===> Confused Imran Khan <===
- Thread starter Jury
- Start date
Imran Khan is not confused. He saying something logical which is tough for most of our people to understand.
Instead of criticism, Try to understand what he has requested. It is true this operation was a mistake in the presense of our world renowned intelligence agencies and commando operations we involved army toops, secondly if we stop the operation instead of clearing the whole areas, it will be realy dangerous for whole of nation.
Instead of criticism, Try to understand what he has requested. It is true this operation was a mistake in the presense of our world renowned intelligence agencies and commando operations we involved army toops, secondly if we stop the operation instead of clearing the whole areas, it will be realy dangerous for whole of nation.
Dude, Let's straight it up...Imran is never a confused person. He is an ideological leader which any leader at any level should be. No matter even if you are a leader between 2.
If you watch the last show of "KAL TAK" the Safdar waraich Guy starts his debate with confession that we don't know our enemy in the war zone and this is why it is a hard battle to fight. This is what Imran has been saying since beginning" Know your enemy first". But that poor guy has now realized it and will still argue with Imran in order to keep his ministry and sound logical.
Imran and his supporters were always against the military operation. We support the idea of negotiations and solving political disputes through political means. The only difference between a smart political leader and a military dictator is that a Political leader seeks solution of any problem through political and peaceful manner and a dictator uses dictation through force. If zoordari is applying the similar tactics of solving problems as Musharaf did then what is the difference? What is so called democracy for? Why is a political party in power? Why was all the struggle done to get rid of Musharaf?
And tackling against so called talibisation is a problem. It's not a mystery. And problem is called a problem because of a solution on its back. Mysteries don't have solutions. And trust me, bombing, destroying, killing your own people is not a solution of this problem. You might feel a very temporary change but on ground nothing will change. As safdar said himself" pata hi nahi enemy kon hai". Jub pata nahi hai tho kiya jhak maar rahay ho.
And secondly, If Imran said that now they should not leave until they at least get some sort of victory against Taliban. It is because now you have two options left to choose from. Bad or worse. After making shitty curry of the problem I guess to choose the bad option is a good option. Because if you leave half way through this operation, what have you done? You did not even achieve the temporary success against Taliban and at same time destroyed almost every thing.
Come on mates, stop challenging Imran ideologies. Every one of us consciously knows that Imran is the right person for the country. But unfortunately we are too worried about our own desires than the problems and miseries of our nations. Just for the sake of self interests we have chosen to follow other leaders than Khan. Allah ka khof karein. Be honest with yourself, nation and coming generations. Imran is the only leader to take us out of the mess. It's not Imran that I or His supporters stands for. It is about his ideologies. I wish Altaf hussein or zaradari thinks the same. I will be the first one in a row to stand behind them. Just for once...Think about the nation.
If you watch the last show of "KAL TAK" the Safdar waraich Guy starts his debate with confession that we don't know our enemy in the war zone and this is why it is a hard battle to fight. This is what Imran has been saying since beginning" Know your enemy first". But that poor guy has now realized it and will still argue with Imran in order to keep his ministry and sound logical.
Imran and his supporters were always against the military operation. We support the idea of negotiations and solving political disputes through political means. The only difference between a smart political leader and a military dictator is that a Political leader seeks solution of any problem through political and peaceful manner and a dictator uses dictation through force. If zoordari is applying the similar tactics of solving problems as Musharaf did then what is the difference? What is so called democracy for? Why is a political party in power? Why was all the struggle done to get rid of Musharaf?
And tackling against so called talibisation is a problem. It's not a mystery. And problem is called a problem because of a solution on its back. Mysteries don't have solutions. And trust me, bombing, destroying, killing your own people is not a solution of this problem. You might feel a very temporary change but on ground nothing will change. As safdar said himself" pata hi nahi enemy kon hai". Jub pata nahi hai tho kiya jhak maar rahay ho.
