Myanmar Massacre

News of the massacre of Muslims in Myanmar (previously Burma has been filtering in for the past one year. Waves of refugees have come to Pakistan and other Muslim countries from time to time in the past also and the matter has been occasionally rather halfheartedly raised by the international press and television. The pictures below show the scale of the tragedy and the extent of savagery shown by the Buddhist terrorists. It is a shame for humanity that the war on terror has not found feet to strike those terrorists.

Love?

 

مدّ توں   پر بات  یہ اپنی سمجھ  میں آی  ہے 

ٹھوکریں کھا کھا کے ہم نے یہ نصیحت پایی ہے 

شیخ اور ساقی کے ما بین ایک قد ر مشترک 

چا ہے جا نے کی تمنا با عت رسوائی  ہے

 

It has taken me long to comprehend,

and faced a pitfall at every bend..

The fact that the holy and the whore must face:

Desire to be loved is the cause of disgrace.

 

Minkowsky’s Myth

For many centuries wise men have followed the golden rule: To every impossible question there is an inaudible answer.  However, in today’s world when electronics has augmented our perceptive powers to the extent that sounds and images can be shared and exchanged with those who are worlds apart, the silence must be broken. One such poser is Minkowsky’s Point Event introduced in early twentieth century.

It is said that Minkowsky, using the principles of special relativity and the four dimensional geometry of Rieman was able, in 1908, to present to the world a new and unique concept of four dimensional space time continuum which is represented mathematically by the second order differential equation ds² = dx² + dy² + dz² + c²dt². The square of time has no practical significance by itself, but multiplied by the square of velocity it represents an area like the other terms of the equation. Similarly, in the Cartesian coordinate system x.y, y.z and z.x represent area but x.x means nothing. In terms of 20^th century physical science this means that the minute displacement represented by ds is not completely described by the three coordinate dimensions dx, dy and dz, as in classical Euclidean geometry; but in addition by the time dimension dt also, forming the fourth coordinate of relativistic geometry. The quantity ds is renamed as a "point event" and is not exactly a distance in space, but an element in the four dimensional Minkowsky space-time continuum which is `simultaneously finite and boundless.' However, in this continuum, matter is able to assert itself as "the pressure of matter distorts the curvature of the four dimensional space-time continuum which is the physical universe." 

Minkowsky’s equation can be rewritten as ds²/dt²=dx²/dt²+dy²/dt²+dz²/dt²+c² in which the left hand term is an acceleration equal to the sum of accelerations in each of the three coordinate directions plus the velocity of light squared. A body with such acceleration would exceed the velocity of light in no time and in the case of a body at rest or moving constant speed we get 0=c² which is absurd.. The constant c² in the equation also indicates that the basic relationship might be a third order differential equation. You could multiply both sides with m to get

mds²/dt²= mdx²/dt²+mdy²/dt²+mdz²/dt²+mc²

 in which the left side is a  force but the last term on right hand side would be energy. Moreover in classical mathematical analysis higher powers of infinitesimal quantities are ignored as zero, which if applied would make it 0=c².  We can also write ds=√(dx² + dy² + dz² + c²dt²) which means that the displacement ds is equal to root sum of squares of displacements in three coordinate directions plus the distance covered by light in time dt. It is mind-boggling as to how the displacement of any or every particle in space can be related to the displacement of a photon in equal time anywhere in vacuum. However, the mathematical geniuses of that era were able to utilize it for greater achievements.

One can only wonder how the self contradicting expression of “simultaneously finite and boundless” was accepted by the scientific community of that time. Such a thing is possible only if you stand in a hall of mirrors and insist that each of the innumerable images you are seeing is a real human being.  Perhaps this was the beginning of the century of illusions which I shall discuss in future.

Violence in Islam

There seems to be growing perception in the Western world that Islam is a violent religion and the Quran teaches violence. The misunderstanding may have arisen due to quotation without context of certain verses of the holy Quran.

The readers may be aware that the Muslims were brutally persecuted in Makkah in their early days and the Prophet and large numbers of his followers had to take refuge in Madinah where they were greeted with respect and affection and the Islamic state was formed. In 10 subsequent years there were three different battles and a peace treaty was signed between the Muslims of Madinah and the idolaters of Makkah. However, the piece treaty was frequently violated by the idolaters of Makkah and at one point a large number of Muslim travelers were mysteriously massacred. The following verses 190-193 of the second chapter Al-Baqarah (The Cow) were then revealed to Prophet Muhammad before he marched on Makkah with nearly a hundred thousand followers.

