Two-Muslim Theory: Part 1

Article originally by Tahir Mehdi appeared in the Dawn. Presented here in an adapted format. 

Introducing Bacha Khan

When someone says 'Muslims of Indo-Pak subcontinent' with reference to history, does this refer to one unanimous, monolithic block of people with no shades and diversity? The reality is divergent political interests and ambitions of Muslims throughout the subcontinents history before and beyond the period that ended on this day 65 years ago. A reintroduction to these groups and how the new state of Pakistan responded to their political aspirations might help us understand where we stand now.

Pre-partition Muslims can be classified in many ways beyond sectarian differences within Islam. The followers of one sect are not a completely homologous group either, as they may differ on other counts like economic class, cast, language, culture etc. These attributes have an impact on way people behave and act in spheres of economy, politics, culture and even faith. It's only natural to consider that all these factors make one what he or she is. Instead of labouring over an academically-sound definition of each, this post offers an example of one person from two of these two groups.

Abdul Ghaffar Khan was born in 1890 to rural middle-class Pakhtun parents of Utmanzai, a small town in the present day district of Charssadda. At the age of 20 he opened a school in his village. He had woken up to the fact that his people have no future if they don't educate themselves and their children. The tall, young man proved to be a zealous missionary. He would walk for miles from one village to the other with his simple message – educate yourself and abstain from violence. He was a devout Muslim, a five-timer namazi parhaizgar and would draw heavily from Islamic history and the Prophet's sayings to rally fellow Pakhtuns. People joined him in droves. 

His appeal matured into charisma and in his 30s, he founded a social reform movement named Khudai Khidmatgar (Servants of God). By now he was named Badshah Khan or Bacha Khan. The movemen gave its volunteers a uniform that was red and organised them on the pattern of a militia that was, in his words, armed "with the weapon of the Prophet – that is, patience and righteousness. No power on earth can stand against it." It was only Bacha Khan who could unarm Pakhtuns who otherwise were considered quarrelsome and trigger-happy.

The Red Shirts, as the volunteers of the movement were known as, were against the British rule and demanded self government. For the British, the then province of NWFP had great strategic importance. It was a so-called buffer against the Afghan government that was not friendly with the Raj and also against the Russians whom the British dreaded as their rivals.

The Bolshevik revolution of Russia in 1917 was emerging as a huge challenge for Imperialism. It had a natural affinity with the nations oppressed by the British. The Russian revolution was colored red. The sight of a Red Shirt in the Peshawar valley gave the British a fright. At Qisa Khani Bazar in 1930, the frenzied British forces fired directly at a protest rally of unarmed Khudai Khidmatgars killing many hundreds. The movement and its committed cadre did not budge. They stood fast. Many estimate that at its peak there were as many as a hundred thousand Red Shirts.

When the British adopted a cautious policy of sharing power with local political forces and initiated limited franchise elections, the group allied with Indian National Congress. It contested successive elections, won majority and formed governments in the province. As the British hated them, they would conspire against the Red Shirts and jailed Bacha Khan frequently and for long periods but could not undo the politicisation of the Pakhtun middle class that he had initiated.

Pakhtun felt comfortable with Congress and that didn't bear out of some personal friendship between the top leaders. Congress accommodated politics of budding smaller sub-national groups, offered them space for growth and opportunity to integrate with others without giving much consideration to religion. On the other hand, Bacha Khan did not owe his 'fearlessness' vis a vis Hindus to Pakhtun chivalric traditions, instead he had earned this confidence through successive electoral victories. He had a large constituency where Muslims were in majority. There were Hindus too but Pakhtuns did not see Hindus as threat to their religion or politics.

Despite its vociferous campaign Muslim League could not ignite fears of Hindu domination in the support base of Bacha Khan. His comrades won the land mark elections of 1946 with a thumping majority. He opposed the Partition on the basis of religion, but it happened. His democratically elected government was dismissed 8 days after the independence, on 22 August, 1947 when Muhammad Ali Jinnah was the Governor General and Liaqat Ali Khan was the Prime Minister.

read more in the next posting

Ramadhan Kareem

روژه د ټولو نیکمرغه شه
Ramadhan Kareem 
Blessed be this month to all. 

Murder and Apology

In the hysteria and media vulturism that has surrounded the murder of Lee Rigby, I still feel that this post comes too soon. The family of the dead soldier needs time to grieve, the space to support each other and to make sense of the situation. The media is not as forgiving however and sensationalism grabs the headlines. Much as I try to resist being drawn in, eventually I feel that I should also voice a comment.

