Pearls of Wisdom from Imam Ali

On this felicitous occasion of the birth anniversary of Imam Ali, I copy below some of his profound sayings that were quoted in the 2002 Arab Human Development Report, published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). As the title suggests, this report is an account of the current social, political, and economic conditions (including education, human rights, governance, and poverty related issues) of the Arab/Muslim world.

While reading these sayings any discerning eye can notice that they are as relevant and instructive today as they were fourteen hundred years ago. These are the hidden treasures of Islam, full of universal truths, profound wisdom, and comprehensive guidance. They can be the guiding principles upon which scholars, policy makers, and activists can build social perspectives and effective solutions for the problems humanity is facing today.

Any social system that does not take into account the various dimensions of human nature, including the material and the spiritual, any system that does not have a program for curing the problems in hearts and for developing the good potentials in human souls and only focuses upon the material factors is bound to fail, be they the socialist states or the welfare systems in capitalist economies. The strength and beauty of Islam is in its comprehensive-ness, in its comprehensive and wholistic guiding principles for all dimensions of human nature and for both individual lives and collective issues of society. (See an insightful discussion by Shaheed Baqir Sadr in this regard here . Also, see a related article by Dr. Ali Shariati here)

Imam Ali on Governance

"He who has appointed himself an Imam (ruler) of the people must begin by teaching himself before teaching others. His teaching of others must be first by setting an example rather than with his words, for he who begins by teaching and educating himself is more worthy of respect than he who teaches and educates others."

"Your concern with developing the land should be greater than your concern for collecting taxes, for the latter can only be obtained by developing; whereas he who seeks revenue without development destroys the country and the people."

"Seek the company of the learned and the wise in search of solving the problems of your country and the righteousness of your people."

"No good can come in keeping silent as to government or in speaking out of ignorance."

"The righteous are men of virtue, whose logic is straightforward, whose dress is unostentatious, whose path is modest, whose actions are many and who are undeterred by difficulties."

"Choose the best among your people to administer justice among them. Choose someone who does not easily give up, who is unruffled by enmities, someone who will not persist in wrong doings, who will not hesitate to pursue right once he knows it, someone whose heart knows no greed, who will not be satisfied with a minimum of explanation without seeking the maximum of understanding, who will be the most steadfast when doubt is cast, who will be the least impatient in correcting the opponent, the most patient in pursuing the truth, the most stern in meting out judgment, someone who is unaffected by flattery and not swayed by temptation and these are but few."

"Source: Nahg El Balagha, interpreted by Imam Mohammad Abdou, Part I, Dar El Balagha, second edition, Beirut, 1985."

Imam Ali on Knowledge and Work

“No vessel is limitless, except for the vessel of knowledge, which forever expands.”

“If God were to humiliate a human being, He would deny him knowledge.”

“No wealth equals the mind, no poverty equals ignorance, no heritage equals culture, and no support is greater than advice.”

“Wisdom is the believer’s quest, to be sought everywhere, even among the deceitful.”

“A person is worth what he excels at.”

“No wealth can profit you more than the mind, no isolation can be more desolate than conceit, no policy can be wiser than prudence, no generosity can be better than decency, no heritage can be more bountiful than culture, no guidance can be truer than inspiration, no enterprise can be more successful than goodness, and no honour can surpass knowledge.”

“Knowledge is superior to wealth. Knowledge guards you, whereas you guard wealth. Wealth decreases with expenditure, whereas knowledge multiplies with dissemination. A good material deed vanishes as the material resources behind it vanish, whereas to knowledge we are indebted forever.

Thanks to knowledge, you command people’s respect during your lifetime, and kind memory after your death. Knowledge rules over wealth. Those who treasure wealth perish while they are still alive, whereas scholars live forever; they only disappear in physical image, but in hearts, their memories are enshrined.”

“Knowledge is the twin of action. He who is knowledgeable must act. Knowledge calls upon action; if answered, it will stay; otherwise, it will depart.”

"Source: Nahg El Balagha, interpreted by Imam Mohammad Abdou, Part I, Dar El Balagha, second edition, Beirut, 1985."

See the 2002 Arab Human Development Report here: http://www.nakbaonline.org/download/UNDP/EnglishVersion/Ar-Human-Dev-2002.pdf

Orientalism, Then and Now

In my previous post, I argued that a critical engagement with the western cultural and academic discourse is necessary to counter their cultural hegemony. It is imperative for any such effort that we understand how knowledge is linked to power and what has been its various manifestations in the past and the present.

