Thursday, December 24, 2009

Have A Ball Above Towering Tree(ts) - Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays

Have A Ball Above Towering Tree(ts) - IMRAN™ - Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays

Enjoy this unique view of the Christmas Tree at Galleries Lafayette in one of my favorite cities in the world, Paris, France. You will like my copyright inserted in the picture. :-)

Though I am a Muslim born in Pakistan, December 25, Christmas Day was always a special day. It is a national holiday in Pakistan (birth date of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founder of the nation).

Since I went to missionary schools for a great education in Pakistan, they also celebrated it as a Christmas break. And, on a more personal note, it was also the birthday of my beloved late Mother.

For Christmas and this holiday season, I think this is a perfect picture to wish all my friends lots of joys and treats having a ball under (or over) the towering tree(s) of gifts, love and happiness.

© IMRAN
DSCN1097

Galeries Lafayette Haussmann
40, Boulevard Haussmann,
75009 Paris, France

loc: 48.87276862591975, 2.332355493122009

© IMRAN 2009
Web: www.imran.com
Blog: www.imran.com/media/blog/
Pictures: www.flickr.com/photos/imrananwar/sets/
Follow Me: www.twitter.com/imrananwar
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Friday, December 18, 2009

Pinnacles Of Success Often Shrouded In Fogs Of Uncertainty

Pinnacles Of Success Shrouded In Fogs Of Uncertainty - IMRAN™

A foggy, cold, damp, dreary New York winter day. The Empire State Building disappearing into the jaws of a sepia gray foggy sky. A seemingly depressing moment. But an inspiring moment for me.

I share with you the words that I spoke on creating the image....


Pinnacles Of Success Will Often
Be Shrouded By Fogs Of Uncertainty.
But, They Await You.
Dream. Decide. Act. Achieve!
--- IMRAN



I hope the words and the image will inspire you to achieve all that you can dream of.

See it closely and notice how the foggy sky photo noise turned into an amazingly beautiful caramel chocolate 3D sandpaper texture effect in Photoshop. You almost feel you can touch the dimples and grains of it.


© IMRAN 2009
Web: www.imran.com
Blog: www.imran.com/media/blog/
Pictures: www.flickr.com/photos/imrananwar/sets/
Follow Me: www.twitter.com/imrananwar
FaceBook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=582866154
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Monday, December 07, 2009

On A Clear Dusk, You Can See Forever

On A Clear Dusk, You Can See Forever - IMRAN™

This absolutely unedited and unprocessed photo (except frame and name added in Photoshop) shows how clear winter dusks can be. See it larger,

The day was one of 30-50 miles per hour winds, that brought with them wind chills on top of the cold weather moving through. But what the wind brought in coldness, it took away in pollution from the air.

I braved the wind to walk out onto the beach at my home in East Patchogue and catch the most amazing sunset colors --- made more spectacular by the clarity of the air.

The plane even further in the distance and the birds in the air all fought the wind, which was gusty enough to almost make me fall over from the boardwalk railing I had taken some pictures standing on.

That is Robert Moses Causeway Bridge, literally 17.23 MILES (27+ km) from where I stood and took the picture on my beach at home.

On a clear day you can see forever. 
On a clear night you can see for eternity.
On a windy day, you can see where the magic of winter sunsets lies.

I hope you enjoy the warmth of this cold sunset photo of November 28, Thanksgiving Weekend, 2009 in my blessed home by the sea and may we all have even more blessings to be thankful for next year.

© 2009 IMRAN

This Will Live Online Forever
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Saturday, November 07, 2009

Stunning Blue Waters, British Virgin Islands

Stunning Blue Waters Of The British Virgin Islands - IMRAN™

I have seen fewer places with more beautiful blue waters than the Caribbean and especially the waters of the British Virgin Islands at Tortola.

This particular picture was taken with a pocket Nikon S6 as we took a ferry towards Virgin Gorda, one of the most beautiful places I have been.

The blue water at the dock was cleaner and more beautiful than anything even in a swimming pool or bath tub we can imagine.

The boat's propellor's churned the ice-colored but perfectly mild water into shades of teal, turquoise and literally made you say aquamarine. It almost looks like one of those colored iced drinks like Slurpees of this color that you can drink.


© 2008-2009
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Location: 18°25'9.30"N 64°37'1.46"W

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Friday, November 06, 2009

Does Fall On A Tree In The Forest Make Sounds, Of Silence?

When Fall Falls On A Tree In The Forest, Does It Make Sounds, Of Silence? - IMRAN™

When Fall Falls On A Tree In The Forest, Does It Make Sounds, Of Silence?

The total silence and stillness of this moment I captured sounded like life passing by quickly in slow motion. The cracking Sounds of Silence that Fall makes when it creeps up and falls onto a tree in the forest.

Captured during a walk on South Country Road, near my home, in East Patchogue, Long Island, New York.

© 2009 IMRAN
DSC3477_PSF

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Camera:Nikon D300
Exposure:0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture:f/5.0
Focal Length:70 mm
ISO Speed:280
Exposure Bias:+4/3 EV
Flash:On, Return detected


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© IMRAN 2009
Web: www.imran.com
Blog: www.imran.com/media/blog/
Pictures: www.flickr.com/photos/imrananwar/sets/
Follow Me: www.twitter.com/imrananwar
FaceBook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=582866154
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/imran

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Mother Of Exiles, By The Golden Doors

Mother Of Exiles, By The Golden Doors - IMRAN™

Mother Of Exiles, By The Golden Doors

By Imran Anwar

The Statute of Liberty, in New York, is one of the best recognized symbols in the world. Less known are the full words of the poem found there. See it larger.

On a heavily clouded day in Manhattan, the often blue sky filled with shades of gray was burdened with the weight of a golden red sunset they were trying to conceal.

The light was the worst it could be for a great traditional photograph. But, as I caught the patina of Lady Liberty through the architectural frame painted Gold by the falling sun..... it provided the perfect backdrop for me to remember, and share, the words that hold so true today, and forever.

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"


© 2009 IMRAN
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Friday, October 16, 2009

Evil Taliban vs Pakistan, What Side Are You On?



Imran Anwar (http://www.imran.com ) asks Pakistanis and Muslims which side they are on in the war so-called jihadi terrorist groups like Taliban, AlQaeda and other evil are carrying out against Pakistan, Muslims, Islam and innocent people.

How difficult is it for Muslims and Pakistanis to say, "Taliban, AlQaeda and these Jihadi groups, killing innocent women and children daily, blowing up mosques, killing defenders of Pakistan, are enemies of Islam and Pakistan" ?

