Sabeen Mahmud assassinated: A devastating blow against freedom of thought
Sabeen Mahmud and I at the University of Chicago bookstore on February 24, 2015.
I was devastated when my friend and colleague, Sheharyar Hasnain, emailed me to tell me that Sabeen Mahmud had been assassinated in Karachi as she and her mother were going home from her bookstore/café/salon. As of the latest updates, Sabeen’s mother is in critical condition. I am an unlikely person – an Americam Jew – to be touched personally by the targeted killing of a social activist in Pakistan, a predominantly Muslim country. And yet I am, and deeply so.
A yarzheit candle lit in mourning for Sabeen Mahmud.
Sabeen came into my life because while taking my MOOC on Understanding the Brain she followed me on Twitter. On January 31 of this year, she tweeted, “@neuroMOOC Hello Prof Mason. I live in Pakistan and am a huge fan of your work, especially empathy in rats” and then a follow up tweet, “@neuroMOOC >> I’m coming to Chicago next month and wondered if I could come say hello. It would be a dream come true. Hope to hear from you.” I tweeted back and we arranged to meet on Feb 24th in the University of Chicago Bookstore Café. Her Twitter picture:
The picture that Sabeen used on her Twitter account.
led me to believe that she was a man. I thought she was the man in the photograph, who clearly doted on his daughter. Consequently, when I went to meet Sabeen on the appointed day I was totally surprised to see a woman. In any case, we spent a delightful hour together that afternoon. Sabeen was on her way to Berkeley, CA to participate in a conference on Pakistan: Beyond the Security State. She was slated to give a talk entitled, “PeaceNiche: Finding Space for Contested Issues.” Sabeen had not found a niche for peace, she had made one:
This is from a booklet on the T2F coffeehouse, aka the PeaceNiche,that Sabeen started and ran in Karachi. Look at the pictures on the left and you can see how warm, inviting, and artistic Sabeen’s café is. I was amazed that such an oasis of art and free thought, more reminiscent of Paris or New York, existed and thrived in Karachi.
The coffeehouse that Sabeen created in Karachi, named T2F, provides “a platform for people to engage with each other. A community space for open dialogue… hosts readings, meetups with writers, talks, debates, theatre performances, film screenings, open mic nights, jam sessions, and standup comedy.” As Sabeen told me about the coffeehouse and I looked at the pictures, I wanted to go there and experience the intellectual and artistic vibrancy first hand, Karachi style. Meeting Sabeen was fun. She was easy to talk with and hugely interesting, a person who I’d be friends with given the right circumstances.
Sabeen was intrigued by my laboratory’s work on helpful, empathic rats. As it turns out, I was recording a segment for the NPR podcast The Adaptors earlier today, just before I found out of Sabeen’s assassination. For the show, we were talking about an apocalyptic time when climate change has ended humanity’s supremacy, bringing……rats to the fore [I always thought insects would rule when our dominion ran out but the futurists contacted by the show predicted that rats will inherit the earth from us.]. I was asked how a society of rats would behave toward each other. Would the rats of the future be as helpful as our laboratory rats? Would they live in socially cohesive groups, free of the cultural baggage that so many humans use as an excuse for intolerance and hateful violence?
I don’t know how the rats of the future will behave but I am more convinced than ever that if humankind wants to avoid its own demise, we need to live up to our name and to our mammalian roots. Sabeen lost her life, gunned down earlier today shortly after hosting a discussion about Balochistan, the largest (in area but not most numerous in population) province in Pakistan which is home to activists who have gone missing and in some cases been killed and their bodies dumped. Sabeen’s final tweet reads, “Unsilencing Balochistan (Take 2) with Wusat Ullah Khan, Mama Qadeer, Farzana Baloch and Mir Mohammad… https://instagram.com/p/13RnOLnFzq/ “. The murderous discomfort with dissent and political opposition is highly reminiscent of this year’s Paris attacks.
