Pakistan stands as a living testament to an enduring spiritual and ideological conviction. From its very inception, the rallying cry that unified millions were both simple and profound: “What does Pakistan mean? La ilaha illallah.” Under this banner of faith in the Oneness of Allah, the nation emerged on the world map in 14 August 1947, as a homeland for Muslims of the Subcontinent, guided by the vision of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the philosophical foresight of Allama Iqbal. It was not merely a political endeavour but the realisation of a distinct national identity rooted in Islamic ideals of justice, sovereignty, and unity. Yet the path was fraught with peril. Even before the new state could draw breath, formidable obstacles arose—economic collapse, mass migrations, and external scepticism. Many predicted that its borders would soon dissolve under pressure, but divine will ordained otherwise. Like a ship battling turbulent seas, Pakistan endured and reached the shores of stability through resilience and faith.
Category Archives: Around the world
Cultures around the world
The Fading Fabric of Family by Muhammad Mohsin Iqbal
In days of yore, the family stood as the unshakeable foundation of life, its fabric woven with threads of reverence, tenderness, and mutual reliance. The presence of elders within the home was regarded as a divine blessing, their wrinkled brows and measured words carrying the distilled wisdom of decades. They had seen seasons of plenty and seasons of want; their counsel was never hasty, but rooted in experience both sweet and bitter. Matters great and small—marriages, disputes, harvests, or the education of the young—were laid before the family circle. Voices rose and fell in earnest consultation, differences were aired with respect, and decisions emerged strengthened by collective thought. Sharing every joy doubled its brightness; confiding every sorrow lightened its burden. Such openness was not mere habit but a sacred trust, binding hearts as firmly as blood itself.
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Neighbours by Destiny – by Muhammad Mohsin Iqbal
In the teachings of Islam, the bonds of human society are held in the highest regard, alongside the duties of worship. The rights of neighbours, in particular, have been emphasised time and again in the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. It is related that the Archangel Jibreel (AS) counselled the Prophet so persistently concerning the obligations owed to neighbours that the Messenger of Allah came to believe he might soon be instructed to make them partners in inheritance. Such is the profound importance attached to neighbourly conduct.
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Martyrdom and National Rebirth – by Muhammad Mohsin Iqbal
The Iranian People’s Enduring Struggle
The history of Iranian civilisation unfolds as one of the grandest tapestries in the story of mankind, spanning more than two thousand five hundred years of recorded glory and endurance. From the sunlit heights of the Achaemenid Empire, founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BCE, Persia emerged as a beacon of enlightened governance. Cyrus forged a vast, multi-ethnic realm stretching from the verdant plains of the Indus to the shores of the Mediterranean and the hills of the Balkans. Renowned for his wisdom, he respected the customs of conquered peoples and left behind the Cyrus Cylinder, a enduring monument often hailed as an early charter of human rights. This golden epoch of Persian power and refinement met its dramatic close with the conquests of Alexander the Great in 330 BCE.
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Growing Up Female in Hong Kong – by Belinda Wong
Life is never easy in Hong Kong. When I was a kid, the percentage of girls receiving proper education was low. Girls having higher education was much rarer. Boys were expected to do good at school and then at work. No such expectations for girls. Luck was always on my side. I passed all the examinations which I needed to pass to move on to the next level. My formal education ended being a graduate of the Chinese University of Hong Kong with a major in Sociology. I was having a free time at school and then free choice in my career.
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Global Education at the UN – by Mitchell Gold
A Reflection
In the early 1990s, shortly after the Brundtland Report and before environmental education became the dominant focus, there was a strong movement for Global Education. I recall attending a UN conference in 1993 where educators from across the world gathered, and each of the seven UN education agencies presented their vision of global education.
As I listened, I was struck by the sheer volume of material—44,000 pages of information. When I stood to speak, I asked the 3,500 educators present: Has anyone here read all of these pages? Not a single hand was raised. My point was simple: how can we move forward meaningfully if no one has absorbed the totality of what has been produced? Conferences must find better ways to share knowledge and distill it into usable wisdom.
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Holocaust Ethical Implications – by John T. Pawlikowski, OSM, Ph.D.
The academic study of ethics, in light of the experience of the Holocaust, has witnessed rapid development in the last decade. In addition to research into ethical decision making during the Holocaust itself in such volumes as Rab Bennett’s Under the Shadow of the Swastika: The Moral Dilemmas of Resistance and Collaboration in Hitler’s Europe, more general reflections on the significance of the Holocaust for contemporary ethics have come to the fore from Jewish and Christian scholars alike. There have also been voices such as Herbert Hirsch who have questioned whether we can learn anything from the Holocaust in terms of the moral challenge facing us today given the sui generis nature of that event as well as the immense complexity of a modern, global society.
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Diversity and Speech Part 45: Writing about Someone Else’s Culture – by Carlos E. Cortés and Ellen Estilai
Co-Authored Interview
Carlos: Ellen, we’ve taken creative writing classes together for a number of years, so it’s nice to discuss your fascinating new book, Exit Prohibited (Inlandia Institute, 2023), about your family’s escape from revolutionary Iran.
Ellen: Yes, Carlos. I love talking about memoir with another memoir writer.
Carlos: So, let’s start from the beginning. How did you become part of Iran?
Catalyzing Inclusive Urban Economies- by Ainesh Dey
The Dynamics of Urban Economies in India
In the rapidly changing landscape of urban economies in India, nuanced civic engagement, enhanced transparency, accountability, and representation have come to the forefront as significant issues. This piece seeks to investigate the shift in the public administration’s discourse from a traditional solution to a more collaborative one with the aim of creating inclusive and sustainable policy frameworks.
The prospect of nuanced civic engagement in democratic processes plays an important role in spearheading transparency, accountability and representation. It also strengthens the overall socio-political and economic character of contemporary administrative discourse. At a time when we are experiencing a paradigm shift from traditional redressal of grievances to instances of collaborative solution building, considerable emphasis has been laid on the effective streamlining of policy frameworks, thereby making them more inclusive and sustainable.
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A Middle East Angle on Diversity Part 1: When is protection oppression? – by Dana Winner
Each time we convene a new JASSPr class in the city of Jahra, Kuwait, the girls sit at the back of the room while the boys take their place at the front of the room. The first time I saw this, I felt offended on behalf of the girls. I wondered who told them they must sit at the back of the class? Is it an explicit order or implicit habit? More important, what could I do about it? Should I do anything about it? Their culture is about protecting the girls. When is protection oppression?