The Best Books on Pakistan: A Curated List.

While having one of my early Saturday political battles with my friend and fellow South Asia wanderer Zach Novetesky a question that I have often answered came up: what are some good/better reads out there on Pakistan? As the grandson of a scholar and a historian of all things Pakistaniyat, I had a few suggestions:

1. Disenchanted Allies: The United States and Pakistan 1947-2000 by Dennis Kux
Probably the most important read for an American or Pakistani. Dennis Kux is a veteran of Pakistan, serving there as a diplomat during the time-period when the American Embassy there was the one of largest missions in the world. Kux has an intimate detail for knowledge and the hard-knocks common-sense to keep his opinion out of this largely unbiased recounting of the facts about the American-Pakistani relationship. It’s worth the time to invest in this book if you’re serious about understanding from a surprisingly objective point of view the history and depth of the relationship between Islam’s former ‘great green hope’ and the leaders of the free world. Buy it, read it. Read it again.
Paperback: 496 pages

Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press; 1 edition (June 5, 2001)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 9780801865725

ISBN-13: 978-0801865725

2. A Constitutional and Political History of Pakistan by Hamid Khan

On balance. Academic. No frills.  Hamid Khan is a University of Illinois trained attorney widely respected in Pakistan for both his incurable ethics, and academic coolness. This book is used across Pakistan as the standard text for to-be lawyers. Khan offers a detailed and thoroughly intriguing understanding of one of the world’s most politically-charged and constitutionally challenged countries on the planet. Not reading his tome is tantamount to willful negligence of grasping the basic legal facts that have contributed to Pakistan’s inter-institutional warfare.

Hardcover: 700 pages

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 2 edition (June 15, 2009)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0195474740

ISBN-13: 978-0195474749

3. Descent into Chaos: The United States and the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia by Ahmed Rashid

My absolute favorite read on Pakistan. Bombastic–though not untruthful whatsoever, Ahmed Rashid tells the unvarnished truth about the ultimate failed state: Pakistan. But Rashid neither endorses nor refutes the idea that Pakistan can rise again into the moderate Muslim state the world respected as a world power. His indictment of military excesses and civilian negligence hits hard and rips into Pakistani society’s obsession with blinding nationalist pride. No mercy is shown either, on the Pakistani idea of turning Afghanistan into a terror-Frankenstein for the sake of “strategic depth” in the event of a Punjabi collapse during a conventional ground war with India. One of my favorite things about this book is the honest criticism of the United States, rather than the typical excretory dribble we hear coming out of instutionalist Pakistanis. Read this book last, after the others on this list, or you might be overwhelmed with just how bad people in a democratic and relative open society can end up being through their own unwitting collusion with forces they cannot control.
Paperback: 560 pages

Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics); Revised edition (April 7, 2009)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 014311557X

ISBN-13: 978-0143115571

4. Pakistan: In Shadow of Jihad and Afghanistan by Mary Anne Weaver

This book is a departure from the other three in the two senses: one it is more a memoir written by a journalist’s hand of their time in Pakistan; two it is the only one of the four written by a woman from the former colonial power that ruled what is today Pakistan. Mary Anne Weaver introduces us to Pakistan as a person telling us her stories about the place and people rather than as an analyst giving us a structural context to what is Pakistan. You get to hear her personal stories about by far the three most important instutionalist players in Pakistan in the last two decades: Musharraf (the military man), Bhutto (the Western World’s annointed starlet), and Akbar Khan Bugti (the very real face of Pakistan’s non-Punjabi/Karachite elite and in many ways the General Lee of Pakistan’s Provincial Rights struggle with Islamabad’s “center”). Weaver makes Pakistan seem almost human, and less scary [than it really is]. If the other books end up being too boring or too structualist in nature, read her account as the woman in the room.
Hardcover: 304 pages

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 1 edition (October 20, 2002)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0374228949