I'm at odds with the media adopting extreme views, but I'm also at odds with jumping on the bandwagon of apology or justification. These are not appropriate responses. Lee Rigby was murdered in cold blood, in a most gratuitous and savage manner by assailants who had somehow been dehumanised. That act of absolute unashamed brutality, the immediate events leading up to it and the delayed response of the authorities should be under the media and investigative microscope. For the same reasons, I made a decision not to comment on the Boston attacks the Woolwich murder has led to Muslims being rolled out onto the social media platform to apologise or distance themselves from acts of terror (murder). This is a type of approval seeking and constant apology is something that I do wish to entertain. Frankly, I sense inferiority when this has to happen and I'm bored with it. Murder of someone innocent is murder. It is heinous and it deserves a just punishment. That is true if some white Norwegian is behind this or some deranged  men on the streets of London are behind this. Individual acts like this simply do not represent all the members of a society. It creates an unnecessary pressure to be apologetic. Would we also call it murder if the innocent are killed by soldiers in combat? That perhaps is a rhetorical question, though it is one I could come back to in a future post. Right now, this apology by the BBC's Nick Robinson - where the killers in the Woolwich murders were described as having a 'Muslim appearance' - has the sad potential to be almost comic.

Read Areeb Ullah's take on this.

Image Source: Real Street

Christmas Carol

There is something about Christmas that I don't like.

There, I've said it. Actually, there is a lot about Christmas that I don't like, but there are a lot of things about a lot of other things that I don't like too, so I will not escalate my views up to any level that may cause fractious disharmony. If I make an apology, it is for beginning my blog posting with that rather hard line (though I do have my reasons - see here for example).

Since readjusting to a society that is largely irreverent/hostile towards religion, I see an increasing tendency towards conformism. That doesn't always sit comfortably with me and I guess if I was to scrutinise my opinions, then some of these could be described as defined by my position as a Muslim. But there are other positions that are come simply from common sense. My view on Christmas is such and hasn't changed much over the years.

Yesterday, I was at a 'Christmas meal'. It was a social event organised by colleagues and one that I tried to keep an open mind about. I went along to it because in my current job, I am the newbie. I have encountered situations like this previously and I've generally remained polite and kept my opinions to myself. However, the 'celebration' reaffirmed what I already believed about conformism and if I was a Christian then I would be offended at what is done in the name of the Christ. It isn't up to me as a Muslim to save Christmas from depravity, commercialism and mindless destruction. That is the role of those who allow have allowed Christmas to become what it now is. Shame. 

Christmas? Bah humbug.

Santa gives more to rich kids than poor kids.

Innocence of Muslims

Two things. First, it would appear that we still need a 'bogeyman'. To be able to define our own values, it seems easier to be able to point to the values that make us nervous. Secondly, history is written by those in power and power today is in the collective hands of the 'western' media. Whether this is print media or the various forms of digital media - internet, television and so on; those who control the media undoubtedly have the greatest influence on collective thought. In a media climate where sensation sells and profits comes before anything else; nothing is really sacred.

As we have previously seen and have often discussed on these pages, Muslims are repeatedly cast as the 'bogeyman' in the current media narrative. We are easily portrayed as irrational, volatile and confrontational or hopeless victims trapped by faith and in need of liberal intervention to uplift us. It's a simplistic media view and is formed by the majority with power. 

It therefore surprises few then, that an obscure amateur film targeting Islam with ridicule should now be the focus of considerable public attention. Protests linked to the film in Benghazi, Libya led to an attack on the US embassy and the killing of the US ambassador and similar protests have taken a grip in many other major cities in the Muslim world, and here in London too.

The reaction by Muslims itself generates debates on whether a response that is a violent reflex action, is wise. Do Muslims themselves send out the right signals and is this in accordance with the commonly agreed teachings of Islam? Muslims, of course, are diverse and the truth is there is little chance of a uniform response - even at the individual level, we do not all respond in the same manner to the challenges that face us. However, there is a vacant space between the those in power and the Muslim masses, so I guess, it matters not. The film was a deliberate jibe and the violence in protest to the film was fairly predictable especially since many Muslims are frustrated by injustices - some internal and stemming from the societies in which they live and others external - anti-Islamism coming from a media machinery that continues to reinforce stereotypes and irreligiosity. I think left alone, Muslims are more than able to find their own way.

