Page 19 - Pakistan Link - November 24, 2023

COMMENTARY PAKISTAN LINK - NOVEMBER 24, 2023 - P19

for him. He never laughed—such a ball. And he was distinctly uncom- that is meant to help me. Very often, I well to cricket, the author states: “… ing the pace attack for my team. I am
downer. And he was so cold. I know fortable against me. That was enough walk in to be greeted with a critical and the eighteen glorious years of playing a thinking bowler with a passion to
that people can be different but be- to build on. When we got back on the mildly annoyed query: Yeh aapne kya cricket and serving my country. What win; as a result, my bowling spells
ing cordial can’t be so hard. Anyhow, field, I bowled a particularly fast ball bowling ki aaj?—What were you trying more can a man ask for. Even before have often won matches and even
I just can’t respect a cricketer who tries which he, to my amazement, didn’t to do with the ball today? I tell them, the World Cup was over, the world series for my country. I have taken
to finish off another cricketer. That is even touch. He walked away! That was Yaar hogai aaj, kya karoon—lt wasn’t had responded to my retirement with the scalp of some of the best bats-
what Chappell was trying to do by the first time I saw him walk away from my day, what to do? And they respond so much praise that it was humbling. men in the world. At my very first
questioning my action.” me—that, too, on the slow track at with Accha koina, aggle game vich When the Australian team checked encounter with India, I captured
Commenting on the strategies to Faisalabad. It got my hunting instincts yaad rakheen—Okay, never mind. Just into the same hotel that we were staying the wickets of Sachin Tendulkar and
contain Indian batsmen, the author up. In the next match, I hit him on the remember what you did wrong, for the in, most of the players made a beeline Rahul Dravid, and I flattened Brian
notes: “You know India is not comfort- head, and he could not score after that. next game. And then Iftekhar places a for me. Brett Lee hugged me and said, Lara with my third delivery. I have
able against fast bowling. It became a After Sachin, there was not much op- delicious dinner in front of me to ward ‘What have you gone and done, man?’ been carried on the shoulders of my
running argument between the cap- position. I was the one who would pass off bad memories of the day’s play. I adding, ‘it’s gonna happen to me as well fans at home in an exuberant cele-
tain, the management and me. I firmly by the bat and bruise the batsmen and live away from my folks and these guys soon.’ Grant Flower was supportive, as bration of the team’s victory. Indeed,
believed that there was no need to be Asif would pick up their wickets. At are my surrogate family.” were so many others from all the differ- I have fans all over the cricketing
defensive but they preferred to make team meetings, we would pool our ob- Expounding on the financial earn- ent teams. Accolades came pouring in, world whose faith has kept me going
pitches on which the batsmen had servations about the Indian players and ings of cricketers, the author observes: directly and through the media. Imran when things went wrong. And I have
plenty of time to gauge the length of strategize to contain them. It was only “For most cricketers, the game is also Khan called and congratulated me on a always played with all my heart for
the ball. Frankly, we made the pitch then that our lot realized that the pitch their bread and butter. And everyone long and brilliant career….” my country and my fans.”
for Sehwag and he tore us apart. We needed to be fast. After drawing two knows that a sportsman’s earning time Remembering his accomplish- Shoaib Akhtar — Controversially
would have faced a humbling defeat matches, we finally prepared a proper is limited and the game is physically ments and contributions to the Yours is an absorbing book that not
in the series but for the fact that we pitch, as I had wanted from the start. debilitating, but who cares! Till 2000, game, the author observes: “…I was only chronicles the life and career of
reined in Sachin Tendulkar. What went And we won, and how! We destroyed Pakistani players were paid PKR 18,000 the first to cross the 100-mile bar- Shoaib Akhtar aka Rawalpindi Express,
in our favor was that Sachin was suf- them.” (approximately US$200) as fees for a rier, twice, and am still the fastest the world’s fastest bowler, but also pro-
fering from tennis elbow; this severely Explaining the pivotal role his Test match. There is good money in bowler in the world, having set an vides insights into the embedded ills of
handicapped the great batsman. We friends played in his life, the author first-class cricket and even in the Ranji official world record by achieving society due to the colonial mindset of
managed to psychologically browbeat notes: “Voh mere bahut saaree raaton Trophy in India. If you come from a vil- the fastest delivery ever, clocking in the corrupt ruling elite. The book is a
him. We bounced the ball at him and ke saathee hain jab mein akela hota lage and can play 15-20 matches at this at 161.3 kmph (100.2 mph). When I must read for all cricket lovers around
were able to unnerve him. I returned hoon. And I am very lucky because level, you can take back at least fifteen look back at my career, this is what the world.
to the dressing room that first day with they really love me. Good times or bad lakh rupees, which is good enough to I hope people will remember: That (Dr Ahmed S, Khan -
the knowledge that Sachin was not times, they never change, and I can al- build a pucca home in the village. Re- I have taken more than 400 wickets dr.a.s.khan@ieee.org - is a Fulbright
comfortable facing the fast and rising ways expect genuine criticism, the kind flecting back on his career and fare- in international cricket, spearhead- Specialist Scholar.)

