Ayesha Hassan Afzal wrote:
Some people are born leaders and Imran Khan is one of them, he didn't join cricket team through a military coup (as Musharraf did). {On 12 Oct. 1999; there were no such things - Musharraf did all that actions to satisfy his Zionists friends}. I HATE TO INTERFERE [CARE ABOUT] ONE'S PERSONAL PROBLEMS, ISSUES AND THE LIKE. All the humans are prone to err, therefore, all of us make so many mistakes. And yes, I second arguments of Mr. Asher. Imran Khan's personal life does not have any mean for other people, but, his social life does and this is what people care about.
=======================================================
Dear Ms. Ayesha,
My humble views are as under:
American Backed Former Martial Law Administrator and President of Pakistan General Pervez Musharraf [1999 - 2008]
Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi - Founder of Pakistan Justice Party [Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf] Do check 2002 National Newspapers for the dirty role played by Imran Khan in support of General Musharraf.
And Imran Khan and his party Tehreek-e-Insaf [Pakistan Justice Party]supported General Musharraf in his Illegal Referendum in 2002 [to become Illegal President of Pakistan]. It seems that Imran Khan and his party indirectly supported General Musharraf's Zioninst Friends back in 2002 [was Imran Khan sleeping or smoking a Joint] because in 2002 Imran Khan backed the referendum to decide the future of President Pervez Musharraf. After considerable dithering, Imran Khan declared that his party has decided to support Musharraf's referendum. In a statement issued from Karachi, Imran had said he has decided to support the referendum as he believed that Musharraf wanted "to make Pakistan a modern Islamic, welfare state".
And Imran Khan and his party Tehreek-e-Insaf [Pakistan Justice Party]supported General Musharraf in his Illegal Referendum in 2002 [to become Illegal President of Pakistan]. It seems that Imran Khan and his party indirectly supported General Musharraf's Zioninst Friends back in 2002 [was Imran Khan sleeping or smoking a Joint] because in 2002 Imran Khan backed the referendum to decide the future of President Pervez Musharraf. After considerable dithering, Imran Khan declared that his party has decided to support Musharraf's referendum. In a statement issued from Karachi, Imran had said he has decided to support the referendum as he believed that Musharraf wanted "to make Pakistan a modern Islamic, welfare state".
Late. Sita White and Tyrian Khan
Late. Sita White and Tyrian Khan
Late. Sita White
Abondning a love Child [born out of wedlock] and that too a girl is not a good thing for a leader [I wonder what the Quran has to say about such adulterer, I wont quote Hadith] i.e. Imran Khan who as per you would change Pakistan's destiny. You are very far from reality of ruthless and pragmatic and even ideological politics.
Sita White on Imran Khan's Illegitimate Child.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SoEW2aZU2Y
A Los Angeles court ruled that cricket hero-turned-politician Imran Khan was the legal father of a four-year-old illegitimate southern California girl. "Imran Khan is the father of the child," superior court commissioner Anthony Jones said on August 13, after a brief hearing. Khan, who had refused to co-operate by taking a blood test for the genetic determination of paternity, did not show up for the proceedings. His attorneys also failed to appear, so a default judgement was entered. Khan led Pakistan to a World Cup triumph in 1992. Earlier this year, he failed in his bid to become prime minister of Pakistan. "We believe the complaint, as originally filed, was ill-motivated," said Khan's New York attorney, Bernard Clair. "We believe the mother may have been the unwitting tool of my client's opponents." Sita White, who lives in Beverly Hills, had a relationship with Khan in 1987-88 and, when they met again in Los Angeles on October 2, 1991, she told him she wanted to have his baby, her attorney Gloria Allred said. "We did not request child support," Allred said. "We hope that, one day, he will open his heart to his little daughter and give her the love, respect and support every little girl deserves. "White got pregnant and Khan told her he hoped it was a boy. When he learnt the baby would be a girl, Khan expressed disappointment and said the child would not be able to play cricket. He urged White to have an abortion, but she refused," Allred said. Tyrian Jade was born on June 15, 1992, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Since her birth, Khan has neither seen nor spoken to the child although he and White have spoken periodically during that period," said Allred. "He never paid any child support." During his quest to become prime minister, Khan denied having fathered an illegitimate child, which could have made him ineligible to become prime minister. "He categorically denies the paternity of this child," Clair said. "We think to use the child as a pawn in such a publicity circus demonstrates, to us at least, that the mother has other reasons for pursuing paternity." Khan, 42, said he dated and frequented night clubs during his days as a cricketer and, before that, as a student at Oxford University. But, since retiring from sports in 1992, he said he has transformed himself into a devout Muslim. He even vowed to marry a woman who observed purdah (life behind the veil). But, in 1995, he married British heiress Jemima Goldsmith. His political opponents have attacked Jemima, the daughter of the late English billionaire, Sir James Goldsmith, for her Jewish heritage. Khan says, though his wife's ancestors were Jewish, she was Protestant and had converted to Islam to marry him. UNI. REFERENCE: Imran Khan fathered illegitimate child, rules California court http://m.rediff.com/news/aug/14imran.htm
Will the Real Imran Please Stand Up By Amir Zia
Imran Khan's choice of candidate for prime minister has left many of his ardent fans, especially women, dumbfounded. The cricketer-turned-politician voted for Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal's nominee for premier, against the advise of many liberal and progressive members within his Tehrik-e-Insaaf (TI).
Imran used his solitary vote in parliament in Rehman's favour, forwarding the argument that the MMA is the only political force that is independent and does not take dictation from abroad. He maintained that he found himself ideologically and politically close to the MMA, which denounces President Pervez Musharraf's support to the international coalition in the war against terrorism, especially in neighbouring Afghanistan.
"Khan has more than a soft corner for the ousted Afghan Taliban," a senior leader of his party said on the condition of anonymity. "He thinks that the orthodox religious militia did a great service to Afghanistan and Islam before they became a target of the Americans."
Also, the MMA's firm stand against Musharraf, especially his series of controversial constitutional amendments, won the heart of Pakistan's former speedster, he added.
Imran's protracted bitterness towards the Pakistan Peoples' Party and anger against the Pakistan Muslim League left him with no alternative other than the MMA, which secured 86 votes, including those of the Pakistan Muslim League (N).
Khan's vote for the pro-Taliban cleric has added to the political confusion within his party, which performed poorly in the October 10 elections. "It would have been understandable, had Imran voted for a candidate that was nominated jointly by the opposition," said a senior Tehrik-e-Insaaf leader. "But by voting for the MMA, he most certainly has lost his standing among the liberal, democratic and progressive elements in society."
Human rights groups and the majority of the moderate and liberal Muslims have been extremely critical of the MMA's narrow interpretation of Islam and the conservative views of its leaders on women, education, fine arts, television and sports. By voting for the MMA, the Tehrik-e-Insaaf chief has, in effect, endorsed the religious alliance's stand on these issues as well.
Will the women's wing of the Tehrik-e-Insaaf, led by Jemima, Khan's British-born wife, endorse the Taliban-like interpretation of Islam? That remains a moot point.
