A Report on the First Session of “Role of Youth in Good Governance” at Kinnaird College for Women with Collaboration of Centre for Civic Education Pakistan
On 24th of November 2009, the Political Science Department of Kinnaird College for Women Lahore arranged the first session on the “Role of Youth in Good Governance” with the collaboration of “Centre for Civic Education Pakistan”, which is a non-profitable organization based in Islamabad. The purpose of this session was to sensitize the youth and to make them aware of their responsibilities as a citizen of their motherland. The session was well-planned as it started with the introduction of first session in which Syeda Scherbano introduced the CCEP and its efforts in regard of awakening Youth for their role in ensuring good governance. After the brief introduction, Maria Malik gave a PowerPoint presentation on the concept of good governance and how to improve the participation of Youth in good governance.
After the presentation the guest speaker Taimur Rehman delivered an inspirational lecture on the role of youth in ensuring good governance in Pakistan. Mr Taimur Rehman is currently pursuing a Research Degree (PH.D) on the “Class Structure of Pakistan” from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) University of London, and associate with Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore School of Economics and Lahore College of Arts and Sciences as a visiting faculty of economics and international relations department. Simultaneously, he is a founding member of a music group known as Laal Band which is famous for its revolutionary songs based on social and political issues of society.
The political science department also made a play of 20 minutes with the title “is paikar-e-khaki main bher lo ma’e muhabbat-e-watan”, which was written and directed by Namrah Arooj and Sana Iqbal. The play was on the prevailing environment of social and political unrest in Pakistan which is a main cause of hopelessness in the new generation. The purpose of the play was to aware Pakistani youth about their responsibilities towards this country and the theme of the play was well-received by the audience. After the play, the Principal, Dr Bernadette L. Dean shared her views on the active participation of youth in promoting good governance. At the end, Mr. Taimur spelled out the audience with the magic of a revolutionary song “Umeed e Sahar” written by Faiz Ahmed Faiz. The format of the session kept the students involved till the end and a tremendous feedback made this program successful.
The whole programme was assisted and guided by Ms. Saira Malik (head of Political Science Department) and Ms. Zamurrad Awan. The media coverage of the event was done by Geo television and City 42 and Khabrain.
Zamurrad awan
Political Science Dept
Kinnaird College for Women Lhr
PAKISTAN OBSERVER---- WRONG FORVER ON THE THRONE,TRUTH FOREVER ON THE SCAFFOLD--A STATE WHERE THE RULERS AND THE ELITES RELIGION IS DOLLARS-- IS PAKISTAN A STATE WITH AN ARMY OR AN ARMY WITH A STATE ?????? A UNIQUE STATE WHICH HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ISLAM OR DEMOCRACY ! THE MOTTO AND GUIDING PRINCIPLE IS TO APPEAR PIOUS AND SIN SECRETLY. WHERE PROSTITUTION AND BOOZE IS BANNED LEGALLY BUT WHICH IS THE BASTION OF ALL MAJOR VICES
THE CENTRAL TENET AS VIVIDLY AND GRAPHICALLY DESCRIBED BY A LEADING PAKISTANI IN 1950S
CLICK ON PICTURE TO READ THE COMPLETE STORY AND BACKGROUND
CLICK ON PICTURE TO READ THE COMPLETE STORY
THE FOREIGN POLICY AS DESCRIBED IN 1950s
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
FRANCE STANDS BY USE OF STOLEN BANK DATA
| |
- Cowen's office runs up €500k charges
- Nama definition of 'long-term value' masterful, says IMF
- Nasrallah: 'Mercenaries' oppose our arms
- Police and Maoists Clash in Nepal, With 70 Arrested
- 'Israeli pupils least educated in West'
- France stands by use of stolen bank data
- Special Ops robots now do psychological warfare
- "How much imaginary gold has been sold?"
- Queen's finances to be revealed
- Controversial ID cards coming to Germany in 2010
| Cowen's office runs up €500k charges Posted: 20 Dec 2009 08:02 PM PST www.independent.ie Despite claiming to have driven down the cost of its foreign junkets by 31 per cent since Mr Cowen took office in May of last year, the Department of the Taoiseach still expects the taxpayer to sign a cheque for €500,000 to pay for first-class flights, five-star hotels, chauffeur-driven limousines and fine dining in 2009, [...] Related posts:
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| Nama definition of 'long-term value' masterful, says IMF Posted: 20 Dec 2009 07:50 PM PST www.irishtimes.com THE INTERNATIONAL Monetary Fund (IMF) told the Government that the definition of "long-term economic value" on bank loans in the draft Nama Bill was "masterful" as it was "sufficiently specific" and "sufficiently vague" to allow "appropriate flexibility". Steven Seelig, an adviser at the IMF, made the comments in an e-mailed response to a request by the [...] Related posts:
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| Nasrallah: 'Mercenaries' oppose our arms Posted: 20 Dec 2009 07:38 PM PST dailystar.com.lb BEIRUT: Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah slammed as "mercenaries" those who criticize his party's possession of arms. "Has it become a shame to possess the power of resistance and defense, and own the ability to harm the enemy and create the right balance?" the secretary general of Hizbullah asked during a speech to mark the [...] Related posts:
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| Police and Maoists Clash in Nepal, With 70 Arrested Posted: 20 Dec 2009 07:28 PM PST www.nytimes.com NEW DELHI — Nepalese riot police officers wielding batons and firing canisters of tear gas clashed Sunday with Maoist sympathizers in Katmandu, as the Maoists staged their largest protests since abandoning the government seven months ago. The violence was a new sign that the stalled peace process was unraveling altogether. It started as Maoists blocked roads [...] Related posts:
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| 'Israeli pupils least educated in West' Posted: 20 Dec 2009 07:10 PM PST www.jpost.com Education gaps in Israel were the highest in the Western world in the last decade, according to a study released on Sunday by the Jerusalem-based Taub Center for for Social Policy Studies in Israel. The failure of Israel's school system to grant children tools to be used later in life "will put them at a [...] Related posts:
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| France stands by use of stolen bank data Posted: 20 Dec 2009 07:02 PM PST www.ft.com France said on Sunday that it had committed no crime in using a stolen list of Swiss bank accounts to track French tax evaders as a row between Bern and Paris over banking secrecy intensified. "France is committing no fraud, the tax evaders are," said Eric Woerth, budget minister, in an interview on Canal Plus. "What [...] Related posts:
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| Special Ops robots now do psychological warfare Posted: 20 Dec 2009 06:53 PM PST By Lewis Page www.theregister.co.uk US arms globocorp Boeing has announced yet another military robot demonstration – but this time, one with a difference. Rather than spying on meatsacks or mowing them down with the traditional array of automated weaponry, the war-bots in this trial sought to win over their fleshy opponents using psychological warfare. The demo was carried [...] Related posts:
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| "How much imaginary gold has been sold?" Posted: 20 Dec 2009 06:43 PM PST By Adrian Douglas for Gata.org On October 10 I published an article that postulated that the gold market is a Ponzi scheme because it sells gold that doesn't exist by implementation of the principles of fractional reserve banking. (See http://www.gata.org/node/7887.) Since writing that article further information has come to light that supports this claim and allows [...] Related posts:
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| Queen's finances to be revealed Posted: 20 Dec 2009 04:43 PM PST www.independent.co.uk The Independent wins three-year battle to publish secret correspondence with Government over spiralling cost of maintaining royal palaces. Secret correspondence between the Government and Buckingham Palace concerning the growing public cost of the Royal Family is to be released to The Independent after three years of campaigning. In a far-reaching ruling, the Government must disclose more than [...] Related posts:
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| Controversial ID cards coming to Germany in 2010 Posted: 20 Dec 2009 12:12 PM PST www.thelocal.de The German Interior Ministry confirmed on Monday that new identification cards containing radio-frequency (RFID) chips will be introduced starting November 1, 2010 – but some data protection experts are critical of the decision. "It's smaller than the old one, but can do a lot more," Interior Minister Thomas de MaiziĆØre said in a statement. The information on [...] Related posts:
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--
Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death." --
Albert Einstein !!!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
My Friends Assessment of 16 December Judgement
December 20, 2009
Dear Agha;
'The desire to gain an immediate selfish advantage always imperils their ultimate interests. If they recognize this fact, they usually recognize it too late'. Reinhold Niebuhr
Thanks for an informed piece. I tend to agree with part of your assessment. I sincerely hope that the script of the play currently on the judicial stage was not written by the analysis wing of Military Intelligence or ISI or army chief's planning secretariat. If that is the case then it proves that GHQ has learned nothing and very soon will be knee deep in another mess.
