My book is now available through the Amazon Pre-order system.
The book addresses the hitherto neglected aspect of postcolonial and historical engagement with the creation and construction of Indian Muslim national identity before the partition of India in 1947. The author’s main assertion, challenging the conventional and postcolonial appraisals of the Indian national history, is that the Indian Muslim particular identity and Muslim exceptionalism preceded the rise of Congress or Gandhian nationalism. Using major theories of nationalism-including works of Benedict Anderson, Anthony D. Smith, John Breuilly, Partha Chatterjee and others-and analysis of literary, political, and religious texts produced by Indian Muslims, Constructing Pakistan traces the varied Muslim responses to the post 1857 British ascendancy. Hence, overall, this study provides a multilayered discussion of Indian Muslim nationalism from the rise of post 1857 Muslim exceptionalism to the beginnings of a more focused struggle for a nation-sate in the 1940s.
In this dual act of retrieval and intervention, a varied mixture of literary, political, and religious texts are employed to suggest that if the Muslim textual production of this time period is read within the realm of politics and not just within the arena of culture, then the rise of Indian Muslim nationalism can be clearly traced within these texts and through their affective value for the Indian Muslims.
The author states that no such work exits either in the postcolonial field or in the field of area studies that combines close readings of the texts, their reception, and the politics of identity formation specifically related to the rise of Indian Muslim nationalism. The author’s main argument hinges on two important assumptions: 1) After the rebellion it becomes extremely important for the Muslim elite to force the dominant British regime into a hegemonic view of the Muslims, and 2) this forces the Muslim elite to develop a language of politics that must always invoke the people in order to enter the British system of privileges and dispensations. Consequently, the rise of early Muslim exceptionalism and its eventual specific nationalistic unfolding, of which Pakistan was one outcome, can then be read as political acts that long preceded the Indian national party politics. The reason most Indian and European historians cannot trace a pronounced Muslim sense of separate identity before the 1940s is because they trace this identity either in the form of resistance or in the shape of party politics. The early loyalism of the Muslim elite, in such strategy, remains unexplained, as it does not fit the resistance model. The book attempts to re-read this loyalism as a sophisticated form of resistance that, in the end, makes the Muslim question central to the British politics of post-rebellion era.
On the whole the book is a useful text for anyone interested in reading a more nuanced and theoretically innovative articulation of the complex nature of Indian Muslim nationalism and the eventual creation of Pakistan.
Thou shall not womanize – A review of ‘The Dancing Girls of Lahore’, By Shaikh Muhhammed Ali
In my 45 years of existence, I must confess that I have never come across such a painful yet chilly novel. Yes, this I write about ‘The Dancing girls of Lahore’ by Louise Brown who has almost spent 4.5 years in the ‘Heera Mandi’ aka Diamond Market i.e. the red light district of the famous walled city of the Mughals, Lahore of Pakistan.
I have always wanted to at least visit the ‘Heera Mandi’ since the time I became matured enough (although I still act like a 16 year old) but just the thought would give me goose bumps as to what my parents, peers, friends and foes alike would think about me if I would take this journey. Louise has done a big favor by writing on the subject in such a threadbare fashion that while reading the book, you almost start living the experience.
She has described the life of Maha (the main character), her three daughters, her supposed semi-husband Adnan in such a fashion that you cannot help but cry on the pain and agony that all of them go through in their life in the ghetto and still come out larger than life and accept the way things are for them. It is usually a taboo to talk about such women in our culture leave aside visiting such places but Louise has been brave enough to live amongst them and become a character in the novel herself.
Then there is mention of Iqbal Hussain, the painter who is born in the Heera Mandi and not just lives there but owns a restaurant nicely tucked away in the heart of the district where the ancient rubs shoulders with the modern. ‘Cuckoo’s Den’ is the name of the hangout and is situated on the Fort Road. The Café is perched between the debased and the divine.