190. And fight in the way of Allah with those who fight with you, and do not

exceed the limits, surely Allah does not love those who exceed the limits.

191. And kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from whence they drove you out, and persecution is severer than slaughter, and do not fight with them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight with you in it, but if they do fight you, then slay them; such is the recompense of the unbelievers.

192. But if they desist, then surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

193. And fight with them until there is no persecution, and religion should be only for Allah, but if they desist, then there should be no hostility except against the oppressors.

It can be seen that the verses repeatedly warn against exceeding limits and prohibit violence against those who remain peaceful. In fact, the idolators of Makkah surrendered to the Muslims and when the Prophet re-entered Makkah along with his followers not a drop of blood was shed. The idolaters were given general amnesty and were allowed to keep the properties they possessed. The result was that most of them embraced Islam and became Muslims.

Unfortunately, in some translations and explanations of the Holy Quran, these verses have been used to propagate Jihad or armed struggle against the persecution of Muslims without any qualification or reservation.  

The Last Sermon

Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) delivered his last sermon (Khutbah) on the ninth of Dhul Hijjah (12^th and last month of the Islamic year), 10 years after Hijrah (migration from Makkah to Madinah) in the Uranah Valley of mount Arafat. His words were quite clear and concise and were directed to the entire humanity.

After praising, and thanking Allah he said:

“O People, lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefore listen to what I am saying to you very carefully and TAKE THESE WORDS TO THOSE WHO COULD NOT BE PRESENT HERE TODAY.

O People, just as you regard this month, this day, this city as Sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your LORD, and that HE will indeed reckon your deeds. ALLAH has forbidden you to take usury (interest), therefore all interest obligation shall henceforth be waived. Your capital, however, is yours to keep. You will neither inflict nor suffer any inequity. Allah has judged that there shall be no interest and that all the interest due to Abbas ibn ‘Abd’al Muttalib (Prophet’s uncle) shall henceforth be waived…

Beware of Satan, for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.

O People, it is true that you have certain rights with regard to your women, but they also have rights over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives only under Allah’s trust and with His permission. If they abide by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. And it is your right that they do not make friends with any one of whom you do not approve, as well as never to be unchaste.

O People, listen to me in earnest, worship ALLAH, say your five daily prayers (Salah), fast during the month of Ramadan, and give your wealth in Zakat. Perform Hajj if you can afford to.

All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety (taqwa) and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not, therefore, do injustice to yourselves.

Remember, one day you will appear before ALLAH and answer your deeds. So beware, do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone.

O People, NO PROPHET OR APOSTLE WILL COME AFTER ME AND NO NEW FAITH WILL BE BORN. Reason well, therefore, O People, and understand words which I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the QURAN and my example, the SUNNAH and if you follow these you will never go astray.

All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly. Be my witness, O ALLAH, that I have conveyed your message to your people”.

From the above it is obvious that the movements for the rights of women and racial equality were pioneered by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in the 7th century. Virginia Wolf and Martin Luther King came much later. Nonbiased Western authors who write on these topics should not hesitate to give credit to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) on his contributions in these fields.

The Ideology of Pakistan

The ideology of Pakistan has become a hot topic of discussion in the perspective of the forthcoming general elections and all sorts of speculations are being made in the news media.

Pakistan is an ideological state which obvious from its name: The Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The ideology of Pakistan is obviously Islam and is defined in the 1949 Objectives resolution passed by the Constituent assembly framed to draft the constitution of Pakistan in the following clauses:

“Wherein the principles of democracy, freedom, equality, tolerance and social justice as enunciated by Islam shall be fully observed;
Wherein the Muslims shall be enabled to order their lives in the individual and collective spheres in accordance with the teachings and requirements of Islam as set out in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah;

Wherein adequate provision shall be made for the minorities to [freely] profess and practice their religions and develop their cultures;”

Pakistan’s Islamic ideology is unique as it differs from those of the other two Islamic Republics of Iran and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian ideology is based entirely on the Shiite teachings as adopted by the iatollahs. The Saudi ideology is entirely based on Sunni beliefs as interpreted by wahabi scholars.  Pakistan’s Islamic ideology is based on the contents of the holy Quran and Sunnah without bias towards any sectarian interpretations and guarantees the rights of nonMuslim residents and travelers.

