between Pakistanis , Palestinians and Al Qaida [340 words]LeoJul 26, 2007 12:27104337
Appeasement only emboldens Islamists!! [69 words]JaladhiJul 27, 2007 09:14104337
Either your head is under the feet of a Muslim or its opposite because ..... [73 words]SamiAug 1, 2007 14:19104337
1This resistance... is today stronger, more powerful, more solid, and more determined to confront the aggression and achieve victory : Hasan Nasarallah [60 words]ASANAAug 3, 2007 12:41104337
Actually, spain did capitulate [80 words]yuval Brandstetter MDJul 22, 2007 12:41104326
extremism [68 words]StuartJul 22, 2007 21:04104326
Europeans are just afraid of Intifada , Jehad , Terror Attacks , Suicide Bombings in their cities [43 words]PierreJul 23, 2007 13:05104326
Diplomacy and Military Tactics must be implied at the same time against these cunning Islamists [192 words]RozerJul 24, 2007 02:19104326
Cowards!!! [92 words]JaladhiJul 24, 2007 10:24104326
Liberals in Europe have left the ground for Islamists to conquer Europe ........Europe is doomed [259 words]TanyaJul 25, 2007 01:54104326
1Pakistani Muslim Students are involved in networking for Islamists in Former Soviet Union Countries [481 words]Dr.SrikantJul 25, 2007 12:35104326
77Abuse of History in Pakistan: Bangladesh to Kargil [7161 words]Yvette RosserJul 25, 2007 15:41104326
Red Mosque in Rebellion: A Reply to Dr. Srikant [286 words]Jaisingh ThakurJul 26, 2007 01:38104326
Kudos to Yvette [104 words]VijayJul 27, 2007 16:43104326
to Yvette [146 words]ASJul 27, 2007 18:30104326
Continue Dialogue with partners and at the same time continue destroying bases of Islamism [54 words]JennyAug 1, 2007 14:27104326
Muslim Students in US Universities are well organised and Islamising the campuses [108 words]DarrenAug 1, 2007 14:31104326
Read Pakistani Bloody History to know the roots of Islamist Terror [68 words]JeenaAug 1, 2007 14:36104326
There is no Pakistani or Bangladeshi or Palestinian Culture , there is only one culture which allies these countries.. [43 words]DarshAug 1, 2007 14:39104326
Before accusing Pakistani Students , Just read what your Indian Doctors are doing in Australia !! [475 words]ShakeelAug 2, 2007 06:00104326
Obama issues Pakistan terror warning : US will strike Al Qaida in Pakistan [486 words]JuriliAug 2, 2007 06:40104326
Do good.. [107 words]donvanAug 2, 2007 13:53104326
1Shakeel's deception about Indian Muslim doctors involved in terrorism!! [134 words]JaladhiAug 2, 2007 17:01104326
All Islamist / Terrorist websites are being hosted by Internet Service Providers in US ! [40 words]JeanAug 3, 2007 14:14104326
Obama terror vow angers Pakistan : Pakistanis warns Barrack Obama of serious consequences ! [625 words]TasneenAug 3, 2007 14:50104326
Colorado Republican Tom Tancredo said that the best way he could think of to deter a nuclear terrorist attack on the U.S. would be to threaten to retaliate by bombing the holiest Islamic sites of Mecca and Medina." [151 words]MagdelanaAug 4, 2007 00:20104326
Red Mosque in rebellion : A Reply to Tasneen [458 words]Jaisingh ThakurAug 5, 2007 01:06104326
"In the beginning it was the local Taliban, but after a few days, Pakistani Taliban and ISI officers disguised as Taliban arrived in the region and they took control of the situation," Ghazni Governor Merajuddin Pattan told Reuters. [905 words]MathewAug 5, 2007 14:26104326
Islamic Leaders urges Pakistanis to prepare for a War against US agression [634 words]MathewAug 5, 2007 15:19104326
Muslim is never loyal to any country , He or she is only Loyal to Islam and Umma [25 words]PattersonAug 5, 2007 18:33104326
Not really [56 words]AnonymousAug 11, 2007 18:43104326
It is not Bangladeshi Culture , It is infact Bengali Culture but .... [539 words]SabyaAug 13, 2007 04:39104326