Mairaj Mohammed Khan, the Tehrik-e-Insaaf's secretary general who has spent a lifetime advocating socialism and secular politics, finds it hard to defend the somersaults of the party leader, who has drifted from one extreme (of being pro-Musharraf) to the other extreme (of being anti-Musharraf) within a short span of time.
Off The Record 3/24/11 - P1
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FI4MNqyOZHk&feature=player_embedded
Off The Record 3/24/11 - P2
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79wIdpxoQZE&feature=player_embedded
off The record 3/24/11 - P3
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUSYGPWOP8k&feature=player_embedded
"Even we are finding it difficult to figure out the real Imran," quipped another of his Karachi-based leaders. "He dons the shalwar-kameez and preaches desi and religious values while in Pakistan, but transforms himself completely while rubbing shoulders with the elite in Britain and elsewhere in the west."
Many in the Tehrik-e-Insaaf would have preferred to see Imran abstain from the voting like the veteran Pakhtoonkhawa Milli Awami Party leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai.
"But such political maturity is perhaps too much to ask or expect of Imran," says a Karachi-based Tehrik-e-Insaaf leader and a close aide of Mairaj Mohammed Khan's. "It is understandable why people do not take Imran and his party seriously in politics," he said. "His self-righteousness and high-flying principles fail to explain the contradiction between his strange fondness for the maulanas and his passion for all the good things in life which have come from the west.
Imran Khan's vote for the MMA candidate for PM leaves his admirers wondering if he is actually a mullah at heart.
When one is Political Figure then his Personal Life also becomes a matter of importance, I wish you remember Monica and Bill Clinton Love Affair...
Mr. Imran Khan! the same Imran Khan and Tehreek-e-Insaf [Justice Party supported the Illegal Referendum 2002 held by General Musharraf's Martial Law Regime for self-appointment as President of Pakistan] is sitting with Qazi Hussain Ahmed [Jamat-e-Islami i.e. other half of MMA then suddenly it becomes matter of urgent national interest. One wonders where is Imran's integrity because Justice [Retd] Tariq Mehmood of The Lawyers Movement has repeatedly appealed to the Lawyers to keep the movement apolitical and impartial and donot let at least those element like Jamat-e-Islami who under the MMA supported General Musharraf's Uniform through supporting his draconian and illegal 17th Constitutional Amendment which has ruined the constitution. Imran Khan talk of Justice and Fair Play lets call spade a spade, would Mr Imran provide Justice to Ms. Sita White on whom the Jamat-e-Islami's official Newspaper Jasarat used to run character assassination campaign against Imran Khan throughout 90s.
Imran used his solitary vote in parliament in Rehman's favour, forwarding the argument that the MMA is the only political force that is independent and does not take dictation from abroad. He maintained that he found himself ideologically and politically close to the MMA, which denounces President Pervez Musharraf's support to the international coalition in the war against terrorism, especially in neighbouring Afghanistan.
"Khan has more than a soft corner for the ousted Afghan Taliban," a senior leader of his party said on the condition of anonymity. "He thinks that the orthodox religious militia did a great service to Afghanistan and Islam before they became a target of the Americans."
Also, the MMA's firm stand against Musharraf, especially his series of controversial constitutional amendments, won the heart of Pakistan's former speedster, he added.
Imran's protracted bitterness towards the Pakistan Peoples' Party and anger against the Pakistan Muslim League left him with no alternative other than the MMA, which secured 86 votes, including those of the Pakistan Muslim League (N).
Khan's vote for the pro-Taliban cleric has added to the political confusion within his party, which performed poorly in the October 10 elections. "It would have been understandable, had Imran voted for a candidate that was nominated jointly by the opposition," said a senior Tehrik-e-Insaaf leader. "But by voting for the MMA, he most certainly has lost his standing among the liberal, democratic and progressive elements in society."
Human rights groups and the majority of the moderate and liberal Muslims have been extremely critical of the MMA's narrow interpretation of Islam and the conservative views of its leaders on women, education, fine arts, television and sports. By voting for the MMA, the Tehrik-e-Insaaf chief has, in effect, endorsed the religious alliance's stand on these issues as well.
Will the women's wing of the Tehrik-e-Insaaf, led by Jemima, Khan's British-born wife, endorse the Taliban-like interpretation of Islam? That remains a moot point.
Mairaj Mohammed Khan, the Tehrik-e-Insaaf's secretary general who has spent a lifetime advocating socialism and secular politics, finds it hard to defend the somersaults of the party leader, who has drifted from one extreme (of being pro-Musharraf) to the other extreme (of being anti-Musharraf) within a short span of time.
Daring and Bold "Khawaja Asif (MNA - PML-N)" has thoroughly exposed "Alleged Che Guevara Imran Khan" and his "Un-named Properties" allotted to Imran Khan by Sharif Brothers. Recently Imran Khan dined with a Serving General?
Off The Record 3/24/11 - P1
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FI4MNqyOZHk&feature=player_embedded
Off The Record 3/24/11 - P2
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79wIdpxoQZE&feature=player_embedded
off The record 3/24/11 - P3
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUSYGPWOP8k&feature=player_embedded
"Even we are finding it difficult to figure out the real Imran," quipped another of his Karachi-based leaders. "He dons the shalwar-kameez and preaches desi and religious values while in Pakistan, but transforms himself completely while rubbing shoulders with the elite in Britain and elsewhere in the west."
Many in the Tehrik-e-Insaaf would have preferred to see Imran abstain from the voting like the veteran Pakhtoonkhawa Milli Awami Party leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai.
"But such political maturity is perhaps too much to ask or expect of Imran," says a Karachi-based Tehrik-e-Insaaf leader and a close aide of Mairaj Mohammed Khan's. "It is understandable why people do not take Imran and his party seriously in politics," he said. "His self-righteousness and high-flying principles fail to explain the contradiction between his strange fondness for the maulanas and his passion for all the good things in life which have come from the west.
Imran Khan's vote for the MMA candidate for PM leaves his admirers wondering if he is actually a mullah at heart.
When one is Political Figure then his Personal Life also becomes a matter of importance, I wish you remember Monica and Bill Clinton Love Affair...
Mr. Imran Khan! the same Imran Khan and Tehreek-e-Insaf [Justice Party supported the Illegal Referendum 2002 held by General Musharraf's Martial Law Regime for self-appointment as President of Pakistan] is sitting with Qazi Hussain Ahmed [Jamat-e-Islami i.e. other half of MMA then suddenly it becomes matter of urgent national interest. One wonders where is Imran's integrity because Justice [Retd] Tariq Mehmood of The Lawyers Movement has repeatedly appealed to the Lawyers to keep the movement apolitical and impartial and donot let at least those element like Jamat-e-Islami who under the MMA supported General Musharraf's Uniform through supporting his draconian and illegal 17th Constitutional Amendment which has ruined the constitution. Imran Khan talk of Justice and Fair Play lets call spade a spade, would Mr Imran provide Justice to Ms. Sita White on whom the Jamat-e-Islami's official Newspaper Jasarat used to run character assassination campaign against Imran Khan throughout 90s.
[Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) From Left to Right: Ahl-e-Hadith Sajid Mir, Barelwi Shah Ahmed Noorani, Deviant Jamati-Khariji Qazi Hussein Ahmed and Deobandi Maulana Fazlur Rahman - An alliance of Deviant and Sectarian Mullahs who supported General Musharraf's Martial Law Regime from 2002 to 2007 and they shared Government/Power with General Pervez Musharraf in NWFP and Baluchistan]
'MMA was created by ISI' RECORDER REPORT [Courtesy Business Recorder 2005]
http://www.brecorder.com/index.php?id=198267&currPageNo=12&query=jamhoori&search=1&term=2004-10-012006-12-31&supDate=
MULTAN (February 16 2005): Farooq Maudoodi son of founder of Jamaat-i-Islami, late Abul Aala Maudoodi, has said that Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) had been created by ISI and it is a part and parcel of the military government and cannot part ways with President Pervez Musharraf. Talking to a group of journalists here on Tuesday he said: "Qazi Hussain Ahmed met the then ISI chief, General Ehsan-ul-Haq, then called on General Pervez Musharraf and later met US ambassador, then flew to United States. As soon as he returned, MMA was formed like IJI (Islami jamhoori Ittehad)."
He said that IJI was organised by ISI and funds were also provided by it on the assurance of Qazi Hussain Ahmed, who had also played a key role in IJI. "Now he is playing major role in MMA."
Bitterly criticising the MMA, Farooq said that the role of MMA is evidence of its loyalties with military regime. It had approved the 17th constitutional amendment which is in favour of the present regime.
He said: "Where has the MMA movement gone while its leadership is claiming that it would continue till the achievement of objective of 'Uniform'?"
Farooq said that Benazir knew very well about MMA and she had some reservations about it. He said that ISI has complete record of MMA leaders and they cannot escape. He said that politics ended in 1958 when Ayub imposed martial law. He said that plundering of evacuee trust property (Auqaf) and politics of clerics destroyed the politics of the country.
Regarding deletion of column of 'religion' from Passport, he said that it was a good step and Ulema should have welcomed it but they made it part of their agitation to hoodwink the innocent Muslims.
Farooq said that some bad things were added in the constitution by Zia-ul-Haq, which must be excluded, which had bred many ills.
He said that IJI was organised by ISI and funds were also provided by it on the assurance of Qazi Hussain Ahmed, who had also played a key role in IJI. "Now he is playing major role in MMA."
Bitterly criticising the MMA, Farooq said that the role of MMA is evidence of its loyalties with military regime. It had approved the 17th constitutional amendment which is in favour of the present regime.
He said: "Where has the MMA movement gone while its leadership is claiming that it would continue till the achievement of objective of 'Uniform'?"
Farooq said that Benazir knew very well about MMA and she had some reservations about it. He said that ISI has complete record of MMA leaders and they cannot escape. He said that politics ended in 1958 when Ayub imposed martial law. He said that plundering of evacuee trust property (Auqaf) and politics of clerics destroyed the politics of the country.
Regarding deletion of column of 'religion' from Passport, he said that it was a good step and Ulema should have welcomed it but they made it part of their agitation to hoodwink the innocent Muslims.
Farooq said that some bad things were added in the constitution by Zia-ul-Haq, which must be excluded, which had bred many ills.
Late. Sita WhiteSita White dies at yoga class Daily Times Monitor
NEW YORK: The sudden death of Sita White, 43, a British-born industrial heiress and former girlfriend of former Pakistan Cricket captain Imran Khan, has been shrouded in mystery, according to The New York Post. According to the paper, Sita had reportedly given birth to the love child of Imran and their daughter named Tyrian is now 12-years-old. Imran is expected to reach the US any moment, according to the report. Sita died during a Santa Monica yoga class in California. Her untimely death took place just weeks after the culmination of an eight-year legal battle which saw her awarded a 3 million dollar settlement from the estate of her late father, Lord White of Hull, adds the report. Sita’s stepmother, Victoria White, who was with her at the time said, “It was so sudden. It is just devastating. She was in a happy mood, she was in great shape.”
However, an autopsy will be performed to establish the sudden cause of Sita’s death. Family friends have disclosed that she was heavily stressed after apparently turning control of her newly acquired fortune to a pair of financial advisors, says the report. Meanwhile, Sita’s lawyers hoping that the money can be recaptured for Tyrian.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_16-5-2004_pg7_5
End of an Innings
Pakistan's most beautiful celebrity couple divorce amidst rumours of extra-marital affairs and a culture clash. By Massoud Ansari
Pakistani cricket legend turned social crusader, Imran Khan, drove to the Karakoram mountains with close family friends the day after he announced his divorce from his beautiful British socialite bride, Jemima Goldsmith. These were the same mountains Khan and Goldsmith had honeymooned in nine years ago, following their fairytale-style marriage in Richmond, south-west
London, in 1995.
Jemima, the daughter of billionaire British financier, Sir James Goldsmith, was 21, and Imran 42, when they married. Their union caused quite a stir in both Britain and Pakistan. The fact that Jemima converted to Islam after the wedding and changed her name to Jamila Haiqa may have placated her husband's political opponents, but her open championship of the Palestinian cause in newspaper articles, given her Jewish heritage, raised fierce criticism amongst certain Zionist quarters. The country's biggest celebrity split was announced through Imran's political party, Tehrik-e-Insaaf's (Movement for Justice) spokesman. "I sadly announce that Jemima and I have divorced," read Imran's written statement. "This was a mutual decision, and is clearly very sad for both of us. My home and my future is in Pakistan. Whilst Jemima tried her best to settle here, my political life made it difficult for her to adapt to life in Pakistan."
Javed Chaudhry Exposes Imran Khan's double standards
Kal Tak- with Javed Chaudry 21st march 2011 - p1
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=li0kZ768PSs&feature=player_embedded
Javed Chaudhry Exposes Imran Khan's double standards
Kal Tak- with Javed Chaudry 21st march 2011 - p2
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj5Wt-3KjIo&feature=player_embedded
Javed Chaudhry Exposes Imran Khan's double standards
Kal Tak- with Javed Chaudry 21st march 2011 - p3
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqUJiQJzd8Y&feature=player_embedded#at=113
Javed Chaudhry Exposes Imran Khan's double standards
Kal Tak- with Javed Chaudry 21st march 2011 - p4
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keuX9ObThEw&feature=player_embedded
Most of Imran's family members and close friends sum up the denouement of the couple's nine-year-long relationship as "the end of a fairytale." The divorce, however, has been amicable. "Imran and Jemima still love each other very much, and the divorce doesn't mean they have cut off all contact," says Yousuf Salahuddin, one of the close family friends who joined Khan on his mountaineering trip. "Imran is planning to travel to London to spend some time with his two sons, and will meet Jemima there. They are both mature and educated, and know how to separate in a civilised way."
According to Salahuddin, Jemima spoke to him for at least two hours from London, just one day before their divorce was announced. "Jemima is very sad about the split," he said.
