Monday, October 25, 2010

The Beard in the Stomach

Don't you just hate it when the facade of liberal, sensible urbane-ness you have so carefully constructed over years and years comes crashing down with one ill-conceived article that you thought would have the masses lauding your cleverness but which exposes you for the parochial, narrow-minded bigot you really are?

Syed Talat Hussain, finally officially confirmed as having been imported into DawnNews, must be feeling like that right now.


Syed Talat Hussain in his 'liberal' avatar


The article in question was published in the Urdu daily Express as an op-ed piece yesterday under the title "Jolie Ka Thhappar" [Jolie's Slap in the Face], and has rightly caused an uproar among most of those people who read it. Not because of the thrust of its main point, which was criticism of the government's alleged insensitivity to the plight of the flood affected - based on media reports of an allegedly leaked confidential report by UNHCR's goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie to the organization after her visit to Pakistan - but in how he viciously maligned Angelina Jolie's character to build his case.

Here is how Let Us Build Pakistan / CriticalPPP Green Goat's Hide, the first blog to call attention to the piece, took on Talat,  and here is how our friend Kalakawa hilariously deconstructed him.

In essence, Hussain went on a diatribe against Jolie's personal life, her "immoral" lifestyle, her allegedly selfish and cut-throat nature, her alleged hypocrisy and manipulation in adopting children and even her "plain" looks - most of his 'facts' are in fact made up or sensationalized - only to build the case, right at the end, that even an 'immoral and wayward woman' like Jolie was deserving of more respect than the government since she at least criticized it for its peripheral preoccupations during the flood crisis. If you think that is a rather convoluted way of attacking the government, you would be dead right.

What Hussain has actually shown up with his words is his own sexism, his own bigotry, his own racism (he actually derides Jolie's children as "rang barangay yateem bachay" or 'multi-coloured orphan kids'), his own homophobia and his own amazingly parochial nature. He has conclusively proved, if it needed to be proved, that the paet ki daarrhi (beard in the stomach i.e. concealed bigotry) has a way of coming out at some point or the other. He has also shown how some hypocrites in the media write in one style for the Urdu-reading public and maintain quite a different persona for the English readership (perhaps he thought those who read English papers would never actually read his column in Urdu).

But you could not possibly understand why I say all of this without reading the article itself. For those who cannot read the purple prose in the original Urdu, here is my translation of it which tries to remain as true as possible to Hussain's style and meaning:



Jolie’s Slap in the Face
By Syed Talat Hussain
"Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie’s life is a tortuous and colourful tale. This 36-year-old woman has suffered all those misfortunes about which her fans (I am not one of them) are all praise [sic] and which some of them enjoy thinking about. At a very tender age, she had adopted many of the habits of adulthood because father and mother could not bear living together and so this little girl and her brother were forced to live outside a family structure, with her mother. Madam hated traditions right from the start and thus constantly ran away from home to try and live life on her own terms. Finally, bidding farewell to even these broken relationships, she began working in the theatre (In America, theatre and prostitution are two different professions, readers are advised not to draw the wrong conclusions based on Pakistan’s example).
Because her looks were average, she couldn’t make much of a mark in acting. If one takes a look at Angelina Jolie’s photographs from that time, her face wouldn’t even invite a second glance: hollow cheeks, triangular nose, big startled-looking eyes and lips like an uncovered clay pot, no glow on her face nor the vitality of youth in her body. This is why, in order to advance her film career, she relied on marriages. She established relationships with well known filmmakers and thus inducted herself in the race for big budget films. Then with unflagging energy she worked hard to convert those opportunities into making a name for herself that is the envy of every good actress.
Angelina’s personal life is full of going against all those values that in every society lay the foundations of distinguishing good from bad. She is famously known as someone who can cross any limits to achieve her objectives. Her critics bestow titles such as “Sorceress” and “Queen of Hell” on her. In circles close to her it is said that, were murder not punishable by life in prison, Angelina Jolie would quite happily kill with her own hands any woman or man who came in her way, because softness is not part of her character.
According to some reports, the lady treats substance addiction like a profession and every year experiments with new substances to regularly nurture this disease. Besides her ambition for climbing the ladder of success, she also enjoys loving women (what you understand from this is right!). According to a recent newspaper report, Angelina Jolie calls herself the mistress of Sapphic love and considers these despicable experiences among the best of her life. According to her, only a woman can really understand the delicate emotions of another woman. Men, despite all their attempts, can never achieve the standard that is the apogee of women’s real desires.
Angelina Jolie has also made provisions to deflect attention away from these dark aspects of her life. That is why she has adopted multi-coloured orphaned kids to project herself as the goddess of motherly warmth and empathy. Her expert public relations machine has presented these aspects of her in such an effective way that the United Nations appointed this Hollywood actress as a goodwill ambassador. What special education or skills Angelina possesses to be appointed to this position, we do not know. Up until now, her biography does not reveal any period in which she shows herself to be proving her mastery of international affairs. In a life studded with addiction and intoxication and moral waywardness, if there is any glittering star, it is her efforts in the profession of film. Other than that, this lady does not live up to any standards and then Eastern standards are far higher than her character demonstrates.
If you have any doubt about this claim, open up the Constitution of Pakistan. Take out Articles 62 and 63. What do they say? Does it not say this: We who consider ourselves the flag-bearers of Eastern traditions, will consider those the best amongst us, who in addition to achieving excellence in other affairs, “possess a good character, do not go against the laws of Islam, do not commit great sins, are pious, and not involved in moral turpitude” etc. etc.? Our concept of piety is rooted in the assumption that those people who do not possess these traits in their personal life cannot have a position of respect in society. Be it in everyday life or matters of state, characters like Angelina Jolie, be they Muslim or non-Muslim, should remain deprived of respect. Indeed, had Angelina Jolie admitted to her shenanigans while living in Pakistan, she would have been stoned to death many times over.
But even this filmic woman drowning in her Westernisms has enough of a glimmer of values remaining in her to understand that pushing and shoving distressed flood affected people because of [official] protocol is a bad thing. In her report to the UN upon her return back from Pakistan, Angelina Jolie has expressed surprise that, at a time when 10 million people are restless with hunger, she was feted like royalty in the Prime Minister House. The prime minister’s family traveled in a special plane to come and meet her and give her gifts. This report is such a slap on the face that, if a person’s blood is not already cold, the redness of his cheeks would be visible to the entire nation. I don’t know why, after this report of her experiences in Pakistan, this Hollywood actress seems more worthy of respect than her prominent hosts. And I wonder if the hosts have learnt any lessons from this actress’ morals."



Just to set the record straight about Jolie:

1. She has been married twice, to actors Johnny Lee Miller and Billy Bob Thornton, neither of whom fall in the category of people who could give her a leg up in big budget films (in fact, how many people even know who Miller is?). She currently lives with actor Brad Pitt, whom she met long after she had become famous, and she has publicly said that she does not want to marry again until gay people also have the same right.

2. She has won one Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, two Screen Actors Guild awards and three Golden Globe awards, hardly someone you would classify as a non-serious actor who only got to stardom by sleeping her way through. In fact, there is no evidence (documented or gossiped about) of relationships with any directors or producers.

3. Where Hussain picked up his quotes about Jolie's intensely ambitious nature is a complete mystery (maybe Hussain spends his time reading The National Enquirer or has a yen for Brad Pitt's ex, Jennifer Aniston). In fact, Jolie has often expressed a desire to quit acting altogether to spend more time with her family.

4. She has never been accused, to my knowledge, of substance addiction, though she has admitted experimenting with drugs in her teenage years and has openly talked about her rebellious phase during adolescence.

5. The post of Goodwill Ambassador at the UN is predicated only on celebrities who wish to use their fame to advocate for causes the UN agencies wish to bring attention to. It has nothing to do with being experts in international relations. Jolie was appointed Goodwill Ambassador by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) because she is a famous actress, not because of the children she adopted.


The "plain" Ms Jolie in Pakistan


Contrary to the sensationalist claptrap that this article peddles about Jolie, this is what we DO learn without doubt about Syed Talat Hussain from this article:

1. He believes all divorced or single parent families are unnatural and it is impossible to grow up happy or well-adjusted in them.

2. He hates people who hate traditions, no matter how stifling, and rebel against them.

3. He thinks all theatre actors in Pakistan are prostitutes. Actresses and perhaps all showbiz people are not worthy of any respect.

4. He enjoys making fun of people's looks, even if they are adolescent children.

5. He thinks that anyone who rebels against society's norms is destroying the good in society. Anyone who advocates equal rights for people based not on their gender, race or sexual orientation - as Jolie does - is the scum of the earth.

