Writings

Path of the Friend

Writings related to ‘Pakistan’

Pakistan: Helping Ourselves

August 22nd, 2010

In a few weeks the vast floods that are sweeping through Pakistan will draw back. Then, when the rain has stopped and people begin to return to their land and the places they live, imagine what they will find. No crops, no livestock, no electricity, no clean water, no food, broken roads and bridges, the […]

Pakistan: The Politics of Fear: Part 2

April 28th, 2010

. The U.S. Role in the Return of the Taliban After 9/11 the people in Afghanistan, Pakistan and many international optimists like me expected the US-led international community to commit to rebuilding Afghanistan and undertaking reforms in Pakistan – a western-led Marshal plan for the region. What we got instead was a Republican president and […]

Pakistan: The Politics of Fear: Part 1

April 22nd, 2010

It was tea break. I joined the stream into a large gloomy room with no windows (for our security I was told) in the National Library in Islamabad and confronted a sea of men, all of us pushing for our portion of strong sugary tea. None of the faces felt familiar – Muslims from all […]

Pakistan: A Prayer in the Militant Mosque

March 31st, 2010

The following letter by Elias – and the next ones to come by Elizabeth – were written from Pakistan, where Elias was invited to address a conference on “Sufism and Peace” sponsored by the Pakistan Academy of Letters. The experience described in this letter occurred toward the end of our stay. The Mosque The dawn […]