According to Pakistani family law, a couple going through the process of divorce must serve a notice, along with the divorce deed, to their spouse through an Arbitration Council, or Family Court. The court then summons both parties within a 90-day period, for the purpose of attempting a reconciliation. If both parties refuse to reconcile, the divorce stands confirmed. As Jemima is not in Pakistan, however, Imran is legally permitted to serve her with divorce papers directly through an attorney or through the British High Commission in Pakistan. It is not clear yet which channel Khan has chosen to formalise his divorce. Khan's short press statement offered no details on who would retain custody of the couple's two children, 5-year-old Kasim and 7-year-old Suleiman.
Friends of the family state that the couple have mutually settled all contentious issues, including those affecting their children. According to Salahuddin, both Suleiman and Kasim would live with Jemima and visit Imran in Pakistan during the winters. "Both children are in a sensitive age bracket and need their mothers' care more than anything else," he said.
According to one of Imran's four sisters, their octogenarian father, Ikramullah Niazi, remained confined to his room all day when he heard the divorce had been finalised. "We are all very sad for our brother, but it was his own personal decision," she said. "Jemima is such a loveable person, and nobody can criticise her. We will always miss her."
Imran and Jemima's fairytale, cross-cultural and inter-faith marriage was the victim of many scandals, from those involving Imran's past relationships with other women, to accusations of Jemima smuggling valuable antiques out of the country. Jemima was also charged with being a Zionist agent by Pakistani politicians looking to discredit Imran, as well as being a student of the blasphemer author of The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie.
To prove her critics wrong, Jemima started work on an aid project for Afghan refugees in Jalozai, Peshawar - an initiative which landed her a job as UNICEF's UK Special Representative in September, 2001. Her work took her to Palestine and Afghanistan last year. Other philanthropic deeds included contributing the profits of her embroidered couture line to the Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital, set up by Imran in memory of his mother who had died of cancer.
The couple's high-profile marriage became the talk of the town once again when Jemima moved back to London in December last year, and enrolled for a master's degree at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). Rumours that the couple's relationship was on the rocks as a result of Imran's alleged admission to the paternity of Sita White's daughter, Tyrian Jade, were rife, compelling Jemima to place an advertisement in the newspapers in an attempt to refute claims that the couple was experiencing marital difficulties.
The latest controversy surrounding the marriage revolves around Jemima's new relationship with Hollywood star, Hugh Grant, a British actor famous for his reputation as a ladies man, after he was recently spotted leaving a high-society club in London with a mini-skirted Jemima in tow.
Most of Imran's family friends, however, deny that a third party was responsible for the break-up of the couple. "This is not the first time that either Imran or Jemima have been charged with having extra-marital affairs. The marriage was chock-a-block with similar scandals," says a close friend of the former couple. "Jemima went out with Grant accompanied by, at least, three other people," he clarified.
While British tabloids are notorious for engaging in character assassinations and mud-slinging in an attempt to boost sales, the Imran/Jemima split has seen even broadsheets stooping to sensational embellishments and racial stereotyping. Reports in The Guardian claim that the marriage caused Jemima to transform from a high-class socialite to a dowdy third-world housewife living in front of a kitchen sink. Although it is true the couple had chosen to settle in Imran's family home in Lahore after their marriage, they moved to an upscale locality near the lush-green Margalla hills, in Islamabad, in early 2000. Quelling claims that Jemima found it difficult to adapt to Pakistan's culture, Salahuddin maintains, "Jemima never found it difficult to cover-up after she converted to Islam and chose to live with Imran." Eager to fit in, Jemima took lessons in Urdu for three years and proved a talented pupil, even speaking in the local lingo while campaigning for her husband's election in October 2002. "I said a few lines in Pashto at one of the jalsas we went to in the Frontier, but I'm not fluent at all," a humble Jemima said in one of her interviews published last year in a local magazine.
According to Salahuddin, Jemima found it difficult to stay in Pakistan because of sensitivity to the weather. "Every time Jemima came to Pakistan, she would fall ill. She particularly suffered from amoebic dysentery. When she visited in April, she was hospitalised for three days."
"When our own girls of Pakistani origin, raised in the west, cannot live in Pakistan, how can a white girl be expected to live here permanently?" asks Imran's sister. "Jemima began to spend more and more time in London with her family, and has been living there permanently for the past year-and-a-half. She is very close to her family, just like our brother."
Imran, meanwhile, contended his life, and future, were in Pakistan
Rumours of divorce circulated once again when Imran was conspicuously absent at his wife's 30th birthday party, attended by many British celebrities, including Grant. "Imran runs a huge cancer hospital in Lahore, heads a political party, and has recently become a parliamentarian. These duties take away most of his time," said Salahuddin.
According to his friends, Imran had discussed his marital difficulties with them a few month ago, saying he could not sail two boats. "I cannot settle in London and Jemima cannot live in Pakistan. There is no option left."
Now divorced, the once again single-and-unwilling-to-mingle Imran is free to focus entirely on his political agenda. Plans are also underway to set-up another hospital in Karachi, and a university in Mianwali, Imran's hometown, from where he was elected member of parliament for the first time in the October 2002 elections.
And according to the nation's erstwhile heart-throb, "the sacrifice is worth it."
http://www.newsline.com.pk/newsJul2004/society1.htm
Pakistan's most beautiful celebrity couple divorce amidst rumours of extra-marital affairs and a culture clash. By Massoud Ansari
Pakistani cricket legend turned social crusader, Imran Khan, drove to the Karakoram mountains with close family friends the day after he announced his divorce from his beautiful British socialite bride, Jemima Goldsmith. These were the same mountains Khan and Goldsmith had honeymooned in nine years ago, following their fairytale-style marriage in Richmond, south-west
London, in 1995.
Jemima, the daughter of billionaire British financier, Sir James Goldsmith, was 21, and Imran 42, when they married. Their union caused quite a stir in both Britain and Pakistan. The fact that Jemima converted to Islam after the wedding and changed her name to Jamila Haiqa may have placated her husband's political opponents, but her open championship of the Palestinian cause in newspaper articles, given her Jewish heritage, raised fierce criticism amongst certain Zionist quarters. The country's biggest celebrity split was announced through Imran's political party, Tehrik-e-Insaaf's (Movement for Justice) spokesman. "I sadly announce that Jemima and I have divorced," read Imran's written statement. "This was a mutual decision, and is clearly very sad for both of us. My home and my future is in Pakistan. Whilst Jemima tried her best to settle here, my political life made it difficult for her to adapt to life in Pakistan."
