Deconstructing Zaid Hamid by Abdul Majeed Abid

[awan4ever]

I am being judgemental because I don't live in united states of america where this particular sentence originates from and I stick to my word. Why becoming angry. Your circle of friends might be admirers but mine are highly critical amongst each other and that lets us stay sane and try to actually read than googling. I will judge you and I will tell you about it mate as I want your betterment rather than you going astray. Mate you are right that I admire the fact that I am a borjigin yet I was not commenting upon your lineage while saying it as one has the right to feel good about one's lineage but not criticize others'. Muhammad sal Allahu Aleyhi vasallam Himself expressed His pride of lineage (not takabbur muazAllah). I was talking about your admiration of your "intellect". I am not the one my mate whose language is giving a harsher than usual feel so try to relax my mate. I do try to stick to what I say and if you feel being judged, don't post in public forums. Did I say anything about Bhatti? Come on mate, a prothiaden might help.

By the by, you actually are worked up because some people refused to believe in your "googled" genius and you reciprocated by being harsh as well as abusive (which I can see in the post thrown towards Gazoo, if anyone eats pork, your necessarily don't have to reciprocate by mein bhi kha ke dikhaoonga). This is what my friend I am trying to tell you about. As being a sincere admirer of your zeal to research, I am trying to humbly suggest some things for you to think upon. You can break anyone's leg on the internet so try to stay calm or some of the answers might even lead towards a superfluous war or words. Writing capital letters is a good thing, I will try it too :) Try to think yourself my friend than googling more than thinking and reading books only inclined towards certain perspectives. Will not answer anymore as I don't want to get engaged into a war of words without any particular reason. You are a good individual but a bit deviated so try to think my mate. Salam

Being judgmental ka matlab bhe 'google' ker lo to see if that is a good thing or not. Amreek say originate kernay wali her cheez buri nahi hoti automatically!

Being judgmental means to form a definitive opinion about someone from very small amount of knowledge.
You call me deviated. Deviated from what? Religion? Do you know for sure that I am deviated because i dont think the same way of history as you do? Is there something in religion which says you MUST believe in this version of events? Are you sure that I do not pray regularly, maybe more regularly than you? Would that still make me deviated because I do not prescribe to your way of thinking about history?
Are you sure that I have not been to Hajj or do not pay Zakat or do not Fast or do not believe in the right of the Muslims to defend themselves against aggression by waging Jihad?
So WHAT causes you to say I am deviated?
I AM deviated from YOUR version of looking at things of that I acknowledge.

My language is harsh to anyone who starts judging me instead of focusing on the debate at hand. Are you focusing on the debate we started off with? Are we still talking about history or have you started going down another road which leads specifically to my personal beliefs and choices?
Have you tried answering the queries raised in the original article? Or do you think it is more pertinent to go after me and how I 'google' stuff and another judgment you passed that I dont read?
So yes if you go down the personal attack road i will go down the harsh words road. Dont like it, dont do it.

Coming to Gazoo. Again you concluded that I am worked up at him because he didnt believe my googles version. Are you sure that is the reaason for me being worked up?
No you are not. The real reason I get worked up at ANYTHING Gazoo says is that he has blocked me so he cant see my replies to his posts. Yet he uses the quoted replies of others mentioning my name to launch personal attacks on me from calling me a Kafir/hindu/indian-in-disguise/murtid/anti-pakistan and other such 'venerable' titles.
He is a coward who cannot take criticism but loves to criticize. THAT is what gets me worked up when he posts NOT his negation of my posts.
Feeling happy now that you judged me like the way you did?

I think I am more inclined to opposing perspectives than many people here. I read OUTSIDE what is the generaly prescribed stuff that is why you have called me 'deviated' because I have things to say which I learnt by reading outside of the normal public discourse on this forum atleast. But you have to judge me dont you? To feel good. So go ahead keep believing that i just google and dont read if that makes you happy. Mera kia jata hay.

Capital words are used to imply STRESS on something in a sentence not to show I am shouting.

