After the shocking exit of the former champions from the World Cup, a strong reaction from the public was expected. This reaction, which initially was anger, changed to grievance after mysterious death of Bob Woolmer.

However the way senior players in the team, specially the captain and the vice captain have reacted in the face of whole situation, I would like to say, they both were short of character. Although we used to get hints earlier as well, but we had to continue some how due lack of options.

Here I would like to talk about the recent refusal of Younis Khan from the captaincy. This was absolutely characterless of him, the biggest sufferer was obviously Pakistani cricket. Someone once said that if you give power to a (mentally) poor man, he wont really be able to handle it. This was exactly the case with Younis Khan. Few years back when Muhammad Yousaf was the Vice Captain, Younis Khan wasn’t even sure about his place in the team. Out of the blue Imran Khan said in some interview that he supports Younis Khan for the captaincy, and within next few months Younis was made vice captain.

BBCUrdu raised concerns about Younis’s character earlier when he resigned from captaincy before Champion’s Trophy.

And now again Younis has refused to stand for his country making public reaction an excuse for it. He must be thinking that Pakistan doesn’t really have any other option except him, and PCB will try to negotiate with him. This way his stature would remain high if he is unsuccessful in near future.

Two days back when I read a poll question on BBCUrdu asking should Younis Khan accept the captaincy, immediately I voted for ‘NO’ because of the feelings I’m jolting down here. Turns out, majority doesn’t want him to be a captain anyway.

I am of the opinion that Younis Khan should not be included in test team as well. He should go and play county cricket for the rest of his career. Pakistani nation will accept to lose with a young team, they wont accept a player thinking the world revolves around him.

I would like to end up with what Imran Khan has to say about him now.

Former captain Imran Khan said Younis Khan’s refusal to lead the national side has left Pakistan cricket in crisis following the team’s first-round elimination from the World Cup.

Younis was asked by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to take over the job after Inzamam-ul-Haq stepped down and retired from one-day internationals last month.

But Younis felt the job was too stressful, especially in the wake of the hostile reception given to the players after the Caribbean debacle.

“I don’t understand it. If he didn’t want to be captain he should not accepted the vice-captaincy for the last two years,” Imran told Reuters on Tuesday.

“His refusal has led to a crisis.”

“It is useless trying to convince Younis to lead the team if he does not want to do it. But what he did was wrong,” said Imran.

Source: Reuters UK

Let the Muslim of today…evolve, out of the hitherto partially revealed purpose of Islam, that spiritual democracy which is the ultimate aim of Islam. — Iqbal

Source: BBCUrdu

Ummah Films

Islam is concerned with the broad aim of life and the programme of action by which that aim can be attained. It is meant for a free, independent and intelligent person who has the courage to think, judge and act for himself. It encompasses rationality and experience and rejects blind faith. “Those who, when the revelations of their Rabb (nourisher) are presented to them, do not face threat deaf and blind” (25:73).

The search for rational foundations in Islam may be regarded to have begun with the Prophet himself. His constant prayer was; ‘God! Grant me knowledge of the ultimate nature of things’. According to Iqbal, “the main purpose of the Quran is to awaken in man the higher consciousness of his manifold manifestations with God and the universe. Islam is neither dogma, nor priesthood, nor ritual! It is the vivid sense of God’s directive force and unflinching working of laws. It relates to a hearty participation in this upward progressive trend and movement of life.”

The true concept and practice of Islam has been long forgotten, rather lulled to sleep by the clerics and religious obscurantists who consider the intellectual development and achievements of a particular period in history as the benchmark and have ruled out any further thinking, re-evaluation and the progress of the thought process. Following in the footsteps of one’s forefathers as the purpose of life and allowing no change is called conformity or blind following (Taqleed). The word ‘Taqleed’ is derived from ‘Qaladah’ meaning the collar which keeps animals under control to lead them as desired. Even criticism of this stagnation of knowledge and thinking is not allowed and may amount to heresy.

The worst thing that can happen is when ignorance enters the fold of social life and politics and takes the law into its hands. There is no need to despair. The Quran points out that such a phase is always temporary. With the passage of time they are bound to whither away and “Neither heaven nor earth will shed a tear over their demise” (44:29) Nations using their intelligence and knowledge keep gaining strength while the so called Muslim states have become weak to the point where they cannot even defend themselves.

Read full article here.

“Of course,” he replied. “But we eat like this so that our future generations can eat better.”

Full article on: Dawn