The BCG vaccine

Witnessing the latest developments in the world, I started to remember my medical education. One of the killer diseases which still haunts us and is part of a Millennium Development Goal is TB (tuberculosis). One way of preventing TB is by giving children the BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guérin) vaccine.

I ask you: what is the relationship between BCG, the global financial crisis and governments? The answer is, from a humanitarian point of view, BCG gains a new meaning. BCG represents the pillars of any society: B- Business, C- Civil Society (represented by organisations) and G- Government.

In the past, B and C were completely under the rule of G. Nowadays we have to look objectively and analytically at the relationship between B and G, a partnership which could exclude C altogether. In the western world, C acts as a watchdog, ensuring the relationship between B and G remains transparent and accountable. Sadly, I cannot say the same about developing countries, where B controls G, which in turn ignores C.

The absence of civil society from the table of power in the developing countries had deadly effects, some of which we can see now if we switch our TV sets on.

What we need is a structure based on stronger, empowered and engaged civil society organisations to prevent the bad relationship between B and G lead to mutilated or stillborn societies.

Surprise, Surprise

A place without a safe corridor, with severe shortages of food, malnourished children and society and family support lacks has been forgotten by governments and agencies. Where can you find it?

A place where members of parliament, ministers and other cabinet leaders are interconnected or even chosen from afar. Where is it?

A place where decision making is hesitant, fear paralyses initiatives and there is complacency in the way of thinking while people are dying from hunger, thirst and untreated illnesses. Where is that?

A place where dashed dreams, the culture of despair and the agony of bewilderment are at their peak. Where is such a place?

A place where the soaring prices of commodities, lack of cash, house security and absence of safety are eating away at the daily lives of people. Where?

A place where determined women fight for survival and try to rescue their communities single-handled. I know such a place. Do you?

A place where children refuse to die, struggling to see the bright sun in the blue sky for another day. Where could it be?

A place where smiling young boys and girls support their parents while listening to the daily symphony of the war machine. Have you guessed where it is?

Life goes on: singing birds, children playing, oceans of blood, agony of death, and rays of hope. Where is this? Only Somalia.

The price of oil

It seems to me oil has become more important than human dignity, more precious than human life and dearer to international governments’ heart than anything else. Over the last two decades, I have been observing the rocketing increase in “concern” felt by some states towards oil-rich states.

In my view, oil is not a sustainable driving force towards the future as 1. The supply will run out and more importantly 2. It is not environmentally friendly in the least! All our efforts should be concentrated on finding renewable and alternative sources of energy, instead of basing our complete strategy on oil.

Lately, the youth have been asking in different countries about moral values, promises and in effect, about the reality of Utopian dreams. Are they facts or fiction? Is everybody honest about their motives? The youth have been asking many such uncomfortable questions, wanting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I fear they haven’t seen the fast train approaching them, threatening to run them over.

I believe that if we keep on valuing other things more than humanity, we will reap the fruit of the tree of radicalism, extremism and stupid acts of terrorism.

I leave you to reflect on a verse from the Quran whose spirit can be found in other religions as well: “…who so slays a soul not to retaliate for a soul slain, nor for corruption done in the land, shall be as if he had slain mankind altogether; and whoso gives life to a soul, shall be as if he has given life to mankind altogether.” Chapter (5) sūrat l-māidah, verse (5:32)

Time for philia

According to my dictionary, “philia” is a feeling of care, compassion, respect and acknowledgement.  We should fill the whole universe with “philia”, instead of falling into the opposite direction - phobia.

Philia doesn’t just belong to religions; in my view each and every one of us has a role to play in the universe and help other creatures living with us on the planet.

A question has been raised regarding the differences between the quality and efficiency of aid delivered by Muslim organisations and Non-Muslim ones. My response to the question is:

• Aid isn’t exclusive to one race or one nation. Humanity should celebrate the diversity of excellence that meets the needs of the needy.
• If people who believe in different faiths based their community participation on their belief in God who asks them to spread only goodness and stop evil, nations would become stronger and humanity would thrive as a whole.

I believe there is a place for every organisation at the world humanitarian table.

Multiculturalism Part 2 – You are invited to the wedding

 If we want to create the greater society, we have to allow the mosaic of local cultures to shine through and marry each other. The cultures should complement each other and build a strong foundation to live happily ever after on. Trust is the cement for a good society infrastructure.

If cultures fail to get married, a greater society cannot be created and sustained. The concept of a Pluralistic society becomes void. My understanding of modernity, openness and democracy is that they allow many talents and cultures to develop on a fertile soil. The cultures enrich the dynamic civilisation of the 21st century.

Our culture is changing by the second with the power of social networking and it has become vital for cultures to stand united and marry. Let’s all join the wedding!

Multiculturalism Part 1 – Pick and Mix

Listening to people talking about culture, faiths and values and giving “precise” definitions makes one wonder how we can narrow an ocean. We cannot speak of one culture for one society. Even if, in a community, everyone is the same skin colour, has the same historical past and shares the same faith, we still cannot talk of one culture for all.

