2. THE EARLY SCIENTISTS

Our conception of what is possible, and what should be discarded as impossible depends largely on our perception of the universe as well as the range of our observations. It is equally true whether we indulge in a statistical analysis of limited scope, or natural philosophy encompassing the entire cosmos. Even in a scientific analysis, the direction and scope of investigation is defined by the chosen or stipulated constitutive equations and the observed boundary conditions. In fact, perception and conception are considerably more interrelated than we usually realize. Imagine the consternation of a robotic visitor from outer space on earth whose range of perceptions is limited to solid inorganic materials such as rocks and metals. Not being able to see the human beings, animals and trees and plants he would be wondering about the important role wrist watches, rings, buttons, buckles, shoe-nails, ear-rings and lockets play in the running of the mechanical systems on the earth. He is bound to be surprised at the observation that the arrival of keys and other trinkets brings automobiles to life, and the accumulation of a number of vehicles in the vicinity of a building and the movement of trinkets, especially nibs close to large machines causes great mechanical movements and production. Eventually, even if our visitor develops the means to detect the existence of fruit and vegetable, not being able to perceive those who consume them, he might wonder if there are holes in space into which things disappear. And, of course he would be convinced of the existence of dark invisible matter. If he persists in his investigations rather than making an escape from this baffling place, after some time he would come to believe that there exist on earth, life forms that he is unable to see, although in some ways he can feel their presence. Similarly, over the centuries mankind has come to believe in the existence of invisible forces that influence its existence.

The fact that modern physicists have accepted the existence of massless particles that transport energy and momentum or electrons making quantum leaps in privileged orbits definitely has roots in thousands of years of belief in spirits and genie, if not exactly a case of substituting superstitions. So let us, briefly, go through the history of the development of the concept of the physical universe, and see if the divergent views can be unified to achieve a globally acceptable model that obviates the need to turn a blind eye to certain undeniable facts. The most significant and trying question in such an analysis is: Where to start? There are many ancient mythologies which present some sort of a model of the universe that can be interpreted variously by the substitution of terms to indicate the probable intention of the author in contemporary vocabulary. The Greek, Chinese and Indian ancient religious traditions, to name the best known, have their own romance and socio-spiritual utility for those who choose to adopt them. They might even be distorted expressions of Divine revelations. However, none of those has produced an offshoot that could be recognized as a movement towards sustained intellectual or scientific development leading to the present day state of affairs; although their occasional or indirect contributions can not be denied. Let us, therefore, start with Democritus, the fifth century BC Greek philosopher who is generally credited with the discovery of the Atom.

The work of Democritus is summarized by Giorgio de Santillana in the following words:

"In order to rescue phenomena and have them reveal a rational reality, Democritus projects it, on two levels. Space is one, and matter is one, too, and events are due to the changing dispositions of matter in space. Empedocles had apparently disregarded (if it had ever reached him, for there is a question of dates, too) the sharp reasoning of Zeno, which led from total divisibility to the irrelevance of physical matter. Democritus was mathematician enough to acknowledge its full impact. This led him to dispose once and for all of the equivocation about particles going into the smaller and smaller, by posting firmly a threshold of divisibility. Hence we must conceive of matter as composed of mobile elements, all of the same substance but of different forms and sizes; small enough to bring forth the many things of this world only by aggregating and coming apart, and also small enough to remain themselves unbroken or "undivided" in the turmoil, as are the grains of sand on a wave laden beach. "Undivided" is the Greek `atomon', and it is thus that the key image of modern physics makes its appearance.

Since atoms are the only reality, they move in what must be emptiness, and so that other key idea, the "void" has been brought in. The universe, until then, had always been thought of as being full, were it only, as in Parmenides, "Being full of Being", the abstract density of the true continuum which was also in some way the body-of-the-world. Here the dichotomy is completed; we have the continuum become what it truly was from the start, geometrical empty space, and in it the one matter, conceived on its part as "wholly full" and compact; but that matter has nothing but geometrical properties itself, derived from space. It has "size, shape, position and velocity". Nothing else is needed to describe the atom".