Perhaps the heuristic concept that has best captured this link is 'Orientalism' as introduced by Edward Said.

Orientalism

Edward Said uses the term Orientalism in his epochal work with the same name, which was published in 1978, to refer to a mental construct, a mindset, a culture that distinguishes and treats the ‘other’ in relation to the ’us’ in a particular manner. It refers to asymmetrical relationships of power between the ‘other’ and the ‘us’, in which the latter represents and controls the former.

Orientalism is the process of perceiving and producing knowledge in a certain manner, consciously or sub-consciously. It is a particular way of looking at ‘other’ cultures, peoples, and histories. The “East” or “Orient,” in this mindset, is seen as distinct, monolithic, and static and is judged in relation to an equally distinct and monolithic “West”. Of course, both such constructs belie the ground realities (see my post on many Wests here).

The underlying eurocentrism in this mindset assumes the West to be superior, modern, civilized, and at the center of the world. This particular mindset has direct bearing on power, in motivating and justifying different modes of domination, examples of which can be seen in the colonial occupations and the present day American and European quest for hegemony (cultural and political) over the rest of the world.

Edward Said re-defines the meaning of the word ‘Orientalist’ in his work and attaches a rather pejorative connotation to it so as to refer to those foreigners as well as natives who internalize this mindset and reproduce it in their writings and relationships of power. For foreign Orientalists, this mindset is one of self-righteousness, superiority, and modernization. Thus, their right to control the ‘Orientals’ and their responsibility to ‘civilize’ them. For the native Orientalists, this mindset is that of internalized self-depreciation, inferiority, and backwardness. Hence, their inferiority complex, slave mentality, and deference to the West.

I want to share a quote here from Mamdani’s Good Muslim, Bad Muslim (2005), in which he draws upon Edward Said’s work to describe the link between this mindset and power, both in the past and the present.

Mamdani writes: “Edward Said summed up “the principal dogmas of Orientalism” in his majesterial study of the same name. The first dogma is that the same Orientalist histories that portray “the West” as “rational, developed, humane [and] superior,” caricature “the Orient” as “aberrant, undeveloped [and] inferior.” Another dogma is that “the Orient” lives according to set rules inscribed in sacred texts, not in response to the changing demands of life. The third dogma prescribes “that the Orient is eternal, uniform, and incapable of defining itself; therefore it is assumed that a highly generalized and systematic vocabulary for describing the Orient from a Western standpoint is inevitable and scientifically ‘objective.’” And the final dogma is “that the Orient is at the bottom something either to be feared (the Yellow Peril, the Mongol hordes, the brown dominions) or to be controlled (by pacification, research and development, outright occupation whenever possible).”

There is reason to be hugely skeptical of claims that describe civilizations discretely and identify civilizational histories with particular geographies and polities. One has to distinguish between civilization and power. The very notion of an uninterrupted “Western civilization” across linear times is an idea that only arises from the vantage point of the power we know as the West. This power has both a geography and a history: that history stretches from 1492 through the centuries of the slave trade and colonization to the Cold War and after” (Mamdani 2005: 32-33).

Of course, it was the Orientalist cultural imagination, conscious or sub-conscious, that served as a justification and as a causal force, if partially, for the colonial expansion. Orientalism not only constructed “the other” for the western imagination, in which “the other” was objectified and de-humanized, and therefore, they could be treated differently; that is, they were not subject to the laws and norms of the “civilized world”. It also provided a (partial) motive and justification for colonial expansion and missionary efforts, in the name of “progress”, for the sake of civilizing the “uncivilized”, as the “white man’s burden.”

For a satirical yet poignant depiction of the selfish hypocrisy and moral weakness of colonial missions, see Joseph Conrad’s short story, “Outpost of Progress” here. The theme is more fully articulated in his Heart of Darkness.

A recent use of Orientalist cultural imagination is seen in the justifications made for invading Afghanistan. See Laila Abu-Lughod’s critical piece, “Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving?” here or here. Mamdani’s own work, Good Muslim, Bad Muslim, also makes a strong case. Perhaps check out Hamid Dabashi’s critical review (here) of Azar Nafisi’s Reading Lolita in Tehran (2003) too. Dabashi illustrates how orientalist knowledge is linked to power and can serve the war mongering agenda. I especially liked his analysis of the cover of this book.

