Playing Cricket or Politics (Photo:Flickr)

A Bangladeshi friend, consoling me over India’s knock out from the World Cup, said to me, “Hey, don’t be mad. The Pakis are gone as well.” His comment made me wonder if the elimination of Pakistan (our arch rival, as most Indians would say!) from the tournament was really going to do the magic for me and make me think any less about the disasters of our team? More than that, has the dirty politics preyed upon our minds?

Almost 60 years after the independence, relations between India and Pakistan still remain hostile. The issues regarding the most debated region, Kashmir, still remain unresolved. The Pakistanis argue that Kashmir should have become part of Pakistan at the time of partition due to its Muslim-oriented population. India claims Kashmir to be their part because of the Instrument of Accession signed by Maharaja Hari Singh in October 1947. The dispute on the territory has caused two of the three India-Pakistan wars: the first in 1947, the second in 1965.

Due to this historical anonymity, governments of both nations have continuously blamed each other for any terrorist attacks in their respective countries, making the other one look like the culprit. Many patriotic Bollywood, commenly referred to as "Hindi cinema," often shows Pakistan playing “the villain,” promoting terrorism in our country and killing our people.

Absorbing everything we are fed with bodes well for the politicians, who have built their careers on the rhetoric surrounding the Kashmir issue and nationalism. We allow them to play with our unquestionable nationalistic sentiment and before we know it, it is reflected even in cricket. Of course, it is a different story when there is a battle between India and Pakistan on the cricket pitch, but we can not even bear the thought of our neighbor-country winning against another far-stretched country simply because we are out.

I hope that our cricket team isn’t going to use my friend’s rationale in making themselves feel good, but rather going to take their ouster from the World Cup as an opportunity to reflect on their weaknesses and do something about their performances in the future.

I also hope that we question these politicians, who are good at blaming others for all their policy failures, and not doing much to resolve the issue itself. All we need is peace and not a political agenda that provokes our nationalistic sentiment.

Dying with Dignity (Photo:BBC)

Kelly Taylor, a 30-year old terminally-ill woman, is in severe pain, confined to a wheel chair and has breathing problems. She has been given less than a year to live. She wants to die soon but doesn’t want to leave her country to do so.

The legal framework in the UK not only denies Britons like Taylor of their human rights but also the right to die in their own country. It is a country where euthanasia and assisted suicide are illegal.

Earlier this year, Bristol-based Taylor began a landmark court battle to force doctors to let her die. Her lawyers are arguing that the doctors are breaching her human rights by denying her medication that could kill her. Her trial, calling for a change in the British law, is due April 24 in the High Court.

“Her case highlights the impossible dilemma that the current law presents to patients with terminal illness where pain relief and palliative care do not work to relieve their condition,” according to Deborah Annetts, chief executive of Dignity in Dying, a campaigning organization. In May 2006, the Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill, which would legalize assisted suicide in the nation, was defeated in the House of Lords.

Taylor suffers from Eisenmenger's Syndrome, a heart and lung condition associated with a congenital defect, along with spinal condition called Klippel-Feil syndrome. She wants doctors to increase her morphine dose to induce a coma-like state, even though the drug may hasten her death – a decision called “double effect.” Her doctors are denying her of her will, citing legal and ethical concerns.

While many like Taylor are calling for assisted suicide, some doctors, campaigners and religious bodies oppose the argument saying introducing assisted dying would create pressure for all seriously-ill people to consider it even if they would not otherwise entertain the idea and may have negative implications on the wider society.

“Patients might feel obliged to choose it for the wrong reasons, such as if they were worried about being a burden or concerned about the financial implications of a long terminal illness,” said Franca Tranza, Press Officer at British Medical Association. She also said the concept of assisted dying risks undermining patients’ ability to trust their doctors and the health care system by generating anxiety among vulnerable, elderly and disabled patients.

A spokesperson for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales reiterated Church`s stance in opposing euthanasia or assisted suicide is based on the principle “that all human life is sacred, and no one has the right to take that life.”

Despite such moral and religious beliefs reflected by some, the wider society is calling for a change in the law. Four out of five people in the UK say the law should allow a doctor to end the person’s life at their request and three out of five people say the law should allow a doctor to assist the person to take their own life, according to the British Social Attitudes Survey published in January.

