Every day I see the stubbornness of Pakistani Muslims when they defy the government's directive to pray at home (today, Friday, I again saw them standing shoulder to shoulder at the "mosque" in our apartment complex). I am reminded of the scorn and contempt with which Saudis generally view Pakistanis, especially when the latter make loud noises about Islam. Sometimes, it seems that Pakistani Muslims know more about Islam than those who live in other Muslim countries, even more than the Saudis do.
I heard once about a Pakistani minister (perhaps it was the late Kausar Niazi, also known as "mullah whiskey") talking to an Arab prince about how deep is the love for Islam in Pakistan. When the Pakistani minister had gone, the Sheikh called his secretary and asked, "Do you know how many years have passed since Islam appeared on earth?" When the man said "About 1400 years", the Sheikh responded with, "That Pakistani who was here, he behaved as if Islam was founded on 14 August 1947, and that the Koran was revealed, not in Arabic, but in Urdu".
The problem is really with our politicians (they want people to believe they are true Muslims when in fact most of them are thieves, murderers and smugglers). So they are seen all the time (particularly most of those who belong to the ruling PTI) reciting verses from the Koran when beginning a conversation.
I am also reminded of an advertisement for an imam 400 years ago for the Grand Mosque in Istanbul. The candidate was required, among other things, to be able to speak Arabic, Turkish, and Latin, at the same time being a scholar of the Bible, Torah and of course the Koran. Most mullahs in Pakistan are illiterate and absolute bigots. There should be a law regulating the appointment of imams in Pakistan.
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