© IMRAN 2009
Web: www.imran.com
Blog: www.imran.com/media/blog/
Pictures: www.flickr.com/photos/imrananwar/sets/
Follow Me: www.twitter.com/imrananwar
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Thursday, October 15, 2009

Clouds Over Cloud Computing? Raining On The Hype Parade

Clouds Over Cloud Computing? Raining On The Hype Parade

What's In A Name? What's In A Function? What's In The Hype?

By Imran Anwar

A recent blog entry on Internet Evolution by Mary Jander, titled "Clouds May Finally Be Forming for IT" recently caught my attention. Mary wrote about how companies have started looking at cloud computing as an infrastructure platform for their business.

That got me thinking about the very concept of cloud computing - as it is being foisted upon the industry and business. Don't get me wrong. I believe in the Internet and its power since before it became a commercial entity in the United States. It was for this reason that I elected to pioneer and be founder of Internet e-mail in Pakistan nearly 2 decades ago.

I also do not wish to sound like one of those "everything that can be invented has been invented" naysayers. However, even as the technology lover and evangelist, sometimes I see the industry shooting itself in the foot by simply renaming, repackaging, re-hyping concepts every few years.

Obviously, technology has been moving forward at a rapid pace every decade. Back in the day, a green screen operator's "cloud" was somewhere in the big air-conditioned room far away, housing the mainframe. 10 years later the concept of client/server moved the cloud into a less discrete location and made it a little more granular.

Then came the not so successful network computing concept which fell victim to its own hype. Next we have the Internet now being leveraged productively in some creative ways, but again causing marketing driven hype to set it up for potential disappointments and failures.

It is partly for this reason, the lack of clear revolutionary changes in enterprise computing, that we face a problem. We have entire industry initiatives and business plans being built around terms that nobody even fully agrees on the definition of.

Cloud Computing, Web 2.0, the Semantic Web, etc. are just some of the examples of how we, as an industry, are adrift. We are again latching on to buzzwords, hype, self-sustaining waves of "if we talk enough about it, it will happen" -- hoping someone, somewhere, will create a solution which sells enough in the marketplace to validate the original buzzword.

In the past some companies, like Microsoft, would derail perfectly good technologies possibly competing with their products by using FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt). Many good companies, products and technologies fell victim to that. However, despite the best efforts of monopolies of their time, whether in computer hardware, operating systems or telecom, smart, nimble and aggressive competitors did create new products, categories and entire industries.

That is why it is so ironic to me that thousands of companies and professionals are trying to create a new Cloud Computing industry --- without overcoming the FUD factor inherent in the marketplace!

Instead of removing uncertainty about what cloud computing means, what advantages it offers, what risks it carries and how those risks can be overcome, the players who want to lead in this industry are actually putting their faith in uncertainty!

They are relying on poorly defined concepts, media driven hype and evangelist driven buzzwords. They are hoping to be able to come up with something that sticks while no one knows what it all means.

That approach may work in the 3M Post-It sticky notes laboratory. But that is not how an entire industry, Information Technology and the Internet, based on a reality AND an image of clarity, consistency and communication standards can operate or succeed.

This is not the way to overcome the FUD that validly exists in the minds of technology and business managers in the enterprise. Add to that the recent outages, consistent problems and massive hacks that have hit everyone from Microsoft to Google, from Twitter to Facebook, and you can see why selling Cloud Computing as the answer, or even ready for prime time conversion of businesses, is both disingenuous and dangerous.

How many CIOs would be willing to completely bet their careers, and the security, and business continuity, of their organizations entirely on something as nebulous, literally, as cloud computing? I would not. As a CIO in a recent engagement, I started moving my client organization in that direction, for specific, clearly defined, non-mission-critical, business and technology functions. But, the most important, sensitive and mission-critical elements I ensured keeping in-house, in a proven, reliable and secure infrastructure

It is time for us, as an industry and professionals, to get out from under the umbrella of excuses that are often self-contradictory. When asked to define cloud computing we say things like "This is still an evolving platform". When asked to sell the concept to clients, we make it sound like it is as reliable as what clients need and expect, knowing that it is not.

Let us let the rain of facts, client needs, technology realities and user expectations wash away the layers of hype that are coating our vision. Then let us build clear definitions, clear messages, clear value propositions that will sell far better than the hype.

Only with such clarity can we expect the sun to shine on a bright future for Cloud Computing. What do you think?


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Sunday, October 11, 2009

What If The Taliban Had Attacked Pakistan's Nuclear Facilities?

Does Pakistan Need Any More Wake-Up Calls? The recent brazen attack by Taliban on the Pakistani army headquarters may be the last wake-up call that the nation is going to get.

Pakistanis have to ask themselves some serious questions. What If The Taliban Had Attacked Pakistan's Nuclear Facilities instead of the Army Headquarters? Or, what if these had been coordinated attacks simultaneously? The results would be horrible and ugly domestically and in the international response and concern about Pakistani nuclear assets.

That there are Taliban, Al Qaeda, Jihadi as well as Khliafat movement supporters and apologists in Pakistan is a sad fact. That there are still Pakistanis who do not see beyond the length of their nose - or a few months of perceived good and bad political stability - and yearn for martial law and its "benefits" is also a sad fact. That there are plenty of "blame America for every problem that Pakistan faces" people in every walk of life is also a given.

But if they all needed any further reminder, slap on the face, and one serious final wake-up call, this attack was it. It literally was an attempt to take over the army headquarters in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, something even India and Pakistan do not try to do to each other in times of cold and hot war. This should show the most ambivalent and secretly sympathetic Pakistanis that the Taliban are the enemies of Pakistan.

It appears that the attackers had inside information before the attack. The fact that there remained a not so secret cadre of Pakistan military officers who theologically, intellectually and emotionally remained supportive of the Taliban was dangerous enough. That they may still be providing material and professional aid to these enemies of Islam and Pakistan is far more treasonous than any actions of corrupt politicians or even dictators imposing martial law.

I must say I am shocked, and seriously disappointed, that the Army did not expect or prepare for the kind of brazen attack that took place. Signs had been pointing to it. Events were leading up to it. Yet, the very center of Pakistan's army operations was caught off guard.

I am surprised at the news reports suggesting that the guards on duty were confused by the fact that the attackers wore army uniforms. This should have been the most basic expectation provided to the guards in their basic training. Expect the enemy at any time, in any guise.

