My dear Dr Sohail,

I have read your recent article on Soul & mind. I appreciate your sincere efforts to eradicate blind faith on this subject. You gave me permission to translate your former articles in our monthly namely Vaishvik manav Vad in Gujarati.

Now I request you to allow us to translate your latest said article of Mind & soul in our monthly as well as to Reprint in English Monthly The Radical Humanist. It is monthly devoted to Secular Humanist Values. I am also requesting its editor MRS Rekhaben Saraswat to send web site of our monthly namely The Radical Humanist.

Dera Sohail,

I promise u as usual when we will publish your articles in RH & Our Gujarati monthly we will send e-mail copy of it.

Send your web site CHOWK to her.

Dear Bipin, I feel honoured that you would find my articles worthy of translation in Gujrati. I also want to thank you for your recommendation to Ms Rekhaben Saraswat to publish my article that was published in

www.chowk.com

 I believe that humanists all over the world need to work together to decrease human suffering and increase human enlightenment so that we can create a peaceful world together.

Keep up the good work.

Sincerely,

Khalid Sohail

www.drsohail.com

www.greenzoneliving.ca

www.chowk.com

Dear Sohail,
Your article on the third model of secular humanist in reference to the old-fashioned debate on soul and mind and\or human psyche and mind and the subsequent conclusions make interesting reading. It tries to create insight into the rational outlook and time's tested superstition. Although the debate is not new, it > prepares the readers to accept the truth, But you must know that in the very psyche of men and women the grain of fear lurks and he or she appears to be helpless in the vast expanse of this phenomena.

However my congratulation to you and deep regard for your ingenuity and creative urge.
Grow strong my Alter-ego.
yours, Never empty of your thoughts, zahir anwar.

Sohail:

Thank you for advising me of your latest article. It sounds so very familiar. Is this an article which you have submitted to another site in the past.

I tried to set up an account on this site.....to add comments; however, I am having difficulty doing so. Will keep trying and eventually you may see my comment on the Web.

In the meantime, I commend you for this article.

And even though I am no longer officially in the 'Helping Profession', when I was...I certainly had a similar approach to you and allowed my clients to discuss whatever faith they are practicing...after all...their belief system is part of who they are and who they have become. 

I found it interesting that some people who have commented on your article have indicated that they in their professional position try to counsel their clients away from their religious beliefs.
I can see that this may be appropriate if people were 'brainwashed' as a result of being in a 'cult'...and suffering from 'post tramatic stress syndrome'.

Nevertheless what I gather from your article.... whatever clients bring to the session is what we must accept unconditionally and I wholeheartedly agree...
A very wise supervisor once said to me when I shared with her that my client at the time wasn't making any changes in her attitude and/or taking action to make changes in her life....she commented..."It is your need to have her make these changes, Marjie, she is not ready." Isn't that the truth....

On that note Sohail...nice to hear from you...and keep writing. Your articles are both inspirational and thought provoking...
Will forward this on to some of my Humanist friends and colleagues...

Stay well and do keep me informed...

Warmest regards,

Marjie Olmstead
Shannonville,Ont

Wishing you harmony & happiness today and always.....

Dear Sohail,

Tomorrow is the festival of light and people worship Lakshmi the goddess of wealth. We think, she is the goddes of violence. Now a days most of the people are violent attitudes because they have endless necessities which are being created and manicured by market economy. Ironey is this that they are the people who are talking religion, soul and spirituality. All these are destroying our earth which is the most beautiful.  

Your article Human Psychology - Mind or soul is an excellent thought provoking piece . Hope, you will be able to create a new world  belief system. we are your fan. We too belong to the third group of people.

When are you coming to Kolkata?

With lots of Love,

Geetesh & Kusum  

Dear Dr. Khalid Sohail,

To day I finished you poetry book titled Samadar our Jazeera (The Ocean and the Island).Your Ghazals have moved me. I am really inspired. The simple diction and flow of the verses captivated me. I did not know you are a great poet. I am sorry for that. It is my fault. I took you as a scholar. You are a born poet. The poems are also full of meanings. Your poetry is not the jugglery of words. It is pure poetry. You write for peace and humanity and that is my poetic message as well. When I read your other books I will e-mail you my views. You are great and your poetry is sublime.

With warmest wishes,

Dr.Maqsood Jafri

Dear Dr. Khalid Sohail,

I have read your views on Soul or Mind. The atheists do not believe in soul. Philosopher Hume regarded the activity of body as the activity of mind, not of soul. Such philosophers consider human body as automation. With the death of mind , the body dies and no memory or consciousness survives, is the faith of the materialists and the atheists. The spiritualists believe that soul is a superior and rarified special creation of God that controls and activates the brain cells.  If some brain cells are damaged they become ineffective because they leave their function. The religionists believe that the soul does not die with the death of body. The Torah, the Bible and the Quran believe in the immortality of Soul. The Greek philosopher Aristotle considered soul an odor to the flower which survives even after the decomposition of the petals. The Quran regards Soul as the "Amr " (Special creation of God).  My book titled " Philosophy of Soul "published in 1974 shed light on the subject in detail. Matter, Ego, Mind and Soul are different entities and their functions are altogether different. The Soul is like petrol in a vehicle. It is energy that moves and mobilizes human mind and body. When it leaves the body, the body decomposes. It is a very complicated discussion which can not be summarized in a post. Hope to provide you my book on the subject.

Sincerely yours,

Dr.Maqsood Jafri

New York

Hello,

Here is my interview for Dr. Khalid sohail published in today's Urdu Times. Dr. Khalid is a psychiatrist, poet and author of many books.He lives in Canada, Toronto.

http://www.urdutimesusa.com/chicago/magzine/index.php?f=p11&slpage=p11

(Date 1st October)

Sincerely, Gohar

Dear Sohail,

Long time no hear! How are you? I have been crazy busy here...

