My last post on Farah Pandith’s religious background solicited many interesting comments, mostly from Indians and Muslims, incensed by my lack of approval of Pandith’s appointment as Obama’s “envoy” to the Muslim world.
I wanted to respond to the comments and some of the allegations (sic times infinity would be appropriate for this post)…
Naina writes:
She is a Muslim by cast pandit. Its a cast in Indian held kashmir among muslims. She is not a hindu. You can confirm that. There are so many people of this cast. basically there grand grand or you can say forefathers converted from hindu family,called pandits so they carry on with this cast after conversion too. We should be proud some Muslim or Kashmiri Muslim get in into the white house and hope she will promote the Kashmir cause well, as she also did her thesis on Kashmir insurgency.
Muslims do not have castes or classes. Hindus, on the other hand, absolutely do. It is a basic teaching of Islam that all men (and women, for you feminists out there) are created equal, before law and before God. No Arab is superior to a non-Arab, and vice versa. Adherence to a caste system, whether inspired by Hinduism or not, would be counter to belief in Islam. When you do convert to Islam, you do not “carry on” with any such caste.
Mr. Fai?
Ghulam-Nabi Fai writes:
…Farah Pandith is a young and bright Kashmiri-American who has the tremendous responsibility of planting the seeds for a new beginning for Islam-West relations. This, undoubtedly, is an enormous responsibility, however, her credentials are remarkable.
Farah Pandith ‘has made the entire Kashmiri people in general and Kashmiri American community in particular proud with this achievement.’
Planting seeds for a new beginning? While Obama may be making speeches all over the world announcing a new start with Muslims, his people are busy opening new secretive prisons especially for Muslims, crafting executive orders allowing indefinite detention of, guess who, Muslims, and re-starting Bush’s much maligned military tribunals, for the pleasure of, again take a guess, Muslims. You call this a new start?
Remember how Obama humiliated Mazen Asbahi, his Muslim advisor, only last year? How long will Farah last?
I am not questioning Farah’s qualifications for the role or her capability to try to succeed in what will prove to be a futile and highly obstructed effort. I am not even criticizing her. My post was targeted at Obama for his political games.
Tahir Qadri writes:
I am amazed at the ignorance of the writer of this article. In Kashmir, where I come from, Pandith is also the family name of some well known Muslim families, and in fact, the family that Ms. Farah Pandith comes from, is a highly respected and religious family. Please be informed accordingly.
I may have been a bit hasty. I should have done a bit more research. The “Pandiths” may be Muslim after all.
But, so what? It wasn’t just a coincidence that Obama selected somebody named “Farah Pandith” to be his envoy. With a name barely Muslim – Pandith, as we have discussed already, and Farah, a highly ambiguous name – will hardly incline anyone to consider her a Muslim.
Appointing somebody with a clearly Muslim name would be too obvious for Obama. That would make a lot of people unhappy. But, this way, at least she’s a Pandith… confusing for both Arabs, Muslims and Hindus.
Syed writes:
What unbelievable ignorance. Islam is not a superficial religion that recognizes a muslim by the name they carry. Abdullah was the biggest hypocrite (munafik) at the time of the Holy Prophet (pbuh). Abdullah being a very arabic/muslim name. Infact it is the name most beloved to God according to Islamic teachings. You’d be surprised how many people of different faiths including Hindus come to see the light and embrace the religion of Islam. Furthermore, there is no requirement in Islam to change one’s first or last name when one enters Islam. One who embraces Islam is free to choose a new name if they wish but are not required to. Islam is a religion of depth and character. It is not based on the color of one’s skin, or cast, nor social class and standing. “All men/women are equal before God like the teeth of comb and the best among them is he/she that regards God most.” And as for what will Farah do anyway? Well that remains to be seen. Grovel even more to despotic, criminal rulers of the Islamic world? Well I say safely say much to my regret that that job/position is already taken by the majority of the inhabitants/citizens of the so called Muslim world. Here is one muslim who is not groveling but building bridges and making history. That is a lot more than I can say for most of you.
Uh, Syed, the example of Abdullah holds no water. Arabs before the Prophet (PBUH) had, at one time, followed the Abrahamic religion, which is considered Islamic, and hence origin of the name Abdullah. The Pandiths are no companions. Nor does Hinduism have any direct relation to any revealed religions.
I’d be surprised by “how many people of different faiths including Hindus come to see the light and embrace the religion of Islam”? What is the relevance to the issue at hand?
Let’s talk about name change… let’s take a source you’d approve… IslamOnline … Muslims should have “good names.” I suspect Pandith, denoting a priest of polytheistic, idol worshippers, would be an excellent name for you.
You claim that Farah will be “building bridges and making history.” Building bridges with whom? How much will be her direct contact with Muslims? Will she walk around Arab streets talking to random Muslims?