He goes on:

"The extant scientific fragments of Democritus, as we have said, are miserably few. But each one of them goes straight to the heart of the matter:

"Nothing comes about perchance, but all through reason and by necessity. [This is already attributed to his master Leucippus.]

Nothing can be created out of nothing, nor can it be destroyed and returned to nothing.

There is no end to the universe, since it was not created by any outside power.

By convention color, by convention sweet, by convention bitter; in reality nothing but the atom and the void.""

The atomic theory has already been developed and expanded to very useful limits as we shall see in subsequent discussion. The question as to whether the universe is limitless or finite will be answered in time. If the universe is finite then light must be reflected from its boundaries and it should be possible to observe and identify reflected images of stars and galaxies through the advanced techniques of sky mapping already developed and being used by astronomers. In fact, the identification of reflected images should help to determine the exact dimensions of the universe. If the Universe is finite then the actual number of galaxies that can be seen through telescope may not be as high as it seems. We might just be seeing multiply reflected images of the same galaxy or galaxies at different times in antiquity. The more powerful a telescope the fainter and older image it would show and it would appear to be farther away. One day we may develop a telescope strong enough to show the picture of the universe as it was “in the beginning.”

Could our hollow universe be nothing more than an air pocket in a very large casting? The ultra-simplistic binary concept of the atom and the void also had to be modified when Democritus realized that there would have to be an innumerable variety of atoms in order to account for the diversity in the properties of the materials that exist. The atheism propounded by Democritus seems to be a logical extension of the intellectual movement proceeding from the mythological polytheism to Anaximander's monotheism, which was interpreted by his scientific mind more or less in the same way as some of the twentieth century scientists. The rejection chain syndrome! It is also a typical example of the fact that whenever the possibility of a change in the status quo arises, everyone tries to mold the situation according to his or her own thinking or whim.

In the very next century, an even more formidable intellectual juggernaut, Aristotle came forward with a far more eloquent rebuttal of the ideas put forth by Democritus. His package included a summarization of all existing philosophy regarding cosmology, physics, mathematics, biology, sociology, religion, and literature; augmented by his direct observations on biology and the four element (earth, water, air and fire) theory of the composition of matter. If we interpret earth, water, air and fire as the primitive concepts of the states of matter -- solid, liquid, gas and radiant energy -- then the void would contain a certain amount of rarefied gases and radiant energy; whereas on earth there would be various varieties and combinations of each of the four basic forms. It is such a pity that none of his contemporaries nor followers tried to reconcile the two and suggest that the three states of matter could have atomic structures. Giorgio de Santillana sums up the universe model of Aristotle as follows:

Quote:

"Plato had made it very clear that true knowledge is divorced, "cut off" as he insists, from sensible reality, whose symbol is the dark wall of the Cave. Between the two worlds there is only geometry to join them, myth, and the wings of Socratic Eros, of which we are told in the Symposium. For Aristotle, the Ideas are inherent in the individual substances; they are nowhere else to be found and known, except in the Active Intellect of God who thinks them forever and thus causes the world to function. But if there is nothing but physical substance, it must extend all the way to the upper limit of heaven, and be such as to account for the geometrical behavior of the stars. There will be rigid spheres, hard, transparent, crystalline, to carry the celestial bodies. The abstract mathematical models of the astronomers (of which hereafter) are transformed by Aristotle into an absurd machinery of crystal spheres turning and counterturning so as to cancel out all except the one driving 24-hour motion, that of the outer heaven or Primium Mobile, which in turn is moved by the Unmoved Mover "as a thing beloved."

"That outer sphere encloses and concludes the universe. Beyond it there is only God, who is totally actualized thought, immaterial, enfolding the whole. There is no space out there, for space is "place" and place has ceased. There is no void, because the void does not exist. The universe is an achieved Form, which excludes any reality beyond it. Inside, all is Form again, in a hierarchy of causes which goes down to the individual beings. Plato's concept of Design has been demathematized, Ionian fashion.