Open your eyes and see the norm of your religion!!! [57 words]JaladhiAug 13, 2007 10:58104326
I was going to make same point, Spain clearly DID capitulate [53 words]Charles MartelAug 28, 2007 11:59104326
Different Opinion ! [97 words]The HammerAug 30, 2007 06:14104326
Israel is GOD! [73 words]Arie FirestoneSep 12, 2007 16:35104326
A muslim obama as president are you kidding? [117 words]jackOct 6, 2007 19:01104326
Obama's middle name is Hussein [65 words]dhimmi no moreOct 7, 2007 07:53104326
Include the Rohingya organizations [75 words]ArBakMar 15, 2009 14:33104326
Victimization of Pakistan and Pakistan Army by Dictators. [3610 words]M.AKRAM KHAN NIAZIOct 1, 2009 00:20104326
1This was a Nightmare [17 words]Muhsin AliFeb 13, 2012 08:27104326
Yet another version [83 words]momeApr 5, 2015 09:37104326
1Pakistan! [295 words]dhimmi no moreJul 22, 2007 07:22104315
Pakistan on the way to becoming another Iraq or Afghanistan !! [1095 words]ValabaJul 22, 2007 13:50104315
Yes - they are all same!!! [124 words]JaladhiJul 22, 2007 22:04104315
Pakis/Tabligees are Very Committed- dhimmi [125 words]Mary SchultzJul 23, 2007 01:17104315
How can we defeat tablighees in our back yard? [368 words]dhimmi no moreJul 23, 2007 18:41104315
Pakistanis are the commited Zealots of Islamist Cause of World Jehad and Islamic Umma [382 words]SaraJul 24, 2007 02:32104315
Muslims are Muslims and they all are same and dedicated towards for Jehad and Islamic Umma [346 words]HeerooJul 24, 2007 02:55104315
Baloch Community demanding Freedom from Islamic Pakistan [494 words]Mehran BalochJul 24, 2007 08:13104315
dhimmi: I agree with Mary S. [179 words]John BakerJul 25, 2007 01:09104315
PAKISTAN'S STRATEGIC ALLIES AT CROSS-ROADS WITH ISLAMIC REPUBLIC [1972 words]Dr. Subhash KapilaJul 25, 2007 14:58104315
Pakistan is the Epicenter of Threat to World Survival [644 words]MalikJul 25, 2007 15:36104315
For John and you make lots of sense [76 words]dhimmi no moreJul 25, 2007 18:44104315
No more Tolerance with Islamists anywhere in the world . [99 words]BurianoJul 26, 2007 12:31104315
1Red Mosque in Rebellion: A Reply to Mr. dhimminomore [194 words]Jaisingh ThakurJul 27, 2007 06:09104315
They also raised a black flag with two crossed swords - meant to symbolise jihad, or holy war [616 words]RockyJul 27, 2007 11:37104315
Terrorist Training Islamic Seminaries in Pakistan [860 words]BirkJul 27, 2007 13:15104315
Thank you Jaisingh [73 words]dhimmi no moreJul 27, 2007 18:26104315
Good points [365 words]VijayJul 28, 2007 08:43104315
Red Mosque in Rebellion: A Reply to Mehran Baloch. [414 words]Jaisingh ThakurJul 29, 2007 02:23104315
mr dhimmi try it [119 words]syed mohammad aliAug 1, 2007 13:44104315
We need Intellectuals like Daniel Pipes in every Western Country [76 words]BarahAug 1, 2007 14:42104315
It does not change anything [20 words]dhimmi no moreAug 1, 2007 18:48104315
Pagan idols ya ayuha al-faylasoof al-kabeer? how bout kissing the baclk stone in al-Ka3ba? [74 words]dhimmi no moreAug 1, 2007 18:55104315
Converts in the West and The West is civilized [71 words]dhimmi no moreAug 1, 2007 18:59104315
Red Mosque in rebellion : A Reply to syed mohammad ali [358 words]Jaisingh ThakurAug 2, 2007 04:05104315
Islamic Schools and Madarassas in UK and USA are also doing the same thing is West [133 words]AmanAug 2, 2007 06:22104315
Our dear sayed al-tablighee and Self hate [207 words]dhimmi no moreAug 2, 2007 06:41104315
Pakistanis are inpired and motivated by Radical Maulana maudoodi who ordered muslims to make Jehad as aim of their lives [96 words]istoriaAug 2, 2007 06:46104315
Converts in Islamic countries [93 words]dhimmi no moreAug 2, 2007 06:48104315
We should make " Counter Terrorism Fund " and support efforts of Daniel Pipes by spreading his words of wisdom [121 words]KohlAug 2, 2007 06:52104315