On that note... do you have any articles, poems, or stories that you wish to submit for Canadian Freethinker magazine? Your article, "The Psyche of Al-Qaeda" was quite the conversation starter in the last issue!*  If you do not have any new articles, I would be happy to include one of your poems or stories from your website. The deadline for submissions for the autumn issue is September 11 and the maximum word count is 3000. The sections are: Ethics & Philosophy; Arts & Culture; News & Politics; and Science & Technology. I would love to have you as a regular columnist... if possible!

Warmest wishes,
Kathy Meidell

Dear Dr. K. Sohail,

After a very long time we received a well balanced & thought provoking article from the seasoned  intellectual like u. Your analysis is very rational & objective. Another  important thing in your analysis is ,it is constructive & well supported

by the ground realities of the nation.

Please allow me to translate it  in Gujarati for our monthly namely Vaishvik Manv Vad. I will send a pdf printed version  of  your translated article. I am confident that Indian  intellectuals will be provoked in the real sense. Because  the problems of Pakistan are no least difference from those of India & Bangladesh.

Again accept my sincere congratulation for the same.

Bipin Shroff

Pervaiz Sahib

And they want to compare themselves to Dr. Sohail.  He would never make these kind of personal attacks. He is too much of a gentleman. They are not in the same league, not even close, just wannabees.

Feroz Karmally

Dear Feroz...thank you for your kind and generous comments. They say....beauty is in the eyes of the beholder..

as a humanist i respect human beings even when i disagree with their ideas....i suggest to my friends that they try to win hearts rather than just arguments...

all the best...sohail

Dr. Khalid Sohail is that typical scholar who is at same time a beloved of a few and a pariah to many.

Most of the people hearing his Muslim Pakistani name expect him to be a conforming Muslim and Pakistani. Whereas he is a declared humanist and atheist who shuns the biases of structured religion and societal impositions.

As a distinguished Psychiatrist, a prolific writer, and a free thinking scholar, Khalid Sohail is among those few Pakistani writers in Diaspora who have the ability to write both in Urdu and English and convey his convictions.

It is unfortunate that his body of work has remained hidden from the general literary public, and even in Canada his coterie of admirers has not done enough to publicize his contributions.

Dr. Khalid Sohail has been a director of the Writers Forum in the past, and is a member of the Canadian Writers Association, the mainstream body of Canadian
writers. He is also a patron member of the Harbor front Reading Series.

His most recent book, ‘From Islam to Secular Humanism’, has become a near best selling book of a Canadian writer of Pakistani origin.

It gives me great pleasure to provide you the link to a body of his works. I will also include it in the permanent links to the Writers Forum group. The
link is:

http://www.drsohail.com/

The link to the Forum’s link section is:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Writers_Forum/links

Thanks and regards. Munir

Dear Ibrahim...Thank you for sharing your concern about Pakistani people who are suffering because they are caught between Western imperialism and religious fundamentalism.

After exchanging a number of letters I feel that in our philosophies we have more similarities than differences.

We both believe in peace and social justice.

We both agree that religion is a private matter and state laws should not be based on scriptures.

We need constitutions in which all citizens, especially women and minorities have equal rights and privileges.

I am of the opinion that all those followers of religious, spiritual and secular traditions can work together who believe in humanistic values and humanitarian goals.

I respect your sincerity, integrity and commitment to your values.

We might be following different roads but our goal is the same...to raise social consciousness and hope that humanity can evolve to the next stage of evolution. all the best...sohail

 Dear Ibrahim...Thank you for your thoughtful letter. Those who grew up in the Middle East and know Arabic, Yiddish and Hebrew are familiar with the teachings of Old Testament, New Testament and Quran as part of Middle Eastern Folklore and Mythology

Similarly people who grew up

...in India are familiar with Buddha's teachings and Indian Mythology

..in China know teachings of Confucius and Chinese Mythology

...in Greece have learn teachings of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle and Greek Mythology

....in North America learnt about teachings of Black Elk and Chief Seattle and native Indian Mythology

In your opinion how do you think teachings of Quranic Mythology compare with the Mythologies of the other parts of the world?

Do you believe state laws should be made based on Quran? Do you believe in creating a theocratic state?

Do you think you would be a Muslim if you were born in Communist China?

sincerely,

sohail

You are right Sohail! "There are as many truths as many truths as human beings."

In fact I have said it repeatedly and publicly (even on TV shows and in mosques) that if it is true that there are 1.3 billion Muslims in the world today, there must be 1.3 billion Islam’s in the world, too. However, what is so "striking" about this "truth" is not its profundity, but rather its banality. It denotes the obvious. On the other hand, whereas a red rose can be viewed by the "scientist" as a flower with red leaves, our cultural traditions/beliefs/legends would view it as a symbol/token of love and passion. There is no contradiction here; both views are two sides of the same "truth."

This is why even if one were to accept your "truth" that "scriptures are part of a folklore," it does not in any way diminish the enduring importance of these scriptures. After all, our folklore/lore embodies our collective, albeit distinctive, humanity.

Be that as it may, and in view of the fact that you'll be participating in the forum on "Relevance of the Quran in the 21st Century," I sincerely wish that you would give yourself the chance to read the following three highly relevant books:

1. Ingrid Mattson:  THE STORY OF THE QUR'AN : ITS HISTORY AND PLACE IN MUSLIM LIFE. (Blackwell Publishing, 2008),

2. Fazlur Rahman: MAJOR THEMES OF THE QUR'AN. (University of Chicago Press, 1989), and

3. Charles Le Gai Eaton: ISLAM AND THE DESTINY OF MAN. (State University of New York Press, 1985).

Regards & best of wishes,

Ibrahim

Dear Ibrahim,

Thank you for sharing your comments. It is obvious that you believe in God, Prophets, Scriptures and Divine Revelations and consider yourself a Muslim

On the other hand I am a Secular Humanist who does not believe in God, Prophets and Divine Revelations. For me scriptures are part of folklore. That does not mean that I do not respect your beliefs and philosophy as that is YOUR TRUTH which is different than MY TRUTH. I now believe that

THERE ARE AS MANY TRUTHS AS HUMAN BEINGS.

