Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Anger - a silent killer

Patience is the word we hear so much that we now have become its absolute opposite. Yes we have become impatient even to listen to a simple word like patience. All we think, finally becomes our action so it won't be wrong to say that we have so much anger stuck in our mind that it only gets its way out through our actions and unfortunately there is no end of stock here.

We stubborn souls will not agree, still there is always room for improvement. Scientific studies have proven that anger has a direct negative impact on our health, and can be a root cause for many diseases including the cardiac ones. To make you realize the harm that you are causing to yourself by being angry is a very difficult task but lets take a look at the body chemistry which might highlight such facts that can scare the heck out of you. The tears out of happiness, sadness and anger all have different chemicals. When you cry out of anger, you can see the most harmful chemical formation in the fluid. Similarly, when you are angry you exhale poisonous breath. This doesn't mean you are only excreting the toxics, you are also developing them inside your body. These are the alarming signs which shows the injustice that you are doing to yourself.

If you are wise enough, then you should have already understood the hazards but now the next problem in question is how to refrain oneself from anger? And the magic spell to the freedom is '6 seconds'. It is as easy as it sounds because it only requires practice. The practice of shifting your concerntration for 6 seconds from the object of hate to the object of love. Six seconds of silence is all we need. Next time whenever you feel angry shift your focus from that person or thought and think about something you love, think about God, think about nature or simply see the positive aspects of the person in question. You will see the results as after those initial six seconds, your anger automatically starts to drop in intensity. One step at a time and you will eradicate this bad habit of yours with the blessings of God. Both life and relationships are precious, so try to treasure them.

-Raheel Lakhani

Originally Posted at,
H.O.P.E. [v2]


For more info regarding anger management and emotional stability, Visit:
6seconds.org

Karachi in the middle of Violence - again!


And even in our sleep,
pain which cannot forget
falls drop by drop upon the heart.
Until, in our own despite,
against our will,
comes wisdom to us
by the awful grace of God.

Aeschylus - 3rd century Greek Poet


Lets hope that wisdom does come to us and this sad event is not turned into a sectarian issue that may result into more violence and bloodshed in our beloved country - Pakistan.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Discussing women in Islam

"There are misconceptions regarding the status of women in Islam, said Ihab El-Kady, an associate professor at UNM.

Citing the Quran, he talked about women's roles in Islam. He said the first chapter of the Quran tells a story similar to that of Adam and Eve. Eve doesn't take the blame for committing the first sin of mankind. El-Kady said they were both tempted, and they were equals. "You can't inherit sins," he said. "In the Islamic point of view, everybody is responsible for the sins they commit."

El-Kady stressed the importance of judging a religion by reading the scriptures, not by the actions of the people associated with the religion. Another reason to read the scriptures, he said, to decide for yourself what is true.

El-Kady said Islam gives women rights. He said Islamic women have always been equal enough to fight in wars."Women fought from the rooftops while men fought in the streets," he said. "It's cowardly to put women in front of the men. Women weren't drafted. They were kindly asked to participate."

He said it was a woman who first sacrificed her eyesight for Islam, the first to be martyred, the first to die outside Arabian borders fighting for her religion and the first to get a government-sponsored bank loan.

He said women have the right to work, provided it doesn't interfere with their ability to raise a child."You don't degrade women because they are precious," El-Kady said. "And you don't degrade men because they are also precious."The dress codes are also similar for both genders, he said, except for skirt length and the women's headdress.

"If you're puzzled over women's headdress, think about it," he said. "Why do nuns wear headscarves? Why does (Virgin) Mary wear it?..." [...]

Source: The Daily Lobo [2006,Mar.29]

The State of Muslims Today

A religion should not be judged by its followers, but by its preaching and its values. In today’s world, people believe Islam preaches violence, intolerance and hatred towards people of other beliefs. I am going to endeavor to rebut their misconceptions through a historical journey of the Islamic empire.

The word Islam has its roots in the word "Salam", which means peace. Once again, a population of 1 Billion plus people can not be bundled up under the title of terrorism, judging by the acts of a small number of people. In order to understand the violent nature of certain Muslims, one must rationally approach the reasoning behind their reactions. One must understand what it is that has separated the so-called "Islamic Nations" from each other, despite the fact that Islam emphasizes heavily on unity.

When Muhammad (PBUH) passed away, the Islamic empire, which was at that point mostly centered around Arabia, began to fall apart. It was the power of his message that kept the Arab tribes together, who for generations associated their religious beliefs with Idols. [...]

Source: The Daily 49er

Monday, April 10, 2006

Welcome Message!

Greetings, fellow bloggers! The objective of this blog is to bring together progressive, educated, opinionated and knowledgeable Pakistani bloggers so that they may bring forth their perspectives on global issues. The goals of this site will not be limited to news, although, it will occupy a large portion of the ultimate objective we will strive to achive. We hope in the process we will all learn and share from the experiences and opinions of each other. Sit back, and enjoy the ride! Pakistan Zindabad!

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