I am also thankful, and actually surprised, that these were not a series of automated attacks by uniform wearing terrorists attacking several Army locations around the country. We should be thankful for that, but also expect, and prepare for the worst.

This also highlights a serious risk that Pakistanis would be foolish to ignore. A similar uniform wearing gang of terrorists could attack nuclear facilities in Pakistan. We are fortunate that this attack did not target nuclear installations. As it is, it is a matter of serious embarrassment and grave concern for Pakistan and supporters of Pakistan.

The time has come for Pakistan, Pakistanis and the Pakistan army to wake up, and march forward, with no doubt, no hesitation in the no prisoners attitude to deal with the cancer that is now obvious to everyone except anyone harboring a secret desire to live in the Stone Age again.

Pakistan has to eradicate the Taliban, and by extension Al Qaeda operatives in Pakistan, not for the sake of Afghanistan, not for the sake of America, a not for the sake of any supposed global war on terror. Pakistan has two fully eradicate this cancer from every part of its body and soul for its own survival.

It is not to be easy. There will be blood. Unfortunately, that is what happens when the cancer is allowed to grow freely, or even encouraged in the false assumption that it can be controlled. The time is now. The need is critical. Pakistan's survival is at stake.

Pakistan's army and its people have to work together to meet this challenge together. The time of ambivalence is gone. The time to tolerate terrorists apologists is gone. The time to eradicate the cancer is here. Let us not let down our nation. Pakistan Zindabad.

--
Imran Anwar is a New York based Pakistani-American entrepreneur, Internet pioneer, inventor, writer and TV personality. He can be reached through his web site http://imran.com and imran@imran.com . You can follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/imrananwar


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Friday, October 09, 2009

Northeast vs Southwest Colors, Fly Blue Skies or Sail Pink Seas

Southwest Colors Fly Blue Skies - IMRAN™

Northeast Colors Sail Pink Seas - IMRAN™

In almost every way these images are an opposite of each other. Southwest flying blue skies. Northeast sailing on pink seas.

Bright versus darkening sky. Blue sky vs. pink seas. Jet aircraft vs. yachts. Yet, they both reflect the passion I have for travel, my wanderlust beckoning, forever, to new horizons.

As the evenings got shorter, despite Fall weather, Heron Pointe, on Long Island, NY continued to enjoy mild weather until the sun sets of 2008.

A walk on the boardwalk, a walk on the beach, a look up in the sky, it's birds, it's planes. And twinkle, twinkle early stars and Great South Bay buoys.

© IMRAN 2008-2009
DSC_20081015A_PSF


Web: www.imran.com
Blog: www.imran.com/media/blog/
Pictures: www.flickr.com/photos/imrananwar/sets/
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Friday, October 02, 2009

Circles Of Life's Seasons; Color Wheels Of Nature Projecting Fate's Movie

Circles Of Life's Seasons; Color Wheels Of Nature's Projector, Displaying Fate's Movie - IMRAN™

Circles Of Life's Seasons; Color Wheels Of Nature's Projector, Displaying Fate's Movie
Stunning Fall Foliage Colors, South Country Road, East Patchogue, Long Island, NY


We may desire for our lives to be eternal Springs, of youth and new joys. We yearn for our days to be endless Summers of bright, sunny, blue-sky filled days.

We may want to never be exposed to the cold brutalities of life's Winters. But, winters do come in every life. And they have to be lived and experienced. As they start casting their longer, colder, crueler shadow across the days of our lives, things fall around us.

But, there is an irony in the seasons, fate and life. Fall, as life that sprung forth last spring, falls by the wayside. Yet, it is also the only time we are given a choice to see and appreciate such dazzling, stunning colors, as only Fall can bring. It gives us one last hurrah of color, to tide us over the cold days we know lie ahead, with the promise of a new life in the new year. And so the circle of life goes. And so it goes.


====

Driving home from running some errands I was amazed at the brilliant fall foliage colors that were highlighted by the sun's late afternoon glow. I went home, picked up the camera and headed back to take these pictures.

© IMRAN 2008-2009
Web: www.imran.com
Blog: www.imran.com/media/blog/
Pictures: www.flickr.com/photos/imrananwar/sets/
Follow Me: www.twitter.com/imrananwar
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Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Orion's Belt Over Nebulous New York Times

On A Starry Night Calm Orion's Belt Wraps An Eternal Eye Over Nebulous Tumultuous New York Times - IMRAN™


On A Starry Night Calm Orion's Belt Wraps An Eternal Eye Over Nebulous Tumultuous New York Times

It is appropriate that the photo I took after catching the glittering skyline of earth's shining star, Manhattan, and the stars of Broadway and Times Square, is a timeless shot of the stars lining the sky. (See larger size to make out details of nebula, etc. )

They were beyond my grasp but it is just who we are, needing to reach for the stars, across the reaches of time, the vastness of eternity. So, I caught them, the cold cruel burning cores of Hydrogen, for me and you for today, and for forever etched onto the Silicon atoms of my camera's memory ... and the infinite neurons making up my memories in this so finite life.

The sky was particularly dark on this moonless night tonight. There was moisture in the air as a Southern wind was riding the Great South Bay, churning the water onto the beach in tumultuous waves of passion.

Far above, silently watching, the stars burnt in an amazing range of colors you could make out with the naked eye. Even the nebullae visible told their nebulous stories in clear thundering silence. I bowed in prayer, a murmur of thanks, to God, for having allowed me this moment to have lived, witnessed, experienced.

--
I was able to capture this shot with the Nikon D300 with no filters. This picture is as it was taken. See in full size in ALL SIZES if you see the button above.

© 2009 IMRAN
DSC_3352_PSF

© IMRAN 2009
Web: www.imran.com
Blog: www.imran.com/media/blog/
Pictures: www.flickr.com/photos/imrananwar/sets/
Follow Me: www.twitter.com/imrananwar
FaceBook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=582866154
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/imran


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Tags: IMRAN, "Imran Anwar", ImranAnwar, "New York", "Long Island", Universe, Space, Stars, Night, Nikon, Orion, Astronomy

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Summer Night City. Dark, Lights, Ironic Sights. Kodak By Nikon

Summer Night City. Dark, Lights, Ironic Sights. Times Square, NY. Kodak Moment On A Nikon. IMRAN™ - Please Read Below

Summer Night City. Dark, Lights, Ironic Sights. Times Square, NY. Kodak Moment On A Nikon.



Nothing beats the energy and feel of being in the heart of the center of the universe, being in Times Square, in Manhattan, New York, USA.