If plan is to completely overhaul the system then every one should be held accountable. If screws are tightened only on President Zardari & MQM, then military operations directorate should start planning for the deployment of troops in the only peaceful province of the country. Every one knows that you can not run Karachi & Hyderabad without MQM's consent. If MQM jumps the ship, it means Karachi corps will be soon sucked into urban areas. If the criminal gangs of Lyari can use rocket launchers at police mobiles, imagine what MQM hard core can achieve. President Zardari after humiliation may decide to go back to his Manhattan apartment or buy a flat next to former President Mussharraf and GHQ may be looking only at this outcome. However, revenge is a very virulent trait among tribal & feudal societies and even if half of the allegations of corruption against President Zardari are true, then he can surely spare few millions for his revenge. He is no Bhutto to take crowds to ecstasy but dropping few millions in the pond of Sindhi mistrust can pay rich dividends. In that case, even troops from Bahawalpur corps will be needed to control rural Sindh. To prove this point see Exhibit A: rural Sindh in 1980s. Before marching the troops out of barracks, someone needs to do the math. With a $3.4 billion yearly defence budget (most of it goes to pay and pensions), you can not fight insurgencies in three out of four provinces and an urban anti-terrorism campaign in the remaining fourth. If President Zardari resigns that will be best for him, Peoples Party and country in general (but then again why should he resign if the replacement in another dry cleaned politician). May be if a respected retired judge is sent to President House for a while, it may bring some respect to the office.
Overall a very bad situation. If the whole orchestra consists only of judiciary and GHQ has nothing to do with this performance, the question is what GHQ can do? If they restrain judiciary they will be accused of protecting corrupt politicians; if they keep their hands off everything and let events take their own course, the possible casualty will be Sindh (it is only a possibility and not a forgone conclusion). I don't envy General Kiyani today but then again as one fine officer currently operating against militants once said, 'we are paying for the sins of our fathers'. On a hopeful note, if current judicial activism while selective now may become responsible with time and brings back some confidence of general public in the system (if there was any left). This will pay dividends in the long run. It may help in restraining executive, military and bureaucracy and a normal balance between various organs of the state is achieved with time. That will be the best outcome if short term side effects are tolerated by the patient.
Every one knows that President Zardari is no angel but then again what about the rest of the crowd? Are they snow whites? I know military men don't like him and he is not invited to any military function because uniformed Brahmins don't want to salute 'shudras'. However, the question is that if Zardari was so unacceptable then they should have worked with Peoples Party before he became president. Reminds one 1971. Allowing free elections but when Shaikh Mujib ur Rahman won majority they wanted him to negotiate and give up many things. If GHQ wants to work in the system no matter how flawed then they should think through and let the electoral process take care of nuisances. A smart man would use even damaged goods to his advantage. It is ironic that Peoples Party and Awami National party (labeled security threat by GHQ in the past) are fully supportive of military's fight against extremism. The leadership of both parties have history of good relationship with Baluchs and GHQ could have used the narrow window of opportunity to de-escalate Baluchistan situation. Immediately after Mussharraf's departure GHQ could have used these channels to convey to Baluchs that the policy was only Mussharraf's and as an institution they want to repair the damage. It reminds me late Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan. He was the only Pakistani which Indira Ghandhi genuinely respected (when Sanjay died, Bacha Khan went to India for condolence. Indira was sitting with few senior government officials. As soon as Bacha Khan entered the room, she ran towards him and dropped in his arms crying like a daughter in father's arms; and she had that kind of respect due to family relations). Can you imagine how such relationships could be used to settle disputes. You don't have to agree with everything everybody says but look at how each person's strength can be used for the benefit of the country. That is the art of leadership.
I don't know the motives of all players but more conflict among political players is bad omen. Adding more complexities to an already a very volatile situation is not good news. If more cracks appear in the system, many groups may decide to leave the tent altogether. This does not mean physical fragmentation but many areas will be out of federation de facto. To prove this point see Exhibit B: Islamic Emirate of Waziristan (bad example) or Exhibit C: Iraqi Kurdistan (good example). We will see whether adding another uneven leg (Chief Justice) to a shaky chair of decision making process (President, Prime Minister & Army Chief) adds stability or instability to the system. I hope everyone will try for an outcome where every party is encouraged to stay in the tent pissing outside rather than leaving some outside the tent when it is inevitable that they will be pissing inside the tent. Pakistanis should be very clear about the stakes. It is no more boy scout game. It is now big boys club. In the past, 1965 gamble on Kashmir resulted in unexpected effect on East Bengal, the wager on 1990s Kashmir table was internal security of Pakistan and in 1980s all chips put on Afghanistan table by Pakistan were of Afghan origin. Net result of all these gambles; loss of East Pakistan, irreparable damage to internal cohesion in Pakistan and fragmentation of only buffer state known as Afghanistan. Pakistani officers tried to redeem their honor lost in 1971 on the killing fields of East Pakistan/Bangladesh on the killing fields of Afghanistan. Unknown to them they were erecting the remaining Pakistan on the altar of chaos and that is why the country is where it is. Everything is logical and makes sense and that is how the wheels of history move; not some grand conspiracies hatched in dark board rooms in far off lands. The tragic part is that most Pakistanis including some well informed people either don't have time or simply not interested in reading their own history.
'The keenest sorrow is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause of our adversities'. Sophocles
From a well wisher of Pakistan
Warm Regards,
Hamid
From: Agha H Amin [mailto:pavocavalry@gmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, December 20, 2009 1:51 AMyb
Subject: Fwd: [Understanding Each Other, Diversity and Dissent] Whats not historical about ...
The so called land mark judgement is a concerted endeavour to remove the sindhi president .the motivations are multiple and complicated while the rationale is rule of law.hidden are the ethnic aspects of the issue.while NRO was not a golden law all the thrust of the judgement is against those who benefitted from it while those who negotiated it are angels.some lecturing think tanks and some serving in the pakistani establishment.
basically NRO consists of cases established by nawaz sharif regime in 1997-99 and later improved by the military junta.the dispute is not that the cases are wrong.the dispute is that only sindh was targeted.thus the so called historic judgement is not historic.it ignores all corruption from 1947 till 1985 when nawaz sharif became the establishments man.
the key issue here is to target a man for doing something wrong because he is a political threat.while so many wrong doers are enjoying political status and high social standing because they were crooks before 1985 or because they were controlling the ehtesab buraeu between 1997 and 1999.
if the army is sensible it will not touch zardari.if it is immature it will and although zardari may be removed pakistans destabilisation will escalate.this is a classical example of partial justice selective distortion and triumph of sin thou shall but in secret.
major beneficiary of this judgement would be a select 10 thousand political and military families from punjab
in the political person of the PML N and major losers would be pakistan as a state.this is a classic case of a judiciary destabilising the country although apparently acting on sound moral principles.
------------------------------------------------
The whole confrontation started once a clash of egos started.
The Sharifs took an unlterior advantage and used it for their own benefit.
In 1997 when the Supreme Court according to the Punjabi political school resorted to alleged judicial activism it was attacked and no so called punjabi civil society protested.
Now if allegedly the supreme court has again resorted to judicial activism it is OK.Just because what it is doing supports the cause of PML N which is a basically Punjab based party.
All said and done only the political ambitions of the generals to play political games would be reinforced.but then we must remember that most of the judges were comfortable working under musharraf as long as they did not have a clash of egos
i am surprised that in 1997 when sajjad ali shahs court was attacked where was this civil society and aitizaz ahsan and asma jahangir.in 2007 civil society was active ?