 

[Abdul Majeed]

De-constructing Zaid Hamid part 4

(an abridged version was published on viewpointonline.net)


Deconstructing Zaid Hamid


“In order to reach the truth, it is necessary, once in one’s life, to put everything in doubt.” Descartes


Professor Khawaja Masood, in his article, Marx and Iqbal, wrote,
Before Marx, human genius had accomplished much by giving a scientific interpretation of many natural phenomena. But in the study of social development the past thinkers only groped in the dark. Marx pioneered the scientific study of society. In the words of Engels spoken at the graveside of Marx, he discovered the law of development of human history just as Darwin discovered the law of development of organic nature: “the simple fact hitherto concealed by an over-growth of ideology that mankind must first of all eat, drink, have shelter and clothing, before it can pursue politics, science, art, religion, etc.: that, therefore, the production of the immediate material means of subsistence and consequently the degree of economic development attained by a given people during a given epoch form the formulation upon which the state institutions, the legal conceptions, art and even the ideas on religion of the people concerned have been evolved, and in the light of which they must, therefore, be explained instead of vice versa as had hitherto been the case.”
These profound ideas are repeated almost verbatim by Iqbal in his first book Ilm-ul-Iqtisad: “There is no doubt that religious principles have played an extremely influential role in the course of human history, but it is also clearly established by daily observation and experience that earning a livelihood is the constant concern of man and it is this concern which quite imperceptibly and unconsciously shapes his external and internal instincts. Reflect how poverty or insufficient provision of the necessities of life effect the conduct of man. Often poverty and deprivation so encrust the clean state of human soul that morality and culture are completely corroded.”
According to Engels, Marx “discovered the special law of motion governing the present-day capitalist mode of production and the bourgeois society that this mode of production has created. The discovery of surplus value suddenly threw light on the problem, in trying to solve which, all previous investigations of both right-wing economists and socialist critics, had been groping in the dark.”
Iqbal’s view on surplus labor closely follows that of Marx. He says in Ilm-al-Iqtisad: “If the wealth of the landlord is not the result of personal effort, then his property is unjust. In view of this fact some scholars maintain that this injustice is produced by the private ownership which is harmful to the national interest. Accordingly, land is not the property of a particular individual and should be nationalized.” Similarly, “the profit which in the present conditions goes into the pocket of the capitalist should accrue to labor. And, increased productivity which is the fruit of labor should entirely benefit labor, and capitalists have no claim over it.”

Episode 7


Ali Azmat opened the show by saying that this is a soft revolution.
They start discussing Asrar e Khudi which according to Zaid Hamid, in last 64 yr.s this book has never been discussed.
The primary reason for Asrar e Khudi not being popular enough is its langauge. Its written in Persian which is not understood by majority of people in Pakistan. The assertion that it has never been “discussed” is also controversial. The book is easily available in Pakistan, also on the internet. Its english and persian versions can be viewed and bought from Iqbal Academy.


ZH:-Asrar e Khudi was Iqbal’s first book.
Comment:- Wrong. Asrar e Khudi was the first poetry collection written by Iqbal. His first book(as ZH himself acknowledged) was Ilm-ul-Iqtisad.


ZH:-It has been doctrine of muslim mystics that they should move to far flung places and become hermits.
Comment:- Mysticism across religions has has the same tradition i.e. Moving away from the populated areas and immersing in religion. This concept was shunned by Islam and Prophet P.B.U.H prohibited muslims from becoming hermits. In history of Subcontinent, we can see that Ali Hajveri, Nizam-ud-din Aulia etc took to cities and preached. Thus, this claim by ZH is absurd and he should read some history.


ZH:-These days it is believd that power corupts and absolute power is kind of cool.
Comment:- This kind of sweeping statement reflects on the ideology of Zaid Hamid. The original quote as written by Lord Acton i.e. “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” is as true for today as it was in 1887 when it was written.


ZH:-Pakistan ban'ne k baad iqbal ko,khasusan Asrar e khudi ko gum kar dia gya(Translation:- After creation of Pakistan, Asrar e Kudi was forgotten). And he lays the blame on freemasons.
Comment:- I have explained at the start of this piece the reasons for relative obscurity of Asrar-e-Khudi. The belief that it was a delibrate attempt and that too by FREEMASONS is not documented in any historical or contemporary text. If any such thing happened, where is the proof.? According to law,the burden of providing proof lies with the accuser.