6. He has no problem making shit up to justify his claims.

7. He really, and I mean REALLY, hates gay people or even those who try and break down the barriers of discrimination against them through their words. He thinks of homosexuality as moral turpitude and despicable.

8. He can't imagine how any woman might find more fulfillment from another woman than a  virile man.

9. He mocks children.

10. He has deep-rooted racial prejudices.

11. He thinks adoption is unnatural and is done out of pity by people as a public relations exercise.

12. He thinks everyone in the UN is a moron who gets fooled easily by PR machines.

13. He is xenophobic and thinks there is a clear line between Western and "superior" Eastern values. He also believes the West is irretrievably morally "corrupt" as evidenced by the 'looseness' of its women.

14. He thinks Article 62 and 63 of the Pakistan Constitution - inserted by the hypocritical dictator General Ziaul Haq to manipulate the parliament - are the epitome of Eastern values.

15. He thinks stoning people to death for their personal lifestyle choices or expression of opinion is acceptable.

16. He thinks it is okay to throw mud on someone's personal life to titillate readers as long as you are just marshalling your sleaze to make an unconnected point. Even if that person is completely unknown to you and has only gone out of their way to garner sympathy for the same people you claim to be fighting for.


Most people probably do not remember the fact that this cretin of a pseudo-intellectual was often himself accused (unfairly in my opinion), in the early part of his journalistic career, of being an empty-headed boy-toy for his female boss. They also probably do not remember the vile homophobic rant he once wrote (about 10 years or so ago) as an op-ed in The News, which is no longer available in the archives on the net (if anyone can find it, please do send it along to us). But we do, even if Hussain has tried to erase this past with a carefully cultivated image of sensibility and balance. Most, however, might recall that he is as fond of invoking the bogey of "liberal extremist", to label anyone who argues for secularism or progressive politics or offers dissent against antiquated societal norms, as people like Shireen Mazari, Ahmad Quraishi, Ansar Abbasi and Hamid Mir (great club you have there Talat). Someone should ask him to actually define what a "liberal extremist" is and how many of them actually exist in this country for them to be constantly used to scare people. We might learn some more about him.

There has also been a lot of speculation about where the well-spring of this anger and bitterness against Jolie actually arises from. Personally, I think Jolie probably ignored LittleMullahBoy on her trip to Pakistan, something his narcissistic ego just could not take.

But whatever the reason, we know now what the Express' idea of editorial decency is, and we also know another thing for sure: the Dawn Media Group really should reconsider long and hard about who it is taking on. Does Syed Talat Hussain really represent the values Dawn claims to uphold?

80 comments:

Ahsan said...

Great post. I didn't know about his writing history, thanks for bringing it to your readers' attention.

sana said...

I bet he's bitter and jealous that his flotilla heroics and, umm, youthful good looks, haven't won him a UN ambassadorship, let alone a film deal, yet.

Kutta.

Poor Dawn.

Anonymous said...

I don't know about anyone else, but I have decided to change my brand of dandruff shampoo immediately.

Umair Javed said...

I'd really love to see how he fends himself out of this situation. Great post XYZ. What's depressing is that we've had to settle for him as one of the 'sensible' voices in our media. Vile stuff.

HH said...

Yeah, this is shocking. Like Umair above, I also thought of him as fairly level-headed.

b said...

Sapphic love? Is there even such an expression in Urdu?

beena sarwar said...

Well argued article, thanks. There are unfortunately too many apparently rational but actually 'beard in stomach' public figures in Pakistan.
How come he's allowed to write for Express if he's signed on for Dawn though?

munira's bubble said...

Wow. He really exposed himself, didn't he. Just drives home the cliche, you can't judge a book by it's cover. Boy, what a cleverly disguised a****** he turned out to be!

gathering-just-a-bit-o-moss said...

Had it not been for the IHT nicely delivered to my doorstep in the same package, Talat's article is warrant enough for my subscription to the Express to have been promptly canceled.

Shame on the Express Group.

Bolshevik said...

Y'know what the bigger problem is? The fact that Talat Hussain's drivel will actually be lauded by a large section of urban Pakistanis. Anon1156 actually represents the majority of our urban middleclass. Waah rey whattaye society.

STSR said...