The lights stand out in stark contrast to the dark night.

Reflections of light seem to levitate in mid-town mid-air as if hanging from some unseen bright blinding blinds. There were other ironies in the night,

It was a Kodak moment, but caught on a digital Nikon (2 year old S6 pocket camera).

A Broadway show sign advertises MAMA MIA and music by one of my all time favorite groups ABBA, but, the night reminds me of a different song by them....

It's night, and summer, in the city, in Summer Night City.

As ABBA sang:

"It's elusive, call it glitter
Somehow something turns me on
Some folks only see the litter
We don't miss them when they're gone
I love the feeling in the air
My kind of people everywhere
When the night comes with the action
I just know it's time to go
Can't resist the strange attraction
From that giant dynamo"


I Love New York.

© 2009 IMRAN
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© IMRAN 2009
Web: www.imran.com
Blog: www.imran.com/media/blog/
Pictures: www.flickr.com/photos/imrananwar/sets/
Follow Me: www.twitter.com/imrananwar
FaceBook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=582866154
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/imran

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Seasons Of My Life - IMRAN

Seasons Of My Life - IMRAN

I savor the ups & down of life. And the changing of the seasons is a great time to remember that, to savor that.

I don't want to rush thru life to just the good parts, then regret how life went by even faster than it does. As a brutal & cold Summer ends, I look forward to Fall, its colorful reminders of endings; to Winter's whiter shades of white, seeming desolate but a fresh canvas; so Spring full of love and joy can paint new life on it; so that life and love can be celebrated in Summers to come.

==
I generally do not post my "personal" photos here. But the end of Summer 2009 is a poignant time to post this. I hope it makes you take stock of life too.


© 2009 IMRAN
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© IMRAN 2009
Web: www.imran.com
Blog: www.imran.com/media/blog/
Pictures: www.flickr.com/photos/imrananwar/sets/
Follow Me: www.twitter.com/imrananwar
FaceBook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=582866154
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Monday, September 21, 2009

Will You Spare One Minute For Pakistan? (Urdu/Video)



You say, and believe, that you love Pakistan. Can you spare just one minute in one day to do something for Pakistan? Let Imran Anwar's no-holds barred, uncensored and unrehearsed, words inspire you to greatness. Please Share & Post to your friends and family.

© IMRAN 2009
Web: www.imran.com
Blog: www.imran.com/media/blog/
Pictures: www.flickr.com/photos/imrananwar/sets/
Follow Me: www.twitter.com/imrananwar
FaceBook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=582866154
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/imran


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Sunday, September 20, 2009

Osama On Obama. What's Different Behind Latest Tape?



Osama On Obama. What's Different Behind Latest Tape?

Osama Bin Laden's latest tape talks about Barack Obama but the tone is different from before. Imran Anwar's short but insightful analysis helps you understand what it means.

© IMRAN 2009
Web: www.imran.com
Blog: www.imran.com/media/blog/
Pictures: www.flickr.com/photos/imrananwar/sets/
Follow Me: www.twitter.com/imrananwar
FaceBook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=582866154
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/imran


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Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Send More US Troops Into Afghanistan?



Imran Anwar (IMRAN.TV / http://www.imran.com/media/blog/ ) raises very serious questions about the current situation in Afghanistan. Are more US troops the answer? If not, what is? Listen for the answer.


Technorati Tags: IMRAN, "Imran Anwar", ImranAnwar, TV, Commentary , Afghanistan, America, Politics, War , Terrorism, AlQaeda, Taliban, Pakistan, Economy, Bernanke, Bush, Rumsfeld, Iraq , Vietnam

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Unrequited Love by Imran Anwar

Must Read: "Unrequited Love" - IMRAN™

You can almost reach out and touch the moon and run your fingers gently on her aging, aged, ageless but scarred face, where times, and passing suitors it disdained, left their marks, with you, the reader, wondering if a gentle tear from a secret subterrainian river will gush forth, as it silently tells the story of its endless, eternal, inescapable love for the blue planet it is forever intertwined with, but desinted never to meet, lest it be a deadly last waltz that would spell doom for both, in a deadly one night stand, a flash of explsoive passion, with the earth's oceans of life-giving liquids gushing forth into the skies, escaping into a climax of everything and a vast nothingness at once... such is the eternal dance of unrequited love of star crossed lovers and planets and moons. Feel it.

==

Full Moon, September 3/4 2009, Heron Pointe, East Patchogue, Long Island, New York, USA.

Words & Photograph © 2009 IMRAN
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Technorati Tags: "Imran Anwar", 2009, IMRAN, ImranAnwar, Literature, "Long Island", Love, Moon, "New York", Night, Nikon, Philosophy, Photography, Prose

----© IMRAN 2009
Web: www.imran.com
Blog: www.imran.com/media/blog/
Pictures: www.flickr.com/photos/imrananwar/sets/
Follow Me: www.twitter.com/imrananwar
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LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/imran

Sunday, September 06, 2009

On Defending Pakistan From It's Leaders, On Defense Of Pakistan Day



Should Or Shouldn't Pakistan's General Musharaff Be Put On Trial?

What do you think?


© IMRAN 2009





Technorati Tags: IMRAN, Pakistan, "Imran Anwar", Democracy, Justice, Military, "Martial Law",Treason, Hanging, Zardari, "Nawaz Sharif", Musharaff

Friday, August 21, 2009

Grains Of Sand In The Sky - By Imran Anwar

Grains Of Sand In The Sky


by Imran Anwar

(Dedicated on August 21-22, 2009,
To the memory of my beloved father, Anwar-uud-din.
Born Aug 22, 1931 he left us December 21, 2008)


Over the waves' mighty roar
On a weather beaten shore
Sounds, of pebbles and rocks I find
The tides of time that eternally grind

At first, I defiantly, bravely, stand
Before long, humbly kneel in sand
Here I tremble on an infinite brink
Unfathomable grasp of a mystic link

The ripples sing an endless refrain
"Remember, every fine sandy grain
Does an amazing secret nurse
It too is center of the universe

Under mortal feet on a sandy beach
From far beyond its meagre reach
It too feels tugs from eons afar
Its tiny core yearns to be a star."