On Maps and Wests

In an earlier post, I commented on western cultural hegemony and its various forms (here). I argued that cultural hegemony is perhaps the most subtle form of dominance because it acts in the knowledge-sphere.

That is, it acts in the sphere of our minds, on our understanding, knowledge, and values, the way we look at the world, what do we consider good and desirable, and through what thought categories and value judgments do we analyze events and evaluate ourselves and others.

Mahmood Mamdani presents a couple of good examples in his widely acclaimed “Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror” (2005) that relate to the above point. These examples point to the eurocentrism that is reproduced and reinforced through our textbooks, schooling, and media.

Maps

Mamdani writes: “When the sixteenth-century Italian missionary Matteo Ricci brought a European map of the world – showing the new discoveries in America – to China, he was surprised to find that the Chinese were offended by it. The map put Europe in the center of the world and split the Pacific, which meant that China appeared at the right-hand edge of the map. But the Chinese had always thought of China as literally the “Middle Kingdom,” which obviously should have been in the center of the map. To please his hosts, Ricci produced another map, one that split the Atlantic, making China seem more central. In China, maps are still drawn that way, but Europe has clung to the first type of map. The most commonly used map in North America shows the United States at the center of the world, sometimes even splitting the Asian continent in two. Today, the most widely used world map has western Europe at its center. Based on the Mercator projection, it systematically distorts our image of the world: even though Europe has approximately the same area as each of the other two peninsulas of Asia – prepartition India and Southeast Asia – Europe is called a continent, whereas India is but a subcontinent, and Southeast Asia is not even accorded that status; at the same time, the area most drastically reduced in the Mercator projection is Africa” (Mamdani 2005: 28).

For an alternative, though not totally free of problems, see Peter’s World Map here.

Wests

Civilizations are not as distinct and unified as presumed in ideologies like that of Huntington's "clash of civilizations".

Mamdani writes: “Marshall Hodgson made it a lifelong project to counter the West-centered studies of Islam. He began his classic three-volume study, The Venture of Islam, by showing how, throughout history, the notion of “the West” had changed at least three times. “The West” referred “originally and properly to the western or Latin-using half of the Roman empire; that is, to the west Mediterranean lands.” After the first change, the term came to refer to “the west European lands generally.” But this was not a simple extension, for it excluded “those west Mediterranean lands which turned Muslim.” The second shift was from West European lands to peoples, thus incorporating their overseas settlements. Then, there was the third shift as the definition of “the West” was further stretched to include “all European Christendom.” Whereas the second shift referred to a global western Europe, the third extension referred to a global Europe, western and eastern. Thus did the notion of “the West” develop from a geographical location to a racialized notion referring to all people of European origin, no matter where they lived and for how long.

Can there be a self-contained history of Western civilization? Historians have been chipping away at this claim in a number of fields, ranging from the development of science to that of society. Hodgson had earlier remarked that the equation of “the West” with “science” had given rise to an absurdity whereby it was presumed that Arabic-writing scientists in the classical age of Islam were simply marking time. Rather than making any original contribution to science, they were presumed simply to be holding up the torch for centuries –until it could be passed on to “the West.” The notion that the main role of Arabic-writing scientists was to preserve classical Greek science and pass it on to Renaissance Europe was fortified by Thomas Kun’s claim that Renaissance science represented a paradigmatic break with medieval science and a reconnection with the science of antiquity. Whereas Kuhn associated the paradigmatic break with the work of Copernicus, recent works in the history of science challenge this presumption. With the advantage of accumulated findings, Otto Neugebauer and Noel Swerdlow, two distinguished historians of science, explored the influence of “astronomers associated with the observatory of Maragha in northwestern Iran,” whose works, written in Arabic, “reached Europe, Italy in particular, in the fifteenth century through Byzantine Greek intermediaries.” They concluded in their now-classic 1984 work on the mathematical astronomy of Copernicus: “In a very real sense, Copernicus can be looked upon as, if not the last, surely the most noted follower of the ‘Maragha School’ ” (Mamdani 2005: 29-30).

