The methodology for the formation of government and the organizing of mankind is generally known as politics, in a sense that it should be fair, honest and transparent enough to be relied on by the general public.

Politics, or political systems for that matter, has become an integral part of everyday life; people in democratic countries view it as an opportunity of selecting people to govern the state for a specified term based on their preferences. Human life viewed from the corridors of broad logic and the prism of intellect reveals to us something extraordinarily vital about how it moves on and what affects it the most.

Principle perspectives defining human existence tell us that there are three elements that can be regarded as there epitome for survival: namely religious, social and economic, all bonded directly or indirectly through politics, impacting human life.

The extent of the government’s power is naturally limited to economic and social matters among others, because democratic countries rely on pillars of secularism to erect the structure of a neutral state. Politics acts as primary parameter for people to make judgments on how society should be formed, expressed through voting and secondly because the preferences of people helps the government to satisfy the desire of individuals by bringing in new laws and principles in accordance to people’s preferences.

But contrary to its reputation, politics acts as a servant of society by revolving around the corner of human life. In simple terms, it is a system that depends on how people feel, being expressed through voting. This is because indirectly the whole of the political system is responsible for leading the society towards certain goals. For example, in the case of less-developed nations, the ultimate focus of the system will be on how to enhance the system of social justice, economic opportunities and social dignity for individuals.

In democratic countries, society acts as a center of the universe and politics just orbits around it; survival of an entire polity in a great degree is reciprocal of survival and the enrichment of society. In case of a multiparty democracy, the primary goal of all parties will always be achieving targets envisioned for making a country prosperous, but routes they follow may differ.

But in case of theocratic governance systems, the whole establishment of governance is based on scripture or philosophy, so there arises a question of political in-fighting for supremacy.

Politics minus dirty vote-maximizing and winning tricks can lead to a path of peace and consistent prosperity, but the onus of cleaning the dirt is with the public.

Thankfully, its development of political philosophy over the years served us with the different forms of governments and establishments of societies, ultimately leading towards an augmented governing system.

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Over the course of the years since its independence from the British empire in 1947, Pakistan has tried to establish itself as a Muslim state that borders in between a liberal one and a more conservative Islamic country. The attempt at trying to find the right balance to accommodate the opposing viewpoints have led to some clashes, including the buzz of Maya Khan, a Pakistani morning talk show host who has taken it upon herself to chase down unmarried couples in local parks and publicizing their actions on a local TV channel. A relationship before marriage is largely frowned upon and is deemed immoral in the Islamic point of view.

Mehreen Kasana, an American/Pakistani student and a TEDxKinnaird speaker based in Lahore was outraged by Maya Khan’s action. Even though this incident happened a few months ago, Mehreen Kasana, a member of the younger generation of Pakistan has spoken out and stood up as part of the more liberal side of Pakistan by writing an open letter to Maya Khan.

Toonari Post (TP): What was your main reason behind writing the letter? Why did you feel compelled to even write one?

Mehreen Kasana (MK): I’ll put it bluntly: I had seen way too much of intrusion by media into personal lives on TV, newspapers and social media outlets, and I thought it’s about time I did my part even if it meant like jotting down a simple, open letter to one of these people who should display regard for ethics and privacy.

TP: Did you expect the the letter to go viral?

MK: No. I never knew a serious, slightly angry letter would garner so much attention. I guess I hit a nerve somewhere. I’m glad it did.

TP: Do you feel that your views might be influenced by the fact that you were born and raised in the USA?

MK: Yes and no. While there is considerable respect for personal space and privacy in the US where I was raised, there are ample instances of the same in Pakistan and other places in the subcontinent but, like I’ve said before, that regard is unfortunately rejected by a certain type of self-righteous moral police that believe that the sole purpose of their existence is to dictate what is perfect conduct according to them.

In this dictation they completely forget that the religion (Islam in this case) they’re using as an excuse to carry out this invasion of privacy, is the same religion that places emphasis on hiding the flaws of others, leaving private affairs between said person and Allah only. I think this problem is one of the consequences of conflating culture with religion. In the cultures of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran, there are some men and women who believe that the ‘goodness’ of their character is determined by their ability to cleanse society of its ‘evil.’  Imagine if such a figure is given a microphone, camera and their very own morning talk show. Things can get messy.

TP: What is your personal view on unmarried couples hanging out in such public places?