Daniel Sokol, medical ethicist at Keele University explained the attraction towards the concept of euthanasia and assisted suicide by saying, to die with dignity is "dying in a way which most closely matches your perception of yourself and your life story.”

Assisted suicide is legal in some European countries including Netherlands and Switzerland, prompting some Britons to leave their country to die. The presence of Dignitas clinic in Switzerland has helped more than 40 Britons to end their lives, including Dr Anne Turner, a retired doctor from Bath in January last year.

If Taylor wins the battle, she would not only save others in similar situation from everyday suffering, but will also make it easier for them to die closer to their beloved ones.

“If I went abroad to die I would do so knowing that my wonderful husband Richard, who would go with me, could face prosecution on his return to the UK, and I could not allow that to happen,” she said in her statement on the Dignity in Dying website. “I admire the people who make such a journey, but really, it should not be necessary” if the laws are in place.

April 24 is a day to watch and see for all those wanting to die a dignified death.

Your Stunts (Photo:Flickr)

Chancellor Gordon Brown on Wednesday laid out the budget plans for 2007. While his intentions may have been to “expand prosperity and fairness for Britain's families,” there was a bigger motive behind it all.
That motive was to appeal to majority of Britons to win back support from his opponent David Cameron, leader of the Conservative Party. Not a bad stunt, Chacellor!

After 10 years in power, the ruling Labour party is trailing terribly in the polls and is trying its best to be in the power after Tony Blair resigns in September. Majority of Britons have condemned the government for the Iraq war, hike in council taxes and scandals involving the “cash-for-honours.”

Cameron has battered Brown's support in polls both in popularity and reputation for managing the world’s fifth-largest economy. An opinion poll by ICM Ltd. showed 41 percent of voters support the Conservatives while Labour had 31 percent.

The Treasury, which has been in deficit for the past five years, is struggling to pay for Brown’s programs while meeting rules to keep a lid on debt. The government's deficit will total 118 billion pounds in the fiscal years through April 2011. In December, when Brown announced an extra 7 billion pounds in borrowing, he said there would be a 108 billion-pound shortfall over that period.

While Brown is appealing hard to gain votes, he really needs to convince Britons that he will be able to make a difference in their lives. Making an excellent speech isn’t going to trick many, he needs to convince the people that he is here to make a difference and will “build a stronger shared national consensus around future priorities,” as he promised in his speech. Easier said than done - good luck, Chacellor!

Wake Up! (Photo:Web)

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“There is no freedom without struggle, and there is no freedom without sacrifice,” said Morgan Tsvangirai, the main opposition party leader in Zimbabwe, who called for a popular struggle against Robert Mugabe's government. He suffered a brain injury and a fractured skull and was moved into the incentive care unit.

Tsvangirai isn’t alone in facing this kind of torture in the fight for freedom from dictatorship. Under Mugabe`s regime, so many opposition activists have gone through this brutality and political tyranny – some have been detained, raped and even murdered.

Mugabe, who once fought for the freedom of his country, is now denying that freedom to his own people. He has created an economic and political crisis in a once-prosperous nation, which is now known for chronic shortages of food and medicine, highest inflation rate in the world, violation of human rights.

Why hasn’t the UN or international community taken any drastic steps against such cruelties? Is it because it is a case a minority and powerful black community is terrorizing and slaughtering a major black community?

“Mugabe has murdered more black Africans than the evil South African apartheid regime,” said human-rights campaigner, Peter Tatchall. “A black state murdering black citizens does not, apparently, merit the same outrage as a white state murdering black citizens. I call that racism.”

It is time the international community did more than just denouncing Mugabe`s acts. Zimbabwe’s suspension from the Commonwealth alone can`t achieve much, but an end to President Mugabe’s dictatorship would.

The international community must show solidarity with the freedom struggle of the people of Zimbabwe, otherwise sacrifices alone from the opposition activists will only lead to more brutality and murders in the nation. In my opinion, Tsvangirai`s sacrifice and struggle will only pay off if the international community wakes up.

Double Whammy (Photo:Flickr)

It took Salma Rehman (name changed), a 27-year old lesbian, a couple of years to accept her sexuality and 7 years to gather the courage to tell her father. She is still not comfortable talking about it to most in her extended family.

“Not everyone wants to know and is ready to know,” she said. “There isn’t much room in the Muslim culture to identify oneself as homosexual.”