Javed Chaudhry Exposes Imran Khan's double standards
Kal Tak- with Javed Chaudry 21st march 2011 - p1
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=li0kZ768PSs&feature=player_embedded
Javed Chaudhry Exposes Imran Khan's double standards
Kal Tak- with Javed Chaudry 21st march 2011 - p2
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj5Wt-3KjIo&feature=player_embedded
Javed Chaudhry Exposes Imran Khan's double standards
Kal Tak- with Javed Chaudry 21st march 2011 - p3
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqUJiQJzd8Y&feature=player_embedded#at=113
Javed Chaudhry Exposes Imran Khan's double standards
Kal Tak- with Javed Chaudry 21st march 2011 - p4
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keuX9ObThEw&feature=player_embedded
Most of Imran's family members and close friends sum up the denouement of the couple's nine-year-long relationship as "the end of a fairytale." The divorce, however, has been amicable. "Imran and Jemima still love each other very much, and the divorce doesn't mean they have cut off all contact," says Yousuf Salahuddin, one of the close family friends who joined Khan on his mountaineering trip. "Imran is planning to travel to London to spend some time with his two sons, and will meet Jemima there. They are both mature and educated, and know how to separate in a civilised way."
According to Salahuddin, Jemima spoke to him for at least two hours from London, just one day before their divorce was announced. "Jemima is very sad about the split," he said.
According to Pakistani family law, a couple going through the process of divorce must serve a notice, along with the divorce deed, to their spouse through an Arbitration Council, or Family Court. The court then summons both parties within a 90-day period, for the purpose of attempting a reconciliation. If both parties refuse to reconcile, the divorce stands confirmed. As Jemima is not in Pakistan, however, Imran is legally permitted to serve her with divorce papers directly through an attorney or through the British High Commission in Pakistan. It is not clear yet which channel Khan has chosen to formalise his divorce. Khan's short press statement offered no details on who would retain custody of the couple's two children, 5-year-old Kasim and 7-year-old Suleiman.
Friends of the family state that the couple have mutually settled all contentious issues, including those affecting their children. According to Salahuddin, both Suleiman and Kasim would live with Jemima and visit Imran in Pakistan during the winters. "Both children are in a sensitive age bracket and need their mothers' care more than anything else," he said.
According to one of Imran's four sisters, their octogenarian father, Ikramullah Niazi, remained confined to his room all day when he heard the divorce had been finalised. "We are all very sad for our brother, but it was his own personal decision," she said. "Jemima is such a loveable person, and nobody can criticise her. We will always miss her."
Imran and Jemima's fairytale, cross-cultural and inter-faith marriage was the victim of many scandals, from those involving Imran's past relationships with other women, to accusations of Jemima smuggling valuable antiques out of the country. Jemima was also charged with being a Zionist agent by Pakistani politicians looking to discredit Imran, as well as being a student of the blasphemer author of The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie.
To prove her critics wrong, Jemima started work on an aid project for Afghan refugees in Jalozai, Peshawar - an initiative which landed her a job as UNICEF's UK Special Representative in September, 2001. Her work took her to Palestine and Afghanistan last year. Other philanthropic deeds included contributing the profits of her embroidered couture line to the Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital, set up by Imran in memory of his mother who had died of cancer.
The couple's high-profile marriage became the talk of the town once again when Jemima moved back to London in December last year, and enrolled for a master's degree at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). Rumours that the couple's relationship was on the rocks as a result of Imran's alleged admission to the paternity of Sita White's daughter, Tyrian Jade, were rife, compelling Jemima to place an advertisement in the newspapers in an attempt to refute claims that the couple was experiencing marital difficulties.
The latest controversy surrounding the marriage revolves around Jemima's new relationship with Hollywood star, Hugh Grant, a British actor famous for his reputation as a ladies man, after he was recently spotted leaving a high-society club in London with a mini-skirted Jemima in tow.
Most of Imran's family friends, however, deny that a third party was responsible for the break-up of the couple. "This is not the first time that either Imran or Jemima have been charged with having extra-marital affairs. The marriage was chock-a-block with similar scandals," says a close friend of the former couple. "Jemima went out with Grant accompanied by, at least, three other people," he clarified.
While British tabloids are notorious for engaging in character assassinations and mud-slinging in an attempt to boost sales, the Imran/Jemima split has seen even broadsheets stooping to sensational embellishments and racial stereotyping. Reports in The Guardian claim that the marriage caused Jemima to transform from a high-class socialite to a dowdy third-world housewife living in front of a kitchen sink. Although it is true the couple had chosen to settle in Imran's family home in Lahore after their marriage, they moved to an upscale locality near the lush-green Margalla hills, in Islamabad, in early 2000. Quelling claims that Jemima found it difficult to adapt to Pakistan's culture, Salahuddin maintains, "Jemima never found it difficult to cover-up after she converted to Islam and chose to live with Imran." Eager to fit in, Jemima took lessons in Urdu for three years and proved a talented pupil, even speaking in the local lingo while campaigning for her husband's election in October 2002. "I said a few lines in Pashto at one of the jalsas we went to in the Frontier, but I'm not fluent at all," a humble Jemima said in one of her interviews published last year in a local magazine.
According to Salahuddin, Jemima found it difficult to stay in Pakistan because of sensitivity to the weather. "Every time Jemima came to Pakistan, she would fall ill. She particularly suffered from amoebic dysentery. When she visited in April, she was hospitalised for three days."
"When our own girls of Pakistani origin, raised in the west, cannot live in Pakistan, how can a white girl be expected to live here permanently?" asks Imran's sister. "Jemima began to spend more and more time in London with her family, and has been living there permanently for the past year-and-a-half. She is very close to her family, just like our brother."
Imran, meanwhile, contended his life, and future, were in Pakistan
Rumours of divorce circulated once again when Imran was conspicuously absent at his wife's 30th birthday party, attended by many British celebrities, including Grant. "Imran runs a huge cancer hospital in Lahore, heads a political party, and has recently become a parliamentarian. These duties take away most of his time," said Salahuddin.
According to his friends, Imran had discussed his marital difficulties with them a few month ago, saying he could not sail two boats. "I cannot settle in London and Jemima cannot live in Pakistan. There is no option left."
Now divorced, the once again single-and-unwilling-to-mingle Imran is free to focus entirely on his political agenda. Plans are also underway to set-up another hospital in Karachi, and a university in Mianwali, Imran's hometown, from where he was elected member of parliament for the first time in the October 2002 elections.
And according to the nation's erstwhile heart-throb, "the sacrifice is worth it."
http://www.newsline.com.pk/newsJul2004/society1.htm
Imran Khan divorces JemimaMike Collett-White June 22, 2004 17:39 IST Last Updated: June 22, 2004 23:26 IST
Pakistan's celebrity marriage is over.
Imran Khan, cricketing legend and international playboy-turned-political crusader said on Tuesday he had divorced British socialite Jemima, ending months of speculation among the chattering classes of London and Lahore. "I sadly announce that Jemima and I are divorced," Imran said in a brief statement issued by his Justice Movement party.
"This was a mutual decision and is clearly very sad for both of us. My home and my future is in Pakistan. "Whilst Jemima tried her best to settle here, my political life made it difficult for her to adapt to life in Pakistan."