"We can see how Aristotle has solved the original problem of the One and the Many. The Ionians had imagined a primeval matter, a single physis, underlying everything. Aristotle shows that it was merely a symbol to be worked out. Matter itself can have only amorphous oneness; it is the raw material, the Possible. Above it there are the efficient causes which ultimately become one cause, the rotation of the Outer Sphere. This is supposed to bring about the motion of the Sun in its yearly cycle, which in turn controls the motions of the four elements. The cause of the change lies in the obliquity of the ecliptic. The formal cause of nature is again, at the summit, one; it is the total Design; and above it is the final cause, which is also the First Cause, God himself. "It is good that there should be only one ruler." Unity is throughout. It works articulated into four levels."

Unquote.

Ali Hijveri's paradox "I am in search of nonexistence" could be a sarcasm in support of the Aristotelian point of view, meaning that the void would cease to exist the moment one reaches it.

Archimedes of 3rd century B.C. commonly recognized as the discoverer of buoyancy stands out as a great forerunner of the later scientists in all fields of mathematical analysis, experimentation and innovation. He not only found a way of testing the purity of gold, but also set in motion the development of hydraulics. It is interesting to note that even in ancient societies, once the process of thinking and exchanging ideas was set in motion, people would appear from nowhere to contribute and develop a more or less comprehensive scenario, even if they themselves did not fully appreciate it.

Wiki Wakey

Apart from his moral weaknesses, if there are any, one has to commend the bold and committed efforts of Julian Assange to bring hidden records of contemporary history into public view. There is no reason why there should not be transparecy in international diplomatic dealings. The days of the court historians distorting facts and making the rulers and their servants look like saint are gone. The people have a right to know what their so called leaders are doing and saying.

Costant monitoring of the goings on in the corridors of power by honest and sensible intellectuals is a must as we know from the experience of twentieth century wars that any industrialized democratic contry has the potential of turning into Nazi Germany given bad rulers and controlled media.

The sudden appearance of a whole set of criminanal offences by Julian Assange and the swift action of international legal authorities is obviously suspicious. It does not cost much to avail the services of a Desire Washington.

The concerted action of governments to deny the basic huamn right of information is a criminal conspiracy to say the least. It is a pity that the most professed champions of freedom of speech buckle so easily under pressure from a super power.

The reaction to WikiLeaks is far more revealing than the leaks themselves. There is an Urdu saying "iss hammam mein sub nangay" which means that everyone in this bath is naked. It seems to apply quite adroitly to the world's political and diplomatic community. They are all enraged rather than ashamed by the leaks. Perhaps the ill actions will continue until the next elections.

I hope that this controversy will unite the more resolute intellectuals of the world and help to create new traditions of honest information sharing.

1. FROM PHILOSOPHY TO SCIENCE

In the introduction to his book "A Study of History" Arnold Toynbee grieves about the transformation in the organization of knowledge that took place during his lifetime -- from integrated comprehensive discourses to fragmentary periodical articles on limited and specialized topics. He has ventured to unify the history of mankind into an integrated analysis, but he also had to split the early civilizations into a dozen societies which he tried to synthesize in terms of gradual interactions among their kings and soldiers. Toynbee's complaint highlights the change in scholastic attitude that has taken place over the past nearly one century, the merits and demerits of which are, indeed, debatable. An orientalist, Idries Shah, in his book "The Sufis" lets out steam against the latest way of thinking in the following words:

"Modern science, however, instead of accepting the idea that experience was necessary in all branches of human thought, took the word in its sense of "experiment", in which the experimenter remains as far as possible outside the experiment."

