ALL SECULAR PAKISTANIS NEED TO UNITE 

Family of the Heart - DIALOGUE & DISCUSSIONS 

Howdy folks,

I have been occasionally following this discussion, and when I saw it today, I sat up, and decided to join the fray.

First of all, a big than you to my old friend Rashid Mughal, for posting the YouTube video of the young girl (who appears to be David Suzuki’s daughter) speaking at U.N. What she talks about in 1992 is not taken seriously by many adults in 2009. The issues she talked about are real, and I believe far urgent than the never-ending discussions we keep having on the presence & absence of “God”   

I noticed that it is taken from http://www.karmatube.org/  whose sub-title says “be the change’, presumably taken from Gandhi’s saying “Be the Change you wish to see in the world”. Its introduction says <<KarmaTube is a collection of short, "do something" videos coupled with simple actions that every viewer can take. Our mission is to spread the good. Thank you for your partnership in service.>>

Then I saw that Peter Joyce had left. It would appear that since his agenda (to “fix” opponents of American Imperialism) was not being fulfilled, he decided to quit. Then I saw Farzana, hectoring Mr. Zuberi – and others who have not yet seen “the light” - in a way that would have done any bishop or ayatollah (or for that matter George Bush) proud.

Speaking of Farzana’s hectoring, I think we need to remember that “fundamentalism” is not only of the religious kind. There is more than one type of secular fundamentalism. One of them is market fundamentalism, which has landed us in our current economic mess.

Then there are atheist fundamentalists, about whom Chris Hedges wrote a book “I don’t believe in atheists”. Such people make science their “God”, and also seem to stop believing in “sin”, and by extension, I suppose other human attributes such as cruelty or compassion. I have not read all that Peter Joyce wrote, but know lots of westerners who claim to be atheists, but show far greater hate for Islam than for other religions. Their ideology is cloaked in American nationalism, as Hitler’s was cloaked in German nationalism.

Now, I better go and hide, before Farzana comes after me.

Take care, all of you

Masud

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