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Mohammad Farooq

~ Thoughts provoker, feelings evoker

Mohammad Farooq

Monthly Archives: February 2014

Tolerance: A Personal Perspective

28 Friday Feb 2014

Posted by Mohammad Farooq in Uncategorized

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Tolerance resides within us, we do not tend to give it the significance it is worthy of in our daily lives. Seldom do we realize; that tolerance is virtue and we blindly refuse to follow and infuse it within ourselves. In this day and age, where our tolerance levels have alarmingly reached to almost non-existent levels; even preaching tolerance is denounced. I ask why? What are the reasons for not practicing tolerance? Does tolerance cost us money; is it detrimental to our health? Is being tolerant a cause of embarrassment? Intolerance is what hinders our society as a whole; and stops us from progressing further as a nation.

          I have always wondered and felt despondent over the fact that why tolerance is being sidelined by all of us and in its place we practice aggression and a policy of complete ignorance on this matter. Is tolerance that difficult to practice that we are not realizing the long term damage that we are doing on ourselves as a society. Peace and harmony are giving way to aggression and violence and repression of individuals; hatred is rising and societal upheaval is increasing. An act of tolerance employed at a critical stage can be the difference between peace and violence. I personally feel that preaching and practicing tolerance in our society is equitable to being classified as a hypocrite and a person who does not have the guts to stand up for what he/ she feels is right. As it can be seen from the traffic on the roads here in Lahore; nobody is willing to tolerate and withstand the wait on traffic lights and motorcyclists especially right, left and center are waving around trying to move as quickly as possible and make their way to their desired destination. People on cars are honking like anything to make the traffic move in peak hours and are not tolerant of the fact that million others like them in the city are as keen to reach their homes too. Waiting is something that our society as a whole refuses to practice and that is a result of a lack of patience and tolerance for others that gives rise to this problem.

           Now coming to tolerance on Social Media and the consequences and backlash that we can face. Normally I tend to keep a minimalistic and a very neutral view point on social media and in most cases tend to mind my own business and practice a decent amount of tolerance. Surprisingly my tolerant stance on politics and my refusal to speak up has been a cause of immense displeasure for other people who I follow and they follow me. In a personal context, I feel certain subjects are taboo and so sensitive to speak up about that a single statement of mine which may be right in a certain context but can cause a flurry of adverse comments and counter-arguments that why did you say that etc. I personally do not care what people think of me and why should I be satisfying them in the first place. If I prefer discretion and keeping tolerant views on certain subjects it is MY CHOICE, as simple as that. I do not expect others to follow my views and embrace them wholeheartedly.

             Everyone has a right to disagree with me endorsing tolerance on a large scale, but yes everything has its limitations and same is the case with tolerance. If the limitations of tolerance are breached by somebody; you are within your right to say I have had enough of your crap and speak up and tell the person to please keep their trap shut before they face undue consequences. Breaching of limitations applies in every sphere of life and tolerance is no different. Striking a balance in regards to tolerance may be quite difficult but as humans we can always strive to practice it as much as we can. Heeding to the call of tolerance will not cost us anything and probably in the longer run can help us maintain our peace of mind!

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Internet And Bannistan In Pakistan

19 Wednesday Feb 2014

Posted by Mohammad Farooq in Censorship, Internet, NetFreedom, Technology

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Bannistan, Censorship, NetFreedom, Netizens, Pakistan, Privacy, Surveillance

 I was ceased to be amazed by the censorship policies of our telecom authority ie PTA. Three very well respected technology websites Gizmodo.com, Lifehacker.com and TheVerge.com were blocked by our ISP’s on the instructions of PTA. I was flabbergasted and overawed by the audacious and stupid ban put in place on these very good sources of information for technology related news and happenings.  These websites as far I have known have never housed any disconcerting content that would give rise to it being deemed ‘harmful or inappropriate’. If the authorities feel that these websites mentioned above are responsible for hosting “objectionable” content; a reasonable explanation should suffice detailing every aspect of why these websites were blocked in the first place; and what kind of content did they deem was objectionable which led to the blockage or ban on these websites.

