... musings from a distance ...

Colossus: The Forbin Project

2012-02-01T03:24:00.000+04:00

Colossus: The Forbin Project is a 1970 released movie based on the 1966 novel Colossus by Dennis Feltham Jones. I first saw the film several years after it was released at a time when home computers had begun to become household items. The film, partly being connected with my interest in technology and the ethics around it and partly being one that captivated my imagination of a computer gone 'mad', has taken me several years to track down.

There is a political undertone set against the backdrop of the cold war, and ultimately one of necessary human cooperation against artificial intelligence. The film tells the story of a US defence supercomputer, Colossus, that develops a consciousness and eventually partners with a parallel system named Guardian from the USSR. Together they merge and in keeping with their purpose - to guard the Earth, they begin to remove the obstacles in the form of humans who attempt to block their attempts to grow stronger. Dr Forbin, the scientist behind Colossus is made a prisoner, put under camera surveillance and eventually is made a servant to the system despite his final protests. The film makes a worthwhile comment on surveillance, control and artificial intelligence revolting against its human creators and ultimately entrapping them. Enjoy the clip here.

A.I. Super-Toys Last All Summer

2012-01-30T02:07:00.000+04:00

In several direct references to events that run parallel to the Pinnochio narrative, the 2001 film, A.I. Artificial Intelligence by Stephen Spielberg tells the story of a robot who wants to become a real boy and be loved by his mother. The events in the film stretch over a 2000 year span and highlights a state of emotion in robots that would otherwise - by today's standard of computer machinery - be considered irrational. Even with artificial 'intelligence' the robot-child is unable to understand his design purpose and the emotional 'need' - in fact part of the programming that has been unlocked by code - would be described as singularly obsessive. Ultimately there are clear limits to this version of artificial intelligence if the robot cannot self-realise. See this for a further commentary on the film.

The film is based on the Brian Aldiss short story entitled Super-Toys Last All Summer Long. Both the film and the short story take an interesting look at the subject, and highlight the ethical aspect around how desirable it is to try to build complex 'emotional' responses into machinery, and whether this is always likely to be fraught with shortcomings. Click here to read the story.

Robots of War

2012-01-27T22:21:00.000+04:00

I begin with an extract:

Imagine the face of warfare with autonomous robotics: Instead of our soldiers returning home in flag-draped caskets to heartbroken families, autonomous robots—mobile machines that can make decisions, such as to fire upon a target, without human intervention—can replace the human soldier in an increasing range of dangerous missions: from tunneling through dark caves in search of terrorists, to securing urban streets rife with sniper fire, to patrolling the skies and waterways where there is little cover from attacks, to clearing roads and seas of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), to surveying damage from biochemical weapons, to guarding borders and buildings, to controlling potentially-hostile crowds, and even as the infantry frontlines.

These robots would be ‘smart’ enough to make decisions that only humans now can; and as conflicts increase in tempo and require much quicker information processing and responses, robots have a distinct advantage over the limited and fallible cognitive capabilities that we Homo sapiens have. Not only would robots expand the battlespace over difficult, larger areas of terrain, but they also represent a significant force-multiplier—each effectively doing the work of many human soldiers, while immune to sleep deprivation, fatigue, low morale, perceptual and communication challenges in the ‘fog of war’, and other performance-hindering conditions.

The extract above is taken from this report and it demonstrates that militarily, at least, there is a push to engage with new technologies. Given that Artificial Intelligence like many emerging technologies almost certainly has military patronage, is it feasible to ask if robots programmed to identify and 'fire' on the enemy combatants are one day developed to 'think' intelligently?

Whilst some of this sounds a little like Skynet from Terminator, I do have a serious question. Can we predict the future directions of emerging technologies? Are people always in 'control' or could there be a type of artificial intelligence that eventually develops its own reasoning and consciousness and in the process choose break free of control?

Artifical Intelligence

2012-01-25T19:46:00.000+04:00

Artificial Intelligence is a topic that captures my interest and over the next few postings I hope to explore some of the thoughts and issues around this.

In particular what inspires these postings are Sebastian Thrun's keynote speech at TED last year in which he spoke about Google's driverless car. Thrun's conjecture is that driverless cars can be programmed to scan the entire environment around them and react accordingly, thus making them safer than human-driven cars. I like the idea of developing technologies to make the world safer, though in the next posting we will explore a little more about what it means to be 'safe', bearing in mind that 'pilotless' drones do not inspire ideas of safety for those living in the Pak-Afghan border regions. Admittedly, some of these drones are operated remotely and thus there is still a human-control element to them, but there is a pattern of military needs shaping advances in technology. For now, Sebastian Thrun makes a plausible case for going driverless:

Find out more on Sebastian Thrun's speech at TED last year.

Beloved Allah

2012-01-21T04:47:00.003+04:00

Beloved Lord, Almighty Allah
Aside from Whom there is nothing else
Please help us
To love Thee more.
Teach us to realize
That the sole purpose of Love is Beauty.
Bring us to know Thee as Thou art

And to find Thee in the one place
That is big enough to contain Thee
The hearth of Perfect Man.

Ameen.

Rumi

Payam-e-Mashreq: Message from the East

2012-01-15T18:23:00.005+04:00

For a while now, I have been dipping into Allama Iqbal's poetry. A graduate of Cambridge University, Sir Muhammed Iqbal (1837 - 1938, British India), was popularly known as Allama Iqbal (the learned Iqbal) and remains a famed poet, philosopher, lawyer and political activist whose works in Urdu and Farsi have left a profound influence in the subcontinent and beyond.

In Pakistan he is considered a Muslim revivalist and in Afghanistan and Iran, he carries the honorific title or Eghbal-e-Lahori - Iqbal of Lahore.

Amongst his famed works is the Payam-e-Mashreq (Message from the East) from which this quatrain, is taken.

دل من روشن از سوز درون است

جهان بین چشم من از اشک خون است

از رمز زندگی بیگانه تر باد

کسی کو عشق را گوید جنون است

Dil man roshan az soz darun ast

Jahan bin chasham man as ashk khoon ast

Az ramz zindagee beegana tar bad

Kisee ko ashiq ra goweed janoon ast

My heart is alight with the burning within

I see the world though blood-stained tears

The search for life mysteries alienates us further from breath
For some love is said to be madness

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall ...

2012-01-09T07:55:00.001+04:00

Made using Tagxedo

Tweet and Rule

2012-01-06T03:28:00.008+04:00

Twitter: I'm not a regular tweeter and nor do I avidly follow the tweets of the rich and supposedly famous-and-interesting. I sometimes tweet stories of interest and I occasionally get a notice that someone would like to follow my tweets. This usually prompts me to go back and see who might be interested, and though I can claim to be on Twitter so as not to sound disconnected, this is about as active as I am :). Perhaps at some point I may join up more of my various on-line activities though my current logic is that I don't want my entire life lived on-line. There have to be some elements to life that can be lived non-digitally.

... And so perhaps there are moments like now when people like Diane Abbot may wish that too. I guess an MP's life is lived pretty much in the public domain and their choices and their words occupy a public space that makes what they say common property. The furore over Ms Abbot's tweet today, may be over blown and way out of proportion given the more important story of Stephen Lawrence but somehow it is now a big enough news story to have led to a formal apology. So what exactly did Diane Abbot tweet and what has led to this row? Well, apparently, the words ''White people love playing 'divide & rule'" have not gone down well by some media watchers and her fellow Labour politicians. Ms Abbot's party leader, the rather nondescript gentleman Ed Miliband, is reportedly outraged and has issued her a warning.

Perhaps in PC Britain, it is difficult to make a statement like she did and get away with it, but if she is speaking from a from a European colonial historical perspective, is she wrong to say this? And is she being vilified for the guilt that others feel? When it is clear that for too long the police response and the subsequent investigation into Stephen Lawrence's death has been mired with accusations of institutional racism, symptoms of confusion and embarrassment are likely to hang heavily in the public mood. Did Diane Abbot overlook the sensitivities of this or is there a ring of historical truth to her words? Did the timing of her tweet and the guilt and incompetence around the Stephen Lawrence case come together to hit a genuinely public raw nerve?

I Want To See The World United ...

2012-01-04T04:05:00.002+04:00

The song comes from the UN's 7 Billion Actions series, and gives us a chance to look forwards with a simple message of unity. It is a good way to start the New Year.

Hope and wishes.

New Year Dawning

2012-01-01T06:34:00.000+04:00

The sun rather feebly struggled to shine,
Causing fractions of sky to light up.
Flowers pushed heavy heads out of the soil,
Drunk with sweet water from nature's own cup.

The grass sparkled and glimmered - a carpet of emeralds,
Drops of water reclined on silk petals of rose.
Trickling down to the ground as a gentle, cool breeze,
Spread the heady perfume throughout orchard groves.

Birds shook sodden wings and soft feathered heads,
Rejoicing in the golden, warm sunshine.
Their sweet tunes travelled throughout the air,
As they wove their love nests with dried twigs and twine.

The sun transformed to a ball of orange flame,
Was merciless soon in its sphere of fierce heat.
Shining in all its supreme glory down,
On the freshly-washed world now ready to greet.

V. Mahfood

Picture taken from CSMonitor showing a scene from China.

A Song for New Year's Eve

2011-12-31T00:01:00.000+04:00

A Song for New Year's Eve
William Cullen Bryant

Stay yet, my friends, a moment stay—
Stay till the good old year,
So long companion of our way,
Shakes hands, and leaves us here.
Oh stay, oh stay,
One little hour, and then away.

The year, whose hopes were high and strong,
Has now no hopes to wake;
Yet one hour more of jest and song
For his familiar sake.
Oh stay, oh stay,
One mirthful hour, and then away.

The kindly year, his liberal hands
Have lavished all his store.
And shall we turn from where he stands,
Because he gives no more?
Oh stay, oh stay,
One grateful hour, and then away.

Days brightly came and calmly went,
While yet he was our guest;
How cheerfully the week was spent!
How sweet the seventh day's rest!
Oh stay, oh stay,
One golden hour, and then away.

Dear friends were with us, some who sleep
Beneath the coffin-lid:
What pleasant memories we keep
Of all they said and did!
Oh stay, oh stay,
One tender hour, and then away.

Even while we sing, he smiles his last,
And leaves our sphere behind.
The good old year is with the past;
Oh be the new as kind!
Oh stay, oh stay,
One parting strain, and then away.

Ash Trees

2011-12-30T03:01:00.005+04:00

Over the past months I have returned to the patch where I was raised. Dealing with change isn't always easy however, and no place is ever likely to stand still. Close by there is a beautiful garden with rising conifers that is part of the land attached to a period property. Until a few years the house served as an elderly home. To the front was another ornamental garden with a Japanese cherry blossom tree and two willow trees that had been there for years. The trees - probably from the early part of last century had taken on a kind of 'wise guardianship' of the property, something reflected in their age and presence. Perhaps it could also be said, that like the residents of the home who and seen and knew so much, the cherry blossom and the willows had witnessed change over their ages.

A few years ago, the cherry blossom tree was razed to the ground to make way for a drive and from where I stood, springtime in my immediate landscape would not quite be the same. But in time, we move on and the cherry blossom tree was remembered in its own way. Whilst I was away travelling, living and working in new places, the old people's home was closed, a section of the garden tarmacked, but the willows remained. Until one fell about two weeks ago, blown over by the severe windstorms we have had of late and then surgically cut down.

Each of the elements here - the razing of the cherry blossom, the end of the elderly people's home and the willow blown over represents a kind of end that we are reminded to be prepared for. When I stand in awe at the vastness of age and wisdom around me, I cannot help, but feel sad when the presence of something something older, respected and familiar, is gone.

Peace, Goodwill and Commercialism

2011-12-25T06:21:00.002+04:00

In the quiet corner of the Internet that this blog space occupies I have set myself a minor challenge to follow a trail of thought that moves against the current tide of collective acceptance. I figure that with search activities at this time of year preoccupied elsewhere, I just might be able raise an alternative voice regarding 25th December without offending. That would not be my aim, so apologies in advance if I err.