On the edge of the wavy bay
At the end of the shiny day
I look up at the darkening sky
Where stars live and meteors die

At this eternal moment in time
No timeless words, no fancy rhyme
No complex grand theory of chaos
Explain simple truth of the cosmos

I realize it's so very true
Nothing even the Sun can do
To any way stop or stall
The certainty of nightfall

Darkness around, near and far
Defied by a single shining star
A turning, blinking distant firefly
A burning grain of sand in the sky


© 2009 IMRAN


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Sunday, August 09, 2009

Hi & Low & Behold & Hold, Bold And So Happy Together

So Happy Together - Love/Life Can't Be More Perfect - IMRAN™

Taken around my birthday at a time I was facing some unexpected challenges, about to leave my Singer Island, Palm Beach condo at the Tiara, in 2004, this photo of two lovers, rising up to ride high, but below my balcony on the 37th floor, just always brings a smile to my face. Even though I can fly planes and love boating, this is one activity I am yet to do. I can hardly wait to do it with someone special one day. Words from the song by The Turtles, So Happy Together, just ring out in my ears from this picture.

Imran


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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Oh, God! Perfect Stillness, Ablaze In Stunning Red & Pastel Sunset Shades

Perfect Stillness, My Home Boat Slip, Ablaze In Stunning Red & Pastel Sunset Shades - IMRAN™

I am so blessed. All my life, despite ups and downs, at no stage has God not granted me every wish I have had. Some have taken longer than others. Some have been won and lost, but nearly every single wish has been granted and I know the best is yet to come.

This picture of my boat slip at home, in East Patchogue, Long Island, New York has its own messages hidden in plain view.

How can we not, then, see the power of God moving in every moment of stillness around me? How can we not see the brilliance of his work deep inside every shadow?

Even when something seems upside down, is it not merely a reflection of something beautiful right above and ahead?

Thank you, God.

Tags: IMRAN, Home, Boating, Sunset, Photography, Tranquility, Faith, God, "New York", Nikon, "Imran Anwar", Philosophy, Gratitude

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Fire Bird Birth From Fiery Sun & Dark Clouds, The Razor's Edge Of Hope & Miracle

Fire Bird Birth From Fiery Sun OR Flying Into A Dark But Bright Future - IMRAN™

Fire Bird Birth From Fiery Sun OR Flying Into A Dark But Bright Future?

Is it the birth by fire of a new Fire Bird? Or a dark angel looming above, bringing misgivings? Or the power of dreams flying into a dark, monstrous, malevolent cloud formation -- just beyond which is the promise of pure light and brightness. And just beyond that, visions of God?

The thunder cloud's malevolence separated from the life-giving sun by the razor edge of hope and miracle. A possibility of coming out from storms into the light, however briefly, at least until the final sunset on a life of fantastic flights of fantasy.

Or a little bit of it all?

Smith Point Beach in Long Island, NY is a favorite place of mine to catch sunsets over expansive vistas of water. This time we were there ahead of time and I shot some pictures waiting for the sun to set.

As this bird came towards me, somewhat like the apparition of one Alexander the Great sees in the movie ALEXANDER, the silhouette came into focus. I clicked and snapped a mesmerizing image.

© 2009 IMRAN
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Friday, July 10, 2009

A Bad Moon Rising, Howling Wolves Still At The Door Outside. Hope Inside, Perseverance Forever

Full Moon Rise At Home, East Patchogue, Long Island, NY - IMRAN™

A full moon is always a sight to behold. Rising up just above the treetops to the side of my home, it showed its magical powers while the sky was not yet dark. Walking around the boardwalk in East Patchogue, and later at Bellport Dock, the beach was drowning in the passionate fury of a lunar high tide pushed on by the inspiring wind.

And the question became, was this a Bad Moon Rising, or an indication of great aspirations for the future. Only time, and the tides of time, will tell. Bad news and troubles continue to howl at my door. But I know only my faith and perseverance are the magic bullets.

PS No howling wolves were hurt in the making of this photograph.

© 2009 IMRAN
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Sunday, June 28, 2009

Ominous Dark Clouds, Storms Above & Around, Gold Lining Too Far, Soon Overcome By Darkness - IMRAN

Ominous Dark Clouds, Storms Above & Around, Gold Lining Too Far, Soon Overcome By Darkness - IMRAN™ /Read Below

By Imran Anwar

We always hear about how every dark cloud has a silver lining.

But what do you do if there are nothing but dark clouds, ominous, rolling in. Lower and lower, literally falling to 20 feet above the ground. Every peal of thunder and every ring of the telephone, bringing more destructive forces beyond our imagination and control, shaking and uprooting what comes in their path.

As this masive, thunderous storm struck out at Long Island I was hit by two severe economic jolts, shaking my house, and the future of my home, to their foundations in every sense.

There was no single dark cloud with a silver lining. This was as bright as the evening was going to get, deep soul-chilling darkness, rolling in right behind, above, within and all around the ominous clouds.

In the distance, not Silver but a Gold lining, above Fire Island. So close, but just far enough not to save the sinking ship of drowning dreams.

And soon even that ray of hope, lining of Gold, the sliver of remaining faith, first glistening with promise, then dulled and eventually overcome by the sheer forces of darkness, disappeared from view, leaving a uniform dark shroud... Fade To Grey.

No man is an island, but with dreams on fire, and a storm above, even the strongest resolve can be shaken. The pain. The loss. The efforts and work of a lifetime, lost in the process.

I know, this is nothing. It will get worse. Much worse. It could always be even worse, and I am thankful I have all that I have within me, a gift of God.

I shall rebuild. I have no choice. I shall rise again. Because that is who I am. And shall remain as long as I live. So help me God.

©2009 IMRAN
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Web: http://www.imran.TV
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Thursday, June 25, 2009

Illusive 3D Effect Sunset, Islamabad, Pakistan, City Of Political Illusions

Illusive 3D Effect Sunset, Islamabad, Pakistan, City Of Political Illusions - IMRAN™

By Imran Anwar

During my recent trip to Islamabad, Pakistan, my friends and I took a detour to go see a newly developed Rawal Lake Park (on the other side of where the Dam is and where I had been to, as a teen, with my father).

We enjoyed a nice walk, beautiful sights, and I was able to catch this illusively 3D image of a hazy sunset over the mountains around Islamabad, a city of political illusions, facing huge obstacles all around it.

Night was falling, but I knew, a new day was just around the corner for me, for the park, for the city, for Pakistan.

© 2009 IMRAN
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Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Mellow Yellow, Splendor In The Grass

Trunked Tree Trunks Frame Door Frame, Mellow Yellow Splendor In The Grass - IMRAN™

Trunked Tree Trunks Frame Door Frame, Mellow Yellow Splendor In The Grass

Just before heavy rains hit Long Island, despite the dark, stormy skies, this splendid image, of splendor in the grass, an inviting yellow door frame, promising brightness just yonder, framed by the trunk-like trees of tree trunks caught my eye. The red, yellow, green colors were a coincidence I did notice.