I am sending you my article about Subjective and Objective Truths. Sincerely, Sohail

Hi Sohail,

One of the most outstanding "virtues" of modern technology is its ability to compensate for human shortcomings, including loss of memory.

Here are my "Reflections & Comments" regarding your presentation "From Fundamentalism to Humanism."

Hopefully,  you'll find these reflections and comments interesting and/or inspiring enough to induce a response.

Salaam,

Ibrahim

 Re: curious

I've just partially visited your website.

Janaab-e-Mohtaram, I can boast of, without a shadow of flattery, discovering the most precious gem of facebook (at least till this moment).

Would always be missing your DarweshoN ka Dera phisically, but, virtually, you will always find me sitting at the feet of darweshaan-e-derah !

Allah yeh dera qaayem-o-daayem rakkhay . . . !

My Dear Khalid Sohail :

Nea saal bohat mubarak ho.

Mujhey yaad hey ak baar aap ney zikar kia tha key aap ney aik article meri short stories per likha tha.UP India ka ak risala (Tehrek-e-Adab)meri therero per tabsra chap'na cha'ta hey.Kia aap mujhey apni threer inayeat ferma deyngey(?) takey mey unhey forward kersako_n.

Aaj kal Gam-e-Rozagar mey shid'at sey busy hoo_n.Kuch ersey sey ak bhi naee kahani ka wajood na hova ...na ja'ney kab tab'eat raghib hogi (likhney ki taraf)..merey haQ mey duwa kejeye...Sua hey Allaa Tabarak Tallah Atheist community ki dil sey sunta hey.

Duwao ka talab gar

aap ka bhai...Baland

Dear

Friendship subject is great but friendship between male & female of our society will take time to understand its beauty.

our Eastern sick society do not understand that friendship can be without having sex.
I had a teacher in USA, she was from Punjab, we use to go to restaurants a lot and use to share our thoughts while we both were married. It helped us both.

This happened because she could pull herself from the sickness of society to a develop society. Believe me it is very rare to see like this.

The umbrella of wrong explanation of religion should be thrown away to have a healthy society & culture.

Kind Regards,

Dr. T. Bhatti

dear intisar....thanks for your comments. tell me more about yourself and your philosophy. do you live in ontario canada?
sincerely
sohail

Dr. Sohail:

I discovered your writings on "chowk" by accident. I must commend you and like minded people on your "chutzpah" to make an effort to articulate the feelings and thoughts of vast majority who have not be very vocal.

Keep it up.

Intisar

Dear Dr. Sohail,

I am currently writing a paper on sexual double standards and sex education amongst Muslim youth in India. I found your work on sexuality written for a predominantly Muslim audience at chowk.com very informative, and much needed. I will be quoting you in this current piece of work I am doing. Are there other texts you prefer I refer to, or shall I just use the information on chowk.com?

Further, if I can briefly pick your brain: Islamic texts support knowledge and education, and Islam as a religion is interested in supporting the good health and safety of all Muslims. Thus sex education is both compatible with Islam, and there is a felt need for such education in the face of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, particularly. However as your commentary on chowk.com clearly recognises, there is an understanding by many Muslims that sex education is incompatible for ‘Unmarried’ Muslim youth, because zina is haram. This often results in many youth (especially Muslim girls) unaware of their own bodies, at risk of STI’s and internalizing discourses of ‘shame’. How would you, then create an Islamic-based sex education? How can you ‘sell’ sex education to these communities?

All correspondence will be duly referenced.

Thank you so much for your time,


Kabita Chakraborty, PhD
Postdoc Fellow
CAPSTRANS
University of Wollongong
(02)42214550
 

Dear Mike...Thankyou for inviting me to your function. I am sending you the paper I presented. Feel free to add to your website if you wish.
I will ask pervaiz to add it to my website
www.drsohail.com
I am also sending you the article I wrote this morning. It was inspired by the program last evening. It is titled
Writers Are Like Mothers
Feel free to share it with Mayor Ryan and Rev Beard. Extend my hello and thanks fo them.
sincerely sohail

Dear Dr. Sahib,

Thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to accommodate the program last evening. Unfortunately you were to leave early I wanted to invite you at my place. Malik and his entire family were here and we were talking about you – they had great things to say about you. Excellent job - you conducted the program very well.

We were restrained with the time. I wanted to say lot of things about you especially you are the leader of our pack and a constant source of inspiration. The work I have done is not my work only it’s yours too. A man like me who is away from his family members, You are a constant moral support for me. Thank you for being who you are I always admire you and respect your contribution. I am planning to conduct a similar program in Toronto with the mayor of Toronto or Premier hopefully we will arrange a time where I can speak on a longer length and do not have to rush. Toronto community needs to know more about you for who you are.

I actually wanted to send you an email requesting if I can post your article on the website – you are always ahead of us like Malik Jahanzeb says “Dr. Sahib is tireless and always ahead of us”. Thank you forwarding this and I will post it. I will speak with mayor Ryan and reverend Beard on Monday and will convey hello and will send the articles.

Thank you, Dr. Sahib again for all your support and encouragement.

Best regards,

Dear Dr. Sahib,

I thank you very much for inviting me for lunch yesterday. I had great time.

Attached are the short bios of Mayor Ryan, Professor Basharat Tayyab and Rev. Kim Beard. Can you kindly send me your bio so that I will have Rev. Kim Beard introduced you.

While coming through Kingston make a left turn at Glenanna Rd and left turn at Esplanade (first traffic light). Immediately after taking the turn you will find the parking lot on your right hand side. Please park there and the library is across the parking lot. Please let me know if you have any questions.

I thank you very much for your time and looking forward to seeing you there.

Best regards, Masud Ansari

Dear Dr, Sahib,

The book that I have written is for younger generation, the individuals who are in their 20-30 and there is a book launch on November 21, 2008 at 7:00 PM in Pickering central library. The details for which are attached here in the email.

I wanted to have the conversation with you so that we can bring as many individuals as we can to make it successful. I have already arranged the participation of Mayor City of Pickering and other guests which would be hard to change and rearrange. I would greatly appreciate if you can work your calendar and can accommodate this event it’s means a lot to me – then I can speak with other members of the family of heart. Please let me know.