Ultimately the unequal relationship between the Muslim world and the west hurts Muslims the most. From where we stand this is likely to continue to be a long and protracted power struggle.

May Allah keep us all safe and in faith.

Partition: 1947

This post coincides with the 65th anniversary of 'Independence' - that point in 1947 marking the end of the British Raj and the division of the Indian subcontinent into the Union of India and the Dominion of Pakistan. The entire subject remain complex though over the next couple of posts, I hope to explore a few thoughts and opinions on the matter. In this post I begin by starting with a brief history.

British Colonial administration did not directly rule all of "India". There were several different political arrangements: Provinces were ruled directly and the Princely States had varying legal independent arrangements.The Indian National Congress formed in 1884 by a mixture of Indian (Hindu and Muslim) and English activists led for the initial calls to have more Indian representation within the administration.

By 1906 the All India Muslim League had been formed in Dhaka in reaction to what some elite Muslims viewed as Hindu dominance in Congress. As the appeal of Mohandas Gandhi and the Free India movement increased, a number of different scenarios were proposed. Amongst the first to make the demand for a separate state was the philosopher Allama Iqbal, who, in his presidential address to the 1930 convention of the Muslim League, proposed a separate nation for Muslims.

The 1946 Cabinet Mission aimed to reach an agreement between Congress and the Muslim League amid growing tension. Nehru, leading Congress was unwilling to accept a decentralised state and Jinnah, leading the Muslim League (made up largely of the 'secular' landed Muslim elite) returned a demand for Pakistan as a bargaining chip. Initially most Muslims opposed partition and there was no pre or post Pakistan 'plan' right up to the announcement in June 1947 that the British had set a date for handover.

Religious communalism fuelled the British decision to exit early (Lord Louis Mountbatten having just been made Viceroy of India in February 1947) and sealed - by accident - the decision to partition the subcontinent. Sir Cyril Radcliffe never having visited India before was employed to draw the boundaries between the two states in July 1947 five weeks before the end of British rule. On August 15 1947, India was granted her independence, and Pakistan the day before. Note, this was before Radcliffe Boundary Committee had made the announcement on the boundaries and before either country knew their borders. Significantly, partition led to the biggest sudden movement of people in human history  - with up to 12 to 15 million people uprooted within a short period and the after effects felt for years.

More in my next postings ...

ستا په مخ - د رحمان بابا کلام

  ستا په مخ - د رحمان بابا کلام

I believe that a timely reminder is due and so I share a rendition of Sta Pa Makh from the works of Rahman Baba. I love the haunting beauty of the words that reminds us how we are but tiny specks before Allah. Rahman Baba's words never cease to amaze.

Tor_Khan تور خان

Payam-e-Mashreq: Message from the East

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

Peace, Goodwill and Commercialism

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.

European [Dis]Union

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?

100 Silver Coins

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.

Arabian Spring: Storm in the Desert

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

Ashura

Whilst there is some debate around the exact etymology, it is generally agreed that Ashura comes from the Arabic word for ten and the term is used to signify the Remembrance of the 10th Day of Moharram.

The Battle of Karbala is commemorated during an annual 10-day period held every Moharram by both Shi'ah and Sunni Muslims, culminating on the tenth day, with The Day of Ashura.

Moharram continues to remain a month of peace and fasting on Ashura goes back to before the advent of Islam. Today amongst Muslims, Ashura is a day of mourning for the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali (RA) in 61 AH (October 2, 680 CE), son of Ali (RA) and the grandson of Mohmammed (SAW). 

May Allah accept all our prayers.

To Be a Muslim

Pa Bismillah,

I extend my welcome to all Muslim and non-Muslim, old and new. Salaam and Marhaba.

There is the way it is - and the way it is supposed to be. These are very different things.

To be a contemporary Muslim is to know that we live in an imperfect world and that there are many pulls and distractions. Muslims must navigate their faith through the issues that test us daily. That is the way it is.

And of course there is the matter of image. Muslims don't get it easy in the press. Sometimes, Muslims are drawn towards apology and it can be exhausting attempting to apologise for every error made by every Muslim that is reported. Personally speaking, I sometimes feel that I am right out of apology.

I recognise the disappointing reality of inequality - that Muslims make up a good proportion of the world's poorest people who live in the grip of disinformation and confusion. This is not the way it is supposed to be but the way that it is. The modern media feeds on this and the bad press feeds bad policy, the unnecessary wars and continual confusion within.  

