I’m on a visit to my
motherland these days. My motherland is Pakistan. I have been living in a
non-Muslim European country for years. My childhood was spent in the UAE and a
little in Pakistan.
The country I have been living in is a free state. It means that you can practice your culture, your religion freely, no matter who you are.
I m a Muslim Pakistani
national who is that country's resident. I pay my taxes. I contribute to the
society. I am a free citizen. But when I got off the plane in Lahore, I said,
"At least I'll be hearing the Azaan for some time. Yes, Azaan is banned in
that state even though it is a free one. I have not seen any Muslim or
Pakistani slaughter animals in their terraces etc. on Eid ul Azha. There is
only one place far outside the city where they have this facility. Yet, it is a
free country.
I come to Pakistan and
realize how blessed I am to be a Pakistani, to have a country of my own. I get
halaal food without having to worry about it. I don’t get stares from people
for being a Pakistani. I have the freedom to actually practice my culture, my
religion without being a freak. The air is less polluted over there, but the
air here feels blessed because I hear the Azaan five times a day.
I can participate in
demonstrations and strikes without the discrimination of being an alien race.
No minister asks questions about my actions and my practices in the cabinet. I
have no restrictions for being a Muslim. I can prostrate before my Creator even
on the road without the police arresting me. But to make it very clear, I do
have equal rights as all other citizens, nationals or not. Free medical
services, education… It’s good.
In Pakistan, the roads are
not as clean as the UAE or Europe. The resources are not being utilized the way
they should be for the development of the country. Things are not as systemized
as they should be. I don’t have a lot of rights or a lot of justice, or
security, but I have more security than the Muslims of Palestine, the Muslims
of Burma, the Muslims of Iraq, the Muslims of Afghanistan and the Muslims of
Jammu and Kashmir, because I have a country, a free one, of my own. Nobody can
just come and attack us without any reason-not including the drone attacks.
Nobody can burn our homes, put curfews on us, and cut water supplies to us.
I
thank Allah for Pakistan. You should too =)
Written By: Hijab Minahil
You gave a totally new dimension to my thought to regard myself a proud Pakistani B|
ReplyDeleteThumbs up! :)
How my life would have been without listening to the Azaan.....
Seriously! The things we take for granted are indeed the greatest of all blessings.