Being Muslim is difficult in a post 9/11 world and if you are a homosexual, it is a double whammy. You are in a constant battle of fighting off Islamophobia with other communities and homophobia with your own. There is no recognition by any Muslim group so far of gay legitimacy as a community, as pointed out by Farzana, Chair of Imaan Group, a social group for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Muslims, their families, friends and supporters.

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), the umbrella organization representing British Muslims in the UK, is taking a hard-line approach towards gay Muslims; either dismissing them as criminals or denying the existence of homosexuals in their religion. Shenaz Yusuf, MCB press officer, reiterated the organization stance towards homosexuality saying the practice is sinful in Islam.

MCB was established in 1997 to “work for the eradication of disadvantages and forms of discrimination faced by Muslims,” and to promote “unity,” according to their website.

For Rehman, the journey to accept her sexuality was much easier than some others. She went to the US, away from home, when she was 18 and became more open about her sexuality. Due to the conservative nature of Islam, many don’t have that privilege –they fear being excluded and stigmatized from their own society, she said.

It is their own straight people attacking their gay Muslims brother and sisters, making them feel isolated and vulnerable, according to Peter Tatchell, campaigner of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender human rights group OutRage!

“It is shocking in this climate of Islamophobia that a part of Muslim community is compounding anti-Muslim prejudice with homophobia,” said Tatchell. “Muslims shouldn’t be in a position where need to choose between faith and sexuality.”

Islam, which only allows sex between husband and wife, condemns sexual activities between partners of the same sex. Even though some liberal Muslims say that the holy book Quran doesn’t explicitly denounce same-sex-relationships, some Muslims, such as Zaid Ahmed, think otherwise.

“I believe that it (being homosexual) is beyond any natural explanation,” said Ahmed, a freelance writer, who believes that people aren’t born as gay. “Gay Muslims have made up a choice of being gays, and by doing that, they have abandoned their faith, as faith and homosexuality doesn't go together.” Ahmed strongly believes when people go against mother-nature, they deserve to be cut off from the society.

MCB, which represents 3 percent of UK`s total population, has denounced talks with OutRage! for the past two years. They have also said openly that gay Muslims aren’t welcomed in the organization, according to Tatchell.

Some say that radical Muslims use religion to attack the sexual preferences of gay people, whereas it is more of a cultural issue. “Religion is there to guide us not to make us conform,” said Rehman. “It is an emotional anchor, a connection to someone above, and just a way to stay in touch with your roots and be honest to God, not to make u regret your own preferences.”

Ahmed disagrees. “We Muslims believe that God (Allah) has created Adam and Eve and not Adam and Steve,” he said.

Homosexual acts are a capital crime in several Muslim countries such as Iran. In accordance with Islamic law, or shariah law, homosexuality is a crime and calls for execution. An Imaan in Manchester last year said that execution of gay men is justified.

While the argument can go on, there is still a need to ensure that there isn’t a selective approach to human rights. In a society where Islamophobia is prevalent, gay Muslims are subjected twice to prejudice and discrimination – once for being gay and then for being Muslim.

Past is Past (Photo:Flickr)

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe earlier this month said there is “no evidence” that women were forced to become sex slaves by the Japanese army during World War II.

It is indeed embarrassing when the premier of a nation makes such ignorant remarks, while his government in the past has recognized its atrocities and apologized for running brothels for its Imperial army troops. Not only that, the government also set up a special fund in 1995 to compensate women affected during the WWII.

An estimated 200,000 women from Asia – mostly Korean and Chinese - were forced to work as sex slaves during the WWII.



Some in the government probably realize that Abe`s comments were not appropriate considering the strained relations Japan has with its neighboring countries. Therefore, a Japanese Cabinet spokesman appeared later to play down Abe's comments by saying the premier stood by an apology made by the government in 1993 for the use of so-called "comfort women".

While my advice to Abe would be to be consistent with the government’s stance and to embrace the truth, I would also like to advise China and South Korea to move on.

I am not trying to ignore the gravity of the problem, but I would stress that while the new generation should know how ruthless the Japanese were during the war, they should not be paying a price for it.

Germany committed ghastly crimes during the WWII and killed millions of Jews, but they don’t apologize anymore. Past is past, and while we should embrace and accept it, without denying it, we should also learn to move on and not dwell on it.