So deeply penetrating is this eurocentrism, and here are our text books and media that too often feed this eurocentrism, consciously or unconsciously, in the minds of our generations. While reading these two examples, I am reminded once again of the poignant comment that Eqbal Ahmed made in one of his articles, which I quote in that earlier post: “Star Trek is but a crude, popular expression of the culture of imperialism. This culture is not Western any more. Rather, it enjoys hegemony, it has become global. Note an irony: Pakistan International Airlines, which will not serve wine to passengers, happily serves up Captain Picard on its flights.” More on the link between eurocentrism and power in my next post on Orientalism.

What we need is a critical engagement with the western academic and cultural discourse in order to counter their cultural hegemony. And, that would take more than simply adding a chapter at the beginning of our text books glorifying Muslim scientists and thinkers. More on this soon, inshAllah.

In Praise of Resistance Against All Injustice

In memory of all victims of injustice. Injustice in the form of physical violence, as in wars, genocides, state-terrorism, and terrorism in general that target innocent people . Their crime? Either they belonged to a marginalized group or they dared to speak truth to power and resist injustice.

Injustice in the form of honor killing, gang rape, and domestic violence. Injustice imposed and justified in the name of God, religion, and tradition for the political and personal gains of a few.

Injustice in the form of emotional violence, including the incitement of hatred among people of different faiths and ethnicities and the desecration of religious symbols and sites.

Injustice in the form of structural violence, as in poverty, illiteracy, hunger, and lack of basic necessities of life.

To the victims and to the brave souls who resist against any and all forms of injustice, on this anniversary of the war that was imposed on Lebanon by Israel in July 2006, I dedicate Sahir Ludianvi's Khun Phir Khun Hai:

Khun Phir Khun Hai

Zulm phir zulm hai, baRhta hai to mitt jata hai
Khun phir khun hai, tapkay ga to jum jaiga

Oppression is still oppression;
It is wiped off when it exceeds its limit.
The blood is still blood;
When it is dropped, it stains.

Khak-i-Sehra pay jamay yaa kaf-e-qatil pay jamay
Firq-e-insaaf pay yaa pai-e-silasal pay jamay
Taigh-i-baydad pay, yaa lash-e-bismil pay jamay
Khun phir khun hai, tapkay ga to jum jaiga

Whether it stains the desert sand
Or the hands of the killer;
Whether it stains the head of justice,
Or the feet of chains;
Whether it stains the sword of injustice
Or the corpse of a martyr;
The blood is still blood;
When it is dropped, it stains.

Lakh BeThay koi chup chup key kamein gahon mein
Khun khud deta hai jalladon key maskan ka suragh
Sazishen lakh aurati rahain zulmat ka niqaab
Ley ke har boond nikalti hai hatheli par chirag

They may lurk in hiding places,
But the blood will always lead to the
tyrants.
Conspiracies may do their best
To shroud the truth in darkness,
But every drop of blood
Will carry a lamp on its palm.

zulm ki qismat-e-nakara-o-ruswa say kaho
jabar ki hikmat-e-parkar ke emaan say kaho
muhmil-e-majlis-e-aqwaam ki laila say kaho
khun dewana hai daman main tapak sakta hai
shula-e-tund hai khirman pay lapak sakta hai

Go and tell the obsolete and vain
fate of oppression,
Go and tell the intentions
of tyranny’s cunning wisdom,
That the blood is mad,
Can pounce on your lap;
That the flame is fierce,
Can scorch your harvest.

Tum ne jis khun ko maqtal main dabana chaha
Aaj wo kucha-o-bazaar main Aa nikla hai
Kahin Shola, kahin na’rah, kahin patthar ban ke
Khun chalta hai to rukta nahin sangeeno se
Sar uThta hai to dubta nahin aa’eenon se

The blood you wanted to bury
In the shambles,
Has come out in the streets:
As a flame somewhere,
As a shout, a stone somewhere else.
When the blood marches,
It can’t be stopped by bayonets.
When it raises its head,
It can’t be cowed by repressive laws.

Zulm ki baat hi kya, zulm ki auqaat hi kya
Zulm bass zulm hai aaghaaz se anjaam talak
Khun phir khun hai, sau Shakal badal sakta hai
Aisi Shaklein kah mitao to mitaye na bane
Aisey Sholey keh bhujao to bhujae na bane
Aisey narey keh dabao to dabaye na bane!

