The theory of war of socioeconomic classes
What has been happening in Lahore since Tuesday cannot be simply described as seemingly-innocuous Protests, against sacrilegious cartoons, going sour, but they have more factors attached to them then visible.
The violence might be an episode in War of Civilizations but a closer look at the life of the youth in the mob raises doubts about this.
It is safe to say that all of them have email accounts and perhaps Orkut accounts too.Their usage of internet is medium .They have seen all kinds of Hollywood stuff from Titanic to Matrix. They watch Indian movies regularly. And they gate crush all those concerts of Abrarul haq and Indian Bhangra singers.
If they have grudge against western civilization only then why they do watch English movies and do so many things associated with “western ” lifestyle .If they wanted to release the anger against European newspapers, why did they attack ordinary citizen and their vehicles and properties. Clearly ,the anger was not directed against the European newspapers only .The anger was against the government, the system and the frustration in their own lives.
Remember they guy you saw hanging from buses, remember the look on the face of the guy who was standing in the middle of a long, long queue since few hours perhaps and someone having contacts with authorities came and had his job done in a click. Remember the guy with motorcycle who is standing on the street arguing with the police officer about the unjustified Challan. He fought back on Tuesday. By causing maximum damage now feels as having done something significant. The youth is not only reacting against the cartoons but they were fighting to satiate their own accumulated frustration againt the injustice they face in the society. These are the same kids you will see in every protest against People in power and symbols of wealth. Yes, maybe the protest was also about unequal distribution of wealth and power.
I totally agree with you. It’s not just protest against the cartoons, perhaps there’s more to it. There’s definitely the hatred and frustration, which fills up any ordinary middle and lower-middle class individual, at the back of these violent protests. And who knows there might even be a political agenda behind it. Why would some one protesting against the cartoons set the Punjab assembly on fire? Point to ponder indeed.
Muslims all over the world have been listening to the news what happening in Afghanistan and Iraq but this cartoon thing just flamed them up. Why did the Danish primeminister refused to even see the Muslim delegation instead of discussing problem. EU has decided to fully support Denmark and ready to face anything. They are also planning to compensate Denmark for their social and ecnomic bycott by the muslim coutnries. Today the Australian TV channel has showed some video tapes on the inhuman behaviour with the convicts in Abu Ghrib, Iraq. Where does this lead the innocent muslims to? I agree that what happened in Lahore is not fair but is there any other way to show our anger and stop these things to happen in future. Hell with freedom of speech.
LPC all EU- If they are united then we are too- We’ll see Inshah Allah, Don’t you worry.
You stupid f****ed up a***ole. just listen to your own logic for a second and think…if you have any brains . you are saying “I agree that what happened in Lahore is not fair but is there any other way to show our anger and stop these things to happen in future. Hell with freedom of speech”.
yes there is a way ..and the way is to NOT kill your own country man and ..NOT burn your borthers’ and sister’s houses and shops and cars, buisnesses. Dont throw stones at a computer . Dont hurt and maim the poor guy who just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time when you animals called “MULLAHS” went on this rampage . you call yourself muslim when you dont know the first thing about islam. in your small thinking you dont even realize how much you animals hurt islam by engaging in junglee behaviour like this .
you all should be in jail forever .
Rooster, I may not agree with all Aamer have said, but you can safely take me as another f***ed up a***ole if you like. More asterisks please!
I get the feel we’ve found a scapegoat in the form of Mullahs blaming, bitching, cursing them for everything that goes wrong in the country. Reality check my dear. I fully agree with Punk Dervish that this was about flaws in our own system, about the inconsistancies in our own society. But having said that, the guys out there were not just your ordinary movie-watching-Shahrukh-loving school or college goers. This was all about have’s and have-not’s. If I earn 3000 a month and sugar jumps from Rs. 20 to Rs. 42 in just a few days, how do I survive. Petrol goes from Rs. 31 to Rs. 56 in just one year. Where I outburst? On whom? Nobody’s listening. We all f***ed ups are so safe and content in our own utopias that we hardly care for these people.
It had to happen, I know it’s wrong and I’m not justifying what has happened, but we have to plug loopholes in our system first than finding a scapegoat. I think that’s what Aamer’s said. It had to happen, it’s just about the time. Didn’t you see it coming?
guys, the things that happened at the Mall are understandable to the Nth degree. Yes, frustrations came out. Yes, the overall cause of the protest was lost. Yes, the ‘protestors’ were actively involved in arson and damagin public property with a wide-ass smile on their faces. All is understandable.
But Rooster, in all his glorious asterik-ridden language, is right in saying that it is not ACCEPTABLE.
Not for a moment we should call a wrong a right. For it can never be. A right cause fought for in wrong ways AUTOMATICALLY makes it wrong. Period. Just like a right thing said in a wrong way loses its ‘rightness’ to most…
Of course, the system needs to be corrected. Probably replaced. But it HAS to be done in the RIGHT way to have validity. And the validity I am talking about is not the contemperory one. I am talking about ensuring the system remains VALID in accordance with the Divine Law. In front of God. How we do that is a different matter and most, most assuredly, it will take much, much more than protests and armchair criticism. Much more.
God have mercy on our souls.
