Page 23 - Pakistan Link - May 28, 2021

COMMENTARY MAY 28, 2021 – PAKISTAN LINK – P23

known valleys “Listen,” These flags of light, sound and From word, the heavenly foun- Bloodied are the streets and
The way memories from home- She said, “Don’t come back breeze tain, paths.

land implored me to return, merely to keep the word. Would not bow even in sham- I drank the elixir of life. Puddles of blood in every
The very same feeling over- Such people often return, bles. Word — the beginning of the house-yard,

comes me today; As they become tired of truth, Doors and thresholds strewn

As if I would go through the Being helpless Dreams are words, A talking flame of intuition, with bodies,
same agonies and pains. And lonely in separation. Dreams are lights, God of all. Every corner now a shamble.

As it, someone would call me They are Socrates
again, “Come back” You go ahead, And Mansoor. Word and Order Few living shadows and some
Quench your thirst at every Mad and carefree is the poet tents
You and I river. I am Alive Alone, without a court or a Still survive;

Every- day when the sun de- My anguish would not protest; I am still alive shelter. A few flags and songs
scends from the mountain No matter what eyes you allure, You pelted stones at me, To create the word is his religion Remain after the storm.

A long falling, anxious shadow What heart you entice. Entombed me, He shares everyone’s pain.
Says to the wall, Had me stung by snakes Merchants of oil fields,

“Come with me,” But, Crucified, He tells the truth and suffers The generous ones are but hap-

And the wall, drunk in its When the flame Poisoned, And yet speaks the truth. py;

pride, Of your yearnings for me Burned, The dictator has many lackeys In the haven of their palaces

Evasive of the bondage of ac- Flares up and intensifies; Yet, I am alive, eternal The world is afraid of him. The eunuchs are sitting pretty.

companiment And your heart cries out, Like the truth.

Would only smile at its old com- Then You should return.” He carries the sword, and the The Wind Whistles in the Wil-

panion’s desire. My face, eyes, arms, flag and the horn derness is a very valuable endeav-

Which wall has ever walked Lips Dreams are his as are the inter- or to share the beauty of Ahmed
with its shadow? Dreams do not die Are all alive pretations. Faraz’s poetic expressions with the
And which one has forever Dreams do not die I, the meteor of the night Yet he fears the poet global audience. M.H.K. Qureshi
stood in its place? Dreams, unlike the heart, Fell, broke and scattered And is killed by truthful words. has done a wonderful job of render-
Time is a friend, neither to the The eyes, the breath, Yet I go on dancing, shining ing Ahmad Faraz’s poetry into Eng-

wall Would not scatter, if shatter, Karbla - Beirut lish. Indeed, in growing uncertain-
Nor to the shadow. Or wither away with death. My strength lies My children’s bodies ties and agonies of today’s Covid-19
And now under the rubble Of Neither in my hair, nor in my Have attires of wounds. pandemic world, Ahmad Faraz’s
stones and dust lies scattered, Dreams, nails. Empty laps of mothers are verses are a very much needed rem-

The pride of that wall. They are the light, I did not hide myself in the con- Graves without epitaphs. edy for pacifying the aggravations

The sun shines, The melody and the breeze fines of city walls The young ones we used to have of human behavior. (Dr Ahmed S.

But who knows where the shad- They could not be stopped by Nor walked amidst the protec- Are killed every day. Khan (dr.a.s.khan@ieee.org) is a

ow is? black mountains, tive shadow of swords; The flowers of my garden Fulbright Specialist Scholar - 2017-

Would not burn in the hell fire My power and strength was Are diminished every moment. 2022)

Return of persecution. The word.

Twitter Responds to FM Qureshi Being Accused of Antisemitism
n a recent appearance on that there are calls for peace and stream Western media accountable
CNN, Foreign Minister Shah for equal human rights for both for their shameful and genocide
IMahmood Qureshi has been sides, for Palestinians and for Is- apologetic coverage of the Israeli
accused of making antisemitic raelis, without anti-semitic talk and occupation and onslaught of Pales-
remarks through the invocation rhetoric.” She went on to quiz the tine isn’t ‘antisemitism.’ And jour-
of damaging tropes against the FM on Hamas’ role in the situation, nalists playing victim instead of ob-
Israeli people by journalist Bi- to which the FM retorted, “When jectively reporting from the ground
anna Golodryga. However, the you do not engage, when there warrant all criticism.”
accusation has received a divided are no negotiations, where there Ex-senator Farhatullah Babar
response, with pro-Israeli social is occupation, when there is geno- tweeted in response to the journal-
media users lauding the journal- cide, when there’s war crime, when ist’s claim, “I don’t hold any brief for
ist’s actions and the pro-Pales- there’s ethnic cleansing, then an ex- @SMQureshiPTI but really don’t
tinian responses questioning the tremist element takes advantage of understand how remarks that Israel
media bias against the Palestinian that situation.” has deep pockets and great influ-

struggle and accusing the jour- When accused of antisemi- ence in media be regulated by any

nalist of finding antisemitism in tism by the host over his remarks stretch of the imagination as ‘anti-
a statement that was essentially Qureshi said, “I have never been an- semitic slur’.”