ISBN-13: 978-0374228941

Books of Honorable Mention:
The Idea of Pakistan by Philip Cohen
Between Mosque & Military by Amb. Hussain Haqqani
The Sole Statesman by Ayesha Jalal
The History of Pakistan by Iftikhar Haider Malik

On Arabs, Pakistanis and Islam: an open letter to a Pakistani-Christian

Yesterday, a Pakistani Christian e-mailed me her concerns after reading my article in elan about the disloyalty she has perceived amongst Pakistani-heritage Muslims living in the United States today. Below is my response to her:

Dear Sue:

First of all I want to apologize on behalf of all real Muslims for the discrimination and bigotry followers of your faith face in Pakistan. It puzzles me that a country whose flag and charter claim to be tolerant is indeed one of the world’s worst violators of the right to free conscience and association. As a college student, I heard first hand from Baha’is, Christians, Parsis, Hindus and Jews the misfortunes that their families endured under Munafiq rule in Iran and Pakistan.Munafiq being the Islamic term for hypocrites.

First of all Pakistan is not an ethnic term, or a racial one, it is a political construct created by intellectuals who focused on communal nationalism in the early 20th century. A

Pakistani is technically only someone who is a citizen of Pakistan. I am a Pathan, or as is today popular to say, an ethnic Pashtun from the wrong side of the border. Islam and Muslims represent and come from pretty much every race in the world, and many are born here to families who have been here for generations. I know of at least 2 dozen Muslim servicemen and women, and about half a dozen Muslim shaheeds who were American. Shaheed in this case being a martyr who died defending this country, which many Muslim Americans agree is the only Islamic country on earth.

I point out Pakistan’s phrasal role in this because l know of no Pakistani who is loyal to this country. When Muslims of my generation and I converse, we refer to ourselves as Muslims who are Americans. Our ethnic backgrounds are usually “Desi, Arab, Persian, African, Black”–never Pakistani.

This isn’t to say we have some revulsion for Pakistan, but it is to say that the problems we see creeping up in the Pakistani diaspora in America amongst those whose community it enfranchised (read: “Muslims”) have nothing to do with being Muslim.

They have everything to do with Pakistanis and Arabs realizing that (in the Pakistani case) the lies and myths of being better than India, that Hindus would oppress and kill all Muslims if they could and would have done so had partition not occured, and that Bengalis being darked skinned were never true Muslims anyway–all of that is defeated when they come to live in the United States of America, where Bengali women are actually all the rage on college campuses; where Indian Student Associations hold iftars for Indian Muslims; where Indian Americans are governors and completely accepted into society, even though one of them is a Sikh; where their children have Hindu and Parsi friends, and neither one of them has bullied them at school even in the post 9/11 world. Pakistani “Muslims” cannot comprehend that their national myth is more or less a political farce, and those who do not adapt openly end up like Faisal Shezad.

In the Arab case, it’s much simpler. The Arabs no longer rule the world, have lost (for a third time) the city of Jerusalem to Europeans (who take care of it much better than the Arabs did), and are desperate to reclaim some of their old magic. When you go to a mosque in America, be sure that if the congregation mainly identifies as Pakistani (not Muslim American), there is a lot of talk of Muslims being better inherently than non-Muslims, and that if the congregation identifies as Arab (not Muslim American), there are  many sermons on reclaiming the Islamic World (code for: the Arabs must rise again!).

But my generation, the ones who were born here, who grew up with a Muslim identity first, not a Pakistani or Arab or any other communal-nationalist tradition as their source of pride and identity, this is our country. We have our own mosques, our own ‘national myth’ (“America is the best”), and our own (closer to what’s in the Quran and commentary) take on what Islam’s tenets are about. If you need to look some of us up, we started a wiki to talk about the rising Muslim leaders in our community a few weeks ago: http://genchange.wikia.com

So let’s not get carried away here: yes, there are people claiming to be Muslims who don’t love this country or really consider it home. But those of us born and raised here, who were raised primarily Muslims, not Pakistanis or any other identity: this is our home. And we’re ready to die to keep it that way, and to keep it beautiful and free.