Sitting in the Gulf, I see examples of how it could be but also how it should not be. Local Arabs, living off the oil boom, are anything but poor. The state apparatus is supportive of the basic needs - the way it could/should be. In Islam, our system of zakat and charity should mean a distribution of wealth and food to the poor and a natural trickle down effect. And yet amongst Muslims globally, we still have serious abject poverty, despite our systems to protect the most vulnerable - like, I say, the way it is supposed to be versus the way that it is. 

The good thing is that despite the bad press, Islam remains strong in the hearts of many Muslims and that Islam continues to draw people to the faith. I think therefore that the way it is supposed to be, is a good place to start. Lauren Booth's decision to become a Muslim is significant because of the profile of her famous brother-in-law, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is often perceived across the Muslim world as an antagonistic crusader who knowingly brought misery to Muslims. Lauren Booth's story of simpler, less dramatic approach, is a timely reminder that Islamic civilisation at its political and cultural height offered its subjects, Muslim or not, a genuine peaceful path. The way that it is supposed to be. 

And, Allah, of course, knows best.

Blessed Eid - بختور اختر

خدای پاک ته د دعا لاس اوچتوم چې د ټولو اختر په امن، په برکت او په خوشحالي وې

بختور اختر مو مبارک شه

Tor_Khan تور خان

A Short History ...

... of Nearly Everything

There's a page dedicated to the errata, so not everything you will read in Bill Bryson's book, A Short History Of Nearly Everything, is accurate, but the book is otherwise a very interesting document that charts the journey from the Big Bang to the Rise of Civilization.

Consider this quote taken from the book:

The Big Bang theory isn't about the bang itself but about what happened after the bang. Not long after, mind you. By doing a lot of maths and watching carefully what goes on in particle accelerators, scientists believe they can look back to 10^-43 seconds after the moment of creation when the universe was still so small that you would have needed a microscope to find it.

Scientists, thus can go back in time as far as one ten million trillion trillion trillionths of a second after the Big Bang took place (that is 0.0000000000000000000000000000000000000000001 seconds) after time began, before which there was nothing - no time, no universe, no matter. The rest of the book is an interesting story of numbers, figures, scientific biographies charting major discoveries, hurdles and theories of the rise of life on earth. One major consideration is how life is said to have appeared on Earth around 3.85 billion years ago.

Considering the Earth is generally considered to be 4.54 billion years old (4.54 × 109 years ± 1%) and the surface is said to have cooled around 3.9 billion years back, life appeared early.

I feel that I must mention that as a Muslim I strongly believe that ultimately Allah is all knowing and that what we put together as knowledge here is ever-changing and only a fraction of the truth. Bill Bryson himself notes that 99.9% of life that ever crossed the surface of this planet did not leave behind fossil evidence and whilst I think this is completely possible, how does anyone know, for example that this figure is 99.9%?

The book however got me thinking about a number of things, some of which I will return to in future posts, InshAllah.

Listen to the Bill Bryon interview here.

Farcebook

The recent Facebook contoversy has generated a lot of interest, not least because Pakistan and Muslims are in the news yet again. And whereas, there's nothing wrong being Muslim, it's a typical hysteric reaction from many different sides.

The Muslims, in the main, oppose this rather provocative trend of drawing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad PBUH that has gained pace since the Danish cartoon controversy. The government of Pakistan decided to ban Facebook, Youtube, Twitter etc. in a gesture to control the spread of this, particularly after a "Draw Mohammad Day" was announced and promoted via some of these mediums.

I guess, the rights and wrongs of the ban are one thing. The greater wrong has been the media momentum with which the "draw" brigade has gained voice. There is absolutely no such thing as complete free speech and whereas, I too, use this blog to voice thought and opinon, I know that I concisously filter before I write. I know that there will be an audience somewhere that will read this - and that I can choose to write to inflame or not.

Facebook or Not

The Internet represents a window on the world, that is both cruel and fascinating and as such is the home of many undesirables. Pakistan's decision to ban Facebook, controls only parts of that. The country continues to have problems at home, not least with it's over-dependency on the US, chronic power and supply shortages, a restless population and a real sense of seperation between population and state in the Pashtoon and Baloch belt. In the latter there is an armed resistance movement that opposes the state and in the former, a people divided - with evidence to suggest that paid agents of the state have inflitrated and embedded within local populations so that everyone is caught in the quagmire that is the war on terror.

