Monthly Archives: August 2006

On Pakistan’s Independence Day

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Today, August 14, Pakistan marks the anniversary of its independence. Over the weekend the Pakistani diaspora celebrated, although this report from Devon Street in Chicago suggests the party was a muted and anguished one.

This morning, I took a tour of the Pakistani blogosphere and found it, as usual, disappointing. A few bloggers offered bombastic statements of national pride. Others commented on the party preparations, or lack thereof. There don’t seem to be that many Pakistani bloggers to begin with, nor Pakistani-American bloggers for that matter (a fact that we deplore here at the Mutiny), so I wasn’t really expecting anything in particular; even so, the paucity of offerings, in both quantity and quality, struck me as symptomatic of, well, something.

We get a lot of anti-Pakistan mudslinging here on the comment threads, and though we try to keep up with and get rid of the most egregious and bigoted statements, the best way Pakistan’s image could improve would be through a flood of free, contentious, provocative, educative speech by Pakistanis and their friends. The Web is only one venue, of course, and it is obviously biased toward those with access to computers and the Internet, but to not make better use of such a ready resource is really a shame.

So it’s with pleasure that I introduce you, on this Pakistan Independence Day, to Watandost, the weblog of Hassan Abbas, a Pakistani former government official and writer who now lives in Boston. It’s a one-stop shop for news stories and web links that will be of interest to anyone who wishes for a democratic and peaceful Pakistan within a democratic and peaceful South Asia.

Abbas doesn’t write original content at his blog: he posts useful stories and lets them do the talking. However, he is the author of a book that I wish I’d heard of earlier. It’s called PakistanÂ’s Drift Into Extremism: Allah, the Army, and AmericaÂ’s War on Terror, and here is part of the review in the Boston Globe by Farah Stockman: Continue reading →

Galluping distrust of American Muslims in the USA

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With eerily apposite timing, Gallup released the results of a new poll on anti-Muslim sentiment in the US on Thursday, the same day that the British government announced that they had foiled a new home grown plot. Most news reports on this poll emphasized that 40% of Americans admitted prejudice against Muslims but that this prejudice was less amongst the 40% Americans who personally knew a Muslim. This is a positive, almost pollyanish spin on the data, one that emphasizes the precepts of the “contact hypothesis” [an argument that prejudice is rooted in a lack of daily interaction between two groups].

Other portions of this survey, however, are far more troubling. Remember that this poll was taken before the latest plot was exposed. [Both the graphics presented below are from the Gallup Organization’s own press release. To gain access, you just have to watch a brief ad.]

Americans are deeply suspicious of Muslim loyalties, with only half seeing Muslims as loyal to America, and a third seeing them as sympathetic to Al-Qaeda! This means that a sizable minority of Americans see all Muslims as a fifth column of subversion.

As a result, 40% of Americans are willing to countenance some fairly un-American measures for combatting terrorism, including consideration of a “special ID” [A green crescent sewn into their clothes? A religious passbook?] with a majority of Americans in support of religiously selective screening:

Given that one of the objectives that led to 9/11 was Al-Qaeda’s desire to prompt a Clash of Civilizations between the West and Islam, is this evidence that the terrorists are winning?

Continue reading →

You can check out anytime you like…

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From today’s New York Times, this lede:

SHE was Glinda in a sari. Early that morning, she had glided ethereally across the courtyard with her fellow healing goddesses, their feet bare, their flowing white garb edged in gold. The bird trills reverberated off the palace walls.

“Please sit,” she said prayerfully. Soon, thick warm sesame oil infused with medicinal herbs began to permeate my meager muslin thong. She breathed heavily, karate-chopping the oil with the edges of her hands. She gently pummeled me with poultices, hot bundles of herbs resembling bouquets garnis. In the background, I heard oil sizzling. I felt a strange compulsion to go fry myself in a wok.

Pummel me with poultices! Stay me with flagons! Gag me with a spoon! What on Lord Krishna’s blue earth is going on here?