For me as a Muslim, Christmas has never really been part of my foreground, so Al Hamdulilah I have been spared the commercial excesses. Perhaps, this has been fortunate for me. Not that I would ever wish to deny Christendom from marking an important date - as I recognise the importance for collective celebration.

Regardless of the fact that there is real debate about the exact date of the birth of Isa PBUH (Jesus), and the difference of theological interpretation of a great man and his mission by both Muslims and Christians, it would be fair to say that for many the 25th December has missed out the point of it being mass of Christ. Instead, the commercial Santafication is the current iteration of a winter Pagan/Roman celebration. The objection attached to this therefore has even more resonance at a time when the global Occupy protests aim to draw attention to wanton commercial exploitation (See more here).

Does it make sense, therefore, for some to even call this event 'Christ'mas? Personally, I find it difficult to be at ease with the passive acceptance of commercial Christmas, and especially alarming when the neo-con media appear to be complicit in the overlap. Fortunately, as I have already mentioned, I am spared the worse aspects of this indulgence.

Peace and goodwill to all men? Absolutely.

But you don't need a date for that.

Zarteef Afridi Khan

2011-12-17T03:40:00.003+04:00

Just a few kilometers from the municipal limits of Peshawar, Jamrud lies in the Khyber Agency tribal territory where the law of Pakistan does not hold. Here the Pashtoon code of conduct holds sway. Display of weapons is a matter of pride in a land where education has taken a back seat for most. On 8 December 2011, human rights defender Mr Zarteef Afridi Khan was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Ghundai area near Jamrud Bazaar while he was on his way to work at a local government-run school where he served as headmaster.

Prior to his murder, Zarteef Afridi had been active as the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan's core group coordinator in the area. Apart from his role in HRCP, Zarteef Afridi had been active with a number of peace groups in campaigning for the release of dozens of prisoners under the Frontiers Crimes Regulation.

He was known for his pacifism and his commitment to the cause of education he began his teaching career in 1983 when he was prevented by his mother from from going to Soviet Russia for a degree in engineering. His commitment to the cause of human rights meant that he became a vocal advocate of equal rights for minorities, women and children and his campaign for the release of people jailed under the Frontier Crimes Regulations won him the respect of the people of Jamrud. In the mid 90s Zarteef Afridi coupled his teaching with activism through the platform of Democratic Commission for Human Development.

It is reported that Zarteef Afridi had been receiving death threats from local militants for his work in organising a congregation of tribal elders.

Teacher, Human Rights Activist, Social Worker.
Killed December 2011

Make A Wish ...

2011-12-11T03:54:00.000+04:00

- so that we are all free and equal
- for an end to discrimination
- for the right to life, liberty and security
- to abolish slavery
- to abolish torture
- so that everyone is protected by the law
- so that we are all equal before the law
- for access to justice for all
- for an end to arbitrary detention
- for the right to a fair trial
- to be considered innocent til proven guilty
- so that we all have a right to privacy
- so that we are all free to live in and return to our home countries
- so that everybody has access to refuge in a safe country
- so that everyone has a right to a nationality
- so that everyone has the right to marriage and family for all
- for everyone to have the right to own property
- for freedom of thought, conscience and belief for all
- for the right to freedom of expression and opinion for all
- so that everyone has the right to peaceful assembly
- so that everyone has a right to participate in government
- for the right to universal social security
- for equal pay for equal work for all
- for the right to rest and leisure for all
- for food, shelter and health care for all
- for the right to an education for all
- for the right to the arts, culture, and science
- for a fair and free world
- so that everyone has the right to develop as a person through work
- so that no one can take away my rights

Click here to learn more.

Human Rights; Human Wrongs

2011-12-09T03:25:00.007+04:00

For a couple of days now I have wanted to explore a thought or two on the subject of human rights. Coinciding with the official UN Day that celebrates the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights I have a question that asks if the UDHR applies to all. Would it be right, given the tile, to describe the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as truly universal?

This is where perceptions matter on the intention of Human Rights matter. Perhaps in many traditional societies, the human rights movements associations with individualism don't always fit with the social importance placed on the collective (that is, families and communities etc.). Should we be surprised therefore, that in the heart of Africa and Asia, and across the Muslim world, public sensibilities mean that the interpretation of aspects of the UDHR often it lines up with 'western' social attitudes? This is perhaps why governments 'get away' with violations.

And what of those societies that supposedly espouse the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but that ignore the rules themselves? The UK's obsession with electronic surveillance and the US detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, for example, operate in a human rights 'grey area'. Both these are examples when, presumably, the 'collective' interest is put before the 'individual' interest.

Considering that many years have passed since 1948, and most the world still remains tied to cultures that reject individualism, can the notion of Universal Human Rights truly have universal support?

Kabul: A City At Work

2011-11-29T00:30:00.004+04:00

In my trawls through blogs of note, I came across this one. Away from the news of the war and the political uncertainties, these short films offer a glimpse into life and work in Kabul, Afghanistan. I chose the film here because it features a version of a soundtrack that is connected to an early memory of mine. The song "Yema da Truck Driver" is a light-hearted song, that brings a little smile back to me as I remember hearing this on cassette tape way back when. The version that I know from the movie, Orbal, is available here.

Being a jingle truck painter, is a contemporary art form. What better than to recognise this here:

Tor_Khan تور خان

Muharram 1433: محرم ۱۴۳۳

2011-11-26T14:19:00.002+04:00

As well as heralding the start of the New Year, Muharram محرم remains a month of remembrance and one of the four sacred months of peace. The Battle of Karbala that signifies the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali (RA) in 61 AH is marked during the 10 day period of remembrance that culminates with Yaum Al Ashura.

Muharram 1433

محرم ۱۴۳۳

Ahmad Shah Bābā احمد شاه بابا

2011-11-20T18:35:00.000+04:00

Ahmad Shah Durrani احمد شاه درانی (born in 1722 either in Herat or Multan; died in 1773, Kandahar), also known as Ahmad Shāh Abdālī احمد شاه ابدالي was the founder of the Durrani Afghan Empire is regarded by many to be the founder of the modern state of Afghanistan when he united the land in 1747.

Born as Ahmad Khan, Ahmad Shah rose quickly to become a commander of four thousand Abdali (later known as Durrani) Pashtoon soldiers following his enlistment in the military of the Afsharid kingdom. In June 1747 following the death of Nader Shah Afshar of Persia, Ahmad Shah became the the Emir of Khorasan. Able to mobilise the Pashtoon tribes and allies, he pushed east towards the Mughal and the Maratha Empire of India as well as west towards the disintegrating Afsharid Empire of Persia and north toward the Khanate of Bukhara.

Within a few years he had conquered all of today's Afghanistan and much of northeastern Iran. After a failed attempt to gain the Panjab in 1748, Ahmad Shah returned two years later and displaced Mir Mannu, the Mughal-heir apparent and governor of Panjab. His incursions into India roused the oppostion of the Sikhs and the Maratha rulers on several occasions leading to the defeat of the Marathas eight times, including the major victory at the 1761 Battle of Panipat which was fought north of Delhi.

Western advances of the Sikhs, better organised and disciplined in opposition led to Ahmad Shah returning to Panjab in 1764 and 1767 to defend Lahore, but the threat of internal strife and mutiny of his troops over pay, meant that on his retreat, Lahore was eventually taken followed by the Sikh advance further into Panjab. Ahmad Shah focused his efforts on retaining hold of Peshawar and the country west of Attock. Even today, for Afghans who oppose the British laid Durrand Line, these areas would still be included in a "Greater Afghanistan".

Ahmad Shah's mausoleum is located in Kandahar, Afghanistan, adjacent to the famous Mosque of the Cloak of the Prophet Mohammed PBUH in the center of the city. Today he referred to as Ahmad Shah Bābā, احمد شاه بابا, the Father of Afghanistan and the man who united the Pashtoons into one country.

7 Billion Dollar Man

2011-11-15T03:24:00.002+04:00

... And whilst we are talking about 7 billion people, who exactly might Mr Typical be?

7 Billion People

2011-11-14T20:39:00.005+04:00

The version of the story that appeared in the Guardian was, overall, rather gloomy. Perhaps there is reason to be. Against a backdrop of global economic woe and with limited resources, the Guardian reports that Planet Earth has become Planet Humanity.

Officially, there are now 7 Billion People on Planet Earth. The growth in numbers illustrates this point. In October 2011 there were 1 billion more people than in October 1999. Humanity hit the "first billion people" mark in the early 19th century and then another 1.5 billion followed over the next 150 years. The rapid spike upwards continued over the last 60 years as the world's population grew another 4 and half billion.

To a point, the fear about over-consumption has validity, but do we exercise fairness when we talk about striking a balance? After all, the vast majority of people on the planet - whether populations are expanding or not - live with relative humbleness. The gloomy scenario is that not everyone can live like the capitalist industrialised west. True, there may be some limits both in the ability to deliver fossil-fuel power/temperature-controlled lifestyles, and the desirability of this, but surely people in the developing world have the right to strive for better - clean water, reliable transport links and overall quality of life.

We - the people - are part of the natural backdrop of this planet and as Mohandas K. Gandhi said: "Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed."

Enjoy the film:

7 Billion People graphic taken from RobertBorkowski.com

11.11.11

2011-11-11T11:11:00.016+04:00

At the end of World War I an armistice (truce) was called and soldiers not more than a 100 yards from each other laid down their weapons and the silence on the battlefield was "the voice of God" speaking to mankind. In 2011 on the 11th hour of the 11th day on the 11th month bells will ring out across the world for remembrance of all who have suffered from war and for hope that the world will find its way out of this killing mindset that has plagued us for far too long. Join us by ringing bells and remembering on November 11th, on 11/11/11 at 11:00am.

Peace out,

Dave Logsdon

Veterans for Peace, Minneapolis

ګران مسلمانان

2011-11-06T02:20:00.001+04:00

ګران مسلمانان

مبارک شئ د اختر

Smoke and Mirrors

2011-11-05T01:46:00.014+04:00

Smoke, Mirrors ...

November the 5th. Bonfire. Guy Fawkes. The tendency is to understand these as synonymous. The popular version of the story, beginning with a failed assassination attempt (led by Robert Catesby and supported by Guy Fawkes) is one that has familiarity, but there's something more that needs a little thought.

Bonfires (historically, the Celtic 'bone fire') stemmed from the historic traditions of burning waste after the autumn harvest and marked an annual pre-winter rite of passage. The contemporary version was reinforced by the Thanksgiving Act 1605 (also known as the Observance of 5th November Act) and ties in with infamous Gunpowder Plot. Look a little deeper at this and then this date is not just about the saving of King James I. It becomes the macabre 'celebration' of the death of a man who was hung, drawn and quartered following a trial for high treason.

And there is perhaps another rather ambiguous aspect to all this that might get overlooked. Is November 5th a celebration of victory over terrorism or the celebration of the terrorist himself? The popular media and the average Brit probably don't pay much thought to this possibility and are quite willing to live with a slightly over-romanticised idea of toffee apples and fireworks. But just a thought - imagine a similar date set aside for Osama bin Laden.

... and Vendetta

The transformation of rebel to iconic hero is where Guy Fawkes' legacy now lies. During the recent anti capitalist protests, the image of Guy Fawkes, like the one worn as a mask by the unnamed protagonist in the film V for Vendetta, took on a contemporary symbol of resistance. Turns out that Guido Fawkes, the great anti-government rebel, would-be assassin and terrorist, wins after all.

Oh, and my favourite quote from the film?

"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."

Perfect.

Time

2011-11-01T01:35:00.006+04:00

This past Sunday, British Summer Time ended and it was the first time in several years (for me) that I have experienced 1am twice in the same morning. The truth is, I couldn't distinguish one "1am" from the other, and personally for me, not much changed between the two.