Iqbal too was part of the real life there that sleeps on the ‘Cross’ and is resurrected on a daily basis. Unfortunately, Mr. Hussain, the son of a dancing girl died in April 2009 at the tender age of 98. He had worked hard to preserve the old city’s culture by painting the area’s traditional dancers and prostitutes.
Coming back to the book, I almost broke down when I reached the harrowing part where Nena, the eldest daughter is being sold to an elderly Sheikh from Dubai and instead of cursing her luck; she is rather happy to tie the nuptial knot at the tender age of 12. Losing her virginity at this age rather selling it is called ‘Marriage’ in the local lingo although such marriages may last for a night to three months at the most.
Louise has thrown in every molecule of her life in writing this ‘Pearl of the Sub Continent’ (if I may) and has provided painstaking detail in exposing the life of the dancing girls of the ‘Walled City’ not just to the Pakistani masses but to the entire universe if they are interested to know as to how life wakes up in this beautiful little paradise.
This book in a nutshell teaches us as to what goes on in the life of a Tawaif, a Prostitute or to put it more politely; a dancing girl. Louise, I as a Pakistani is extremely grateful to you for writing this one and taking me through the streets & life of the dancing girls of Lahore. May you live long!
Shaikh Muhhammed Ali
‘The Wandering Dervish’
E-mail: mashaikh@hec.gov.pk
Translated by Masood Ashraf Raja (Installment 2)
The Arguments Offered in Favor of Men
Following are some of the reasons offered by those who believe that men are better than women:
- God has granted more physical strength to men, therefore they are privileged in all those spheres that need physical prowess and mastery. From this it is construed that governance, as it depends on physical power, is a male prerogative.
- Men’s mental capacities, just like their physical strength, are also relatively stronger than those of women. That is why historically women have always thought to be less intelligent and their superstitious ways, shortsightedness, and infidelity are all rooted in their weak intellect.
- Just as kingship is the most important institution in the material world, the Prophethood is the greatest human role in the spiritual realm. God has always appointed men as prophets but never a woman.
- Theologically, one verse of the Qur’an (Al Nisa) is mobilized to claim that men are “rulers over women.”
- Another argument offered in favor of men is that God created Adam first and then Eve as his companion. Therefore, it a woman’s role is to be a comfort to man, to obey his rule, and to prefer his comfort over her own in order to be true to her divine purpose of creation.
- The Qur’an equates testimony by two women to that of one man and gives half of a male share of inheritance to women. Both these statements are also used to prove that men are superior to women.
- As God permits men to have four wives but does not grant the same tight to women, this also is used as an argument for the divinely inspired superiority of men over women.
- Another argument in favor of male superiority is that the Qur’an promises them female companions in the afterlife, while women are not promised male companions in heaven.
Besides these rational and Qur’anic arguments, there are also a few other irrational mythological reasons that are offered to prove male superiority [which Munshi Inyatullah mention in his book], but I do not consider worthy of consideration.
In a nutshell these are some of the reasons-you may call them intellectual or religious, that are used by many to render one half of human population as inferior to the other half. As a result the women are reduced to a condition of obedience to men that is even worse than slavery. These arguments have made it so that even the worse kind of sinful men can still consider themselves better than women.
I will now analyze these arguments to see whether they are based in any logical reasoning or are they just falsehoods mobilized by the proponents of the status quo in order to keep the male dominance intact.
I have recently read Greg Mortenson’s ‘Three cups of tea’ and was religiously moved and overwhelmingly amazed to read this book whereby an American mountaineer could teach us so much about the mountains of Pakistan in general and life in particular; just in 349 pages that it is almost a shame that I could not learn in 44.5 years of my existence.