ZH:-Har chez k pechay aik poshida hath hota hai.(There is a hidden hand behind everything).
Including Rothschilds, Rockerfellers and Bildrberg group.
Comment:- If there was a gospel for conspiracy-mongers, this line would have been its first verse.Taking the cue from Zaid Hamid, who is behind this Program.? Regarding the Bilderberg group, In a 1994 report Right Woos Left, published by the Political Research Associates, investigative journalist Chip Berlet argued that right-wing populist conspiracy theories about the Bilderberg group date back as early as 1964 and can be found in Schlafly's self-published book A Choice, Not an Echo.Regarding the Rothschilds’ I have explained in part 1 of this series.


ZH:-Allama Iqbal ne 1930 main Pakistan ko daikha tha
Comment:- I have explained this earlier in my article, 10 historical facts our textbooks forgot to mention. Allama Iqbal didn't present the concept of of Pakistan in his Allah-Abad Address (Reference:-Muslim league papers) rather he strongly dissociated himself from the idea in his letter to The Times.
His exact words were 'I do not put forward a "demand" for a moslem state outside the British empire' and that 'No Indian Moslem with any pretence to sanity contemplates a Moslem state or series of states in North-Western India outside the British Commonwealth of nation as a plan of practical politics'

ZH:-It was decided that “aik mulk bana lo, phir develop kar len gay, expand kar len gay” (Translation:- Lets establish a country and later we will develop and expand it)
Comment:- Nobody said any such thing during the Pakistan Movement. The odds were heavily stacked against formation of a separate country and Mr Zaid Hamid thinks everything was under our control at that time. The part which irked me the most was the “expansion” part. It is the height of spreading a specific propoganda. Again, no proof or reference was presented by erstwhile Zaid Hamid.

ZH:-Because Mussolinni had consulted with Iqbal once, “Maghrib ne Iqbal ko samaj lia tha”.
Comment:- The term “west” has been used as a demon by fear-mongerers and peddlers of conspiracy theories for quite some time. A detailed discussion can be read here. On top of that, Mussolini was a fascist dictator, citing his example repeatedly can imply that Zaid Hamid also shares some of his ideals. Another thing that Zaid Hamid probably doesn’t know is that Iqbal washimself influenced by “Wetsern” Philosophers and that is why his message was well-received by the “West”.


ZH:-Iqbal says that get your swords out and capture the world.
Comment:- This is a clear message of jingoism and cultural narcissim. Iqbal wrote his poetry at a time when muslims were in a desparate position. To inspire and instill hope in his fellow believers, Iqbal often used exaggerations and many of his ideas can bedeciphered as being jingoistic. To highlight such ideas selectively is a sign of moral bankruptcy on Zaid Hamid’s part.


ZH:-Subah Uthnay wale log, yani Muslaman.(Implying that all early risers are muslims)
Comment:- Stereotyping is a much derided sociological phenomenon. Statements such as “XYZ people are misers/stupid/ignorants etc” are commonplace. There is rarely a convincing proof presented while giving such statements.Some famous contemporary stereotypes include “All Muslims are terrorists” “All Jews are conspiring against others”. Rising early in the morning is a cultural thing mostly, not a religious one per se. More people in the US wake up early to go to work than in Pakistan. One should be careful when saying such things on national media.


ZH: Dunya se separation k baad insaan main spiritual purity paida hoti hai. (Translation:- Separation from the world creats spirtual purity in humans. )
Comment:- This is a classical example of a thought-somersault. Hardly 30 minutes ago, in the same program he claimed that Iqbal didn’t advocate hermitism and here he is saying just that.!!! This is not coherent thinking, its like a complete U-turn on his previous musings. Pathetic.

ZH: Iqbal was on a prophetic mission.
Comment:- IF this statement had been given on national media by a secular-liberal person, there would’ve been a huge outcry, calls for his/her head, charges of blasphemy, hate-mail and so on. But the fact that this was claimed by a person who wears his religion on his sleeve, who claims to be a descendent of Prophet(PBUH), no one dare speak a word.