The above splitting of the Urdu/Persian word `Tajurba' is also a classic example of the difference between a historian and a Sufi who is primarily concerned about how individuals feel. Obviously, Idries Shah, not being familiar with the esoteric morality or ethics of scientific research, has mistaken the "coolness" of scientific attitude as "coldness". Briefly, it can be stated that in scientific parlance truth becomes accuracy, honesty is called exactness, love is known as dedication and life is identified as growth or movement. The need to produce unbiased observations necessitates an attitude of temporary detachment, just as a judge can not afford to be emotional. Similarly, many opinions are not expressed simply for the fear of appearing partisan. The various postulates that one comes across in the study of modern science are not prophecies but compulsive assumptions that are necessary to accommodate a line of reasoning with observed facts. Only a qualified scientific mind would comprehend the burden this author is carrying due to the many approximations being presented in this book which, of course, are necessary for the purpose of this publication which seeks to expose the subtlety rather than the rigidity of existence. Yet, an attempt has been made to remain as unequivocal as possible. It may be worth mentioning here that during my stay in the United Kingdom I discovered that whereas in the better educated communities the words professionalism and glamour were understood to mean objectivity and attractiveness respectively, among the less educated they denoted deceptive antics and pornography in that order. In the language used in this book an attempt has been made to ensure that the same impressions are created on all readers by a given set of facts or words.

Idries Shah's objections do seem sustainable in the case of social sciences. In social research, one needs to feel the way the subjects of one's study feel without getting carried away by those feelings. An attempt to develop social theories by remote observation of people's actions and reactions usually results in the formation of oppressive regimes of thought which may eventually develop into rather messy situations such as the misuse of the developing knowledge of psychology in Communist and Nazi dictatorships and the frequent exploitation of religion in some parts of the world. Perhaps a lot of mutual contempt among cultures and religions is the result of barriers which disallow the sharing of experiences. Similarly, the current democratic norm of allowing `popular' representatives to frame national policies constitutes a means of bridging the gap between suspecting socio-political groups who think that they do not feel alike because their levels of affluence, lifestyles or ethnic attributes differ.

Even in basically identifiable cultures, one finds diverse sub-cultures based on the misunderstanding of its fundamental literature. Roomi's parables were intended to give hope to the desperate. The various anecdotes illustrate how one can recover from a seemingly hopeless situation by responding positively to an accidental turn in events and achieve astonishing success and glory. But unfortunately the noble message has been grossly misinterpreted resulting in the development of cults among his followers based on such common traits as procrastination, lust and opportunism. Similarly, the following verse of Iqbal has been exploited as the perverse justification for antisocial connivance in his homeland.

"Too he nadan chand kalion per qina'at kar gaia

Warna gulshan men elaj e tangi e daman bhi tha."

Translation:

How foolish of thee to be content with just a few buds,

While the blossoming garden had means of carrying much more.

The misinterpretation of wisdom is a glamorous vice that spreads like an invisible virus and causes social disasters of epidemic proportions. Hence it is imperative that while putting forward ideas with popular appeal a spade must be called a spade and nothing else; no matter what the risks in doing so.

Modern science owes much of its respectability to its adroitness in expressing the observation and understanding of natural phenomena or the rules of their occurrence in terms of precise mathematical expressions or formulas which can not be interpreted in more than one ways and whose validity can be tested or demonstrated by visible experiments that produce measurable and recordable results that, in turn, can be repeated in any part of the world by individuals who may or may not have any special training in the particular branch of science. Indeed, in some scholarly circles, a scientific achievement is not recognized as a `contribution' until it has been independently verified by others and unless a laboratory experiment based on it can be used for the instruction of students.

However, Science is not entirely averse to conceptual compromises if they can contribute to the achievement of positive results. One case in common knowledge is the square root of minus one known as the imaginary quantity which, in spite of having no physical significance in a perceptory sense, plays a key role in the solution of equations, the results of which can be verified by perceptory means. The negative quantities so often encountered in contemporary mathematics are, in a sense, a manifestation of the phenomenon of egocentricity or assuming the origin of the coordinate axes to be located at the central point of the event under investigation. If on the other hand, the origin of the coordinate axes is taken a convenient distance away, then it would be possible to operate in a totally positive environment or field or space or universe or whatever one elects to call it. Commendably enough, modern Computer Scientists and Engineers have managed to rise above the negativistic datum by taking five volts as the zero state and twelve volts as the unity state. The absolute zero of the temperature scale, which could be called thermal potential, has already been found: Could there be a limiting value of voltage i.e. electrical potential or charge also? In the case of all-positive charge system there would have to be a critical value which would have to be subtracted from both interacting charges. Thus a negative or positive product would be obtained indicating mutual attraction or repulsion.