2India did mistake by supporting Bangladesh to gain independence from Cruel Rule of Pakistan [148 words]ArjunAug 2, 2007 07:34104315
Gift of Islam to converts is to wipe out their memory about their past!!! [106 words]JaladhiAug 2, 2007 22:02104315
Pervew Musharaf should ban all the Terror Groups , Madrassas, Fiery Sermons on Friday , Terror Training Camps in Pakistan inspite of banning Parties [137 words]ImraanAug 3, 2007 09:40104315
Thank you Jaladhi and guess who is back? [75 words]dhimmi no moreAug 4, 2007 06:20104315
we dont have problem with converts [75 words]syed mohammad aliAug 6, 2007 12:35104315
you need to look at islamic sources [352 words]syed mohammad aliAug 6, 2007 12:49104315
jaising have you ever read quranic sources regarding stone [216 words]SYED MOHAMMAD ALIAug 6, 2007 13:11104315
Kissing the ka3ba and paganism and justifying the absurd [71 words]dhimmi no moreAug 6, 2007 18:11104315
I do have a problem with converts?I feel sorry for them [129 words]dhimmi no moreAug 6, 2007 18:19104315
Our dear Syed and sabab al-nuzul of Q112 [55 words]dhimmi no moreAug 6, 2007 18:27104315
Our dear Syed and his lesson in Islamic theology and kissing of the ka3bba is nothing but paganism [165 words]dhimmi no moreAug 7, 2007 07:23104315
i never leave islam.... [85 words]syed mohammad aliAug 12, 2007 12:57104315
is kiss means worship? [35 words]syed mohammad aliAug 12, 2007 13:01104315
surah iqhlas 112 ...... [346 words]syed mohammad aliAug 12, 2007 13:24104315
mr dhimmi, i make it clear for you [62 words]syed mohamamd aliAug 12, 2007 13:37104315
1And I invite you to leave islam [22 words]dhimmi no moreAug 13, 2007 06:46104315
Kissing astone? and justifying the absurd [50 words]dhimmi no moreAug 13, 2007 06:52104315
sure when it comes to truth you didnt find reason in it [38 words]syed mohammad aliAug 14, 2007 06:00104315
May be I need to repeat myself one more time [29 words]dhimmi no moreAug 14, 2007 18:19104315
your ignorance showing here [6 words]syed mohammad aliAug 16, 2007 13:16104315
Our dear Syed the careless reader and maybe i need to repeat myself one more time [90 words]dhimmi no moreAug 16, 2007 20:12104315
Our dear Syed and kissing and worshiping [111 words]dihmmi no moreAug 18, 2007 12:42104315
islam is for every one [49 words]syed mohammad aliAug 22, 2007 13:05104315
Umar is my favorite early Moslem -- he knew what was stupid, even if he did it [126 words]Charles MartelAug 28, 2007 12:27104315
i am happy that you are reading about islam [31 words]syed mohammad aliAug 29, 2007 12:28104315
Helping Bangladesh to get the independance was not a charity by India [52 words]khaledOct 9, 2007 12:11104315
islamisation [39 words]sartajSep 9, 2008 03:44104315
1What? [72 words]ZebaJun 16, 2011 16:59104315
we are Pakistani [114 words]fatima irfanMay 2, 2013 07:09104315
Not the islamic way at all!!! [59 words]ahmadzafireJul 21, 2007 07:42104199
If Talibaan is not Islam than what are .....?? [239 words]JiggyJul 25, 2007 02:14104199
Red Mosque in Rebellion: A Reply to Mr. ahmadzafire [190 words]Jaisingh ThakurJul 25, 2007 08:09104199
Islam is what Islamist organizations do so well !!! [123 words]JaladhiJul 26, 2007 22:00104199
Christians begin crucified. [52 words]SusanJul 20, 2007 14:20104139
Where is this? [29 words]ahmadzafireJul 22, 2007 18:00104139
Red Masjid in Turkey- Islamists win BIG. [39 words]Paul KingJul 23, 2007 01:42104139
Christians fleeing Pakistan [373 words]RizwanJul 25, 2007 15:11104139
Red Mosque in Rebellion: A Reply to Ronald [350 words]Jaisingh ThakurJul 27, 2007 03:18104139
Korean Medical missionary victim of islamic terror [260 words]johnJul 31, 2007 08:15104139
not really!!! [697 words]ahmadzafieAug 13, 2007 20:59104139
