Jot It Down By Aina

I have not posted anything for quite some time now, and I don't know if this absence will continue. In what I consider as my final post on this blog, I wish to address the discriminating quota system in the Sindh Province of Pakistan. Credits: Jot It Down By Aina With its democratic rectification in 1973, the quota system was enforced for 25 years, creating an irrefutable divide between the rural and urban areas of the Sindh Province. Though the quota system aims to regulate equal representation in various regions of the province, it has polarized the territories instead. This problem emerges in Sindh only, as other provinces are not divided into urban and rural centers . In the Sindh Province, quota system has destroyed competition and fairness in selection and slaughters merit, producing corrupt and ineffective offices. In a failed attempt to represent all, the quota system has worsened the ethnic divide, and refuses admittance of capable youngsters to government offices, especia...

Quratulain, Saima, and Noor are only three names highlighted in front of our eyes that fell victim to the femicide that goes on in Pakistani society.  I wonder how many people around the abusers and murderers were aware of their barbarous nature and actions but refused to report it or call them out. Here is a timeline that shows the abuse cases from the start of July (Keep in mind that these are the  very few  highlighted ones): I would like to quote Sajeer Shaikh here, "It terrifies me that every woman (myself included) is one man's "bad day" or "anger let loose" away from becoming a hashtag - if that." All these innocent women have been butchered, tortured, abused, and beaten, to death.  We can all have our hashtags and keep waiting for justice, but the real change needs to come from the men within our society. And for the record, it is not 'Western Agenda.' We have every right to speak for ourselves and fight for our basic human rights in t...

Not only does this ruling sack Muslim women, but it also highlights the bigotry against Muslims, ongoing for years. On Thursday, 15th June 2021, the highest EU court ruled the banning of the hijab at work. This religious prohibition was justified by the concept of neutrality, to prevent 'social disputes'. Even the ECJ (European Court of Justice) has voiced that this is discrimination against Muslims. The court said, "A prohibition on wearing any visible form of expression of political, philosophical or religious beliefs in the workplace may be justified by the employer's need to present a neutral image towards customers or to prevent social disputes." The case was initially brought up by two female Muslim workers, one working at a childcare center and the other, at the Mueller pharmacy chain. After so many years of not wearing hijab and coming back from parental leave, they were told by their employers that this was not allowed, and they had to come without it. No...

A mosque is a sacred place of worship, where any Muslim finds himself safe. During the night of the last Friday of Ramadan this year, however, Israeli forces barged inside Masjid Al-Aqsa, leaving over 200 Palestinians injured. Israeli forces deployed outside Masjid Al-Aqsa If you are unaware, Masjid Al-Aqsa was the first Qibla of Islam, is the second house of Allah (SWT) built on the earth, and is referred to over 70 times in the Quran, directly or indirectly.  Violence erupted when the heavily deployed Israeli forces stormed in. Israeli police shot rubber bullets and stun grenades around East Jerusalem during the protest of the ethnically cleansed Palestinians against the eviction from their homes. With packed in the mosque, many Palestinians protested in support of those being evicted from their homes on land claimed by Jews in Sheikh Jarrah.  Due to the ruling of an Israeli court, over 550 Palestinians face the threat of dispossession. (The court also ruled that $20,000 mus...

Credits: Jot It Down By Aina On March 31, 2021, the French Senate voted in acceptance to the banning of hijabs worn by Muslim women under the age of 18, and Muslim mothers to wear hijabs on school field trips. The separatism towards Muslims in France traces back to the Scarf Affair of 1989: when hijabs were not allowed in French public schools.  It is to be established that the uproar about the recent hijab ban in French is not new; it was initially proposed in 2004, typically known as the " French scarf ban"  in foreign media. The bill intended to save young Muslim girls from being " pressurized"  under religious obligation or be forced by their parents. However, in doing so, the French Senate stopped Muslim women, who wore the hijab by choice, as modesty, too. The separatism against Muslim women eradicates the concept of religious freedom, creating hurdles for Muslim women and children in their daily lives, covering up their cowardly behavior by presenting themsel...

Everyone has a knack for doing something they admire and strive towards, and being a music critic would be an uncommon ardor. A music critic is a person who is professionally engaged in the analysis and interpretation of works of art. Whether it is in a foreign language or their own, people tend to keep an opinion about the art they listen to. The discography of an artist is the combination of various styles, genres, instruments, techniques, composition, layers, and ideas that are used to produce an album or single by the artist. Bound to the boundaries of my home due to the lockdown amid the Coronavirus, I stumbled upon BTS' music, and to say the least, I was mind blown when I discovered the making of their art. BTS's breakdown of their music got me into the art of criticizing music. I was keen to choose the analysis of music as a passion as I habitually interpret the music I listen to. An example of an artist making me discover something new is when I got to know SUGA's s...