And secondly, If Imran said that now they should not leave until they at least get some sort of victory against Taliban. It is because now you have two options left to choose from. Bad or worse. After making shitty curry of the problem I guess to choose the bad option is a good option. Because if you leave half way through this operation, what have you done? You did not even achieve the temporary success against Taliban and at same time destroyed almost every thing.
Come on mates, stop challenging Imran ideologies. Every one of us consciously knows that Imran is the right person for the country. But unfortunately we are too worried about our own desires than the problems and miseries of our nations. Just for the sake of self interests we have chosen to follow other leaders than Khan. Allah ka khof karein. Be honest with yourself, nation and coming generations. Imran is the only leader to take us out of the mess. It's not Imran that I or His supporters stands for. It is about his ideologies. I wish Altaf hussein or zaradari thinks the same. I will be the first one in a row to stand behind them. Just for once...Think about the nation.
I was never really an Imran supporter but lately he has been spot on!!
I would like to ask you to elaborate how is this confusing?
He is still sticking to what he said before. Now he is only saying, We must stay there until army has full control there. Since we have started the mess, we must finish it.
We can't leave it in the middle?
Am I the only one finding this sane?
I would like to ask you to elaborate how is this confusing?
He is still sticking to what he said before. Now he is only saying, We must stay there until army has full control there. Since we have started the mess, we must finish it.
We can't leave it in the middle?
Am I the only one finding this sane?
usman6062
MPA (400+ posts)
Well....
meray answer say to aap log bilkul muttafiq nayi ho gay....lakin i never found Imran khan a confused person.
he already answered about this question on Siyaasi log yesterday.....have a look.
i know these rumers came from Karachi people who are "Qatter MQM" people. They always do like this however, i tell you that he shall be the next Prime Minister in next election. InshAllah...
meray answer say to aap log bilkul muttafiq nayi ho gay....lakin i never found Imran khan a confused person.
he already answered about this question on Siyaasi log yesterday.....have a look.
i know these rumers came from Karachi people who are "Qatter MQM" people. They always do like this however, i tell you that he shall be the next Prime Minister in next election. InshAllah...
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=177589
Here is an article published in The News on 15th of May 2009
Imran Khan's strange politics
Reality check
Friday, May 15, 2009
Shafqat Mahmood
It is in tough times that a nation's mettle is tested and we have not faced such challenges since 1971. Besides the rigours of war that our brave soldiers are fighting with grit and determination, we face a huge humanitarian crisis.
The government may be lagging behind in its relief effort but the ordinary people are coming through. From impromptu relief camps to truckloads of supplies from citizen groups, and an overwhelming urge to give cash, there is a visible anguish for the displaced people of Malakand.
Unfortunately, the state machinery is not moving as quickly. An announcement on behalf of the prime minister that all banks would receive donations has not been followed through. Until Thursday morning, even some of the more prominent Pakistani banks had not received instructions to open PM's relief account.
Incidentally, is it too much to ask that there be some coordination of the appeals for donations made by various government entities? If advertisements in the papers are any guide, at least four separate calls have been made and there may be as many as six.
There is the Prime Minister's fund and of the NWFP government. In Punjab, the governor and the chief minister have made separate appeals. (Why?). I am not aware of it but Sindh and Baluchistan governments may have also done something similar.
Is it impossible to have just one fund? If there were, it would be easier for people to give and for the banks to manage. But, then this would be asking our leadership to display some hidden executive talent. Let us face it; these people are good politicians but management is not one of their virtues.
On the battle field, our armed forces seem to be doing well. I am no military expert but they appear to be going about their task unhurriedly and with great care. Fighting insurgencies is not easy as it is not the conventional warfare armies are trained for. But, whatever evidence we have, of this and the earlier Bajaur operation, our armed forces are adapting and beginning to win.
On the political front, it is sad that even when we are in a virtual state of war, there are discordant voices. Some PML-N members continue to make speeches against the operation and against the army in the National Assembly. This is unhelpful considering that the both Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif have taken an unequivocal stand against the terrorists. Maybe these members should check with their leadership before holding forth.