FORGET ABOUT HIM BECAUSE HE WAS NOT A PUNJABI CHIEF JUSTICE BUT A SINDHI , OH AND THAT TOO FROM LIARI
somewhere deep in the sub conscious are the ethnic factors.
somehow if a sindhi is corrupt it is more serious.after all a sindhi finds it ethnically more difficult to establish a line with a non sindhi judge or to manouevre inside the esablishment.
theoretically any argument can be twisted and anything can be justified but i find something very ulterior and ethnic in the 16 december judgement.
the supreme court just stuffed under ground the famous case of the generals bribing the PML N politicians in 1990.
the supreme court never touched the murder and disappearance of Asadullah Mengal , Sardar Ataullah Mengals son allegedly killed by pakistani intelligence in 1975 and his dead body never found .
FORGET ABOUT HIM BECAUSE HE WAS NOT SON OF PML N LEADER FROM PUNJAB BUT ONLY A MENGAL AND ANTHROPOLOGISTS SAY THAT BRAHUI IS A DRAVIDIAN RACE
the supreme court never bothered about three baloch leaders murdered by pakistani agencies in turbat in 2008.
But if a PML N leaders son from Punjab is killed and dead body never found the supreme court will take a gigantic suo moto action
--
Posted By Agha H Amin to Understanding Each Other, Diversity and Dissent at 12/19/2009 05:14:00 AM
--
Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death." --
Albert Einstein !!!
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Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death." --
Albert Einstein !!!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS
| |
- Mumbai accused says he was framed
- Nigeria rebels attack oil pipeline
- Is the European police state going global?
- EXCLUSIVE – British Peer: Copenhagen Summit Has Established A World Government
- The Frightening Rise Of Christian Persecution: Christians Around The World Are Being Shot, Burned, Hanged, Tortured …
- Ireland: Human-Being Discovered Among Members Of Parliament – Video
- Scientists Considered Pouring Soot Over the Arctic in the 1970s to Help Melt the Ice – In Order to Prevent Another Ice Age
- UFOs – FOX News – Mexican Air Force – CNN News – OVNIs
| Mumbai accused says he was framed Posted: 19 Dec 2009 03:57 AM PST news.bbc.co.uk The man alleged to be the sole surviving gunman in last year's Mumbai attacks, Mohammad Qasab, has retracted a confession that he took part. Giving evidence in his defence, Mr Qasab, a Pakistani national, said he had been forced by police to confess after being repeatedly beaten up. He said he was not the man seen in [...] Related posts:
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| Nigeria rebels attack oil pipeline Posted: 19 Dec 2009 03:47 AM PST news.bbc.co.uk Rebels in the Niger delta of Nigeria say they have attacked an oil pipeline overnight, putting a two-month truce with the government in doubt. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta said it had attacked a pipeline owned by Shell and Chevron. A rebel spokesman said it was because the government was delaying peace talks [...] Related posts:
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| Is the European police state going global? Posted: 19 Dec 2009 02:46 AM PST From The Viscount Monckton of Brenchley in Copenhagen Today the gloves came off and the true purpose of the "global warming" scare became nakedly visible. Ugo Chavez, the Socialist president of Venezuela, blamed "global warming" on capitalism – and received a standing ovation from very nearly all of the delegates, lamentably including those from those of [...] Related posts:
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| EXCLUSIVE – British Peer: Copenhagen Summit Has Established A World Government Posted: 19 Dec 2009 02:04 AM PST "Institutional framework" paves the way for unelected international bureaucracy Steve Watson Prisonplanet.com Amid all the mainstream media reports of the talks in Copenhagen "limping" to a close and having failed, Lord Christopher Monckton, reporting from the summit, has stated that the only goal of the conference was to implement the framework and the funding for a world government [...] Related posts:
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| Posted: 19 Dec 2009 01:49 AM PST Youtube There is a widely quoted statistic that more Christians died for their faith in the 20th century than in the 19 centuries leading up to it. But as bad as the 20th century was, the 21st century is starting to make that look like a Sunday picnic. In every corner of the globe, Christians are [...] Related posts:
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| Ireland: Human-Being Discovered Among Members Of Parliament – Video Posted: 19 Dec 2009 01:15 AM PST Youtube Paul Gogarty of the Green party losing the plot with Labour's Emmet Stagg during a Dail Budget debate. Direct link to video at Youtube Related posts:Nazi Roots Of The European Union Youtube Prison Planet editor and journalist Paul Joseph Watson... UKIP Nigel Farage – LibLabCon Lies on Lisbon (December 2009) Youtube The Labour party, [...] Related posts:
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| Posted: 19 Dec 2009 01:00 AM PST (WashingtonsBlog) – (Environmentalists: Kindly start by reading the end notes to see my background and why I am writing this) On April 28, 1975, Newsweek wrote an article stating: Climatologists are pessimistic that political leaders will take any positive action to compensate for the climatic change, or even to allay its effects. They concede that some of [...] Related posts:
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| UFOs – FOX News – Mexican Air Force – CNN News – OVNIs Posted: 19 Dec 2009 12:54 AM PST Youtube CIA agent R. Cotner's deathbed confession reveals startling information about his involvement in CIA and NSA extraterrestrial projects: Direct link to video at Youtube Related posts:Mexican president: US authorities 'complicit' in drug trafficking The President of Mexico has an unfortunate message for... UFOs over Kremlin? Russia Today A UFO has circled the Kremlin –... European news view [...] Related posts:
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--
Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death." --
Albert Einstein !!!
Pakistans not so historic Judgement of 16 December 2009
The so called land mark judgement is a concerted endeavour to remove the sindhi president .the motivations are multiple and complicated while the rationale is rule of law.hidden are the ethnic aspects of the issue.while NRO was not a golden law all the thrust of the judgement is against those who benefitted from it while those who negotiated it are angels.some lecturing think tanks and some serving in the pakistani establishment.
basically NRO consists of cases established by nawaz sharif regime in 1997-99 and later improved by the military junta.the dispute is not that the cases are wrong.the dispute is that only sindh was targeted.thus the so called historic judgement is not historic.it ignores all corruption from 1947 till 1985 when nawaz sharif became the establishments man.
the key issue here is to target a man for doing something wrong because he is a political threat.while so many wrong doers are enjoying political status and high social standing because they were crooks before 1985 or because they were controlling the ehtesab buraeu between 1997 and 1999.
if the army is sensible it will not touch zardari.if it is immature it will and although zardari may be removed pakistans destabilisation will escalate.this is a classical example of partial justice selective distortion and triumph of sin thou shall but in secret.
major beneficiary of this judgement would be a select 10 thousand political and military families from punjab
in the political person of the PML N and major losers would be pakistan as a state.this is a classic case of a judiciary destabilising the country although apparently acting on sound moral principles.
------------------------------------------------
The whole confrontation started once a clash of egos started.
The Sharifs took an unlterior advantage and used it for their own benefit.
In 1997 when the Supreme Court according to the Punjabi political school resorted to alleged judicial activism it was attacked and no so called punjabi civil society protested.
Now if allegedly the supreme court has again resorted to judicial activism it is OK.Just because what it is doing supports the cause of PML N which is a basically Punjab based party.
All said and done only the political ambitions of the generals to play political games would be reinforced.but then we must remember that most of the judges were comfortable working under musharraf as long as they did not have a clash of egos
i am surprised that in 1997 when sajjad ali shahs court was attacked where was this civil society and aitizaz ahsan and asma jahangir.in 2007 civil society was active ?
FORGET ABOUT HIM BECAUSE HE WAS NOT A PUNJABI CHIEF JUSTICE BUT A SINDHI , OH AND THAT TOO FROM LIARI
somewhere deep in the sub conscious are the ethnic factors.
somehow if a sindhi is corrupt it is more serious.after all a sindhi finds it ethnically more difficult to establish a line with a non sindhi judge or to manouevre inside the esablishment.
theoretically any argument can be twisted and anything can be justified but i find something very ulterior and ethnic in the 16 december judgement.
the supreme court just stuffed under ground the famous case of the generals bribing the PML N politicians in 1990.
the supreme court never touched the murder and disappearance of Asadullah Mengal , Sardar Ataullah Mengals son allegedly killed by pakistani intelligence in 1975 and his dead body never found .
