An Eye Opening Article

For Pakistani kids, ‘j’ stands for jihad, ‘b’ for bandook

Islamabad: Thousands of Pakistani schoolchildren are growing up learning that the Urdu equivalent of the letter ‘a’ stands for Allah, ‘b’ for ‘bandook’ (gun) and ‘j’ for ‘jihad’.
Though not officially prescribed for pre-schoolers, books printed by Iqra Publishers are being used in several regular schools and madrasas across Pakistan. The three examples of Allah, bandook and jihad are not the only ones which sound like a “blueprint for a religious fascist state”.
The Urdu letter for the ‘t’ sound stands for takrao (collision), ‘k’ for khunjar (dagger), ‘h’ for hijab (veil) and ‘z’ for zunoob (sins), which includes watching television, playing musical instruments and flying kites.
According to the National Bureau of Curriculum and Textbooks, class 5 children are expected to acknowledge and identify forces that may be working against Pakistan, make speeches on jihad and shahadat, understand Hindu-Muslim differences and the resultant need for Pakistan, India’s evil designs about Pakistan and demonstrate by actions a belief in the fear of Allah, said a report in a magazine.
In an article titled The Saudiisation of Pakistan, renowned physicist Pervez Hoodbhoy argued that “a stern, unyielding version of Islam is replacing the kinder, gentler Islam of the sufis of Pakistan”.
“Pakistan’s self-inflicted suffering comes from an education system that, like Saudi Arabia’s system, provides an ideological foundation for violence and future jihadists,” he wrote.
“It demands that Islam be understood as a complete code of life, and creates in the mind of a school-going child a sense of siege and embattlement by stressing that Islam is under threat everywhere,” Hoodbhoy said.
Hoodbhoy was appalled at the syllabus which expects class 5 students to make speeches about jihad. “This is the basic roadmap for transmitting values and knowledge to the young. It was prepared by the curriculum wing of the federal ministry of education, government of Pakistan. It sounds like a blueprint for a religious fascist state,” he wrote.
He wrote that according to national education census, which the ministry of education released in 2006, 1.5 million students are acquiring religious education in 13,000 madrassas. Commonly quoted figures range between 18,000 and 22,000 madrassas. The number of students could be correspondingly larger.
“Free boarding and lodging, plus provision of books, is a key part of their appeal. Additionally, parents desire that their children be ‘disciplined’ and given a Islamic education. Madrassas serve this purpose, too, exceedingly well,” he concluded. AGENCIES

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH: A Pakistani girl recites the Koran to her teacher at a local madrassa or on the outskirts of Islamabad in this file picture



Source:The Times of India dated 16|Jan|2009

The 'misunderestimated' president?

All politicians are prone to make slips of the tongue in the heat of the moment - and President George W Bush has made more than most.

The word "Bushism" has been coined to label his occasional verbal lapses during eight years in office, which come to an end on 20 January.

Here are some of his most memorable pronouncements.

ON HIMSELF

"They misunderestimated me."
Bentonville, Arkansas, 6 November, 2000

''I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate what I believe and what I believe - I believe what I believe is right."

Rome, 22 July, 2001

"There's an old saying in Tennessee - I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee - that says, fool me once, shame on... shame on you. Fool me - you can't get fooled again."
Nashville, Tennessee, 17 September, 2002

"There's no question that the minute I got elected, the storm clouds on the horizon were getting nearly directly overhead."
Washington DC, 11 May, 2001

"I want to thank my friend, Senator Bill Frist, for joining us today. He married a Texas girl, I want you to know. Karyn is with us. A West Texas girl, just like me."
Nashville, Tennessee, 27 May, 2004

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

"For a century and a half now, America and Japan have formed one of the great and enduring alliances of modern times."
Tokyo, 18 February, 2002

"The war on terror involves Saddam Hussein because of the nature of Saddam Hussein, the history of Saddam Hussein, and his willingness to terrorise himself."
Grand Rapids, Michigan, 29 January, 2003

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."

Washington DC, 5 August, 2004

"I think war is a dangerous place." Washington DC, 7 May, 2003

"The ambassador and the general were briefing me on the - the vast majority of Iraqis want to live in a peaceful, free world. And we will find these people and we will bring them to justice."
Washington DC, 27 October, 2003

"Free societies are hopeful societies. And free societies will be allies against these hateful few who have no conscience, who kill at the whim of a hat."
Washington DC, 17 September, 2004

"You know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror."
CBS News, Washington DC, 6 September, 2006

EDUCATION

"Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"
Florence, South Carolina, 11 January, 2000

"Reading is the basics for all learning."
Reston, Virginia, 28 March, 2000

"As governor of Texas, I have set high standards for our public schools, and I have met those standards."
CNN, 30 August, 2000

"You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.''
Townsend, Tennessee, 21 February, 2001

ECONOMICS

"I understand small business growth. I was one."
New York Daily News, 19 February, 2000

"It's clearly a budget. It's got a lot of numbers in it."
Reuters, 5 May, 2000

"I do remain confident in Linda. She'll make a fine Labour Secretary. From what I've read in the press accounts, she's perfectly qualified."
Austin, Texas, 8 January, 2001

"First, let me make it very clear, poor people aren't necessarily killers. Just because you happen to be not rich doesn't mean you're willing to kill."
Washington DC, 19 May, 2003

HEALTHCARE

"I don't think we need to be subliminable about the differences between our views on prescription drugs."
Orlando, Florida, 12 September, 2000

"Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB/GYN's aren't able to practice their love with women all across the country."
Poplar Bluff, Missouri, 6 September, 2004

TECHNOLOGY

"Will the highways on the internet become more few?"
Concord, New Hampshire, 29 January, 2000

"It would be a mistake for the United States Senate to allow any kind of human cloning to come out of that chamber."
Washington DC, 10 April, 2002

"Information is moving. You know, nightly news is one way, of course, but it's also moving through the blogosphere and through the Internets."
Washington DC, 2 May, 2007

OUT OF LEFT FIELD

"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."
Saginaw, Michigan, 29 September, 2000

"Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream."
LaCrosse, Wisconsin, 18 October, 2000

"Those who enter the country illegally violate the law."
Tucson, Arizona, 28 November, 2005

"That's George Washington, the first president, of course. The interesting thing about him is that I read three - three or four books about him last year. Isn't that interesting?"
Speaking to reporter Kai Diekmann, Washington DC, 5 May, 2006

ON GOVERNING

"I have a different vision of leadership. A leadership is someone who brings people together."
Bartlett, Tennessee, 18 August, 2000

"I'm the decider, and I decide what is best."
Washington DC, 18 April, 2006

"And truth of the matter is, a lot of reports in Washington are never read by anybody. To show you how important this one is, I read it, and [Tony Blair] read it."
On the publication of the Baker-Hamilton Report, Washington DC, 7 December, 2006

"All I can tell you is when the governor calls, I answer his phone."
San Diego, California, 25 October, 2007

"I'll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office."
Washington DC, 12 May, 2008

source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7809160.stm

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HE and SHE

I'm sure you can imagine,
it's as painful as can be
the place is very private,
the players are he and she.

She whispers, "will it hurt?
"of course not," he replies,
"it's just a simple process,
lay back and close your eyes."

She says,"i'm very frightened,
I've never done this before."
he started to convince her,
"it won't hurt anymore."

"now calm yourself, my darling,
faith heals sin,
now open slightly sideways,
so i can get it in."

Suddenly with a jump,
she gave a little shout,
"it's over, thank goodness,
you finally got it out!"

now if you read this carefully,
he's a dentist as you'll find,
it's not what you've been thinking
it's just your dirty mind.