MK: If you want my take on simple, unmarried couples taking walks in public parks or eating vanilla ice cream, it’s simple: Please let them be. One of the driving concerns of Maya Khan’s interrogation of the couple was that, according to her, perhaps they were indulging in sex trafficking. I understand that because it has happened in family parks and, yes, this is detrimental to the safety of the people (including children) in those parks but you can seek the help of law for that. Public vigilantism is not the way to go about it.

TP: Do you think that Pakistan is ready for more strictly imposed Islamic laws as they have in Saudi Arabia, whereby unmarried couples can be caught and fined?

MK: That’s enforcing Islamic law on everyone – including minorities that don’t follow these restrictions basically because they’re not Muslims to begin with. That’s wrong. In my opinion, no one should be penalized merely due to a theocratic state’s set of laws. It’s an infringement on their autonomy – something that is un-Islamic. While there are people in Pakistan who would happily endorse such a punishment, there are also a considerable number of people – including Muslims like yours truly – who oppose it.

TP: What do your friends and family think of the open letter? How has the public response been?

MK: I’ve received immense support and positive criticism after I wrote the letter along with some angry trolling too. It opened ways for dialogue concerning Islam, societal ethics, the obvious deteriorating state of professional journalism in Pakistan and a lot more. My mother laughed while reading the letter because she knew it took a lot for me to contain my disdain for invasive media.  My father has been my pillar despite our difference of opinion on religion, culture, politics, etc. He also supported the letter.

Unlike many Pakistani fathers, he refuses to give in to the public outcry that is, “Your daughter has brought shame to your family by having a male friend!” We’re from a very traditional family of landlords. The idea of a liberated, outspoken daughter is dangerous because the orthodox concept of ‘honor’ clashes with progressive, moderate followers of Islam – what we happen to be. There were some threats from the fans of Maya Khan. Someone said they’ll “show up at my college” and “teach me a lesson.” I waited for the lesson. It never came.

TP: If there is one thing you could say to Maya Khan, what would it be?

MK: Bearing no grudges against you, I am certain that you’ve realized you made a mistake by chasing those couples but I hope that, now that you’ve started another show, you’ll rise above your error and become someone worth admiring in terms of media ethics. Channel that energy for a good, legitimate cause.

For more of Mehreen Kasana, visit her personal blog.

The article Mehreen Kasana: Speaking Out Against Pakistan’s Moral Police appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

What if the whole domino set falls? What then? Will a new hopeful Middle East arise from the ashes of its former self or will it end up being the theocratic extremist monster of the world, a title it seems to hold today.

The Middle East has yet to wrestle with issues of separation of church and state in any conclusive manner. Although the debate has been raging on for centuries among Islamic scholars, the current changes taking place in the different countries of the region offer a unique opportunity for the debate to take center stage.

With the recent uprisings suggesting that change is in fact being created from the ground up, the degree of separation between organized religion and the state will be dictated by a newly empowered national audience. In doing so, this debate will be contentious and at times slightly dangerous. However if the Middle East is to ever be expected to fix the fundamental issues that currently plague its various institutions, it must learn to do so on its own. That would entail no course correction interventions by world powers, no matter how difficult it is to fight back the urge.

It would be naive to think that democracy and direct public participation will lead to any single government in the region being composed entirely of liberal, western oriented public servants. Islam is a part of the social fabric of these societies. Like evangelicals in America, religion is the preferred narrative of many in the region. The responsibility of figuring out how to temper both religion and liberalism so that they may coexist will fall to the people of the Middle East and they should knowingly invite this new challenge. After all, it is their history and their future that will be at stake.

The president of the United States can lead the international community in this regard by issuing a public statement promising to leave the Middle East dictate its own future. Such a statement would go a long way in fortifying a sense of confidence and ownership among the people. It would simultaneously help dispel whatever rumors and hyper conspiracy theories to come in a region that has a seemingly over abundance of both. However with the unfortunate intervention in Libya,

How exactly the individual countries in the Middle East will look like in the future is quite frankly impossible to tell with any degree of certainty. However a strong combination of both conservative religion and liberal ideals might be the dominant feature of the region, with each country inching towards one or the other. In either case, both will face numerous and ongoing challenges. Conservatives will have to temper their brands to fit within a framework of democracy, while liberals will have to make liberalism fit and adapt into the larger cultural narrative.

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