Suhail: Remember Him?
Her role will involve little more than liaising with Arab and Muslim leaders. White House and Dept. of State positions, just like the one to which Farah has been disappointed, have titles grander than their responsibilities.
Farah is the not first Muslim appointee. Only recently, Suhail Khan, an Indian-Muslim, was chosen by George W Bush to a leadership role in the DOT. I don’t recall anyone displaying any sort of pride over his appointment, especially Indian Muslims.
Where you all then applauding Suhail’s achievement as a representative of the Indian Muslim community?
Jahangir Pandith writes:
I think writer is keeping grudge in his/her chest against muslim world. I would like to tell him that it is not good for his/her health.
Also I would like to tell author to please COME OUT OF THE COCOON of ignorance.
Writing anything in cozy room against islam is not good.
Islam is a religion of peace. The people like you maligned it.
Syed has rightly said that Muslim is known by his/her character rather than by the name he carries.
Ms. Farah Pandith is a Muslim. It is loud and clear. I think you are baffled by the news of her new status.
I am “keeping [a] grudge” against Muslims? Ha! I am a Muslim, and that too from India. Holding a grudge against myself, so to speak, would be self-contradictory and quite masochistic. I can assure that I may be sadistic but quite positively not the other.
A Muslim must be known by his name. Character only comes later. Name is the first identification used by anyone and, for a Muslim, a Name is even more important. A Muslim is identified before God and humans by his name – remember this. So, please, stop giving me the propaganda that a name is unimportant in Islam.
Islam is a religion of peace? How is that related to the topic at hand? When did I ever malign Islam? Please read a bit more and understand the context before you start ad hominem attacks on any writer.
Let’s hear some feedback, please. I found some of the vitriol rather amusing and wouldn’t mind being entertained a bit more.
#1 by syed on June 29th, 2009
Obviously you are an imbecile. You did not get my point at all. So I will explain it to you like I would a child. Hope that you have the intellectual capacity to understand what I say.
1. Salman Al Farsi was a great muslim.
2. Al Farsi was not an Arab nor was his name.
3. Malcolm X was a great muslim.
4. X is not a muslim last name.
5. Michael Jackson became a muslim.
6. Jackson is not a muslim name.
7. Elijah Muhammad is muslim name but he was not a muslim.
8. Qadiani is a muslim name but was not a muslim.
9. Musalimah is a muslim sounding name but he was a false prophet.
10. India’s president Kalam. Muslim name. But is he one. Sheikh Abdullah. Muslim name but was he. All the dictators in the muslim world. Muslim names but are they muslims. The Aga Khan muslim or not?
And I can give you more examples but I don’t know if it will help given your intellectual capacity.
I could go on and on. Moreover, unless you are a descendant of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) your ancestors were not muslims but most likely pagans. Plus it all makes sense given that you are a Boombai. You were raised among pagans and obviously have pagan influences. You need to re-embrace Islam and try and understand it. Sufi-ism is not Islam. 120 Million so called muslims in India and ruled by pagans. Never in the history of your country India, did your ancestors ever assert their Islamic identity.
“Muslim must be known by his name. Character only comes later.” You are a muslim? You are a moron. What are the conditions of Shahada? Do you even know? Do you have enough knowledge to make takfir? Do you know what that is even? Why are you a muslim? Because your father was. You are a disgrace to the Ummah of Rasool Allah (saw).
Go study the deen. Islam is not one eyed. You are as much a muslim as Amitabh Bachan, Sharukh Khan, Amir Khan, Salman Khan. You boombai moron. Go back to Bollywood. DB.
#2 by Naina on June 30th, 2009
Undoubtedly mankind is divided into many races, clans, tribes and castes. By the passage of time there was division and subdivision of these races. Arab society was itself divided into many clans. Among these our Prophet (PBUH) belonged to the most influential and respectful tribe called ‘Hashmi’. The miracle of Islam was to build one solid Ummah on different races but this division remained there, hate and prejudice was eliminated by Islam. Quran says that different races and clans are for your own identity. But before Allah only that man is great whose character is great.
So in Kashmir the advent of Islam changed moral and social fabric and conduct of the people but with this transformation many people who adopted the new religion they carried on the name of their race or tribe with them which was sometimes rooted in their professions also. So there is no contradiction among Muslims or Kashmiri Muslims when they continue with their pre-Islamic tribal name with them. But Kashmiri Muslims belonging to Pandit dynasty do not write ‘H’ with it.
However as Kashmiris we would like to watch the role of Farah Pandit as Muslim-American in building useful relations between west and Islam. No doubt she cannot deviate from American policies but she can use her genius to remove prejudices spread by vested interests against Muslims and the demands of Kashmiris for their just cause.