Category Archives: Current Affairs

Where righteousness rules, whose rule is right?  To those infused with self-righteousness, whether in the name of Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Nazism, Bolshevism, Maoism or whatever, all non-conformists are deviants, always despised, often oppressed and sometimes killed. 

I am struck by two things: firstly, the language used by both government leaders and the opposition.  And, secondly, the similarities between what is happening now and what happened in the past, in Damascus, Baghdad and other centres of Muslim … Continue reading →

If fasting, through self-deprivation, is supposed to imbibe self-control, then the actual results are highly dubious. In practice, rather than being a month of deprivation, Ramzan is a time of high consumption. The eating cycle merely shifts from day to … Continue reading →

The “sick man” of 1853 was a vast empire, rotting but not ready to reform or to go without a fight. Today’s “sick man” too refuses to heed good advice, despite the loss of a “limb” in 1971. What’s more, … Continue reading →

In all countries where migrants have settled, with or without the privilege of dual nationality, there is a strong perception that they remain loyal to their country of origin.  As a result, in times of economic crisis, they are made … Continue reading →

We like to keep our homes neat and clean but habitually dump garbage out on the streets and in parks. Who amongst us does not occasionally feel the need to answer the call of nature when outdoors, yet we don’t … Continue reading →

I wonder what the sentinels of the “fortress of Islam” called Pakistan want to do about the fact that, in public places, one cannot distinguish an Ahmadi from a Muslim by their looks. (Daily Times, 16 May 2012)

Most students and many teachers, from high school to university, honestly believe that research essentially means bringing together relevant data and paragraphs from a wide array of published sources to, quite literally, assemble a coherent essay or thesis.

Citizens of the Islamic Republic are merely reaping what they collectively sowed decades ago by making it the business of the state to enforce, protect and promote religion.  (Published in Daily Times, 2 May 2012)  An 80-year old man, Iqbal … Continue reading →

If natural catastrosphes are divine punishment for sinners, then it must be accepted that they are inflicting massive collateral damage.  If they are intended as warnings to evil-doers, then, I am afraid, these are mostly being delivered to the wrong … Continue reading →