Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Suu Kyi Go Back

Aung San Suu Kyi wants to celebrate Diwali in India.
She is the Burmese leader courted by the west.
An epitome of some ideal - democracy to be more precise.
But yours truly has some other things on his mind.
Like the government abated genocide of Rohingyas in Burma.
She will be celebrating.
India will be celebration.
BBC is already celebrating.
But not those who feel for Rohingyas in Burma.
Yours truly is one of them.
So dear Aung San Suu Kyi please go and celebrate your Diwali elsewhere because you have not taken a clear stand on a genocide under way.

Friday, October 19, 2012

What the Bleep We Know - 1

Part 1

This is a 2004 documentary exploring the interface of religion science.
The word bleep is a substitute for slang word.
It has been reviewed at various other places but we shall take it up on our own and will take up the other reviews later on.
The first part begins by asking whether soul and science are coming together or they are still far away.
Then there are comments about Sumarian and Greek mythologies.
As with the title the attitude is irreverent. Serious enough lacuna from a Muslim perspective.
Many people in the west, some societies more than others, do not think that there is anything wrong with this.
Cynicism, skepticism, irreverence all are alright. For them there is nothing wrong with this.

Then there is the comment about rise western Church power to supreme levels.
Science moved forward.
Copernicus: Earth is not at the center of the universe.
Galileo: Earth moves.
Both under heavy hand of the Church.
Tragedy does not stop science progress.
De Carte proposed dualism. Church (Unseen) - Science (Seen). Materialism born.
Uneasy truce.
Scientists: We are merely machines.
Church : You are consigned to hell hole.
Darwin : We are just meaningless.
Science and Church hitting the wall : Is God the Holy Creator?
Scientists find huge energies deep in matter and hidden mysteries.
We are all connected. Physical is non physical. Time and space are just consequence of this non-materialness.
Conferences for meeting of scientists and religious people.
20th Century blew the mechanical world-view.
Will 21st blow the wall between the Church and the laboratory?
How deep you want to probe the world - how deep you want to go into the rabbit hole?
Physics is a new way to understand the world - experimental investigation is different from revelation or meditation.
It is unlikely that religious people will change their views because of the out comes of scientific results.
Mostly people do not take the Book of Genesis as a CNN report of creation of universe but some do like James Ussher or Ireland.
There should be a scientific explanation for spirituality.
Good one did not exist till recently.
Proto-morality exists Platonically, geometrically and influences us.
Science says that we are genetic mistakes.
We have genes that are using us to propagate themselves.
We are lonely mistake on a lonely planet in a lonely universe.
This paradigm or separateness is wrong - we are all one and together.
At the very basic level we are connected.
Now what are its implications?
We got to make sense of ourself - old monarchy way is dead, scientific way is dead.
Bury it.
Quantum physics can help us in a new direction.
Consciousness is real and has impact.
We have to create a new paradigm.
Observer matter interaction is changing the reality around you - creating it.
Intricacy of cells, billions of them working for us, tell us that there is more to reality than we perceive.
Every moment we are immersed in experience.
We know nothing about reality - it is filtered by our senses.
***
Phew!
***
Comments to follow.



Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Nature Arabic Edition

This incredible and this is true.
Nature magazine has started its Arabic language edition!
This is a science magazine par excellence. Nay, it defines science magazine. It is a research journal but it carries its own science news. Production quality is the best available. American onslaught of science progress could not do anything to this British publication. Now the new edition clearly heralds coming of age of Arabic language in scientific matters. Scientific American has been publishing its Arabic edition for ages. Nature is a significant step forward.

Sorry for spoiling the party but where are our Urdu lovers and those who care and worry about Urdu?

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Thank You, Kulsum

This is an Islamic Republic- You Got That Right.

So what happened that irked the Islamophobes liberals in Pakistan, offsetting a spark of condemnation of poor Ronald- the "Islamist"? (Blacklisted shortly after Haqqanis).

I think I should maybe start off by reminding moderates that well, there's no such thing as 'Moderate Islam' (There, I dropped the bomb). The country is called an 'Islamic' Republic (there, there..easy), not the 'Moderate' Islamic Republic (FYI: Pak FO is working on visa relaxations with India). Oh and McDonald's reserves the right to decide how it seats its' customers.