FORGET ABOUT HIM BECAUSE HE WAS NOT SON OF PML N LEADER FROM PUNJAB BUT ONLY A MENGAL AND ANTHROPOLOGISTS SAY THAT BRAHUI IS A DRAVIDIAN RACE
the supreme court never bothered about three baloch leaders murdered by pakistani agencies in turbat in 2008.
But if a PML N leaders son from Punjab is killed and dead body never found the supreme court will take a gigantic suo moto action
this so called judgement is a great political mile stone in punjab but if you ask a a baloch and a sindhi or a pashtun they would be indifferent.it is so because this judgement will have no affect on the quality of life in pakistans three provinces.even the life of a common punjabi may not change at all unless he has a link with fat MPAs and MNAs of the PML N who would replace the PPP in case a new elections are held.All by design of the real forces that control Pakistan.Ten Thousand pathetic wind bag political families.
basically NRO consists of cases established by nawaz sharif regime in 1997-99 and later improved by the military junta.the dispute is not that the cases are wrong.the dispute is that only sindh was targeted.thus the so called historic judgement is not historic.it ignores all corruption from 1947 till 1985 when nawaz sharif became the establishments man.
the key issue here is to target a man for doing something wrong because he is a political threat.while so many wrong doers are enjoying political status and high social standing because they were crooks before 1985 or because they were controlling the ehtesab buraeu between 1997 and 1999.
if the army is sensible it will not touch zardari.if it is immature it will and although zardari may be removed pakistans destabilisation will escalate.this is a classical example of partial justice selective distortion and triumph of sin thou shall but in secret.
major beneficiary of this judgement would be a select 10 thousand political and military families from punjab
in the political person of the PML N and major losers would be pakistan as a state.this is a classic case of a judiciary destabilising the country although apparently acting on sound moral principles.
------------------------------------------------
The whole confrontation started once a clash of egos started.
The Sharifs took an unlterior advantage and used it for their own benefit.
In 1997 when the Supreme Court according to the Punjabi political school resorted to alleged judicial activism it was attacked and no so called punjabi civil society protested.
Now if allegedly the supreme court has again resorted to judicial activism it is OK.Just because what it is doing supports the cause of PML N which is a basically Punjab based party.
All said and done only the political ambitions of the generals to play political games would be reinforced.but then we must remember that most of the judges were comfortable working under musharraf as long as they did not have a clash of egos
i am surprised that in 1997 when sajjad ali shahs court was attacked where was this civil society and aitizaz ahsan and asma jahangir.in 2007 civil society was active ?
FORGET ABOUT HIM BECAUSE HE WAS NOT A PUNJABI CHIEF JUSTICE BUT A SINDHI , OH AND THAT TOO FROM LIARI
somewhere deep in the sub conscious are the ethnic factors.
somehow if a sindhi is corrupt it is more serious.after all a sindhi finds it ethnically more difficult to establish a line with a non sindhi judge or to manouevre inside the esablishment.
theoretically any argument can be twisted and anything can be justified but i find something very ulterior and ethnic in the 16 december judgement.
the supreme court just stuffed under ground the famous case of the generals bribing the PML N politicians in 1990.
the supreme court never touched the murder and disappearance of Asadullah Mengal , Sardar Ataullah Mengals son allegedly killed by pakistani intelligence in 1975 and his dead body never found .
FORGET ABOUT HIM BECAUSE HE WAS NOT SON OF PML N LEADER FROM PUNJAB BUT ONLY A MENGAL AND ANTHROPOLOGISTS SAY THAT BRAHUI IS A DRAVIDIAN RACE
the supreme court never bothered about three baloch leaders murdered by pakistani agencies in turbat in 2008.
But if a PML N leaders son from Punjab is killed and dead body never found the supreme court will take a gigantic suo moto action
this so called judgement is a great political mile stone in punjab but if you ask a a baloch and a sindhi or a pashtun they would be indifferent.it is so because this judgement will have no affect on the quality of life in pakistans three provinces.even the life of a common punjabi may not change at all unless he has a link with fat MPAs and MNAs of the PML N who would replace the PPP in case a new elections are held.All by design of the real forces that control Pakistan.Ten Thousand pathetic wind bag political families.
Coup in Pakistan-Tarek Fatah
Restive generals represent the backers of the Taliban and al-Qaeda – bad news for the war next door
By Tarek Fatah 09 Dec 2009 The Globe and Mail (Canada)
A military coup is unfolding in Pakistan, but, this time, there is no rumbling of tanks on the streets of Islamabad. Instead, it seems the military is using a new strategy for regime change in Pakistan, one that will have adverse consequences for Western troops deployed in Afghanistan.
A year after rogue elements of Pakistan's intelligence services disrupted Indian-Pakistani peace talks by staging the Mumbai massacre, the democratically elected government of President Asif Zardari is facing a putsch from within its ranks, engineered by the men who run Pakistan's infamous military-industrial complex.
The men who wish to replace Mr. Zardari represent the religious right-wing backers of the Taliban and al-Qaeda, adding a new obstacle in Barack Obama's war effort in Afghanistan. A change of guard in Pakistan will also place Canadian troops at a higher risk of attack from a Taliban that will get unimpeded access to safe havens across the international border.
In the West's war against terrorism, Mr. Zardari is probably the only politician in Pakistan who has the guts to identify the cancer of jihadi extremism and order the Pakistani army to root it out. With reluctance, the army has complied, but only half-heartedly. With him gone, it's almost a certainty that Canada and the United States, as well as Afghanistan and India, will once more face the deception and fraud that became the hallmark of Pervez Musharraf's military regime.
For years, the Pakistani army received billions of dollars in direct American aid while it backed the Taliban and staged faked armed encounters to deceive the Pentagon.
The army views the government's efforts at peace with both Afghanistan and India not only with suspicion but also with alarm. Peace with India would undermine the very raison d'ĆŖtre of Pakistan's massive military.
The army's patience with Mr. Zardari ran out in October, when the U.S. Congress passed the Kerry-Lugar bill that promised billions in aid to Pakistan, but with a crucial caveat: The money would go through the channels of the civilian administration and if the military interfered with the democratic process or bullied the politicians and the judiciary, the Americans would halt all aid to the military.
The generals were in an uproar. Having lived their entire lives with a sense of entitlement that rivalled medieval caliphs and emperors, the men in uniform started a campaign to dislodge Mr. Zardari and his ambassador in Washington, Husain Haqqani – the authors, they said, of their misfortune.
Addicted to the billions in U.S. aid that have made them among the wealthiest in their impoverished country, Pakistan's generals are in a Catch-22. If they overthrow the government, they risk losing the manna from America. If they do nothing, they lose their veto over government policymaking, domestic as well as foreign.
Stung by this loss of power, the generals have asked the pro-Taliban media to whip up an anti-U.S. and anti-India frenzy in the country, claiming that Mr. Zardari has sold out to the Americans and the Indians.
Mr. Zardari also is being depicted as the epitome of corruption and thus unworthy of governing Pakistan. Working from within the government, military intelligence was able to coax a junior minister to release a list of thousands of supposedly corrupt politicians and public officials in the country. Leading them was Mr. Zardari himself – notwithstanding the fact that before he was elected president, he had been imprisoned for more than a decade by the military without a single conviction.
What irks the generals is not just that they are now answerable to a civilian but that Mr. Zardari belongs to an ethnic group that is shunned by the country's ruling Punjabi elite. Mr. Zardari is a Sindhi.
The hysteria among Pakistan's upper-class elites demanding a military dictatorship is best reflected in an article [ actually, letter - PTH] written by a retired military officer in the right-wing newspaper The News: "Military rule should … return. … The problem with democratic governments is that they remain under pressure to go with what the majority of the citizens want, not what is best for them. … People of several South American countries that have returned to civilian rule after a long time are now beginning to feel they were better off under dictatorships."
If Mr. Obama wishes to succeed in bringing the Afghan war to an end, he had better make sure Mr. Zardari's elected civilian administration is allowed to govern until the end of its term. A coup in Islamabad will mean failure in Kabul.
Tarek Fatah is a former activist in Pakistan and founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress. He is author of Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State.