Earlier this week, a video surfaced of two women degrading the manager of their high-class café Cannoli. The two women, named Uzma and Diya, are seen demeaning their manager of nine years, Awais, who is not fluent in the English language. Credit: @/KinzaDilshad on Twitter The video starts with the café owners stating they are bored and then calling their manager to interview him. Diya - one of the owners, introduces him by letting everyone know that he is one of the oldest employees at Cannoli.  The ladies criticize Awais's eloquence in the English language and embark on the number of courses he has taken over the years to learn English. Awais, on the other hand, stands quiet at the other side of the camera.  Being fluent in the English language is not something to flaunt to make others around you feel belittled. If its education and high-class status that you boast, and it cannot teach you how to treat people, it is useless to acquire such pitiful possessions. Speaking E...

Trump allies have penetrated the Capitol building, destroying 4 layers of security fencing, and are endeavoring to possess the structure — battling government police who are invaded. This is a savage endeavor by homegrown fear-based oppressors at toppling the democracy for racist dictatorship. The individuals who cried about a Target getting broken into, have polluted the country's Capitol building. A woman was shot in the chest on Capitol grounds as the animals force themselves in. America needs  a reconstruction of values. The force present at the Capitol for possible terrorists, compared to the force task assigned to peaceful BLM protests, is a joke.

"Speak, and let others speak as well." Credits: Jot It Down By Aina What causes interference among a bunch of dysfunctional bickering lunatics? Confusion. Were they to listen to each other, there wouldn't be a question.  It is this irking human trait that they simply do not listen. The emphasis is not to hear the other one, but it is to perceive and hark what they say.  A conversation comprises a speaker and a listener. Communication is the name given to the exchange of ideas from one person to another.  The havoc caused by an ordinary uncertainty is an amusing sight. A hint of skepticism, and voila, you have a priceless exhibition. Just the very thought of being the right one, which is applied in all senses, is so compelling to one's ego that it consumes every sensible and ethical approach to a situation.  Confusion gives roots to such grave misconceptions that it becomes useless to accept the certainty of the notion because of the effect that the undistinguished la...

"Expectations as to how this will happen for you usually holds people off because they unconsciously shut themselves off to other pathways to the same target, believing that their only strategy would allow them to achieve their concept of achievement." Picture Credits: Jot It Down By Aina “I am not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine.” Quoted by Bruce Lee. One can never fully perceive what is to happen; it may be following what the person expects, something in the middle, or the complete opposite; however, imposing expectations on oneself or anyone or anything is utterly unacceptable. The society which we live in today forces their expectations on everyone consisting of the society, imposed regardless of whether they are related to the person targeted or not. Everyone has distinct mentalities, not only distinct mentalities but a labyrinth of them and what makes them different from each other is their approach to things...

An eliciting admirable mentor can do wonders; how they illuminate their pupils to ameliorate their flaws is unparalleled. Picture credits: Jot It Down By Aina We have all had our fair share of teachers, from one's worst nightmare to an angel in disguise. Their contribution to society is exceptional in all the ways they influence their students. They nurture the youth of a nation and cultivate their mentees and elevate them to extend to their true potential.  An eliciting admirable mentor can do wonders; how they illuminate their pupils to ameliorate their flaws is unparalleled. The shadow of a noteworthy teacher bespeaks in his students. One can contemplate this, but a teacher's guidance is never strictly confined to pedagogy; it also influences their comportment. Even a minor flattering remark means a heap of stimulation for a devoted learner. The aptitude of carrying out constructive criticism is a particular aspect of a teacher that others, very few, can achieve. The endeavo...

Credits: Jot It Down By Aina The human urge to exert authority is far greater than his value of morals. You can quite literally sense a sharp-witted, quintessential authoritative individual from one who is under the authority itself. When you talk with someone influential, you ought to do so with respect because you are made aware of their prominence.  You are helpless right now; had you had the authority, you would turn the tables, won't you? That way, the way they are inducing problems for you, you would do the same to them, even worse if conceivable. Now that is authority. The way an individual is treated strictly according to their authority in unreal if you look at it; how you feel a commitment to well-wish someone in command, and the need to brush off anyone under you. I reckon this post is very much but a proper one, but I feel the need to put this out, to however much of an audience I can.  Just because you have power over someone, does not mean you own them. Authority...

If you do not speak against oppression, you are a part of it.  Credits: Jot It Down By Aina Never Again is happening again, and no one is talking about it. Muslims of Uyghur are being subjected to genocide. It is the largest captivity of an ethnoreligious community since the Holocaust.  Before the denigration of my article,  read the Ink Stone's publication about what Chinese government officials have to say about it in the State Council.  To put it politely, Muslims of Uyghur are 'trapped' in concentration camps. They are exposed to all forms of brainwashing and torture. One of the few Uyghur Muslims, Qelbinur Sidik narrates to having witness firsthand violence and brutality on the other side of the so-called 'transformation through re-education' camps . Muslim women, even men are subjected to sexual abuse, including rape and molestation. Should they attempt to protect themselves from humiliation, they would be further reported. In camps, they are forced to go...