If you, or any other Christian/non-Muslim Pakistanis or Americans have questions about what I have just wrote, please feel free to contact me. I love talking to non-Muslims from “Muslim” majority countries because they have an integral role in God forgiving the people of my faith for the sins done against others across the world.

Best,

Hamza Khan

YouTube – bulleh shahs kalam

Bulleh Shah (Abdullah Shah) was a Punjabi sufi whose legendary poetry re-shaped the backwater rural Sirhind zones of the Persian-speaking world into a literary center until the fall of the Mughal Empire in 1857. His lines are some of the most identifiable today across Pakistan, where he has joined Sachal Sarmast and Baba Farid as patron poets of the Punjab.

YouTube – bulleh shahs kalam.

http://www.youtube.com/v/swheXHlHvJU&p=842D1D291C04AB5A&playnext=1&index=31

Desis versus Arabs: A Pathan explains.

I recently was reading the e-magazine, elan: The Global Guide to Muslim Culture when I stumbled upon Salman S‘s new post “Arab Muslims versus Desi Muslims: The Meaningless Differences Finally Revealed“. My buddy Jewslim picked a fight with him in the article’s comment section, and I decided to finish the job here.

It’s true, Desis and Arabs don’t exactly get a long. Moreover, my Persian buddies say the only people they dislike more than Arabs are Desis. Why? Because the Desis complain more about Arabs than they do, and the Persians don’t like that sort of oneupmanship.

The racism between Arabs and Desis in America is well-documented, as well as their xenophobic tendencies towards other groups of Muslims. Sites like AltMuslimah, Muslimology, and plenty of others have articles and posts talking about the heartbreaking racism in both of these communities, in a serious way. But I won’t be. Instead I will refute Salman’s points out of pure boredom, and because I like to be a troublemaker .

Here are Salman’s points from elan below:

1. Desi Muslims place a high degree of importance on the magical carpet Muslims pray on, they call Jaan-e-maaz. After Desis pray they fold the top corner over. If they don’t, culturally, it is said, that the devil will come and pray on it, which is a bad thing…?  Arab Muslims think Jaan-e-what?  While still using prayer rugs, they basically pray on any clean surface including but not limited to: the floor, grass, water, carpet, or a prayer rug.

First of all, the term is jahan namaaz (جہاں نماز). A Hindustani loanword from Persian. “Namaaz” means worship while “Jahan” means world, essentially denoting the Islamic belief that you can pray anywhere in the world, given that the place is “clean”, and not najis (نجس) or impure.

Given that improperly conducted worship are enough to damn you to Hell, it’s important in Islam to make sure you get the job done right. Since a floor might be unclean, the grass might have poop on it, and none of us are Jesus Christ (we can’t stand,walk, or pray on water), Desis take the safe, if kind of OCD path of ensuring cleanliness on praying on a nicely decorated rug.

And yes, the corner folding thing is really weird. But some Arabs eat camel. Now that’s weird (and it smells awful when you cook it, trust me).

2.  Arab Muslims boast that the Qur’an is written in their language and the Prophet (PBUH) was Arab, so in effect, they know more.  However, they still can’t understand the sophistication of the Arabic used in the Qur’an.  Desi Muslims on the other hand claim, as a scientific fact, that they respect the Qur’an and the Prophet (PBUH) more.

Okay first of all, some of the greatest Muslim scholars in the world today are Arab. These include Tariq Ramadan,  the recently deceased Mohammed Tantawi, amongst other scholars, striving to defeat extremism and Islamist jihadism. So I’m going to give the Arabs some credit here: having the holiest text in our faith in your language pays off, a lot.

