Raise your hands, feel and remove for a moment- the two blinders on both sides of your face. It is a piece of leather/plastic that prevent the horse seeing to the rear and, in some cases, to the side.

"You know Sultana, when is your muharrum starting"..A phrase I have heard countless times.

Aunty from the 60's Pakistan would not and actually did not ever tell me how I am wrong. Neither did she ever narrate sympathetic tales of how we all commemorated muharrum together. How we helped put up sabils too with your families. She would not and she did not narrate such things because she could not and cannot comprehend "your rituals/your muharrum" concept.

Aunty from the 90's Pakistan would and does tell me how I am being wronged in this society. She would then and does narrate sympathetic tales of how she has been told of how we all commemorated muharrum together. How she and her family helped put up sabils for "you". How "you" are being wronged beta and how she thinks it is completely unjust as "you" can't observe "your" muharrum.

There is no talk of sectarianism anywhere. No spiritual talk that I ever attended with my friends ever spoke about the divide either. What it does talk about, later reflected in silence of people around me, and till date reflected in statuses of people on facebook is "One-ness of God", strategically and timely updated around "my muharrum" often. Where "One-ness of God" is praised and absolutely equated to denying any other entity linked to Him.

Since when did it become "your muharrum". I thought we at least shared the same Prophet as the Last Prophet and we all at least were in unison of who his daughter and grandson were.

A mere glance, a general observation and a thorough analysis of religious texts..all at every level will tell you that none of it talks about sectarianism.

None of those spiritual fancy pages and soul-wrenching lectures refers to "all else being excommunicated from Islam". Nope. None of it propagates explicit hate but...

What it does narrate and propagate is Oneness of God equated to "all else being wrong". Where Praise of Him is by "shunning" all those that acknowledge His Prophet's favorite on Earth.

And that my dear child is the very start of mass engineering of consent in people. Where the uneasiness of people over your sect is visible in their silence, and in their "overly done" attempt to condemn what is happening in the country.

Where famous speakers crossing million fans on pages (who happen to claim you as excommunicated from your religion and who happen to be banned by sane governments) are praised and followed frantically by richly educated individuals, by supremely hip youngsters. While all at the same time, nodding their heads and sympathizing with you over "your muharrum".

Social exclusion in ideology, thought, discussion, opinion happening. A divide..so subtle..so smooth..so gentle...yet so remarkably evident to those who want to see.

I miss the aunty of the 60's Pakistan. Whose God's Oneness was not based on excluding my God's Oneness. Whose God's Absoluteness was not the kalma of "bidat". Whose Spirituality stemmed from her existence with me without "you" and "me". Whose presence seemed at peace because she did not struggle to maintain an awkward silence to ensure that unity remains outside while she considers me "wrong" inside.

It seemed like the day when we both had praised the same God.

Now, put back your blinders again. For that is the only way you and I can exist in this society anymore.

And if, you feel, you did not even have the blinders on from the start, then know well, the blinders have long been embedded into our skin. Dissolved. Part of us.

  

Away from Mind..into the Mind.

I guess human's love for and act of seeking knowledge and knowing things in personal and social capacity (directly or indirectly affecting him) stems from his need to feel liberated.

It feels as if we all are desperately seeking liberation, from ourselves, our thoughts and from others and their thoughts.

In our attempt to feel liberated, we try making others captive of our ideas, we fail.

In our attempt to feel liberated, we try owning things and people. We fail.

And then, in our last attempt to feel liberated, we try distracting our mind. 

We let it wander into the wonders of the world, into books, into words, into visuals, into any and every form that narrates to us stories of history and future.

Perhaps, that is the closest humans have ever gone to feeling liberated. In a library. In a bookshop. In a work environment. In learning. In reading. In viewing. In listening.

Perhaps, that is why books are called human's best friends. Strangely so, for most of us are not not even equipped with the stamina to read much or retain all that we read. Yet so, we desperately seek its presence..in our attempt to escape the inner and outer captivity, into the sense of liberation. From judgement - in and of ourselves, in and of others. From thoughts - in and of ourselves, in and of others.