--
Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death." --
Albert Einstein !!!
By Tarek Fatah 09 Dec 2009 The Globe and Mail (Canada)
A military coup is unfolding in Pakistan, but, this time, there is no rumbling of tanks on the streets of Islamabad. Instead, it seems the military is using a new strategy for regime change in Pakistan, one that will have adverse consequences for Western troops deployed in Afghanistan.
A year after rogue elements of Pakistan's intelligence services disrupted Indian-Pakistani peace talks by staging the Mumbai massacre, the democratically elected government of President Asif Zardari is facing a putsch from within its ranks, engineered by the men who run Pakistan's infamous military-industrial complex.
The men who wish to replace Mr. Zardari represent the religious right-wing backers of the Taliban and al-Qaeda, adding a new obstacle in Barack Obama's war effort in Afghanistan. A change of guard in Pakistan will also place Canadian troops at a higher risk of attack from a Taliban that will get unimpeded access to safe havens across the international border.
In the West's war against terrorism, Mr. Zardari is probably the only politician in Pakistan who has the guts to identify the cancer of jihadi extremism and order the Pakistani army to root it out. With reluctance, the army has complied, but only half-heartedly. With him gone, it's almost a certainty that Canada and the United States, as well as Afghanistan and India, will once more face the deception and fraud that became the hallmark of Pervez Musharraf's military regime.
For years, the Pakistani army received billions of dollars in direct American aid while it backed the Taliban and staged faked armed encounters to deceive the Pentagon.
The army views the government's efforts at peace with both Afghanistan and India not only with suspicion but also with alarm. Peace with India would undermine the very raison d'ĆŖtre of Pakistan's massive military.
The army's patience with Mr. Zardari ran out in October, when the U.S. Congress passed the Kerry-Lugar bill that promised billions in aid to Pakistan, but with a crucial caveat: The money would go through the channels of the civilian administration and if the military interfered with the democratic process or bullied the politicians and the judiciary, the Americans would halt all aid to the military.
The generals were in an uproar. Having lived their entire lives with a sense of entitlement that rivalled medieval caliphs and emperors, the men in uniform started a campaign to dislodge Mr. Zardari and his ambassador in Washington, Husain Haqqani – the authors, they said, of their misfortune.
Addicted to the billions in U.S. aid that have made them among the wealthiest in their impoverished country, Pakistan's generals are in a Catch-22. If they overthrow the government, they risk losing the manna from America. If they do nothing, they lose their veto over government policymaking, domestic as well as foreign.
Stung by this loss of power, the generals have asked the pro-Taliban media to whip up an anti-U.S. and anti-India frenzy in the country, claiming that Mr. Zardari has sold out to the Americans and the Indians.
Mr. Zardari also is being depicted as the epitome of corruption and thus unworthy of governing Pakistan. Working from within the government, military intelligence was able to coax a junior minister to release a list of thousands of supposedly corrupt politicians and public officials in the country. Leading them was Mr. Zardari himself – notwithstanding the fact that before he was elected president, he had been imprisoned for more than a decade by the military without a single conviction.
What irks the generals is not just that they are now answerable to a civilian but that Mr. Zardari belongs to an ethnic group that is shunned by the country's ruling Punjabi elite. Mr. Zardari is a Sindhi.
The hysteria among Pakistan's upper-class elites demanding a military dictatorship is best reflected in an article [ actually, letter - PTH] written by a retired military officer in the right-wing newspaper The News: "Military rule should … return. … The problem with democratic governments is that they remain under pressure to go with what the majority of the citizens want, not what is best for them. … People of several South American countries that have returned to civilian rule after a long time are now beginning to feel they were better off under dictatorships."
If Mr. Obama wishes to succeed in bringing the Afghan war to an end, he had better make sure Mr. Zardari's elected civilian administration is allowed to govern until the end of its term. A coup in Islamabad will mean failure in Kabul.
Tarek Fatah is a former activist in Pakistan and founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress. He is author of Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State.
--
Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death." --
Albert Einstein !!!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year -Story of Santa Claus
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19 December, 2009
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Wishing you and your family Merry Christmas* and
A very healthy, happy and prosperous New Year
* In 1960s and 1970s when India became a popular haunt with Western Hippies looking for Charas ( Marijuana ) to be mast aka stoned , the greeting was changed to Merry Charasmast and Hippy New Year.
Below is a piece on Santa Claus and evolution of Christmas celebrations around the world .I tried to visit as many places as possible associated with Santa Claus , Christ and Mary supposedly buried in Turkey, then known as Asia Minor.
The piece was written for my grand daughter Tara Singh Breuer , now nine years and residing with her parents in their home overlooking Waterloo fields in Brussels.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/DL25Ag02.html
"If one drives from the Turkish city of Fethiye to Antalya, littered with hotels and resorts for millions of tourists who throng its Mediterranean coast, which was known as Lycia in ancient times, after passing innumerable ancient ruins, one reaches the town of Demre, known as Myra in olden days.
In the center of the town one will come across the Church of St Nicholas, the patron saint of children, sailors and the poor and one of the most popular saints in Christianity now associated with the celebration of Christmas. Many legends have been woven around Nicholas, who was the bishop of this church in the 4th century AD and where he died in 342. He was born in about 280 AD in the town of Patara, which the traveler would have passed about 100 kilometers earlier."
Some of you might have read this piece before , so I have added some info about the origins of the New Year celebrations, now almost universal and the greetings in local languages around the world . Basically , the celebrations began from crop harvesting season by our ancestors and the celebration of the life gifted by mother earth and the Sun , a dominant god in almost all ancient religions and cultures ,and both worshipped in various forms including the fertility cult by all early agricultural societies .
New Year Celebrations
In countries using the Gregorian calendar , the New Year is usually celebrated on January 1. Although by tradition, the Roman calendar began from the first day of March but it was in January (the eleventh month) that the Consuls of ancient Rome assumed the government. Julius Caesar, in 47 BC, created the Julian calendar It was modified in 44 BC at the time of Mark Antony, then by the emperor Augustus Caesar in 8BC .And finally by Pope Gregory XIII in 1585 , the current calendar which begins on January 1.
Subsequently, it acquired a religious significance during the Middle Ages and in later centuries. Following the domination of the West and the dissemination of its system to the rest of the world during the twentieth century, January 1 celebrations have become almost universal, even in countries with their own hoary ancient New Year traditions and celebrations (e.g., China , India , Iran etc).
Jamshedi Navroz: Celebration of Life - Jamshedi Navroz
One of the oldest tradition of new year are those of Iran's Zoroastrians or Parsis in India .Their prophet Zarathushtra accorded as much sanctity to nature as to human existence. The Sun became the celestial emblem of the Fire which was kept burning within the homes and fire-temples on earth as an eternal tribute to the spirit of the Creator, Ahura Mazda.
A benediction to the spirit of the Sun proclaims: "When the Sun rises, the land created by Ahura Mazda becomes purified. If the Sun were not to rise, evil forces would devastate all that exists.'' During winter the power of the Sun decreases, the nights are long and cold, nature slumbers.
Then on March 21, the Sun enters the sign of Aries and this day is known as the Spring or Vernal Equinox. From this day on the power of the Sun waxes, the days get longer and nature rejoices. King Jamshed of the Peshdadian dynasty in ancient Iran introduced the Sun-calendar with the day of the Vernal Equinox as the first day of the year - Naoroz (new day).
Jamshedi Navroz is celebrated not only by the Zoroastrians, but also by Muslims in Iran, Afghanistan, Kurdistan and some parts of the former Soviet Union. Entire families go to the countryside to be close to nature, to celebrate the coming of spring. Iranians prepare a table with seven articles beginning with the letter 'S': Sib (apple), sabzi (vegetable), sirkey (vinegar), soomac (powder), sir (garlic), sikke (coin), senjed (olive).