Furthermore, a lot of the rituals and behavior at many Sufi Shrines in the Desi world are closer to paganism and idolatry than to Islam. In Karachi for instance, the shrine of Abdullah Ghazi (an immensely popular one amongst Karachi’s estimated 10 million poor)’s devotees use hash and pot to really get into the mood of dancing during wild parties on Thursday night that honor the Sufi Saint, and not God. Karachiites believe Ghazi’s shrine keeps cyclones and natural disasters away, rather than Allah’s will. Kufr, much? Not exactly a good way to honor the Prophet (pbuh) or the Quran, if you ask me.

3. Arab Muslims think they all founded Islam, but Desi Muslims think that they’re are responsible for the REAL interpretation…riggghhhttt…In reality, they’re both in the same boat.

Actually, Muhammad ibn’ Abdullah (pbuh) founded Islam, and he just happened to be Arab, although according to Martin Lings, his Grandfather Abd’ul Muttalib was Jewish through his mother.  The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) would spend his entire life teaching humanity that regardless of race, all are socially equal in the eyes of God.

Desi “Muslim” on the other hand, have seemed bent on destroying Islam since 1947. Pakistan’s Mawlana Mawdudi and Pakistani-trained Taliban leader Mullah Omar are chief amongst Pakistan’s religious leaders dedicated to radicalizing Muslims, and teaching racial hatred and dislike for Bengalis, Indians, and Westerners. In the same boat? maybe, but I think the Arabs have much more diversity in their political and religious leadership.

4. When Arab Muslims meet they hug and kiss each other, separate, and then re-hug…like real men should.  When Desis meet, they shake hands and stare into each other’s eyes for a few minutes.

Okay, no. That’s just WEIRD. Statistics show that 1/4 of Saudi men are gay. When I read claims like the one above, I go “duh”. In most Arab countries, men and women kissing each other at all is a crime punishable by imprisonment–even if you’re married (if you smooch in public).

Of course the brother kisses another dude on the cheeks! He ain’t getting any play from his sugamama any time soon!! If you ask me, this doesn’t show how manly Arab men are, just how desperate they are for normal lives! Arab regimes with poor human rights records: let the boys and girls play!

5. Arab Muslims and Desi Muslims are always insulting each other.  Persians sometimes pretend to be insulted to fit in.  Yes, we know Persians you are better because you’re “white.”

Okay, yes. Persians do like the melodramatic attention. And they do fit in. Every Desi and Arab guy I know wants to either shag or marry a Persian chick. Something about “being less violent” is what I hear the most often as the reason why.

But Arabs insult Desis a heck of a lot less than Persians insult them both. When I was consulting an Iranian outfit of dissidents two summers ago, every other joke out of my Persian clients mouths were “chi Pakistani,”  ”yeh doktar Arabi,”  ”stoooopid Indiyaaaaaan”. Khodaya man. I beg my Desi and Arab brothers and sisters to realize that Ahmedinjad’s smiling, totally clueless face is a total ruse. Pick on the Iranians!!!!

6. Arabs can’t eat spicy food, but Desis complain that their Tabasco Sauce is bland.

Of course Arabs can’t eat spicy food, they don’t have any real FOOD where they’re from!

Okay, that’s totally untrue. As photos from my buddy Dr. Alkebsi’s blog (he’s a uber-foodie) show me, there is A LOT of diversity in Arab cuisine. It’s just that if you’ve ever watched a Zee-TV or PTV soap opera, you know that scheming Desi wives and in-laws are always trying to backstab and poison each other. Over the years, that’s been demonstrated by inventing spicy cream spinach and extra spicy vegetable turnovers, amongst a host of other really really strange dishes. What Arabs think is “spicy” is just another passive-aggressive attempt by Desi women everywhere to poison their enemies at the dinnertable, and get off scott-free on murder charges.

The fact of the matter is that Desis and Arabs are more similar than different.  Both try to bargain prices at fancy restaurants, complain about the state of Muslims today, think doctors and engineers are the only “real” professions, speak loudly as their normal tone, smoke hookah, and drive erratically.  Everyone is realizing these differences are meaningless, this allows us to get to more important issues like, what else can we fold into hummus?