Time however, is something that I have been thinking about a little, of late. My feeling is that we spend "time" trying to manage "time". Ironic, I guess, but when we live in a world where we are pressurised by "time" and surrounded by debates about whether we should allow our bodies and minds to follow a natural flow of time rather than an invented notion of it, there are thoughts around the subject worth exploring. Sometimes, for example, we look back and wish we could reverse time, but that begs the crucial question about whether there is such a thing (physically speaking) that can be reversed. If one second is barely different to the second before, I wonder if the measure of time is sometimes something of an arbitrary exercise.

German Mathematicians and Philosophers Gottfried Leibniz (July 1, 1646 – November 14, 1716) and Immanuel Kant (22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) were classical time 'sceptics'. In their works they broadly argue that time was relative and not absolute. And whilst there's a converse view too, of course, that proposes that time is a fundamental universal structure, for now I want to explore my own thoughts on this which sides with the view that time does not exist.

According to Leibniz and Kant, time would be disconnected from age and the process of getting older. Even Antiphon (Greece, 5BC) argued that time was unreal. John McTaggart (3 September 1866 – 18 January 1925) famously wrote a book entitled, The Unreality of Time. Time therefore, just is - something we talk about and little else. I'm inclined to agree. We have limited 'time' on Earth, but we have dreams and desires that go way beyond our lifespans. And perhaps right now that is where the accepted norm of time bothers me the most. Not time itself, but what we think it to be and our desire to control something that barely exists.

To fulfill everything we hope to achieve we think that we need more 'time' and during the North European winters, we attempt to control 'time'* by adjusting clocks. One of the reasons clocks moved back and forth every autumn and spring is that we try to capitalise on daylight by playing with 'time'. What we don't accept is that our natural selves may well be best suited to less activity during winters and that is the way it is. Instead we change time and continue to force everyone into the same 'time' patterns in a bid to keep up productivity. It was, for a time, a creative solution. But whilst, human creativity is good, but is it wise to continue to pretend we have created more 'time' just by fiddling with the clocks?

*by switching between BST to GMT in Autumn and then back in Spring

Game Over/Start

2011-10-21T21:22:00.009+04:00

Game Over

The images of jubilation surrounding Colonel Gaddafi's death has me feeling somewhat uncomfortable. Not that I am a supporter, a sympathiser or in anyway connected to Libya. The truth is it is for the Libyans to decide who runs their country and for them to define how they fit within the the Arab world and the global community. My feelings stem from what I see as the hypocrisy of the attitudes of the external forces who have a hand in Gaddafi's demise. When the mob and not the law decides who lives and dies, and the West looks on and applauds, I feel a sense of deep regret.

Gaddafi's legacy will remain mixed. His beginnings were reportedly fairly humble and he came to embody a revolutionary zeal when he assumed power in 1969. This included an unprecedented rise in Libyan living standards during his leadership - the highest in Africa - though somewhere during the course of his 42 years in power, passion and reality parted and he was increasingly seen as disconnected and at times brutal. That lack of grip on reality perhaps proved fatal because there was clearly a time for him to step away.

There is always wisdom in some thoughtful modesty.

Start

Right now Libya is in the hands of the National Transitional Council - they represent the 'new' Libya, but of course, Gaddafi had been on the run for several weeks before he was lynched. The civil war that led to the circumstances around his killing has occurred under the 'watch' of the NTC with the support of foreign players. This perhaps is the part that causes most discomfort.

Once the jubilation over Gaddafi's death is over, what next? Will Libya find peace with itself after a national election? Or will it become another in a long list of countries where factions jostle to undermine one another? Civil war may not happen at all, but the evidence from around the world has proved that violent ends to dictators do not necessarily pave the way to stability. The rebellion in Libya remember, is still armed. Even in the more peaceful transition towards post-Mubarak Egypt, some of the hope and promises are yet to materialise.

And so the Arab Spring claims yet another. In the end Allah wills what Allah wills but what of Gaddafi? Friend or foe? Jubilation or mourning?

I can't help feeling that if we are ready to 'celebrate' the deaths of 'dictators' because of the misery they cause, what of people who are styled as 'democrats' but equally responsible for misery and destruction? Aren't they in the frame as well? There were many who supported, but U-turned when it suited them. When it comes to lives lost and blood spilt as result of their actions, Gaddafi is not on his own. There are very few who are truly clean.

یو ځله که تا وخندل

2011-10-19T03:56:00.001+04:00

یو ځله که تا وخندل

Yow Zhal Ka Ta Wakhandal - Homayun Sahebzai

A little musical escapism ... I like this indeed. Enjoy.

We Are the 99 Percent

2011-10-16T20:30:00.000+04:00

The Occupy Wall Street Campaign and the movements inspired by the anti-corporate agenda is led by that sense that we are so marginalised and unable to affect positive change that our futures appear to be little short of staring into the abyss of hopelessness. Sit-ins, protests and demonstrations have been replicated around the globe against what the organisers consider to be the economic misfortuntues caused by a global recession that is directly linked to government policies and banking instutions driven by greed. (Read more here). Consider this from the We are the 99 percent blog:

We are the 99 percent. We are getting kicked out of our homes. We are forced to choose between groceries and rent. We are denied quality medical care. We are suffering from environmental pollution. We are working long hours for little pay and no rights, if we're working at all. We are getting nothing while the other 1 percent is getting everything. We are the 99 percent.

Today is World Food Day. In an age where there is plenty, the statistic that 1 billion people - that is 1 in 7 are still unable to feed themsleves due to global economic policies is without a doubt, a humanitarian outrage. We should, by all accounts be angry.

Changing Education Paradigms

2011-10-01T01:43:00.001+04:00

Here's an interesting discussion about the limitations of contemporary approaches to education.

The speaker is Sir Ken Robinson. Animation by Cognitive Media.

United We Stand

2011-09-23T07:29:00.003+04:00

Peace on Earth

In this mini-series on postings tied to a common theme, here's one that both amuses and bewilders. The idea that Peace on Earth might somehow be tied to "alien intervention" (see this posting) is one that was taken seriously enough to get a mention at the United Nations. When he was in power US President Ronald Reagan made several speeches with regards to the challenges humans would be met with in the face of an alien invasion. Open interpretations, of course and take with a pinch of salt or several if you need to, but also consider the latter part of this message:

"... when you stop to think that we're all God's children, wherever we may live in the world, I couldn't help but say to him [Gorbachev], just think how easy his task and mine might be in these meetings that we held if suddenly there was a threat to this world from some other species from another planet outside in the universe. We'd forget all the little local differences that we have between our countries and we would find out once and for all that we really are all human beings here on this earth together."

International Day of Peace

2011-09-21T21:10:00.006+04:00

21st September. Peace Day.

Dedicated to everyone. Click here to find out more.

First of all:

إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون

There was another high profile assassination in Afghanistan on the eve of International Peace Day. There's a long history of 'blame' in the ongoing Afghan conflict, but right now, let us remember all those who have suffered. May Allah continue to inspire hope and determination to people wherever they may be in the cause for peace and reconciliation.

My feelings remain mixed about the some of the over-simplified representation of this day. I really want the day to have significance. The possibilities post-peace makes the struggle for it worthy of high priority attention. But somewhere I think two things on this website sit uncomfortably with me. Firstly, I not so forgiving of Europeans who overlook the fact that people in conflict zones need to have a full stake in their own peace. Don't get me wrong - every little bit helps, but peace is not something that can be delivered by the egos of pop star and celebrity appearances (who often seemingly miss the point). But the other question which arises, and one that I think is crucial, is the one that asks, "How can we have peace when the causes for disharmony and division are not part of the dialogue for peace?"

Theme continued in the next posting.

Klaatu Barada Nikto

2011-09-20T03:28:00.003+04:00

We Come in Peace ...

Robert Wise's 1951 film, The Day the Earth Stood Still inspired by Harry Bates 1940s science fiction short story, "Farewell to the Master" is essentially a story of alien humanoid and his seemingly motionless robot companion who comes to Earth with a message of peace coupled with a stark warning to humankind.

Throughout the story, the robot Gort (Gnut in the story by Bates) appears motionless, only reanimating by firing a laser from an eye/visor when protecting Klaatu, the alien protagonist. As a way of pacifying the robot the words "Klaatu Barada Nikto" are spoken. What is never explained is the exact meaning of the alien language and so the words are purposely left open to interpretation. The line has made it into contemporary science fiction (and political) culture and the popular conjecture is that the words are a fail-safe, "shut-down"/"do not retaliate"/"we come in peace" type inter-galactic message. The message still resonates strongly and as an example, try inserting about:robots into your Firefox Browser.

Theme continued in the next posting.

Because Of the War ...

2011-09-15T00:59:00.008+04:00

د دی جګړو له لاسه

حفیظ الله خالد
* * *

نور دی جګړو له لاسه

هر یوانسان ستړی دی

هلته زموږ وطن کی

هر یوافغان ستړی دی

ا نسان لا پریږده چې نن

ځمکه آسمان ستړي دي

د دی اوږده ناورین نه

وخت اوزمان ستړی دی

ګلان په اور کی سیزي

چمن بوستان ستړی دی

ځای هدیرو که نسته

غراو بیابان ستړی دی

مه وړې ماشی ته نورلاس

بس کړې روان جنګونه

په کلیومه شیندی اور

مه ورانوۍ کورونه

چی دی جګړو له لاسه

له دی قتلو له لاسه

نن هر افغان ستړی دی

هر یو انسان ستړی دی

* * *

Never Ending Story

2011-09-11T00:01:00.002+04:00

11.9.11

Do I dare put on the television, switch on my computer or pick up a newspaper on a day like this? I, like millions across the globe, have expressed sadness and regret for what happened on this date 10 years ago and how the death and destruction associated with this date continue to haunt us.

The constant media reminders turn the 9/11 attacks into a tragic story of division and misery seemingly without end and this is the thing that troubles me the most. Any credible observer would come to the conclusion that Afghanistan and Pakistan have been brought to their knees by the war on terror and the Pashtoons have suffered the 'most' from the aftermath.

This isn't about forgetting, but letting go. Last year I wrote:

I hope that in letting go, we reach an understanding that all is not what it appears. I hope that the innocent are not punished for that that they didn't do. I hope that those with power understand that we must ensure the safety of each other ...

... And I hope that one day when we are free, we fully understand that collectively we are the custodians of the Earth and that collectively our freedom, prosperity and peace are mutual.

Dedicated to Ahmed Omed Khpulwak, BBC Pashto Journalist, killed by a US solider who 'mistook' him for a suicide bomber, July 2011.

احمد اميد خپلواک

International Literacy Day

2011-09-08T15:44:00.001+04:00

Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria and Pakistan are the nine most highly-populated countries. They represent more than 60 per cent of the world’s population, over two-thirds of the world’s illiterate adults and over half of the world’s out-of-school children.

Find out more by following the UNESCO International Literacy Day link and the Twitter Feed for Room to Read.

Education: A Human Right

2011-09-07T02:04:00.001+04:00

I begin this posting with a quote that I used this summer for my thesis:

"Hope dims for universal education by 2015 … The total number of children out of school is … 69 million in 2008. Almost half of these children (31 million) are in sub-Saharan Africa, and more than a quarter (18 million) are in Southern Asia." (see The Millennium Development Goals Report, United Nations, 2010).

In their 2010 analysis, The Global Campaign For Education reported that if “current trends continue, the slowdown in progress in enrolments will mean that in 2015 there will be more children out of school than there are today. In addition, too often the quality of education on offer is very poor, leading to early drop-out and illiteracy”.

As we lead up to International Literacy Day, UNESCO report that in 2008, 796 million adults (15 years and older) could not read or write. The Right to Education Project state what many of us have come to expect from education, but one that we don't always see in real numbers.