The website for the book is www.newlifehowtobeatyourbest.com

I have a link of table of contents, prologue, and a sample chapter on the web.

Best regards,

Dr. Sohail

Hope my letter to find you and rest of your family is best of health and welfare. Let me begin by introducing myself. I am a veterinarian by profession working with Canadian Food Inspection Agency.I migrated here about 9 years back from Lahore. I have read almost all of your articles on CHOWK. I correspond occasionally with Dr.Pervez Hoodbhoy, Dr.Richard Dawkins and they are kind enough to address my concern most of the time. Below are few words that i wrote to a friend few years back, which will give you an idea of my understanding. It would be very kind of you if you give give me some insight about how you look at the "argument from design" and " "cosmological argument ". I am eagerly waiting for your reply.

Sincerely

Zafar Rahmani 

The reason we can apply, argument from analogy is because it has been observed by us and we can infer based on previous knowledge or observation  that certain artifacts, like watches or cars are made by humans but its valid only if we compare similar objects. In case of natural objects we cannot infer as we do not possess prior knowledge because no one has ever observed God making natural objects. In order to have an analogy we need to compare similar objects. So, we need to know or observe another universe or at least a natural object ( not man made)  being made by God, only then we can infer that our universe can be also made by God. Morover an analogy can never provide a primary evidence. At best it only provides a supportive evidence . 

A good theory is one which explains the required phenomenon and make future predictions that can be tested. The "God" theory does not improve our understanding, no predictions are made and on top of that it cannot be verified. Its like trying to solve a mystery (universe) by another mystery(God). Then we need to explain "God" and if we can accept "God" to be without a cause then why not take the universe to be without a cause and save the pain of adding an unnecessary element (God) at the beginning. According to Occam's principal, a more economical theory using fewer components is more acceptable, which in this case is the theory without God.

Both the statements against and in favour of God are termed meaningless by logical positivists as there is no method to verify them, therefore both the claims that "there is a God" and "there is no God" is equally meaningless. According to physics, all know laws of physics break down at singularity and there is no way of getting any information prior to that as no time existed before big bang.

The fact of the matter is that humans are incapable to grasp the ultimate truth and people only use "God" at the end to get sense of comfort and to avoid any further inquiry. We should be courageous enough to face the truth and admit the fact that we do not know how it all began, instead of creating a God which is void of any explanatory value at all.

Dear Zafar, Thank you for your generous comments. You sound like a philosopher.

When I was a believer I had more answers and less questions and now as a secular humanist I have more questions and less answers and I feel comfortable saying 'I do not know". After studying medicine and practicising psychiatry for 30 years I still do not know

how aspirin works

and

what cause schizophrenia

and

why people fall in love

how can I say how did this universe came into existence.

For me beleving and not beliving is a matter of personal faith and meaning.

On chowk I had an article

God is a metaphor

that expresses my feeling.

I agree with the statement you have made about your understanding or lack of it about the universe and its relationship with the concept of God.

You and I are on the same page.

These days I am studying the

psychology of spiritual encounters

when I finish my article I might send it to you if you are interested.

all the best...sohail

ps...where do you live and how did you get in touch with my articles?

pss...sending you an article about TRUTH you might enjoy

Dear Pervaiz,

As promised in my earlier E-mail (of August, 8th) ,  the following are my comments/reflections on Dr. Khalid Sohail's presentation entitled : "From Fundamentalism to Humanism." For the sake of clarity and precision, I'll use a point-by-point format.

(1) At the outset, I would like to thank Dr. Khalid Sohail for his candid presentation in which he outlined the "Milestones of " his "Personal and Philosophical Journey," including his intellectual transformation, together with the underlying factors which contributed to such a transformation. Furthermore, I would like to commend him for his work with other groups, be they religiosly/spiritually oriented or not, for the purpose of "decreasing domestic violence and increasing human rights."

(2) As a Canadian Muslim who has devoted a considerable part of my life and energy not only to re-discover the innately humanistic values of authentic Islam , but also to promote a better understanding of the Islamic faith and its humanistic values, both within and without the Canadian Muslim communities, I , like Dr. Khalid, strongly believe that ""growing together is " far "better than growing alone."

(3) Be that as it may, I must confess that, after going through Khalid's  presentation, I was deeply troubled, and disappointed, by some of his assertions and points of view which seem to be based either on a shallow and superficial understanding (and reading) of Islam's holy book, namely the Quran, or on inherited and acquired negative cultural factors pertaining to Pakistan and its tribal, feudalistic and despotic political state of affairs.

As a case in point, in his "Killing in the Name of God," Khalid, like many others, be they Muslims or non-Muslims, who are either not familiar with the true spirit of Islam or, worse still, tend to judge the Islamic faith on the basis of the abhorrent behavior of some of its ignorant and/or misguided adherents, lay the blame squarely at the door of Islam. In this respect, I would like to point out that the very word Islam means both "submission" and "peace" - or "being at one with the Divine Will."  Furthermore, in its universal sense, Islam may be said to have three levels of meaning. All things in the universe, to begin with, are Muslims, i.e., "surrendered to the Divine Will." (A flower cannot help being a flower; a diamond cannot do other than sparkle. God has made them so; it is theirs to obey.) Secondly, all humans who accept with their will the sacred law of the revelation are Muslims in that they surrender their will to the law.  Finally, we have the level of pure knowledge and understanding. It is that of the contemplative, the gnostic ('arif), the level that has been recognized throughout Islamic history as the highest and most comprehensive. The gnostic is Muslim in that his/her whole being is surrendered to God (universal intelligence or Thuka'); he/she has no separate individual existence of his/her own. He/she is like the birds and the flowers in his/her yielding to the Creator; like them, like all the other elements of the cosmos, he/she reflects the Divine Intellect to his/her own degree. He/she reflects it actively, however, they passively; his/her participation is a conscious one.

