The Enemy
within
By Haya Farooqui
Irvine, California
March
17, 2007 marked a black day for cricket lovers
all over the world. The humiliating defeat of
the Pakistani team by the amateur Irish team,
the disgraceful ousting of the Pakistani team
from the World Cup in its initial round, and last
but not the least, the unexpected death of coach
Bob Woolmer, who perhaps experienced a massive
heart attack the same night and literally died
of a broken heart, were truly staggering developments.
Those who have subscribed to Geo TV and ARY saw
repetitive newsbreaks discussing the two tragic
losses: losing the match and losing the coach.
We even witnessed the opinions and comments of
the masses in Pakistan on how pathetic the team’s
performance was, and how its members should be
penalized.
Some even protested outside of Inzamam’s
home in Multan, chanting “Death to Inzamam,
death to Woolmer, death to Nasim Ashraf,”
(unbelievable isn’t it…not really,
we are Pakistanis.) Some said they took time off
from work, some even quit their jobs to watch
the game, while others just thought it was the
most important thing for them to be able to watch
all the games regardless of what was going on
in the rest of the world or even around their
close proximity.
After witnessing the gruesome tragedies in the
world it takes a lot for me to get shocked. But
this episode of the World Cup left me with a feeling
of not only shock but of disgust and hopelessness
and I am enraged.
I could not fathom the idea of a nation that has
already deprived itself of any happiness God has
to offer, actually go out of their way to “quit”
(yes there were some who actually quit their jobs
so that they could watch the game peacefully)
their jobs…to watch a “game,”
and then would actually put in a great effort
making effigies of the Cricket Board, take out
a funeral procession of the whole cricket team
and then beat them up so mercilessly and after
they had reached the climax with the foreplay
they, to quench their hatred, finally, burn everything.
What in God’s name is wrong with us? Where
are we headed? What are we doing to ourselves?
Why doesn’t killing, cold hearted beating,
or burning someone, really bother us anymore?
Why have we become so ruthless, selfish, and complacent
monsters who blame everything on the corrupt people
in the government and use others as a scapegoat
for our own faults?
I have got news for you - these people in the
government come from amongst us - they don’t
come from a foreign land. It takes a corrupt government
to rule a corrupt nation and a corrupt nation
deserves a corrupt government. Corruption is imbued
in us and we are making very little effort to
break loose - we are just playing the blame game
and we are playing it with a passion.
We don’t need the extra hand from the enemy
country to invade us, to destroy us; we do an
excellent job ourselves. We are the enemy within.
We have declared war on ourselves. The one game
we really excel in is self-destruction and nobody
can beat us in this. I challenge all the countries
of the world and I bet everything I have that
no one would be able to beat us in this game.
We don’t need any coaching or any technology
to teach us how to destroy.
Our people can exercise their passion to create
so much destruction; yet, they cannot use this
same passion to help eliminate the desolation
and despondency around them. The people of our
nation can wake up in the middle of the night
to watch a stupid meaningless game but they cannot
stay up late to help out a poor family in distress
that has not eaten for days.
We can create uproar if a batsman fails to deliver
but we shut our eyes when a woman is gang-raped
and is begging for justice, although, we will
be there to enjoy the vulgar details. Some of
us would even bequeath a bowler with lakhs of
rupees for his outstanding wicket taking abilities
but we will back off as soon as we hear the cries
of some poor soul’s misfortune.
We are pathetic, just pathetic. Even an optimist
and patriot like myself have resigned to the despondent
fate of my beloved country Pakistan. As it is
has been mentioned in the Qur’an, “Allah
does not help those who do not help themselves.”
As they say in Spanish “Despierta y huele
el café” which means “wake
up and smell the coffee,” I just hope and
pray that we do wake up and smell the coffee before
it is too late and we are left with no coffee
to smell…