Today a passionate light in the quest for social and political justice has gone dark. I am devastated by our loss. I am thankful for who Sabeen was and what she did for all of us in her short time with us. A postcard from a collection given to me by Sabeen expresses the hope that exists for Karachi and indeed for all of us.
This postcard comes from a collection entitled, “From Karachi with love” that Sabeen gave me. I think the aspirations – “Karachi, you are beautiful” – expressed are those that Sabeen hoped would come to pass for her beloved city.
Categories: MOOC teaching, The brain in the news
The brain is sooooo cool! 
So very sorry. Awful news …….
Sent from ‘Damned Autoincorrect’
>
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My heart goes out to all who will miss Sabeen, and the space she created for the light of reason to shine.
For we who remain, that light is further fuelled by her courage and example.
I undestand when dinosaurs became extinct our species ancestors were small rodent-like mammals. ..
That act of kindness, compassion, promotion of reason; towards any living creature today, echoes into the future, promoting, one day, the full realisation and potential for these characteristics to become embodied. Carl Sagan warned us of the dangers of our own evolutionary baggage. Maybe the future ancestors of more community oriented species; valuing and promoting the synergies of all over the aggrandisement of the individual, will sidestep the pitfalls our species face. The image of meercats on their back legs all looking out for one another is a haunting one….
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I am sooooo sorry to hear this news. very very sad.
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Tragic news, heart-wrenching post. My sympathy to you, Peggy, and all others whose lives she touched. Through your post, she has touched mine
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I am so glad you got to meet her and share her light with us. “When will we ever learn?”
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A beautiful tribute to a beautiful person. When will humankind finally learn to follow Shakespeare’s maxim, “love all, trust a few, and do harm to none”!
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Thank you for sharing Sabeen and her work with us. I’m so sorry for the loss to all of us of her optimism and energy and hard work.
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I am sorry and depressed. I would vote for rats having more compassion than humans anytime.
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Dear Maria,
Please don’t give up on Homo sapiens. Take the sadness of this situation and use it with resolve. Channel your inner Sabeen and help your corner of the world reach its better self. We are as good mammals as the rats are. We can do it.
P
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We hope that… I am so sorry about it!
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Maria, I know how you feel. Homo Sapiens (Wise man) then why sooo much cruelty? Peggy I hope you are wright.
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So very sad that we are a world away from peace, so it would seem at times. Tragic. Condolences to you at this difficult time.
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so sad. But this is not the time to cry or to be scared. That’s what the army of obscurantism wants, whererever they are and whatever their race, religion and political ideas are. For sure many of them are now reading also this post laughing at how brave they are. Don’t laugh. You killed that person because you was scared by that person. By a woman.
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Thank you for this moving and thought-provoking post – but perhaps the title is mistaken. It is indeed a devastating blow but freedom of thought emerges triumphant. Now people all over the world are aware of Sabeen and her work, and sharing the sense of loss of those who loved her. That we are able to do so is a tribute to the positive potential of the internet and to your MOOC in particular. We are also thinking more about what is happening in Pakistan and to the people there, issues generally ignored in the mainstream media. While this cannot and does not compensate for her tragic loss, some good can come out of evil.
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Thank you John. Beautifully said and I agree totally.
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Very much touched even if I just discovered her name and her story just a few minutes ago. May she rest in peace and may the eveil that put an end to this beautiful life meet its own end soon.
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Education, Education, Education! In the reality of our evolutionary origin and connections, in the reality of the insignificance of this planet in the vast, vast universe of 100 billion galaxies with 100 billion stars each, in the reality of the random set of circumstances that arose that allow us to even exist and be conscious of our environment, such acts of violence are insane and absurd.
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I heard this news on TV yesterday however I was not aware at that time that she was also a NeuroMOOCer. Being a Pakistani and a human being, I strongly condemn this brutality. My thoughts and prayers are with her family at this difficult time. May her mother recover soon.
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Yes I hope her mother recovers and my sympathies to you and the rest of the Pakistani people. You have a beautiful country which I have seen from my many Pakistani FB friends. I hope that one day the beauty of the place and of the many individuals will be matched by the social fabric.