© 2009 IMRAN
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Monday, June 22, 2009

Stairway To Heaven, Walkway To The Sun

POSTER: See & Read Words Below: Stairway To Heaven, Walkway To The Sun - IMRAN™

By Imran Anwar

The bright heavy setting sun on June 14, 2009 seemed floating in air. It sat just near the end of the bowardwalk, at Smith Point Park beach, just beyond the signs for the TWA Flight 800 Memorial, like an easy stairway to heaven.

Here we are on earth, walking or flying, thinking we own it, yet we are so insignificant.

One tiny wobble of that white orb in the sky and we are all history. Even if it remains perfectly aligned forever, we are certain to be history.

So many voices that had walked these paths, these stairways, before us. All gone, as we one day will. Some of them are remembered, many forgotten; lost, first to memories, then to history, and then to eternity. Would we be remembered? And, why?

Theres a feeling I get
When I look to the west,
And my spirit is crying for leaving.
In my thoughts I have seen
Rings of smoke through the trees,
And the voices of those who stand looking


It seemed so easy to reach, yet so far away. It felt burning hot in a cold blue sky.

It inspired me to experiment with this picture and the words of Stairway To Heaven just seemed so appropriate....

It made me wonder, it makes me wonder, and it will always make me wonder.

What about you?

Lyrics © Led Zeppelin

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© 2009 IMRAN

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Which Country Threat To Neighbors, Unstable, Terrible To Women?

The cell-phone video of three "brave" strong males holding down and ravaging a young northern-area woman (who may be Pakistani or Afghani) with a public flogging was shameful by any standards of decency, morality or humanity.

Even more shameful was the timing of the video's release. It was apparently leaked not to call attention to a serious crime, and dozens of atrocities like it that are committed by spineless, dishonorable, Taliban every day, but to complicate Pakistan's nearly complete peace deal in Swat.

The Internet communities like Twitter are, for lack of a better word, atwitter (!) with this particular video being used as an example of what must be happening to every woman in every part of Pakistan.

Don't get me wrong. The scourge of the Taliban, the cancer of AlQaeda and the repulsive puss-filled sore of Pakistani-killing terrorists brazenly attacking people in Pakistan are serious threats to every Muslim, every Pakistani. But they are, in many cases, byproducts of other fundamental problems that need to be solved by Pakistan and Muslims.

For example, a history of letting some parts of Pakistan being somewhat exempt from the laws of modern Pakistan may have seemed like ceding power and control to local warlords and ancient tribal traditions. But, in many cases, there were also arrangements in place that suited older governments of Pakistan.

They found it easier to buy the peace with a warlord or Maliks or Emirs of the region, even at the cost of not giving the local populace there a vote or a voice in its own destiny.

Even the money given to areas where natural resources were found, and consumed nationwide, the "royalties" did not go to benefit the people of the area, but to enrich the tribal leaders, who became even stronger and more vile forces, somewhat like Stone Age Godfathers even without the semblance of a competition or law above them.

They ensured that murder, rape and other heinous crimes remained their tools of administering their subservient population. Ensuring lack of education, lack of basic facilities, even medical care for the poor was another way to keep a population barely surviving and not daring to speak up, or even knowing that speaking up was an option.

That is why, though I went to school with many scions of such "wadera" or "tribal chief" families sons, I did not shed a tear when a certain Nawab, who was as much an enemy of Pakistan as of his own people, was wiped out by General Musharaff (in one of the few good things he did as Chief Dictator Officer in Pakistan).

My hope was that many of the tribal leaders' kids going to school with me at Aitchison College, Lahore in Pakistan, would one day go and become the new chiefs of their tribes and maybe change things.

I guess power, especially generations old almost godlike power, has its own power to corrupt. Many of my friends went on to have professional careers but I did not see or hear of any of them being the power of change I had hoped they would.

Thus, it is easy to see why the international media, the global community, including God-fearing, law-abiding, everyday Pakistanis, being horrified and angry at the crimes being committed by the sewer rat Taliban fanatics. It is easy to see why decent people around the world, especially on the Internet, would distribute the story to everyone who would hear.

But what gets my riled up is the way the tragic story is used not to influence positive change or to discuss the reasons such groups exist. There is no talk of the role of the United States in creating yesterday's mujahideen (today's Taliban).

Ignored is the double standard of Washington in making speeches about democracy but always secretly praying for, and playing for, a powerful but controllable dictator in Muslim countries.

The worst examples include the repulsive and thankfully long dead General Zia and moderately pleasant but still Constitution-raping General Musharaff in Pakistan or the Arab thug Hosni Mubarak in Egypt.

The most disgusting to me personally is the concept of all American administrations supporting a monarchy in Saudi Arabia, where Islam brought the earliest concept of people deciding who would rule them after the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) passed away.

During this time, the fact is that online communities like Twitter have a flood of messages screaming that the sky is falling in Pakistan. They are crying hoarse about how Pakistan is on the verge of a breakdown.

They are maligning Pakistan as if every young or old woman in Pakistan is beaten at the smallest excuse and the rest of the country applauds. They feel Pakistan is a threat to its neighbors.

If you ask a loaded question, "Which Country Is A Danger To Its Neighbors, Is Unstable And On The Verge Of Breakdown, And Is Terrible To Women?" I am sure Pakistan is what most of them would quickly jump to answer.

The triple irony is that just today's news shows three of America's stalwart, and supposedly stable, allies are the worst examples of what Pakistan is accused of being.

The vile Zionist state of nuclear-armed Israel continues to show it has no desire for peace, with its own Foreign Minister blowing off agreements they had made with the American governments in recent years for a two-state solution to the Occupation of Palestine. They treat their Palestinian occupied territory slaves, men and women, worse than the worst Pakistani tribal crook chieftain treats his subjugated poor serfs. And they have an unstable coalition government increasingly run by right-wing fanatics.

Saudi Arabia, where the thankfully gone George W. Bush could not get enough of kissing, and lip-synching policies with the equally hypocritical and un-Islamic Saudi monarch, (and where President Barack Hussein Obama was also bowing in deference) is in the news. How they mistreat women and have no civil rights for migrant workers is not even news.

