Watering the the Indus Valley
Published in telegraph.co.uk – Last Updated: 12:01am – BST – 17/05/2008 Peter Parker reviews Empires of the Indus: the Story of a River by…
Open the window of your heart
Do not worry if our harp breaks thousands more will appear. We have fallen in the arms of love where all is music. If…
In praise of mothers..
A reader from Karachi, Ahsan Jan Allawala – a student at the SZABIST, has contributed this little piece on the Mother’s Day. He wanted…
Sufi rock by an immensely talented band
This video is from the band Da Saaz. Dhruv Bilal Sangari is singing and Raoul Amaar Abbas has directed, produced and shot all the…
South Asia has lost a great crusader of peace
Nirmila Deshpande is dead. She will be remembered for her invaluable services for peace in the region. This statement from the Asian Human Rights…
Throw Away the Books – Bulleh Shah
Bulleh Shah (1680-1758) of Kasur in Central Punjab is an extraordinary voice that provided a mystical message beyond caste, institutionalized religion and ideologies of…
Sufi Qawwali – Mehr Ali and Sher Ali
Sadiq has written a wonderful post here – I am cross posting it here. Couple of nights back (24, April, 08) came an unanticipated…
How the Pentagon manipulated the media to promote the Iraq war
David Walsh writes at WSWS On April 20, the New York Times published a lengthy article by investigative reporter David Barstow detailing the US Defense Department’s…
Faiz, a Peaceful Revolutionary
This is in continuation of the splendid translation series undertaken by Mr. Anis Zuberi and contributed by JZ for this blog. Earlier posts can…
Islamic poster art in India – and South Asia
This piece entitled, My Name is Green, published in the weekly Outlook India traces how “forged in the cultural ferment of a century ago,…
Pakistan Suicide Bombings: The narratives of terror
An overwhelming majority of Pakistan’s population finds itself hostage to narratives of ‘terror’ that are either alien to its ethos or are constructed by…
The folded moment
Well, this evening I was bored with my writing. To amuse myself I assembled this little poem. This was just another day humdrum, ordinary,…
Yusuf al-Qaradawi’s fatwa on alcohol
DOHA (AFP) – Prominent Qatar-based Muslim scholar Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi has sparked controversy by issuing a religious edict allowing Muslims to consume tiny amounts…
Pakistan’s media: the opinion industry
On the flourishing ‘column’ industry despite the slow growth of readership’ What is so peculiar about the Pakistani media opinion factories churning out problems…
Stop demonising China
Globally, the Tibet issue has been blown beyond belief by the media. I am compelled to ask that over one million civilians are dead…
Pakistan’s Media – responsibility must anchor freedom
My piece that was published earlier this week: IT is a truism that media freedom in Pakistan today has been earned after a long…
Myth of Channan Peer
Earlier I posted on Khowaja Ghulam Fareed, the Sufi poet from Cholistan. A famous festival takes place each year attracting thousands of people in…
A R Rahman’s devotion to Khawaja Muinuddin Chishty
Music and Love share a primordial bond. None other than the legendary and a genius of our times Allah Rakah Rahman, better known to…
Prophet’s letter on the protection of Egyptian Copts
I am grateful to Saadi to have forwarded me the this amazing ancient text. ******** The Letter of Prophet Muhammad Below is the English…
Longing – a short poem
This little poem by the famous Turk poet Aziz Nesin was left on Jahane Rumi by Sherry – I love it so much that…