It is also possible to develop a set of spatial coordinates which would always have positive values by joining the center of gravity of a regular tetrahedron with its four corners and extending the resultant lines. Space would thus be divided into four tetrahedral quadrants, each identified by a unique set of three coordinates. The negative sign would, indeed, continue to be used to denote reversal or subtraction.

Another example of compromise is the acceptance of multiple solutions to higher degree equations as the final answer rather than looking for the additional condition that would identify the unique solution, although the more discreet scientist is apt to make some sort of a symbolic or literal notation to reflect its provisionality. The physical universe is invariably three dimensional, and the solution of any problem in a two dimensional frame is tantamount to projection and dealing with shadows. Similarly, time as we usually visualize it is the measure of the angular movement of the earth on its axis; although Mathematics so far does not recognize angle as a dimension. The argument can be related to the Sufic concept of `La Makan' or a vacuous location at an infinite distance which can never be physically observed as anything but a point, and the angle subtended by any geometrical interval at that distance would constitute an infinitesimally small angle leading to the disappearance of time. Obviously, we need some tangible definitions of space and time before we could exercise any meaningful control over them.

The beneficial application of the great formulas of pure sciences falls, chiefly, within the purview of technology or engineering, which has produced so many amenities in modern life, and which is rightly or wrongly blamed for most of the latter's ills. However, the application of scientific formulas for achieving practical results requires five essential elements in addition to construction, namely computation, measurement, actuation, monitoring and control (or feed-back). A virtually fixed point of reference, and often a means of anchorage to a virtually fixed location are also necessary. The engineer, sometimes, simply utilizes the laws of nature by building necessary constraints. One must salute the great scientists and technologists who have explored and exploited the intricate formulas of nature for the benefit of mankind. The only remaining question is: How do the formulas get applied in nature at large without human intervention? How does the velocity get squared when the wind bends the bough?

It seems that even the prehistoric philosophers were convinced that in order to function stably within life sustaining limits, the Universe requires a supervisory system. Consequently, numerous models of the probable supervisory system were put forward in different parts of the world and came to be known as religions. The Greeks had a god for everything. Indian religious literature speaks of a million great souls (Mahan atman) who reside in the Himalayas and control every thing that happens in the world. Islamic traditions even give names of angels who are assigned the management of various worldly functions such as communication, arranging rains and crops, and taking lives etc. The mathematical concept of God is one of a universal origin. One simple example is the origin of a graph where the coordinate axes intersect. All the processes and equations exist at this point, but the values of all the variables and functions are zero. At the same time, no point in the system can be defined without reference to the origin. Hence the frequent references to God (Insha Allah) by those with a strong sense of religion. However, in most communities, closed institutions were formed which claimed to have access to the supervisory system and began to make demands on their respective communities that would place the former in an unreasonably comfortable and dominant position in relation to other fellow beings in return for solving their problems by communicating with the supervisory system. As time passed, it became obvious that many, or perhaps most, of these institutions were nothing more than facades to extort undue benefits, and their `miracles' were merely tricks and sleight of hand. On the other hand, the seemingly genuine ones were so tyrannically choosy in allowing new aspirants to join their circles of study, or the initiation rites and initial courses were so atrociously discouraging that very few would have the patience to pursue the discipline for long. So, failing to break the closely guarded circles, the more intelligent and resourceful group decided to find its own access to the universal supervisory system by identifying and tapping into its components or subsystems through the conduit of scientific investigation. Soon the scientific institution, by virtue of its ability to heal and comfort, itself became a power axis and conflict between the two became inevitable. Before long, the antagonism grew to such a large extent that the two contenders began to needlessly deny the virtual basis of existence of each other. The result was that the development of both was hindered and, perhaps, even disoriented. An interesting account of confrontations between the seekers of knowledge and policy makers of faith can be found in Hoodbhoy's "Muslims and Science". The modern educated man's ability to believe only selected parts of his own knowledge is indeed an achievement in the area of self-control which far exceeds the ancient mystic's ability to believe in the unknown.