The cartoonist at the centre of the controversy - has apologised - but in terms of negative publicity, heightened alarm, and entrenched positions ... well the damage is deep, and that isn't as easily undone.

Soup of the Soup of the Bones of a Rabbit (2)

Part 2 of the story  ...

... The Bones of a Rabbit ....

"We are the neighbours of the villager who brought you the rabbit yesterday." The men looked expectant. The seemed to be sniffing the air, which was already telling of the soup Fatima was preparing. Remembering his treat of yesterday, the Hodja glanced quickly at their hands. Empty!

"Oh! A fine fellow is Hussein!" cried Nasr-ed-Din Hodja. "Hosh geldiniz - your coming gives joy. Any neighbours of his are welcome. Come in! Come in! Dinner will soon be ready and you shall see what good soup Fatima can make of the bones of the rabbit. A great cook is my Fatima!"

Fatima, hearing the voices, padded softly into the room and peered through her veil. As she left the room, there were sounds behind her which might have meant, "What fun to have guests again." Or the sounds might have meant something very different.

Soon Fatima brought in a tray with three steaming bowls of soup, thick with rice and vegetables and tiny shreds of rabbit meat. She set the tray before the three men and slipped out of the room. The Hodja talked as he ate, but somehow his stories did not flow with yesterday's enthusiasm. The men thanked him for the meal and went back to their village, to tell of the hospitality of Nasr-ed-Din Hodja.

The next morning, the Hodja went warily to answer a knock at the door. There stood two other villagers - strangers again.

"And why am I honoured with this call?" Nasr-ed-Din Hodja had already glanced at their hands and found them dangling empty at their sides.

"We are the neighbours of the neighbours of the villager who brought you the rabbit." The two men grinned hopefully.

Nasr-ed-Din Hodja blinked, then said, "Come in and share my humble meal."

The men walked in and squatted on the floor while the Hodja went into the kitchen. He poured a kettle of hot water over the spoonful that remained of yesterday's soup. He poured the liquid into bowls which he carried to the room where the men were waiting.

"Oh neighbours of the neighbours of the villager who brought me the delicious rabbit!" Nasr-ed-Din Hodja's cordiality was loud. "May you enjoy this soup of the soup of the bones of the rabbit."

One neighbour of the neighbour's of Hussein looked at his bowl of water in which two grains of rice swam beside a scrap of turnip. The other neighbour of the neighbour's of Hussein looked at his bowl of water in which to grains of rice swam with a shed of onion and a chip of carrot. Nasr-ed-Din Hodja made a great noise of emptying his bowl before he smiled his guests to the door ...

Soup of the Soup of the Bones of a Rabbit (1)

I love the stories and anecdotes of Mullah Nasr-ed-Din Hodja, the thirteenth century philosopher from Ak Shehir, Anatolia. The Mullah Nasr-ed-Din stories are known throughout the Muslim world and form an important part of the folklore and oral story-telling traditions. They began to appear in English print during the 19th century and can now be found in the public domain. (Click this link to download the set known as the Turkish Jester.) Here, I share the first part of an edited version of a story that appeared in Alice Geer Kesley's compilation from 1943. I've used this in class as part of a programme on World Literature and it never fails. Enjoy.

Soup of the Soup ...

"What a fine rabbit!" Nasr-ed-Din Hodja smiled as he took the plump rabbit that Hussein, the villager, held out to him. "I caught it especially for you!" Hussein's smile was as broad as the Hodja's own.

"Fatima! Fatima!" called Nasr-ed-Din Hodja. Pulling her scarf over her face, Fatima came bustling in from the kitchen.

"See what a feast Hussein has brought us!" the Hodja chuckled in anticipation of the good meal, as Fatima held out her hand for the limp rabbit. "I am asking him to stay and eat it with us. Cook it your very best!"

Left alone, the two men sat cross-legged on the floor and talked – at least, the Hodja talked and the villager listened. The Hodja knew it would be nearly two hours before the meal was ready, but what better way to pass two hours than to have a quiet listener. Nasr-ed-Din Hodja's voice droned on contentedly. There were stories of his childhood, of his school days, of his great exploits at the court of Tamerlane the Great, of the everyday news of his own city of Ak Shehir. There were his views of this, and that, and the other. Hussein, the perfect listener, knew just when to shrug his shoulders, to click his tongue, to wag his head, to rub hands together. The pungent fragrance of roasting rabbit floated about them.