Both Zoroastrians and Aryans, being of the same stock ie Indo- Iranians, worshipped fire. Parsees in India still do so . Hindus also worship Agni (fire); during Hawans for marriages and other religious and social functions. Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan , north of Iran, told me that in ancient times his country was known as Aagban, Aagbaan etc. which could perhaps mean forest of fire or an arrow of fire. Near Azerbaijan's capital Baku is Atishgah , a temple with a burning fire from natural gas seeping out from earth's crevices .It was believed to have many miraculous powers which brought happiness and wellbeing to visitors and devotees .Located on the silk route, a number of Indian traders- Parsees, Punjabis, Gujaratis and others visited it and built rooms for their stay and for their horses .
In south east Turkey , where the Kurds, an Iranian related people are in majority but their language and culture are suppressed, celebrate Nawroz with great fanfare as a mark of defiance against the unitary Turkish state , whose secular elite celebrates the New Year with European style balls and feasts .
India in its diversity .
A culturally rich and diverse country ,India ,where different regions follow different traditions and cultures the New Year celebrations also manifold. Like other ancient civilizations ,the New Year celebrations are associated with harvesting of crops. Almost every Indian state has its own history and traditions behind the celebrations .So the people celebrate New Year as per their regional calendar with vibrant colors with their own distinctive features .It also provides many lazy Indians in bureaucracy to take another day off from work.
New Year dates of many religions coincide with each other. Baisakhi falls on April 13 or 14 every year and so does Bihu in Assam, Nabo Barsho in Bengal, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu and Pooram Vishu in Kerala. In an agriculturally rich country New Year in different regions of India are usually celebrated to mark the time for harvesting of crops. In some places, the religious minded people celebrate it to honor Lord Brahma , creator of the universe . Whatever be the reason, the day begins with pooja at homes and temples followed by specific customs and rituals. At the time of New Year, every house is adorned with auspicious flowers, leaves and lights. People also present traditional New Year gifts to their dear ones and share rich meals with families and friends to mark the auspicious day.
- Bohag Bihu - Assamese New Year
- Nabo Barsho - Bengali New Year
- Bestu Varas - Gujarati New Year
- Vishu - Malayalam New Year
- Gudi Padwa - Marathi New Year
- Diwali - Marwari New Year
- Baisakhi - Punjabi New Year
- Losoong - Sikkimese New Year
- Puthandu - Tamil New Year
- Ugadi - Telugu New Year
In north India's agriculturally prominent and prosperous states of Punjab and Haryana , the festival of Lohri "The Bonfire Festival" is celebrated on 13th January every year. The festival marks the solar equinox when the Sun starts moving towards Uttarayan (North). People specially the farming community of Punjab celebrate it with great gusto, zeal and enthusiasm. Bonfires, songs and dance , til Jaggery and peanuts are an essence of Lohri celebrations. In north India , specially in Punjab which prides itself on its food grain production , its most significant festival is Baisakhi (also called Vaisakhi) .This harvest festival is celebrated on the thirteenth day of April according to the solar calendar.
Pongal is a four-days-long harvest festival in Tamil Nadu, in south India. It falls generally on the 14th or the 15th of January and is the quintessential 'Tamil Festival' . It is a festival of thanksgiving to nature for celebrating the life cycles that give us grain. It takes its name from the Tamil word meaning "to boil" .It is held in the month of Thai (January-February) when rice and other cereals, sugar-cane, and turmeric (an essential ingredient in Tamil cooking) are harvested.
Tamilians say 'Thai pirandhaal vazhi pirakkum', and believe that knotty family problems will be solved with the advent of Thai. This is also traditionally a month of weddings. This is no surprise in a largely agricultural community - the riches gained from a good harvest form the economic basis for expensive family occasions like weddings.
This first day is celebrated as Bhogi festival in honor of Lord Indra, the supreme ruler of clouds that give rains. Homage is paid to Lord Indra for the abundance of harvest, thereby bringing plenty and prosperity to the land. Another ritual observed on this day is Bhogi Mantalu, when useless household articles are thrown into a fire made of wood and cow-dung cakes. Girls dance around the bonfire, singing songs in praise of the gods, the spring and the harvest. The significance of the bonfire, in which is burnt the agricultural wastes and firewood is to keep warm during the last lap of winter.
Chinese New Year or Spring Festival
Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays .It is often called the Lunar New Year, especially by people in mainland China and Taiwan. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first month (Chinese: ę£ę; pinyin: zhÄng yuĆØ) in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th; this day is called Lantern Festival. Chinese New Year's Eve is known as ChĆŗxÄ«. It literally means "Year-pass Eve". The Lunisolar Chinese calendar determines New Year dates. The calendar is also used in countries that have adopted or have been influenced by Han culture (notably the Koreans, Japanese and Vietnamese) and may have a common ancestry with the similar New Years festivals outside East Asia .
Chinese New Year falls on different dates each year between January 21 and February 20. In the Chinese calendar , winter solstice must happen in the 11th month, so the Chinese New Year usually falls in the second new moon after the winter solstice (rarely in the third ) In traditional Chinese Culture, lichun is a solar term marking the start of spring, which occurs about February 4.
According to legends, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with a fight against a mythical monster called the Nien (Chinese: 幓; pinyin: niĆ”n), who would appear on the first day of New Year to devour livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. To protect themselves, the villagers would put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year believing that a food satisfied Nien would spare them . Once, people saw that the Nien was scared away by a little child wearing red. So, when the New Year is about to commence the villagers hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. They also use firecrackers to frighten away the Nien. The Nien was eventually captured by Hongjun Laozu, an ancient Taoist monk and became the latter's mount.
The New Year Greetings around the world
| Language | Happy New Year |
| Afghani | Saale Nao Mubbarak |
| Afrikaans | Gelukkige nuwe jaar |
| Albanian | Gezuar Vitin e Ri |
| Arabic | Antum salimoun |
| Armenian | Snorhavor Nor Tari |
| Assyrian | Sheta Brikhta |
| Azeri | Yeni Iliniz Mubarek! |
| Bengali | Shuvo Nabo Barsho |
| Cambodian | Soursdey Chhnam Tmei |
| Catalan | FELIĆ ANY NOU |
| Chinese | Chu Shen Tan / Xin Nian Kuai Le |
| Corsican Language | Pace e Salute |
| Croatian | Sretna Nova godina! |
| Cymraeg (Welsh) | Blwyddyn Newydd Dda |
| Czechoslovakia | Scastny Novy Rok |
| Danish | Godt NytƄr |
| Dhivehi | Ufaaveri Aa Aharakah Edhen |
| Dutch | GELUKKIG NIEUWJAAR! |
| Eskimo | Kiortame pivdluaritlo |
| Esperanto | Felican Novan Jaron |
| Estonians | Head uut aastat! |
| Ethiopian | MELKAM ADDIS AMET YIHUNELIWO! |
| Finnish | Onnellista Uutta Vuotta |
| French | Bonne Annee |
| Gaelic | Bliadhna mhath ur |
| German | Prosit Neujahr |
| Greek | Kenourios Chronos |
| Gujarati | Nutan Varshbhinandan |
| Hawaiian | Hauoli Makahiki Hou |
| Hebrew | L'Shannah Tovah |
| Hindi | Nav varsh ka shubkamnayein |
| Hong Kong (Cantonese) | Sun Leen Fai Lok |
| Hungarian | Boldog Ooy Ayvet |
| Indonesian | Selamat Tahun Baru |
| Iranian | Saleh now mobarak |
| Iraqi | Sanah Jadidah |
| Irish | Bliain nua fe mhaise dhuit |
| Italian | Felice anno nuovo |
| Japanese | Akimashite Omedetto Gozaimasu |
| Kabyle | Asegwas Amegaz |
| Kannada | Hosa Varushadha Shubhashayagalu |
| Kisii | SOMWAKA OMOYIA OMUYA |
| Khmer | Sua Sdei tfnam tmei |
| Korea | Saehae Bock Mani ba deu sei yo! |
| Kurdish | NEWROZ PIROZBE |
| Lithuanian | Laimingu Naujuju Metu |
| Laotian | Sabai dee pee mai |
| Macedonian | Srekjna Nova Godina |
| Malay | Selamat Tahun Baru |
| Marathi | Nveen Varshachy Shubhechcha |
| Malayalam | Puthuvatsara Aashamsakal |
| Maltese | Is-Sena t- Tajba |
| Nepal | Nawa Barsha ko Shuvakamana |
| Norwegian | Godt NyttƄr |
| Papua New Guinea | Nupela yia i go long yu |
