hmmm

You know what, there is something I really want to get off my chest, and I find this the perfect forum especially after reading Provoking's post.
I don't have much of an attachment to Pakistan except for the occasional nostalgic reaction to samosas' (I mean who doesn't love deep fried bread filled with potatoes??) So when Benazir Bhutto died I was like ohhh she's dead, my mom on the other hand, cried. When Zidari became President I was like, grreat another corrupt leader that will probably be assassinated. My mom agreed with me this time, although we had some fierce debates about Musharraf (she liked him. I did not.) So when people talk about the "old country" or "back home" i'm usually just like, dude i'm from Michigan. You know that question most people ask to exotic-y looking people, "so..where are u from...originally?" I hate that, because what determines country of origin? The place in which one was born..or the place in which your parents hailed from? And then you know being Muslim and all, I thought there really wasn't supposed to be nationalism in the sense that: i'm Pakistani hear me roar! But more like i'm MUSLIM. The end. But no, I mean I have to say on a side-note that the Muslim community is one of the most discriminatory and racist peoples I have ever met- and i've traveled the world :D. We all like to talk about how our religion our deen is to follow in the Prophet's footsteps, yet so many of us can't even crawl in his wake! I include myself in that description. So the holier than though attitude is slightly tiresome.

So this brings me to ask what exactly did the Prophet teach? There are so many different answers to this question, but i'm not interested in other people's opinion so i'm going to answer how I relate to this question: peace and love. The prophet was a hippie in my book. Do I need to go over the Hadith (saying) where he was attacked and beaten by children in I believe Tabriz, and was asked if he wanted them to be smited by God, and what did he say? he said no. and prayed for them. Now what type of man does that sound like to you? And I know that you could probably dig up a bunch of Hadiths that would point to the contrary but again, I could care less. But you know what I transgress, I am American, plain and simple. That's almost like a bad word in our culture...surprise surprise. This isn't me trying to jack "western idealism" or whatever, although i've pretty much been imbued with them, this is me saying that THIS is my country, THIS is my stake in the world. I care about what happens HERE, not to say I don't care about what happens in the world, I do. But I don't want/have to CHOOSE. And I shouldn't be asked to. So when I talk about politics, especially the elections, i'm talking about MY future, MY life. You can say all that you want to say about how your vote doesn't count and that it doesn't matter whose elected, the agenda's already set- I respectfully will tell you to get out of my face, because yeah I have a problem with representational democracy, yeah I kind of which we had a multi party system and yes I do hope that sometime in the near future we have public financing for campaigns. BUT don't tell me that if Gore won in 2000 that things wouldn't be different, that we would be in Iraq, that the Bush Doctrine would still exist- because that is just BS plain and simple. And all of those things that I wish would happen, or want to have happen, won't happen with me bitching about it- it happens when you get involved when you take part, and not just in elections but in local politics (Kwame anyone?)

And yes I want change. Does that make me naive/dumb/un-educated? Maybe, but careful now, everytime you point a finger you have three pointing right back at you.