Young Americans Are Picking up the Qur’an ‘to was floored when I did my homework
n By Alaina Demopoulos own, meeting actual Muslims, and I
She started a romance nov- Understand the Resilience of Muslim Palestinians’ on Islam.”
egan B Rice loves reading.
Along the way, Chan-Malik con-
Mel club on the instant mes- verted to Islam. She’s now an associate
saging platform Discord and posts professor at Rutgers University whose
book reviews on TikTok. Last month research focuses on the history of Islam
Rice, who is 34 and lives in Chicago, and Islamophobia in the US. “I had a
used her social media accounts to very similar experience to what’s hap-
speak out about the humanitarian cri- pening on TikTok now,” she said. “At
sis in Gaza. the time, I wondered why the people I
“I wanted to talk about the faith of met who were Muslim were so differ-
Palestinian people, how it’s so strong, ent than what I heard in the news. I’d
and they still find room to make it never experienced such a vast discon-
a priority to thank God, even when nect between popular perception and
they have everything taken away from the truth.”
them,” she said in an interview. Grewal, the Yale professor, believes
Some Muslim followers suggested that people often begin reading texts
she might be interested in reading the hoping to back up the worldview they
Qur’an, Islam’s central religious text, already have. “Just as racist people are
for more context on the faith. So, Rice, looking for verses to confirm their ra-
who did not grow up religious, orga- The more Rice read, the more the text’s contents aligned with her own core be- cial biases, people on the left are look-
nized a “World Religion Book Club” Misha Euceph at the Shah Jahan lief system. She found the Qur’an to be anti-consumerist, anti-oppressive and ing to this book to confirm progressive
on Discord, where people of all back- Mosque in Thatta, Pakistan, in Janu- feminist. Within a month, Rice took the shahada, Islam’s official profession of messages,” she said. “Every scripture is
grounds could study the Qur’an along- ary - Photograph Misha Euceph faith, bought hijabs to wear, and became a Muslim complex and invites multiple readings,”
side her. and TikTokers “are coming to the text
The more Rice read, the more the fessor at Yale who is working on a book pick up her husband’s Qur’an. Moonn phors and encourages you to be an looking for what they hope to find”.
text’s contents aligned with her own about Islamic scripture and religious considered herself spiritual, not reli- environmentalist,” Euceph said. “The Growing up in the shadow of 9/11,
core belief system. She found the tolerance in American culture. She said gious, and described her husband as a Qur’an also has this anti-consumerist Rice said, she rejected Islamophobia
Qur’an to be anti-consumerist, anti- that this TikTok interest wasn’t entirely non-practicing Muslim. “I wanted to attitude, the sense that we’re all stew- and discrimination that made targets
oppressive and feminist. Within a unprecedented. see what it was that made people call ards of the earth who shouldn’t estab- out of Muslim Americans. “As a Black
month, Rice took the shahada, Islam’s The more Rice read, the more the out to Allah when they stared death in lish an exploitative relationship with woman, I’m used to the American
official profession of faith, bought hi- text’s contents aligned with her own the face,” she said. “Seeing passage after the world or fellow human beings.” government spreading harmful ste-
jabs to wear, and became a Muslim. core belief system. She found the passage resonated with me. I began to In the Qur’an, men and women are reotypes that lead to misconceptions
Rice is not alone in wanting to Qur’an to be anti-consumerist, anti- have such an emotional attachment to equals in the eyes of God, and Rice and that people outside of my community
experience the Qur’an. On TikTok, oppressive and feminist. Within a it.” other TikTok converts say their in- have on me,” she said. “I never believed
young people are reading the text to month, Rice took the shahada, Islam’s Because of this, Moonn also de- terpretations of the text back up their the stereotypes that were spread about
better understand a religion that’s long official profession of faith, bought hi- cided to take the shahada, becoming a feminist principles. It also engages with the Muslim community post-9/11,
been vilified by Western media, and to jabs to wear, and became a Muslim Muslim revert (a term some Muslims scientific explanations for creation, but it wasn’t until I started reading the
show solidarity with the many Mus- prefer for joining the religion). with verses in the Qur’an covering the Qur’an that I realized I sort of internal-
lims in Gaza. Videos under the hashtag After 9/11, the Qur’an became an “I can’t explain it, but there’s a peace big bang and other theories. ized those misconceptions, because I
“Qur’anbookclub” – which has a mod- instant bestseller, though at the time that comes with reading the Qur’an,” “Usually, we’re so used to the reli- believed that Islam was a very severe or
est 1.9 million views on the app – show many Americans purchased it to con- she said. “I feel light, like I came back gious community combating science,” strict religion.”
users holding up their newly purchased firm biases they held about Islam being to something that was always there and Rice said. “Now I’m seeing a religion Reading the Qur’an began as a way
texts and reading verses for the first an inherently violent religion. “The dif- waiting for me to return.” embrace science and use its holy texts for Rice to show empathy for Palestin-
time. Others are finding free versions ference is that in this moment, people Misha Euceph, a Pakistani Ameri- to back it up.” ians trapped in Gaza. Now, it’s become
online, or listening to someone sing the are not turning to the Qur’an to under- can writer and podcast host who stud- Sylvia Chan-Malik was in graduate a major element of her life. It doesn’t
verses while they drive to work. Not all stand the October 7 attack by Hamas,” ies progressive interpretations of the school after 9/11 amid a surge in hate have to be that revelatory for everyone.
the people reading the Qur’an on Tik- Grewal said. “They are turning to the Qur’an, has held her own Qur’an Book crimes against Muslims and xenopho- “I would say that it doesn’t matter what
Tok are women, but interest overlaps Qur’an to understand the incredible re- Club Instagram series since 2020. She bic language used in the media. “I was your religious background is,” she said.
with the #BookTok space, a subcom- silience, faith, moral strength and char- says certain themes in the text align very interested in what was going on, “You can grow empathy for someone
munity where mostly female users acter they see in Muslim Palestinians.” with the values of young, left-leaning comparing it to the history of Japanese by learning the most intimate parts of
gather to discuss books. That’s what made Nefertari Moonn, Americans. Americans after Pearl Harbor,” she them, which includes their faith.”- The
Zareena Grewal is an associate pro- a 35-year-old from Tampa, Florida, “The Qur’an is full of nature meta- said. “I started to look into it on my Guardian
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