Genesis

Genesis: Allah worked for six ages of a thousand years to set up the mechanism of creation and established His headquarters in heaven, then said "happen" and the world took shape. He monitors the state of affairs in the world and sends new ideas in a cycle of a thousand years. All life emerged from water. Humankind has been created in the best era of the world's existence. (Al-Qur’an verses 10:3, 21:30, 32:4-5, 95:4,)

A six day routine is also found in the Christian Bible (Old Testament) and Jewish literature, but there the length of the day is not indicated and the sequence is rather poetic. From the accounts in the holy Qur’an it appears that the creation of the physical universe and human beings was a well planned and systematically executed project. Apart from giving various symbolic accounts of creation the Qur’an also states the scientifically established notion that life originated in water. Biblical researchers have estimated the life span of prophets from Adam to Moses at about 1000 years each and established a lineage. Most probably they had normal life spans and were born 1000 years apart and were not related as they were born at different places in an area spanning from Egypt to Iraq and Palestine to Yemen.

A LESSON FROM HISTORY

For some time I have been wondering if there was a historic event that steered the course of Indo-Pak subcontinent’s history in the direction that has resulted in the present pitiable situation. Arrival of the British East India Company stands out as one possible event having that impact. The following article contains mainly extracts from various Wikipedia articles put together in a logical order.

The East India Company (EIC), originally chartered as the Governor and Company of Merchants of London trading into the East Indies, and often called the Honourable East India Company, was an English and later (from 1707) British joint-stock company and megacorporation formed for pursuing trade with the East Indies but which ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent.

The East India Company traded mainly in cotton, silk, indigo dye, salt, saltpetre, tea and opium. The Company was granted a Royal Charter by Queen Elizabeth in 1600 making it the oldest among several similarly formed European East India Companies. Shares of the company were owned by wealthy merchants and aristocrats. It was an example of an English joint stock company. The government owned no shares and had only indirect control. The Company eventually came to rule large areas of India with its own private armies, exercising military power and assuming administrative functions. Company rule in India effectively began in 1757 after the Battle of Plassey and lasted until 1858 when, following the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the Government of India Act 1858 led to the British Crown assuming direct control of India in the era of the new British Raj.

The Company was dissolved in 1874 as a result of the East India Stock Dividend Redemption Act passed one year earlier, as the Government of India Act had by then rendered it vestigial, powerless and obsolete. Its functions had been fully absorbed into the official government machinery of British India and its private Presidency armies had been nationalised by the British Crown.

In 1612, James I instructed Sir Thomas Roe to visit the Mughal Emperor Nuruddin Salim Jahangir (r. 1605 – 1627) to arrange for a commercial treaty that would give the Company exclusive rights to reside and build factories in Surat and other areas. In return, the Company offered to provide the Emperor with goods and rarities from the European market. This mission was highly successful as Jahangir sent a letter to James through Sir Thomas Roe:

"Upon which assurance of your royal love I have given my general command to all the kingdoms and ports of my dominions to receive all the merchants of the English nation as the subjects of my friend; that in what place soever they choose to live, they may have free liberty without any restraint; and at what port soever they shall arrive, that neither Portugal nor any other shall dare to molest their quiet; and in what city soever they shall have residence, I have commanded all my governors and captains to give them freedom answerable to their own desires; to sell, buy, and to transport into their country at their pleasure.

For confirmation of our love and friendship, I desire your Majesty to command your merchants to bring in their ships of all sorts of rarities and rich goods fit for my palace; and that you be pleased to send me your royal letters by every opportunity, that I may rejoice in your health and prosperous affairs; that our friendship may be interchanged and eternal"

—Nuruddin Salim Jahangir, Letter to James I.

In 1614, Roe was elected Member of Parliament for Tamworth. From 1615 to 1618, he was ambassador to the court at Agra, India of the Great Mogul, Jahangir. The principal object of the mission was to obtain protection for an English factory at Surat. At the Mughal court, Roe became a favorite of Jahangir and was his drinking partner. This greatly enhanced Roe's status with the Mughals. His journal was a valuable source of information for the reign of Jehangir.

The Company, benefiting from the imperial patronage, soon expanded its commercial trading operations, eclipsing the Portuguese Estado da India, which had established bases in Goa, Chittagong and Bombay (which was later ceded to England as part of the dowry of Catherine de Braganza). The East India Company also launched a joint effort attack with the Dutch United East India Company on Portuguese and Spanish ships off the coast of China, which helped secure their ports in China. The Company created trading posts in Surat (where a factory was built in 1612), Madras (1639), Bombay (1668), and Calcutta (1690). By 1647, the Company had 23 factories, each under the command of a factor or master merchant and governor if so chosen, and had 90 employees in India. The major factories became the walled forts of Fort William in Bengal, Fort St George in Madras, and the Bombay Castle.

