I know that feel bro...
Here's the problem...and Ill be open.
I am anti- Wahabbi or rather Ibn-Abd-al-Wahad's ideology(since I respect his father and family).. I disagree with the formation, the crux of it and underlying theology.
and because I take religion close to my heart.. it will effect my opinion.
At the same time, I am also anti-Shia ideology in similar levels and terms...and for that matter the Qadiyani sect as well.
Now these are the religious theology differences I have with them. Then there are the political ideology differences I have with them.
because to me they effect the outcome of the Ummah, my country.. and consequently.. my family AS I SEE THEM TO BE FIT.. in light of MY UNDERSTANDING of Quran and Sunnah.
That is one point.
Next, I have differences with the Saudi state..or more importantly.. the history of its formation and the manner in which it was done.
This is based on my research(which in all honestly is far from exhaustive as an experts would be) of the Saudi state, the factors that led to its formation, the history of it and its past and present actions. These I feel at points have been more damaging to the cause of Islam then supportive of it.
At the same time I have immense contempt for the Iranians and their actions in history..
While.. also having severe contempt for my own country(men) in their actions and behavior..which have damaged the cause of their own nation and that of the Ummah.
On the flipside, I have little or no disagreements with the Saudi people in general. I have spent a year among them and apart from a few royal family upstarts see little to call them any less caring or humble than other nations.
Their contribution to the development and upkeep of the Holy Mosques is(even if certain theologically motivated errors were made in my view) is unparalleled. Along with their generally receptive attitude to my country's immigrants(even those who brought in drugs embedded in soap bars to sell while supposedly coming for the Hajj)..
And similar opinions on the flipside exist.
These opinions influence who I am as a person.. they define me.. good or bad...just as my preference for onions and garlic and not Brinjal.
Now for a bit of boring psycho-philosophy..
Def.pk main objective as an online forum is opinionated commentary... hence as a member it is my right to do so.
However, considering that this is an online forum.. and I dont know who the heck many here are nor care about finding out(although in some cases I do, voluntarily or involuntarily).. there is also lesser attachment to the opinions because they are hidden behind a spurious name.
Moreover, these opinions are generally a more raw impression of who the person is. for eg.. I have many angst ridden and rather stark opinions about India and Indians.. and their role within my country..
Yet these opinions like many others have a lesser real priority.. and a lesser real-life(TM) application then here or otherwise.
Because they form part of the subconscious and less of the thinking mind. Yet their creation is the result of experiences and influences.
Take the whole Mohajir-Punjabi-Pathan-Sindhi(poor Balochis dont seem to matter here even) ethnic debate that rages on.. I am from a Primarily Urdu-speaking family and hence I will identify with them in terms of micro-culture and grouping(although in reality I identify with Karachites more since my friends circle is mixed but we all think alike..being raised by the same mean streets).Pretty much the same as I see South Indians grouping together in my class here while the UP guys form their cluster..and the Gujrati guys theirs..
And so an attack on the Urdu-Speakers will be perceived as an attack on who I am as a person.. basic psycology and my being a homo-sapien dictates so..and I do.
Yet at the same time , I felt very offended when Urdu-speakers...even those from my extended and close family crack jokes and brand stereotypes for Pathans or Punjabis.. because my friends are from that group(and Ive lived among them in the major cities).. and hence I identify with that tribe as well... So the dilemma ends up that when such I am faced with stark comments or words that I cannot tolerate.. I will want to hit them.. in both cases.. it's a case of "how the hell will you say that to my family,my friends,my people".. and my opinions will flow.. because that is my existential right on this forum...and Moderator or not..
Given the right provocation.. My opinions will express themselves..as did Mosa's.
NOW, comes the issue of moderation.
A moderator here is not a police officer so to speak.. but Judge, Jury and executioner.
hence that line is a very tight one to tread.. and in def.pks case.. near impossible to do so without sounding unbiased(unless you disappear for ages like webby from posting and people forget what your opinions were).
However, generally.. and @<u><a href="http://www.defence.pk/forums/member.php?u=40703" target="_blank">Mosamania</a></u> should be aware... that a moderator is not active all the time..and not all moderators are the same and they ALL have the same problem of opinions..and while I will testify(to the ire of my detractors)..that generally the moderation of this time..and exclude me.. is generally very fair and unbiased in light of the forum rules and mission statement..they are still humans and prone to mistakes due to who they are as people..and I challenge any of the more vocal detractors to do a job any better(considering their own virulent and completely blind bias driven ideas and opinions.. it seems a laughable idea).
You may ban terms.. and tone them down... but that will only lead to more users opting for alternatives to express their opinions.
that is NOT the solution.. but inculcating better discussion is. The seniors Cafe was made as an example to posters.. but unfortunately the forum old-hands did not participate as expected...and many of them(as am I) prone to outbursts on the threads that keep them from being objective.
The main forum will.. continue to be filled with biased opinions and in many cases downright offensive ones(to anybody).
But that is the cost of giving people a space for expressing opinions even if this is not Hyde park or the youtube comments section.
What can be done.. is to restrict religious discussion to the Seniors Cafe..
an attempt to do that was made but the sheer number of members that resort to that is undoubtedly going to lead back to those issues and reprisals. Hence discussions that may sort out objectively may end up being nonobjective.
Another option may be to increase moderators and then be ready to face their opinions and the expected complain of biases from them.
A better option though.. is for posters.. to learn and remember.. to..
KEEP CALM
AND
USE THE REPORT BUTTON
It generally works.. and despite all our grevious fallacies as humans the Mod team does try to be fair and less judgemental.
However, when dealing with hundreds of reports that suddenly pile up at odd hours we do deserve a certain forgiveness when somehow we only act against the Saudi poster who put
because that was the reported post and miss the whole series of"the hell without you F'ing persians"
posts that were made previously simply because PEOPLE DID NOT REPORT THEM. It takes time to go through a whole history of posts and generally (due to the inevitable burden of being human beings and actually having lives and commitments outside of the forum) we don't have time to look through them all."F you wahaabbi Arab swine"
In the cases we do try to do.. we make sure the offending parties(regardless of the side..although certain first time offenders are let off easy.. although if your IP traces back to mypussyproxy.org chances are you'll be infracted or banned without question since we are sick of dual IDs) are punished equally...
We arent perfect..
But we try to get there.
As a conclusion.. I suggest that members have a watch at this.. and understand what I feel I try to accomplish here though the way I post..
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