(4) Khalid seems to think that there is a fundamental and irreconcilable conflict between being a Muslim, i.e., religious, and "free thinking." Nothing can be further from the truth. Some 750 verses, almost one eighth of the Quran, are devoted to extolling the virtues of reason. In this respect, the renowned translator and commentator Thomas Cleary has written, "One aspect of Islam that is unexpected and yet appealing to the post-Christian secular mind is the harmonious interplay of faith and reason. Islam does not demand unreasoned belief. Rather, it invites intelligent faith, growing from observation, reflection, and contemplation, beginning with nature and what it is all around us. Accordingly, antagonism between religion and science such as that familiar to Westerners is foreign to Islam." [The Qur'an: A New Translation. (Chicago: Starlatch Press, 2004)]. As a case in point, one of the passages of the Quran states: "Verily, in the creation of the heavens and earth, and in the succession of night and day, there are indeed messages/signs for all who are endowed with insight/reason." (3:190).
On the other hand, Karen Armstrong, a prolific writer on Islam and other world religion, has said, "The bedrock message of the Qur'an is not a doctrine but a simple command that it's right to share your wealth equally, bad to build up a private fortune selfishly , and good to try to create a just and decent society where poor and vulnerable people are treated with dignity and respect. That is the bedrock message of the Qur'an, and this is surely what we mean when we talk about decent society and our aspirations in the West." [ See her book, Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time. (Atlas Books. HarperCollins Publishers, 2006)]. The enduring Islamic civilization, with its magnificent achievements in virtually all fields of human sciences, was not built on fear, but rather on free and rational thinking. It is unfortunate and lamentable that Khalid's "teachers of science had little interest or in depth knowledge of religion and scriptures, and the religious leaders" he knew "had no sound knowledge or understanding of the fundamentals of science." [ See Science and Civilization in Islam, by the renowned  American Muslim scholar Seyyed Hossein Nasr].

(5) It might come as a surprise to many people, including Muslims of course, to know that in its essence, Islam is essentially a secular religion, in the sense that it is not only against coercion when it comes to matters of faith but also a religion of the natural Fitra, or the natural state. There is absolutely no contradiction between leading a "humanistic lifestyle," and being a Muslim. On the contrary, the fundamental ethical and moral values of Islam , namely Tawheed (or the unity of God and therefore the unity and equality of humanity), Adl (or Justice i.e., pursuing justice through social cooperation and mutual assistance), Ilm (or Knowledge; the first revealed word in the Quran is Iqra' or Read), and Khilafa (or human trusteeship and accountability), all aim at leading a perfectly balanced and humanistic way of life. Within this context, it is unfortunate, indeed tragic, that by way of showing the presumed incompatibility of Islam and democracy, some Muslims and non-Muslims alike tend to argue that whereas democratic governments derive their legitimacy from the will of the people and rest legality on their consent, in Islam, the laws derive their legitimacy from Divine Will. The contrast appears striking. But the apparent contradiction can be resolved by pointing out that popular sovereignty- with its idea that citizens have rights and correlative responsibility to pursue justice with mercy - expresses God's authority, properly understood.

(6) It is indeed tragic that in his "Studying Quran Seriously" phase, Khalid's encounter with the Quran was not only "typical" of Westerners' initial encounter  with Islam's holy scripture, but also reflects the naive and superficial  approach to the Quran that so many Muslims  undertake. Contrary to his assertion, there was little, if anything, "serious" about his "studying" of the Quran. In this respect, it is important to point out that famous Quran (and Hadith or Prophetic sayings and traditions) commentators throughout Islamic history have taken in their primary approach to Qur'anic interpretations the form of : (a) grammarians, such as al-Wahidi, d. 1076; (b) literalists, such as Ibn-Kathir, d. 1273; (c) philosophers, such as al-Razi, d. 1240; (d) jurists, such as al-Qurtubi, d. 1273; (e) mystics, such as Ibn-Arabi, d. 1240; (f) socio-political revolutionists, such as Mawdudi, d. 1979; (g) rationalists, such as Muhammad Asad, d. 1992; and (h) Islamic feminists, such as Laleh Bakhtiar, in her recent (2007) translation entitled The Sublime Quran. These paradigms of interpretive thought have also produced many different ways of thinking about the Quran (and Sunnah) in the general Muslim population of the world. In this respect, differences in opinion can emerge based on: (1) the linguistic study of words within a text and the multiple meanings that can be derived; (2) different understandings of the historical context of the text, asbab al-nuzul; (3) various interpretations on whether a text has specific or general applicability; (4) diverse understandings of the general philosophy of Islamic sciences; and so on. On top of that, every scholar's thoughts and opinions are shaped - whether consciously or subconsciously - by a host of external influences ranging from cultural upbringing to sociopolitical conditions. Khalid's "serious studying" of the Quran does not seem to take any of these aspects into account. Indeed, his knowledge of the Quran seems to be quite shallow.

(7) Just as there is no single Muslim experience with the Quran, there is no single Western experience of Islam's sacred book. Islam is one of the fastest growing, if not the fastest growing religion in Europe and North America due to migration, birth, and conversion. For many converts (or reverts), experiencing the Quran was what they found most appealing about Islam. For some non-Muslims, too, there is great admiration for the Quran, both its beautiful language and its teachings (For this purpose, see professor Jeffrey Lang's two engaging books: Even Angels Ask: A Journey to Islam in America, and Struggling to Surrender). Within this context, many Muslims believe that the beautifully flowing Arabic of the Quran can never really be accurately translated into another language for two major reasons:

First, translation causes a break in the rhyme, rhythm, and form of the Quran that is so brilliantly consistent in its original Arabic even when it speaks of dense subjects like divorce laws or exhilarating themes like the beautiful names of God.  The Western reader of the translated Quran misses out on the whole aura of the recital text.