In an act aimed at strengthening the power of the EIC, King Charles II provisioned the EIC (in a series of five acts around 1670) with the rights to autonomous territorial acquisitions, to mint money, to command fortresses and troops and form alliances, to make war and peace, and to exercise both civil and criminal jurisdiction over the acquired areas.

William Hedges was sent in 1682 to Shaista Khan, the Mughal governor of Bengal in order to obtain a firman, an imperial directive that would grant England regular trading privileges throughout the Mughal empire. However, the company's governor in London, Sir Josiah Child, interfered with Hedges's mission, causing Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb to break off the negotiations.

In 1689 a Mughal fleet commanded by Sidi Yakub attacked Bombay. After a year of resistance the EIC surrendered in 1690, and the company sent envoys to Aurangzeb's camp to plead for a pardon. The company's envoys had to prostrate themselves before the emperor, pay a large indemnity, and promise better behaviour in the future. The emperor withdrew his troops and the company subsequently reestablished itself in Bombay and set up a new base in Calcutta.

In September 1695, Captain Henry Every, an English pirate on board the Fancy, reached the Straits of Bab-el-Mandeb, where he teamed up with five other pirate captains to make an attack on the Indian fleet making the annual voyage to Mecca. The Mughal convoy included the treasure-laden Ganj-i-Sawai, reported to be the greatest in the Mughal fleet and the largest ship operational in the Indian Ocean, and its escort, the Fateh Muhammed. They were spotted passing the straits en route to Surat. The pirates gave chase and caught up with the Fateh Muhammed some days later, and meeting little resistance, took some £50,000 to £60,000 worth of treasure.

Every continued in pursuit and managed to overhaul the Ganj-i-Sawai, who put up a fearsome fight but it too was eventually taken. The ship carried enormous wealth and, according to contemporary East India Company sources, was carrying a relative of the Grand Mughal, though there is no evidence to suggest that it was his daughter and her retinue. The loot from the Ganj-i-Sawai totalled between £325,000 and £600,000, including 500,000 gold and silver pieces, and has become known as the richest ship ever taken by pirates.

It is really surprising that Mughal emperor Jehangir did not send his own ambassador to the court of the king of England. Instead he depended on the English ambassador to convey messages both ways. If he had done so, we would have had an account of England as it was then as seen by an Indian. It is also noteworthy that neither Jehangir nor the subsequent emperors demanded reciprocal facilities for Indian traders in the British Empire. From the above it is obvious that the Indians in those days had a reasonable naval strength.

It is not surprising that our present day rulers also seem to forget the interest of their people when dealing with foreigners. Something needs to be done to change this attitude.

I am unable to find who was the first person from the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent to travel to England in any ship and in any position. Any information or suggestion to that effect will be appreciated.

Caretaker PM

Pakistan needs a caretaker government to hold free and impartial elections. The assemblies have been dissolved and both government and opposition have proposed three trustworthy names each for the post of caretaker prime minister and are quarrelling and rejecting each other's nominations. How silly!
Six upright men have agreed to give two or three months for the noble cause of running the country while elections are held. Why discriminate among them. Let them form the cabinet and elect the caretaker prime minister from among themselves.

Kargil Flashback

The other day I watched parts of Saleem Safi’s interview of general Pervez Musharraf on Geo TV’s program Jirga. I watch him because Saleem has a decency that seems to be lacking in most TV interviewers. In reply to a question about Kargil operation, the general replied that his troops were in complete control of 5 posts on Kargil mountains and he had all but won the war when Nawaz Sharif surrendered for no reason. He said it with such conviction that I almost believed him until I recalled my own experiences. In those days I was in Saudi Arabia and used to follow the Kargil story through broadcasts of the Saudi youth radio station. The last broadcast I heard was a live interview of one of the mujahideen commanders fighting on the Kargil front. He was saying that fingers, noses and ears of many of his companions were falling off due to frost bite and their food supplies were running low; but they had enough ammunition and would rather die fighting than surrender.

If he was believing in reports that his troops were winning, Musharraf was living in a fool’s paradise.  Obviously the general had chosen his allies carelessly and sent the soldiers to positions where they could not be resupplied with provisions. That was bad planning. In fact even if you look objectively at the conquests of Alexander the great, they turn out to be meaningless meanderings with purposeless bloodshed ending in pitiable misery.