Mohammed,
I do not support the bush's and blairs of the world, but get a grip! Non moslems suffer as much as moslems in africa, south america etc,possibly more than moslems. furthermore, moslems are sometimes the aggressors. I mean, rights of non moslems in places like pakistan and bangladesh are not too great, christians and hindus get a hard deal at the hands of moslems in indonesia and there are many other examples.I assume from your name that you are of pakistani origin, but think carefully, and remember how pakistan was created, by ethnic cleansing of the hindu and sikh population. Just like the israelis did to the palestinians. We understand leftism to be anti imperialism, and an end to all aggression, not just pro islam. Your threat of bombing is eerie, but hollow. The west picks on the moslem nations because they are weak. The real enemy is china.

The above is not poetry, but garbled prose truncated. I am unsurprised, therefore, to discover that readers have mistaken it for the authentic work of Mohammad Haque, indymedia's resident bard of barking. The work is mine. Or rather a joint project, twixt myself and the good folks at Al Qaeda.

The articulation of reactionary sentiment in radical terminology is a hallmark of contemporary islamism, its exponents media-savvy enough to understand that in defining their goals in language supeficially reminscent that of the Western left, a good many Western leftists can be counted upon to offer succour and moral support.

Elements within the shallow left, defining their goals not positively, but negatively; according to what they distrust and oppose; have opted to fellow-travel with Islamism, a reactionary, misogynistic system of superstition and myth. Indymedia, thrilled by the extra-governmental destruction wraught by the those ranged for war beneath the flag of Islam, long ago packed its bags for the ride.

My apologies to Mr Haque. His poetry's still shit though.

"Do I fast because I care?

Yes I do!
Yes I do!
Yes I do!"

KPT - Your real enemy is china ? Good luck, it's you against a billion of them and they all know t'ai chi.


Mr Haque,

Would you rather we commented on your political vision or your poetic skills when you post here ?

I'm sure you'd value honest criticism rather than false praise, and I don't mean this at all maliciously, but I don't like your poetry. If you hadn't called it a poem I wouldn't even have recognised it as a poem, just as a post.

You spell tranquilise with a z which leads me to assume that you learned your english from americans. If so, you can add that to the list of injustices that the US has perpetrated on Islam, for your poetry is poor and does the various causes you list no great service. I'm not saying stop writing poetry, you should write a lot more but before publishing it anywhere you should check it out with a few friends first.

Structure isn't madatory but it's a good discipline to be able to apply it. Towards the end of your poem a few phrases started to rhyme quite well ( "immorality and infidelity" or Balkans with Afghanistan ). Now this have been accidental but I suspect that deep within you there is a rhyming poem trying to get out. Rhyme isn't essential but a good rhyme can help distract from a number of other poetic failings.

Such as 'Your women are free to be used as tools of business and entertainment '. That is an awfully long and chunky and undescriptive phrase better suited to prose. A poem is meant to be distilled, reduce to the essential. Here is a good writing exercise for you. Once you have written anything, throw away 90% of it. Cut the wordcount to the bare minimum leaving only what is absolutely essential to convey meaning, and then cut it a bit more. I know it is a bit of work but you are talking about equality, freedom from oppression and genocide, surely these matters stir you to put a bit more effort into your work.

Try reading more of the great poets - and feel free to steal from them. You see, if I read the great Arab or Islamic poets, or any poets work, then no two great poems are alike but they all have a certain something that your work lacks. Although ending on a death threat is a fairly original poetic device in my experience.

Here, for example, is a great poem that covers some of the feelings you try to express, by a Vietnamese peace protestor monk called Thich Naht Hanh.

Resolution

You fight us
because we fight hatred
while you feed on hatred and violence
for strength.

You curse us
because we don't give man a label
and turn a gun barrel on him.

You condemn us
because you can't use our blood
in paying off your debts of greed;
because you can't budge us
from man's side,
where we stand to protect all life.

And you murder us
just because we bow our heads
before man's love and reason;
because
we steadfastly refuse
to identify him
with the wolves.



You see how he manages to address the obvious evils of US invasion of Vietnam without differentiating himself from the reader ( and even without threatening the reader ) ?

Or in this poem, he manages to convey some of the beauty of his spiritual beliefs without ramming his religion down anyones throat.




Love Poem

Your eyes are made of the six elements –
earth, water, fire, air, space, and consciousness.
They are made of these only, but they are beautiful.
Should I make them mine?
Should I try to make them last for a long time?
Should I try to record them?
But I know that what I can record would not be your true eyes.

Your voice is made of the six elements, but it is truly lovely.
Should I try to make it mine? Should I record it?
But I know that what I can hold on to or record would not be your true voice.
What I get may only be a picture,
a magnetic tape,
a painting,
or a book.

Your smile is made of the six elements,
but it is truly wonderful.
Should I try to make it mine?
Should I try to make it last for a long time?
Should I try to own or record it?
But I know that what I can own or record could not be your true smile.
It would only be some of the elements.

Your eyes are impermanent.
Your eyes are not you.
Yes, I have been told, and I have seen it,
yet they are still beautiful.

Just because they are impermanent,
they are all the more beautiful.
The things that do not last long
are the most beautiful things -
a shooting star, a firework.

Just because they are without a self,
they are all the more beautiful.
What does a self have to do with beautiful eyes?

I want to contemplate your beautiful eyes, even if I know
that they do not last even if I know they do not have a self.

Your eyes are beautiful.
I am aware that they are impermanent.
But what is wrong with impermanence?
Without impermanence, could anything exist at all?

Your eyes are beautiful.
I am told that they are not you, they have no self
But what is wrong with the nature of nonself?
With self could anything be there at all?

So although your eyes are only made of the six elements,
although they are impermanent,
although they are not you,
they are still beautiful,
and I want to contemplate them.
I want to enjoy looking at them as long as they are available.

Knowing your eyes are impermanent,
I enjoy them without trying to make them last forever,
without trying to hold on to or record them
or make them mine.
Loving your eyes, I remain free.

Loving your eyes,
I learn to love them deeply.
I see the six elements which they are,
the six wonderful elements.
These elements are so beautiful.
And I learn to love them too.

There are so many things I love-
your eyes, the blue sky,
your voice, the birds in the trees,
your smile, and the butterflies on the flowers.
I learn each moment
to be a better lover.
I learn each moment
to discover my true love.

Your eyes are beautiful.
So is your voice, your smile,
the sky,
the birds,
the butterflies.
I love them. I vow to protect them. Yes.
I know to love is to respect.
And reverence
is the nature of my love.

I don't know whether Haque actually wrote this! But this is Al Queda propaganda, remove it please! His poetry is shite anyway and should never be on the newswire!

And I thought I my posts showed I had too much time on my hands, there's always someone worse off...I wish I hadn't bothered now. At least i managed to sneak in some more good poetry.

So you posted that under a false name why ? To parody Mr Haque and to expose everyone here as Islamic-loving jihadists. Fair enough but apart from fooling me (not too difficult) and exposing kpt's China syndrome it didn't work did it ? Mainly because your thesis is wrong.

A lot of people do naturally side with the under-dog and the oppressed, and given our government has helped kill millions of muslims for cynical profiteering then your ridiculing their sympathies is akin to critiquing Judaism while Belsen was operational. In other words you just made Mr Haque look good by comparison.