Greg has woven his pearls of wisdom with such simplistic beauty that my worry beads almost flare up with hymns of earth, wind and fire. I must hasten to add that he throws in the snow covered mountains at a steady pace every now and then in his free flowing thought process that awakens the mountaineer in me. If mountains could read; I am sure the 62 kilometer Baltoro glacier would have melted and flown like molten lava from the highlands of Skardu to the lowlands of Karachi after reading this gospel and would have unleashed a flood in the Indus River.
The governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan have both failed their nations so miserably by not addressing the educational needs of their mountainous regions while this book almost serves as a Gospel of Barnabas which was excluded in the 1411 King James version of the Bible and almost qualifies enough to be included back in the Bible as the 6th book of the Old testament (if I may) right after Deuteronomy.
Greg has thrown in every molecule of his life wholeheartedly in making schools for the Balti people which started from one school in Korphe to 55 and rising. Incidentally, the Korphe village was without a school for some odd six hundred years and a Messiah in the garb of Greg had to descend to start building the first one there. Shame on us!
This book in a nutshell teaches us to share three cups of tea, to slow down and make building relationships as important as building projects. In the holy Quran, there is no law to prohibit an infidel from providing assistance to our Muslim brothers and sisters. One thing is for sure that this infidel called Greg Mortenson is undoubtedly a modern day prophet and is going to heaven whether I as a believer am going there or not.
Greg, I as a Pakistani am shamefully indebted to your Sadqa-e-Jaria (Never ending charity). May you live long, Amen!
Shaikh Muhammed Ali
‘The Wandering Dervish’
E-mail: mashaikh@hec.gov.pk
Translated by Masood Ashraf Raja
Preface
In these few pages I have explained the crux of my thoughts about the rights of women, a subject upon which I have often thought and reflected. Although my thoughts have gone through slight changes over a period, my views on all- important aspects of this subject have neither weakened nor changed too drastically. In fact, I believe that these reflections have strengthened my resolve and bettered my character. I am hopeful that my expression of these thoughts and the attendant practice of these ideas would enhance the cultural development of our nation. And that is the reason I am daring to share my thoughts openly.
I am aware that my thoughts would be given various unsavory names: emulating English values will be one of the charges brought against me and my views. A hundred pens will write against me and numerous lips will criticize my attempt. But those true souls who find the way of the Prophet (peace be upon him) better than their own family values will find some truth in my thoughts and will, I hope, attempt to live according to the example of the Prophet. And the barbs of the critics, I am sure, will not deter these true souls.
If my this humble attempt enables, in any way, the rights of one lone old woman to be upheld in Hindustan, I would consider it a worthwhile reward of my efforts.
The False Preference of Men Over Women
Men and women are both part of the human race and cannot, therefore, have any essential preference of one over the other. A few characteristics that privilege men over women are strictly related to the societal role played by men while using those [gender-specific] characteristics. Other than these existential differences, all other differences that fix a male essence and a female essence are just arbitrary and unreliable. These existential differences are always caused by the material conditions such as the differences in one’s regional abode, climate, difference of age, or cultural differences. I will prove that the gender differences that have been normative in our current culture, a difference that should have been based in natural division of labor, are highly accentuated and are based in myth, prejudice, and male ignorance. Thus, our current explanation of gender roles is harmful and based on uncivilized and prehistoric barbaric ideas.
The entire edifice of our culture is based on this false premise: Men are rulers, women the subjects, and that the women are created for men’s comfort.
From this it is construed that men have the same rights over women as they have on other things that they own and in such a relationship women can never be considered men’s equal. Now if men had considered this unclean principle only as a product of their male prejudice, I would have had no problem with it. But the tragedy is that men consider this claim to be rational, just, and divinely inspired. To refute these claims and to prove them wrong is the main purpose of this book.
I will conduct this discussion in five parts. In Part 1, I will refute the evidence used to prove privilege of men over women; Part 2 deals with the question of women’s education and Part 3 with Purdah. In part four I will discuss the rules of marriage, and in part 5 the cultural norms for marriage.
Masood Raja
mashaikh