The latest repulsive news from Saudi Arabia was that a man gave his 8-year old daughter to be married to a 47-year old man to settle a debt. I repeat, to settle a DEBT. In the year 2009 AD the Arab Muslims are literally selling daughters to settle business debts. I wonder whom they would sell to settle a mortgage loan.

Lastly, the mother of all daughter-selling countries, Thailand, a favorite destination for child-porn seekers and pedophiles from Europe and America, not only continues to peddle its wares, and its daughters, it is also now in a state of emergency, in addition to political unrest in various regions around it.

Let's be fair. All these nations also have insurgencies of one kind or another. It is time that America sends in the drones. But this time let's send them to bomb civilian areas in Tel Aviv, Jeddah and Bangkok and deal with the far worse crimes against humanity committed by those three American allies every day.

---

Imran Anwar is a New York and Miami based Pakistani-American entrepreneur, Internet pioneer, inventor, writer and TV personality. He can be reached through his web site http://imran.com and imran@imran.com . You can respond to his live comments on Twitter at http://twitter.com/imrananwar




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Tuesday, April 07, 2009

The Good News About The Bad News In Pakistan

An old adage is that bad news sells. But there comes a stage in societies and countries, as well as the minds of news-readers and TV-viewers, when they just get sick of bad news.

I think it is no exaggeration to say that Pakistanis in general have gotten used to bad news, negative publicity, adverse editorial opinion and just general anti-Pakistan sentiment every day, everywhere, from New Delhi to New York.

That is why it was such a happy occasion to see the current Administration of Pakistan, opposition leaders, the military as well as the Chief Justice of Pakistan doing their part to literally bring Pakistan back from the brink of total chaos.

The reinstatement of the Chief Justice, as well as other political institutions and Punjab government, were also much awaited good news for Pakistanis. You could feel and hear the actual sense both of pride and hope in the eyes and voices of Pakistanis of all walks of life, from Karachi to California.

Obviously this was not detracting critics of Pakistan, as well as Indians and their lobbyists, in addition to Pakistan-bashers in general from continuing their attacks on Pakistan.

It even seems that American Administration officials, in particular the military men responsible for Afghanistan and Pakistan, also have a vested interest in giving the impression of an unstable Pakistan almost on the verge of total collapse.

I don't know if that would be to give them the excuses to continue with their missile strikes or for some other nefarious purpose. Or just to make themselves look like heroes when things get better in 6-12 months.

One can understand their fear, that nuclear-armed Pakistan, with internal strife, daily terror attacks, especially with a perceived internal support for the Taliban among certain government agencies, could become a nuclear nightmare for the United States. But, their own pronouncements have the risk of becoming self-fulfilling prophecies.

However, their pseudo-intellectual analysis of Pakistan being on the verge of collapsing as a country within six months is hardly the way to go about expecting positive change in Pakistan, or Pakistanis attitudes towards America and its representatives here. Nor is it helping bring about economic prosperity, or at least stability, when that is most needed to ensure a prosperous future for Pakistan and Pakistanis.

Keep in mind that any criticism of Pakistan also has a multiplication factor of actions by the Taliban as well as Al Qaeda, which seems to have made parts of Pakistan their head office. Throw in the general fear, mistrust and perhaps even sheer hatred for the concept of militant Islam and Muslims, and you can see why Pakistan gets perceived even worse by Western media, politicians and the public in general.

Sadly, it is supposedly our fellow "Muslims", whether they are brainwashed or willing hell-bound murderers, who take away the brief moments of joy and good news that Pakistanis begin to enjoy.

To make matters worse they kill and maim innocent people, destroy families and malign, damage and even insult Islam by carrying out the most despicable, dastardly and disgusting acts of horror. They blow themselves up in mosques, even in funeral processions, where the only thoughts most people have in their mind at that time are of God and of the day when we all have to return to Him.

I believe that the word suicide bomber is totally insufficient to describe these forces of Evil, these representatives of Satan, these worshippers of Lucifer, these children of Shaitan.

I believe we Pakistanis, and Muslims, as well as the media have to start calling them by their real name. they are not "jihadis". They are not suicide bombers. They should be referred to as "jahanummi qaatil kuffar" - because that is what they are – hell-bound murderer infidels.

And, we need scholars of Islam, religious leaders and decent Imams and Ulema to give fatwas against every jahanummi qaatil kuffar who carries out such attacks.

Let the ones following them know that they will not go to heaven with 72 virgins waiting for them. Let them hear they will go to hell, with the entire Ummah spitting on their names and dead bodies with 7200 curses lashing their souls for eternity.

The recent events and terror attacks in the last few days have left no doubt in my mind that these are the worst enemies of Islam and Pakistan. And the sooner Muslims and Pakistanis unite t exterminate these vermin, the better off Islam, Muslims, Pakistan and the world will be.

From their actions aiming to kill worshippers in a house of God, to the shameless, spineless, disgusting torture and whipping or public flogging of a young woman (regardless of whether the video was made recently or months ago), they show themselves to be the animals that they are.

They are even worse than the pagan Arabs that our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) made it his mission in life to try to first show the light of true Islam and later to defeat in battle. Fighting these true enemies of Islam is true Jihad.

How shameful that these people, whom even the Quresh tribe of pagan Arabia would spit upon, are the ones claiming to do what they do in the name of God, religion and Islam.

But like many Pakistanis, and many Americans, who believe that the future is always going to be bright, I refuse to give in and give up hope. Even in these terrible, and dark, days I see good news.

I felt proud to be part of the Pakistani media, both through the pages of the magazine and newspaper chain that carry my outspoken opinions, to my own blog and new media, as well as the TV channels that I also appear on. Each one of them went above and beyond to expose the evil, dastardly, cowardly, woman-flogging Taliban for the vile scum that they are.

I am proud of my fellow Pakistanis, here in Pakistan or living abroad, doing their bit to spread the word of this heinous crime - using every tool available to them, from e-mail to Twitter, FaceBook, etc.

I felt pride in the Chief Justice of Pakistan taking notice of this grave injustice and jumping into action. I am even appreciative of usually spineless, two-faced, politicians who spoke up against this cruelty.

In all these things I feel Pakistan and Pakistanis have turned yet another positive corner. I see this as yet another positive sign. I see even more light at the end of the tunnel than before.

I see a nation not falling apart in six months. I see a newly rejuvenated nation. I see Pakistan coming together closer, more united, with greater faith and higher discipline than ever before.