anti-Zionist. ti-semitic and I never will be.” After In response to the clear media

“Israel is losing out. They are Golodryga asked if the FM would bias, Twitter user @tequieremos
losing the media war, despite their condemn antisemitism and the an- shared a thread compiling evidence
connections,” said the FM during ti-Jew sentiment that is taking hold of Western mainstream media si-
his appearance on the CNN show. due to the violence in Palestine, he lence on the Palestinian struggle for
The journalist followed the state- responded saying, “Absolutely. I am freedom. He tweeted, “The Israeli

ment asking for clarification on not justifying any of that.” The jour- narrative is deeply entrenched in

what their connections were. “Deep nalist further pressed that the FM mainstream discourse in the US.
pockets,” he replied, adding later, had begun the conversation with a The analysis of the media coverage

“they are very influential people. harmful antisemitic trope, to which tween Israel and Hamas. Instead, nal.” of Israel’s occupation over the last

They control the media.” she has taken offense. He respond- he began the interview by invoking American comedian Katie 50 years across five major Ameri-
Golodryga went on to accuse ed saying, “What I’m saying is, look an anti-semitic slur.” Halper responded to the tweet as can newspapers shows that there
the FM of making an anti-semitic at the perception the world has, you In response, several Twitter well. She said, “Dear Non-Jews are ‘deep pockets’ of Israeli lobby.”
remark, to which he responded, cannot ignore that.” users called out Golodryga for the who are rightfully criticizing Israel: Journalist @Fereeha tweeted

“Well, you see, the point is, they The journalist responded say- media bias against Palestine. Am- when people try to silence and gas- emphasizing the distinction be-

have a lot of influence. They get a ing the perception is incorrect, to mar Ali Jan, a prominent Pakistani light you as an antisemite for not tween ‘Israelis’ and ‘Jews’. She
lot of coverage. Now, what balances which the FM responded saying, academic, replied to the tweet say- ‘standing with Israel’ say you stand wrote, “Biana, do you even under-
that is the citizen journalist who has “Could be wrong, but that is the ing, “Anchors/guests on CNN regu- w/ Jews criticizing Israel includ- stand the meaning of anti-semetic?
been reporting, sharing video clips, perception. Negate it. By giving a larly term Palestinian resistance ing @blselem (Israeli human rights He didn’t even utter the word ‘Jew’
and that has jolted people, and balanced coverage, negate it.” ‘terrorism’ and paint Israel’s war organization), and that conflating or even made a feeble reference to

woken up people, and people who The journalist later tweeted crimes as ‘self-defense’. No account- Jewish identity w/ blind support of it. All he said was media controlled

were sitting on the fence are today a clip of the interview, saying, “I ability for that. But if a Muslim Israel is antisemitic.” by Israel. After bombing of @AJEn-

speaking up.” had planned to speak with Paki- guest points out Israeli influence on Journalist Iman Sultan criti- glish offices only last week, do you

The journalist went on to ask stan’s foreign minister about paths US media, it becomes an unforgiv- cized the media bias in a tweet as still want to refute the claim?” – The
why we could not “separate the fact towards a peaceful resolution be- able crime. The hypocrisy is crimi- well. She wrote, “Holding main- Express Tribune

PERCEPTIONS FROM P21 can Jews are less emotionally attached Bowman’s position on Palestinian is- by Hashimee, the activist popular on made voting decisions solely based
also don’t necessarily view Israel as an to Israel than older generations. Half sues was measured to avoid alienat- TikTok. Currently, it has 20 co-spon- on candidates’ stances on the Israeli-

endangered state. Nor is the trauma of of Jewish adults under the age of 30 ing Jewish voters, but Plitnik believes sors. Palestinian conflict, but Plitnik said
the Holocaust as close to young people described themselves as very or some- that as more young Americans vote, But that’s still a far cry from the he’ll be watching the progress of Mc-
as it has been to previous generations. what emotionally attached to Israel, it’s likely that the idea that supporting three-fourths of Congress members Collum’s bill as well as whether the
For instance, Edery, who is Jewish while two-thirds of Jews 65 and older Israel is a “safe” political position will who signed a letter in April calling for issue arises at all in the 2022 midterm
and frequently traveled to Israel when consider themselves very or somewhat change. US aid to Israel to be funded without elections.
she was younger, said that while her emotionally attached to Israel. Khalidi believes that, in the fu- conditions. “Reducing funding or add- For young Americans, the con-

views evolved in college, some mem- According to Plitnik, a significant ture, conditional aid will be a litmus ing conditions on security assistance versation has evolved to a straightfor-
bers of her family are still “very Zion- political sea change was the 2020 de- test for where Americans fall on Is- would be detrimental to Israel’s ability ward human rights issue, according to

ist.” feat of Eliot Engel, an influential pro- raeli-Palestinian issues. That includes to defend itself against all threats,” the Plitnik.

According to a Pew Research sur- Israel congressman from New York, Democratic Minnesota Rep Betty Mc- letter reads. “It’s a great shift,” he said, “a very

vey conducted in 2020, young Ameri- at the hands of Rep. Jamaal Bowman. Collum’s H.R. 2590, the bill supported Americans haven’t historically important one.” - Yahoo News
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