| Pashto | Nawai Kall Mo Mubarak Shah |
| Persian | Saleh now ra tabrik migouyam |
| Philippines | Manigong Bagong Taon |
| Polish | Szczesliwego Nowego Roku |
| Portuguese | Feliz Ano Novo |
| Punjabi | Nave sal di mubarakan |
| Romanian | AN NOU FERICIT also la multsi An |
| Russian | S Novim Godom |
| Samoa | Manuia le Tausaga Fou |
| Serbo-Croatian | Sretna nova godina |
| Sindhi | Nayou Saal Mubbarak Hoje |
| Singhalese | Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa |
| Siraiki | Nawan Saal Shala Mubarak Theevay |
| Slovak | A stastlivy Novy Rok |
| Slovenian | sreĆØno novo leto |
| Somali | Iyo Sanad Cusub Oo Fiican! |
| Spanish | Feliz Ano ~Nuevo |
| Swahili | Heri Za Mwaka MpyaĀŗ |
| Swedish | GOTT NYTT Ć R! /Gott nytt Ć„r! |
| Sudanese | Warsa Enggal |
| Tamil | Eniya Puthandu Nalvazhthukkal |
| Telegu | Noothana samvatsara shubhakankshalu |
| Thai | Sawadee Pee Mai |
| Turkish | Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun |
| Ukrainian | Shchastlyvoho Novoho Roku |
| Urdu | Naya Saal Mubbarak Ho |
| Vietnamese | Chuc Mung Tan Nien |
| Uzbek | Yangi Yil Bilan |
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24 December, 2002
ASIA TIMES online -25 December, 2002
St Nicholas: Turkey's gift to the world
In a journey down the byways of history, K Gajendra Singh travels to Demre, on the Turkish Mediterranean coast, where he finds the Church of St Nicholas, once the domain of Bishop Nicholas, now hailed as the patron saint of children and the poor and everywhere associated with the celebration of Christmas. (Dec 24, '02)-Editor
Written for Tara Amelia Singh-Breuer , Brussels
Turkey's gift to the world By K Gajendra Singh http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/DL25Ag02.html
If one drives from the Turkish city of Fethiye to Antalya, littered with hotels and resorts for millions of tourists who throng its Mediterranean coast, which was known as Lycia in ancient times, after passing innumerable ancient ruins, one reaches the town of Demre, known as Myra in olden days.
In the center of the town one will come across the Church of St Nicholas, the patron saint of children, sailors and the poor and one of the most popular saints in Christianity now associated with the celebration of Christmas. Many legends have been woven around Nicholas, who was the bishop of this church in the 4th century AD and where he died in 342. He was born in about 280 AD in the town of Patara, which the traveler would have passed about 100 kilometers earlier.
As a young man Nicholas traveled to Palestine and Egypt and became the bishop at Myra on his return. He was imprisoned during the persecution of Christians by Roman Emperor Diocletian. The persecution ended when Emperor Constantine made Christianity the state religion and built his capital at Constantinople in 324 AD on the Straits of Bosporus, separating Asia and Europe. When conquered in 1453 by Sultan Fethi Mehmet, Constantinople became the new Ottoman capital, now known as Istanbul.
After his release from prison, St Nicholas attended the first Christian Council in 325 at Nicea. There is definite historical evidence of this in the records of the council. Nicea, now known as Iznik, famous for its Ottoman tiles, is not far from Istanbul on the Asian side of the city that straddles two continents.
The stories of miracles and benevolence associated with St Nicholas and the legends woven around him have identified him as Santa Claus and Father Christmas. The earliest reference to him occurs in a Greek text of the 6th century, according to which three officers condemned to death by Constantine were saved when St Nicholas appeared to the emperor in a dream. In another legend, a merchant fallen on bad times was very much worried about dowry for his three daughters who could not be otherwise married and might have ended up as prostitutes. One evening, while passing by, St Nicholas overheard the unhappy merchant's conversation of with his wife. So the next day, secretly entering by the window, he lobbed three bags of gold coins in the house of the merchant, thus enabling his daughters to marry and live happily ever afterwards.
That story lies behind the three gold balls used as a sign by pawnbrokers. Another legend consists of three boys who had been cut up by mistake by a butcher. St Nicholas restored them to life. There are many other such stories.
A biography of St Nicholas written by a 6th century abbot of a nearby church, also named Nicholas, spread his fame throughout the Christian world, starting with Germany and other countries of reformed Christianity and later to France. St Nicholas was chosen the patron saint of Russia, Greece and various charities and was a popular name for kings and common men alike. Thousands of churches are dedicated to him, the first built in the 6th century AD at Constantinople by Emperor Justinian. His miracles became the subject for medieval artists and liturgical plays.
But Santa Claus' tomb in Myra is of a later date. By the 6th century his shrine was quite well known. Being specially benevolent to sailors and merchants, who had adopted him, his remains were spirited away to Bari in Italy in 1087 by a group of merchants or sailors to save it from desecration by Muslims. His relics are enshrined in the 11th century Basilica of St Nicholas. Its removal on May 9 to Bari is celebrated with fanfare, making it a holy and crowded place of pilgrimage for Christians.
The word Christmas comes from old English cristes maesse, or "Christ's Mass". For Christians, Christmas is a celebration of Jesus' birth, although the exact date of birth is not known. However, in 336 AD, Christian leaders set the date to December 25 in an attempt to counter a popular pagan holiday in Rome that celebrated the winter solstice. Originally, Christmas involved a simple mass, but slowly it has subsumed or replaced a number of other holidays in many countries, and a large number of other religious and cultural traditions have been absorbed into the celebrations.
Christmas comes three times each year to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. While the Western Church and the Russian Orthodox Church both celebrate Christmas on December 25, the Russian Church still uses the old Julian calendar which places their (December 25) celebration on January 7, according to our calendar. The Armenian Church celebrates on January 6 by the Julian calendar, which becomes January 19 to us. To add to the confusion, the January 6 celebration of Epiphany overlaps into the Russian Christmas. In addition, the diversity in climate has shaped Christmas festivities all over the world.
Ethnic groups have brought their own traditions, specially in an immigrant society like the United States. Even food varies from country to country. Americans concentrate on Turkey (in Turkey, the bird is called Hindi - anything exotic has to be from India), while dinner on Christmas eve in Germany consists of dishes such as suckling pig, white sausage, macaroni salad and many regional dishes.
The English celebrate Christmas season with hearty feasting and merrymaking with wild abandon. They have been doing so perhaps since King Arthur, as the legend goes, made "merrie" in 521 AD at York surrounded by "minstrels, gleemen, harpers, pipe-players, jugglers and dancers". It appears that celebrations went underground during puritan Cromwellian rule as did sex during another puritan Victorian era.
Apart from Le Pere Joel (Father Christmas), the French have Le Pere Fouettard (Father Spanker) to "reward" bad children with spanking. In the Netherlands, children are told that Santa Claus, known as Sinterklaas, arrives from Spain on a steamer on his feast day, December 6. The night before, children fill their shoes with hay and sugar for his horse. In the morning they find them filled with gifts such as nuts and candy. Sometimes Sinterklaas appears in person in the children's homes, along with his assistant, Black Pete.
The people of Twente, Denenkamp and Ootmarsum in eastern Holland announce the coming of the Christ child by blowing special horns, handcrafted from birch saplings three or four feet in length, which when blown over wells produce a deep-toned sound similar to a foghorn. This tradition goes back to around 2,500 BC when horn blowing was believed to chase evil spirits away. Now horn blowing is relayed from farm to farm to announce the arrival of the Christmas season.
In what is now the US, Christmas was perhaps first celebrated at Tallahassee, Florida, in 1539 in Spanish style by Hernando de Soto and his army. Legends of Santa Claus and the celebration of Christmas as the feast day were taken to New York by Dutch immigrants. In the beginning the Puritans in New England had even suppressed it by law (identifying it with pagan rites and Papist practices), arguing that the New Testament gave no date for Christ's birth.