What a complete c*ootbox...as kalakawa wrote, he was probably wanking of to Gia as he was writing this article...either that or some gay porn (and not the kind which has women in it) !!

the devil said...

As far as I know, Jolie has three biological kids, and three adopted. One black, one Asian, the third I don't know. By anyone's standards, a mix of black, white and yellow is a colorful assortment, whether it be of kids or otherwise. What's wrong with stating the obvious?

the devil said...

I have nothing to do right now so I'm going to pick on you a little.

You said, "He believes all divorced or single parent families are unnatural and it is impossible to grow up happy or well-adjusted in them."

You don't? What is a family? An institution that brings up functioning citizens. When the institution itself is broken, what makes you think its products will be 'well-adjusted' or 'happy', assuming that the more valuable one is as a part of society, the happier and more well-adjusted he is?

Misha said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

To reply to the devil: please look around you to see the functioning citizens that the institution of marriage and families is creating. Give me a break!!! and stop being so anal and judgmental!

Anonymous said...

Talat Sahib, Talking bad about a person who helped our earthquekae and flood victims only speaks about the values of the person who talks bad.

Anonymous said...

According to Talat people who do not possess these traits - going against the laws of Islam, do not commit great sins, are pious, and not involved in moral turpitudin their personal life etc - cannot have a position of respect in society. I wonder if Talat himself shares these traits? Lets ask some ex female employess and interns shall we.

Saad said...

Great blog and really nice post

and totally agree with Bolshevik on

"Y'know what the bigger problem is? The fact that Talat Hussain's drivel will actually be lauded by a large section of urban Pakistanis."

and that is why it was only published in urdu edition

Twilight said...

Whoa XYZ you really have all the time in life to sit & translate that article dont you? It's a good post, but...get a life. This gets too long for anyone's patience.

Anonymous said...

I thought he was one of the few voices of moderation and sanity in this right wing urdu print/broadcast media. Reading the article and finding about his actual mind set has left me sad.
Sad indeed..

Sehravi said...

Now lets disect your biasness,


(1. He believes all divorced or single parent families are unnatural and it is impossible to grow up happy or well-adjusted in them.)

From where did you get this ting, and where was it mentioned so, you need to grow up too

(2. He hates people who hate traditions, no matter how stifling, and rebel against them.)

Another Judgemental argument with out proof.

(3. He thinks all theatre actors in Pakistan are prostitutes. Actresses and perhaps all showbiz people are not worthy of any respect.)

Well to reality if not all most of them are , want some proof just search, Pakistani Mujraa on Youtube, and you will find nothing else but ....., lets not degrade ourselves by using the word which fits in here. In our part of the world theatre has been misused to promote prostitution rather then from delivering social messages, if you disagree with me, let me take you to the tour of theaters in Pakistan, mind it there is a difference between art councils and theaters .

Sehravi said...

(8. He can't imagine how any woman might find more fulfillment from another woman than a virile man.)

I am just imagining if you are a man how would you find fulfillment form another man than a virile woman.

(9. He mocks children.)
this is redicolous

(10. He has deep-rooted racial prejudices.)
I will demand an explanation here, a teacher once told if you make a wrong claim on some ones behavior this is actually you who is posing the same.

(11. He thinks adoption is unnatural and is done out of pity by people as a public relations exercise.)

Whom, some really do it for publicity, they just do not want to give birth to children to safe their own beauty and want to take some other mother's child just because she is engulfed in poverty and later is engulfed in selfishness, if the later is so good let the family stand on its feet and look after itself

(12. He thinks everyone in the UN is a moron who gets fooled easily by PR machines.)
Ah another judgmental comment

(13. He is xenophobic and thinks there is a clear line between Western and "superior" Eastern values. He also believes the West is irretrievably morally "corrupt" as evidenced by the 'looseness' of its women.)
Hmm well his thoughts might be different, then what you pose, but my opinion is that women are just an object of marketing in west, e.g., you cannot even sell a car with out a semi nude women posing for it, do not you believe women are exploited enough (both in West and East, who ever gets a chance and which ever way)

(14. He thinks Article 62 and 63 of the Pakistan Constitution - inserted by the hypocritical dictator General Ziaul Haq to manipulate the parliament - are the epitome of Eastern values.)

Article 62 and 63 just need to know what is it

(15. He thinks stoning people to death for their personal lifestyle choices or expression of opinion is acceptable.)

