iPhone app iPad app Android phone app Android tablet app More

Featuring fresh takes and real-time analysis from HuffPost's signature lineup of contributors
Mike Ghouse

GET UPDATES FROM Mike Ghouse
 

Stripping Nobel Prize From Muslim Dr. Abdus Salam

Posted: 02/ 2/2012 2:00 pm

It is a shame that many of the Pakistani people I have been interacting have bought the government-fed idea that Ahmadiyya Muslims are not Muslims.

Shame on them, they have not only lost political freedom, they have lost their minds as well. As a Muslim, I am disappointed that Pakistan has deprived the Muslim world of a Nobel Laureate, indeed the late Dr. Abdus Salam is the only Nobel Laureate of Pakistan and they don't list him as a Muslim, and have gone one to erase the word Muslim from his headstone. What a shame! He was the pride of Pakistan and yet no minister or high government official attended his funeral. I wish he lived in America; he would have gotten all the due respect he deserved.

Yet the same Muslims daily recite that God alone is the Master of the Day of Judgment, and he alone is judge of our faith 17 to 51 times a day. What for? Sir Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal, the great poet scholar philosopher probably wrote this poem to these folks, "tujhe kya milega namaz mein?" (What is there for you in that prayer if you don't mean it?)

We simply cannot stereotype the whole population based on a few intolerant judgmental men out there. Just like the good for nothing silent majority of Jews, Christians, Muslims or Hindus; and Americans, Indians or Chinese, the Pakistani Muslim majority is another good for nothing lot who don't have the balls to speak up. We must encourage the good people to start speaking up and bring about a positive change where no Pakistani has to live in apprehension, discomfort or fear of the other Pakistani.

They did not have the freedom to sign the Asia Bibi Petition; did not have the guts to step forward to do the funeral prayers for Governor Taseer who wanted to end the misapplied blasphemy laws, and they did not have the nerve to speak up on most issues and put up with the Zardari government.

What has happened to this community that is suppose to value Justice above all else? They listen to the stories of the Prophet and the Caliphs, how they stood up for the rights of Jews, Christians and others even against their own kith and kin. A Muslim cannot be prejudiced and judgmental. How many of us qualify to be a Muslim?

This week witnesses Dr. Salam's 85th birthday. May Allah bless him for his pioneering research in "theoretical elementary particle physics" benefiting the humanity; may Allah give courage to the Pakistani people to stand up for justice for every Pakistani in the footsteps of the Prophet and the rightly guided caliphs, and treat every Pakistani on an equal footing regardless of his or her religion, belief or denomination.

 

Follow Mike Ghouse on Twitter: www.twitter.com/MikeGhouse

 
 
  • Comments
  • 33
  • Pending Comments
  • 0
  • View FAQ
Comments are closed for this entry
View All
Favorites
Bloggers
Recency  | 
Popularity
Page: 1 2  Next ›  Last »  (2 total)
photo
HUFFPOST BLOGGER
Mike Ghouse
11:31 PM on 02/05/2012
I appreciate the comments, they are always good to learn and act:

The word Muslim from Dr. Salam’s headstone was erased, that is disgraceful. Pakistan does not list Dr. Salaam as a “Muslim” Nobel Prize laureate, which amounts to knocking a Muslim from the Muslim Nobel Prize laureates.

Indeed, there are many Pakistanis speaking up, but not enough. The majority is still sleeping. Right now the mobs are bent on denying the Ewan e Tawheed Mosque near Rawalpindi to the Ahmadiyya, if you recall the Ground Zero Mosque, many a Pastors, Rabbis and other religious and civil leaders spoke up and defended the right to build a mosque, and I was on Sean Hannity almost every other day doing the same. We don’t have people speaking up for Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan, they are afraid or just don’t care. That is not how we assure the safety of citizens.

Jehovah’s Witness may not consider others to be Christians, but they do not have the power to deprive any one from claiming so, that is not the case in Pakistan.

The Good majority remains silent most of the time, unless it speaks up, bad things continue to happen. I do hope the Government of Pakistan protects their “legal minority” from unending harassment.
04:38 PM on 02/05/2012
"good for nothing silent majority of Jews"?
02:14 PM on 02/05/2012
Perhaps a background of the event would have been helpful. I found the style of writing too informal "don't have the balls to speak up" and confusing. I'm still not sure what this was about because you kept angrily referencing people/events/anything without any context. This might be better placed in a Pakistani culture section...
AllegroTroppo
Appeaser feeds crocodile hopes to be eaten last
09:08 AM on 02/05/2012
"Just like the good for nothing silent majority of Jews, Christians, Muslims or Hindus; and Americans, Indians or Chinese, the Pakistani Muslim majority is another good for nothing lot..."

