Dear Mr. Javed Chaudry:

Thanks for including the picture of the old woman (or is it a young woman?) in your post. Yes, this is the picture I was referring to. It has been in use for a long time.

You have correctly stated the point I was trying to make --- that most of our beliefs are the result of "indoctrination" that we receive from early childhood. Some of us outgrow those beliefs or, in other words, begin to see the "other woman" in the picture. Others don't, and stick to the same image they were exposed to early in their life and reinforced over a period of time.  However, holding different views in itself is not a problem. The problem arises when some individuals or groups start imposing their worldview on others --- in the name of God.

Mr. Akram Mahmood puts it very nicely in his post # 382 when he says that individuals who question the existence of God are not really interested in whether or not God exists. They are essentially interested in discussing the “sifaat” (traits and characteristics) that are attributed to Him and in pondering over the “treatment” He has been meting out to the humanity at large.

The following reports coming out of the earthquake affected areas of Pakistan highlight Mr. Mahmood’s point.  It is reported that groups of people wearing religion on their sleeves are going round and reminding the hungry, exhausted, broken and bewildered survivors of the earthquake that it was their misdeeds (kartoot) that have brought the wrath of God on them. Others are ordering the "soup kitchens" set up by charitable individuals to close down at daytime to uphold the sanctity of the Holy month of Ramadan-----the sick, the frail and the children notwithstanding. Still others berate the shelter-less women who breastfeed their babies in the open for spreading “obscenity”!

Regarding the Las Vegas business owner John Murphy, all I would say is that Pakistan or, for that matter, the Muslim world does not have a monopoly on producing idiots and charlatans. Such individuals are equally distributed all over the world. The difference is they are laughed out or ignored in rest of the world.

I liked very much the picture you took of the area around the Niagara Falls. It’s beautiful! I can see you must be an accomplished photographer.

Best regards,

Aziz Ahmad

November 1, 2005