Rumours of an impending split have intensified this year as Jemima, 30, spent more and more time in London where she is studying for a master's degree at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). The stunning daughter of the late Anglo-French billionaire Sir James Goldsmith immersed herself in Pakistani culture after marrying the dashing Imran, 21 years her senior, in 1995, winning her grudging respect in the Muslim country of 150 million people. Yet the marriage remained controversial, largely because Jemima was not Pakistani and converted to Islam from a non-Muslim background. "Never in my wildest dreams did I envisage a controversy such as this," Imran once wrote. "I suppose if my marriage proves one point, it is that I am not a politician."
JEMIMA'S SUPPORT
Jemima took Britain's Princess Diana, to whom she has been compared, on a tour of Imran's Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore in 1996.
The following year, speaking in halting Urdu to a group of 300 women, she campaigned on her husband's behalf in elections.
Imran to take custody of 'love child'
Despite enjoying cult status for captaining Pakistan's cricket team to a World Cup victory in 1992 and a single-minded dedication to his new career, Imran has failed to make his mark in politics.
His party won just one seat in the National Assembly at elections in October, 2002.
Questions have lingered over how well Jemima would bridge the gulf in lifestyles between London's glitzy party circuit and conservative and impoverished Pakistan.
Friends said they believed it was the cultural divide and Jemima's long separations from friends and family that proved the undoing of the glamorous match. The couple endured a U.S. paternity suit brought by heiress Sita White who alleged Imran was the father of her daughter, while Jemima was accused of illegally trying to export antiques from Pakistan to Britain. The couple denied any wrongdoing.
Neither Imran nor Jemima were immediately available for comment.
Imran and Jemima have two sons, Suleiman and Qasim.
http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2004/jun/22imran.htm
From ladies man to the Taliban:
MIM: Imran Khan's instigation of last years Koran flush rumor riots must have earned him his street creds by the Taliban supporting MMA. Khan's new partnership of his party Tehrik-e- Insaf together with the pro Taliban MMA prove that his transformation from Westernised millionaire playboy crickeer to radical Islamist 'fundi' is now complete. His divorce from UK born billionaire' s daughter wife may have to do with the fact that Khan's new cronies believe that women belong in burqas locked up at home, and his ex's Jewish father was considered a political liability.
http://paktribune.com/news/index.php?id=84473
Pakistan's celebrity marriage is over.
Imran Khan, cricketing legend and international playboy-turned-political crusader said on Tuesday he had divorced British socialite Jemima, ending months of speculation among the chattering classes of London and Lahore. "I sadly announce that Jemima and I are divorced," Imran said in a brief statement issued by his Justice Movement party.
"This was a mutual decision and is clearly very sad for both of us. My home and my future is in Pakistan. "Whilst Jemima tried her best to settle here, my political life made it difficult for her to adapt to life in Pakistan."
Rumours of an impending split have intensified this year as Jemima, 30, spent more and more time in London where she is studying for a master's degree at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). The stunning daughter of the late Anglo-French billionaire Sir James Goldsmith immersed herself in Pakistani culture after marrying the dashing Imran, 21 years her senior, in 1995, winning her grudging respect in the Muslim country of 150 million people. Yet the marriage remained controversial, largely because Jemima was not Pakistani and converted to Islam from a non-Muslim background. "Never in my wildest dreams did I envisage a controversy such as this," Imran once wrote. "I suppose if my marriage proves one point, it is that I am not a politician."
JEMIMA'S SUPPORT
Jemima took Britain's Princess Diana, to whom she has been compared, on a tour of Imran's Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore in 1996.
The following year, speaking in halting Urdu to a group of 300 women, she campaigned on her husband's behalf in elections.
Imran to take custody of 'love child'
Despite enjoying cult status for captaining Pakistan's cricket team to a World Cup victory in 1992 and a single-minded dedication to his new career, Imran has failed to make his mark in politics.
His party won just one seat in the National Assembly at elections in October, 2002.
Questions have lingered over how well Jemima would bridge the gulf in lifestyles between London's glitzy party circuit and conservative and impoverished Pakistan.
Friends said they believed it was the cultural divide and Jemima's long separations from friends and family that proved the undoing of the glamorous match. The couple endured a U.S. paternity suit brought by heiress Sita White who alleged Imran was the father of her daughter, while Jemima was accused of illegally trying to export antiques from Pakistan to Britain. The couple denied any wrongdoing.
Neither Imran nor Jemima were immediately available for comment.
Imran and Jemima have two sons, Suleiman and Qasim.
http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2004/jun/22imran.htm
From ladies man to the Taliban:
MIM: Imran Khan's instigation of last years Koran flush rumor riots must have earned him his street creds by the Taliban supporting MMA. Khan's new partnership of his party Tehrik-e- Insaf together with the pro Taliban MMA prove that his transformation from Westernised millionaire playboy crickeer to radical Islamist 'fundi' is now complete. His divorce from UK born billionaire' s daughter wife may have to do with the fact that Khan's new cronies believe that women belong in burqas locked up at home, and his ex's Jewish father was considered a political liability.
http://paktribune.com/news/index.php?id=84473
Jemima to raise Imran's love child
JEMIMA Khan revealed her determination to break out of her marriage to an unlikely ally - the mother of Imran Khan's 12-year-old love child.
Jemima knew two months ago that her marriage to the cricket legend was in trouble.
Heiress Sita White, who lived in Los Angeles, had already approached Jemima about taking care of her daughter Tyrian, the product of an affair with Imran, in the event of her death.
Sita, who discovered she had cancerous tumours, feared Tyrian would end up with Imran's relatives in Pakistan and be treated as a second-class citizen.
Over a period of months, the two women decided they would try to ensure that none of Imran's children would be brought up in Lahore.
The secret broke only last week with the news of Jemima's divorce after nine years of marriage.
Jemima's children, Sulaiman, 7, and Kasim, 4, have lived almost exclu sively with their mother in London since last year.
But when Sita died in LA from a blood clot last month, stories began to emerge that Sita had asked Jemima to raise Tyrian. It is a pact that reveals Jemima, 30, knew her marriage was finished some months ago.
Sita's desire to outwit Imran, 51, was understandable. She had fought for more than a decade for him to recognise the child that was the result of their affair in 1991.
She wanted recognition for her daughter but, if she died, she did not want Tyrian to be brought up by Imran or his relatives.
Last night Elizabeth Nixon, trustee of Sita's estate, said: "Sita had cancerous tumours and that was the reason why she began thinking about making her will, and who would look after Tyrian.
"The last thing Sita wanted was for Tyrian to end up in Lahore, on the other side of the world, in an alien and unfriendly environment. Sita wanted what was best for Tyrian and she knew that would be Jemima."
Sita changed her will to grant Jemima sole guardianship of Tyrian.
When Jemima made the decision that she wanted out of her marriage, Sita was one of the first people she told.
Sita was very understanding and sympathetic; after all she, more than anyone, knew how cold Imran could be.
According to a family friend, it was planned out carefully. Imran doesn't need to look after the kids financially.
Tyrian, living with an aunt in California, will stay with Jemima for several weeks later this year.
Jemima, who inherited about $52 million from father Sir James Goldsmith, has made it clear that Tyrian's well-being is of the utmost importance.