       Everything is under the radar of the state; massive surveillance and privacy violations are being conducted on a daily basis and rights to freedom of speech being curtailed on the internet. The blocking of websites is the first of many missteps that the state undertakes to block the right to access as basic a thing as information on the internet. The absence of any clear guidelines and policies and a sudden blocking of a website is not only erroneous but also practically stupid so to speak. The websites that are hosting transparent and harmless content in nature and are in no way offensive or harmful to the States very existence; why the hell is it blocked? Is there a legitimate reason to block these websites without any prior notification? Is there any mechanism under existence to ban or block these websites? Do any kind of legislations exist in the power of the state to empower the telecom authority to block any website at their whim without any practical reasoning? Are notifications issued to the ISP’s or an official press release made by the concerned stakeholders that a certain website or websites have been blocked due to this and this reason?

        In these circumstances; a pronounced absence of laws and guidelines for blocking websites is just mind boggling. One fine morning, we get up and see a website we view daily is blocked! Then the very next day it is ‘miraculously’ unblocked!! The formulation of polices and guidelines is an utmost necessity in this digital day and age; laws need to be enacted by Parliament and passed through so a proper mechanism is in place to facilitate the closure or blockage of these websites. On a personal level; I am not in favour of disbanding or blocking any websites and denying the netizens of the right to access information in any given way. Blockage ensues frustration at a level even for genuine purposes; like people doing research who have to view Youtube to view a specific video that is interlinked to their work and also for example upcoming musicians; startups etc who have to rely on free mediums to disseminate information about their specific ventures. Due to these blockages; various pedigrees of business and upcoming artists and talents that need the medium to showcase their talents are being curtailed; unnecessarily. The underlying frustration of those ‘genuine’ users is to circumvent these blockades and resort to using Virtual Private Networks or proxies to access these ‘banned’ websites.

        Absurd bans like these make no sense at all and have no valid reasoning and explanation. If for some apparent reason; the websites mentioned above are guilty of hosting content that the State finds ‘objectionable’ to its liking; it can take the step of simply blocking that particular URL and not blocking the whole DAMN WEBSITE! Emancipation of information is being curtailed by the State at every level and it is their prerogative to deprive the netizens of their basic rights to access it. Blocking and massive filtration of the internet will not stop the seeds of discontentment from sprouting up. Proactive policies need to be formulated in regards to the Internet in Pakistan; guidelines need to be developed and a framework promulgated to ‘Censor’ content if NEEDED! By blocking websites which emanate knowledge and add value in every respect of the word; it will only harm us in the longer run.

        The internet is also a great resource of learning; besides the ‘Objectionable’ content it also houses according to the said morals and virtues of our State. If the State encourages instead of discouraging the people to view the internet; it can help the populace to be empowered in every given way whether it is in the field of education; the economy and it will only add value and make them that much aware of the happenings in the world. The internet can galvanize a revolution of knowledge and learning in Pakistan; and with a massive chunk of the 180 million population under the age of 25, we have to encourage the use of the internet proactively. Bannistan is not the solution to our problems; it only aggravates them!

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Abraaj Group Arif Naqvi Depression Feelings Health History Hope Hypocrisy International Finance Corporation (IFC) Life Media Mental Torture Netizens Pakistan Saadat Hassan Manto

Me

Mohammad Farooq

Mohammad Farooq

Busines Journalist and ex-Senior Sub-Editor at Profit by Pakistan Today. Bylines in Dawn, Livemint India, Huffington Post, Express Tribune, MIT Techreview Pakistan,IGN Pakistan, . Interested in Technology affairs, history buff and Part qualified accountant.

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A lot has been going on…

  • A man for all seasons: Shahid Jalal August 19, 2020
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  • The renaissance of reading books again September 25, 2019
  • Privilege is abusive July 31, 2019
  • Why does Manto arouse antagonism amongst the intelligentsia? June 14, 2019

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