It’s just San Francisco-based writer Patricia Leigh Brown receiving treatment, for research purposes, at the Kalari Kovilakom Palace for Ayurveda in the hills of Palakkam, Kerala, where “ayurvedists — longevity-seekers who are already deeply into the present moment — come … to detoxify and purify with ayurvedic doctors, the new yogis, for whom mind, body and spirit have been fused for more than 3,000 years.”

Exempted from the resort’s two-week minimum stay rule, Brown was able to pick and choose her treatments, avoiding the “stamina-challenging sequence of enemas” and secretly brewing Peet’s Coffee in her room.

The article is long, and not entirely as ridiculous as would appear from the opening. By the end, in fact, some interesting cultural analysis has crept in. En route, however, you get lines like “My spine was a cobra unfurling,” and the apparition in Brown’s mind, during treatment, of a vision of Dick Cheney. Surely that can’t be therapeutic. Continue reading →

In Barbie’s Closet

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A coworker sent me a link to this toy (thanks, Abi!) and I can’t resist posting it, if only because I wonder how much of “us” Mattel got right and wrong. From Barbie Collector (where it’s cheaper, if you’re about to make some little girl or boy really happy by buying it for them):

The most important and magical festival celebrated in India is Diwali. Homes are decorated with marigolds and mango leaves, thousands of oil diyas or lamps are lit as auspicious symbols of good luck, and everyone enjoys sweets to the sound of firecrackers and revelers.
Diwali™ Barbie® doll wears a traditional teal sari with golden detailing, a lovely pink shawl wrap, and exotic-style jewelry. The final detail is a bindi on the forehead—a jewel or a mark worn by Hindu women.

Mango leaves? Really? Since I’m a 2nd Gen (and a Syriani Christiani) penne I’m not going to claim that I know much about either that or the festival of lights, but I do have an opinion on Barbie’s ethnic dress. I don’t think that is a “traditional sari“. Perhaps it’s half-of-one? Honestly, I think it’s more of a lehnga, since I’ve never worn a duppata with my very traditional (can it get more old skool than kanjeevaram?) outfits.

I was curious about the “exotic” jewelry so I started fruitlessly looking up words after AIMing an equally clueless friend who insisted that the chain and pendant which decorates Barbie’s hair is called a “tikka“. I associate this word with murgh, but whatevs. After reading an entry in Stephen Colbert’s favorite online resource, I was concomitantly disagreeing with her and picturing 55 word nanofiction written by Jai. Here’s what was so evocative:

* When Rajput men married, they are said to have cut their thumb on their sword and applied a tikka of their own blood to their brides. This custom evoked the Rajput values of courage and indifference to pain.

Continue reading →

Music: Meet Imaad Wasif

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imaad.jpgYesterday on the radio I had the pleasure of interviewing a young desi brother by the name of Imaad Wasif. He’s a guitarist and singer who is currently touring as an additional band member (and occasional opener) for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and who released his first, self-titled solo album in April. Although Imaad can rock out with the best of them, his own music is of the introspective, quiet kind, a little minimalist, a little gothic, maybe a little fey at times. Listening to the album before the interview, I really enjoyed the first half, and found the second half a little slow and less compelling. Perhaps it would have benefited from a bit more time in the Nashville studio than the week-and-a-day session that the promotional materials boast about.

Having said that, I really enjoyed Imaad’s in-studio performance: he played one song from the album, “Out in the Black,” and a new song called, if I remember right, “Spell on Me.” He’s got a great touch and a lot of sincerity. Another interesting aspect was that he came in with his guitar and an electronic drone machine called a Raagini. It’s an Indian-made box that generates a drone in the manner of a tampura. He showed me the different settings before the show and it would have been cool if we’d had more time to talk about it on the air.