a reality check for ahmadzafie [122 words]PBUHAug 15, 2007 04:27104139
PBUH [137 words]ahmadzafireAug 15, 2007 22:59104139
shake the cob-webs [199 words]PBUHAug 17, 2007 04:58104139
PBUH..... [935 words]ahmadzafireAug 20, 2007 23:05104139
Just a thought of Mine [884 words]Amira MohamedMay 22, 2009 23:14104139
Take the fight back to them. [338 words]DarrenJun 13, 2011 19:33104139
Why do you change the truth? [205 words]mohammedAug 12, 2012 01:44104139
1Muhammad says that muslims never invaded a country [116 words]PrashantAug 13, 2012 02:25104139
Reply to Prashant [202 words]MohammedAug 14, 2012 21:58104139
2Another victim of Arabian imperialism and Islam [863 words]dhimmi no moreAug 15, 2012 06:20104139
1Reply to our dear Muhammad how lives among them Christians in Sweden [567 words]dhimmi no moreAug 15, 2012 06:45104139
"wa al-simu 3alaykum" or "poison on you" said by dhimmi no more. ... [823 words]mohammedAug 17, 2012 01:53104139
1Victims of Arabian imperialism and islam is the religion of the arabs only [182 words]dhimmi no moreAug 18, 2012 06:33104139
Islam is the religion of the arabs only [143 words]dhimmi no moreAug 18, 2012 06:40104139
1Muhammad the prophet of islam told the likes of our dear Muhammad to tell us kuffar: May the poison be upon you [116 words]dhimmi no moreAug 18, 2012 06:53104139
1The Arab invaders in 633CE aka The Arab crusades [290 words]dhimmi no moreAug 18, 2012 13:00104139
2Islamic hypocrisy [406 words]dhimmi no moreAug 18, 2012 15:14104139
THERE ARE PROPOGANDISTS [11 words]Timothy DavidAug 24, 2014 22:27104139
WRONG! [167 words]FarahJan 10, 2015 03:18104139
where are quotes [57 words]CinderellaFeb 10, 2015 03:56104139
i AGREE [2 words]EdwardNov 13, 2015 13:02104139
Wow [20 words]MaryNov 22, 2015 05:42104139
prediction correct. [51 words]John LaneNov 27, 2015 21:43104139
Amen [72 words]Stephen JacksonDec 9, 2015 22:27104139
Be nr up on earth [151 words]Sein Nya TinMar 28, 2016 01:54104139
Why The Red Mosque Islamists won't succeed. [684 words]Chris G.Jul 20, 2007 14:20104138
Wishful Thinking [133 words]LDCJul 21, 2007 15:44104138
Could terrorists wage nuclear jihad? [546 words]LaturJul 25, 2007 15:53104138
Nazis were minority in Germany but they captured power and initiated World War II so in the same way... [154 words]HistorianJul 26, 2007 13:03104138
Total Number of Islamists now are far more than Total German Population during World War II. [117 words]FrancoisAug 3, 2007 12:07104138
This tactic will be used in the West and USA [179 words]f.shaJul 20, 2007 10:57104129
We should start targetting the legal activities of Islamists as well . [57 words]TomJul 24, 2007 05:31104129
Wake up Europe and America [196 words]johnJul 20, 2007 04:49104104
2Pakistan's Nuclear Money Trail [1126 words]MoniJul 25, 2007 15:34104104
A Profound Question of Strategy [645 words]Ron ThompsonJul 19, 2007 15:19104060
They have these plans for US soil... [187 words]jillosophyJul 19, 2007 14:56104056
No Pakistanis = No Islamism = No Incitement = No Terrorism = No Bloodshed = Peace [21 words]CharlesJul 27, 2007 12:24104056
Madrid bombings not successful??? [136 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
BryJul 19, 2007 11:09104051
Korean Hostages taken by Talibaani Terrorists have forced to announce Koreans about the date of their withdrawal from Afghanistan [58 words]KimJul 24, 2007 14:03104051
Pakistan supported Taliban Terrorists abduct Indian engineer in Afghanistan [119 words]GauravAug 3, 2007 06:28104051
in the indian subcontinent [94 words]G.VishvasJul 19, 2007 10:56104050
Saudis, with Pakistani help, working on nuclear programme [228 words]RamJul 25, 2007 15:50104050
Pervez Musharraf [199 words]Peter, ScotlandJul 18, 2007 18:08103999