LOL, where did Talat say so, but personally i would love to stone each and every rapest, so that we do not have any more Mukhtara Mai in Pakistan. You need to stone to death the people who violate and humiliate women to such an extent

Sehravi said...

(8. He can't imagine how any woman might find more fulfillment from another woman than a virile man.)

I am just imagining if you are a man how would you find fulfillment form another man than a virile woman.

(9. He mocks children.)
this is redicolous

(10. He has deep-rooted racial prejudices.)
I will demand an explanation here, a teacher once told if you make a wrong claim on some ones behavior this is actually you who is posing the same.

Sehravi said...

(16. He thinks it is okay to throw mud on someone's personal life to titillate readers as long as you are just marshalling your sleaze to make an unconnected point. Even if that person is completely unknown to you and has only gone out of their way to garner sympathy for the same people you claim to be fighting for.)

Just like you did in this article. I read the article of Talat, if you had a little positivity in your mind you would ahve taken it as "A women who had such an extreme life, but rose to success, and who by any standards of our Mullas may not be a very ideal women, forced to word herself on the excessive and extravagant carelessness of our leaders". Even in Western media when they talk about Jolie's they do mention her parent's fail marraige, her troubles as a child her ambition to be a great artist like her dad, but none of payalas and chamchs ther start stoning those writers. Because its where the wings of such payalas and chamchs burn.

Tayyab Mahmood said...

Great post XYZ you nailed it....

@Sehravi my friend you are insane

Anonymous said...

so much furor over an irrelevant thing.tell
me did u write anythng abt jolies report?rather than gaining cheap fame by malighning a respectable media figure.u r a bigot urslf xyz!!

shobz said...

I have never been a fan of Talat because the man simply gives me the creeps. I still remember the stupid question he asked Hillary on her visit to Pakistan and how she shot him down in a cool and collected manner. He seems to think that just cause he was on the Flotilla he is some sort of modern day hero/messiah/whatever. I always knew he was some modern day closeted narrow minded right winger. Unfortunately some of my peers did not agree with me. It is unfortunate that Dawn News hired him without doing a proper background check on him. I am really glad this came out in the open and exposed him for the fool he is. We have too many of them in this country and we don't need narrow minded people like that. I think he forgot to mention that despite being estranged from a famous father Angelina Jolie worked really hard to make it in the business. She made a series of forgettable films but was still noticed for her talent. Angie adopted her first kid after she became a UN ambassador. It seems that Talat does not check his facts as he seems to be pulling them out of nowhere. WTF does one's personal life have to do with his/her work. Angie isn't the devil incarnate or something on those lines. Her work speaks for herself and I don't think this stupid report will lose her any fans in Pakistan who respect her for coming down here.
I am also not surprised that the haters are all pissed off and ready to debunk the debunking of Talat's theories. It reminds me of a hostile Fox News which thinks that all liberals are evil and presenting the wrong picture.

Aneela Z said...

I wish someone from the flotilla could write a tell all about Talat.
What was he doing (or is it who? damn I wish I was better with subjective pronouns)

Asim Maqsood Basraa said...

Can you discuss the point he has raised in his column? The point he made was right and I would never spend my valuable time in multiplying the negativity. Have you ever read great writers like, Mumtaz Mufti, Saadat Hassan Mantu, etc ? To prove the point they have gone to any extent.

Anonymous said...

Hey, Talat is a moron all right. Any guy calling Jolie plain must be outta his mind ... or a gay himself!
Sumone called him a hero for the work TH did at the time of the earthquake. As far as I remember, he just used to go to remote places with camera crew and blab: We are here but we do not see any rescue workers from Army or NGOs. He did not think it pertinent to mention that rescue workers do not travel light and have to go prepared to help out ppl. What he did was simply an act. What Jolie does in her personal life is none of his business, and calling the orphans a colorful assortment, Devil, is not very humane. That is why Sehravi glosses over it, calling the claim ridiculous!

Asim Maqsood Basraa said...

Honestly speaking I think Talat's public life is cleaner than Julie. Dont embarrass me as Pakistani by writing these kind of non-serious blogs, please use your energy and talent for something positive. The only problem i have with Julie is the report, because of that report people who were going to donate have stopped. She has not served the cause.

Anonymous said...

He is definitely an ISI agent & filthy rich. Whatever, may be the past of angelina jolie but she is much much better than Talat Hussain.