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In what kind of world are we that we do not allow the individual to simply be. My deepest condolences…
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Sadness on sadness
I hear too many news about the death of innocent people in recent times.
From the slaughtered by IS to the hundreds of drowned in the sea to reach my Country, fleeing from wars and misery.
I have heard comments on television made by people interviewed on the street who said: “I do not care. May they all drown. There is no place here for them.”
I think that their soul is not more innocent than the soul of who shot Sabeen.
I recall the words of a Bob Dylan song:
“Two eyes Took the aim
Behind a man’s brain
But he can not be blamed
He’s only a pawn in Their Game ”
http://genius.com/Bob-dylan-only-a-pawn-in-their-own-game-lyrics/
____
Me too a NeuroMOOC 2014 Coursera student.
Giovanni
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Your beautiful words remind me of words that I read about slavery, written in the 19th century by I am not sure who. I also don’t remember the exact words but the gist was that slave owners who were “nice” to their slaves were as complicit in the evils of slavery as were slave owners who were monstrous.
Thank you for stopping by and spending time thinking about Sabeen,
P
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Thank you for sharing this with your MOOCies, for your thoughtful reflection and insight. When someone like Sabeen is gunned down, terror resonates in a peoples across many lands: peoples separated by language, history, ethnicity, but united by fear of exactly such retaliation for putting into action and word what is already in the hearts and minds and even practices: rejection of outdated convention and tradition, a reconciliation of formative history that is rejected by current sensibilities with since-evolved modernity. This terror has been an effective tool for centuries and its continued stronghold holds hostage all sorts of freedom, and all sorts of economic and cultural advantages.
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Thank you Peggy,
Throughout your awesome program we’re constantly brought down to remind ourselves that life is beautiful, fascinating and very fragile. That’s amplifying all your beautiful words, in such tragic and touching circumstances. As we’re social animals, I feel Sabeen part of our amazing “Understanding the Brain MOOC” community, one thing added to my sadness…Thanks for sharing Dr Mason
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a very touching eulogy by prof.mason.
my condolences to the family.
jehejeh zichra baruch
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Her memory is indeed blessed, more and more with everyone’s caring and thoughts.
Thanks for writing,
P
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I am deeply sad to hear about this unnecessary death, but as your posters have said, the beauty of these MOOC’s is that they cover the world, and give all of us the chance to share both your sadness, and her determination. The sad thing is that the medieval religion which dominates in Pakistan simply does not want to modernise, simply would not understand the concept of empathy, and I have real fear that it may in the end condemn our species by its brutality.
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I want to say that I do not feel that Islam is bad in anyway or particularly medieval compared to other religions, all of which have long historic roots. I also have no idea if Sabeen was Muslim, Christian, atheist, practicing or not. Nor would that ever matter to me. I aim to take people as they come. React and respond to the person as they present themselves to me. And Sabeen was a smart, interesting, thoughtful, principled, and brave. She was intentional and I love intentional people.
P
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I am sorry if my comment was controversial. I have really enjoyed learning with you, and the last thing I want to do is intrude my feelings of anger onto this thread. I am 72, and I have found learning with your very ‘intentional’ personality has been a wonderful treat for me.
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Dear Michael,
Please don’t be sorry!! Speaking and conflicting verbally is our only hope. Have your feelings, express your feelings, do not be afraid of disagreement and conflict. Let’s just keep that conflict verbal and respectful, with all of us open to changing our feelings and opinions by learning from each other. I think that putting a clamp on verbal conflict just leads to more pressure and can ultimately fuel physical conflict and that we want to avoid. I totally thank you for expressing your thoughts. I can even see a place of agreement with you. I am very frightened by dogmatism and much of religion has the risk of being dogmatic.
So here is to open dialogue, open minds, and open hearts (or more accurately limbic system),
P
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Salaam/Hi all.