GodBless
M.
civil war anyone ? its just a question of when.
yasir , your reasoning is so flawed and your arguement so weak that it excites my pity . No one is disputing the plight of ghareeb admi(or even not so ghareeb) in our country , nor , by any means , i am suggesting that the Mehangai issue should not be one of a great concern to all of us . off course it should be, along with a dozen other cancers that are eating our nation inside out .
having said all of this , the fact is that the so called PROTEST was not called to protest mehangai , or corruption , or the rising prices of petrol and sugar . the Mullas , who in my opinion are the worst cancer of all that afflicts our nation , called it to protest the Cartoon issue and ended up burning motorcyles and shops of ordinary people . i would never call myself a authority on the subject , but if there is one thing we learn from the life of the Prophet(pbuh) its Forgiveness and Patience. those who created and published those cartoons showed their own insolence and ignorance . Mr. Aamer , on the other hand , is justiyfing the destruciton of property and life of our own people and country by asking the question ” what else can we do ” and , further , ” we are doing this to stop these things in future “.
oh well…if the reasons behind this destruction , as you point out , were socioeconomic , than i am pretty sure a lot of people whose property , and lives for that matter were destryed , understand that point very well now ..because they just lost their livelihood.
i dont expect you to understand or concede the flaws in this thinking which , to me , is shockingly ignorant.
It’s understandable to see the outburst of anger expressed in the comments here .There is one thing common -Everyone is agitated at the sabotage committed by the mob.Do check out this editorial in Daily Times today accessible at http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20062\16\story_16-2-2006_pg3_1
This editorial mourns the initial delay in response to the violence and the later indifference shown by Chief Minister and others towards the issue.
You hit it on the mark Rooster…yes it is understandable that people are frustrated with their lives and they don’t see much in their future with the way things are going in the country right now…but this is not the way…burning our brothers’ and sisters’ houses, their livelihoods, their motorbikes and cars…what kind of Islam are these Mullahs teaching our kids. What turned the savages of Arabia into masters of the world, what brought light to the islands of South East, to the peaks and plains of the Subcontinent, to the deserts of Africa…and Alhamdulillah it didn’t just stop there…its thriving now in Europe and North America….IT CERTAINLY WASN’T WHAT THESE MULLAHS ARE PREACHING!!! It was the real Islam that changed the Mongols from a destructive horde to the master architects and artisans within a generation….who are we going to change with this???
i wondered again and again how can someone attribute this behaviour to ‘frustrations in people’ life due to the system’.
not to be totally bookish about it but psychologically speaking passive aggressive behaviours result from frustrations. frustrated people do not go out and burn cars! or loot the banks! but cud this be anger? again it doesnt look like it. i nbever heard of any angry or frustrated person saving the time and wit to steal pizzas from pizza hut or run away with fried chicken! this is not frustration…. or anger!
it is not even hatred for denmark or any countries that published the cartoons, i can bet on it that if you were to distribute norway or denmark visas to these mobsters, they wud happily take em and be off….
this is perhaps one of the most common traits we as a nation have adopted, which is that we do not seem to hav any integrity, personal honor or such like, well majority of us dont. thats why everyone who never stands in a line in pakistan wud happily stand in a line in UK or USA or anywhere else…we have a tendency to take advantage of the situations in a much higher degree than i have even know any other people to have. why do we do this? — its beyond me — or as they put it ‘perhaps its cuz laton ke bhoot baton se nahin mantay’.
If what happened on Tuesday was against the government and its policies then people shouldn’t have carried out all of that looting and burning under the banner of ‘Tahafuz Namoos-e-Risalat’. It takes guts to say upfront what the problem is and justifying what you are doing and why you are doing it. I didn’t see that sort of ‘bravery’, shall we name it, from the mobs who were rioting on Mall Road and other places on the 14th.
Assalam-o-Alaikum everyone:
Here is a story that I would like to share with the author and the various respondents.
FOUR BLINDD MEN AND THE ELEPHANT
Four blind men encounter an elephant. One grabs the leg and is convinced it’s a tree trunk. One holds the tail and thinks it’s a whip. Another touches the elephant’s trunk and decides it’s a hose while the fourth man pats the side and is sure it’s a wall.
The wise man tells them, “All of you are right.”
WOW – reminded me of the Blonde that went skydiving –
RE: Rooster.
Hahaha, one can never expect too much. Never curious and always needing an explanation! Very baaahhhhd.
While you can go through this link to get a perspective, here’s what I decided to leave out when writing this post earlier.
Darling author and commentors, to my observer’s eyes and ears, you are all basically on the same side. And the brouhaha is funny.
This issue is big as an elephant, and everyone’s onto something. Piece it together, and we will have a greater understanding.
TRANSLATION FOR THE VERY LITERAL:
1. PUNK thinks the crowd might be frenzied for more than the obvious reasons. (And anyone who saw the footage of the young laddies can testify it was hard to tell: were the out to celebrate a cricket victory with the smiles and cheers, or were they, like it’s being said, protesting the caricatures of the Holy Prophet- peace be upon him?)
2. PUNK did not say they were right, he merely wanted to understand the reasons. Why this soul-searching? While PUNK knows his reasons best, as I reader and a resident Pakistani, can see that this is not an isolated event. And, as a resident, I would wonder what’s running in the minds of these offenders. It’s not an unknown phenomena where a traumatized victim or stunned observer goes through the causes of what happened and why – and I support a conscientious writer. The quality & development of the writing is another matter. But we are (except a few) not in Ivy League, and we understand that given our socio-political background, it’s at least a start that we think with our own minds.
3. My views are reserved.
4. Aren’t we all on the same side? Except that, like healthy humans ought to, we bring a diversity of views – just like the four blind men did?
That’s all I’d say.
Regards.
these demonstrations are starting to be out of focused.
is it too much hatred or too much time in their hands?
i am saddened and at the same time indignant that in Nigeria they started to kill and haunt Christians.