Once we accept the existence of a supervisory system for the Universe and that things happen in this world according to a basic plan, it is possible to develop a coherent scenario spanning the past and future of life on Earth. Almost all religions agree that before the emergence of plant-animal life, the earth was dominated by some sort of spiritual life forms who possessed very little physical strength and ability in spite of great knowledge and cognitive powers. They designed and developed plant and then animal species through a process of organic evolution that culminated in the domination of the Earth by civilized mankind who possess much greater physical strength and ability than their originators. Whether or not that spiritual race exists today, we do not know as they are beyond our perception. Human civilizations have been working over the past four millennia or so and developed a new life-form in the shape of stationary and mobile machinery that possess even greater physical strength and ability. When the wheel was first invented, man used to push or pull a cart; now a man sits unnoticed in gigantic mobile mechanical devices that perform extraordinary feats. With the rapid development of computerized robots, a time may come when the world may appear to be entirely dominated by mechanical life with human beings invisible in the background controlling their destiny.

Could it be that space probes being launched towards other planets and solar systems are and would be used by spiritual beings to transport themselves? Until we find scientific proof of their existence, this would only be a thought.

In modern times there exists a third, secular school of thought. The secular thinker may be totally ignorant of science, and may even practice some religion whether or not he has studied it, but he is opposed to any role of religion except as one of many tolerable personal vices. Secularism seems to have arisen out of protest against the exploitation of the sentiments of honest faithfuls and the occasional show of intolerance and violence by the more faithful, and portrays a fundamental difference in attitudes. Whereas religion insists that human social conduct should be based on a sense of moral duty, secularism believes in the supremacy of law and assertion of rights. However, the universal charter of human rights is hardly a match for the eternal charter of human duties embodied in the Qur'an -- the culmination of human and Divine religious thought. In the secular system rights imply duties, but in the religious system duties generate rights which is a more positive way of ensuring equity and harmony. In a religious system one tries to acquire implements that would help to discharge one's duties and please others; in a secular system one tries to amass possessions that reinforce one's confidence and help in asserting one's rights by intimidating others. In some communities a compromise has been reached so that most of the strong and affluent citizens are only concerned with asserting their rights and making large profits, but they do not interfere with the activities of a religious group that considers its duty to help the weak and poor to survive. There are also those who assist others in asserting their rights for a price or share in their fortunes. There seems no reason why modern state management techniques can not be reconciled with religious doctrine and vice versa.

Before we move on to the study of the development of science and technology, the reader should be reminded of their humanitarian aspects. It is true that the invention and availability of firearms, originally intended for defense against aggressors, has made it possible for the physically and mentally weak to kill healthy, normal and even noble human beings. Similarly, making and printing pictures has become so easy that even imbeciles can produce glossy prints of artless pornography. Yet, inventions should not be looked upon as mere individual achievements of people which also made them famous and rich. There is a very significant social and communal aspect of inventions which have drastically changed the way people live and think. Moreover, the instantaneous and pervasive optimism and elation that must have engulfed communities is bound to have spurred them on to noble ideals. The thought can best be illustrated by examples.

Think of the time when eye-glasses were not invented and people with weak eye-sights lived a life of deprivation. The invention of spectacles must have reactivated tens of thousands of people as useful members of the community producing a completely new approach to life. This author has experienced cataract in both eyes and knows how ugly and distorted this world must appear to people in old age suffering from cataract. The relief one feels on regaining normal sight can hardly be described in words. The invention of the printing press was another landmark in the process of civilization. It made the arduous task of dissemination and acquisition of knowledge very easy and resulted in a phenomenal increase in literacy and education aided by such other innovations as paper and fountain pen. Similarly the invention of street lamps was a turning point in the lives of people at large. It not only made emergency traveling at night easier but also lit up the paths for night work and night entertainment. Combined with the invention of power-producing engines and work-facilitating machines, the concepts of productivity and leisure were completely revolutionized. The invention of photography and cinematography made it possible to preserve and propagate pictures with great precision and detail with immense educational value. Combined with radio and television broadcasting it also led to the development of the soft technology of impression synthesis which opened up new channels of consumption acceleration and money circulation. We can only understand how fortunate we are if we look at the world which did not, or does not, have what most of us in the relatively developed world regard as basic amenities.