I am in Karaachi as well. Happy to hear that it is not, at least yet, related to Islaamic extremists. Paakistaani secret agencies to investigate what might also be … “police assert that since stability was returning and law and order situation was improving in the city, an “enemy country or its intelligence agency” may have wanted to give a “complicated turn” to it by targeting a prominent rights activist.” … http://www.dawn.com/news/1178166/intelligence-agencies-to-probe-sabeen-mahmuds-murder-ispr
Balouchistaan is a hot issue in Paakistaan, where the United States and India are very openly engaged with the extremist elements that are against the Paakistaani government. When the authorities arrest the bandits, they ask to be given a few minutes so …” he can call the American ambassador” … and lo and behold, they are free to go!
There are always multiple angles to any issue.
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I do not see multiple angles to a brave woman being murdered.
P
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So, what, in your opinion is the “definite” motive … do you positively know?
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Of course not. I do know that there is no justification for Sabeen Mahmud’s murder.
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I might very well be that the Paakistaani secret agencies killed her themselves, perhaps for speaking for the plight of the Balouchistaan, and therefore aiding the separatist voice.
And then, there is this “liberal terrorist organization” in Karaachi, called MQM, that is supported and funded by Britain and US, that is very well know to carry out murders like this, just so it could be made to look like “a liberal was targeted for being liberal”.
If you knew Paakistaan, especially Karaachi, well, you would know what kind of extremism the “liberal mask wearing” people bring to the city/country. I hope and pray that her mother gets well soon and I hope you get to talk to some of her acquaintances.
God I hope and pray that it is not “Islaamic extremists killed a liberal for being liberal”. Aameen.
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100% correct you are Doctor! My brain was reading your sentence but my mind was somewhere else, on other issues, and I started typing.
Reading up on the issue, I just read that one of the attendees of the seminar was a fellow called Mama Qaadri, supposedly known as “voice of missing persons”. It is a well known fact that most, if not all, of the missing persons in Paakistaan are actually abducted by the agencies working under ISI, the Paakistaani secret agency! … In some cases, it is actually necessary, as the case is with the MQM of Karaachi, who extort people for money and murder on a daily basis. The justice system is so weak that they can not be brought to justice, plus the fact that they have the backing of Britain in particular and US. So this is the only way to deal with the issue. But in case of Balouchistaan, I do not know. It just might be that the ISI killed her.
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Hello Dr. Mason,
I am an 80 year old retired professor of social work. Although I found you MOOC course on the brain too difficult to continue, I took many valuable lessons from it, not the least of which was what a wondrous, complicated organ the brain is! I have continued to learn from your posts and was deeply moved by today’s post. It also confirmed my impression of your generous accessibility as a teacher and left me wishing I had encountered you when I needed to learn more about being a good teacher.
With respect and admiration,
Hia Rubenstein
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Thank you Hiasaura. At some point I would appreciate if you could tell me where I lost you in the course. If it was not clear for you, it was not clear for many and I want to fix that.
Thanks for stopping by and thinking of Sabeen this morning,
P
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Sad and very tragic. Sorry for your loss. Sorry for everyone’s loss.
Diana
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Indeed, Diana.
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Yes, Hia I am 70 and have a similar experience. Dr Mason and the people who have responded here give me hope to continue. I learn something new every day.
Peace and Love
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This is so very sad, but also optimistic because you got in touch with her through the Mooc which is also where I, a Norwegian, found you. Now I through you get to know more of her work which moves me. This illustrates very well how so many of us by joining international societies online can create networks not only that helps the study but also which are lifelines between people who would not meet elsewise.
Today I congratulated a women I met through Coursera with her birthday. Should any one I have talked a bit with in brain matters come to Norway they would be most welcome to drop in for a meal or a bed for the night. I think many who critizise MOOCs for not fixing everything do not realize how these kinds of meetings online or live are ways of creating friends globally (or at least seeds for friendship) and how such friendships help tolerance and understanding (in my opinion) exactly the things This woman foungt for. How can we hate each other when we have shared similarities in each other families on brainy challenges or shared a love for chicken (another MOOC going on now)?