Anonymous said...

He is definitely an ISI agent & filthy rich. Whatever, may be the past of angelina jolie but she is much much better than Talat Hussain.

Anonymous said...

Good post, Pyalas.
Will you please also translate and post the unbelievable hate pamphlets that were sent out a few nights ago in Lahore to undermine Asma Jahangir's bid for the Supreme Court Bar Association election? I'm asking you to do this because it'll make for a nice record to hold up a few years from now, jab arz-e-khudaa kay kaabay say yeh boott utthwaye jaaein gay.

Anonymous said...

Just to add to the Pro-Jolie facts you've listed; I'm pretty sure Jolie became a goodwill ambassador long before she adopted her first child, Maddox. There are quite a few archived pictures of her holding up her blue passport sans any offspiring!

AA said...

I am sorry I ever liked him. This column has left me sad. The Urdu column is indecent, incorrect and abusive. You dont need CP's comments to see that. This is not just a case of conservatism. A man's views about women reveal his breeding and personality. This man is no better than a third rate street eve teaser.


The comments by Sehravi made me want to hide my face in a pillow and scream until my throat gets hoarse.

Still feeling sad.

Anonymous said...

"She established relationships with well known directors band thus included herself in the race for big budgeted films."

If she, directors and films were to be replaced by he, editors and newspapers respectively, this would sound like Mr. Talat Hussain's early days in journalism. Not that I have an issue with sleeping for success, Mr Talat Hussan is the last perosn on the planet to criticise this modus operandi for success. What was that famous Engliosh language saying whihc involves pot and kettle and black in a complex relationship?
It gives me immense pleasure to see such low lioves revealing their reality to the world. All we need is to be patient and give them enough rope.

Unknown said...

The whole story depicted the ideology of a man who has been a media cleberity for years now.
If you go deep into the situation I would say that not only Talat but every second citizen has such kind of hillarious thoughts.
If you peep into the history ,it links with the ZIAULHAQ's so called islamist activism through DANDA SERVICE.
Still,it is a deep rooted problem of our society.I often feel pity and seldom get cross for the people who have such kind of thoughts.
If people like Talat Hussain would write this,then MULK KA ALLAH HI HAFIZ HAI!

aurora said...

I must congratulate XYZ on their translation of the original piece from Urdu - a job very well done! What has disappointed me, however, is their interpretation. It seems as bigoted as the writer they are criticising. I won't go into each and every point, but two points need to be made. First, 'beard in the stomach' is a reference to a precocious child and not about closet (or, rather, gastric) bigotry. Second, if we accept XYZ's argument that Talat Hussain's rant has its roots in Jolie refusing him an interview when she visited Pakistan, then it could be inferred that XYZ's counter-rant indicates that perhaps XYZ is gay, has a crush on Mr. Hussain but their advances were snubbed. Ludicrous? My point exactly.

Anonymous said...

I always suspected Talat to be a closet molvi of the variety of Ansar Abbasi during the lawyer movement(who has since come out of the closet). Good work for bringing it to light.

Anonymous said...

these are Talats views and like anyone else he is perfectly entitled to hold those views, remember the terms "freedom of speech" "freedom of expression" "tolerance" etc etc where has all these beautiful expression gone, down the drain? i see no danger to anyone from his thinking or writing so chill!

Anonymous said...

Nowhere in Islam it says to malign somebody's, especially women's, reputation. A person's recent actions should be judged and not the past. Everybody changes!!! So Talat Sahib... you wanted to make a point in a round about way (regarding our high ups' deplorable moral values viz-a-viz Angelina's past moral values??), which is basically maligning a woman's reputation basing ur opinion on her past (however misinformed) while she is doing good NOW. It shows nothing else except your desire to gain cheap popularity.... which is SAD! You being the saner voice of media have shown not to outgrow the cultural and islamic bigotary and narrow mindedness. Actions always speak louder than words.

temporal said...

cp

(have put up this comment on the other link you mentioned also)

i have never read talat in urdu before. me bad:)

question: can he write in urdu

corollary: if not, was it translated?

ps: if this was a one off column, he should be cut some slack

Anonymous said...

@sehravi : You really are an insane fan of talat, defending him on everything with nothing serious to say!