Episode 8




Zaid Hamid started the program by criticizing politicians and accuses them of being “Ghatya log”(Morally Inferior People) and that such “ghatya” people can never bring a revolution. That’s a bit mean and indirectly means that these “civvies” are no good at it. I wonder which particular institution is fond of thinking like this.?

ZH: You should jump into a conflict, not shy away from it.
Comment:- This idea has been used by oppressed people througout history. It is often said that there is a fine line between being brave and being foolhardy. Someone should tell Zaid Hamid about it. Risking your life, being foolhardy, looking forward to conflict are all symptoms of mental instability. Becoming Don Quixote is what Zaid Hamid is preaching and doing himself.
ZH: Insani zindagi ki har cheez kufr k nizam k control main hain(Translation:- All aspects of human life are under control of Capitalist system) e.g. your location can be tracked anywhere in the world courtesy credit cards etc.
Comment:- I mentioned symptoms of mental instability in the last comment. This gem by Zaid Hamid suggests that he is suffering from paranoia. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself. Historically, this characterization was used to describe any delusional state.
The rest of time in this episode was taken up by calls and simple reading of Asrar by Zaid Hamid, so there were no more blunders.

source:- http://abdulmajeedabid.blogspot.com/2011/09/de-constructing-zaid-hamid.html

​

 

[TruPakistani]

 

[indigo]

Deconstructing Zaid Hamid - Episode I - Tipu sultan was the greatest visionary of 18th century. He was the pioneer of Rocket

Deconstructing Zaid Hamid

by Abdul Majeed Abid

Tipu sultan was the greatest visionary of 18th century. He was the pioneer of Rocket Technology and also created a military industrial complex in maisore

Zaid Hamid is a media phenomenon popularized by his programs Brass Tacks and later Iqbal ka Pakistan. He has been frequently criticised in the mainstream media due to his espousal of conspiracy theories about global domination of Jews and their economic policies.

No one in the mainstream media has taken the threat posed by Zaid Hamid and people of his ilk, seriously (except by Fasi Zaka in 2 of his articles, which can be viewed here and here). Nadeem Farooq Paracha observed how such propaganda gained ground in apolitical Private educational institutions and not in the Public Universities.

He was repulsed initially(in 2009/10) by the dangerous Khatme Nabuwwat people and very few people raised the objection that just by labeling him a heretic would do him no harm in the long run. He came back with a bang riding on shoulders of Ali Azmat and Maria B. A detailed study of the problems posed by Zaid Hamid is required.

Recently Ayesha Siddiqa commented that liberals fail to ask themselves is that in the absence of any legwork to eradicate growing radicalism, such as having the will to change the curriculum or creating a social agenda tied with political objectives, how can anyone even begin to change the mindset of Zaid Hamid followers?

Zaid Hamid during the show Iqbal ka Pakistan, distorted facts and narrated awrong history. As a student of history, I observed that Zaid Hamid twisted the facts for his own convenience and played with the emotions of ummah in the name of Islam. Below is my discourse analysis of his programme Iqbal Ka Pakistan.

Episode 1

ZH:- Tipu sultan was the greatest visionary of 18th century. He was the pioneer of Rocket Technology and also created a military industrial complex in maisore.Comment: . I have 2 issues with these statements.

i) Based on which criteria is a Military ruler of a small south-indian state a bigger visionary than Voltaire, Rousseau, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin(authors of the Legendary Declaration of Independence which begins as When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.),Adam smith, Goethe(who had more influence on Iqbal's philosophy than tipu).?? All these people lived in the 18[SUP]th[/SUP]century.

ii) Tipu sultan didn't 'invent' rockets, the Chinese did. Instead he introduced metal-coated rockets which were improved by a British scientist William Congreve.

ZH: Tipu Ki rocket batteries main pani mila dia gya.(Translation:- Tipus Rocket Batteries were rendered ineffective by adding water to them)
Comment:- This is scientifically absurd. John Volta, an Italian physicist invented the commonly used batteries in 1801.!! And which primitive rockets ran on batteries.? Which batteries.? How did water change the chemical composition.?