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You have eloquently spelled out the beauty of our international learning community which has become an international community period. And by plunging in to caring about each other, we take a big risk that we will lose someone that we care about. But without such engagement, such interconnectedness, life is nothing.
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so sad news… Wish for a better future all over the world
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very sorry about this, send you and her family a warm hug… 😦
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So sorry to hear this news.
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Terrible news….
My deepest condolences
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very sad moment…may god save her soul….RIP
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I used to live in Chicago and now I live in Karachi .I discovered T2F thanks to Prof Mason’s Tweet, ” Met the great Sabeen”….. What I find somewhat odd, is that I am wishing that I hadn’t read that Tweet, back in late Feb, because T2F and Sabeen’s sudden demise have changed my worldview forever. Then again, I want to thank Prof. Mason for leading me to T2F. The “American Jew” and her lessons have changed my thinking in so many profound ways, after all, with great pride, I can say that Prof. Mason is my teacher and she was Sabeen’s teacher as well. Prof. Manson, I hope you keep on running this MOOC as much as you can, because your ardor for Neuro is contagious and it is forming a lot more than just new synaptic connections, it is changing people’s lives.
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Oh my, Muneeb!! I am moved to tears by your words. PLEASE PLEASE do not wish that you had not met Sabeen and seen her life’s work. I feel so buoyed by your going to T2F because of my tweet. That is as good news as I can hear today. NeuroMOOCers have changed me and my life and I am eternally grateful to all of you for your gifts. Stay open Muneeb. Please visit if you ever make it back to Chicago. And I will make it to Karachi one day. I need to meet you and many other Pakistani NeuroMOOCers that I care about.
P
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It would be an honor to meet with you, If I ever get a chance to do so. I hope you stay safe, healthy, and as awesome as always.
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Mutual admiration club.
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Salaam/Hi Muneeb!
Since you met her in person, and if you don’t mind me asking, was she a Muslim? I do not mean to ask if she was religious or not, just that fact that what kind of beliefs did she have? I know liberal, but atheist liberal, Muslim liberal, Jewish liberal … did you get a clue?
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Okay, I get the clue. Her funeral prayer was held in an Islaamic manner. So she had Muslim beliefs, wal’hamdolillaah (praise be to Allaah). Belief in Tau’heed and The Testimony of Faith is the absolute minimum that is required to be able to answer the 3 questions of the grave and to be able to enter the heaven; THE most important thing for the 2nd and everlasting life. May Allaah guide us all to the truth! Aameen.
I’d like to take this opportunity to invite Dr. Mason and all on board, to learn about the 3 questions of the grave and prepare for them. May Allaah guide us to the truth, the only way to avoid the eternal punishment of the never-ending 2nd life. Aameen.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1178159/at-peace-sabeen-mahmud-laid-to-rest-in-karachi
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Taariq,
For me, Sabeen’s religion and her level of observance play no role in my feelings. NONE. I connected with Sabeen. I admired what she was doing. I liked her as a person. Matters that Sabeen chose not to share with me, not to put out publicly, are not of interest. Meet every person and react and respond to their gifts to you, whatever those are, whatever they choose those gifts to be. And while I appreciate that the 3 questions that you mention are important to you, please respect others and accept their choices to have the same views as you or not.
P
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taariqq, I do not want a 2nd life. I want Peace on Earth. May Allaah guide you to that truth.
Peace and love to you and your children.
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@Francine Brady, with due respect, I too stand for peace and justice. Justice before peace, in fact, for if there is no justice, there will never be peace. Thank you for your concern, but I am already guided to what you prayed for 🙂
Life and death, first or second, is not in our hands. Just personal beliefs. My invitation was more of sincere one than anything else … not meant to impose on anyone.
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‘Why’ the missing people .. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balochistan_Liberation_Army
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Very sad news. Thank you for sharing because now I can tell my people about Sabeen so her life story continues. Violence and terror CANNOT match the force generated when a human bonds their spirit with the power of Love and Compassion.