Imaad is another hyper-diasporic desi — his parents come from Bombay and Hyderabad but he was born in Vancouver and grew up mainly in Palm Desert, California. There’s nothing particularly desi to his trajectory as a musician. Yet at the same time, he credits as an influence the old Indian records from his father’s collection that got damaged in a flood, so that the labels all peeled off, leaving him to listen to the vinyl without knowing who was playing; and also, here he is with this Raagini machine, weaving the very Indian drone into his live performance, even though he hasn’t — yet — used it in recordings. Hybridity: it operates in mysterious, wonderful ways.

For those who enjoy introspective indie rock, or those simply looking to hear some new sounds, check this brother out. You can hear/download our conversation and his live performance here (scroll down second segment). Continue reading →

Desi pilot sues JetBlue

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Tipster Adnan alerts us to the case filed this week in Manhattan State Supreme Court by Pakistani-American pilot Faisal Baig against JetBlue, which revoked his hiring the eve of his start date:

Baig said he asked for an explanation and was told JetBlue considered him “a security risk.”

“I asked if it’s my name or my religion,” said Baig, who had been a pilot for Independence Air for nearly six years, beginning in 2000, before applying to JetBlue in January. “The woman on the phone said she didn’t want to go into it, but basically she said yes.”

“I was shocked,” said Baig, who was not born in this country but came here with his family when he was 7 years old and is a U.S. citizen. “I was devastated. I don’t know how to describe it to you. Her words more or less told me I wasn’t an American.”

Jenny Dervin, a JetBlue spokeswoman, confirmed that the airline had been advised the lawsuit was filed but said the company does not comment on pending litigation.

Now this suit was just filed, so we shouldn’t jump to conclusions about its merit. But I thought I might take a look at the reactions on the popular right-wing site Free Republic, just to check in on the state of the discourse. Here’s a sample: Continue reading →

Posted in Law

A Tryst With Potential Tragedy

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211546864_b4a0e6ed6d_m.jpg Yesterday, our eyes were on the UK as British police prevented two dozen suspects from using airplanes for perfidy; today, I woke up to more disturbing news, via Reuters:

The U.S. embassy in India warned American citizens on Friday of likely terrorist attacks, possibly by al Qaeda, in or around New Delhi and Mumbai in the run-up to the country’s Independence Day celebrations next week.

Just in time for August 15th!

“We have urged U.S. citizens to keep a low profile, be alert and attentive to their surroundings,” an embassy spokesman said.
“The embassy has learned that foreign terrorists, possibly including members of al Qaeda, allegedly intend to carry out a series of attacks,” he said, adding the attacks might occur in or around New Delhi and Mumbai.

As if Mumbai hasn’t been through enough, after last month’s terrorist attack which murdered 200 people and hurt 700 more.

The information was gathered by U.S. intelligence agencies and the embassy was working closely with the Indian government, he added.
“Likely targets include major airports, key central Indian government offices, and major gathering places such as hotels and markets,” he added.

Likely targets include all of us, in some way. This is an extra depressing week… Continue reading →

Some Desi-Oriented Blogs to Check Out

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After you’ve been blogging for awhile, it gets easy to ignore new blogs — you get kind of wrapped up in the little circle of blogs you read every day. But while it’s completely understandable, it’s really too bad one tends to get “settled” in one’s reading, since the circle of good blogging is always growing steadily, and new writers are always coming out of the woodwork, trying to find readers.

There is a great deal of really intelligent, moving writing out there, not to mention good music and video links — and humor. So here are links to about half-a-dozen blogs I’ve been reading recently. In the comments, please feel free to link to other blogs that you think highly of that other people may not know about. And if there’s a particular post on the blog you would recommend, give the link to that too.

First, the return of Teju Cole: Modal Minority. Teju is a New York-based African brother who knows Indian culture quite well. And he’s a damn good writer. Here are a few rockstar lines describing his experience listening to a fusion jazz CD called Sangam:

To start with, there was the sound of the tabla, on which was soon layered an expertly played drum kit. This went on for a while, until some kind of saxophone came in, a modal sound, somewhere between late Coltrane and South Indian carnatic reed music (it turned out to be a tarogato, a Hungarian folk instrument), in a rapid and airy melody. The sax wove around, making clear references both to the jazz tradition and to the Eastern folk influences. The whole time it was underpinned by the seamless and joyous interconnection of the tabla and the drum set. (link)

Read the whole thing.