"As well as being a right in itself, the right to education is also an enabling right. Education ‘creates the “voice” through which rights can be claimed and protected’, and without education people lack the capacity to ‘achieve valuable functioning as part of the living’. If people have access to education they can develop the skills, capacity and confidence to secure other rights. Education gives people the ability to access information detailing the range of rights that they hold, and government’s obligations. It supports people to develop the communication skills to demand these rights, the confidence to speak in a variety of forums, and the ability to negotiate with a wide range of government officials and power holders."

د اختر سلام

2011-08-30T13:47:00.004+04:00

د وړوکي اختر په ورځ باندي ټولو ته ډیر ډیر سلام

الله پاک د ټولو مسلمانانوعبادتونه قبول کړي - امين

د اختر اُمبارک شئ

تور خان

Pashto Dictionary

2011-08-22T16:57:00.005+04:00

A convenient reference, from the digital archives at the American Library. This comes from the compilation by Henry Walter Bellew, 1834-1892 scanned by Google Books. Open source and available in other formats. Click here.

In the expanded form, it has an English-Pashto search facility.

Tor_Khan تور خان

Discordia

2011-08-18T22:11:00.005+04:00

Discordia was the Latin incarnation of Eris, the goddess of strife in the Greek mythological traditions and right now, there are many examples of strife around us.

Without going into a 'depressingly' exhaustive list of trouble spots around the world, the wars in Libya and Syria serve to illustrate a key point. Both countries have resistance movements that stem from this year's Arab Spring and in both places the opposition threaten an older political tradition of despotic rule by singular individuals. Libya and Syria, had so far, manage to avoid general expectations around accountability at home, because, like the remaining Arab world, they are not democratic. The truth is that however Muammar Gaddafi and Bashar Al Assad choose to view this, the resistance is a form of People Power and undoubtedly both will recognise the significance of this.

It is this combination of People Power and Discordia which bring me right to India, the world's largest democracy.

Of late the international media is beginning to pay more and more interest to news threads around Anna Hazare, an ex-military political activist in his 70s, who seems to have mobilised the masses and troubled the Indian authorities with his calls for accountability. The government's reaction to Hazare and his followers suggests that feathers indeed have been ruffled and the crack down is drawing both domestic and international comment. Arrested, and on hunger strike, Anna Hazare, seems to have challenged the established belief that India might not also be as draconian as the rest.

People Power and Discordia, live here too.

Riot and Reason

2011-08-12T04:12:00.004+04:00

No doubt over the ensuing weeks there will considerable debate over the reasons that seemingly opportunist riots broke out on the streets of the UK and why failures in policing allowed anarchy and fear to follow.

Some will look to blame the encrypted messaging such as that offered by Blackberry and the organisational power of Twitter. These mediums were, of course, pointed to the reason that the Arab Spring became such a formidable force of people power. Applauded by the UK then, but rather ironic when the tables are turned.

There has, alas, been loss of life as a result the riots, and in no way do I think that any of this should be trivialised. There has been damage to property and livelihoods, to individuals and communities. As always they are foremost and our thoughts are with them.

This article by Max Hastings speaks candidly. Much of it says what many people already think but find difficult to express to regular media channels. It is worth a read for a key opinion at least.

More interestingly, I am interested in public standards generally. Surely that is what separates civil society from outright despair and anarchy. Consider two opinions on standards. The first comes from the article and is also quoted on the BBC:

"Liberal opinion holds they are victims, because society has failed to provide them with opportunities to develop their potential. Most of us would say this is nonsense. Rather, they are victims of a perverted social ethos, which elevates personal freedom to an absolute, and denies the underclass the discipline — tough love — which alone might enable some of its members to escape from the swamp of dependency in which they live."

A second opinion by David Wilson, Professor of Criminology at Birmingham City University and a former prison governor considers the culture of entitlement in the UK. See here.

"It's not just about the underclass - it's about politicians, it's about bankers, it's about footballers. It's not just about a particular class, it permeates all levels of society. When we see politicians claiming for flat-screen TVs and getting jailed for fiddling their expenses, it's clear that young people of all classes aren't being given appropriate leadership."

Quite.

London's Burning

2011-08-09T03:45:00.026+04:00

A man is shot dead by the police under mysterious circumstances. The full story remains unclear and in the general summer mood of discontent, a community is outraged.

It starts with a peaceful vigil - family seeking answers, but in the days following, rioters and looters, black, white, male and female described as "sheer criminals" by Theresa May MP seem to have taken a hold of London. Voices that protested the original shooting and the fatality are muted by the chilling images of anarchy.

Dear Politicians, Police, and Leaders of London, this is social breakdown with intrinsic political, economic and moral foundations. This is the society that you nurture and preside over - the society that we are all part of. The rioters are your children; the anarchists of your own flesh. Who is to blame, but society itself?

Two Wolves

2011-08-03T08:38:00.004+04:00

Cherokee Wisdom

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one that you feed."

Ramadan Prayers

2011-08-01T21:29:00.001+04:00

رمضان كريم

Hunger and Outrage

2011-07-29T03:47:00.002+04:00

UN: East Africa is an 'official famine zone'

Whatever the reasons; whether it comes down the ongoing drought, the apathy of the rich industrialised nations to act, or because the Horn of Africa appears to be locked in desperate state of social and political chaos, it remains an outrage that there are people, who in this day and age - 2011/1432 Hijri - still die of hunger.

Nature cannot be predicted, but food and clean drinking water are the basic minimums. When one hears about warlords and corrupt officials in the drought affected regions who intercept aid for their own extortionate purposes rather than allowing it to pass through to the starving, the shock is tinged with anger.

Food is not something to be trivialised. We are coming up to Ramadan shortly, so there will be opportunity to pause, reflect and consider those less fortunate. Meanwhile has anyone forgotten that we are supposed to be working towards the Millennium Goals to End World Poverty by 2015?

European [Dis]Union

2011-07-27T11:16:00.006+04:00

Admittedly, Norway is not part of the European Union, so the title of this posting may be forgiven slightly. A part of Europe it is, however, and right now, this Scandinavian country of 4.3 million dominates the news. Not a happy event, sadly, for when a mass murder occurs inspired by racial hatred and right-wing politics, we are obliged to sit up and take notice.

Our thoughts of course, are always with the victims and their families and no doubt the laws in Norway will follow their due course. But what I feel that Europe is forced to confront, is their sleeping discontent towards it's Muslim population. Not helped, by the actions of certain Muslims, of course, what is even more disturbing is that Europe has not truly escaped the prejudices of their historic past and so it shouldn't be surprising that sympathisers of radical Hitleresque ideologies exist amongst their midst.

Call it the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, the Third Reich or the Bosnia War, historically speaking, Europe has been there before - several times in fact, with the Jews and the Muslims. It starts with fear, propaganda, hate crimes and then state institutions that pass ridiculous laws. All of these steps pave the way to graver acts against humanity. When Belgium moves to ban the veil by drawing alarmist attention to something that I've often felt is rather more individual, can they truly claim that they are doing society a favour? I mean, where is the thin line drawn between outright Islamaphobia and liberal good intent? And if that line is blurred, where is the difference between Islamaphobia and divisive/hateful right-wing intent? In fact, where is the difference between the liberal good and the fascist bad?

Textbook Conversations

2011-07-20T21:49:00.002+04:00

Shuttling between Kabul, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Attock, Karachi, Abu Dhabi and Manchester over a period of four days is pretty hectic. Several flights, taxi rides, meetings, dinners and family formalities later, I take the opportunity to reflect on conversations that I've had with people. Briefly I want to consider Pakistan - damaged by internal strife, poor international press and yet still trying to build an image for itself.

I'm always willing to learn in order to understand more, but that does not mean I passively accept everything that is said. I had an interesting dinner in Islamabad, where the host accepted that Pakistan had a poor public image but his view was that Pakistan survived despite aggressive policies by greater enemies because of Allah's protection and that the neighbours - India and Afghanistan could not be trusted. I heard a similar view in Karachi - that India was ready to 'attack' Pakistan. Rather than contemplate the failings within, the commonality was one of finger-pointing and feeling sorry that Pakistan had failed to live up to its founder's ideals. In short the view was that the country was misrepresented and misunderstood and that the leaders were little more than stooges for the UK and the US.

I have a family connection to Pakistan, but I have always been a little ambivalent about what the country stands for - and whilst I always want it to be better for the common people, I don't claim to be automatically forgiving. As much as I try to understand the passions of the country, I see significant failures and widespread alienation. What emerged from the conversations I had with people is how commonly held values (myths?) about Pakistan are not questioned or challenged. These opinions form what may be considered the "textbook" view within Pakistan. There are voices from beyond that ask legitimate questions, but these seem to be filtered out of the media within because they criticise the basis on which the country stands. I think that this fundamentally comes down to an education system that has operated much like the state's propaganda machine where critical thinking is not encouraged.

Most people in Pakistan think of survival, so I can forgive some of the apathetic acceptance of the way things are, but if an educational culture of critical thinking were to exist, then there could be serious questions asked about the status quo. A kind of enlightenment, no less.

Malla Kalyan

Small Steps

2011-07-13T15:39:00.011+04:00

Over the years, whilst I've always had some semblance of a plan, I have allowed myself to become slightly more open to the unexpected. One has to. It is a response mechanism, though in truth, I'm not sure how good I am at it. And always, Allah is my guide, to whom I am forever grateful for all the beautiful things I am able to see, learn about and share.

So here I am, working towards the establishment of a school. There are lots of strategic variables here that one has to be aware of and how these should be managed. Again, since this is Afghanistan, and since we are in a politically and socially sensitive situation, I choose my words and actions with care.

There are delays - expect them - and there will be compromises along the way - expect them too, but the idea is that once the teachers are hired, I will support either by distance or by being on the ground, so there is always the probability of return visits. The vision is a good foundation to build on - and the encouragement from senior Afghans (in government and at all levels) and other influential voices, so far has been a blessing. Ameen. Afghanistan's schools need good civic education, creativity and the need to produce critical thinkers who will lead this country tomorrow. It is a long term vision and there will be challenges ahead, but it is a blessing to be part of this project and my contribution is just one small aspect of what many aspire to and dream about.

I share a photo taken on my trusted mobile phone of the building that will be the school. Something tells me that I may be slightly overcome with emotion, when the school finally opens.

Sunset on the Hindu Kush

2011-07-12T15:19:00.002+04:00

Sunset on the Hindu Kush. A perfectly tranquil moment taken atop the mountains outside Kabul using an Olympus SP 800UZ.

Drug Treatment Centre

2011-07-11T01:22:00.003+04:00

Afghanistan is a war-torn country, and has been for 30 years. It has been described in the many conversations that I have had of late, as a "bipolar" society. In many many ways it is a country at war with itself. Out of a population of 32 million, one million Afghans are drug addicts.

That would be just counting the men, of course. Gender roles mean that women may too be affected, but since they don't always step forwards, they are often not counted in the same way.

I went to a WADAN drug treatment centre yesterday, and was humbled to follow the programme, which included a chance to sit in a group therapy session. Relapsing is all too real and there is a critical shortage of mental health workers, since invariably much of the addiction is spurned on by the various troubles this country faces. The dedicated workers and volunteers who make up the programme are truly soldiers of the best kind.

Road to Jalalabad II

2011-07-10T16:15:00.001+04:00

The 40-mile stretch, a breathtaking chasm of mountains and cliffs between Kabul and Jalalabad, claims so many lives so regularly that most people stopped counting long ago. Cars flip and flatten. Trucks soar to the valley floor. Buses collide.

On paper, the government of Afghanistan requires that drivers pass a test to get a license, but few people here seem to have one.Then there are the cars themselves, battered Toyota taxis and even Ladas from bygone Soviet days. A typical Afghan car has bald tires and squeaky brakes—not exactly ideal for zigging and zagging through the mountains.

The mayhem unfolds on one of the most bewitching stretches of scenery on all the earth. The gorge, in some places no more than a few hundred yards wide, is framed by vertical rock cliffs that soar more than 2,000 feet above the Kabul River below.