The diverse mosaic of the society is like a Pick and Mix sweet jar. It is given by the individuals who have inherited the culture and values from their ancestors and is reflected by the education they receive, the knowledge they gain, interactions at work and the way of thinking of their mothers, grandmothers etc.

In my view, culture is breastfed directly from the mother to the future citizen of the country.

The L Factor

On Friday morning I had a conversation in the office with my colleagues on the L Factor. I could see the astonishment on their faces and the rolling eyes. I told them to treat it as a multiple choice question on an exam paper: “Which word would you choose between the following: Learn, Lay, Listen, Look, Lead, LOL?”

I could hear muffled laughter and saw that the people were shying from answering my question. A girl on my right was the first to pick up her courage and answer. She said: “Learn”. The girl’s answer encouraged others to speak up and soon, 10 out of the 15 had said “ Learn”, two answered “Lead” and three persons said “LOL”. Only one out of the three explained why.

Like Lord Sugar on The Apprentice, I jokingly told 14 of them they were fired for not giving the answer I was looking for. The one I “hired” was the person who answered “LOL” and gave the right explanation. They were all stunned, thinking I was joking. Everybody wanted an explanation.

I believe “LOL” represents the philosophy of the culture belonging to this age. We are living in very diverse, dynamic and democratic times, led by the superpowers of Social Media and youth.

If we don’t understand this way of thinking, we cannot be a part of change because we would find ourselves left behind by history itself. Be part of the history in the making by LOL-ing your way into a new philosophy.

Consumer Watchdog Diaries

I recently met up with a friend that I haven’t seen for a while. We greeted, asked how things were with our families and talked about what happened in our lives since the last time we saw each other. He told me he was refurbishing his house. He wanted to buy furniture and carpet his house.

Apparently, he went shopping with his family looking for a bargain, like everyone else. They received quotes from two companies- one being a nationwide chain of shops and the other a small family-run business.

The chain quoted them thousands of pounds for the job, which, he told me, left the whole family in shock, as they couldn’t afford such a high price. When the salesman heard that, he dropped the price by a whole thousand pounds.

My friend said his children wanted to keep on looking for a better offer and that’s how they came to find the family business. This company gave them a quote of a whopping thousand pounds less than the chain. He believes the quality of the carpet was much higher, as well. The chain, competing for his custom, slashed the price even further, reaching 50% of the original quoted price.

At this point, my friend told me, he became confused and started asking himself some serious questions. How much can such a company gain as marginal profit from consumers, if it slashes prices by 50% and it still makes money?!

I began to see that this is the case for everything, not just carpets: furniture, clothes, appliances, technology etc. My friend was right: an independent body (watchdog) should ensure profits are fair in these times of economic burden.

PS:  While I was writing this, my friend called and told me the chain dropped its price up to 80% of the original asking price.

Ship of change (The Crossroads Part 2)

I feel sorry for the injured and dead in Tunisia and Egypt and for the burnt down properties.
I feel sorry for the state of fear felt by many in the region.
I feel sorry for the cost of these confrontations which end up crippling economies.
I feel sorry for those who don’t follow the public interest.
I feel sorry for the fact that history will record all of our steps and intentions during this process.
I feel optimistic that we will be able to sail the ship of change safely ashore and then all of us can rest assured about peace and prosperity.

The Crossroads Part 1

The world has been watching the impact of the most powerful “tools” in any community at the moment: youth and Social Media. They helped president Obama gain his seat in a peaceful, democratic and stable manner and other countries could benefit from these “tools”.

It is not a matter of right or wrong, but of who is actually listening, who takes notice and who responds to our needs. Nowadays no one can deny the power of social change through Social Media and mass appeals. The wise ones among us will be able to put themselves inside the picture, instead of looking in from the outside so they will be able to gauge correctly the pulse of the crowds.

During the past events in the Middle East, it wasn’t various political/religious parties, military and security groups or institutions that created the change. Youth and Social Media are the ones who bring change in the 21st century. We are witnessing a time where everyone who owns a mobile phone is a journalist and TV Presenter, exposing those who think they can’t be caught. 

In my view, when a government ignores the needs of the youth and opposes the traditional media to Social Media, it becomes something like a World Cup Final, with Social Media scoring 10-0 against traditional media. Continued tomorrow.

Value recycling

On my way from Karachi to Jaty (Tatah in Sindh, Pakistan), I started a discussion with my car companion Umair. I wanted to discuss the topic of recycling values and being recycled by the values themselves. Umair was upset because of the long, uncomfortable drive on bumpy roads and felt that such a discussion was boring.  We struggled and struggled, but in the end we came up with an answer.

The value stays forever with us. It is a part of our culture, life and death. Communities tend to gravitate around moral values as they cannot survive without a strong moral code. The question is how we can renew the core values for different generations in different areas. I feel it is the role of scholars to deliver this recycled value in new format to be understood and digested by communities.

On the other hand, Umair answered the question of him being recycled by a value. The value here has another role: if we believe in a value, it becomes the driving force behind our actions. Are we ready to be recycled? Or are we made of sterner stuff, unable to reshape our thoughts?

A challenge lies ahead for all of us: on scholars to understand the masses, address the needs and deliver values in a digestible way and above all, on the young generation who can adapt values.