[thechat] Flaws in Cultures

[Syed Zeeshan Haider]

From: "Erik Mattheis"
To: <thechat at lists.evolt.org>
Sent: September 26, 2002, Thursday 8:02 PM
Subject: Re: [thechat] Flaws in Cultures


> As
> I understand it, you sometimes are afraid of other Muslims in
> Pakistan just because your views are more liberal than theirs!

I am not any prominent figure in Pakistan. I am a common citizen. If I were a
prominent figure or famous person, I would have been killed until now. Still I
am not afraid. Fear is not allowed to me religiously. I am not liberal. Islam is
liberal. Extremists have presented its mutilated form. I am against their form
of Islam. When our Interior Minister began campaign against extremists, his
brother was killed as a punishment. Extremists want to use their extremism and
terrorism to gain power as government like they did in Afghanistan as Talibaan.
Extremists have no tolerance for any kind of opposition.

> And
> you yourself seem to have a bit of a problem with Pakistanis who
> enjoy listening to different _music_ than you do - no offense
> intended - but it's odd that you find it pleasurable to have been
> exposed to Micheal Jackson, but experience something near moral
> offense because other Pakistanis enjoy the style of different Western
> musicians.

I never feel offence from any music unless it is beyond the moral values of our
religion and society. I love the use of technology. But I don't like the entire
adoption of any foreign style unless it is changed according to our
requirements. Ali Haider (don't be confused with "Haider", he is not my
relative) is a famous pop singer. Some months ago he released his new album
"Jadoo" (means "magic"). When asked about this album he said, "A new type of
music is very popular in western countries which is called 'trance'. This album
is based on this music". When I heard some songs from Jadoo album, I noticed
that they were very similar to our traditional religious songs called "Qawwali".
According to my assessment, "trance" music and "Qawwali" are similar in many
aspects. This thinking that "western music is always better than ours" offends
me. I think both are arts and both have their own equal importance. One cannot
abandon his/her own music for adopting western music. Michael Jackson is my
favourite American singer but still I don't like many of his songs. I don't like
Madonna very much but I do like some of her songs. Good and bad things are
always there. One must not adopt entire thing without its assessment.
In my city, there are people who like to live in western style. They speak
English at their homes, they get their education in western environment and they
many of them can't read Urdu. Their opinion is that by making themselves western
they'll become modern and progressed. I totally disagree with this opinion. I
think by just changing outlook and language one cannot become modern. One should
work to be modern. I think, if one can produce or add something to latest
technology, science and other arts then he/she is modern. Let me tell you a joke
with a moral message. This joke is famous here:
Once a man kept sleeping until daylight. His old father woke him up and asked
him to go to work. The man murmured something, turned his side and slept again.
His father tried to wake him up again and said, "You try to imitate Americans in
every aspect, they have reached to the moon, you can't reach even to your
work-place in the morning".
I think this joke is enough to express the reason of my reservations against
Americanisation.

Thanks!
Syed Zeeshan Haider.
http://syedzeeshanhaider.faithweb.com/