I see a new willingness in the psyche of formerly apathetic Pakistanis finally starting to speak up. Much that I would like to take credit for having written the article asking people not to be silent anymore, in reality my recent article was written knowing in my heart of hearts how great a future we all want for Pakistan.

I know in my heart, mind, body and soul exactly what greatness lies within the hearts, minds and souls of my fellow Muslims and Pakistani people.

Pakistanis taking a stand, and speaking against the evil-doers and the bad news, is the good news, even the best news, we have heard all year.

==
Imran Anwar is a New York and Miami based Pakistani-American entrepreneur, Internet pioneer, inventor, writer and TV personality. He can be reached through his web site http://imran.com and imran@imran.com . You can follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/imrananwar

Saturday, April 04, 2009

Down To A Sun Filled Sky, Smith Point, Long Island, NY

Down To A Sun Filled Sky, Smith Point, Long Island, NY  - IMRAN™

Another stunning Long Island sunset as a plane turns towards its destination. I am reminded of a novel I read as a teenager, Down To A Sunless Sky.

Protect Your Photos Forever at neternity.org

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©2009 IMRAN

Saturday, March 28, 2009

On Terrorism: Your Silence Speaks Volumes

This has been another week in which Pakistan has been in the news in America. Pakistan has embarked on a major new path when its people once again stood up for democracy. But that news has not been reported very much in American media. It is almost as if some American media were disappointed that, for a change, the news from Pakistan was good.

You would think that these media would have preferred if Pakistan had a "Long March" which turned to total chaos and anarchy. It would have given some American media and many so-called analysts the opportunity to say, "I told you so." For them it would have been more newsworthy to report "Pakistan near collapse" than the "boring" news that "Pakistanis Face & Reverse Tyranny."

I wonder if it is because most American media, despite their protestations and editorial comments when Pakistan does not have democracy, in their heart of hearts know that American interests abroad are best served by keeping dictators in power.

After all, that is the one thing American governments, be they Republican or Democrat, have always been consistent on. They have always supported dictators in Pakistan. Of course, that is the same reason they use to curtail aid to Pakistan, but always seem to open their wallets when a dictator in Pakistan plays hardball with them.

It would be foolish and irresponsible for us to believe that everything is hunky-dory in Pakistan. Pakistan managed to step back from the precipice of a total meltdown after the Long March. President Asif Zardari and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif finally agreed on a mechanism for the restoration of the Chief Justice of Pakistan. Chief Justice Iftikhar Chowdhry has taken his office again. But Pakistan is not out of the woods.

The terrorists who carried out the attack on the Sri Lankan Cricket team are still brazenly moving about the city of Lahore, posing unknown threats to Pakistanis. The Taliban and their evil supporters have stooped to new lows.

Even the repulsive Zionist army of Israel, invading and slaughtering Palestinians and the Lebanese, or the indiscriminate bombings of American jets in Afghanistan and Iraq, have never been known to specifically directly target a mosque full of worshippers. Yet that is what the scum of the universe, the suicide bombers in Pakistan and Afghanistan, are doing.

How are their actions serving Islam? How they are helping liberate Palestine or Kashmir - by killing 100 Muslims in a mosque during prayers? They are not.

It is all about sowing terror, not spreading Islam. It is all about bloodlust, not about freedom. It is all about evil, not about iman. Yet the silence of leading politicians from religious parties, ulema, imams and other "thaikedars" of Islam is deafening.

The same people who jump on every opportunity to have a press conference, or send out a press release, about deaths happening in Palestine or Iraq seem to have nothing to say on this biggest evil of suicide bombers right in our own home, killing our fellow Pakistani Muslims on an almost daily basis.

Some apologists for these professional so-called "defenders of Islam" try to make excuses for them. They tell me that they did indeed, maybe some time in the past, say something or the other condemning terrorism.

My question is, isn't the slaughter of Pakistani and Muslim worshippers in a mosque a far more evil deed that is being carried out right under our noses? Why is there not a daily fatwa against suicide bombers? Why are we not declaring every day (even by name of the suicide bomber of the day) that they will be burning in the deepest recesses of hell?

What Pakistanis, and Afghans, do not seem to still realize is that their silence is acquiescence. By not uniting and using every available tool to eradicate the scourge of suicide bombing terrorists from within Pakistan and Afghanistan, both these countries are inviting more and more trouble from abroad.

President Barack Hussein Obama has recently released more information about his plans for Afghanistan and, more ominously, Pakistan. The good news is that an American president at least understands the challenges that are faced by America and the West in that region. The bad news is that an American president understands the challenges that are faced by America and the West in that region. What do I mean by that?

What it means is that Obama is winding down on the war in Iraq. He and his advisers realize that while time, energy and money were being wasted in Iraq, thanks to the foolish and idiotic warmongering policies of George W. Bush, the real threat of Al Qaeda was actually growing.

During this time, because of Bush simply outsourcing the hunt for Bin Laden to General Musharraf, the only thing that was achieved was greater hatred for America among the very people of Pakistan and Afghanistan who could have helped eradicate Al Qaeda.

This is a make or break opportunity for Pakistan, as well as Afghanistan. We now have an American president who is actively working to undo the damage done by George W. Bush around the world. He is diligently working to withdraw troops from Iraq. He has already ordered an increase in aid to Pakistan.

He has more than once mentioned that the main conflict between Pakistan and India is Kashmir and that America needs to help solve that problem.

On more than one occasion, in recent speeches, he has directly spoken words addressed to the Muslim population of the world. He has even done the unthinkable for an American president; speaking words addressed directly to America's original arch nemesis in the Muslim world, Iran and its clerics.

Let's remember that this man is still President of the biggest military power on the planet. America still is the only remaining superpower. He is not speaking from a position of weakness. He is not speaking to win any elections in America.

Obama's outreach attempts to befriend Muslims have even been criticized by his opponents at home. Many of them think that reaching out to the Muslim world is caving in to terror.

Think about it, dear reader. We Muslims, with our silence, have allowed things to get so bad that the typical, not highly educated, not very politically aware, citizen of most western countries equates our religion of peace with blood lust and terror.

If we do not speak up, unite and eradicate the evil growing amongst us, it will kill more and more of our fellow Muslims and Pakistanis. It will continue to malign our religion Islam and threaten the very existence of our beloved countries.

Do you still want to remain silent? Speak up now or one day God will ask you about it.

===
Imran Anwar is a New York and Miami based Pakistani-American entrepreneur, Internet pioneer, inventor, writer and TV personality. He can be reached through his web site http://imran.com and imran@imran.com . You can converse with him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/imrananwar


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