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Muy triste. La vida y la compañia y la amistad con otro ser es algo tan maravilloso. Su perdida nos lleva a reflexionar en nosotros mismos y reconocer lo afortunados y privilegiados que somos. A veces me sinto mal cuando mato un sancudo que me ha picado porque pienso ” solo se estába alimentado. También tengo un ratoncito que llegó a mi habitación,él cree que yo no lo he visto, ahora lo estoy alimentandolo dejandole trozos de queso. Un abrazo para ti y una oracion para Sabeen. He aprendido y reido muchisimo con tus explicaciones.
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I have read the piece of news. Nowadays we can get information from the entire world so fast that sometimes I wonder if our brain is prepared to get so much information. That makes easy to know about good things but also about the most horrible ones. From here i would like to send a big hug to Peggy for all the good feelings she transmits and to all of you for trying to work hard for a better world; one world where now one is over than any other, now one would try to maintain his or her ideas by force and where any person coming from anywhere should be treated as a human being.
I am afraid that we should learn many and many things (not ony neurobiology) about how to live in the same world, because in my opinion there is only one way to survive and this is to feel and act as if we were living in the same boat, I mean in a cooperative way.
Thanks for making us know about this sad question
Jesús
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Jesús, You said it perfectly. We are all on the earth ship.
P
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I admire people make life in such unpredictable area and even often smile. I hope she in in peace in heaven now. It was unexpected to have an opportunity to think of religious harmony through this course. Those who respect for other religions than their own are the ones know that we are all the same up to molecular level and if there was any creation at all we were all created by the same hands, not to mention evolution, we all came from the same origin, virus to human.
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I am in awe of the life and courage of Sabeen Mahmud and so sorry the world has lost her. May her light and what she stood for never die.
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Life is so short indeed. My deepest condolences.
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O Am very sorry
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I felt sad on learning about Sabeen’s death. Although I never met her, reading about her work and ideas gave me a glimpse of the caring and committed person she was. Thank you for sharing her story, might her light shine bright to dispel the darkeness of ignorance.
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Rest in peace.
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Thank you Peggy for sharing this sad news. Hearing about how Sabeen lived and worked, I was impressed. Living in a comparatively safe part of the world, it is easy for me not to see the personal side of these awful losses. To see numbers of people lost rather than women and men who are working and living in their communities. I hope peace and acceptance are closer when we see the humanity in these political conflicts.
So sad, but I think you’ve honoured Sabeen’s memory and legacy by sharing the news of her life and death. Thank you.
My heart goes out to you in your loss and to those closer to her,
Julie
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Hi Peggy,
I am so sorry to hear about the senseless slaying of your friend,who was not only committed to helping others, but did so knowing that she could well pay a very high price for doing so. I feel the hero moniker gets thrown around somewhat frivolously at times, but it is people like Sabeen who are heroic. It is frustrating that as highly evolved as humans are, we still have a long way to go. Let’s hope our descendants see the day when delusional violence is no longer a means to an end! I wish I could believe that could happen in my lifetime. I also, as one respondent mentioned, have fallen so far behind on the course that I have effectively “dropped out”. Not 3 weeks into the course my father in law passed away, and 3 weeks later a good friend and fellow musician died from ALS. I wasn’t taking the course for credit so I hope to unofficially complete the material. It is a fascinating subject and you are such a spirited teacher. Thank you for introducing us to Sabeen.
Sincerely,
Peter Melo
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A beautiful tribute to a wonderful person. I feel like I got to know her a little. So sorry for your loss.
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Hello Peggy
It’s the first time to join yours.
I am so sorry to here a so much sad news.
I play for her rest in pease . Thank you for shareing about her.
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Sabeen was clearly someone who not only loved education but loved to educate. The free access to education offered by MOOCs is something we all can be grateful for in particular in cultures where access to education is not always easy. Inevitably resources such as access to internet and censorship in some regimes may create barriers but it is individuals such as Sabeen who help to break them down. Her legacy will be her courage. “sic itur ad astra”
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Thank you, Peggy, for this very personal message and your thoughts about the sad events in Karachi. The students that meet in the virtual Coursera Café on FB had already learned about the murder, on which I commented to our fellow Pakistani students: “WHY?” you provided the answer. It seems that the radicals and fanatics regress our society by some centuries and put women-, gender- and similar equality issues. I feel that if we allow that to happen, all the efforts of those who fought for equality, recognition and respect will be wasted and we cannot accept their ingenuity, vision and commitment to be discarded in this way.
