"Stop distorting Jinnahs words" Prof A H Nayyar

M Ali Khan

Minister (2k+ posts)

The writer retired as a professor from Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad


It is a sad statement about Pakistan that 67 years after its founding, our education system and public culture continue to distort key ideas enunciated by Mohammad Ali Jinnah to govern the country. To make matters worse, even his words end up being mutilated.


In his landmark speech to the first Constituent Assembly on August 11, 1947, Jinnah laid out what he saw as the principles for a future constitution for Pakistan. The speech tackled the relationship between religion and the state. This has proved to be more controversial than he could ever have imagined. It has been subjected to distortion and censorship over the years and his words are once again under attack.


In perhaps, the most significant part of his address to the Constituent Assembly Jinnah said:


“You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in this state of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed, that has nothing to do with the business of the state. … We are starting with this fundamental principle that we are all citizens, and equal citizens, of one state.”


It is clear from these words that the Quaid saw Pakistan as a state in which there would be a separation between state and religion and that Pakistan would be a country in which people of all faiths are equal citizens. There was to be no distinction between a Muslim and a non-Muslim in terms of rights, privileges and responsibilities.


There was an attempt to censor and then suppress the Quaid’s words from the very beginning. The August 11 speech was not discussed in public for decades. The founder’s vision was rediscovered in the 1980s when it was used to resist General Ziaul Haq’s attempt at turning Pakistan into a theocracy. Having failed to suppress Jinnah’s statements, today the supporters of theocracy in Pakistan are trying to distort them.

The new assault on the Quaid’s vision is evident in the revised national curriculum of 2006. The national curriculum says one of the things teachers and textbooks must do is help children learn “the role of minorities in Pakistan with specific reference to Quaid-e-Azam’s speech of August 11, 1947, defining their status”.

By focusing on ‘role’ and ‘status’ of religious minorities, the national curriculum rightly points students to the issue of religious equality. However, it misses out completely on requiring children to understand Jinnah’s statement in support of separating religion and state. This does a great disservice to Jinnah’s vision of a proper relationship between religion, state and citizens.


The new curriculum opens the door for public school textbook writers to misinterpret the Quaid’s vision and words. The words of his speech are being edited with abandon. In the English edition of the Pakistan Studies textbooks of Balochistan, his August 11 speech is reprinted in quotation marks as:


“You are free, whether you want to go to temples, mosques or other places of worship, you are absolutely free. Whatever your religion or caste may be, the affairs of the state shall not be affected. We are heading forward with the basic principle that we are equal citizens of one state. I believe we must adhere to this principle, and you shall see that that there would be no discrimination between the Hindus and the Muslims in terms of equal political rights.”


It is amazing that such a mutilation of Jinnah’s words can be printed in quotation marks. The reader may think at first sight that such a small change is not a big issue. But small changes can have long-lasting and important consequences. An entire generation of Pakistanis is familiar with the slogan “Faith, Unity and Discipline” that is attributed to Jinnah.

This is, in fact, a distortion of his original words. The actual words of the Quaid were “Unity, Faith and Discipline” and were intended as a political slogan. The order was changed in the 1980s to give ideological support to the Islamist military dictatorship of General Zia. The change in order of the words was accompanied by a change in the meaning of the word ‘faith’.

In the original meaning, the word faith was meant as ‘faith in oneself’, or self-esteem. Hence, the Urdu translation of this word until 1980 was Yaqeen-e-Mohkam (a firm belief in oneself). Under General Zia, and ever since, ‘faith’ has been translated as ‘iman’ (religious belief).


Can we, as a nation, be at least honest with the founder of the nation? People should be free to disagree with his words, but we should all know and agree on what his words were.


Published in The Express Tribune, August 14[SUP]th[/SUP], 2013.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/589785/stop-distorting-jinnahs-words/
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Unicorn

Banned
I don't think anyone distorted his words. I believe Jinnah himself distorted his words.

Yes, its on record that he said " Hindus will seize to be Hindus and Muslims will seize to be Muslims not in religions sense but in political sense"

In another speech that he delivered to Americans while outlining his two nation(us and them) theory he said " we have our own laws and our own JURISPRUDENCE" among other differences from THEM.

When listening to both of these statements it seems like he is trying to catch two Rabits running in different directions. The current situation of Pakistan is the same today,in that people are trying to catch two Rabits running in different directions and quoting Jinnah while doing it.

These two statements are available on you tube and totally irreconcilable. You can't seize to be Muslim in any sense including politically and implement "OUR JURISPRUDENCE" at the same time jurisprudence forbids seizing to be Muslim in any sense.
 

mubashirrao

MPA (400+ posts)
I don't think anyone distorted his words. I believe Jinnah himself distorted his words.

Yes, its on record that he said " Hindus will seize to be Hindus and Muslims will seize to be Muslims not in religions sense but in political sense"

In another speech that he delivered to Americans while outlining his two nation(us and them) theory he said " we have our own laws and our own JURISPRUDENCE" among other differences from THEM.

When listening to both of these statements it seems like he is trying to catch two Rabits running in different directions. The current situation of Pakistan is the same today,in that people are trying to catch two Rabits running in different directions and quoting Jinnah while doing it.