Pakistan's future will be in the hands of the Islamists [107 words]Shehab AkhterJul 18, 2007 14:20103957
Terrorist means a bearded muslim having Koran in one hand and AK-47 Rifle in another hand and shouting " Jehad" [72 words]AdvanJul 21, 2007 15:20103957
Musharraf's attempt at a political solution to peace in the region had backfired by giving al-Qaida a place and time to regroup [87 words]LKhuiaJul 22, 2007 13:25103957
If Pakistan's future is in hands of Islamists , We must keep our arsenal of Tactical Nukes and F-35 aeroplanes ready for Military intervention immediately [48 words]PaulJul 24, 2007 02:35103957
MUSHARRAF & BENAZIR: A THREE-LEGGED RACE TO SAVE PAKISTAN [952 words]LawrenceAug 2, 2007 07:41103957
red mosque rebellion [174 words]imdad aliJul 18, 2007 13:41103955
Musharaf must prove himself by cracking down on every Mosque sheltering militants [37 words]EliJul 24, 2007 06:54103955
Mosques used as bases [73 words]David W. LincolnJul 18, 2007 12:07103948
Monitor Mosques [223 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
KennyJul 18, 2007 11:40103946
Too true.. [163 words]donvanJul 23, 2007 15:06103946
We should monitor every mosque / madrassa and infiltrate every muslim congregation / community in West [1130 words]KenJul 24, 2007 06:46103946
You obviously have no knowledge whatsoever of Islam [52 words]jweltchSep 14, 2009 23:03103946
Red Mosque [400 words]analystJul 18, 2007 09:00103941
Of Course its Quran in one Hand and an Assault Weapon in the other Hand [79 words]us_kannaJul 18, 2007 08:52103940
Red Mosque in Rebellion [421 words]barbaraJul 18, 2007 08:44103939
Habib Bank Limited Sued by Mariane Pearl [718 words]KamatJul 25, 2007 16:29103939
Pakistani Business Groups like ARY are also involved in facilitating acts of Terrorism. [92 words]MurcAug 2, 2007 07:01103939
George Bush and his ever lasting gift to political Islam [241 words]HarrakJul 18, 2007 08:04103938
Throwing Stones - No Solutions [421 words]SSJul 22, 2007 01:17103938
Solutions [379 words]HarrakJul 23, 2007 04:51103938
I Stand Corrected [76 words]SSJul 23, 2007 20:57103938
A desirable outcome [34 words]VijayJul 28, 2007 08:20103938
Re: a desirable outcome [153 words]HarrakJul 29, 2007 23:58103938
Red Mosque in Rebellion Art. No. 4770 [130 words]S.C.PandaJul 18, 2007 08:01103937
Tackling Al-Qaeda in Pakistan : One and Only Option left for World Community . [716 words]Russell RuchJul 24, 2007 08:56103937
First Muslim USA Congressman~working the system? [60 words]R. DavidsonJul 18, 2007 07:28103934
Muslims Are Killing Each Other [364 words]kamekishJul 18, 2007 03:34103928
Nothing will change Muslims!!! [136 words]JaladhiJul 22, 2007 06:37103928
I wonder why our US ally Musharaf is not acting other Islamist Terrorist Organisations which are more dangerous to West ??? [226 words]JohnJul 22, 2007 14:01103928
I am shocked to see so many Terrorist Organisations are operating from Pakistani Territory...!!!!!! [29 words]ElizaJul 24, 2007 01:58103928
How can we trust Pakistanis now ??? [121 words]PatrickJul 24, 2007 09:33103928
If I am not wrong it was members of Pakistan based Islamist Group Jamat al Furqa who were involved in 16 murders in USA [94 words]DanJul 24, 2007 12:25103928
1Terrorist groups. [44 words]surjJul 26, 2007 19:36103928
Aid to Pakistan : some random thoughts [445 words]Jaisingh ThakurJul 29, 2007 23:47103928
US has asked Pakistan to handover Muslim Mafia Don Dawood Ibrahim in connection with his involvement with Drug Trade and Al Qaida [94 words]SawantAug 3, 2007 14:43103928
answer regarding dawood ibrahim [175 words]AamirSep 1, 2011 18:32103928
please help me getting doud ibrahim's contract address [12 words]BayazidJul 8, 2014 00:11103928
Terrorism/regime change [75 words]DAVID R. GROESBECKJul 18, 2007 02:51103925