This is not Cricket

The whole cricketing world is ceased with a new match-fixing scandal which took place in London during the 4th test match between England and Pakistan apparently machinated by the English betting and match-fixing mafia. The scandal was reported by the sensational tabloid News of the World that specializes in such things. The news paper should disclose the identities and backgrounds of the reporters and other members of the team who produced a well choreographed movie and sensational report. If the NOTW team had any Indian or extremist Christian connections then that is a different story.

The sequence of events is that on the first day within an hour the English team slumped to 40 odd runs for 5 wickets. The betting odds went heavily against the English team.(Could it be that the English batsmen intentionally threw away their wickets to create the betting pattern? A patriotic English newspaper would obviously not raise that issue.) Even as the slump was going on two Pakistani bowlers overstepped and no-balled once each allegedly on instructions of a match fixer and all the Pakistani bowlers lost their rhythm. This resulted in two English tail enders making a world record partnership. The Pakistani batting collapsed in the subsequent two innings and lost pitiably. Those who had made bets on England at the high odds when the English team was slumping made a fortune. It should not be difficult to trace out the beneficiaries. It is obvious that NOTW held back on the rest of the deal between them and the crook Mazhar Majeed. Did anybody from NOTW make a fortune from the match?

If the match was fixed for betting purposes then it seems that at least 22 players were involved and the ICC enquiry should treat all of them equally and investigate all of them.

No cricket match ever played in Pakistan has been suspected of match-fixing. This abomination only takes place in countries like Australia, England, India and South Africa where social and economic conditions encourage it. It is a pity that the UK Border agency and the ICC failed to warn the inexperienced Pakistani players of the dangers of coming in contact with match-fixers who abound in that country.

If this is how cricket is played these days then I am glad that I have not touched a cricket bat in years.

More Definitions - 4

Bagram Airbase = Afghan equivalent of Iraq's Abu Ghoraib prison.


Blair’s dossier = A baseless deception used to justify criminal or sadistic action which becomes exposed in due course.

Dr. Afia Siddiqui = MIT and Brandeis scholar and first renowned Muslim woman who became a victim of the new breed of American military brutality and Christian extremism, her case demonstrating the fragility of the American justice system.

IRA = Irish Republican Army, the pioneer terrorist organization of Catholic Christians formed to liberate Ireland from British occupation.

Knee-capping = Technique of torturing people by drilling a hole in their knees with an electric drill developed in UK by Irish extremist Christians.

Northern Ireland = Province carved out of Irish Republic and made part of the United Kingdom because its population is predominantly Anglican and would prefer to be within the British kingdom, the home of Church of England.

Suicide-bombing = Technique of murder developed in India to assassinate Rajiv Gandhi and exported to the rest of the world.

Dr. Aafia Siddiqui

The case of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, ex-Professor of Neurology at MIT reminds me of an article by George Bernard Shaw or his comments contained in the prologue of one of his books such as Man and Superman or Pygmalion or some other that I read in the early seventies. In it Shaw had lambasted the British Army over the trial of an Egyptian peasant woman who was charged with attempting to kill British soldiers. The woman had wounds in her private parts which were certified by the army surgeon as bullet injuries suffered during gun battle with the Royal Army. All the evidence presented by the army was discussed and exposed to be as ridiculous as it really was by Shaw. Unfortunately, there is no G.B. Shaw in USA of today and the moral standards of the US army can hardly be considered superior to their ancestors. The fact is that the standards of soldiery have been constantly on the decline and the motivation has shifted to terror, sadism and greed from the old concepts or honor and chivalry. It seem to be one of the many cases where the army men connived to avoid court martial and put their victim on trial in a questionable court whose jury were locked in a room for days and not allowed to come out until they gave a unanimous verdict of guilty on all concocted and unsustainable charges.


