Sunday Surkhi--NATO and Pakistan

 This is a huge loss for Pakistan such forceful attack has to be calculated and NOT, as touted by NATO allies, mistake. Again, as ALWAYS expected, they say (just like the Israel says about Gaza), Pakistan fired first.
 The fact is there was no loss to NATO even if somebody might have fired from Pakistan side. The fact is that 28 Pakistani soldiers are dead. This cannot be forgiven by saying "sorry" because the force used was so much and for so long a time that it leaves no doubt about the deliberateness of this condemnable action. This is NOT an accident.
I think this is an excellent opportunity for Pakistan to re-orientate relations with not just NATO but USA. I think Pakistan needs to dictate clear terms, that the help that was offered by Pakistan Army MUST stop now. The NATO and USA must deal with the remaining Afghan problem on their own. No better opportunity will ever come their way. This is it.

Please visit my Urdu blog at http://saugoreebsc.blogspot.com/

Jum'ah Journal--Celebrations in USA

 Every country/civilization have their own days of celebration What should Muslims celebrate in USA?
 Well to begin with the prophet PBUH allowed the Muslims to celebrate the two Eids in Madina Munawwara, in preference to the Pagan celebrations of those times. So is that it for Muslims today?
Some strict Muslims will say yes that is all and Muslims should not celebrate 'Pagan', or preferably speaking non-Muslim customs even if they are not necessarily religious like "Thanksgiving". Every holiday season there is that question discussed in Masajid and Islamic centers where all the rules are re-iterated why the Muslims should not join in celebrations because "they worship other God/Gods etc." so joining them means you commit 'shirk'
 Yet I clearly remember one Muslim leader in New York wanted to put up crescent and star to join the celebration of Christmas where there were Christmas emblems as well as Jewish Menorah. If you recall the crescent and star was vandalized. He said we as Muslims have as much if not more right to celebrate prophet Jesus's birthday than Christians.
On the whole I tend to agree with the Islamic concept that we do not 'celebrate' human beings but we do celebrate 'events' or happenings. that is as far as the 'religious celebrations' are concerned. However the holidays with no religious connection and/or related to a country's cultural aspects need not be given the same negative attitude by Muslims.
 The problems are usually encountered on the greatest celebration of the West, that is Christmas. the Muslims have to hide themselves to some place to avoid answering "Merry Christmas" greetings. Some may take an attitude of saying "Season's Greetings" to their Christian friends instead of saying Merry Christmas. Others have some other excuses made for not responding but on the whole it is really very awkward to live in a Christian country and not offer bonuses or presents to your Christian employees on such occasions (I am only mentioning some of the problems). I have personally lived offering such greetings and Christmas presents to  hospital wards, colleagues, nurses etc. and so technically speaking I have committed 'shirk' so many times but my employees and colleagues knowing that I was Muslim and did not celebrate Christmas still offered me presents and how many could I get excused from?
 Some of the things have been aginst my own convictions like
 "we should not call non-Muslims as brother" or 'sister' I had difficulty subscribing to such suggestions for I had grown up and always believed in Sa'adi Shirazi's teachings:
بنی آدم اعضائ یک دیگر اند
کہ در آفرینش زیک جوہر اند
چو عضوے بدرد آورد روزگار
دگر عضوہا را نماند قرار
(Children of Adam are like limbs of each other. For they are all born out of single 'essence'. When one limb gets pain, all others become restless)


Please visit my Urdu blog at http://saugoreebsc.blogspot.com/

Happy Thanksgiving

 Happy Thanksgiving to all
 This has been quiet one Children having their own get-togethers so parents are not much priority any more. I wonder if they still consider this as their home or the ones they have acquired for their spouses and kids. Maybe we did not 'celebrate' thanksgiving with the required American Zeal with them when they were growing up, we cant complain now. It is too late. We wish them happiness nevertheless. I am not writing this on FB which they follow more often and rarely visit my blogs, so it is safe, they wont know the 'complaint'. I will however send email thanksgiving wish


Please visit my Urdu blog at http://saugoreebsc.blogspot.com/

Sunday Surkhi--Pakistan&Bangladesh

 There is news about Bangla Desh asking Pakistan Government an apology.
 Seems OK but the actions taken by the then Pakistan Government were aginst the rebellious elements in East Pakistan that were wanting to separate from their mother country so the action by itself was not wrong as there was no Bangladesh at that time.
 The atrocities that the Military committed however are a different matter. These were crimes against humanity and totally UN-ISLAMIC and need to be condemned openly which the proposed "apology" does not cover. These actions were committed by Muslims against their Muslim brothers and sisters and they need to be assessed and recognized, because this was too much brutality and over the needed force required for suppression of "mutiny' if you will. I feel that condemnation is more important than apology. I do not wish to go into what our Bangla brothers did wrong
because that is now pointless to talk about. It needs to be recognized that 'Brotherly relations' between the two 'brother' countries are already overdue

Please visit my Urdu blog at http://saugoreebsc.blogspot.com/ and my Hindi blog at http://wahajuana.blogspot.com/

Jum'ah Journal-Shariah in America?