ZH:-East India Company was financed by Jewish Rothschilds.
Comment:- This is an established fact that Nathan Rothschild invested in East India Company. Problem is that ZH got the time-line wrong. East India Company was formed in 1600 A.D. Rothschilds started their business in 18[SUP]th[/SUP] century. Who financed the company before that.?

ZH:-30 million people(Muslims/Indians)were slaughtered by East India Company and there is no trace in history of that.Comment:- How awfully convenient in that.!! This pretty much sums up the authenticity of ZHs own claim. There actually is no proof of any such genocide in history books.

ZH:-The mutiny of 1857 was a war of Independence and there was a 'massive uprising'.
Comment:- As I have mentioned in my article 10 historical facts our textbooks forgot to mention The 1857 mutiny was no more than a localized uprising in some parts of india.Surendra Nath Sen, in his Eighteen Fifty Seven(Calcutta,1958) says Outside Oudh and Shahbad there are no evidences of that general sympathy which would invest the Mutiny with the dignity of a national war. R.C Majumdar, in his The Sepoy Mutiny and the Revolt of 1857(Calcutta,1963) declares that it cannot be regarded as a national rising, far less a war of independence, which it never professed to be.
Reference:- KK Aziz, Murder of History, Sang-e-meel Publishers, Chapter 2, p149

ZH:- 1857 kay baad Musalmano ki masjidain ghoron ki astabl banay(After war of 1857,Mosques were used as stables)
Comment:- This also is a fact that has been modified for the sake of convenience. This indeed happened after the fall of Baghdad by forces of Halaku Khan and in Punjab during reign of Ranjit Singh(much before 1857).

ZH:- Forces of Napoleon were defeated at Waterloo because the Brits had rocket technology that they stole from Tipu Sultan.
Comment:- Lying about probably one of the most documented war of the modern times is easier said than done.ZH was not deterred by this minor fact though. Tipu Sultan died in 1799, Waterloo happened in 1815, Napoleon was defeating forces left right and centre for more than 12 years before Waterloo happened, why did the rocket technology used against him so late? In fact there was a war between Napoleon and English forces in 1805, Why were the stolen rockets not used then.?

ZH:-Noam Chomsky is Amriki Taliban.
Comment:- Noam Chomsky is Professor of Linguistics at MIT, one of the top universities in World today. According to the Arts and Humanities Citation Index in 1992, Chomsky was cited as a source more often than any other living scholar from 1980 to 1992. He is also the eighth most cited source of all time, and is considered the "most cited living author". He is also famous for his critique of US Foreign Policy and its imperialism. Comparing such a figure to Taliban is not only stupid, it also explains how little ZH knows about the Taliban(while ZH also claims to have fought alongside such people).He is confusing John Walker Lindh with Chomsky.
Episode II

ZH:-The whole world became Darul kufr after 1st World War.
Comment:- This claim is wrong. Afghanistan still had a Muslim ruler, as did Iraq.
A similar fatwa was passed by Maulvi Abdul Bari, the secretary of Jamiat Ulema Hind in 1920 stating that India was a Darul harb and that they should migrate to Dar ul Islam i.e countries with a Muslim ruler. Muslims from all over India sold their lifelong homes and set out for Afghanistan, some went to Turkey. The ruler of Afghanistan denied entry to most of these people. According to official estimates, between 5 to 30 lac people died due to this disastrous proclamation. (Reference: Hasan Jaafer Zaidi,Hamari Taareekh fehmi aur hamara fikri bohran, published in Adab e Latif magazine in 2009)

ZH:-'Larkian parh rahi hain angrezi, Seekh li qaum ne falaah ki raah
Comment:- Allama Iqbal, in this couplet used satire that just because women were getting education didnt mean every think was hunky dory now. ZH used it in the wrong context.

ZH:-Afghan Taliban are good because they didnt follow International banking system, not corrupted by western civilization..
Comment:- According to the book My Life with the Taliban by Mullah Abdus Salam Zaeef, he has explained how as part of the Taliban govt he used to work at the Central bank of Afghanistan and its setup was very much like traditional banks. Glorifying backwardness and tribalism speaks much about the mindset of Mr. Zaid Hamid.

