The Message

“Iqra”, READ. This is the first word of the Quran ^{Surah Al-Alaq 96:1 .}

"Seek knowledge by even going to China, for seeking knowledge is incumbent on every Muslim” ^{Jalal al-Din 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr al-Suyuti, al-Jami al-Saghir min Hadith al-Bashir al-Nadhir(Damascus: Maktabat al-Habuni, n.d.), 1:43 (}In those times travel was extremely hard and going to China was not easy. The Prophet Muhammad used this example to emphasize the importance of learning and literacy.)

“Whosoever kills an innocent human being, it shall be as if he has killed all mankind, and whosoever saves the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind.” ^{Quran 5:32}

"You shall have your religion and I shall have my religion" ^{Quran 109:6.}

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And what have Al Qaeda and Taliban been doing? Burning schools and killing innocent people.

To the misled, the self-proclaimed guardians of faith, no, no this was not the message.

The message was and is very clear, spread the light of knowledge, peace and tolerance.

To the true followers of the faith and of all faiths, the victims of hatred by the ignorant and the misled: Seek knowledge, let there be no confusion and no misunderstandings and understand the enemy. These are the enemies of all faiths and all people including the Muslims, yes the Muslims. In fact these are the real enemies of Muslims. Look around, it is the Muslims they are killing every day in the dozens and hundreds.

You are all in it together. Do not let the enemy divide you. Be united to fight your common enemy. And do it with a sincere and clear goal to protect and preserve life and peace TOGETHER so that no single innocent has to suffer or lose life again, because every life is precious.

Moving back to 1947, quotes from Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the Founder of Pakistan:

"Pakistan needs America. America needs Pakistan more than Pakistan needs America...Pakistan is the pivot of the world, as we are placed...(on )the frontier on which the future position of the world revolves" ~ Muhammad Ali Jinnah , ^{interview with Bourke White, Life Magazine 1947}

“Our object should be peace within, and peace without. We want to live peacefully and maintain cordial friendly relations with our immediate neighbors and with the world at large”. ~Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Moving to present times, quotes from Senator John Kerry, Chairman US Senate Foreign Relations Committee:

“The road to peace was never going to be easy. The past year has been especially trying for the U.S.-Pakistan relationship. Despite our many frustrations and setbacks, both sides must remember what is at stake here and that we have more to gain by finding common ground. We have to take a collective deep breath” ~Senator John Kerry ^{NY Times 2011}

“Ultimately, the only way to move the ball forward is to focus on areas where our interests align and where we can really make progress. Our two countries need each other.” ~Senator John Kerry ^{NY Times 2011}

The visionaries of the past and present remind us just how important it is to work together and with real understanding, mutual respect and cooperation. We cannot afford to err on this because the cost of doing so will be too much.

-Myra Chaudhary, USA

LET US STAY UNITED, THAT IS HOW WE HAVE DONE IT AND THAT IS ONLY HOW WE CAN DO IT

The mastermind and symbol of hatred ,death and destruction, the murderer of thousands of peace loving people from all faiths, nationalities and races has been eliminated.

Yes, it is a big achievement and the closure of a big and an important chapter but it is just a chapter in a long and a very difficult book that we must finish.

All this could not have been possible without determination , a lot of collaboration and cooperation. It is with the same spirit of unity, faith, discipline and cooperation across the world that we need to move forward.

And I quote President Barak Obama:

“ It’s important to note that our counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to bin Laden and the compound where he was hiding. Indeed, bin Laden had declared war against Pakistan as well, and ordered attacks against the Pakistani people.

Tonight, I called President Zardari, and my team has also spoken with their Pakistani counterparts. They agree that this is a good and historic day for both of our nations. And going forward, it is essential that Pakistan continue to join us in the fight against al Qaeda and its affiliates.”

We need to understand and remember always that Osama Bin Laden was a friend of no one. He wanted to divide the world and wanted the world to believe that he was a Muslim, yet a vast majority of his victims were Muslims all over the world. It is a day of some satisfaction for everyone everywhere in the world, but particularly it should be more so for Muslims all over the world because he was truly their enemy number one.

And I quote President Barak Obama:

“As we do, we must also reaffirm that the United States is not –- and never will be -– at war with Islam. I’ve made clear, just as President Bush did shortly after 9/11, that our war is not against Islam. Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims. Indeed, al Qaeda has slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, including our own. So his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity. ”

And I quote Secretary of State Hilary Clinton:

“First, I want to offer my thoughts and prayers to the thousands of families whose loved ones were killed in Usama bin Ladin’s campaign of terror and violence, from the embassy bombings in Africa, to the strike on the U.S.S. Cole, to the attacks of September 11, 2001, and so many more. These were not just attacks against Americans, although we suffered grievous losses; these were attacks against the whole world. In London and Madrid, Bali, Istanbul, and many other places, innocent people – most of them Muslims – were targeted in markets and mosques, in subway stations, and on airplanes, each attack motivated by a violent ideology that holds no value for human life or regard for human dignity. I know that nothing can make up for the loss of the victims or fill the voids they left, but I hope their families can now find some comfort in the fact that justice has been served.”

It will serve us a lot of good if we are mindful of the fact that the breeding grounds need our attention. It will be very helpful if we have long term strategies to address the pressing need for reformed education and provision of basic human opportunities for the very vulnerable in the impoverished areas especially in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

We Americans have every reason to feel proud as a nation. Let us pledge that we will always stand united as one peace loving nation without regard to race, religion or color.

-Myra Chaudhary, USA

It is a Test of Our Wisdom

The last article I wrote about Pakistan was “Pakistan Deluged”. Then it was the rain and floods.This time it is a political storm.

Let us not underestimate the dangers here. The whole region is volatile and the situation there is very unstable. Also let us not forget that we are allies. And let us remember we have come a long way and need very much to continue working together as allies in this common struggle against extremism and terrorism.

It is a very unfortunate incident. Let us be very careful and not stir anything. The extremists are looking and waiting for an opportunity. Let the wisdom prevail, otherwise there could be a tsunami. We cannot afford to repeat history when the Shah of Iran was replaced by Khomeini. That was pretty bad but this would be worse because it is a nuclear state.

Any issues that have to be dealt with and resolved need to be done with calm and cool diplomacy outside the eyes of the camera and without rushing or pushing too much.

If we do not the only beneficiaries and winners in this scenario are going to be the extremists, and everybody else including the government of Pakistan, the people of Pakistan, the United States of America and the world at large will be at a big loss.

Let us all cool down and think how to handle this. It should be possible to find ways to resolve all issues by working together.

-Myra Chaudhary, USA