Herald Sun
Sita White to give daughter Imran Khan's surname Vijay Dutt London
http://www.hindustantimes.com/2003/J...2C00430005.htm
Sita White, who has been claiming that she has a daughter from Imran Khan, former Pakistan cricket captain turned politician, is now reportedly trying to legally change the surname of the 11-year-old daughter Tyrian to his.
Khan, a member of the Pakistan National Assembly, has always denied that he is the father of an illegitimate child. But Sita White, daughter of the late millionaire industrialist Lord White of Hull, has been quoted in a daily saying: "Tyrian needs a name change.
"It is a requirement by the American courts to have at least tried for Imran's consent." Calling from her home in California, she told him, says Nigel Dempster of the Daily Mail: "We would like him to participate".
Apparently, another round of the long-running dispute between the two is on the anvil. Imran Khan has persistently denied paternity. But Sita White challenged him to take a blood test. In 1997, a US Judge ruled by default that Tyrian was Imran Khan's child after he failed to turn up for hearing.
Sita White, now 41-year-old, says she only wants happiness for her daughter, who is studying in a state school in Los Angeles. Sita White claims to have met Imran at Tramp, the London niterie in 1986 and they dated off and on for several years. She claims that Tyrian was conceived on a last "night of love".
Imran Khan vs Charles Darwin By Irfan Husain
January 17, 2009 Saturday Muharram 19, 1430
http://www.dawn.com/weekly/mazdak/mazdak.htm
JEMIMA Khan revealed her determination to break out of her marriage to an unlikely ally - the mother of Imran Khan's 12-year-old love child.
Jemima knew two months ago that her marriage to the cricket legend was in trouble.
Heiress Sita White, who lived in Los Angeles, had already approached Jemima about taking care of her daughter Tyrian, the product of an affair with Imran, in the event of her death.
Sita, who discovered she had cancerous tumours, feared Tyrian would end up with Imran's relatives in Pakistan and be treated as a second-class citizen.
Over a period of months, the two women decided they would try to ensure that none of Imran's children would be brought up in Lahore.
The secret broke only last week with the news of Jemima's divorce after nine years of marriage.
Jemima's children, Sulaiman, 7, and Kasim, 4, have lived almost exclu sively with their mother in London since last year.
But when Sita died in LA from a blood clot last month, stories began to emerge that Sita had asked Jemima to raise Tyrian. It is a pact that reveals Jemima, 30, knew her marriage was finished some months ago.
Sita's desire to outwit Imran, 51, was understandable. She had fought for more than a decade for him to recognise the child that was the result of their affair in 1991.
She wanted recognition for her daughter but, if she died, she did not want Tyrian to be brought up by Imran or his relatives.
Last night Elizabeth Nixon, trustee of Sita's estate, said: "Sita had cancerous tumours and that was the reason why she began thinking about making her will, and who would look after Tyrian.
"The last thing Sita wanted was for Tyrian to end up in Lahore, on the other side of the world, in an alien and unfriendly environment. Sita wanted what was best for Tyrian and she knew that would be Jemima."
Sita changed her will to grant Jemima sole guardianship of Tyrian.
When Jemima made the decision that she wanted out of her marriage, Sita was one of the first people she told.
Sita was very understanding and sympathetic; after all she, more than anyone, knew how cold Imran could be.
According to a family friend, it was planned out carefully. Imran doesn't need to look after the kids financially.
Tyrian, living with an aunt in California, will stay with Jemima for several weeks later this year.
Jemima, who inherited about $52 million from father Sir James Goldsmith, has made it clear that Tyrian's well-being is of the utmost importance.
Herald Sun
Sita White to give daughter Imran Khan's surname Vijay Dutt London
http://www.hindustantimes.com/2003/J...2C00430005.htm
Sita White, who has been claiming that she has a daughter from Imran Khan, former Pakistan cricket captain turned politician, is now reportedly trying to legally change the surname of the 11-year-old daughter Tyrian to his.
Khan, a member of the Pakistan National Assembly, has always denied that he is the father of an illegitimate child. But Sita White, daughter of the late millionaire industrialist Lord White of Hull, has been quoted in a daily saying: "Tyrian needs a name change.
"It is a requirement by the American courts to have at least tried for Imran's consent." Calling from her home in California, she told him, says Nigel Dempster of the Daily Mail: "We would like him to participate".
Apparently, another round of the long-running dispute between the two is on the anvil. Imran Khan has persistently denied paternity. But Sita White challenged him to take a blood test. In 1997, a US Judge ruled by default that Tyrian was Imran Khan's child after he failed to turn up for hearing.
Sita White, now 41-year-old, says she only wants happiness for her daughter, who is studying in a state school in Los Angeles. Sita White claims to have met Imran at Tramp, the London niterie in 1986 and they dated off and on for several years. She claims that Tyrian was conceived on a last "night of love".
Imran Khan vs Charles Darwin By Irfan Husain
January 17, 2009 Saturday Muharram 19, 1430
http://www.dawn.com/weekly/mazdak/mazdak.htm
THIS year will see a large number of celebrations at campuses and scientific institutions around the world to mark the 200th year of the birth of Charles Darwin, and the 150th year of the publication of his seminal work.
Widely regarded as one of the three most influential thinkers of the 19th century, together with Freud and Marx, Darwin has had a stronger impact on our thinking than the other two giants of the era. Since its publication in 1859, his explanation of how life evolved on the planet has been subjected to rigorous criticism and analysis. Generations of scientists have tested it in the field and in the laboratory. And to date, it remains the only scientific explanation of how life on Earth has developed over the millennia.
Many religious people have viewed the Darwinian theory of evolution as an attack on their faith. Others have reconciled belief in a supernatural being controlling events in the universe with a scientific theory that pulls together a vast plethora of evidence. Whatever one’s position on the truth of Darwin’s revolutionary exposition, it would take a foolhardy person to dismiss it as a ‘half-baked theory’ as Imran Khan has done recently.
Titled Why the West craves materialism and why the East sticks to religion, the essay is dated Nov 8, 2008, and was sent to me via email by a reader. In this article, the politician and ex-cricketer describes his personal journey from the westernised, secular outlook of his youth to his present faith-based worldview.
In a sense, Imran Khan’s view of Darwin’s life work captures the essence of our backwardness. By rejecting a vast body of scientific research and analysis as ‘half-baked’, he exposes his own ignorance. He is, of course, entitled to his own opinion on any subject under the sun. But as he is a role model for many young Pakistanis, he has a duty to choose his words with greater care. He may refuse to accept the consensus behind Darwinian theory in the international scientific community, but to dismiss it out of hand risks influencing impressionable young minds into following him.
As it is, there is not a single world-class university or research institute in the Muslim world. The reason for this is not hard to find. By refusing to accept and internalise the rational method of empirical research and analysis, we discourage and suppress scientific and objective scholarship.