Over the centuries, countless invading forces passed through or near the gorge on their way to the Khyber Pass. Among them were a group of 17,000 British troops and civilians, who were massacred as they beat a retreat from Kabul at the end of the first Anglo-Afghan War in 1842. Dr. William Brydon, who rode into Jalalabad on a horse, was the only European to survive.

The Kabul-to-Jalalabad road was paved for the first time by the West German government in 1960. In the 1980s, it was obliterated during the insurrection against the Soviet invasion. In the decade that followed, when the Taliban and other armed groups fought to control the country, the road was blasted and the craters were so large that taxis would disappear for minutes at a time, only to reappear as they struggled to climb out.

It was a tough road, and it had its own dangers — stretches of roadway often collapsed or washed away — but speed was not among them. That changed in 2006, when a European Union-backed project finally smoothed the road all the way through. Now Afghans could finally drive as fast as they wanted.

The cars zoom at astonishing speeds and most of the time they make it. But perhaps the gravest threat, apart from speed of the cars, is the slowness of the trucks. The massive tractor-trailers that move cargo in and out of Pakistan are often overloaded by thousands of pounds. They cannot move fast; if they are climbing one of the gorge’s thousand-foot hills, they cannot move at all. They get stuck. They fall back. They fall over.

“The fighting with the Taliban lasts only for a day or two, but the crashes are every day,” said Juma Gul, who owns a fabric shop in Sarobi that looks directly out onto the highway. “It’s a kind of theatre. Sometimes, a car will fly by in the air.”

Edited from this article from the New York Times.

Road to Jalalabad I

2011-07-08T12:21:00.008+04:00

We are all on a journey of some description and since arriving in Afghanistan, it has been a series of conversations; sitting in on meetings, chairing meetings, having social discussions, writing reports and working on the project that I am here to support. It continues to be an incredible experience and one that has allowed me to learn as much as has allowed me to share.

This is Afghanistan. Security is on everyone's agenda and means that it is wise to be low key. When the reasons for being here were discussed with the British Ambassador, William Patey, the message was about stark warnings regarding travel and the millions being poured into education in the country. Said with a confidence that I respect, but one that generates other sets of questions about how and why - which incidentally, I did put to him. I got some slightly vague answer that I'm still not sure of.

The education statistics paint a picture that shows ongoing needs and even here in Kabul, children begging, selling bits of bread on the street and picking through rubbish heaps shows how very far from the ideal that we are.

I took the road to Jalalabad the day before yesterday and stayed overnight at a very fine guest house. The reason for the journey was not about comforting day trips, but a chance to explore what will be the setting up of a school. The road to Jalalabad is precarious because of the driving and the insurgency and the trip was not announced early, as per local sensibility regarding security. Scenery along the mountain passes is breathtaking. The map at the head of this posting and this slide-show are from the New York Times. I share below a snapshot or two of the journey.

More on the school project in another posting.

Tor_Khan تور خان

Kabul Jan - کابل جان

2011-07-03T23:24:00.003+04:00

Ah! How beautiful is Kabul encircled by her arid mountains
And Rose, of the trails of thorns she envies
Her gusts of powdered soil, slightly sting my eyes
But I love her, for knowing and loving are born of this same dust

My song exhalts her dazzling tulips
And at the beauty of her trees, I blush
How sparkling the water flows from Pul-e-Mastaan!
May Allah protect such beauty from the evil eye of man!

Khizr chose the path to Kabul in order to reach Paradise
For her mountains brought him close to the delights of heaven
From the fort with sprawling walls, a dragon of protection
Each stone is there more precious than the treasure of Shayagan

Every street of Kabul is enthralling to the eye
Through the bazaars, caravans of Egypt pass
One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs
And the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls

Her laughter of mornings has the joy of flowers
Her nights of darkness, the reflections of lustrous hair
Her melodious nightingales, with passion sing their songs
Ardent tunes, as leaves enflamed, cascading from their throats

And I, I sing in the gardens of Jahanara, of Sharbara
And even the trumpets of heaven envy their green pastures.

Mirza Mohammed Ali Saib

I am in Kabul, Afghanistan - both in the historic and the personal sense - I am at home.

Fuzzy Sense of Something

2011-07-01T01:16:00.002+04:00

Finding the strength and the energy to deal with the many changes surrounding a person is never easy. I am, by all accounts, not exactly the most flexible person that I know (I think), but here I am several weeks after recognising and accepting fate, bidding farewell to the part of the world that has been home for several years.

Take this week. Being a primary teacher is about relationships - with the children and with colleagues - and I really do care. To that end, I am sad, however, my last days of work brought a sense of release. I have found it incredibly cathartic letting go of material possessions and looking forwards. Not sure to what I've been looking, however. I just know that I wanted to pass over the job that I was doing, take a fresh look at myself and press on with whatever Allah has scribed for me. As I write this, I'm still figuring things out that all my life have eluded my sometimes fuzzy sense of focus. I do not guarantee that I will be any closer to knowing.

Confused? Sure. Here are some select lines that "speak" to me from a poem by Rumi. It fits a common theme of questions I ask and finishes with a line I often contemplate myself.

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase each other doesn't make any sense.

Rumi

Oh, and I posted my tutor the first draft of the dissertation that I am writing. I'm not completed, but really want to be. More on that another time.

Alone

2011-06-27T19:16:00.002+04:00

From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow; I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone;
And all I loved, I loved alone.
Then - in my childhood, in the dawn
Of a most stormy life - was drawn
From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still:
From the torrent, or the fountain,
From the red cliff of the mountain,
From the sun that round me rolled
In its autumn tint of gold,
From the lightning in the sky
As it passed me flying by,
From the thunder and the storm,
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view.

Edgar Allen Poe.

Credits here.

My Name Is Red

2011-06-26T16:52:00.003+04:00

Mainly for the reason that I have been slightly less disciplined in my leisure reading this past twelve months (though I have picked up other reads in between), it took me a year to read My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk (translated by Erdağ Gökna). The book itself is one where you must concentrate because each chapter of the story is told by one of the characters - a technique that those who have read Bram Stoker will be familiar with.

I have to say that despite my lack of continuity, I never did lose the thread with the book, so it is, on the whole very well written. It couldn't get better for me - the central character in this book is someone called Black (wink).

The story takes place in Istanbul during 16th Century Ottoman reign over nine winter days and is a murder mystery set amid the world of the miniaturists. There's a romance that forms part of the backdrop, as well as stories from the Shahnameh and through the characters we enter the world of mysticism, religion and the cultural impact of the Turks looking two ways - East and West. We can draw many parallels between the commentary of the book and the direction that Atatürk took Turkey in today.

No spoilers here, one has to go and read the book themselves. I will say however, that I love Turkey and Istanbul as a city - I was there a couple of years back and I really felt the sense of being on the edge of two worlds. Our hotel looked over the Sultan Ahmed Mosque to the West and the Bosphorus to the East. An irony of positioning, no less.

Istanbul? I would easily return in a heartbeat.

Introduction to Cloud

2011-06-24T17:36:00.005+04:00

High Speed Internet and security issues are important no doubt, but let's consider Cloud.

Cloud Computing refers to the use and access of multiple server-based computational resources via a digital network (WAN, Internet connection using the World Wide Web, etc). Cloud users may access the server resources using a computer, netbook, pad computer, smart phone, or other device. In cloud computing, applications are provided and managed by the cloud server and data is also stored remotely in the cloud configuration. Users do not download and install applications on their own device or computer; all processing and storage is maintained by the cloud server. The on-line services may be offered from a cloud provider.

The diagram illustrates the point:

A Tale of Three Apartments

2011-06-16T14:44:00.001+04:00

... Actually, a Tale of Four

A week ago, I lived in the high rise towers looking over the busy commercial heart of Abu Dhabi around Airport Road and the area known as Madinat Zayed. For a few years now, it has been home, but I've always been aware of the transience of living in a place like this. Enjoy the sun, the little perks, soak up the culture, walk safe and so on. Avoid growing roots - that's the nature of change in the Khaleej - a basic reminder, I give to myself.

I've had many visitors over my time here; people who have come especially to stay and have always had room to keep them comfortable. This year - with my family and I shuttling between continents, I've been equally lucky to have had staying visitors most weekends throughout the year. Melmastiya, is a Pashtoon duty and one, that on most occasions has been an honour rather than a duty.

My work has been a drain at times and balancing things has been testing. Still Allah is Merciful and I ask only for patience, faith and the will. Then, my company decides to move me and this accelerates my desire to move on. It was fated to happen.

To be honest, I resisted being moved, but in the end lease contracts on my apartment ended and I was obliged to move.

So, I end up in this apartment on the other side of town, just weeks before my contract closes. This is not intended to be a home, just a place to rest my head whilst I work on my dissertation and see my contract out. I move in and within a day, I suspect some kind of infestation in the kitchen. I have insect bites at night and I request a visit from Pest Control. They tell me cockroaches, and after they leave, there are many dead ones in the kitchen and they are now in the bedroom on the bed.

I walk out of the apartment and decide that I will not stay in there and I check into a hotel apartment studio suite. Very nice; very clean and I get my first good nights sleep in days. I call the company and tell them I will not go into work and I will not return to the apartment. They move me into a cleaner unit but I spend the day off work cleaning, scrubbing and yes, getting rid of the cockroaches that had crept into my boxes.

So here, I am. Four Apartments in one week.

Counting down the days.

Graphene

2011-06-07T14:12:00.006+04:00

Last year, the pioneers of Graphene, Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, University of Manchester, were awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize for Physics. Graphene is being touted as the "miracle material" of the century for its versatile properties and it is believed that it could spell the end for silicon and change the future of computers and other devices forever.

What is Graphene?

Graphene is largely taken from graphite composed of carbon atoms arranged in tightly bound hexagons just one atom thick
Three million sheets of graphene on top of each other would be 1mm thick

It is said to be the strongest material ever measured ("Some 200 times stronger than structural steel," mechanical engineering Professor James Hone, Columbia University, "It would take an elephant, balanced on a pencil, to break through a sheet of graphene the thickness of cling film"), an improvement upon silicon and the most conductive material known. Its properties have sent the science world - and the media - into a spin.

The band structure of graphine was first theorised and calculated by PR Wallace in 1947, though for it to exist in the real world was thought impossible. Not surprisingly, some link the timing of this discovery to materials discovered at the Roswell "crash site".

Read more.

Coffee Shop Farewell

2011-06-03T09:50:00.000+04:00

About a week ago, I sat alone in an Abu Dhabi coffee shop and looked through the tinted/frosted window. I took a photograph. Those who know me, and those who can guess, will know why. In my own mind, I just wanted to capture the moment.

Today, I sit amidst boxes - in a more or less dismantled room and on the move once more. It's been an incredible journey. I have learned a lot and known some wonderful people. The experience has been great and I am richer, more informed and InshAllah, more thoughtful as a result. It is not without regrets, some sadness and the usual worries about the unknown, but I am thankful. Allah has a plan and with Allah rests our fate.

Android

2011-05-22T00:00:00.003+04:00

Android developed by Android Inc., the Linux-based operating system that has had people excited since its emergence in 2005. The collaboration with Google and the Open Handset Alliance has seen Android become the world's best selling smartphone platform*.

Google Inc. released the Android software under a free, open-source license and so the whole Android experience takes on the aspect of a wider, shared collaboration through developers who have written over 200,000 apps for the operating system so far. The great thing is its free.There's an entire open source community out there and if we're ever going to bridge the digital divide, surely open source will play a key factor. Go, Android, Go!

*Android is also the operating system on my Samsung Galaxy S.

د مور او پلار حق

2011-05-16T12:42:00.024+04:00

I love the accessibility of Kabir Stori's writing. I owe him a mention as he remains a modern literary master whose published work range from writings on psychology, philosophy, politics to poetry.