However, no one has been more disappointing in this regard than Imran Khan. I have great respect for what he has achieved on the cricket field. He was an inspirational captain, a great player and his integrity was beyond doubt. His disdain for money in particular was something to admire in an era of match fixing and other shenanigans.
In social work, what he has accomplished in the shape of Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital is truly stupendous. Not only is it the best-run hospital in Pakistan, it provides free medical treatment to thousands of poor patients. What is more, the lack of any VIP culture in hospital management is a personal tribute to the vision and leadership of Imran Khan.
When it comes to politics and policy though, the same Imran is unfortunately a signal failure. It can be truly said of him that he never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity. He could have teamed up with Nawaz Sharif in 1997 and got his party a presence in parliament. He did not.
He flip-flopped with Musharraf -- supporting him in the rigged referendum, opposing him in the ensuing general election -- and got the worst of both worlds. And, he boycotted the 2007 election when being in parliament (provided he won) would have made a great deal more sense.
These examples are of power politics and it may be argued that parliamentary success or power are no measure of a person's success as a politician. Fine, let us look at his policy prescriptions.
From the start of his political career, he railed against something called western culture, which was a straight forward rejection of modernisation. In a country that was being pulled back by obscurantist mullahs, this was a strange choosing of sides. I will not even go into the personal choices he made while doing this.
His second fixation was the idealisation of a Pakhtun tribal culture. Again, I will avoid psychoanalysing a Punjabi's identity crisis, but how a semi-literate and simple rural people could become a role model for a rapidly urbanising and complex Pakistani society was not easy to understand.
Granted that their inter-tribal dealings were egalitarian and perhaps the tribal councils or jirgas worked well, but how this model could be transplanted in other parts of the country, was neither explained by Imran nor obvious.
In between, he took some correct positions on the judiciary question and against Musharraf but badly fumbled while trying to prosecute Altaf Hussain in England. A politician should know which battles can be won and which are a lost cause. Imran vowed to go after Altaf Hussain in England and declared victory even before he had presented his case before the British government. As was expected, nothing has happened despite his various entreaties to the high and mighty in that country.
But, all these mistakes pale in comparison when measured up against his obsessive, single track refusal to understand that these barbarian hordes targeting FATA and Malakand division are a threat to our country. He has just one mantra that this is America's fault, America's fault, America etc. America has contributed to it but is that the only problem we confront?
He cannot or does not want to understand that these people are linked up with Al Qaeda and actually do have an agenda of taking over our country. If he does not want to believe a 'westernised liberal' like me, he should read Saleem Saafi in Jang or others that know these people well.
In any case, how can he condone what these people are doing? Cutting people's throats, lashing women, destroying all schools not just girls', indulging in kidnapping and extortion and unleashing a reign of terror to subdue the people, are just some of their crimes. Above all, these people have taken up arms against the state. Why can't he see all this?
He should listen to the stories of the displaced people now that they are out of the Taliban fear zone. They describe the Taliban as bloody thirsty criminals. It is sad that Imran visualises them as some kind of higher beings or fighters of Islam responding to American presence in Afghanistan. Please!
In this difficult time for the country, he is on the wrong side of history. No one doubts that American presence in Afghanistan has seriously contributed to our troubles. There is also a possibility that the Americans may have an evil eye on our nuclear programme.
But, we must also remember that barbarian hordes linked to Al Qaeda also have designs on our country and threaten our way of life. We have no choice but to fight them.
Imran must stand by his people and the armed forces. He should rise above his prejudices and help in the fight for Pakistan.
Email: [email protected]
Here is an article published in The News on 15th of May 2009
Imran Khan's strange politics
Reality check
Friday, May 15, 2009
Shafqat Mahmood
It is in tough times that a nation's mettle is tested and we have not faced such challenges since 1971. Besides the rigours of war that our brave soldiers are fighting with grit and determination, we face a huge humanitarian crisis.
