The concept of the website is all about being a part of a journey towards a brighter tomorrow. You can register to claim your own pixel and declare yourself a Nishan-e-Azm. Every pixel represents one more Pakistani determined to bring Pakistan back to its rightful glory. As pixels are added in, we can see a colored picture of Minar-e-Pakistan emerging. You can also participate by SMS’ing your AZM<space>Name to 5454 (Rs. 1+GST).

The website also has added another campaign which is National Song Competition. Exciting for all those striving singers out there. Not only does it encourage people to submit their own song but also provides an opportunity for them to be a part of Azme Alishan National Song CD.

Some on-ground activities also happened in Lahore, like the Dia Activity where people lighted dia of their Azms – all building up and towards the 23^rd of March, 2010.

You can be a part of this initiative as well. For more, check out their Facebook fanpage or Twitter.

I have made my Azm, have you made yours?

Dawat-e-Islami was founded in the early 80s by Mualana Ilyas Atar Qadri. He started wearing green turban out of the love of Prophet’s Tomb (PBUH) which is also green in colour. He also asked fellow Muslims to wear Turban as a measure of love. It must be noted that our Prophet has also has worn green coloured turban (evidence: Green turban associated with him is at Badshahi masjid museum).

Dawat-e-Islami believes in strict code of conduct for its adherents. It wishes to see people praying on proper time, paying their zakat, and all the Islamic injunctions that are part of our collective heritage (and tradition). It also feels that the moral backwardness of the Muslim Ummah is due the lack of following of the tradition of tolerance, positive thinking, obeying commands of parents, and respecting elders as well as young ones.

Dawat-e-Islami is presently working in over 60 countries and they regularly send out Madni Kaflas (their internal term for groups of people visiting places to spread the message of Islam). Their main points of interaction are South Africa, Dubai, Mozambique, India, and Central Asian states.

People dis-agree with lot of things which Dawat-e-Islami people do. For one, there is a strong disagreement over the Madni Munaas walk on 9th of Rabi-ul-Awal. As these are only very young kids, people say the entire exercise is un-necessary. Another criticism on them is why they wear Green and not white or black turban. Well, every school has its uniform. Why KGS students don’t wear the uniform of St. Michael’s School and vice versa?

People also associate Dawat-e-Islami with Sunni Tehreek, which is a militant form of Ahl-e-Sunnah Jamat and is just like Wahabi-led Sipah Sahaba. Although Dawat-e-Islami is a Sunni group it has no relation with Sunni Tehreek and its founder, Saleem Qadri, actually broke away from the main group to form his own party.

MQM chiefs have reportedly informed govt. of Pakistan (aka PPP and lots of coalition partners) that the threat of Talibanization to Karachi looks imminent. Mildly put, it means that we will all be Taliban sporting lot of things you see at National Geographic programs which are on Afghanistan. You will also like to blow up school girls, like Mama Parsi, and other brilliant places of education; you would also like to keep doctors away from your wives (one won’t do); you would also like to throw away your camera as photography is not much appreciated by them (never mind Osama bhai always gives video interviews). You would, if in case we have MQM replaced with Talibans and Al-Qaeda, also have to replace Bhai Altaf’s photographs, posters, and 90 from Karachi. In place of them we would need lots of Osama shots: Osama praying, Osama marrying yet another woman, Osama praying again, Osama tapping suicide bombers, and Osama doing everything else. Lot of printing jobs would be offered, but to those having flourishing beards, amamas (Arabic term for turban), and wives in tow (I think Jamatias will take away all the jobs!)

So, do we need Taliban / Osama bin Laden in Karachi?

One major change which Karachi is likely to see, if that happens, is the destruction of roads. Taliban don’t need much roads. They are hardy mountain people and Osama, an Arab, has now gotten used to tough terrains as well. So, the crazy-ness which our young, happy Nazim shows about building and re-building roads would be gone. As I stated earlier, so would the posters of Altaf bhai pastered with pan peek and niswar decorations. We would also not hear much about road-side muwalis (caste-aways) and charsees (drug addicts); and the wholesale business of Heroin at various Tombs would also go down. Various liquor shops around Karachi, especially at Shahra-e-Faisal and Defence areas, which are really very visible, would also need to shift their business elsewhere, maybe to Lahore. We would also see an end to prostitution which happens openly at Lea Market, Tariq Road and Defence (all phases). We might also see an end to expensive ad campaigns and the stars of Ad agencies and GEO Bhago network would be preaching in masjids called GEO masjids. We might as well see our 25th December replaced with the birth anniversary of Osama’s 33rd child. All in all, it would be fun for some and no fun for many others.

But Osama is not a happy man. He and his Taliban friends like to destroy historical sites (destruction of Bahmian Buddhas built over 100 years and which stood there for over 2000 years), does not like to have Americans and other investors around; he and his Taliban friends also apparently hate games (the execution of prisoners during Taliban time took place in football stadium, Kabul). Osama bhai also does not appear to be a great fan of beaches either. So no night parties anymore.

Oh yes, 90 will surely become 9/11!

He is wanted in multiple murder and rape cases which took place around and after 1995. He is wanted by mothers whose sons he ordered dead; he is wanted by husbands whose sisters were raped and thrown away in ditches; he is wanted by sons of the soil whose fathers he threw in bags.

Altaf Hussain is like any other dictator who decides to loot his own people and then flee. He is like Russian butchers and he is like many un-crowned kings of our times and of times gone dead. I don’t find any reason to believe that he is any different from President Bush or Israeli armed forces who go around killing Muslims. They kill in the name of God; Altaf bhai killed and continues to do so (recall the events of 12th May, 2007) at whim in the name of freedom. His fear is so much that news editors until now refrained from writing anything on him; news channels never made any parody on him (now sometimes they do so); and no student of politics ever choose to speak against the atrocities committed by his pet party, MQM.

I would like to hear from people why they support or like him, if they do so. I cannot find a reason to like a killer. He must be, in my humble opinion, brought back to Karachi to face murder trials.