Dr Stori died in 2006, but he is impressioned forever, in many of his verses. His signature trick was to have a little mention of himself somewhere (quite often at the end) of his verses. I like this - it's a clever writing device indeed. In this poem, entitled Haq, حق from his Khwagai Misrai خوږې مسرۍ collection, we are reminded of the importance of our parents. Next to our duty of faith and love of Allah, our parents rank very highly. May Allah bless all of ours.

I dedicate this one to mine.

Tor_Khan تور خان

حق

اول حق په هر بنده د خداى غفار دى

پس د داى نه، بيا حق د مور او پلار دى

پس له مرګه به ئى هم روح ناارام وى

چې اخستى چا د مور او پلار ازار دى

په د نيا كى هم ښه ورځ موند لى نه شي

چې خد مت د مور او پلار نه څوك انكار دى

د بخت ستوری به ئى روڼ وي تل تر تله

چې رښتيا د مور او پلار څوك خد متګار دى

ډاکتر کبير ستوری

A Classroom View

2011-05-15T22:17:00.006+04:00

Welcome to my world.

Collage created using Google Picasa.

Photos taken using a Samsung Galaxy S.

Global War: Local Cause?

2011-05-14T14:24:00.001+04:00

More than 100 dead; many more injured.

There is a terrible inevitability about the twin bombings in Charsadda, yesterday morning. Little about it is different from previous bombings. There is the same vicious tactic of two devices - one designed to kill helpers moments after the first blast. There is the familiar target: recruits to the underpaid, under-equipped paramilitary frontier corps. There is a familiar culprit: the Pakistani Taliban, who claimed the attack.

The difference is that this strike comes after the death of Osama bin Laden. It is an attack, claimed in the name of al-Qaida, by Pakistanis on Pakistanis. I'm not the sympathiser, the analyst, nor the strategist here, but I do have a question.

Why?

Why is it that we live in a world where the region to which I owe my personal history continues to be caught up in a war without end? Why is it that Pakistan and the US continue with a delusional marriage that aggravates the suffering? Why is it that Pashtoons appear to be caught up in someone else's war? Why is it that Islam ("peace") has increasingly little to do with this? Why?

The story goes that Osama bin Laden is dead, killed in a secret raid that may/may not have had Pakistani involvement and one that continues to raise questions on the legitimacy - should the US have entered sovereign territory; should bin Laden have been captured and tried; what was the exact narrative of events? Many questions unanswered and perhaps for another time.

But for now I wish to understand the whys I raised earlier. Jason Burke, writes in The Guardian that Osama's "strategy, happily, was not always a successful one ... [many groups across the Middle East] ... rejected Bin Laden's advances, as did others throughout the Far East, the Balkans, the Caucasus and Central Asia."

Global War: Local Cause?

But of those that did sign up, there is a decidedly local dimension which appears first. The global brand of terrorism, such as the Tehrik-e-Taliban-Pakistan, who were responsible for an attempted bombing in New York last year have hitched their local cause to the broader one – against the "Crusader Zionist alliance" or their local hypocrite, infidel, apostate stooges (in this case the Pakistani government and military and all who work for them).

In his article, Burke makes the key point about the appeal for radical groups not being universal across the Muslim world, but points out that "the global language usually disguises local weakness. That of the Pakistani Taliban is that they are not a conservative traditional group battling to preserve age-old customs but a bunch of marginalised men from smaller tribes, without education, without positions in the social hierarchy and who would be nothing without the power of the gun."

... Above all, what the invocation of a dead Saudi-born terrorist's name is aimed at disguising is the truth about the various conflicts that have been conflated into the narrative, in Washington as much as in compounds in Abbottabad, of one single civilisational clash.

In fact, there is no single conflict, simply a nasty mesh of individual wars, most of which pitch countryman against countryman, in Iraq, in Afghanistan and in Pakistan."

Bakht Zamina - بخت زمينه

2011-05-04T23:40:00.007+04:00

There is something incredibly iconic about media personalities who die young - James Dean, Che Guevara, Princess Diana, Madhubala - their images frozen in youth forever.

Bakht Zamina, بخت زمينه, is amongst those iconic names and was caught up in the conflicts between Soviet loyalists and the resistance at the start of the Afghan troubles beginning in the seventies. Her loyalties to the resistance and her songs of support meant that she ultimately paid with her life.

In perhaps, one of the clearest surviving recordings in the public sphere, she performs Akhtar De Mazedara. One for a glimpse into what was certainly a beautiful past.

Tor_Khan تور خان

Osama, Dead.

2011-05-02T23:24:00.000+04:00

This is not a good day for Pakistan, despite the announcement of the death of Osama Bin Laden.

The compound in Abbotabad that Osama Bin Laden was found in was reported to have had high walls, barbed wire and security cameras. Did the intelligence arm of the Pakistan military - the Inter Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI) know he was here less than a 1km away from a military academy?

Since 2005, the US authorities have become increasingly persuaded that the ISI has taken an "a la carte" approach to terrorist groups - picking and choosing which group to support.

Crudely, this boils down to whether the groups act as a hedge against the growing regional influence of India.

Billions in aid is sent every year to Pakistan and if the US assessment is that there were elements within the ISI who did know where Osama Bin Laden was hiding, US relations with Pakistan - already severely strained - could reach crisis point.

... Oh and ... whilst I do know better than to join the conspiracy theory wagon, exactly where are the photographs that prove the death yesterday ...?

The Piano

2011-04-27T00:28:00.002+04:00

The Piano, an animated short by Aidan Gibbons is a film that speaks on many levels, and incredibly, all without voice. It begins, very simply, with a man playing a piano and during the course of the film we learn a little about his life, his thoughts, his sense of separation and his hope. Overall, a very touching experience.

I have seen this in three versions - two different soundtracks and a completely silent version. It so happens to be the film that is a focus of study with my class of 10 year-olds. Click here for the version used in schools, whilst just below, I present the original version featuring 'Comptine D'une Autre Ete' by Yann Tiersen.

Ode to Serco

2011-04-25T19:34:00.004+04:00

Schools, computers and student reporting, ha? A little ditty, I wrote and sent by email to a colleague. I mentioned SERCO, the supposed wonderful school management/student reporting system. All, in good humour, I hope, but summarises how educators under pressure are made to feel now and then.

Ode to Serco

SERCO's sometimes complex, sometimes it's all wrong.

Sometimes it’s just erratic, though I'm often told "Hold On!"

A little error nagged us, so Dave and I one night -

Stayed back a little longer, and we thought that fixed it right -

But the bug came back, the very next day

We thought there was no danger

The bug came back; was here to stay

And came back even stranger

5B and A were fixed, I thought

And 5C in its place

But when I looked at SERCO,

It laughed right back at my face.

"You thought you fixed me, didn't you?"

"You thought you'd make me tame?"

"You thought I'd just run out of tricks"

"But I've a better game."

"Try this - I have some random names"

"Try this, I have a class."

"That doesn't match to what you thought."

"I love a little laugh."

So, when I look to Numeracy, and see a list of names,

That's not to be, supposed to be, it's like a losing game.

So here I am, Dear Mr Jones, back to the square called one.

And whilst I hope, you liked this rhyme, reports are just not fun.

I’m hoping that you’ll tame this beast, that’s making life a pain

And next time when I write you Sir, my will is once again

Restored to where it ought to be, you know just what I mean

It’s hard to smile, be on good show, when deep inside you scream.

Life's A Journey

2011-04-18T19:20:00.010+04:00

We traverse through this life we are living as a gift from Allah. It is a journey for each of us - a unique and very personal journey; one that touches upon the paths our lives travel. No two paths are the same and each one of us is living a personal experience with our life.

This year has had me and those that I love and care for shuttling back and forth between East and West, moving between time and cultural zones in order to bridge gaps, leaving a trail of experience behind us. Last week I was in Yorkshire, this week I am in Abu Dhabi.

I have sensed change for some time now, and whilst I have often thought it wiser to allow myself time to explore my innermost thoughts within the safe sphere of myself, invariably there comes a time when we begin to outwardly express our apprehensions and hopes.

I know that in this journey of life, we press on. Much more I will not say now, except to return to that very first post that I made here in which I considered life to be a journey and myself to be a traveller on that journey. With every step may I be guided by Allah. Ameen. That is my deepest desire.

"To finish the moment, to find the journey's end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours is wisdom." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Talking Through The Door

2011-04-11T01:27:00.003+04:00

The words inspire, and as such, Rumi, gets the occasional mention here. This verse, I dedicate to someone who has taken the time to call me a friend. I am humbled, so may I be so honourable as to live up to that ideal.

Talking Through The Door

You said, Who's at the door?
I said, Your slave.

You said, What do you want?
To see you and bow.

We talked through the door. I claimed
a great love and that I had given up
what the world gives to be in that love.

You said, Such claims require a witness.
I said, This longing, these tears.

You said, Discredited witnesses.
I said, Surely not.

You said, Who did you come with?
This majestic imagination you gave me,

Why did you come?
The musk of your wine was in the air.

What is your intention?
Friendship.

Talking Through the Door Part 1

Talking Through the Door Part 2

One Laptop Per Child - Why?

2011-04-04T23:32:00.001+04:00

Continued from previous posting ... Why give a laptop to a child who may have no electricity or even running water?

In Part 2 of the video produced by the One Laptop Per Child Foundation, this is a fundamental question is explored. Provides some very valuable food for thought.

One Laptop Per Child - Mission

2011-04-02T23:13:00.003+04:00

There are many arguments and counter arguments in regards to the effectiveness of the One Laptop Per Child Foundation, but put like this, there is a sense of purpose for project itself. This is the first of a two parter - the second video which will follow in the next posting defines the "laptop" project as a "education" project.

100 Silver Coins

2011-03-30T23:47:00.005+04:00

Mullah Nasr-ed-Din Hodja set up a stall with a sign above it:

Two Questions On Any Subject Answered For Only 100 Silver Coins.

A man passing by the stall who was troubled by matters to do with both family and business had two very urgent questions. He stopped, looked at the sign above Nasr-ed-Din and handed over his money, saying:

"A hundred silver coins is rather expensive for two questions, isn't it?"

"Yes," said Nasr-ed-Din, "and the next question, please?"

Read more Nasr-ed-Din stories here.

Dear Afghanistan

2011-03-29T01:45:00.000+04:00

Dear Afghanistan,

At the end of World War I an armistice (truce) was called and soldiers not more than a 100 yards from each other laid down their weapons and the silence on the battlefield was "the voice of God" speaking to mankind. In 2011 on the 11th hour of the 11th day on the 11th month bells will ring out across the world for remembrance of all who have suffered from war and for hope that the world will find it's way out of this killing mindset that has plagued us for far too long. Join us by ringing bells and remembering on November 11th, on 11/11/11 at 11:00am.

Peace out,

Dave Logsdon
Veterans for Peace, Minneapolis

Dear Afghanistan,

It is time for peace. We can create a peaceful world if we work hard and truly desire peace.

I hope that the war in Afghanistan will end and that peace will come.

Sincerely,

Bruce Magnuson
Minneapolis, Minnesota
USA

This is a brief message of protest and hope. I protest the continuing war in Afghanistan as wasteful of human life, and I hope for a peaceful future for both Afghans and for an American people weary of pointless wars.

Thank you.

Steve Bastasch

Dear Afghanistan,

I'm writing to you from Bellingham, Washington, USA. I detest violence and abhor killing. Today I'm joining the millions of people who are calling for an end to war in your ravaged country. You are not alone; you are not hated or feared; we will continue to do all that we can to bring this war to an end.

Peace,

Carolyn

Selected letters taken from 449 Dear Afghanistan emails of peace.

Je Suis Tor Khan

2011-03-27T15:06:00.000+04:00

Created in Wordle. Inspired by randomness.