The government may be lagging behind in its relief effort but the ordinary people are coming through. From impromptu relief camps to truckloads of supplies from citizen groups, and an overwhelming urge to give cash, there is a visible anguish for the displaced people of Malakand.
Unfortunately, the state machinery is not moving as quickly. An announcement on behalf of the prime minister that all banks would receive donations has not been followed through. Until Thursday morning, even some of the more prominent Pakistani banks had not received instructions to open PM's relief account.
Incidentally, is it too much to ask that there be some coordination of the appeals for donations made by various government entities? If advertisements in the papers are any guide, at least four separate calls have been made and there may be as many as six.
There is the Prime Minister's fund and of the NWFP government. In Punjab, the governor and the chief minister have made separate appeals. (Why?). I am not aware of it but Sindh and Baluchistan governments may have also done something similar.
Is it impossible to have just one fund? If there were, it would be easier for people to give and for the banks to manage. But, then this would be asking our leadership to display some hidden executive talent. Let us face it; these people are good politicians but management is not one of their virtues.
On the battle field, our armed forces seem to be doing well. I am no military expert but they appear to be going about their task unhurriedly and with great care. Fighting insurgencies is not easy as it is not the conventional warfare armies are trained for. But, whatever evidence we have, of this and the earlier Bajaur operation, our armed forces are adapting and beginning to win.
On the political front, it is sad that even when we are in a virtual state of war, there are discordant voices. Some PML-N members continue to make speeches against the operation and against the army in the National Assembly. This is unhelpful considering that the both Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif have taken an unequivocal stand against the terrorists. Maybe these members should check with their leadership before holding forth.
However, no one has been more disappointing in this regard than Imran Khan. I have great respect for what he has achieved on the cricket field. He was an inspirational captain, a great player and his integrity was beyond doubt. His disdain for money in particular was something to admire in an era of match fixing and other shenanigans.
In social work, what he has accomplished in the shape of Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital is truly stupendous. Not only is it the best-run hospital in Pakistan, it provides free medical treatment to thousands of poor patients. What is more, the lack of any VIP culture in hospital management is a personal tribute to the vision and leadership of Imran Khan.
When it comes to politics and policy though, the same Imran is unfortunately a signal failure. It can be truly said of him that he never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity. He could have teamed up with Nawaz Sharif in 1997 and got his party a presence in parliament. He did not.
He flip-flopped with Musharraf -- supporting him in the rigged referendum, opposing him in the ensuing general election -- and got the worst of both worlds. And, he boycotted the 2007 election when being in parliament (provided he won) would have made a great deal more sense.
These examples are of power politics and it may be argued that parliamentary success or power are no measure of a person's success as a politician. Fine, let us look at his policy prescriptions.
From the start of his political career, he railed against something called western culture, which was a straight forward rejection of modernisation. In a country that was being pulled back by obscurantist mullahs, this was a strange choosing of sides. I will not even go into the personal choices he made while doing this.
His second fixation was the idealisation of a Pakhtun tribal culture. Again, I will avoid psychoanalysing a Punjabi's identity crisis, but how a semi-literate and simple rural people could become a role model for a rapidly urbanising and complex Pakistani society was not easy to understand.
Granted that their inter-tribal dealings were egalitarian and perhaps the tribal councils or jirgas worked well, but how this model could be transplanted in other parts of the country, was neither explained by Imran nor obvious.
In between, he took some correct positions on the judiciary question and against Musharraf but badly fumbled while trying to prosecute Altaf Hussain in England. A politician should know which battles can be won and which are a lost cause. Imran vowed to go after Altaf Hussain in England and declared victory even before he had presented his case before the British government. As was expected, nothing has happened despite his various entreaties to the high and mighty in that country.