Second, the Quran is untranslatable because of the richness of the Arabic language in which each word is pregnant with so many meanings that it would take a paragraph to genuinely and accurately translate many of the key terms found in the scripture. Arabic, like Hebrew, is made up of trilateral root letters that impregnate other letters to form a word. Therefore, to fully understand the etymology of any word, it is necessary to examine its trilateral root. For example, the Arabic word IMAN  is usually translated into English simply as "belief." But when we examine the trilateral root - AMN -we find several layers of meaning: "to trust," "to be secure," "to be in safety," "to confine in," "to pledge," "covenant," "faith," and "belief" ; it denotes faith and trust in God and a pledge and covenant to live accordingly.  Similarly, when we look at the word opposite IMAN, namely, KUFR, we see this word usually translated as "disbelief," or "unbelief." But, again, when we examine its trilateral root - KFR - we see a host of meanings emerge: "to cover," "to deny," "to hide," "to renounce," "to reject," "to be ungrateful," "negligent,"  "one who covers the sown seed with earth," "one who conceals the benefits or favor conferred upon him," and "impious." The simple translation of "disbelief" or "unbelief," is inadequate in light of these deeper meanings. Kufr is denying and rejecting faith with ingratitude toward God and negligence toward the duties conferred by God, such as telling the truth. The problem with translation is that the vastness and depth of the original Arabic language is lost when it is replaced by words that do not carry the same profundity or depth and may even impart meanings that are alien to the Quranic worldview (such as the terms "infidel," "holy war," and others that are used in English but do not appear anywhere in the Quranic language).

(8) Unfortunately, nowhere in Khalid's presentation is there any reference to some of the finest books about Islam and/or the Quran written by scholars of Pakistani origin, such as the late Mohammad Iqbal's The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, or the late Fazlur Rahman's numerous books, including Major Themes of the Qur'an; Islam and Modernity: Transformation of an Intellectual Tradition; and Islam, or  professor Asma Barlas's engaging book "Believing Women" in Islam: Unreading Patriarchal Interpretations of the Qur'an (University of Texas Press, 2004). For this reason, among others, I would strongly recommend the following the following books :

1. The Vision of Islam. By: Sachiko Murata and William Chittick;
2. Ethico-Religious Concepts in the Qur'an . By: Toshihiko Izutsu;
3. The Heart of Islam: Enduring Values for Humanity. By: Seyyed Hossein Nasr;
4. The Spirit of Islam. By: Ameer Ali; and
5. Islam and the Destiny of Man. By: Charles Le Gai Eaton.

Additionally, the following three English translations of the Quran are highly commendable, namely:

1. Muhammad Asad: The Message of the Qur'an;
2. Laleh Bakhtiar: The Sublime Quran; and
3. Abdullah Yusuf Ali: The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an.

Finally, I do hope, and pray, that my comments on and reflections about Dr. Khalid Sohail's presentation would prove to be useful and informative. I would love to receive his views and reaction.

Wishing you and yours RAMADAN MUBARAK,

Ibrahim Hayani
 

Hi Dr. Sohail,

I am forwarding to you my reflections and comments pertaining to your presentation entitled "From Fundamentalism to Humanism." ...And as indicated at the end of these reflections, I would love to your views and reaction.

Cheers!

Ibrahim Hayani
 

Dear Mr Ibrahim Hayani,

Thank you very much for your thoughtful comments/reflections on my presentation.  I have great respect for you. In my presentation I was just sharing milestones of my personal and philosophical journey. I would have no problem working with you on any project to serve our community as I said in my presentation I respect all those followers of religious, spiritual and secular traditions that respect humanity and want to decrease human suffering. I think you and I are against all those militant fundamentalists whether religious, spiritual or secular who are hurting humanity and killing innocent human beings. In my opinion behaviours reflect more than beliefs. I have come to the realization that there are as many truths as human beings and as many realities as pairs of eyes in the world. I believe we all have the right to share our truth without fear of persecution. Recently I have written another article

Muslim Psyche after September 11, 2001

that I am sending you. I will request our dear friend Pervez Salahuddin to add your letter and my new article on our website for others to read. I smiled when I read that in your opinion my knowledge is very 'shallow'. You are a professor and a scholar , I am just a humble student. I think our philosophies have more similarities than differences. You want to break the wall of fundamentalism from inside while I am doing it from outside.

all the best...sincerely, khalid sohail 

Dear Sohail Sahib,

It was a real pleasure meeting you the other day. I read your book "From Islam to Secular Humanism" years ago and since then I had been thinking of contacting you. I went through a fairly similar process in my thought development about religion in general and Islam in particular. By the age of 15 I had almost decided based on rational thought that the whole concept can't be true. However, fear kept me around the concept for some more years. I read several books about Islam and religion including Maudoudi's translation/explanation of Quran. The more I read the closer I moved toward reality ie, sirat-e-mustaqeem (ie secular humanism)! Well we will discuss this sometime. I definitely look forward to meeting you again in the near future. Please do give me a copy of the video of your speech the other day at the InterContinental.

Regards,
Mahmood Piracha
Senior Financial Analyst
KCI Medical Canada, Inc.
Tel: 905-565-7187 x2765
 

Dear Brother Pervaiz.

Thank you for sharing this presentation by Dr. Khalid Sohail in which he reflected on his own personal life, including his "leap of faith," from  "Fundamentalism to Humanism."  Candid as it may seem, virtually every single paragraph of the presentation induces reaction and calls for a response.  In this respect, once I am finished with my immediate academic duties,  namely, submitting the final grades for my Summer courses at Ryerson University, I would like to share with you (and Brother Khalid of course)  my views and reactions regarding  the underpinnings/rationales of his apparent conversion from the seemingly irrational and unscientific Islam (i.e., Fundamentalism) to the deceptively rational and scientific Humanism.

For the time being, and after going through the presentation fairly quickly, all I can say is this:  In its entirety, this so-called transformation from Fundamentalism to Humanism is but a perfect manifestation of the sad state of  affairs of  our beloved Pakistan today (and for that matter Saudi Arabia, too). The real tragedy stems from the fact that Pakistan, the very idea of which was presumably founded on the ideals of Islam (including freedom, justice, knowledge, and tolerance), but whose deeply-rooted tribal traditions, combined with  the unholy alliance between  an oppressive feudal economic and social structure, corrupt military dictatorships, and a superficially "modernized" ruling elite whose members (like those of Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, to name but a few former colonies) seem to have far greater affinity to the colonial "homeland," be it Britain or France, than to their own people, has "managed" not only to keep the vast majority of the noble people of Pakistan poor and illiterate, but to even corrupt Islam itself.
Unfortunately, indeed tragically,  brother Sohail, like Irshad Manji before him (who incidentally changed the title of  the second edition of her book The Trouble With Islam to The Trouble With Islam Today),  decided to dump their own personal troubles at the doors of Islam. This is the approach normally taken by the defeatists and/or the quick-fame-seekers in the post September 11 world.

