Meri Mehboob Kahin Aur Mila Kar Mujh Se

Sahir’s poem on Taj Mahal reminds one of Ali Shariati’s On the Plight of the Oppressed People. Like Ali Shariati, Sahir seeks to set the standards for beauty and love in this poem.
A question that comes to mind: Beauty and Truth, are they two separate things? Could a magnificent monument – whether Taj Mahal, Egyptian [...]

Read Full Post »

An Iraqi Girl Smiles …

I took the below picture at an anti-war public display last year (in October 2007). This is Ulia Tahi, age 9, who was killed around 17-20 June, 2005. Next to her picture-frame are her shoes and a candle lit in her memory. This particular image made me very sad and has stuck in my mind [...]

Read Full Post »

Berkeley Teach-in Against the Israeli War on Lebanon

The following clips are from a Berkeley Teach-in which was organized after the Israeli war on Lebanon in Summer 2006. I came across with them just recently. I think the insights offered are still relevant and helpful to understand the macro and micro politics in the region.
These short clips could also serve as a useful [...]

Read Full Post »

Making of "Good" and "Bad" Muslims

Speaking of multiple players and their competition for dominating the public discourse in Pakistan (see my previous post), the below example points to yet another player and its contribution to the current political conditions.
From “Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror” (2005) by Mahmood Mamdani. Mahmood Mamdani quotes the [...]

Read Full Post »

Missing in Pakistan – Documentary

“Missing in Pakistan”, a documentary by Ziad Zafar, presents a heartbreaking account of the plight of hundreds of disappeared people and their families in Pakistan. These people are in illegal detention by the intelligence agencies. The documentary is informally circulating in Pakistan and could be downloaded from the net (24 min long, see here)
My quick [...]

Read Full Post »