But, all these mistakes pale in comparison when measured up against his obsessive, single track refusal to understand that these barbarian hordes targeting FATA and Malakand division are a threat to our country. He has just one mantra that this is America's fault, America's fault, America etc. America has contributed to it but is that the only problem we confront?
He cannot or does not want to understand that these people are linked up with Al Qaeda and actually do have an agenda of taking over our country. If he does not want to believe a 'westernised liberal' like me, he should read Saleem Saafi in Jang or others that know these people well.
In any case, how can he condone what these people are doing? Cutting people's throats, lashing women, destroying all schools not just girls', indulging in kidnapping and extortion and unleashing a reign of terror to subdue the people, are just some of their crimes. Above all, these people have taken up arms against the state. Why can't he see all this?
He should listen to the stories of the displaced people now that they are out of the Taliban fear zone. They describe the Taliban as bloody thirsty criminals. It is sad that Imran visualises them as some kind of higher beings or fighters of Islam responding to American presence in Afghanistan. Please!
In this difficult time for the country, he is on the wrong side of history. No one doubts that American presence in Afghanistan has seriously contributed to our troubles. There is also a possibility that the Americans may have an evil eye on our nuclear programme.
But, we must also remember that barbarian hordes linked to Al Qaeda also have designs on our country and threaten our way of life. We have no choice but to fight them.
Imran must stand by his people and the armed forces. He should rise above his prejudices and help in the fight for Pakistan.
Email: [email protected]
AKBER BADSHAH
MPA (400+ posts)
mr.confused is here man[attachment=0:3nh38n7g]images.jpg[/attachment:3nh38n7g]sharam tum ko magar nahe atti.shaheedo ka lahoo altaf sb. ke British nationality.kitna kush hai ,KABHI ALTAF NE PAKISTANI PASSPORT KO ETNEY FAKHAR SE DIKAYA NAHE.INDIAN,AUR ABH BRITISH AGENT [altaf]
dreamzlocer007
Citizen
i have never been able to understand, why imran khan always supports pushtoon terrorist.
i was big fan of him and still i am regarding his politics, but he seems to be changing his stance every day,
hez very much afraid of trible victorious history,
in simple words BAIT ULLAH MASOOD is getting so much supports within pakistan coz of such people.
i love imran khan as a sportsman and i respect him,
just clearing myself i am kashmiri and have been living outside pakistan for quite some time. not MQM supporter at all
GOD bless pakistan.
i was big fan of him and still i am regarding his politics, but he seems to be changing his stance every day,
hez very much afraid of trible victorious history,
in simple words BAIT ULLAH MASOOD is getting so much supports within pakistan coz of such people.
i love imran khan as a sportsman and i respect him,
just clearing myself i am kashmiri and have been living outside pakistan for quite some time. not MQM supporter at all
GOD bless pakistan.
Imran Khan, The Pussy(cat)
"Short Distance from Kissing Musy's @ss to Kissing Kiyani's"
After going on and on about how stupid and costly and(http://www.insaf.pk/News/tabid/60/artic ... -Khan.aspx) self-defeating the current military operation is, Imran Khan has but one recommendation:
Soldier on!
And he has the nerve to talk about contradiction in the governments policy!
I think he took John Kerrys d!** up his a** and that is what is doing the talking and a donation might have helped. This reminds me: Isnt he always blasting others for holding out the beggars bowl when every week he himself is out of the country with a beggars bowl of his own (under the pretense of Shaukat Khanum Hospital)? What nerve!!!
IKs fan club I am sure will be happy pointing out hes better than The Snake, whose latest muttering I am sure will give you joy:
Pakistan created, nurtured terrorism: Zardari Concedes(http://www.sindhtoday.net/news/1/28312.htm)
Well, be happy with the lowered expectations.
source http://www.mqmpakistani.co.cc/index.php ... e&Itemid=1
"Short Distance from Kissing Musy's @ss to Kissing Kiyani's"
After going on and on about how stupid and costly and(http://www.insaf.pk/News/tabid/60/artic ... -Khan.aspx) self-defeating the current military operation is, Imran Khan has but one recommendation:
Soldier on!