Actually, unlike Pakistani Muslims, the above-mentioned are good for many things.
Those who disagree should immediately stop using computer tech. used to post here.
01:48 PM on 02/04/2012
What the hell does it even matter? We are all human beings! We are all bound in one way or other by the golden rule.
01:29 PM on 02/04/2012
I am very confused by this article. I don't think they stripped him of his Nobel.
AllegroTroppo
Appeaser feeds crocodile hopes to be eaten last
02:14 AM on 02/05/2012
Nothing confusing,
The author is upset Islamic world has lost one of the very few Nobel its followers ever received.
05:23 AM on 02/05/2012
Ah, I see. How unfortunate.
11:14 AM on 02/04/2012
Why is this article being written in English???
AllegroTroppo
Appeaser feeds crocodile hopes to be eaten last
02:14 AM on 02/05/2012
LOl!!!
06:52 AM on 02/04/2012
It's not religion that's the main problem, it's the unwillingness for people to learn acceptance and tolerance.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Stacy Ann Tucker
Liberal with a capital "L"
10:53 PM on 02/03/2012
What a misleading title. Pakistan erased the scientist's Muslim label on his gravestone and nobody took away his Nobel Prize. They may have done him a favor by preventing religious zealots from further defacing the gravestone.

None of this should be even remotely surprising to anyone who has even a passing knowledge of Islam. Mohammed declared himself the seal of the prophets and expressly warned against Muslims innovating the religion which is exactly what the Ahmadiyyas did. They are Muslim equivalent of Mormons. Some Christians may have their issues with Mormons, but it's a much more serious issue in Islam.

The writer may complain all he wants, but he isn't likely to make much headway against 1400+ years of tradition.
photo
BurtonDesque
Fear a Blank Planet
08:49 PM on 02/03/2012
As usual, as Hitch used to say, "Religion poisons everything".
02:10 PM on 02/05/2012
Is that all you're able to say? You make this comment on EVERY article you read concerning religion. It doesn't contribute to the debate at all, and only serves as a way for you to cheaply get attention.

As one of my favorite proverbs says: "It is better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool, then open it and remove all doubt."
Syllogizer
Barely Left of Pobedonostsev
05:10 PM on 02/03/2012
Pakistan does a lot to bring shame on the whole country. The only thing they do right is cricket.
photo
BurtonDesque
Fear a Blank Planet
08:48 PM on 02/03/2012
No, even there they bring shame, what with the recent match fixing scandal.
photo
Xacomo
Hate is a burden to those who bear it.
06:55 PM on 02/04/2012
Agree, but I would call it "Crooked Cricket." Almost no part of that country is free from corruption.
TomMartin
Freedom and equality.
04:51 PM on 02/03/2012
This non-recognition is mutual. I have read in Wikipedia that the largest sect of Ahmadiyya considers other Muslims to be infidels, for not recognizing all the prophets, which for this sect include the founder of Ahmadiyya. So it is similar like Jehovah's Witnesses don't recognize other Christians to be Christian, and similarly many Christians don't recognize Jehovah's Witnesses to be Christian, and many exclude also some other churches. Some Protestants even consider Catholics to be not Christians.
04:21 PM on 02/03/2012
Another sad day for Islam.
04:19 PM on 02/03/2012
It's always a pleasure to read that there are still so many Pakistani admirers of men like Dr Abdus Salam. However, as for the other Pakistanis of today (the heartless and brainless clerics and their followers) there seems to be no hope. They belong to an extremely unfortunate fraternity of nations that have come and gone over the course of human history and left their dispicable mark. When we look back into the anals of history and read the examples of the tyrants that ruled their lands with brutality and injustice, we can not help but feel an extreme sense of hatred and disgust towards them. These Pakistani clerics, government leaders and their corrupt followers are the tyrants of today. They will be measured with the same disgust and hatred as their fraternity brothers from the past.
ThinkCreeps
Seriously, it's time.
10:37 AM on 02/03/2012
Adbus Salam's achievements will stand after foolish superstition has vanished from the earth.