Oppression is a non-entity,
Worth nothing.
Oppression is only oppression
From the beginning to the end.
The blood is still blood;
It can assume many forms:
Images that can’t be erased,
Flames that can’t be put out,
Shouts that can’t be suppressed.

(Translation by Baidar Bakh)

Let's Weave A Dream

A friend, very disappointed with the current state of affairs in Pakistan, expressed his feelings with this couplet from Ghalib:

hairaan hun dil ko ro'un ke pitun jigar ko main,

maqdur ho agar to sath rakhun nauhagar ko main

The situation is indeed quite depressing for any person with a conscious head on his shoulders and a heart still beating in his chest. More than 2 million people have been affected by flood and flood relief failures in Balochistan and Sindh (here, here, here, here). As of today, at least 240 people have died, another 200 are missing in these two regions. In recent months, hundreds have died in political violence in different parts of the country. Under heavy storm and rain, within only two days, more than 200 people died in Karachi. The situation became so worse primarily because of the inefficacy of the city administration (here). And the latest, the loss of those innocent men, women, and children among the students who ended up in the Lal Masjid due to poverty, illiteracy, lack of social opportunities, or out of naive devotion and became dispensable pawns in the hands of their opportunist and misguided religious leaders and the short-sighted and corrupt political leadership in Pakistan, so willing to exceed any limits to preserve its power (here and here).

The blood of innocents has become so cheap, the value of life so worthless in Pakistan. Now, who wouldn't be depressed after witnessing all these developments. But, what can an average person like you and I do? I asked this question earlier in another post in reaction to the bombing in Peshawar and violence in Karachi (here). I suggested that we need to do retrospection on our sixty years history. Retrospection similar to what Sahir Ludhianvi, the poet, acerbically demanded from his Indian government in the below words, but also to look back on our own actions (or lack thereof) in these years:

aao ke aaj ghaur karen is sawaal par

dekhe the hum ne jo, wo haseen khwaab kya hue…

bekas barehnagi ko kafan tak nahin naseeb

wo waada-haa e atlas o kamkhwaab kya hue…

jamhooriyat-nawaaz, bashar-dost, amn-khwaah

khud ko jo khud diye the, wo alqaab kya hue

Come, and let us ponder on the question

Those beautiful dreams we had dreamt, what happened to them

Helpless nakedness does not even merit a shroud

What happened to those promises of silk and satin

Democrat, humanist, pacifist

What happened to all those self-conferred titles?

Only through this retrospection, I argued there, can we attain a realization of our plight. Realization that is needed to keep us from repeating the same mistakes again and again. But as we attain that realization, we need not despair. Instead, have hopes and dreams of a better future. As Sahir exhorts us: Aao ke koi khvaab bunein… (Let’s weave a dream otherwise the darkness of this hard age is going to suffocate both heart and soul to death). For it is hope that inspires the heart, that motivates the actions. The hope that Islam also gives to the oppressed ones: The meek shall inherit the earth. And, sooner or later, the truth shall prevail. That is the promise made in many divine scriptures. Indeed the idea of Mahdi, the awaited Savior, is an embodiment of that hope, inspiration, and dream (see here).

Let's weave a dream so our hearts remain alive and restless.

Sahir's Let's Weave a Dream:

aao ke koi Khvaab bunein kal ke vaaste

varnaa ye raat aaj ke sangiin daur kii

Das legii jaan-o-dil ko kuchh aise ke jaan-o-dil

taa umr phir na koi hasein Khvaab bun sakain

go ham se bhaagatii rahii ye tez-gaam umr

Khvaabon ke aasare pe kaTii hai tamaam umr

zulfon ke Khvaab, honThon ke Khvaab, aur badan ke Khvaab

meraaj-e-fan ke Khvaab, kamaal-e-sukhan ke Khvaab

tahzeeb-e-zindagii ke, faroG-e-vatan ke Khvaab

zindaan ke Khvaab, kuuchaa-e-daar-o-rasan ke Khvaab

ye khvaab hii to apanii javaanii ke paas the

ye khvaab hii to apne amal ki asaas the

ye khvaab mar gaye hain to be-rang hai hayaat

yuun hai ke jaise dast-e-tah-e-sang hai hayaat

aao ki koi Khvaab bunein kal ke vaaste

varnaa ye raat aaj ke sangiin daur kii

Das legii jaan-o-dil ko kuchh aise ke jaan-o-dil

taa umr phir na koi haseen Khvaab bun sakain

[dast-e-tah-e-sang = hands crushed under a stone (helpless)]

Seeking the One

An excerpt from Shaheed Baqir Sadr's work that I find very illuminating. Sadr was both a teacher and a martyr. The convergence of ilm (knowledge) and amal (practice) in his personality makes these words so precious.