And he has the nerve to talk about contradiction in the governments policy!
I think he took John Kerrys d!** up his a** and that is what is doing the talking and a donation might have helped. This reminds me: Isnt he always blasting others for holding out the beggars bowl when every week he himself is out of the country with a beggars bowl of his own (under the pretense of Shaukat Khanum Hospital)? What nerve!!!
IKs fan club I am sure will be happy pointing out hes better than The Snake, whose latest muttering I am sure will give you joy:
Pakistan created, nurtured terrorism: Zardari Concedes(http://www.sindhtoday.net/news/1/28312.htm)
Well, be happy with the lowered expectations.
source http://www.mqmpakistani.co.cc/index.php ... e&Itemid=1
A
abbasiali
Guest
Re to abusive statement against Imran khan
Don't confuse yourself,
There is a big difference, between charity and Begging,
His charity follows main cause, Shaukat Khanum hospital, do you have any other competitive institute, providing free of cost treatment, I don't thinks so.
Our Elite beggers are more concerned how much they can put on their pockets.
If you belongs to Elite class, you will never feel pain of Hunger, poverty,
No one have so far courage to talk openly within or overseas Pakistan about the common Pakistani problem, can you provide one single so called leader, who brought forward our problems. NO
Dear friend, bring we are not supporter of Imran Khan nor we are anti of Zardari, Nawaz, Altaf, Musharaf, but please bring ground realities and let us know, who had deliver so far.
Regards
Don't confuse yourself,
There is a big difference, between charity and Begging,
His charity follows main cause, Shaukat Khanum hospital, do you have any other competitive institute, providing free of cost treatment, I don't thinks so.
Our Elite beggers are more concerned how much they can put on their pockets.
If you belongs to Elite class, you will never feel pain of Hunger, poverty,
No one have so far courage to talk openly within or overseas Pakistan about the common Pakistani problem, can you provide one single so called leader, who brought forward our problems. NO
Dear friend, bring we are not supporter of Imran Khan nor we are anti of Zardari, Nawaz, Altaf, Musharaf, but please bring ground realities and let us know, who had deliver so far.
Regards
dukelondon
Senator (1k+ posts)
I think comparing charity collection for a great welfare project like Shaukat Khanam Hospital to begging to IMF and other countries with a kashkol is inappropriate. I'm a big fan of Imran and support all the good work he has done. I know that he has leadership qualities and charisma that no other leader in Pakistan has. The one and only thing that bothers me is the soft corner he has for the Taliban(Shayateen). All his opponents have taken advantage of this but for some reason, he doesn't say anything against the Taliban. This is why people have tagged him as Taliban's Ambassador. If there are any members of Tehreek-e-Insaaf on this forum who have access to Imran, I would request them to convince Imran to hold a press conference and speak up against the Taliban (Shayateen) and tell everyone that they are Shayateen and have got nothing to do with Islam. Trust me guys, doing this would really shut up the mouths of many of Imran's opponents. Infact, the thing I liked most about this press conference was that, for a change, Imran said that although he has always opposed the military operation in Swat, now that it has already started, it should be not be stopped until the writ of the government is completely established so that our 3 million brothers and sisters who have given so many sacrifices, dont have to go through this again. He quoted Bajaur agency as an example which is absolutely correct.
May Allah(SWT) bless our beloved country and protect us from the Taliban(Shayateen).
May Allah(SWT) bless our beloved country and protect us from the Taliban(Shayateen).
The Confusions of Imran Khan
By SouthAsian
The confusions of Imran Khan provide us the opportunity to bring together two themes we have covered recently the functions of religion and the coherence of analysis.
You would enjoy this post more if you took out a little bit of time and read what Imran Khan has to say in his article Why the West Craves Materialism and Why the East Sticks to Religion. But even if you dont, you will get a sense of the issues and the problems.