It was the late M. Iqbal who said that "The Qur'an is an open text and every generation of Muslims has the right to interpret it."  Brother Sohail, a doctor, seems to advocate "closure,"  or, when in doubt, "throwing the baby with the bathtub."

Till we meet again,

Salaam,

Ibrahim Hayani
 

My Dear,

Dr.Sohail bhai,

Thanks alot for the promt reply of my e-mail via  our esteemed friend Quasimbhai. I will translate it in Gujarati Monthly. The name of the monthly is Viashvik Manav Vad(Universal Humanism). I am its editor. We print 1500 copies & we have 200 e-mails ids.From sept-08-A friend in Texas has 5000 ids & he loves our monthly & share our thoughts. He has promised to send to all his men. I am sending u the latest Issue of Vaishvik Manav vad . I am also sending u reports of the Indian Humanist  conference recently organised by my friends in Gujarat. I will also share  Humanist thoughts of Indian friends with u also. I will keep live contacts with u.  Please inform me whether u understand Gujarati Language or not.

Yours,

Bipinbhai.

Dear Qassim and Bipin bhai....I am so pleased that you liked my article and feel honoured that you would like to translate it in Gujrati and shre it with Humanist friends of India.

I am trying to light the candle of humanism in the dark night of religious fundamentalism and blind faith hoping that one day there would be secular and humanist communities all over the world. You can read more on my website www.drsohail.com

Please send me a copy when you translate and we would put it on our website. Stay in touch.

sincerely

sohail

Dr. Sohail Ji, A.O.A. I just finished reading your fine article on APNAORG.com. I have enjoyed it tremendously and appreciated its candidness. However, It reminded me of a litlle exhange that I read somewhere long time ago that supposedly took placed between Dr. Allama Iqbal and Nobel Laureate Robindernath Tegor. I would like to share that woth you if you don't mind.

When Allama Iqbal found out that Mr. Tegor did not recognized him as poet becuase he did not write poetry in his mother tongue. He decided to write a letter to Mr. Tegore. "My mother tongue is not fully developed that is why I write in Urdu amd Persian and not in Punjabi", Allama wrote to Mr. Tegor. "My mother-tongue is not fully developed either but I am helping it to fully develop by writing in it", Mr Tegor wrote back to Allama. I pray and hope that the day would come when all of us would work on ways to enhance and further Punjabi.

I too am like rest of the Pakistani Punjabi who were taught in Urdu and English but later fell in love with vastness and sheer beauty of Punjabi. I too am thankful to people like Rammah Ji who have taken this huge task on their shoulders to bring all Pakistani Punjabis back to their rich heritage.

Rab Raakha,

Alam Sher, PharmD, MBA
Dil Mere Te Zakham HazaraN TaaN MeiN Marham KehRey Te LawaN
Baaj Sajjan Kedi Mitt NaiN Sakdey PaweiN LakkhaN Veid BulawaN

Hey Mr.Sohail,
                   How r u doin ? let me introduce myself first (even though i could not introduce myself to me yet anyways i am on my way ) my name s Aazar Aneel Bhatti , God decided to descend me in Pakistan and now a days for last six years i am living in Toronto ,i am in film productions, my field s Direction ,i started my career as a model and actor and after than i got to know that its not for me and i came in direction i work with different directors to learn something  and now i am on my way ,i have directed couple of pojects and now a days we r working on some scripts .
                                                      Mr. sohail i visited ur site after reading ur interview in a news paper ,and for last couple of days i have spent a lot of time with u by ur creations and i got addicted to it ,after long time i got impressed by some one in this way ,u r amazing person, and specially the courage and way to express ur feelings on these different unconventional topics, is admirable  ,i am a script writer too ,i am in strugling period ,i have just set out my journey ,but  people in this field they cant understand my thoughts , my ideas bcoz they cant dijest it, when i read u i got to know i am not alone in this city ,it is my misfortune thats i got to know u that late , but its true better late than ever .
                                               Mr. Sohail i would love to meet u in person  and i ll feel so blessed. i live in Brampton not far from u ,when ever u have time plz call me or mail me i would love to come to ur doorstep to get this honor ,or if u come  here by any chance plz dont forget to call me my contact information is listed below ,anxiously waiting for reply .

         
                                           Aazar Aneel Bhatti
                                                       401-192 mill st. s
                                                           Brampton ON
                                                                L6Y1T8
                                                         416-417-1993
 

Thanks Dr Sahib

aiek sachay Artist ke itni hi mohabat or qadar honi chahiye jitni app main ha, App ne mujay or maray kaam ku admire kia app ka shukriya . App sa art ke hawaly sa bohat kuch share karna ha, Dr sahib app ka dost bohat talented ha , app ku mara baqi kaam dekh kar kushi hu ghi, bohat diffrent style or diffrent way ha maray kaam karnay ka. InshaAllah jaldi app sa mulaqat hu ghi. App likhtay rahiye ga , app wu kuch likh rahay hain ju ajj kal bohat kum loug likhtay hain, app ka style app ka andaz sub sa niral ha.Iss liye tu Janab sa hum dosti ka haat baraya ha.

sorry for borring , but that,s the way i am .

Tariq Bobby

dear tariq.....art is a gift that nature gives us to be shared with others...sincerely sohail

Dearest Khalid,

Yesterday I read your artical the "GANDHI - HIS DILEMMAS AND DREAMS" and was preparing to rejoice - than I read the review on your artical by Zia Uddin Ahmed. I must admit that for a long time, I have never read anything on Gandhi like your article, with so much interest and pleasure, as I read this. I have the same feeling for the very honest review by Zia Sahib. Combining the both i.e. your article and the review I must say that both of you have expressed your opinion on this subject in such a different way which no one have adopted optic now.