THE RED MOSQUE CONFRONTATION: A COMMENT [43 words]Jaisingh ThakurJul 17, 2007 23:35103889
May be its Zia ul Haque , Ayuib Khan , Yahya Khan or Pervez Mushraf , they will always follow Korana and Koranic Concept of War [847 words]NarcissJul 24, 2007 01:56103889
Rethinking Western Strategies Toward Pakistan: An Action Agenda for the United States and Europe [456 words]FredJul 27, 2007 14:16103889
The Red Mosque [104 words]steven LJul 17, 2007 21:42103883
Another Fine Piece [25 words]LDCJul 17, 2007 19:32103878
We need Mr.Daniel Pipes in US Administration : I wish Mr. Pipes contested for President as Republican [36 words]JeevaJul 24, 2007 09:38103878
Here in America? [12 words]MordechaiJul 17, 2007 19:29103877
Hitler showed the way to win [140 words]Janusz KowalikJul 17, 2007 18:46103875
US and Israel should fully alert and fully cooperate with Right Wing Europeans [170 words]InduJul 22, 2007 03:35103875
How section of Indian Media is demonising Australian Police in order to appease muslims and pressurise Australians to release Islamist Doctor Haneef [1183 words]NarkeeyJul 22, 2007 13:41103875
Beware of Islam. [131 words]surjJul 26, 2007 11:08103875
the way of living [239 words]sajjad abasiAug 1, 2007 23:52103875
Rise of Taliban in East Pakistan ( Bangladesh ) [971 words]SumonAug 2, 2007 07:47103875
Different NAME with the same AIM of ISLAMISATION everywhere [162 words]BunnakAug 3, 2007 13:50103875
Pakistani Journalist exposes Red Mosque Mullah's close ties with Pakistani Intelligence Agencies and Army [1898 words]JavedAug 3, 2007 14:30103875
Honestly tell us who is motivating Pakistanis towards Radicalisation, Talibanisation, Islamism, Terrorism ? [97 words]TommyAug 21, 2007 14:39103875
A Classic Omission [21 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Bernared I. MursteinJul 17, 2007 18:27103874
Another method [70 words]VijayJul 28, 2007 08:47103874
Another and important incident [149 words]RickJul 17, 2007 18:00103871
Draping Green and White Flags over the Red Mosque [467 words]M. ToveyJul 17, 2007 17:23103870
Lets praise Pakistani Talent to fool the Western Leaders. [76 words]SamirJul 24, 2007 08:44103870
Commendation: Order of the Red Mosque [197 words]M. ToveyJul 24, 2007 19:08103870
Al Q Leadership? [21 words]infosifterJul 17, 2007 17:22103869
Imagine [265 words]dfwhite19438Jul 17, 2007 16:20103865
Every Muslim is a Jundallah or Soldier of Allah [980 words]KhakoJul 24, 2007 07:47103865
yes, my first comments [10 words]mz ravin blackMay 28, 2008 16:23103865
Reminds me of both MOVE sieges [69 words]Dan SchwartzJul 17, 2007 13:02103861
Terrorism has been successful [148 words]Charles GruenspanJul 17, 2007 11:48103857
STOP BUILDING THAT MOSQUE!!!! [43 words]Jorge CordovaJul 17, 2007 11:17103856
These mosques are hideouts for Fifth Column enemies of USA [26 words]DavidJul 24, 2007 13:57103856
CLOSE THESE BUNKERS !!! [55 words]Jorge CordovaJul 25, 2007 03:13103856
1Red Mosque in rebellion:A reply to Jorge Cordova [328 words]Jaisingh ThakurJul 29, 2007 01:51103856
1More Devoted Muslim is a More Deadly Terrorist [292 words]MarkusAug 2, 2007 06:12103856
Islam is not a true Religion , but Infact it is a deadly cult of Terror , Arson , Rape , Bloodshed , Massacres , Forced Conversions and Death ! [93 words]EricAug 2, 2007 06:28103856
6There is no Moderate Muslim Country or Successful Islamic Democracy [1039 words]CarolineAug 3, 2007 08:56103856
Danielpipes & Caroline please update the situation of undemocratic situation in Muslim World. [148 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Upananda BrahmachariFeb 27, 2009 04:42103856
Turkey is not perfect but... [73 words]ManWithThe1000PoundBrainSep 28, 2014 13:53103856

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