Imran Khan starts by saying that his generation grew up at a time when colonial hang up was at its peak. Islamic studies were not taken seriously and our role models were from the West. When he arrived at Oxford he discovered that not just Islam, all religions were considered an anachronism. Science had replaced religion and the terrible experiences of religious bigotry and conflict had turned the Western mind away from theology.
Imran then returns to himself and says that what had turned him away from religion was the selective Islam practiced by its preachers and the exploitation of Islam for political gains by groups in society.
And then he goes on to explain how he became a born-again Muslim:
First, our family life is superior to that in the West. Second, science cannot tell us what is the purpose of our existence and what happens to us when we die. Third, the absence of religion leads to a materialistic and hedonistic culture in which only money matters causing psychological problems and an imbalance between the body and the soul.
This is certainly a case that can be argued. To support his case, Imran cites the following evidence: In the US 60 percent of the population consults psychiatrists; Sweden and Switzerland have the highest suicide rates; plastic surgeons are having a field day in the West; immorality has progressively grown there since the 1970s and in the UK the divorce rate is 60 percent with over 35 percent single mothers; the crime rate is rising in almost all Western societies with an alarming increase in racism; between 1991 and 1997 there were racially motivated attacks all over Europe while in Pakistan despite the influx of over four million Afghan refugees there was no racial tension.
I leave it to you to decide if this evidence is convincing that the West is rotten because it has no religion while we are better off because we do.
Whatever the logic, the end result is that Imran claims rediscovering Islam has made him a better, more humble, tolerant and giving human being who feels compassion for the underprivileged.
This is to be lauded and Imran is to be congratulated for having arrived at this state of enlightenment. But here Imran swings the ball the other way and turns his entire argument on its head by stating that: in Pakistan we have selective Islam. Just believing in God and going through the rituals is not enough. One also has to be a good human being. I feel there are certain Western countries with far more Islamic traits than us in Pakistan, especially in the way they protect the rights of their citizens, or for that matter their justice system. In fact some of the finest individuals I know live there.
So what was the whole point of the article? The West has given up religion and gone down the path of hedonism and immorality while we have religion and are much superior in the values that matter. Now suddenly, there are Western countries with far more Islamic traits than us in Pakistan and some of the finest individuals live there. What is one to believe? The only conclusion that I can deduce is that perhaps being a good human being has very little to do with religion and a lot more to do with the norms of society.
Here it also becomes obvious that Imran has generalized too much in talking about the materialistic West and the religious East. There are many staunchly Catholic countries in the West and there is China in the East without any traditional religion at all. And yet, China is doing quite well in the absence of religion with just as high a proportion of good human beings as anywhere else and few of the problems that Imran attributes to the absence of religion.
So, Imrans antagonism towards the West must be emanating from somewhere else. Let him state it in his own words: What I dislike about them is their double standards in the way they protect the rights of their citizens but consider citizens of other countries as being somehow inferior to them as human beings, e.g., dumping toxic waste in the Third World, advertising cigarettes that are not allowed in the West and selling drugs that are banned in the West.
This is fair enough but it has nothing to do with the presence or absence of religion this is a purely political argument about clash of interests. So, it seems Imran is annoyed with Western powers, as many people are, for their exploitative policies with regard to developing countries. But instead of following through with the political analysis, Imran finds it easier to go off on a religious tangent condemning the West for its immorality and irreligion and congratulating his own side for its high moral values.
This is very much like the illiterate and bigoted Mullah holding forth at the Friday sermon. Except that Imran is plagued by doubts at the end and concludes by being totally confused. He has to thank the rational education given to him by the colonial masters for this ability to question his own logic. It is far better to be confused than to have the certainty of the Talib Imran should thank his stars he didnt go to a madrassah and become a true Muslim.
By SouthAsian
The confusions of Imran Khan provide us the opportunity to bring together two themes we have covered recently the functions of religion and the coherence of analysis.
