New man at the CII
November 22nd, 2010
After a long interval following the retirement of Dr Khalid Masood in May this year, Senator Maulana Muhammad Khan Sherani of the JUI-F has been appointed chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII). A commitment to this effect had been made months ago to the party. The decision to implement it comes as a means to appease an ally angered by the appointments to the parliamentary committee for the appointment of judges. There can be no greater contrast between Dr Masood and Maulana Sherani. This has already been pointed out by NGOs and a host of other persons concerned by the appointment. As a scholar, Dr Masood had a sound grounding in Islam and all its many dimensions. During his tenure some of the decisions taken marked extremely important steps forward. For instance, women were given greater guarantees of rights to property and recommendations made for changes in other laws that had a negative impact on their status in society. The same liberal interpretation was taken forward to other areas of life.
Many fear that under Maulana Sherani just the opposite will happen. He is known to be a hard-line conservative who adheres to the same retrogressive views with which the JUI-F is associated. This does not augur well as far as a move towards more enlightened times is concerned. The government may have a point when it says that the Chairman of the CII does not have a veto power and that all decisions within the body are taken collectively by persons representing all schools of thought. However, symbolism also has an important part to play in the way things are perceived by people. It is also true, as we have seen in the past, that the chairman does indeed play a role in setting the direction taken by the CII. It would be a pity if we saw the good work of the past reversed for the sake of political point scoring especially when this move comes from a party that prides itself on its progressive credentials.
Political principles
November 22nd, 2010
The petition put before the LHC by PML-Q MPA and son of party chief Pervaiz Elahi, Moonis Elahi, seeking a permanent ban on Google Blogger as it contained ‘hate’ material against him, offers us a telling insight into the minds of our political leaders. They need a reminder that around the world lives in the public sphere, notably as a politician, leave individuals open to all kinds of attack. Seeking a ban on websites used by millions does not offer an acceptable solution. Highly offensive material against US President Barack Obama can be found on many websites. He has not sought their closure.
The reply to the court by the director for telecom that links on sites can be blocked but that ‘globally useful’ websites cannot be shut off entirely is a sensible one. However, even closing down certain links amounts to a form of censorship. The internet offers an entirely free flow of information; this is its strength. Tools allow parents to prevent children from accessing unsuitable material. Beyond the childhood years, it is questionable if such material should be censored. Net users can decide which sites they choose to view. In this respect, the precedent set in the past by authorities is unfortunate. The temporary banning, a few months ago, of websites that included Facebook and YouTube served no useful purpose. The continued denial of access to many Baloch nationalist websites by the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority is even more disturbing.
Mr Moonis Elahi, who in his petition has also sought that the owners of the website be asked to remove the material he objects to, should also keep in mind that in some cases certain actions lead to strong, perhaps inappropriate, reactions. He must attempt to assess if this is true in any way, and if it is, to reconsider conduct, assess why various actions surface and consider remedies that focus on himself rather than a demand that hugely popular websites be banned.