Page 11 - Pakistan Link - September 25, 2020

OPINION
Arab Cultural Narcissism
n By Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy
P Islamabad, Pakistan
etro-giant countries of the
Arab world may not be ter-
ribly well known for perspi-
cacious scholarship or prowess in
scientific research
but their one-up-
manship knows no
limits.
The United
Arab Emirates is
presently stealing the
show: The Emirates Mars Mission’s
successful July 2020 launch means it
will rendezvous with the Red Planet in
six months; UAE cities have spectacu-
lar skylines premiering the worlds’ tall-
est and most stunning buildings; and
the world’s top airline is called Emir-
ates. There’s every kind of futuristic
gimmickry: the world’s first minister
of artificial intelligence, 27-year-old
Sultan Al Olama, was just appointed
under UAE’s Centennial 2071 plan.
Close on UAE’s heels are other
GCC countries with Saudi Arabia hav-
ing started the construction of Neom,
a futuristic megacity deep in the desert
bordering the Red Sea. Costing $500
billion upward, it will feature artifi-
cial rain, a fake moon, robotic maids,
flying taxis, and holographic teach-
ers. Qatar plans to spend over $220bn
while hosting the 2022 FIFA World
Cup. Twelve solar-cooled super-stadi-
ums holding around 50,000 spectators
each are nearing completion.
Private scorn accompanies these
humongous public spectacles. What’s
Arab about all this? Expats flown in
from around the globe run the show.
They range from domestic servants to
truck drivers and from famous archi-
tects to top-of-the-line space-travel
engineers. The relationship is purely
transactional: petrodollars buy brains,
brawn and gadgets.
But, knowing the oil will even-
tually dry out, some GCC Arab rul-
ers are realizing that theirs is a road
to nowhere. Beating the drum of past
glories and education of the usual reli-
gious kind will doom them to remain
consumers and supplicants. And so, at
least at first glance, they seem to be do-
ERDOGAN FROM P1
peace of South Asia, is still a burning
issue. Steps taken following the abo-
lition of the special status of Jammu
– Kashmir further complicated the
problem. We are in favor of solving
this issue through dialogue, within
the framework of the United Nations
resolutions and especially in line
with the expectations of the people of
Kashmir.’”
President Erdogan’s statement
today is consistent with his statement,
which he made in May 2017 during
an interview with WION television
channel: “We should not allow more
casualties to occur, and by strength-
LETTERS FROM P7
roads, and bridges to facilitate these
advances. I remember my dad’s
friends, who served in actual com-
bat duty, kidding my dad that he
unloaded banana boats. This was far
from the truth.
My dad never fired his weap-
on, but he was acutely aware of the
dangers around him. The Seabees
were susceptible to attack through-
out the war, as they were key play-
ers in expediting troop movements.
One of the few things that my dad
mentioned to me about his war ex-
perience was his awareness of ships
ing everything right and are throwing
tons of money at it.
Education from the primary class
to university is free in all state institu- example, was far more cautious. It ob-
tions. New Arab universities are aplen-
ty with several US universities having
Arab campuses to which famous for-
eign professors are lured with incred-
ible pay packages. Laboratories are
stuffed with scientific equipment and
every kind of infrastructure is there
for the asking.
Is it working? Has a culture of
learning and scholarship developed?
Nature, a highly respected science
journal, has effusive praise. A recent
article in its Middle Eastern edition,
‘The Rise of Saudi Arabia as a Science
Powerhouse’ describes Saudi Arabia as
“West Asia’s second most scientifically
productive country after Israel”. Other
GCC countries have shot up in world
rankings as well. The sole criterion
used is the number of research papers
published from universities.
But with 20 different ways of get-
ting your name onto a paper in the
internet age, and with foreign visitors
flown in just for lending their presti-
gious names to a paper, making large
claims based upon small evidence is
unwise. Nature’s normal objectivity
was likely influenced by political and
financial considerations. The aston-
ishing conclusion of “science power-
ening multilateral dialogue, we can
be involved, and through multilateral
dialogue, I think we have to seek out
ways to settle this question (Kashmir)
once and for all.”
