I do agree with your suggestions and we all need to be work on it. Drone warfare is wrong and evil. However, I am not sure if drone attacks are the single largest factor in polarizing Pakistani society. Society has been polarized much before.
It is the silence of the society that has contributed to the evil.
Even though the criminals are a handful, just a few, the silence of the majority has authorized them to continue vandalizing Ahmadiyya Mosques, abduction of Hindu women, forcing Sikhs, burning churches and hurting Christians went on unabated. The least that the public could have done is protest it. Those who hide behind can also write to the newspapers in the readers write columns, call ins, and other media expressions, or even take to the streets as a sense of fairness to stop that madness...
Evil multiplies when good people do nothing about it.
I will give two short examples - in a dinner gathering, prior to serving the dinner, several groups formed, I was in one such group, and an Imam was in the group as well - he was proudly telling how Muslims got a synagogue through some sneaky deal and converted to a Mosque, and telling how we beat the Jews… I stood up, that was evil conversation to me, and asserted that if Prophet were here, he would have told you to stop spreading ill-will and hatred towards any one....
There was a dead silence for 15 seconds, it felt like eternity… then one of the men jumped in and said, Mike is right, and within a few seconds all of bakras jumped in and looked at the Imam questioningly… I said; Imam Saheb, I don’t need the apology in words, but in action, and he agreed not to spread hate anymore and I know he lived up to it.
Imagine those 15 seconds, if the first one had said, Mike you are wrong, he is the Imam… what would have happened. I had an exact same experience with a Jewish gathering... they also did the right thing and said they will speak out against falsity, even if it suits them. Guess what? I was in a kickoff party amidst what appeared to be the right wing of Republican Party, I carried my conversation… and not one, but nearly 20 of them agreed that President Bush was wrong going to the wars; I asked them why did you not speak up? We don’t want to rock the boat was the answer.
Another greatest example is when John McCain jumped on Michelle Bachman for her attack on Huma Abideen, claiming she is infiltrating the government from brotherhood… McCain jumped in harshly… and what did the Bakra’s do? They jumped in one after the other..
That is all it takes to change Pakistan, that won’t cost a dime to anyone. Just opening the mouth and speaking up. Would you do that Next time a Shia is murdered, a Hindu girl is abducted, and an Ahmadiyya is harassed? I am not a Pakistani, but a Muslim that embraces the whole humanity, I do speak up, but when you speak up as a Pakistani, it carries greater weight. Will you do that?
Mike Ghouse
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Dear Mike,
Although it is a nicely written article from literary point of view, but it has depicted the bleakest picture for Pakistan. And I also feel sorry for Natasha that she left Pakistan while we have started towards the upward pinnacle of our flow. When the magnitude of chaos gets wider and bigger, hope emerges from it. I believe Allah SWT has created humans in a way that they start towards order after touching the trough of the chaos. This is what has happened in Pakistan.
What Natasha described in her article might be true from bird’s eye view; but the ground reality is that Pakistanis are now resisting all the factors detrimental to their national health, whether it be ethnical hatred, corruption, religious extremism or FOREIGN INFLUENCE. The act of few bandits (sometimes planted internally or externally) shouldn’t have reflected for the whole nation, but Pakistanis after realizing that the act of few is being magnified to reflect the whole nation, are resisting strongly against those few. The mental transition which Pakistanis are achieving now might prove the acme for leading the world in the future.
The subject of your email is What can you do for Pakistan. Let me suggest few things which the concerned community living in US can do to help us:
Start a campaign on urgent basis against the drone strikes. I have seen another of your email on drone strikes, but the tone is very light. You should be STRONG in your point that killing thousands and displacing millions to get the few wanted people is REALLY A BARBARIC ACT. This factor is the single largest factor polarizing Pakistani society.
Make a strong influence on US foreign policy to stop infiltration into Pakistan, be it bureaucratic, military influence, economic sanctions etc.
Depict the true picture of Pakistan, not through the lens of media, but through your interaction with Pakistani community in Pakistan.
Since US is the strongest foreign influencer in Pakistan, I think its equally important for the concerned community there to be equally strong and influential within.
Best regards,
Yusuf
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