NOT EVEN! Okay my favorite Desi story: An entire family walked into an Arab owned fancy restaurant, faked a coupon at the end to get a huge discount, and proceeded to argue for like an hour with the owners about the bill. The  owner finally told them not to pay and to just get the hell out of his establishment, to which the Desis snidely queried ”can we have bags for the food?”

The Desis win the haggling round. As for erratic driving. NO ONE beats a Tehrani driver. Even the cabbies on the mean streets of Tel Aviv (no really, you can get blown up on them), admit that their Persian Jewish neighbors scare the bejeezus out of them when behind of the wheel of a car.

As for our real professions: no one wants to be an engineer anymore! It’s all about the advanced Phd to go work at NIH! That and becoming a lawyer to bail our cousins out of Gitmo.  And all peoples smoke Hookah. It’s a fundamental right of being an American.

BBC News – Pakistani politician Imran Farooq murdered in London

BBC News – Pakistani politician Imran Farooq murdered in London.

MQM leader Imran Farooq is dead, weeks after the head of his party Altaf Hussain called for a military coup to install martial law throughout Pakistan.

He was likely murdered by agents of Pakistan’s People’s Party, which is known for similar killings in the past.

Musharraf ’200%’ sure of taking part in 2013 polls

Musharraf ’200%’ sure of taking part in 2013 polls-The Business Standard.

Pervez Musharraf is arguably one of Pakistan’s two most effective leaders ever. The other being Pakistan’s first military leader, Ayub Khan.

Musharraf suffers from cripplingly low poll numbers in Pakistan right now, but there are three years left in the People Party’s mandate–a long time for aid victims to go on suffering while Benazir gets her own 11 million dollar memorial.

To put it into comparison: Pakistan’s leaders have given less than 50,000 dollars each to relief efforts for flood victims. Musharraf has given over 100,000 dollars of his own money in immediate aid, and has been busy fundraising for more.

As Punjabi elites continue to loot the country, the army has been stretched to the limit, but hasn’t given up just yet. With American and Saudi aid, Pakistan’s only real institution has put up a real fight to reach its country’s distressed citizens.

Being a former army chief, Musharraf is the only plain-clothed leader to have the respect of the armed forces, something key missing from the thieves running Islamabad today.

Musharraf ’200%’ sure of taking part in 2013 polls

Musharraf ’200%’ sure of taking part in 2013 polls-The Business Standard.

Pervez Musharraf is arguably one of Pakistan’s two most effective leaders ever. The other being Pakistan’s first military leader, Ayub Khan.

Musharraf suffers from cripplingly low poll numbers in Pakistan right now, but there are three years left in the People Party’s mandate–a long time for aid victims to go on suffering while Benazir gets her own 11 million dollar memorial.

To put it into comparison: Pakistan’s leaders have given less than 50,000 dollars each to relief efforts for flood victims. Musharraf has given over 100,000 dollars of his own money in immediate aid, and has been busy fundraising for more.

As Punjabi elites continue to loot the country, the army has been stretched to the limit, but hasn’t given up just yet. With American and Saudi aid, Pakistan’s only real institution has put up a real fight to reach its country’s distressed citizens.

Being a former army chief, Musharraf is the only plain-clothed leader to have the respect of the armed forces, something key missing from the thieves running Islamabad today.

Diplomats without dignity | PkColumnist.com

Diplomats without dignity | PkColumnist.com.

Pakistan’s consular general in NYC used time donated by NASDAQ from their big-screen in Time Square to advertise himself, not Pakistan’s dying and hungry flood survivors.

Pakistan’s social and political elites have now come all time low.

In Urdu: Pakistan’s Sex Trade

Lahore is known for its unfortunate name, and its huge red light district, rumored to be the largest in the Muslim World.

Burqavaganza

Don’t ask. Just watch.