My Take On Pakistani Muslims
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
16 March
2024
The article
on Pakistani Muslims has amused me no end. I've been to Pakistan a number of
times and I've Pakistani Muslims friends living in the UK, US and all parts of
the world. But I'm sad to state that even those Pakistani Muslims, living in
the western world, drawing fat salaries as IT professionals and doing other
high-profile jobs, have also retained their Pakistani mindset.
Agreed, not
all Pakistani Muslims behave like morons, most of them still behave in a
weirdly enthusiastic manner when it comes to Islam and following its tenets.
Did you
know that the legendary Rafi's two immortal numbers aren't officially played on
Radio Pakistan? Why? Because the songs have the 'banned' benediction Khuda
Hafiz which has been replaced with the most atrocious 'Allah Hafiz.'
Those songs are, "Iss Rang Badalti Duniya Mein Insaan Ki Neeyat Theek
Nahin" (Film: Rajkumar, Lyricist: Hasrat Jaipuri, Music:
Shankar-Jaikishan, singer: Rafi, 1964) and the second number is: Tum Jis Pe
Nazar Dalo, Uss Dil Ka Khuda Hafiz (Film: Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke,
Lyricist: Rajinder Krishna Duggal, Music: Ravi Shankar Sharma, Singer: Rafi,
1963).
Khuda being a Persian word and used by
Shia Muslims, Pakistanis replaced it with Allah Hafiz during Zia
Ul-Haq's religiously suffocating regime when a female TV announcer used the
bizarre term Allah Hafiz way back in 1984. That now even a majority of
stupid Sunnis in India also say Allah Hafiz in lieu of Khuda Hafiz
is a different story and I'll write about it in a separate piece. Coming back
to the story of banning these innocuous songs in Pakistan, fortunately Khuda
Hafiz stanza in the song "Iss Rang Badalti Duniya Mein"
comes in the end: Main Kaise Khuda Hafiz Kah Doon, Mujh Ko Toh Kisi Ka
Yaqeen Nahin/ Chhup Jaao Humari Aankhon Mein Bhagwan Ki Neeyat Theek Nahin.
So, this song is occasionally played in Pakistan sans its last stanza!
Otherwise also, the last stanza is blasphemous (!) according to Pakistani
Muslims! Bhagwan Ki Neeyat Theek Nahin! Oh no! What a sacrilegious
statement! Remove this objectionable Antara forthwith!
But
unfortunately, in the song, "Tum Jis Pe Nazar Daalo," Khuda
Hafiz appears at the very beginning. So, ban it completely. This is how an
average Pakistani behaves under the toxic influence of distorted Islam. The
problem is that Indian Muslims have also begun to behave like their Pakistani
counterparts. Lack of education and an overwhelming influence of all religious
preachers have contributed to making Pakistanis a butt of ridicule even in
Islamic countries.
Muslims of
Pakistan need to put more focus on developing scientific temperament by
listening to the likes of Pervez Hoodbhoy, Pakistani nuclear scientist, author,
media commentator and activist rather than follow the fatwas of its uneducated
and imbecile preachers like Mufti Tariq Masood and Maulana Tariq Jamil (a
controversial preacher from the Tablighi Jamaat) who've extremely popular
channels on YouTube and are followed by scores of brainless subcontinental
Muslims.
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A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in
comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed
articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including
Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/pakistani-muslims-khuda-allah-hafiz/d/131929