The US government, perhaps acting on Indian advice has made a serious mistake. The young people in the Muslim world are wondering that if someone as learned as Dr. Aafia supports Al-Qaida, it couldn't be so bad after all. There are others who are wondering that if the Americans can so badly brutalize a lady who for years worked and contributed to a humanitarian science in their country and ruin the life of her young children, what humanity can anyone expect from them?

India's Cyber War

During my recent travel I had to depend heavily on internet news. The remarkable thing about internet news is that on most reputable forums such as CNN, Times, Yahoo etc, the news item is followed by a discussion forum in which thousands of readers state their views on the news. I was amazed to note that in almost every discussion there were quite a few comments by people with Hindu names or Christian names with obvious Indian links in the text which may or may not have been related to the topic of the news but essentially contained acrimonious propaganda against Islam and Pakistan. It appears that the Indian government and private extremist Hindus have been waging a vicious cyber war against Islam and Pakistan ever since the internet has come into being. Or maybe the campaign is orchestrated by the Indian military which does not want to give up the comforts and benefits of Kashmiri occupation. In any case it seems very likely that the current wave of anti-Islamic and andi-Pakistani sentiments in the Western world are the result of incessant Indian propaganda. Now if they can go to such an extent, the possibility of Indian facilitation of international terrorist acts by Muslim extremists can not be ignored.

More Definitions - 3

Aramco = American equivalent of East India Company


Google = Internet search engine which became so common that it started being used as a verb to denote that activity.

India = Asian country originally populated by little black men and women, colonized and ruled by Aryan invaders for two thousand years, by Muslim invaders for eight hundred years, by British invaders for two hundred years and under Mountbaten's army since 15th August, 1947.

Israelism = A transient aberration common in Western world which makes crimes against humanity look good.

Microsoft = Original soul of the personal computer.

NATO = Arrangement for American control of armed forces of North Atlantic countries recued, liberated or conquered by American troops.

USSR = Defunct Union of Soviet Socialist Republics consisting of Eastern European countries and distant allies such as Cuba, India and Iraq under the leadership of Russia. It broke up after the Soviets were defeated in a war with Afghanistan and Pakistan which was materially supported by USA.

Afghan War

The war in Afghanistan is turning into a war between Christianity and Islam. Let us see what would happen if all the terrorist activities ceased and Christians and Muslims became the best of friends.

First of all the Palestinian problem will be solved in favor of the Palestinians. Secondly the Kashmir problem will be solved in favor of Pakistan. Thirdly the Chehcen problem will be solved in favor of the Muslims.


Obviously the terrorist activities of the Alqaeda and Taliban are against the interest of the Muslims. Also their cessation would be against the interests of some other parties who are easy to recognize

The Greatest Achievement of Science

Somebody once asked me what the greatest achievement of science was. I think I replied “moonwalk”, and that was the end of the conversation. But my thoughts did not stop there. The question had a meaning that I had missed. Moonwalk was an achievement of human beings, scientists to be exact. But what had science as an entity done to be adored as we do? After a long time the answer dawned on me and it surprised me. The greatest achievement of science was ‘democracy’.


Until the end of the sixteenth century or perhaps the beginning of the seventeenth century Europeans had no choice but to believe that what the king said was laws. Worldly laws were made only by kings. Laws of a divine nature were made by the top man in the church. Ordinary men could not make laws. But starting with Galileo’s rejection of Aristotelian ideas and the advent of modern science, things changed. There came a procession of laws made by ordinary mortals with no relation to royalty or the church. Newton’s Laws of motion and gravitation, Boyle’s law, Chales’s law, Dalton’s law, Ohm’s law etc. etc. And neither royalty nor the church could challenge or alter these laws.

Once the people of Europe realized that it was possible for them to make laws, the paradigm of politics and sovereignty changed. The people had to create a situation in which they could make the laws of the land as they suited them.

The reason why democracy eludes many nations outside Europe and North America is that people there still believe that lawmaking is the purview of the privileged and not common people. Once they acquire the taste for making laws they will achieve democracy.