ZH:-Iqbal was a great visionary as he believed, Afghanistan main aman ho ga to Asia main aman ho ga. (Iqbal believed that If there were peace in Afghanistan, there would be peace in Asia)
Comment:- Iqbal was a great visionary but this is very bad logic. Granted that after 1979, Afghanistan has come to be known as the buffer state but before that, or at least at the time of Iqbal, Afghanistan was not involved in any active war. Also, there was no peace in Asia in the 1940s(2 atom bombs were dropped in Japan for gods sake, where is the basic geography.!!!), the Long March in China caused a considerable loss of life, Burma and Singapore became theatres of war, while Afghanistan was peaceful. Pakistan and India fought two wars in 1965 and 1971 while Afghanistan was peaceful. There goes the logic. Also, Iqbal was not the only one with this much hindsight, Lord Curzon speaking at the annual dinner of the Royal Asiatic Society, London in 1908 said "If the Central Asian Society exists and is meeting in fifty or a hundred years hence, Afghanistan will be as vital and important a question as it is now". Reference: Ahmed Rashid, Descent into Chaos, Penguin Books, Newyork, 2009.

ZH:-Afghan war is about oil.
Comment:- This is a favorite narrative of conspiracy theorists of this country. Another variation is that US invaded Afghanistan because of the minerals. The point is, where is that oil.? Since 2001, American forces have been present on Afghan soil, when and where did they export oil to.? Is there a secret pipeline between lets say Kandahar and Washington.? Might be, if you listen to ZH.

ZH:-Mullahs have resisted Imperial forces in last 200 yr.s.
Comment:- The same Mullahs fought from 1979-1989 for an imperialist force and many of them considered Iqbal a heretic.

ZH:-1860s, 1870s main Congress bani(Translation:-Congress was formed in 1860s,1870s).
Comment:- ZH cant even get the date/year/decade of formation of Indian National Congress right. It was formed in 1885.

ZH:-Muhamadan School later became 'Sir Syed University'.
Comment:- While it is a fact that Mohammedan Angelo-Oriental College became a university and its students played a prominent role in the Pakistan movement. It is the only India-based University that was pivotal in the Pakistan movement but ZH still cant name it right. Its name is Aligarh University and even students of 9[SUP]th[/SUP] class can tell that.

ZH:-Iqbal ne ibtadai talim angrezi main he hasil ki(Translation:- Iqbal acquired his early education in English medium).
Comment:- Allama Iqbal started his formal education at Scotch Mission High School located in Sialkot Cantt. He also learnt Arabic and Persian from Maulvi Mir Hassan, one of his famous teachers.

[TD="bgcolor: transparent"] The writer is a final year medical student from Lahore, interested in current affairs, political economy and Literature. [/TD]

 

[TruPakistani]

Re: Deconstructing Zaid Hamid - Episode I - Tipu sultan was the greatest visionary of 18th century. He was the pioneer of Roc

Old news...........try to waste our time on something fresh [hilar]

 

[Visionary]

Re: Deconstructing Zaid Hamid - Episode I - Tipu sultan was the greatest visionary of 18th century. He was the pioneer of Roc

What the story about this symbolic red cap ?

 

[Desi_Action]

Re: Deconstructing Zaid Hamid - Episode I - Tipu sultan was the greatest visionary of 18th century. He was the pioneer of Roc

Only problem with Tipu Sultan's rockets discovery was that it was already discovered in 13th century and used by Chinese against Mongols.
He was such a visionary as much we were in 1971. We were waiting for 3rd American ship for aid, and he was waiting for Napoleon help.

...( One of the motivations of Napoleon's Invasion of Egypt was to establish a junction with India against the British. Bonaparte wished to establish a French presence in the Middle East, with the ultimate dream of linking with Tippoo Sahib. Napoleon assured to the French Directory that "as soon as he had conquered Egypt, he will establish relations with the Indian princes and, together with them, attack the English in their possessions. According to a 13 February 1798 report by Talleyrand: "Having occupied and fortified Egypt, we shall send a force of 15,000 men from Suez to India, to join the forces of Tipu-Sahib and drive away the English. Napoleon was unsuccessful in this strategy, losing the Siege of Acre in 1799, and at the Battle of Abukir in 1801)....