"This Actually Existing Being is fit to be the ideal because He is absolute. Yet there is one thing to be noted. When man wants to acquire some light from this limitless source of light, obviously he can acquire it only in a limited and measurable quantity. Whatever he acquires has definite limits, whereas the absolute ideal has no such limits. He is neither perceptible nor imaginable. Yet the light which man acquires from Him is definitely restricted within exact limits, though the ideal is not restricted within any limits. That is why Islam insists that one must always distinguish Allah, the ideal from all that exists in one's mind.

One must make difference even between Allah and His Divine Names. Islam emphasizes that the Divine Name is not to be worshipped. Only the named is to be worshipped, for the name has mental existence only. Its relation with Allah is only mental. Therefore the named is to be worshipped, not the name, for while the named is absolute, the name is limited like all mental ideas. Allah is Self-existing and does not depend on any one or any thing. He is far from having any characteristic qualities attributable to the creation."

(Source: Trends of History in Quran, Chap: Selection of Ideal)

This relates to what Imam Jafar Sadiq said to Hisham b. al-Hakam: "God, the Exalted, should not be compared to anything, nor should anything be compared to Him. Whatever comes to the imagination is other than God."

But, despite their limitations, human beings are blessed by His invitation to seek Him, to connect with Him, the One, the Limitless, the Eternal, by using their hearts and minds.

"Call upon Allah, or call upon Rahman: by whatever name ye call upon Him, (it is well): for to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names."
- Quran 17:110

Rumi shares the Divine invitation with such poetic beauty:

Each moment contains a hundred messages from God
To every cry of "Oh Lord"
He answers a hundred times, "I am here."

The love of God is like a fire in the heart that burns away the dirt of all worldly desires and fears. See Sadr's 'Heart to Heart Talk' from the same book here.

First Muslim Film Festival in Karachi

I attended the last two days of the First "Muslim Film Festival" (here) held in Karachi on 6-8 July, organized by Imagination Unlimited in association with Geo TV, Radio FM 101, and the Arts Council.

The festival was very impressive for a unique initiative in Pakistan. It was well organized in a family-friendly environment. Constructive discussion sessions followed the screening of a few documentaries, which allowed the audience to interact with the directors and the cast. (See the list of films here)

There is a growing feeling that our Muslim identity in the media (esp. the international media) has been hijacked by a bunch of extremists and is politicized and manipulated by different governments for their gains. It is refreshing to see this festival and other similar efforts in the media recently that are aimed at reclaiming our Muslim identity by presenting a more comprehensive and diverse face of more than a billion Muslims in the world. Many films in this festival also provided insightful perspectives on issues pertaining to Muslim politics that you don’t find in the international media. The feature show on the last day, “Companions of the Cave” (Ashab-e-Kahaf), an Iranian movie, was especially inspiring: Sooner or later in history, good prevails over evil, justice over tyranny, and truth over falsehood. The trying times only increase the faith and determination of the believers who speak truth to power.

Of particular interest to me was the variety of topics and regions that were represented in the films in this festival, ranging from North America to Middle East and South Asia. Film's like "Ahlaam", "On Common Grounds", and "Arna's Children" showed the diversity, richness, complexity, even contradictions in Muslim lives and the different ways many Muslims find to cope up with sorrow and injustice. Such diversity and complexity cannot be simplified into any neat categories of "good" (moderate, liberal, enlightened) and "bad" (fundamentalist, narrow-minded, conservative) Muslims, categories so popular in the media these days.

I would really like this bold initiative to continue and prosper in future. The powers-that-be did not allow the organizers to show the scheduled "Pakistan's Double Game", a documentary by Reporter Sharmeen Obaid, on Pakistan's role in the war against terror and its problematics. But by the determination that I was able to observe in the organizers, I can tell, such coercion is not going to affect their spirits a bit. However, what may affect that somewhat is the response from the people. The organizers hope to get even more interest and participation from the Karachiites next year.