I am not a competent judge, but one opinion I must express here and that is: among others Gandhi's "no to sex" and "no to meat" was a sin on his conscience and his movement of "no violence" died infront of his own eyes in 1947 before the "prophet of peace" himself was killed at the hands of his own people. I agree that " He did not realize that religion and politics are a dangerous combination." and the Mahatama did not know what a poet could tell him. I have the same observation as of Zia uddin Ahmed, that your artical is over all a hint for the reader to look at the personalities like Gandhi besides the biographical. Before closing I would like to mention that there is, yet a great scope to work on this subject and to further develope it. I hope you will continue it - May be slowly but Surely.

I take this opportunity to send you and Zia uddinn Ahmed Sahib best greetings and my warmest regards.

Nasar Malik.

Copenhagen.

18th May 03.

hello drsohail,
myn un logon main sy hoon jo 15 din ya 1 mah baad mazahir sb sy milty hain .un ke kahy pe aap ki web site dekhi aor humkhayal logon main aik ka izafa ker lia.
baqi batyn hoti rahen gi
khobaib
karachi
 

dear khobaib..what a wonderful surprise from karachi, a city i was born in but never lived there. i have a lot of respect and regard for mazahir sahib. he is one of the most honest human beings  and scholars i have met. i went to south africa to meet him. did you read his interview on my website in the section of DARVESHON KA DERA. extend my thanks to him for introducing you to me....all the best...khalid sohail

ps. i will also forward this email to his daughter zahra who is a bridge between me and mazahir sahib

Sohail sahib

Aub aya na Maza , thanks for inviting me , ye ha dostoon wali baat , jub bi Toronto aya pehla kaam app key darshan hain. Abi tu app ke saath art ki dunyan ka bohat kuch share karna , ha Thanks God app jasa creative insan ju ke mara ideal writer ha mujay doostoon ki tarah mila thanks for every thing.

Tariq Bobby

Ottawa
 

dear tariq...i will look forward to your visit so that we can have a heart to heart talk about life and art....art is long time is short....affectionately sohail

Hi everyone,
 
Feel a bit like a spectator @ a sporting match!
 
Anne, Sohail + I worked together a lifetime ago, may I know how Sohail, Abrar + Rafi r connected?
 
And Zahar, 4 Sultans + Rafiq....have we heard from u yet? Or r these duplicate email addresses.
 
Sohail, ur ode to Bette is lovely. May I know if its ur custom to address people by their full names? I would say I love Bette, where u say u love Bette Davis.
 
Btw, hope my response to Sohail's first article about love did not offend.
 
H.
 

Hildy,
 
Sohail was part of an organization called "Family of the heart" (FOTH) and so was my cousin Parvez. Parvez used to send me the links to the debates on the FOTH website and for some time, I remained a silent and distant spectator. And then FOTH held a seminar titled, "Religion and Darwin's theory of evolution". Sohail was one of the speakers along three others representing three Abrahamic religions. Sohail, true to his element, talked about Darwin's life and the other three speakers talked about .... well I don't know what they talked about except how their respective religion was so good and Darwin had it all wrong. When I read the transcripts of the talks, I saw that there was everything in that seminar BUT the theory of evolution. I'm no expert in the theory of evolution but I know a few things. So, I decided to break my silence and decided that these people were going to hear from me. :) And hear they did. :)
 
That was my first direct contact with Sohail but it got firmed up after FOTH had a seminar titled, "Can We Say Goodbye to God?". I would love if Sohail could describe that episode if he wants to. In fact, I would request him to.
 
Rafi 
 

dear buddies...two more creations....and now my creative wave has switched to urdu...so no more creations for a while in English and you can rest...i started reading the autobiography of saqi farooqi...and want to write a review on his biography...he calls it autobiography of a sinner...in Urdu...affectionately sohail

Sohail bhi

thank you very much to give me this honour, and also thanks for a visiting my songs, I am realy greatfull to you to adding me in to your friends circle , I don,t have words to say thanks to you . I would like to add, that i got Bolan award 2007 for the best National song video every shoot in Pakistan. The good thing in this video, is we use Safari Train from Your home city Peshawar to landicoutil.

I recently finished my full music Album, i will share every thing with you when i got the chance to meet you.

app ki liye dua ha ke app iss tarah likhtay rahien , kia andaz or app ki kia great vision ha.

app ka aiek shir maray liye Mashal-e-e rah ha 

wu tujay daar tuk ley jain gay

ankh main khawab salamat rakhana

thanks for every thing

my number in ottawa is; 613 276 0786

thanks your fan

Tariq Bobby (folk and Pop singer)

Dear Tariq...thank you for visiting my website and enjoying my creations. I visited google and listened to your song. Congratulations. You are a talented artist. When you create something new please share it with me. My friend pervaiz updates my website. I will ask him to add your letter to the new section of LETTERS. In that case people visitng my website can connect with you and you will be in the circle of my creative friends.. all the best...sohail

Janab Dr Sohail Sahib

I am Tariq Bobby from Ottawa, Dr sahib ajj app ki web site ku visit kia or app poetry sa la kar app ki Books tuk Rasai hui. Kia baat ha app ke Kalum ki app ki soch app ka andaz pasand aya, tu phir raha na gia or app ku email kar raha hoon. Fun ki dunyan main aiek choota sa sitara hoon, app jasay loogoon ka fan hoon, Or app jasay azeem loogan say seekhta hoon. Mujay Umeed ha ka app aiek chootay fankar ku apni mahfil main bethnay ki jaga zaroor dein gay.

Fun ki dunyan main app ka nia dost

Tariq Bobby Ottawa

Note'

App google site par ja kar Tariq bobby type karien gay tu app maray kuch song video dekh sacktay hain , ya google video main mara naam dal kar app mari kuch kaan dekh sacktay hain 

tariqbobby@yahoo.com