Segment 1: Rafia Zakaria. On this edition of The Doug Noll Show we’re speaking with
attorney, author and human rights advocate Rafia Zakaria. Rafia is a regular
columnist for a number of publications and also serves on the Board of Amnesty
International USA as the first Pakistani American woman ever to do so.
Rafia is originally from Karachi, Pakistan, which is one of the world’s largest cities. She came to the U.S. in the late 1990’s to attend college, then law school, and ultimately did graduate work in political philosophy. Her journey was unusual in the sense that half of her life was spent in Pakistan and the other half has been in the United States. Rafia has a sense of dual consciousness having lived in two societies. She never thought her country of origin would be at war with the country in which she now lives.
Pakistan has many different ethic groups. When Rafia speaks about Pakistan to an American audience she always emphasizes its geographical location. It’s a small country encroached by big countries. To understand Pakistan’s national psyche, you have to remember that they have a hostile India on one border, Iran on another side, a third border with China, and then another border with US NATO forces. As a country, Pakistan feels threatened, which is very much felt as a child growing up there. There’s a constant shadow of war.
Segment 2: The Partition of India. Pakistan has clearly suffered at the hands of European Imperialism. The demarcation of the border between Pakistan and India has played a huge role in their history. The Partition of India was the largest movement of humans in modern history. Millions of people moved, there were many deaths and lost families. The people who came to Pakistan had lived in their own communities for centuries. They had no reference point for what migration would feel like and how to set up new communities. On the other hand, the Pakistani people found themselves surrounded by strangers from another country. In many ways Partition defines Pakistan’s current issues and discord.
Segment 3: Culture and Religion are Intermingled. Pakistan’s culture and religion are intermingled as well as heavily patriarchal, which has been a constant cause of strife. The challenge that Pakistani women face is to discern what is “cultural” and what is “religious.” Women’s perspectives were often left out of religious texts, but change in this respect is often met with tremendous opposition.
Segment 4: Two Power Contenders. The schism between Shia and Sunni doctrine is becoming a focal point in terms of politics and violence. There are two power contenders in the Middle East: Saudi Arabia and Iran. Rafia grew up with Sunni and Shia living peacefully with each other, celebrating holidays together, worshiping in the same mosques. When the U.S. pulled out of the region, there was an aid vacuum created, and the Saudies funded thousands of religious groups in Pakistan. This is turn declared Shia as Pakistan’s heritage. This is a division that has been poked and prodded and revitalized continually in the modern era by one of the biggest U.S. allies, Saudi Arabia.
To listen to the entire interview, CLICK HERE or visit http://wsradio.com/090414-rafia-zakaria-author-attorney-human-rights-activist/.