At last the door opened and in scuffled the veiled Fatima with a huge tray of rabbit and pilaf and a big plate of thin bread. She set the food between the two men and went scurrying back to the part of the house where a woman belonged when there were guests. Breaking off bits of bread, the men curved them into spoons and scooped up great mouthfuls of the steaming pilaf and rabbit. "What a cook!" sighed Hussein. There was just the right touch of garlic, just the right sprinkling of pistachio nuts, just the right dryness of the rice.

"What a rabbit!" mumbled the Hodja, his mouth full to dripping. They ate until their loose girdles were as tight as drumheads. They polished their plates with their bread to get the last succulent bit. "There are still the bones left!" Nasr-ed-Din Hodja's said, rubbing his stomach. "Fatima's soups are as good as her pilafs."

They sat and had the soup until they could eat and drink no more. Hussein, drowsy and content went home to his village reporting to his neighbours how royally he had been treated at the home of Nasr-ed-Din Hodja.

The next morning, the Hodja was called to the door again. There stood two villagers - strangers. "Salaam, dear strangers ... What is your errand?" began the Hodja.

Part 2 here.

The Art Of Manipulation

Propaganda. It's an art.

But it doesn't mean that it's any less conniving.

When I hear about some Mullahs on a UK Foreign Office tour of London it rouses my curiosity. The Mullahs are taken on-board the London Eye, where they recline, feet up, Afghan style and are treated especially well. I'm very happy for them and glad for once that Pashtoons are treated hospitably.

This does shape the visitors' opinions and when they hear of British Muslims for the first time, they learn that Muslims make up a part of the working social fabric of British society. The Mullahs are impressed. In southern Afghanistan, where there is poverty, it is perhaps not known so well that there are well-fed Muslims living in Europe. The Mullahs learn just enough to come away with the impression that British Muslims are well accommodated within British Society - free to worship and pursue their lives, and return with a message to Afghanistan that European and American forces in their country are good and are there to help.

The Foreign Office likes these types of Muslims when it serves their purposes.

But then, why do I, also Pashtoon and desiring to build bridges, not swallow this so easily?

A Very Different Reality

Perhaps, this is because it feels manipulative. I suspect that there is a deeper reason for allowing visiting Mullahs to come to Britain, especially at a time when many Brits probably feel saturated by the global Islamic presence. London is great; it's a city with lots to offer and remains one of my favourite places. Unlike the Mullahs, however, when I am in London, I have to push my way through the crowds and there is no special treatment. So a whistle-stop tour in a dynamic city as part of an official visit can create a rather superficial impression - this isn't the UK society that most Muslims that I know, are exposed to.

Consider the history - during my formative years, I came across a deep institutionalised prejudice that still shapes my thinking. This prejudice, which is built into the bricks and mortar of the social institutions we deal with daily, has still not gone away. The reality is that non-European migrants and their indigenous-born children have been at the centre of many discussions in the UK and not all favourable.

A 'Modern' Hysteria

I know what racism looks like; subtle racism, as well as overt and I know how unpleasant and damaging this can be. I am also aware that racism is primarily about ethnicity and that religious hatred is in truth, is a different thing. But look how they have come together.


The modern wave of post 9-11 anti-Muslim hysteria is traced back to an earlier time and I am deeply concious of how Muslims are continuously scapegoated for many of today's social ills. The UK is typical of its sisters in Western Europe in that Muslims have been ghettoised in the large parts to particular urban areas, often run down; where "white flight" is made up of that combination of racial prejudice and religious intolerance.

Divisions and Spoils

And then there is Afghanistan, where the military campaign is the physical front of the ideological racial and religious divide that I speak of.

President Hamid Karzai, speaks of it too, in an ever increasingly louder voice. If the Mullahs who visited London speak favourably of the military campaign in Afghanistan, then perhaps, this once, I can be forgiven for being a sceptic. There are, after all, many genuine concerns over the effectiveness of the foreign military presence, their behaviours and their governments' intentions.

Afghanistan is in need and no society is perfect. But I think it is particularly unfair to take people from a fatigued, war-torn society where a foreign military campaign is eyed with distrust and where development of social infrastructure is - lets face it - hardly without condition - to become the voice of that failing campaign. Favouring some hand picked Mullahs like this is highly manipulative and the British tactic of patronage and favouritism is how a small island nation managed to colonise half the planet.

Create the divisions and exploit the spoils.

It is an art. Though no less dishonourable.