You would enjoy this post more if you took out a little bit of time and read what Imran Khan has to say in his article Why the West Craves Materialism and Why the East Sticks to Religion. But even if you dont, you will get a sense of the issues and the problems.
Imran Khan starts by saying that his generation grew up at a time when colonial hang up was at its peak. Islamic studies were not taken seriously and our role models were from the West. When he arrived at Oxford he discovered that not just Islam, all religions were considered an anachronism. Science had replaced religion and the terrible experiences of religious bigotry and conflict had turned the Western mind away from theology.
Imran then returns to himself and says that what had turned him away from religion was the selective Islam practiced by its preachers and the exploitation of Islam for political gains by groups in society.
And then he goes on to explain how he became a born-again Muslim:
First, our family life is superior to that in the West. Second, science cannot tell us what is the purpose of our existence and what happens to us when we die. Third, the absence of religion leads to a materialistic and hedonistic culture in which only money matters causing psychological problems and an imbalance between the body and the soul.
This is certainly a case that can be argued. To support his case, Imran cites the following evidence: In the US 60 percent of the population consults psychiatrists; Sweden and Switzerland have the highest suicide rates; plastic surgeons are having a field day in the West; immorality has progressively grown there since the 1970s and in the UK the divorce rate is 60 percent with over 35 percent single mothers; the crime rate is rising in almost all Western societies with an alarming increase in racism; between 1991 and 1997 there were racially motivated attacks all over Europe while in Pakistan despite the influx of over four million Afghan refugees there was no racial tension.
I leave it to you to decide if this evidence is convincing that the West is rotten because it has no religion while we are better off because we do.
Whatever the logic, the end result is that Imran claims rediscovering Islam has made him a better, more humble, tolerant and giving human being who feels compassion for the underprivileged.
This is to be lauded and Imran is to be congratulated for having arrived at this state of enlightenment. But here Imran swings the ball the other way and turns his entire argument on its head by stating that: in Pakistan we have selective Islam. Just believing in God and going through the rituals is not enough. One also has to be a good human being. I feel there are certain Western countries with far more Islamic traits than us in Pakistan, especially in the way they protect the rights of their citizens, or for that matter their justice system. In fact some of the finest individuals I know live there.
So what was the whole point of the article? The West has given up religion and gone down the path of hedonism and immorality while we have religion and are much superior in the values that matter. Now suddenly, there are Western countries with far more Islamic traits than us in Pakistan and some of the finest individuals live there. What is one to believe? The only conclusion that I can deduce is that perhaps being a good human being has very little to do with religion and a lot more to do with the norms of society.
Here it also becomes obvious that Imran has generalized too much in talking about the materialistic West and the religious East. There are many staunchly Catholic countries in the West and there is China in the East without any traditional religion at all. And yet, China is doing quite well in the absence of religion with just as high a proportion of good human beings as anywhere else and few of the problems that Imran attributes to the absence of religion.
So, Imrans antagonism towards the West must be emanating from somewhere else. Let him state it in his own words: What I dislike about them is their double standards in the way they protect the rights of their citizens but consider citizens of other countries as being somehow inferior to them as human beings, e.g., dumping toxic waste in the Third World, advertising cigarettes that are not allowed in the West and selling drugs that are banned in the West.
This is fair enough but it has nothing to do with the presence or absence of religion this is a purely political argument about clash of interests. So, it seems Imran is annoyed with Western powers, as many people are, for their exploitative policies with regard to developing countries. But instead of following through with the political analysis, Imran finds it easier to go off on a religious tangent condemning the West for its immorality and irreligion and congratulating his own side for its high moral values.
This is very much like the illiterate and bigoted Mullah holding forth at the Friday sermon. Except that Imran is plagued by doubts at the end and concludes by being totally confused. He has to thank the rational education given to him by the colonial masters for this ability to question his own logic. It is far better to be confused than to have the certainty of the Talib Imran should thank his stars he didnt go to a madrassah and become a true Muslim.
