A brainwashed public

Sir: This is with reference to Dr Haider Shah’s interesting two-part article, ‘The power of beliefs’ (Daily Times, November 2 and 9, 2013). Most people have been brainwashed into believing certain things. Because they have heard something many times, they believe it to be true. I have known people who believed that Hitler, Gandhi and Neil Armstrong (the first man to step on the moon) converted to Islam before they died. It is commonly believed by Pakistanis that a woman is to blame if she gives birth to a female child (many women are killed for this reason every now and then). Another common belief among our people is that the man who dropped the atom bomb on Hiroshima committed suicide (he died a natural death in 2005). It will take many years before our people are sufficiently educated to be able to resist being brainwashed.

SHAKIR LAKHANI
Karachi
Printed in Daily Times, November 11, 2013

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