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Reblogged this on Neuroscience Is The New Black and commented:
The neuromooc makes strange and sometimes traffic bedfellows.
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So sad, I feel overwhelmed at times with the tragic killings all over the world, no matter what the cause. Is this just an awful human condition that will never change? Are there any other species that hate their entire lives like some terrorists do? What a waste of a beautiful human! I cannot say I want to even try to understand why terrorist do what they do, so what is the solution? Love and understanding does not seem to work . . .
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Lucy, People like you give me hope. The history of this species is very sad indeed. You are not alone in this feeling.
Peace makers throughout history have become martyr for love and understanding. Don’t give up!
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If there is No Peace on Earth, so, then – where is the Place … for Life ?
With my deep condolence, sincere Love & eternal respect for those Dear Souls, who have a courage – to live upon Earth & to be – themselves, to be – who they Are!
For Darling Sabeen:
https://sites.google.com/site/welcomefather/2015/dear-sabeen-mahmud-hanum—condolence-for-classmate
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Hi Peggy,
1. I like your approach to the issue : very focussed on objective; not swayed.
2. Every human was created in a different “mould”. Respecting diversity and freedom to express without imposing is good. I think deep down every human is born with some basic instincts: that of curiosity, survival, behavioral inertia, and love. We gradually become a modelled product of ‘our instrinsics’ and the ‘external environment’ around us. Thus, mental schema and mental maps take form. For us to survive and evolve as a species, we need to compete with threatening environment and collaborate with humans. And not vice versa. Fortunately, many animal species do that unless it’s a question of survival. We must fight to prevent and survive, say natural calamities, while we can collaborate to make this world a better world for all of us by inclusiveness and sustainable resources. Unfortunately, greed, inequality and jealously born out of deprivation, non-inclusive development and ignorance has led to skewed view and social conflicts. The ‘trend’ has to change; the ‘psyche’ has to change. The very fight for survival has been counter productive as it has become an internecine conflict which is self annihilating. We must believe that we all can make our world sustainable by collaboration and inclusivity.
3. But, there is a way out, that of understanding the brain…..I mean it. Make more people understand the way we are wired and make them brand ambassadors. Turn the tide by voices of sanity. It is a war, but it is worth living for. While many are getting massacred due to fanaticism and bigotry (see Iraq, Yemen etc); there are many who are getting saved by the same human beings due to love and social instincts in the same conflict zones and also in areas of natural disasters like Nepal etc. Religion has unfortunately been the fall guy, it has not kept pace with times – thank God. No religion preaches insanity and we need to understand that the religions were meant to bring people together, live together and guide them to righteous actions. The moment we try to impose on the freedom of others to choose , our actions become ultra vires to the very philosophy. Yes, we need to interpret religion differently with changing times. Lo and behold, we have not interpreted what the God said, and we blame the religion. How utter preposterous!!!
4. My heartfelt condolences to Sabeena’s family and I share the grief. I am sure, she has lit many flames which will continue to guide and light the path of many.
5. Live and let live. Let’s spread the message of love and peace. Because, that’s our only hope and way to overcome the odds. We cannot give up & we MUST NOT. We must take charge of ourselves and educate others, like Sabeena did.
6. Let’s Understand Brain. Thanks for being the messiah.
Mahesh.
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Thank you Mahesh. “We have sent you as a mercy for all the worlds” (Quaran 21:107) The Prophet Muhammad
“Father forgive them, they know not what they do” Jesus Christ
Violence begets Violence….We MUST FORGIVE one another.
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No doubt Sabeen mahmood was learned ,devoted.committed and humanfriendly social activist.
DR G N JILLANI KARACHI
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