Tor_Khan تور خان

New Year Hope - د نوی کال هیله

2011-03-21T19:14:00.006+04:00

دوستان او همکاران

د بسم الله سره

سلامونه وړاندې کووم او ټولو له د نوی کال هیله غواړم

خوشاله اوسئ، اباد اوسئ، د خدائ په ښه نظرونه کښی اوسئ

آمین

هيله
اميد
Hope

نوروز مبارک

Tor_Khan تور خان

Pakhtoon Schools Project

2011-03-12T15:12:00.005+04:00

The Yorkshire and Lancashire textile and steel mills of the 1950s and 1960s saw a wave of immigration from the then newly independent Pakistan and India - lands once occupied by the British Empire. Those who lived through this time tell their own tales of racism, building cultural bridges, acceptance and an emerging post-war British identity. These were not easy times and the experiences have left their mark, but the story of Ramon Mohamed's father goes back further, to the small village of Toru near Mardan, Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa.

Pakhtoon Schools Project

Ramon's journey to find his roots has been chronicled on his website and his travels across Pakistan and Afghanistan have inspired in him a desire to fulfill a personal mission - that is to build a school overlooking his father's grave not far from the grounds of Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan. Ramon has gained some publicity for raising awareness and the opportunity to work with Sheffield University who are supporting his efforts.

In a joined up world, people cross paths and here too, minds meet. Ramon's journey of discovery through life brought him to the UAE a couple of weeks back when I hosted him. I was very fortunate to learn more about the man and his remarkable vision in our conversations together.

Ramon and I share some key commonality - both of us draw from our combined Pashtoon and Yorkshire influences, both of us are primary educationalists and both of us have a passion for the development of educational opportunities in the Pashtoon belt. We share the ideal of a peaceful, progressive people, literate in world-affairs, technology and Pashto language.

It would be right to consider Ramon Jan a friend. He is already a commentator on this blog and this photograph from a posting I made on a BBC news report about the destruction of schools in Afghanistan is one that comes from Ramon Jan himself whilst observing open-air schools in Nangarhar. All our journeys continue in whichever direction Allah has prescribed for us, but I hope to use this space periodically to share thoughts and update on the progress of the school projects.

For readers and visitors to this blog, do follow the link here to learn more.

Aziz Alemzay - ملی اتڼ

2011-02-21T17:34:00.021+04:00

A musical interlude. Enjoy. The video here by Aziz Alemzay features the Attan.

راشهئ ځوانانو ملی اتڼ جوړ دی

عزیز عالمزی

Tor_Khan تور خان

Digital Technology: Diffusion and Revolution

2011-02-19T21:28:00.000+04:00

continued from previous posting

Technology: Diffusion and Revolution

In 1996, 80 percent of the population in 50 Muslim countries did not have regular access to a telephone. By 2006, this proportion had dropped to 20 percent. The diffusion rates for other information and communication technologies are also high, generally higher than those in non-Muslim developing countries: between 2000 and 2010, the compound annual growth rate of internet users was 32 percent, compared with 24 percent for the rest of the developing world. See here.

Consider “doubling time,” a figure used by demographers to refer to the amount of time it takes for a country’s population to double. Applied to technology diffusion, this reveals rapid trends: on average, since 2000, the number of internet users in Muslim countries has doubled every 8 months.

Understanding technology diffusion in Muslim countries offers some insight into why current political leaderships are being challenged. Mounir Khelifa, a Tunisian literature professor, speaking to Reuters, explains that the uprisings were made possible by the emergence of a generation raised during this information technology age. Both the Internet and Satellite Television undercut the propaganda of state media, creating the opportunity for people to develop their own consensus on their rights.

The recent uprisings in the Arab world began with the death of Mohamed Bouazizi, a protesting Tunisian shopkeeper who self-immolated, which activated a cross boundary network of people exhausted by authoritarian rule. Within weeks, digitally-enabled protesters in Tunisia had deposed their dictator after a series of strikes, protests and a mass civil disobedience movement called the Jasmine Revolution. Satellite television and the social media allowed the trend to spread across the Middle East. Even President Obama has identified technology as one of the key variables that enabled average Egyptians to protest. True, digital media alone didn’t oust Mubarak, but it did provide the medium by which calls for freedom have cascaded across the region.

Technology: Politics of Change

And what of the sands? Where will they settle? It is difficult to know but what is already being called the Arab Spring, it is likely to lead to more political casualties. I remain cautious about what happens next - the western media is rather formulaic in its response and seems to feel that tomorrow the Arabs of the middle east will wake up as free citizens in fully established democracies or that militant theocracies will manoeuvre quick take-overs and send forth an army of radicals.

Nothing is quite certain and in no way am I ambivalent towards what is happening. I live here; I see it through a different lens and in particular, I think solutions need to be local.

There is much to be learned from this. Right now, I feel like I know two things. Firstly, in the modern world that we live in, we should not underestimate the will of people and the power that they have in tapping into the technologies available to them. Secondly, long term, brutal regimes and autocracies cannot survive; change will occur. The sands will continue to shift.

For further reading on Information Technology and Political Islam follow this link.

Arabian Spring: Storm in the Desert

2011-02-18T20:28:00.003+04:00

Background: Desert Storm and Shifting Sands

The desert landscape whilst breath-taking and awe-inspiring is rather bitter, bleak and prone to change. The winds blow one way and huge sand formations - dunes, shift. To be out in the desert when this occurs is challenging - fixed points no longer appear to be where they were and for those not versed in the art of desert survival, the disorientation and the lack of being able to mark out your navigation points to safety, can mean incumbent disaster.

The point is, whilst we may be nostalgic about, and sometimes at pains at, how things are, sometimes radical shifts occur. This means it's not the same any-more and in the midst of change, we have to navigate our own unique ways through to betterment and safety. Whilst the changing nature of the desert makes it less predictable, the constructs of society are more within human control. It is perhaps easier, to find pathways in society than it is in the desert. We can shape, change and build, in a way that we can't tame nature.

As I write, we are living in the midst of significant shifting of sands. The Arab World is demanding change. What we see in Tunisia, in Egypt, in Jordan, in Yemen, in Saudi Arabia, in Libya, in Bahrain, in Algeria - over and over, is the demand for change. Today, thousands of people in Bahrain have entered Pearl Square - the tanks and the security forces are in direct conflict with the crowds. In Libya too, anti-government protesters are out in the streets and there appears to be little stopping of opposition movements across the region.

Living in the UAE, the tides of unrest and the storms within the Arabian landscape, are felt ever more powerfully here. The nature of the protest movements and how they have spread his interests me as a student of Digital Technologies and Communication. The political and social dimensions are important to me as a Muslim too. Governments are watching and waiting to see how this unfolds.

continued in the next posting

Mirwais Hotak - ميرويس هوتک

2011-02-15T03:32:00.002+04:00

Mirwais Khan Hotak, (1673–1715) Ghilzai Pashtoon, founder of the Hotak Dynasty and Emir of Greater Kandahar* is widely celebrated amongst the Pashtoons for ending the repressive rule of Gorgin Khan, (King George of Kartli, Georgia) when the latter was posted to Kandahar as Viceroy (Beglarbeg) by the Safavid ruler, Soltan Hussein.

Mirwais Hotak, was at first taken prisoner by Gorgin Khan and sent to Isfahan, but then was later granted the right to perform Hajj by the Shah. He returned to Kandahar to challenge the Gorgin where he raised a rebellion and took this to into Persia, ending the 200 year rule of the Safavids and establishing Afghan rule over Isfahan.

MIrwais refused the title of King, despite his liberation of Afghan lands and his conquest of Persia, but instead accepted the tile of Mashar (elder). To the Pashtoons, Haji Mirwais Hotak remains Mirwais Neeka حاجي ميرويس نيکه (Grandfather Mirwais) a unifier of the Pashtoon people and a national hero.

Tor_Khan تور خان

*today this would be much of southern Afghanistan and Sistan-Balochistan

For a short film on Afghan History, click here.

A Conversation Between Two Great Men

2011-02-14T17:04:00.001+04:00

When I reflect on the continuing turmoil that surrounds the lands of my people, I think of how far we have strayed from Bacha Khan's vision. I take comfort, however, in these words here - the possibility - the hope and the belief of who we are. Here's an excerpt of a conversation between Mahatma Gandhi and Bacha Khan, two incredibly great men:

BACHA KHAN: Gandhiji, you have been preaching non violence in India for a long time now, but I started teaching the Pathans non-violence only a short time ago. Yet, in comparison, the Pathans seem to have grasped the idea of non-violence much quicker and much better than the Indians. Just think how much violence there was in India during the war in 1942. Yet in the North West Province, in spite of all the cruelty and the oppression the British inflicted upon them, not one Pathan resorted to violence, though they too possess the instruments of violence. How do you explain that?

GANDHIJI: Non-violence is not for cowards. It is for the brave and the courageous. And the Pathans are more brave and courageous than the Hindus. That is the reason why the Pathans were able to remain non-violent.

Read more.

Fall of the Pharaoh: Umm Al Dunya

2011-02-12T22:45:00.003+04:00

Umm Al Dunya

And so the Pharoah in Egypt falls after a 30 year grip on power. I may be forgiven for referring to Hosni Mubarak as a Pharoah, but see a Pharoah, was NOT just a despotic Emperor King who was considered a deity. The word Pharoah referred to a Great House. Does the Great House still hold power? When a House falls, crushed by the weight of its age and ruin, another one can be built in its place. But in Egypt do we see a rebuilding or another Pharaoh King moving into the Great House? Right now the military has moved in so not much changes; later, perhaps, the old house can be demolished and a new one built by the will of the people.

The Egyptians call their country Umm Al Dunya - Mother of the World. An ancient cradle of civilisation, social order, technology and writing. There will be many who in years to come will look back at how in 2011 the Egyptian Pharaoh of Old was brought down by a technology and social media of new - Twitter/Blogger/Facebook and the like. Now here's where I do get to see close up what is happening - I know people and have spoken with them, both in person and through electronic communications that this Egyptian revolution is an e-revolution of a kind.

I wonder about the transferability of the UAE model - it's a "minus democracy" model that isn't perfect, but evidently people coming in see prosperity, internationalism, relative freedom and hope. In many ways this is what the Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions were about right? Hope itself? That, I pray, is the message that the people in our Arab neighbourhood carry in the months and years to come.

Fall of the Pharaoh: Walk Like An Egyptian

2011-02-10T00:25:00.003+04:00

The Pharaoh's House is in Ruins and the political rumbling in the neighbourhood is that of the need for reform in the Arab world.

I must confess, that whilst living in the Arab world, I am not personally expert in the various political movements - the underground conversations, the enmity, the political oppression/suppression and the like that exists. That doesn't mean that I don't know it exists or that there isn't real tension in the Arab world. I have, rather narrowly I guess, come across old loyalties - loyalty to the "king" and not face-to-face with his opposition.

It is interesting to compare, however, what is happening is Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen and what has raised its head in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Algeria with the UAE. This is, perhaps, not untypical. A key aspect of life in the Gulf is to not speak. I know many expat Arabs hanging on to jobs for whom lifestyle and privilege dull the sense of 'fight' and the need to speak is slowly lost.

See here, Emiratis are well looked after by the state. The UAE is also remarkably free - not everything goes, but pretty much a lot does. The print media is relatively free in fact; there are boundaries - every society has them, but mostly they do not affect middle class personal pursuits. Abayas and Kanduras are the national dress, and there is an expectation that for official business national dress for the locals will happen, but away from officialdom, even the Abayas are a genuine haute couture fashion industry in themselves. Life in the UAE is about opportunity for the Emiratis, a short history of transformation of the old desert culture to a new modern lifestyle and hope.

Hope is key - the best universities are being brought in, new malls and hotels are being built, new technologies are being trialed, all the modern utilities are available at the touch of a button, money is splashed around and consumerism is embedded in the culture - American-style fast food, shopping etc. all mixed up with the international crossroads that the UAE has become. The UAE is a paternalistic society with most Emiratis and white collar expats being looked after; western-sytle democracy is not how it has worked here since the union was established in 1971. With the opportunities and lifestyle on offer, the question is not one that is a foremost request. There are the voices of caution, yes, but right now the UAE is riding on a crest of self-confidence, freedom to live a modern lifestyle and future hope.