Second, Raza Rumi. Raza Rumi is a Pakistani writer who focuses on South Asian art and literature from sort of a Sufi perspective. Check out this great post on the Bhakti poet Kabir (who was born a Muslim, was influenced by Hinduism, and later became one of the non-Sikh poets whose works is included in the holy Sikh scripture). Continue reading →

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Love in the Time of Terrorism

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This newest terror alert and the ensuing security lockdown has come at the most inopportune of times for me. Tomorrow morning at 8a.m. I have to catch a flight to Charlotte, North Carolina to attend my friend Seema’s wedding. First, let’s take a quick look at what I cannot bring with me:

Advice if you’re flying:

1. Liquids are banned from carry-on luggage and cannot be taken through security checkpoints. That includes drinks, toothpaste, perfume, shampoo, hair gel, suntan lotion and similar items. Drinks purchased in the airport cannot be carried onto flights.

2. Baby formula and medications will be allow but must be presented for inspection at security checkpoints.

3. All shoes must be removed and placed on an X-ray belt for screening.

4. Passengers are also asked to arrive at least two hours early to allow for additional screening.

5. Passengers traveling to the United Kingdom should contact their airline for information about any extra security measures or precautions that might be required. Laptop computers, mobile phones and iPods were among items banned on British flights. [Link]

I’m a 30-year-old single male. There are fewer opportunities for me to meet eligible women (according to my parents). A desi friend’s wedding is supposed to be a money venue. But just look at my predicament. I cannot shampoo my hair (hotel shampoo doesn’t count) or apply even a modest amount of styling gel to my hair in order to achieve that proper look between sophistication and slackerdom. Even worse, without my contact lens solution I will have to keep my contacts in my eyes the entire weekend, which will in turn cause me to spastically blink (to prevent the increasing dryness) every time I go to talk to a girl. Even if I make it this far, who will want to talk to a guy that hasn’t been able to brush his teeth because his toothpaste has been confiscated? I didn’t even mention the lack of shaving cream (stubble makes me look like a terrorist) or the lack of aftershave lotion that will make my face itch and burn all night even if I use the hotel provided shaving cream and blade. Also, wearing a suit makes me sweat, a fact that will be obvious since I won’t have any cologne to mask the scent.

Continue reading →

Liquid explosives

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I’ve decided to split the speculation concerning the science that may have been involved in the plot into a separate post since it is getting long.

Some experts think that the bomb might have involved TATP, the same compound used by the 7/7 bombers.

While there are several liquid explosives that could be used to bring down an aircraft, chemists believe it is more likely that terrorists planned to mix liquid materials that are not themselves explosive but can be combined into a bomb. The liquid explosives that are sufficiently destructive in their own right to blow up a plane are generally too unstable or too easily detected to be readily smuggled aboard.

A more subtle approach would be to combine two or more liquids that are stable by themselves, but which form a powerful explosive when mixed together. A prime candidate for this would be triacetone triperoxide (TATP), the explosive used by the July 7 bombers. Its two raw ingredients are both liquids, which could potentially be carried on board in sufficient quantities in containers such as bottles of shampoo or contact lens solution.

These could then be mixed in a toilet to make TATP, which is a crystalline white powder. The problem here is that the solid has to be dried before it becomes a reliable explosive. It can also be difficult to detonate, as attested by the failure of the attempted suicide attacks on London on July 21 last year.

The problems of assembling and then detonating an improvised bomb of this sort in an airline toilet could explain why the terrorists targeted so many aircraft. It is likely that many of the devices would have failed, so attacking 10 flights would have greatly increased the chances of blowing up one or two. [Link]

There have also been at least two prior terrorist attacks planes using liquid explosives, KAL 858 and PAL 434. [Details follow after the fold] Continue reading →