These two statements are available on you tube and totally irreconcilable. You can't seize to be Muslim in any sense including politically and implement "OUR JURISPRUDENCE" at the same time jurisprudence forbids seizing to be Muslim in any sense.

Itnay tum analyst hotay to aaj Siasat.pk par har aik se thudday aur gaaliyaan na kha rahay hotay [hilar] rehtay nai tum barray analyst. Barri tumhaari hinduon kay aag lagti hai aur tumhari ichha hai Pakistan India aik ho jaaen. Bohat jaldi poori ho jaegi.. shartia :) Aur tumhaari wish Pakistan hi poori karega :) inshA Allah
 

Unicorn

Banned
Itnay tum analyst hotay to aaj Siasat.pk par har aik se thudday aur gaaliyaan na kha rahay hotay [hilar] rehtay nai tum barray analyst. Barri tumhaari hinduon kay aag lagti hai aur tumhari ichha hai Pakistan India aik ho jaaen. Bohat jaldi poori ho jaegi.. shartia :) Aur tumhaari wish Pakistan hi poori karega :) inshA Allah

Koi nahi badshawhoo tusi ve kuch gaaliyann aur thudday maar davo:biggthumpup:
 

mubashirrao

MPA (400+ posts)
Koi nahi badshawhoo tusi ve kuch gaaliyann aur thudday maar davo:biggthumpup:

hahahaha.. nahi yaar.. tum bhi hamaaray bhai ho.. bus discussion thori tight ho jaati hai india Pakistan k naam par.. Khush raha karo.. Wesay kamaal mahaarat haasil karli hai tum nay punjabi mix urdu main.

:)
 

Unicorn

Banned
If "Secularism" really exists Quaid-a-Azam should not struggle for "Two Nation" theory.

I fully agree with you but you must admit that he made statements that were very secular in nature particularly the one I quoted. Sine your comment begins with IF I not sure what to make of it. I think people of Pakistan would have to make a decision all on there own as to what they want.
 

lurker

Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
I don't care what Jinnah said. He is dead. We are not. We have to live with Pakistan, he doesn't. I say we take our destiny in our hands and make whatever suits us best. What say you? (slow clap....) (clap)

No?
 

Unicorn

Banned
I don't care what Jinnah said. He is dead. We are not. We have to live with Pakistan, he doesn't. I say we take our destiny in our hands and make whatever suits us best. What say you? (slow clap....) (clap)

No?

(clap)(clap)(clap)(clap)(clap)(clap)
 

Ali raza babar

Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
I don't care what Jinnah said. He is dead. We are not. We have to live with Pakistan, he doesn't. I say we take our destiny in our hands and make whatever suits us best. What say you? (slow clap....) (clap)

No?
Jinnah is NOT DEAD ,

I rarely Comment on your Bull CRAP but this is enough.
A Nation has to be on some Guideline and that Guide line is provided to Us by our Religion , and SIMPLIFIED by our GREAT Leader , Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

You may have a Dead Heart which means you are not so much alive , But Jinnah Lives in Many Hearts , HE IS NOT DEAD
 

Bret Hawk

Senator (1k+ posts)
Secularism or theocracy, the ruling establishments of these current states of the world do use them for their own expediency and self interest. It is said by one thinker that Religion is found pretty much “Useful” by the contriving and exploitative ruling class of politicians in almost any part of the world.

Therefore for me both of these ideologies matter little when it comes to the adoption of a state policy (Not only restricted to the physical boundaries of any particular country) as the powerful state players will certainly going to use both of these ideologies for the gain of their own goals and objectives not for the benefits of common so called citizens.
 

modern.fakir

Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Exactly and 90 % of the Nation Wants Shariah so lets Implement that and move to the Islamic system. Although you dont have authority to talk about it. I will allow you this one statement :)

I don't care what Jinnah said. He is dead. We are not. We have to live with Pakistan, he doesn't. I say we take our destiny in our hands and make whatever suits us best. What say you? (slow clap....) (clap)

No?
 

modern.fakir

Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
(clap)(clap)(clap)(clap)(clap) ...I doubt if he was ever ALIVE


Jinnah is NOT DEAD ,

I rarely Comment on your Bull CRAP but this is enough.
A Nation has to be on some Guideline and that Guide line is provided to Us by our Religion , and SIMPLIFIED by our GREAT Leader , Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

You may have a Dead Heart which means you are not so much alive , But Jinnah Lives in Many Hearts , HE IS NOT DEAD
 

Unicorn

Banned
And hey you , Listen up ,
Go to your Country and Worry about Own Nation that is about to SH*T and Rape itself to Death.
You have no business in what Jinnah Said , Or What we should follow.

Listen cowboy do you have anything to offer to refute or just want to blow some hot air?
 

Unicorn

Banned
I just want to tell you that STAY AWAY FROM JINNAH and Pakistani IDEOLOGY.
You got that? You have no right to stick your nose here.

I am going to stick my nose into it. If you are incapable of defending it than may I suggest you place me in your ignore list.
 

Ali raza babar

Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
I am going to stick my nose into it. If you are incapable of defending it than may I suggest you place me in your ignore list.
I know how to , and Have broken Many NOSES , Yours Wont be the FIRST , Come on next time , And you will get what you are wishing for. :)