[Reader-list] "Fear grips Pakistani-Americans"

[yasir ~يا سر]

The root cause is the presence of US+NATO right next door.

madressah reform sounds a little out of place at this time.

best



On Thu, May 6, 2010 at 3:53 PM, Kshmendra Kaul <kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com>wrote:

>
> Unlike some on this List, it is good to see that at least some Pakistanis
> are perceptive enough to identify and honest enough to admit to one of the
> critical aspects that has globally made Pakistan and it's people the
> propagators of terrorism; intolerance towards others; and consequently the
> object of suspicions.
>
> The article from DAWN (Pakistan) says at one place:
>
> quote.....
> Mr Siddiqui, another Pakistani-American who only gave his last name, said
> that Pakistan needed to “deal with the root cause” of terrorism.
>
> He suggested massive reform of the education system, which should include
> “revision of textbooks that preach hate against other religions, closure of
> all those madressahs that indulge in hate-mongering and more money for the
> right type of education”.
> ...... unquote
>
> Kshmendra
>
>
>
> "Fear grips Pakistani-Americans"
>
> By Anwar Iqbal
> Wednesday, 05 May, 2010
>
> WASHINGTON: A Pakistani-American girl, only 12, refused to go to school on
> Tuesday, saying she fears other students will ask her questions about the
> suspect held in New York for a failed attempt to bomb Times Square.
>
> Another girl, 11, went to school when her mother persuaded her to but the
> mother had to go back to school during the lunch break to counsel her.
>
> A 53-year old man throttled his laughter at a dinner in a Virginia
> restaurant as a US television channel identified the suspect as a
> Pakistani-American. “That’s it. We are cooked,” he remarked.
>
> “Sad, very sad,” said Maleeha Lodhi, a former Pakistani ambassador to the
> US and Britain who is now working on a book in Washington. “It will hurt all
> Pakistanis, particularly those living in the United States.”
>
> The Pakistani American Public Affairs Committee condemned the Times Square
> attempted bomb plot and appreciated the efforts of the US enforcement
> agencies for saving hundreds of lives.
>
> “PAKPAC is shocked and saddened to learn that the prime suspect is of
> Pakistani heritage,” said a statement issued in Washington.
>
> “This individual or any accomplice should be tried and punished under
> American judicial system. Whether this is an act of a lone individual or a
> group, it harms everyone and benefits no one.”
>
> As a community, Pakistani-Americans have “zero tolerance for such acts as
> they damage and disrupt the way of life of all Americans”.
>
> PAKPAC also welcomed the full cooperation offered by the Pakistani
> government.
>
> America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organisation, CAIR
> held a special news conference in Washington to condemn the bombing attempt.
>
> CAIR leaders assured other Americans that Muslims living in America were as
> “peace loving as any other group” and stood ready to assist the
> administration’s efforts to root out terrorism.
>
> These immediate reactions in and around the US capital reflect the fears
> and trepidations of the Pakistani and Muslim communities in North America as
> they brace themselves for possible repercussions of the involvement of yet
> another Pakistani in an alleged terror plot.
>
> Raza Jafri recalled walking near the White House a day after 9/11 when two
> men stopped him and his wife and shouted: “Terrorists, terrorists. Arrest
> them.”
>
> The first thing he did was to ask his wife not to wear Pakistani dress in
> public until it was safe to do so. “It can get worse now,” he said.
>
> At a religious gathering in Springfield Virginia, Imam Wali prayed that
> “all those who are giving a bad name to Islam and Pakistan may be shown the
> right path.”
>
> Muhammad Younas Ansari of Lahore asked his Pakistani-American friends, “why
> are you so unhappy here? I have never heard of Indian or Bangladeshi Muslims
> being involved in such activities, why?”
>
> One of his friends thought that some Pakistanis living in America suffered
> from a major cultural shock. “No matter how unhappy a Pakistani says he is
> in America, he does not want to go back,” said the friend.
>
> “The Pakistanis enjoy the benefits of living in America. Love earning
> dollars. Love the prosperity that the dollar brings. They love showing off
> their dollars when they go to Pakistan. Yet, they never tire of criticising
> America. They think Pakistan is a paradise but all are afraid of returning
> home.”
>
> Hamza Muhammad of Falls Church, Virginia, noted that the entire Pakistani
> society shared the blame for allowing religious extremists and fanatics to
> function. “They never tire of condemning the extremists but also never take
> any practical step to purge them,” he observed.
>
> “How should we, living in America contribute to the fight against
> terrorism?” asked Tahira Mussarat Hussain, a Maryland resident.
>
> “We are against fanaticism but our voices are not heard. We want the whole
> world to know that we oppose all messages of hate.”
>
> Mr Siddiqui, another Pakistani-American who only gave his last name, said
> that Pakistan needed to “deal with the root cause” of terrorism.
>
> He suggested massive reform of the education system, which should include
> “revision of textbooks that preach hate against other religions, closure of
> all those madressahs that indulge in hate-mongering and more money for the
> right type of education”.
>
>
> http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/fear-grips-pakistaniamericans-550
>
>
>
>
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