President Erdogan’s mention
here for multilateral dialogue is also
consistent with the statement made
by the President of the United Na-
tions General Assembly, Ambassador
Volkan Bozkir who also happened
to be a Turkish diplomat, who said,
“Multilateralism is not an option, but
a necessity.”
It is true that bilateralism has
failed in resolving the Kashmir con-
flict. The mantra has been repeated
being sunk due to torpedo hits. The
German and Japanese submarines
were very active in sinking Navy
ships. As he moved about in the Pa-
cific, he was fearful of going down
at sea. But it was very apparent in
his letters that he tried to be very
reassuring to his mom regarding his
safety, never speaking of these tor-
pedo strikes.
A personal faith in the Lord
was not a part of my dad’s life at
this point. Based upon my grand-
mother’s prodding, he mentioned
numerous times his willingness to
attend the chapel services. The reali-
house” is unsupported by other evi-
dence.
UNESCO’s Science Report, for
served that in most Arab countries,
“the education system is still not turn-
ing out graduates who are motivated
to contribute to a healthier economy”.
University professors returning from
teaching stints in GCC countries
agree. They complain about the indif-
ference, apathy, poor work ethic, and
lack of curiosity among their students.
Reading habits are undeveloped. Most
students opt for ‘soft’ areas like mar-
keting, banking and management with
few going for more intellectually de-
manding and rigorous disciplines.
At the heart of this is Arab atti-
tudes towards knowledge and learn-
ing. Centuries after the end of Islam’s
Golden Age (9th to 13th centuries),
Arab culture is self-absorbed and
centered on self-congratulation. Con-
vinced that it possesses the only true
religion and that Arabic is the most
perfect language, it claims eternal mo-
nopoly over truth. That’s narcissism on
a civilizational scale.
Narcissus, as the reader knows,
is a Greek legendary figure who fell
deliriously in love with himself and
disdained all around him. In anger
the goddess Nemesis punished him
by obsessing him with his reflection in
the stream. So lovely was the bloom of
his youth that he could not walk away
from himself. And so Narcissus wasted
away and died.
A similar tragedy befalls cultures
lost in self-love. They lose vitality be- court changed the validity of voluntary jury duty for women on the ground
cause there is little desire to interact
and mingle with other peoples or to
move with the times. Many young
Arabs today take this lazy route. They
disdain intellectual pursuits, think-
ing that modern accomplishments
are only a pale reflection of the foun-
dational works of their Muslim ances-
tors.
This is delusionary. Science and
learning came from all humankind
and existed in civilizations long pre-
ceding Islam. Ancient Babylonian and
Egyptian science started 3,000 to 4,000
years ago and the Chinese, Indian and
NARCISSISM, P28
by some world powers that they have
no alternative but to rely on bilateral
talks between India and Pakistan to
achieve a settlement. The experience
of more than seventy years is ignored.
No bilateral talks between India and
Pakistan have yielded agreements
without the active role of an external
element. The missing element is sus-
tained and coordinated diplomatic
persuasion by peace-loving demo-
cratic powers. The vision of President
Erdogan needs to be pursued by the
United Nations - the engagement
of a multilateral effort -- one or two
permanent members of the Security
Council along with India, Pakistan,
ties of war and its uncertainties have
a way of directing one’s thoughts to
the most important questions of
life. The Lord utilized these ser-
vices and other seeds planted over
the course of his life to bring him to
faith shortly before he died of bone
cancer.
My dad’s sincere desire was to
return home a credit to his fam-
ily and his country. Throughout the
letters he shared his concern for his
mother, his devotion to his country
and fellow servicemen, and his con-
stant yearning to be home. He won-
dered about and wanted to know
www.PakistanLink.com
SEPTEMBER 25, 2020 – PAKISTAN LINK – P11
Ruth Bader Ginsburg:
A Pillar of Justice
n By Dr Aslam Abdullah
S Fontana, CA
he had a voice, and she
amplified it; she had a
logic, and she used it.