In Imran Khan’s mind, as in many others, reason is a western monopoly. So anyone using rational analysis as a tool is dismissed as ‘western’, a pejorative term deployed to undermine any argument. Unfortunately, this widespread trend has had profound significance over the centuries. By ceding scientific research and progress to the West, Muslims find themselves in their current predicament. By contrast, countries like China, Japan and Korea have made tremendous progress by accepting reason as the basis of their education and public discourse. So when Imran Khan says ‘the East sticks to religion’ in the title of his essay, he is effectively ignoring well over half the East.
I have long admired Imran Khan for his cricketing prowess, as well as for the fine work he has done in creating Pakistan’s first cancer hospital. So as a fan, it has saddened me to see him in the constant company of right-wingers like ex-ISI chief Hamid Gul and Qazi Hussain Ahmed, the leader of the Jamaat-i-Islami. On TV talk shows, where he is a frequent guest, he has been voicing the most extreme views. Let me hasten to say that I would defend his right to his opinions, but as a hero to millions of young Pakistanis, I would ask that these views be based on logic and facts.
Imran Khan has complained in his article that Pakistan’s secular elites do not study Islam, and hence they are seduced by ‘western’ thinking. I’m afraid this is based on the arrogant assumption that simply because people dress in a certain way, they are ignorant of their own culture, history and religion. According to him, Pakistan is polarised between this group who “react strongly to anyone trying to impose Islam on society”, and religious extremists. Personally speaking, I don’t want any belief or dogma imposed on society. As a secularist, I think everybody should be free to believe in any faith. And in the distinguished company of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, I feel that religion should have nothing to do with the business of the state.
So why is it that today, only Muslim nations seem to deny the validity of the scientific method? It is true that many evangelical Christians reject Darwinian theory as well, and push creationism as the explanation for the development of life on earth. Recently, this extreme position has been replaced by something called Intelligent Design. But among educated people, it would be difficult to find many who close their eyes to the insights contained in Darwin’s groundbreaking research, even though many of these ideas were developed by Wallace, a contemporary of Darwin’s.
In his important book Muslims and Science published nearly 20 years ago, Pervez Hoodbhoy made the point that the entire output of scientific papers written in the Muslim world every year did not equal those produced in Israel alone. This remains true two decades later. And the reason for this imbalance lies in the position reflected in Imran Khan’s views about Darwin.
If we do not encourage the young to think and reason for themselves, how can we expect them to discover anything new? The essence of scientific enquiry lies in curiosity about how the world works, how matter was formed, and how life came into being. Perhaps curiosity about the universe is what sets mankind apart from the animal kingdom.
But if, as Darwin was in the Galapagos Isles, we are struck with wonder when we see something for which we have no explanation, then we have taken a step towards discovering more about our universe, and ultimately, about ourselves.
Widely regarded as one of the three most influential thinkers of the 19th century, together with Freud and Marx, Darwin has had a stronger impact on our thinking than the other two giants of the era. Since its publication in 1859, his explanation of how life evolved on the planet has been subjected to rigorous criticism and analysis. Generations of scientists have tested it in the field and in the laboratory. And to date, it remains the only scientific explanation of how life on Earth has developed over the millennia.
Many religious people have viewed the Darwinian theory of evolution as an attack on their faith. Others have reconciled belief in a supernatural being controlling events in the universe with a scientific theory that pulls together a vast plethora of evidence. Whatever one’s position on the truth of Darwin’s revolutionary exposition, it would take a foolhardy person to dismiss it as a ‘half-baked theory’ as Imran Khan has done recently.
Titled Why the West craves materialism and why the East sticks to religion, the essay is dated Nov 8, 2008, and was sent to me via email by a reader. In this article, the politician and ex-cricketer describes his personal journey from the westernised, secular outlook of his youth to his present faith-based worldview.
In a sense, Imran Khan’s view of Darwin’s life work captures the essence of our backwardness. By rejecting a vast body of scientific research and analysis as ‘half-baked’, he exposes his own ignorance. He is, of course, entitled to his own opinion on any subject under the sun. But as he is a role model for many young Pakistanis, he has a duty to choose his words with greater care. He may refuse to accept the consensus behind Darwinian theory in the international scientific community, but to dismiss it out of hand risks influencing impressionable young minds into following him.
As it is, there is not a single world-class university or research institute in the Muslim world. The reason for this is not hard to find. By refusing to accept and internalise the rational method of empirical research and analysis, we discourage and suppress scientific and objective scholarship.
In Imran Khan’s mind, as in many others, reason is a western monopoly. So anyone using rational analysis as a tool is dismissed as ‘western’, a pejorative term deployed to undermine any argument. Unfortunately, this widespread trend has had profound significance over the centuries. By ceding scientific research and progress to the West, Muslims find themselves in their current predicament. By contrast, countries like China, Japan and Korea have made tremendous progress by accepting reason as the basis of their education and public discourse. So when Imran Khan says ‘the East sticks to religion’ in the title of his essay, he is effectively ignoring well over half the East.
I have long admired Imran Khan for his cricketing prowess, as well as for the fine work he has done in creating Pakistan’s first cancer hospital. So as a fan, it has saddened me to see him in the constant company of right-wingers like ex-ISI chief Hamid Gul and Qazi Hussain Ahmed, the leader of the Jamaat-i-Islami. On TV talk shows, where he is a frequent guest, he has been voicing the most extreme views. Let me hasten to say that I would defend his right to his opinions, but as a hero to millions of young Pakistanis, I would ask that these views be based on logic and facts.
Imran Khan has complained in his article that Pakistan’s secular elites do not study Islam, and hence they are seduced by ‘western’ thinking. I’m afraid this is based on the arrogant assumption that simply because people dress in a certain way, they are ignorant of their own culture, history and religion. According to him, Pakistan is polarised between this group who “react strongly to anyone trying to impose Islam on society”, and religious extremists. Personally speaking, I don’t want any belief or dogma imposed on society. As a secularist, I think everybody should be free to believe in any faith. And in the distinguished company of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, I feel that religion should have nothing to do with the business of the state.
So why is it that today, only Muslim nations seem to deny the validity of the scientific method? It is true that many evangelical Christians reject Darwinian theory as well, and push creationism as the explanation for the development of life on earth. Recently, this extreme position has been replaced by something called Intelligent Design. But among educated people, it would be difficult to find many who close their eyes to the insights contained in Darwin’s groundbreaking research, even though many of these ideas were developed by Wallace, a contemporary of Darwin’s.
In his important book Muslims and Science published nearly 20 years ago, Pervez Hoodbhoy made the point that the entire output of scientific papers written in the Muslim world every year did not equal those produced in Israel alone. This remains true two decades later. And the reason for this imbalance lies in the position reflected in Imran Khan’s views about Darwin.
If we do not encourage the young to think and reason for themselves, how can we expect them to discover anything new? The essence of scientific enquiry lies in curiosity about how the world works, how matter was formed, and how life came into being. Perhaps curiosity about the universe is what sets mankind apart from the animal kingdom.
But if, as Darwin was in the Galapagos Isles, we are struck with wonder when we see something for which we have no explanation, then we have taken a step towards discovering more about our universe, and ultimately, about ourselves.
No comments:
Post a Comment