I don’t think he is a coward. Chief cleric Maulana Mohammad Abdul Aziz of the Lal Masjid tried to escape wearing a burqa. They say it is such a wimpish act; he should have manfully taken the bullets on his chest for the cause he upholds.
Here: the cause he upholds is for women to wear the burqa, among other things that he believes the Shariah prescribes. So, in effect, he was merely promoting the cause.
If this is a facetious argument, let us come to the cowardice bit. Why would he not escape? How many civilians and non-maulvis wish to be arrested by cops, that too of a military regime they are opposing? Had he given his life, would they not then say that this is typical Islamic shaheed behaviour, lusting for houris in a heaven guaranteed for martyrs?
Why this sudden respect for the veil and it being misused? The concern ought to be that those students were armed and that is what the Pakistani government too must be worried about.
Closer home, people are always misusing the burqa, the latest being singer Himesh Reshammiya who wore it to escape fans at the
And don’t we see every darned fellow in a police van cover his face with a towel?
I don’t care what they do with that maulvi, but let us not harp on superficials when the issue is deeper.
My dear FV:
ReplyDeleteThe issue is not that he used the burqah to escape, in fact it shows a softer side of the Maulana and in fact he appeared on PTV still with the coat of the burqah on! have to say, found his drag bit very endearing.. what is with some of these self-proclaimed jihadis and their exit from the scene of their own making...remember Mualvi Omar disappearing on a shoddy motorcycle into the thin air?
The more serious issue here is that these people brainwash some very poor and innocent young men and women, taught them that waging jihad and achieving martyrdom as a result is the only way for muslims and then ditches them when the going gets tough? He has completely changed his statements after he escaped and is now telling his brother (still inside the mosque)and others to surrender. The least he could have done is to stand by his own pupils and not run away with wife taking the cover of other women clad in the burqah. So, the issue is not that of using the burqah since we know that men will use women and their accessories to their own benefit as and when they deem fit. The issue is of leading a group of young women and men to a particular ideology and deserting them when he wanted to save his skin. The let down is bad and will break these people psychologically.
Bluegaze
Bluegaze:
ReplyDeleteYour second para has touched upon the serious issues I was alluding to. Thanks. The very fact of these women being made into 'frontliners' was to use them, a fact I had remarked upon in my Pak vignettes article (the first one).
Will the psychological letdown be tough for them to handle? Or have they not become a bit hardened due to the brainwashing? And if not, isn't it good that they might in fact ditch a cause they weren't really conscious about?
On a lighter note:
1. I don't find men in burqa cute, though women in leather look great...
2. Would you have a different opinion had Maulvi Omar escaped in a Harley rather than a rattling phat-phatti?
Well, certainly if Maulavi Omar had escaped in a Harley Davidson, he would have my vote just for the aesthetics and style. Come on, all this melodrama, gotta end things with a certain umph!
ReplyDeleteI think I could actually open up a business training jihadis on how to make their exits more effective.
Women in leather look great, no doubt!
Bluegaze
blog
ReplyDeleteIf I were the President of Pakistan,I would've killed all these maulvis along with their progenies right away...
These maulvis are simply the scums of the earth...
love your font! contents pretty good too.
ReplyDeleteBluegaze:
ReplyDeleteDo people need training to exit? Don't they just go away?
Circle:
Some maulvis are behaving badly. Some. Societies have to go through strife to reach some level of sanity. the victims unfortunately are always the innocent.
Shez:
Ah well, I try...
The issue certainly is serious and yes, this entire burqa thing was publicized in a bad taste.
ReplyDeleteBut you know what... he was the one who would in every "khuba" claim that I would be the first whose blood would fall on the floor of this Mosque.
So, he was running like a coward... should have faced the music like his other brother.
How can he face the music? Maulvis do not approve of it...
ReplyDelete