She had a passion for justice
and equal-
ity, and she
displayed
it. She was
committed
to human
d i g n i t y,
and she fought for it until
her last breath. Ruth Bad-
er Ginsburg (1933-2018)
served the US justice system
in a long and distinguished
career as an attorney, pro-
fessor, advocate of gender
equality, and, ultimately, a
Supreme Court Justice.
Born to a Ukrainian
immigrant father and New
York-born mother, Gins-
burg was the second of two
daughters. Her mom wanted her to be a history teacher. Still, the mother’s
death before her high school graduation led to a different path that not only
changed her life but the lives of millions who yearned for gender equality,
justice, and human dignity. She went to a law school after the birth of her
daughter and faced discrimination based on gender. Several times the fac-
ulty or the judges rejected her. At Harvard school of law, one professor told
her, “What are you doing in the law school, and why are you wasting a man’s
seat in the class.”
As an attorney, she advocated gender equality. She fought for equality
in wages, and she also fought for a father’s right to receive the pension of his
deceased wife for taking care of their children. She challenged the military
norms to hire men only, and challenged an Oklahoma statute that set differ-
ent minimum drinking ages for men and women.
In the country’s judicial history, the court imposed intermediate scru-
tiny on laws discriminating on the basis of gender. At her intervention, the
that participation was a citizen’s vital governmental service and not optional
for women.
In law, she built cautiously on precedent rather than pushing the Con-
stitution towards her vision. Ginsburg advocated using foreign law and
norms to shape US law in judicial opinions, which many of her conservative
colleagues rejected. She believed that wisdom is not the monopoly of the
US only.
Clinton nominated her as a Supreme Court Justice in 1993. From Au-
gust 10, 1993, until September 18 this year, this popular iconic served as
a voice of reason and voice. Her services will remind the coming genera-
tions that nothing can prevent them from rising to the top and changing
the world.
Kashmiri leadership and Turkey. Tur- Asia on a very precarious foundation.
key can play an effective role in bring- The prospect of a nuclear exchange
ing parties together, being friendly to in that vast Subcontinent cannot be
both India and Pakistan dismissed in the event of hostilities
breaking out between the two coun-
The proposal may seem rather tries.
unconventional but we believe that it
would be a striking demonstration of The second option is to play
the global statesmanship, which the a more activist, mediatory role in
United Nations can summon in the regard to Kashmir as suggested by
cause of peace, international security President Erdogan. This can take the
and human betterment. shape of a multilateral dialogue or
an appropriate use of the newly de-
The United Nations has two veloped procedures and mechanisms
choices before them. One is to con- at the United Nations. The UN would
tinue confining itself to warning both supply the catalyst that is needed for
Pakistan and India against going a settlement.
to war with each other. This policy
bases the no war prospect in South - gnfai2003@yahoo.com
the happenings of life back home. in 1943 as a boy; he returned as a
I am sure the hopes and dreams man who was transformed by the
of my dad were on his mind as he opportunity to serve the country he
continually alluded to his safe re- loved and by the dangers and expe-
turn. He did not know that the Lord riences of war.
would bless him with a wonderful
wife and two children. So to all active and retired men
and women in the US military, you
As we have just observed have my utmost respect, my deepest
the 75th anniversary of the end thanks, and my heartfelt prayers.
to WWII, we must never take for
granted the sacrifice and the self- (Dr Jim Thrasher is the Senior
less commitment of those who have Fellow of Grove City College’s ca-
gone before us in service to our reer services office and the coor-
country. The letters of a sailor sent dinator of the Institute for Faith &
home to his mother have made that Freedom’s working group on call-
very clear. My dad left western NY ing)