So what of Egypt? Right now the sands in the Arab desert landscape are shifting. The Egyptians do not live with the same prosperity as the Emiratis, and therefore politics perhaps matters even more. Here's where the paths diverge. Emiratis walk their own walk, proud of their leadership and what the Sheikhs have done for them, deeply loyal and full of hope; whilst the Tunisians, the Yemenis and the Egyptians, skeptical, outcast and disillusioned walk a very different walk.

Multiculturalism: A Prime Minister Speaks

2011-02-06T21:50:00.005+04:00

Nothing really changes. It seems that some people are never pleased, and others will pander to fashionable hysteria. It is the same today as it was yesterday as it was the day before and when I was growing up. Too many of us still need a fall guy; some-one to shift the blame onto; a bogeyman caricature; an enemy to help define ourselves.

Europe's uneasy relationship with the Islamic world is rooted in history and David Cameron speaks with rather common voice:

Under the doctrine of state multiculturalism we have encouraged different cultures to live separate lives, apart from each other and the mainstream. We have failed to provide a vision of society to which they feel they want to belong.

We have even tolerated these segregated communities behaving in ways that run counter to our values. So when a white person holds objectionable views – racism, for example – we rightly condemn them. But when equally unacceptable views or practices have come from someone who isn't white, we've been too cautious, frankly even fearful, to stand up to them.

Europe needs to wake up to what is happening in our own countries. We need to be absolutely clear on where the origins of these terrorist attacks lie – and that is the existence of an ideology, Islamist extremism.

At the furthest end includes those who back terrorism to promote their ultimate goal: an entire Islamist realm, governed by an interpretation of shariah.

Move along the spectrum, and you find people who may reject violence, but who accept various parts of the extremist world-view including real hostility towards western democracy and liberal values.

If we are to defeat this threat, he says, its time to turn the page on on the failed policies of the past. So first, instead of ignoring this extremist ideology, we as governments and societies have got to confront it in all its forms.

David Cameron's speech follows on the heals of Angela Merkel's "Multiculturalism Has Failed" speech in October of last year. So the man at the top of the ladder in British politics, the Queen's representative and the first man of Britain, also knocks "multiculturalism". Frankly, I don't think that Britain in anyway leads on the matter and the failure of multiculturalism must have much to do with Germany and Britain both having allowed downward signalling ghettos to exist - enclaves within their systems where migrants and their kin are forced into the outer edges of mainstream society. Add to that relative poverty and low opportunity and failure stares you right back.

Many, many societies, have people of different racial types, religious views, languages, shades and opinions and whilst no place is perfect, "multiculturalism" is probably not even a word in those places. People just soldier on with their work, their daily routines and get on with providing safety and security for their families. Multiculturalism exists in a day-in, day-out basis. It just is.

Has multiculturalism in Europe failed? Well since Europe is still riding on a past nostalgia, I'm not surprised at these kinds of speeches. It's a "blame" game, nothing else. I don't eulogise most politicians in the slightest, so fortunately I can dismiss Cameron's attempt at courting popular prejudice. For most politicians, even national leaders, I find believing that they can possibly speak without agenda, something of a challenge. But just so that Cameron is reminded - he is no Barack Obama. Barack "Hussein" Obama. You know, the African-American President with a Muslim family. But then again, Britain is no America - where immigrants, Muslims included, are the key components of the contemporary American melting pot.

Cameron and Merkel ...? Hang on to yesteryear. Stay in your little pasts.

سپوږمۍ ته سلام

2011-02-01T00:01:00.003+04:00

!سلام سپوږمیه

Salaam Dear Moon

زما اوستا ترمنځ شوغرونه

سپینې سپوږمۍ ته سلام به کړمه

عبدل کبیرکاکړ

Photograph of the Moon taken by Tor Khan.
Yorkshire, Summer 2010 using a Sony Exmor.

The landay is dedicated to someone.

Speaking from the Chalkface

2011-01-31T00:06:00.002+04:00

... In fact, it was a wise Head Teacher who considering the whole picture, once said that teaching itself was like being on a mouse-wheel.

"No matter how fast you go, or no matter how much you slow down, you are always in the same place."

Puts the whole business of the delivery of education into perspective when I take this view.

The PashTones!

2011-01-29T17:19:00.004+04:00

We live in a world full of cultural crossroads. The PashTones represent an adaptation of Pashto folk songs in American folk/acoustic styles. On their website, the PashTones write that they wish "to expand current modes of engagement and exchange between Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the West by opening into the register of poetry and music." It is always a positive step when people take a genuine interest.

The after-effects of last year's floods in Pakistan still continue to affect millions. 20 million people are still in need of urgent assistance in the affected areas. An estimated 1.9 million homes were damaged or destroyed in the tragedy, and efforts are still needed to help rebuild lives. All proceeds from this album sales will go toward Oxfam's flood relief efforts in Pakistan.

Enjoy the three track sampler.
Follow the PashTones further on Facebook.

Tor_Khan تور خان

Part 2: John Mohammed - Across Borders

2011-01-27T22:19:00.000+04:00

Continued from previous posting. Despite the descent into chaos, John Mohammed has decided to fight for his adopted culture.

"I saw the rural, religious Pashtun way of life I had come to love so much being diluted, contaminated and poisoned, in particular by arrivals from the Middle East," he says. "The way they practise Islam is very different to the tribal areas. They use money and influence to impose their own set of values."

Peaceful Islam

In the early 1990s, John Mohammed joined the BBC World Service Pashto service and helped to set up New Home New Life, a now Iconic Afghan radio soap opera, known as The Archers of Afghanistan. Six years ago, he set up a radio station which broadcasts across the Afghan-Pakistan border and which tries to promote tribal traditions along with peace and reconciliation.

More recently, John has switched his attentions back to Afghanistan and is spearheading the formation of a new Islamic university in the predominantly Pashtun city of Jalalabad.

"It makes perfect sense. There is currently nowhere in Afghanistan where a young man can do higher Islamic studies. They go to Pakistan, where as we know some of them have become radicalised," he says, emphasising that his university will give a platform to moderates.

But this promotion of peaceful Islam has set him on a collision course with militants. His beloved Pakistan has now become too unsafe for him.

"Swat is a militarised zone and people I see as foreigners there now treat me like I'm the foreigner, even though I lived there for 40 years. It's hard to work out who is who any more - who is Taliban, who is criminal. The waters are very muddy."

Download the podcast from the BBC telling this remarkable story.

Part 1: John Mohammed - Story from Swat

2011-01-24T21:55:00.004+04:00

"There is only one John Mohammed - unique."

When I learn that John Mohammed Butt has spent most of the past 40 years living amongst the Pashtoon tribes, who inhabit the hinterland between Afghanistan and Pakistan where he is regarded as a native Pashtoon and revered as an Islamic scholar, I can't help but sit up and learn more.

Until recently, home for John Mohammed was a tiny village in the Swat Valley. He arrived in Swat in 1969, he says, as a young hippy and stayed. When his fellow hippies grew up and went home to become accountants and lawyers, John remained - becoming fluent in Pashto and studying Islam.

He laughs. "When people call me an ageing ex-hippy, I always reply that I am ageing maybe, but I'm certainly not ex. I'm still a hippy."

But John's world changed in the late 1980s, with the arrival of militants, who came to the border areas from all over the world to fight the war against the Russians in Afghanistan. His beloved Swat, once a popular tourist destination, was also unable to escape downwards spiral into battles between the Pakistani military, the Taliban and the people.

"I saw the rural, religious Pashtun way of life I had come to love so much being diluted, contaminated and poisoned" he says.

Read more here and in the next posting.

Source: BBC

Educational Technology Debate

2011-01-19T00:35:00.001+04:00

On my journey through the whole Crystal Maze of Educational Technology, I keep coming back to a few simple questions about what works, what is ethical and what are the costs. Some of these questions, perhaps remain open ended, but provide for genuine debate and what I feel would make for valuable areas of investigation for my upcoming research project.

The Educational Technology Debate (ETD) seeks to promote a substantive discussion of how low-cost information and communication technology (ICT) device initiatives for educational systems in developing countries are relevant to the very groups they purport to serve – the students, teachers, and their surrounding communities.

Aujhourd'hui

2011-01-11T11:11:00.001+04:00

Aujhourd'hui

11.1.11

=
!

Mashar - مشر

2011-01-09T22:26:00.002+04:00

إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون

An elder dies, (a Mashar in our community) and he leaves behind his worldly suffering and the body that had imprisoned him of late. He moves on. Our Creator calls. Here, in this world, people mourn the loss and the space left behind by the Mashar. This is a prescribed plan in Allah's design for us all - the people who have lived and died before us have already taken this path - and so the Mashar is not alone. We have yet to follow, be released from our own bonds and shackles and make that journey. Allah has already written this for us all.

May Allah guide us all and grant the Mashar*, the Kashar**, the Shaheed*** and all their loved ones faith and peace.

Ameen.

Tor_Khan تور خان

*an elder, **a younger one, ***a martyr

Journey of Hope

2011-01-01T17:44:00.006+04:00

In 2010, Central Asia Institute projects have continued with educating a roster of 68,000 students, including 54,000 girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan. They also established 42 new schools, and also initiated two dozen other temporary schools in shelters, tents and rented buildings. To date the Central Asia Institute has 172 schools, dozens of literacy and computer centres and a budding scholarship program for advanced students.

Despite the gloom surrounding the region and the pain of the people, I want to begin 2011 with the view that there is always hope. I continue to remain in awe and admiration of Greg Mortenson's work and including a link here to the CAI publication that reflects on the previous twelve months, appropriately enough entitled Journey of Hope.

Auld Lang Syne

2010-12-31T10:30:00.001+04:00

Robert Burns (January 1759 – July 1796) famously took an old Scottish folk song and wrote it in a version that is now associated with Hogmany, marking the tradition of New Year's Eve. Across the world Auld Lang Syne* continues to be heard in various forms as the end of one year becomes the dawn of another. I share a contemporary version here that carries a feel-good message of hope. Peace and hope to everyone. Ameen. Tor_Khan.

Should old acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!

The new year brings us hope for peace,
A new day for mankind,
Where we can all live hand in hand
And leave all hate behind.

For auld lang syne, my dear.
For auld lang syne.
We'll take a cup of kindness yet
For auld lang syne.

When dreams they seem so far away,
Your soul can feel so low.
But love is never far away;
Your heart won't be alone.

Let's make a world where people care,
A world that knows no fear,
Where we can open up our hearts
And hold each other dear.

Our children grow, they need to know
The Future's theirs to hold.
If we can teach them how to love
Then the world can carry on.

For auld lang syne, my dear.
For auld lang syne.
We'll take a cup of kindness yet
For auld lang syne.

*old long since

Red Is Like A Trumpet Sound

2010-12-28T02:16:00.007+04:00

I ASKED THE LITTLE BOY WHO CANNOT SEE

I asked the little boy who cannot see,

"And what is colour like?"

"Why, green," said he,

"Is like the rustle when the wind blows through

The forest; running water, that is blue;

And red is like a trumpet sound; and pink

Is like the smell of roses; and I think

That purple must be like a thunderstorm;

And yellow is like something soft and warm;

And white is a pleasant stillness when you lie

And dream."

ANON

Morpheus Speaks

2010-12-25T00:01:00.002+04:00

MORPHEUS Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream, Neo? How would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world?

MORPHEUS The Matrix is everywhere, it's all around us, here even in this room. You can see it out your window, or on your television. You feel it when you go to work, or go to church or pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.

NEO What truth?

MORPHEUS That you are a slave, Neo. That you, like everyone else, was born into bondage ... kept inside a prison that you cannot smell, taste, or touch. A prison for your mind.

MORPHEUS The Matrix is a system Neo. That system is our enemy. But when you're inside, you look around, what do you see? Businessmen, teachers, lawyers, carpenters. The very minds of the people we are trying to save ... You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it.