Credits: Jot It Down By Aina On the night of Wednesday, 9th September 2020 on the Lahore-Sialkot motorway, took place a horrific gang-rape of a woman in front of her children. The country boiled with anger as the details of the gang-rape emerged the news on Thursday.  The victim was accompanied by her three children when their car stalled in the Gujjarpura neighborhood, where Motorway Police is not deployed, as it ran out of fuel. She called her relative and sent him her location on the motorway. When the relative managed to reach the motorway, he saw her terror-stricken and bloodstains on her clothes. He saw her vehicle windowpanes had also been broke. The two armed men attacked her; one struck the car with clubs, and the other held them hostage at gunpoint, the woman reported to the police. The attackers took the woman and her children to a forested area nearby and gang-raped her. The woman was later robbed of Rs100,000 cash, gold jewelry pieces, a bracelet, her car registration ...

She started feeling dizzy, with the overwhelming feeling that the universe had changed course over the last hour. Picture credit: @heatherz on Unsplash. Alana was sitting on the bleak seats of the London Underground, with three other grim-looking people in the same compartment. It was 08 17, and Alana had to reach her office at 08 45 to be exact, and she was already yearning to take the train back home. Today the ride to her office was still, though not a very loud person she liked the chitter-chatter and veiled bickering of random people while traveling to work in the mornings. Observing the tranquil environment around her, she glanced at her black strap watch and noticed that it was 08 30 now, and the train was about to stop at the next station in five minutes, from where she had to walk to her workplace. She assembled all her belongings which she had spread on the seat next to her and attempted to stand up when her heel slipped, and watch hit the pole. She was flustered, and her fac...

I am a Karachiite, and this is my cry for help. I am beyond pissed over the current situation of my city; Karachi has never yelled for help more than this. Thursday marked the third day of heavy rain in Karachi, and it shattered the 89-year-old record for the city. What I am here to rant about is that why do we have to suffer at the hands of the irresponsible officials?  Over fifty residents died in Karachi in four days; there are multiple videos uploaded on social media showing the horrible conditions Karachi is going through right now. Now, I get that it does not rain in Karachi that often, but it has now, and it is the responsibility of the people in charge of the city to make proper arrangements for the residents.  Courtesy: Express News. Courtesy: SAMAA Digital. Karachi gives out the largest quota of taxes to the Pakistani government but still has to suffer at its hands. Take a look at other major tax-generating cities of Pakistan, when a spell of rain occurs, such dreadf...

 “You transformed into her. Who knew you would do our mother better than even herself.” Credits: @/ainasx  (me) on Wattpad. Blythe was the ideal person to be friends with. She was the most selfless person one could know; with her vivacious personality, she could befriend almost anyone she wanted to. Blythe was known for her undeniably likely character and her nature to be there for anyone that was in dire need. She had deep-set eyes of the color hazel, and a tint of pink always seemed to make its way up her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. Her face was the brightest at any time of the day and miraculously glowed at night. She was currently going to Columbia University majoring in Psychology and residing at the dorms at her university. She was in the last year of her bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Columbia University, at the age of 22. She had a big friend group at the Broadway Hall and was very interactive with other students in her classes. Every girl at the dorms wou...

Freedom has to edge within established limits; it shall have to function within the extent of fixed principles – principles that have been inaugurated by people of the society themselves. Freedom stands for something considerable than just the right to act upon an opportunity for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Unquestionably, freedom does mean the right to do as one pleases – to think, believe, speak, move about, gather, and generally act as you choose – until your choices infringe on other people. Picture credit: @/jr_morannn on Unsplash. A natural right that humans have from their birth is freedom; it is not something that can be envisioned or held. Freedom is to make respect certain and not just to live with liberty. All societies define freedom in ways they feel appropriate. Making sure that others' freedom, dignity, and emotions are not harmed, a liberal can express his thoughts without fear. Creative minds thrive in nations where liberty of emotion, thought, bel...

 A teenage anxiety problem might be hard to spot since many teenagers are exceptional at hiding their feelings and thoughts. Picture credits: @/finnnyc on Unsplash.  Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress, but sometimes what may seem like usual teen struggles can be a sign of a more severe anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders can be especially consequential for young people because their minds are still developing. If left untreated, anxiety disorders in teenagers can have long-term effects on mental health and development. All teens experience some amount of anxiety at times. Apprehension is a normal reaction to stress, and sometimes it helps teens deal with tense or overwhelming situations. Anxiety disorders vary from teenager to teenager. Symptoms of anxiety disorders usually include excessive fears and worries, feelings of inner restlessness, and a tendency to be excessively wary and vigilant. Even in the absence of an actual threat, some teenagers describe feelings of cont...

Adversity and loss are the challenges that life brings to us, it is the response of human beings how they handle themselves in such situations. Picture credits: @/kilarov345 on Unsplash The precise qualities of the head, heart and hand can be acquired only through struggle in loss and adversity. In times of difficulty, we gain wisdom more swiftly than in prosperous times. In adverse conditions, one can either flee or face up to the problems and deal with them and, the sagacity comes from the experience, observation, trial, error and the counseling of others. Adversity and loss bring out all the qualities in a man; qualities like patience, self-reliance and humbleness, prove to be a much better school than success and prosperity. Success and ease make a man futile. C an a fighter enjoy the victory if the opponent is weak and broken? He falls prey to comfort and does not fight for real happiness. Loss and adversity not only make a man reach the pinnacles of his glory but also bring him...