The Future of Religion on January 4, 2022Religion can be simply defined as an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods. There is one fundamental question that has baffled the man since his birth, revolving around his anxiety to know where did he come from, and where will he go after his […]
Making Arabic Compulsory on December 23, 2021On February 1, this year, the Senate of Pakistan had passed a Bill by which every school of Islamabad had to be compelled to make their students study the Arabic language from Grade 1 to Grade 5. Thereafter he or she shall learn Arabic grammar from Grade 6 to Grade 12. Senator Javed Abbasi of […]
A Constitutional Muslim on December 4, 2021Every time I pass through the Cornelius Underpass on Lahore’s Canal bank Road, I am reminded of one of the greatest sons of this city, who migrated from India at the time of the Partition and opted to make Lahore his homeland to spend the rest of his life in this city. Alvin Robert Cornelius […]
Faiz: A Class Apart on November 5, 2021Poetry is a medium whose true message can never be conveyed in any other language. The total ambience woven around its texture by the poet’s imagination during those moments can never get across to the reader not familiar with the original language. The poet’s true imagination is based on the wealth of allusions, metaphors, similes, […]
Lessons Learned from Afghanistan and Vietnam on August 28, 2021Colonialism started in antiquity with ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian empires. These empires extended their borders and drew the resources of the people they conquered. Modern colonialism started from the age of Discovery (15th century) during which Portugal and Spain sent their explorers to discover great colonies, including the US, and explore several trade routes […]
No God But God: an acclaimed book on Islam on July 20, 2021After 9/11 and the rising wave of “Islamophobia” in the West, writing or reading about Islam is regarded as a taboo. To pull the West out of their ingrained prejudice against Islam was almost impossible, and all attempts made so far had miserably failed, with just one exception. Reza Aslan’s No god but God published […]
Deport Senior Citizens to the Moon on July 2, 2021They say, “Old is Gold,” and I suspect, it is true. Everything grows with age. Knowledge, wealth and experience, you name it. The only things that suffer attrition are man’s health and vitality. Quite understandable since the cycle of life has to end with decay and death. But in most cases, old age is more […]
The SNC — let science prevail on June 27, 2021At last the PTI government has launched t he Single National Curriculum (SNC) for all schools, including public, private and even religious seminaries across Pakistan. According to the Ministry of Federal Education’s website, this step will ensure that “all children have a fair and equal opportunity to receive high quality education”. To keep a check […]
Cohabitation and Malala’s paradigm shift on June 15, 2021Recently, in an interview with British Vogue, Malala Yousafzai, a Nobel Laureate from Pakistan answered a question about marriage thus: “I still don’t understand why people have to get married. If you want to have a person in your life, why do you have to sign marriage papers, why can’t it just be a partnership?” […]
The Palestinians need another Arafat on June 8, 2021We have in recent times seen the deadly consequences of Israel-Palestinian conflict, extending over 11 days, where 13 casualties on Israel side were answered by nearly 300 casualties on Palestinian side. Then came cease fire which prevented further damage. Prior to that in the conflict of December 2008, 13 casualties on Israel side were answered […]