But it then blossomed into a carnival and became even rowdy and disruptive, almost like "Holi" - the north Indian festival of colors. It was neither a family nor a commercial holiday at the beginning of the 19th century, but become so by its end. The transformation of Santa Claus around the 1820s, into a night visitor bringing gifts for children and the poor, made it pro-plebian and Christmas became an enjoyable festival. But Santa Claus' magical tricks, benevolence and love for children have made Christmas a family festival with gifts for children, perhaps based on Nordic tales of rewarding good children and the exchange of gifts among family members and friends. That is why people from all over the world from other religions also join in.
While New York has its tree, in California thousands flock to Hollywood for the annual Parade of Stars, while others converge on Balboa Park in San Diego for Christmas concerts on the world's largest outdoor pipe organ. Festivities range from a picnic on the beach at Waikiki or Key West to candles in a window during the twilight of a cold day in Alaska. Nowadays consumerism has overtaken simple celebrations, in the US the most, where traders, economists and government look at counter sales between Thanksgiving and Christmas for its likely impact on the US economy. As George Bernard Shaw commented, "Christmas is forced upon a reluctant and disgusted nation by the shopkeepers and the press; on its own merits it would wither and shrivel in the fiery breath of universal hatred."
To most Americans, St Nicholas is just another name for Santa Claus - plump and rosy-cheeked - whereas for most of Europeans and Asians he is a thin figure dressed in bishop's robes, also so it is shown in Demre town's square in Turkey. As Christmas in Europe and North America falls in mid-winter, the tradition of a white snow Christmas, white bearded Santa Claus and other myths, have emerged. The popular song "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" for the movie "Holiday Inn" (1942) sung by Bing Crosby, perhaps further confirmed this perception.
Myra, though, is not cold. Nor is Patara, his birth place five kilometers from one of the longest sandy beaches in Turkey. When I went there in August 1994, it was impossible to walk on the hot sand, although many north European tourists looking like grilled lobsters were enjoying themselves, some bicycling around in steaming temperatures. But it was quite pleasant in March. Patara is also full of Roman and Byzantine ruins, including a theater, the magnificent Hadrian's Gate and a Christian Basilica.
Myra was an important town in the region. St Paul and St Luke had visited it a few times while going to Ephesus. It was the capital of the Byzantine Lycia until it fell to Caliph Harun al Rashid in 808. Apart from St Nicholas' Church, Myra attracts tourists for its shrines and rock-cut sepulchers on a hill, looking like carved wooden houses. At the foot of the hill is a large Roman theater.
Demre town is located in a swampy flat area full of mosquitoes and its hothouse cultivation of vegetables and fruit with acres of plastic sheets make for an ugly sight. The harbor of Demre, now known as Chayazi, the ancient Andriace on the river Xanthos, has boats to take one to the beaches of Kekova island or Kas, both popular spots with rich yacht owners from Europe and the US. Turkey is now seriously in the business of exploiting its ancient historical and religious sites to attract tourists. It holds a festival every year on December 6 to celebrate St Nicholas Day at Demre, with great fanfare, inviting tourists, clergymen, journalists and others.
Turkey, known as Asia Minor in ancient times, was the cradle of early Christianity. In a grotto near Antakya (Antioch), bordering Syria, St Peter held the first mass. Followers of Jesus Christ were called Christians here for the first time. Christianity spread from here and first blossomed in the east at Edessa, now known as Urfa, from where 500 people went to Malabar Coast in the 4th century AD (and other groups later) to form early distinct Syrian Christian communities.
Nearby in Tur Abdin and Midyat, with old Syrian Christian monasteries and churches, Suryani Christians still speak Syriac, a language akin to what Jesus Christ spoke. St Paul was a native of Tarsus in Cilicia. Seven churches located in Turkey are mentioned in the Revelation of John: Ephesus (nearby the Virgin Mary is reputedly buried), Smyrna, Pergamum, Thiatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. Chalcedon is an Asian suburb of Istanbul, known as Kadikoy and not far from it is Nicomedea, now called Izmit, a major industrial center.
With more Greek ruins than Greece and more Roman monuments than Italy, Turkey, with its Mediterranean and Aegean coast resorts, attracts nearly 10 million to 12 million tourists a year and earns over US$8 billion in tourist dollars every year. Even Europeans are amazed to find that places where Greek and hence the earliest European political and religious thought evolved are in Turkey. The spiritual forefathers of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, the very first Greek philosophers Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenus, were born and lived in Miletus around the 6th century BC, east of present day Ephesus and Izmir, then known as Smyrna, the birth place of Homer, of Odyssey and Iliad fame.
From Ionia along Turkey's western coast entered the word Yunani for the Greeks in the Eastern lexicon. The historian Herodotus was born in Halicarnassus, now known as Bodrum, a port. The geographer Strabo was born at Amasia, east of Turkey's capital Ankara. Troy, of Helen, Trojan horse and Achilles' heel fame, is located on the Asian side of the Dardanelles. Across at Gallipoli on the European side lie buried thousands of Indian soldiers, with their Australian, New Zealand and British comrades. They were killed (some say foolishly sacrificed) in fierce battles during World War I when the mighty British navy tried to take over the peninsula. Its defense made Kemal Ataturk, a colonel then, a hero among Turks.
It was at Zile, northeast of Ankara, that Julius Caesar proclaimed veni, vidi ,vici (I came, I saw, I conquered) after his unexpected quick victory over Pharnaces II, whose father Mithradates VI had given a tough fight to the Romans.The name Mithridates (gift of Mithra), a popular name in the region, comes from the Vedic and Avestan god Mithra.
The Greek Hellenic world came in contact with the sophisticated religions and philosophy of the East, including Mithraism, after the small town boy Alexander and his hordes cut a swathe of victories across the Achaemenian Empire. They also learnt about state protocol and the divinity of the emperor. Coming into contact with neo-Platonian and other ideas, Mithraism flowered between the 2nd and 4th centuries in the Roman world and became a very popular religion among the Roman aristocracy, military leaders and soldiers, traders and slaves with powerful patrons among Roman emperors, like Commodus, Septimium Severus, Caraculla and others. Diocletian built a temple for Mithra near Vienna on Danube as "the Protector of the Empire".
Along the Rhine, Danube, Euphrates and in Roman north Africa, where Roman legions used to camp, there are ruins of hundreds of underground Mithra temples, with the slaying of the Cosmic Bull symbolizing the creation of the universe and fertility. (Perhaps the Spanish sport of bullfighting originates from it). As the god of Light and Sun, contract, loyalty and justice, Mithraism was organized (but open only to men, being an Aryan patriarchal religion) in a graded hierarchy, with novices ascending up the highest seventh level - something like Buddhist /Hindu sanghas (orders).
Various astronomical symbols, still indecipherable, with their meanings transmitted orally from teacher to pupil in Aryan/Avestan tradition, still remain unknown. One can speculate that they were similar to levels in meditation for final unity with God. Celebrations for Mithra's birthday on December 25, the sun's solstice, was so popular in the East that Christmas had to be shifted to this day from January 6 to make it acceptable among the masses. Christianity also took over many of the rituals and symbols of Mithraism, like baptism, resurrection and prayers in honor of the sun.
The earliest written mention of Mithra, the guarantor of contract, was found on tablets not far from Ankara amid the ruins of Bogazkoy, the capital of the Indo-European Hittites. The Mithra gods (also Indra, Varuna and Natasya) were invoked as the god of oath in the peace treaty between the Hittites and the Indo-Aryan Mitannis, who ruled for three centuries in southeast Turkey and Syria (1,500 BC to 1,200 BC). The Bogazkoy archives also produced a horse-training manual. The technical terms used in horse training and chariotry, like aika wartanna, navartanna (one turn, nine turns) are like ek vartanam, nava vartanam, as in Vedic Sanskrit. Both the treaty and the training manual tablets are displayed from time to time at the Archeological Museum in Istanbul.
Mitannis also signed a peace treaty with the Pharaohs to counteract the Hittite threat from the northwest. This was cemented with Mitanni princesses being married to the Pharaohs. Princess Gilukhepa was married to Amun Hotep III. She wen
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Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death." --
Albert Einstein !!!
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