I guess many more better qualified writers have done justice to that subject but I continue to have this complaint because some people (Non-Muslism) never fail to surprise me by writing that Muslims are up for introducing Sharia Law in USA.
 Are you kidding?
There is NO Muslim country currently where Sharia Law is promulgated and there has not been for centuries.
 O yes may be some present day Muslim countries make claims they have sharia but THEY ARE TELLING LIES. I do not know which one but some"stoning" for  some woman for Adultery was touted as example but that is just the point, some selected sharia-recommended punishment in one or other selected case does not mean that law is functioning there. No.
 Now why or how any Muslim can think of Sharia in a non-Muslim country is beyond me. Muslims are at best trying to make themselves understood and accepted here and no matter how much some people say Obama is a Muslim he is NOT and has no intentions to be as far as I can see. Even if a Muslim does in some unforeseeable future becomes president of USA I doubt he would know much about Sharia Law. I do not claim myself that I know enough and I would like to challenge any scholars here who may claim to know enough to promulgate that law here, whereas they could never be able to do it in any Muslim country even Taliban-operated one.
 Now that is off my chest

Please visit my Urdu blog at http://saugoreebsc.blogspot.com/ and my Hindi blog at http://wahajuana.blogspot.com/

Sunday Surkhi- Piyara Zayd

 I had started my blogs with birth of Musa (5 yrs ago) and now Ayesha my piyari baitee gave us the Eid tuhfa of Zayd. He was supposed to be born on 14or 16th November, but he started making his move on Arafat day and I got suspicious. (he had already been named Zayd) I think this lad was anxious to see what is all the hullabloo about Eid-al-Ad-ha so he decided to join us on Eid day He did not care that his nana and nani had to hurry and to drive to Maryland (from Raleigh) just after salat-el-Eid to welcome him; he was quiet and composed, not bothered about all the difficulty he had put the older folks like us in .
 It was so nice to see him though. He made everybody double happy on this Eid day--our Eidoo baita. May God make him a good person a good Muslim, a good son, a good brother. Surkhi is of course not new by now however it is worth reporting to all of you.

Please visit my Urdu blog at http://saugoreebsc.blogspot.com/ and my Hindi blog at http://wahajuana.blogspot.com/

Jum'ah Journal-Unique day

  Yes, whether you see it from right or left, in British way or American way etc. today the month and the year and the day is the same. Every year such a day has been coming last year it came on the last day of my 76th year.
 BUT this is also Veterans Day.
 I never knew its meaning un til I started working in the VA hospital.
My hat-tip to the Veterans.

Please visit my Urdu blog at http://saugoreebsc.blogspot.com/ and my Hindi blog at http://wahajuana.blogspot.com/

Jum'ah Journal- Principle of Sacrifice

 Day after tomorrow (Sunday when I may not find time for my usual "Surkhi") all over the Muslim world animals will be sacrificed and plenty of meat will be available for all those poor who cannot afford meat much. Is that all what sacrifice means though?
 God clearly says:
 "It is not their blood that reaches Allah; it is your piety that reaches him............." (S Al-Hajj Aya 37)
So what is being given to us as a lesson? piety which briefly means staying away from the prohibited and doing what is pleasing to god.
 A prominent Urdu poet said it nicely
دل کسی کا ہاتھ مین لے حج اکبر جان لے
 Literally meaning take someone's heart in your hand that would be equal to Great Pilgrimage. It can be interpreted as helping some in who is poor, giving a helping hand to a needy person, spending time giving company with some one lonely, sacrificing one's time for the benefit of another less fortunate. Sacrificing one's ego and forgiving a person who may have done wrong to you. That is real sacrifice-that of 'self'Of course there are more meanings to 'sacrifice' that for example I have not even mentioned sacrificing the most beloved thing in your life (Like Prophet Ibrahim did of his only son, what is being 'commemorated'.)

Please visit my Urdu blog at http://saugoreebsc.blogspot.com/ and my Hindi blog at http://wahajuana.blogspot.com/