Now that we've gotten the obvious tidbits out of the way let's go back in time and remember the Espresso incident. This lady got barred from praying.. At a high-end cafe.. Inside the Islamic republic of Pakistan.. And all the liberals swarmed like flies to support the Manager's decision because "Espresso has the right to decide where it draws the line between religion and coffee". And because of course, they have the "Freedom of expression/speech etc." So why are liberals backtracking? Why are they accusing McDonalds Pakistan of being "extremists"/"Islamists" (No, I am actually being very serious here)?

So let's look at how the fuss started..This married couple from abroad walks into a Pakistani McDonald's for the first time ever, decides to sit together, an arm around the other. Out of nowhere the nasty extremist mullah-cum-waiter politely asks the guy to move across the table, as it is "against McDonald's policies for couples to sit too closely as it disturbs the family environment". BAM! The guy decides he's been violated by the crazy McDonald Jihadis and takes it up with the Manager. Once the manager graciously entertains the couple's tragic incident, the guy figures it's not enough. He MUST blog about it. And ALL liberal fascists MUST come out and condemn the heinous act against all tolerant moderates. Condemnation isnt enough, the blogger realizes, all liberals MUST start a nationwide movement against McDonalds extremism!

And he's got proof against McDonald's too! The fast food joint, he writes, "let's parents slap their children" for being spoilt brats, without interfering! *Gasp* yes! How dare they allow children to be terrorized and clamp down on couples doting on each other? So what if it's a family restaurant? Ever heard of freedom of expression!

To anyone who's been to McDonald's one of the most annoying and cringe-worthy experience may be being seated near a couple, who oblivious to the surroundings are eye-locked.. hand-locked..foot-locked(?) Away from their families, they'll spend long hours just being downright chichoray simultaneously repulsing all families and couples with impressionable children. I mean, if we wanted Miami, we'd fly out there, right? or maybe tune into HBO (kiddin, try Bollywood)..know im sayin?

You know you've seen them. The cheesiness is revolting, and the shamelessness outright despicable. And yes, I've heard worse tales about these hormonal idiots in the past. Comes as no surprise Management's decided to set guidelines and save us all from public eye infections. So yes, I for one, among thousands of others, welcome McDonald's family policy. In fact, all restaurants should run the same policy, even the beaches! Anyhow, not like McDonald's can tell who's married and who isnt, and even if a couple's married, no reason to flaunt it in public places (PDA=NOT COOL). One policy for all makes sense to me. And heck, it's the Islamic republic of Pakistan, I repeat, it is NOT the Dominican Republic. Okay?
Source : Troll News

Monday, October 1, 2012

AMU Brand of Intellectual

Why don't we have AMU brand of intellectual?
The Indian intellectual scene is dominated by JNU brand intellectual.
Then the strident Sangh Parivar activity saw the mushrooming of the BJP brand of ideologues.
Latter are still around but they sort of have had their innings.
Indian Muslim population is large enough to have their own view about how the national issues should be worked out. Population of nearly all European countries is smaller than Indian Muslim population.
Living in a democracy it is incumbent upon them to have a view and a voice, united one, of their own.
In democracy your rights are not delivered to you. You have to work for them.
This observation does not come from the classic manuals of democracy - if there are any. It comes from our experience of last one century.
It is high time that Muslims of India wake up to this reality.

Of course the responsibility to be careful enough, so that the existing ideological establishments do not get a roller coaster ride over you, lies on you.

And when yours truly says AMU brand intellectual then one thing is excluded - the residual Marxist intellectual stream. That is JNU brand itself. Mass migration of Muslim intelligentsia to Marxism in the beginning and mainly in the middle of last century was a tragedy of gigantic proportions for Muslim Ummah. No smaller than the tragedy of partition - and for this we Muslims of present India are not responsible in any way at all.

So dear Aligs, stop pulling each other's leg and get down to some serious work. Yours was the first movement for modern education for Muslims and you should have been at the forefront of Muslim intellectual thought. The question is are you at the forefront? And if not then why? Collect your wits quickly, make your amends quickly and get down to work.