I wish i never had read this article, i still could not stop telling myself that believe!!! talat really wrote it. I wont stop reading his articles or stop watching live with talat, as his articles and the talk show are stand alone and he really is a critical thinker. But i condemn the article and i will mark it as a mistake from talat that he'll surely work on in fututre!

Anonymous said...

talat! what are u on man! how can such a senior professional current affairs anchor/journalist write such rubbish and use such gutter language. what a dissapointment of a man who could have been so much better. everyone knows about talat and maliha lodhi. And the female subordinates who have worked with him know how he poses to be a champion of womens rights and equality, maybe he says all that only to get into their pants since through this article he has exposed the real sexist male chauvinist p*g inside him. he despises all such women who dont melt to his "charms", he got rid of a few such female employees at aaj. he loves to conquer and have women drool over him, and pyala is absolulety right , the venom he has spilled out is because jolie denied him. *ouch* must have really hurt the pretty boy's large ego! Already having multiple girl friends himself and played dirty politics at aaj to gain absolute control by getting rid of all people who seemed a threat to him, he should not dwell in such character assassination. look within your own self before speaking of others mr hussain. only goes to show what a hypocrit he is!

Anonymous said...

By the far the best point of this blog was:

14. He thinks Article 62 and 63 of the Pakistan Constitution - inserted by the hypocritical dictator General Ziaul Haq to manipulate the parliament - are the epitome of Eastern values.

Unknown said...

The way he is trying to obnoxiously find out her biography is absolutely weird.....Surprising this time Mr Talat has shown his "big true picture" swallowing his image. Using such racists bigot hateful comments on someone physical appearance cannot be justified

Anonymous said...

Talat was shall we say playing to the gallery in his urdu column.
But that does not mean that we need to ascribe personal motives to Talat for his views on Jolie.
It could than easily be said that you have personal motives to defend Jolie.
So according to you, criticizing Jolie is bad but blaspheming the Prophet (SAW) must be allowed !

Secondly as muslims (by the grace of Allah SWT ) we do have right to critique Jolie's lifetsyle.
Yes there are lot of problems amongst muslims when according to the Holy Quran we should strive to be the best of mankind.
Yes I know she is not a muslim but that does not mean that we cannot even say that her life style is immoral according to our beliefs.
Yes appearing nude,homosexuality are abominations and we should be clear about it.

Yes as muslims we should think of homosexuality and bisexuliaty as as moral turpitude and despicable.

Rob said...

It's also worth pointing out that the UN says she wrote no such report on Pakistan

Alpha Za said...

Great post. Talat is officially a douchebag. I think he's becoming for rush limbaugh or Orielly Factor than anything else.

He's a complete waste of space.


www.alphaza.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Talat Hussain is a man of the ISI and according to a blogger member of a Freemason-like secret brotherhood, led by Zaffar Abbas of Dawn. So what can you expect from a dishonest puppet of the agencies.

http://criticalppp.com/archives/26823?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Sehravi said...

@ Tayyab Mahmood, Daniyal & Very very friendly Anonymous (one of them) Thanks for calling me a crazy fan of a person, whom I am not at all.

Dear all

Please get a sense of rationalism.

"Do not hold the tail of a camel till you drown"

We need to develop stability in our personalities and be more rational and do not need to stick to the very first thought that develops in our minds.

and some one here wrote "as a Muslim" and then pointed out some thing.

Dear I d rather say as a human, Homosexuality and Bisexuality are a disease, in societies which have developed psychiatric flaws in them it has nothing to do with religion.

In our part of the world, Homosexuality in women and men is developing not because of any western union but break up of social bonds and a quest for easy way out and excuse from responsibility.

Homosexuality is a psychiatric disease which need a cure through affection and planning on large scale.

I hope I have not offended any homosexual here.

Sehravi said...

This post is just for fun

ISI has found a new agent in Western Media, and astonishingly in the Entertainment business.

http://www.popeater.com/2010/07/29/angelina-jolie-biography-andrew-morton/

Talat and Andrew Morton must have collaborated on this.

Sabahat Zakariya said...

Of late i had started sensing something off about Talat Hussain, this just crystallizes it.

Beautifully exposed xyz. Loved the bit about divorced families and stoning.

Fahad Mahmood said...

guys,
Take it easy, i feel many of the people from this blog showing more extremist views then that gentleman.

yasser latif hamdani said...

Well done. I hope Dawn News learns from NPR and lets this crook go.

J said...

i'm not too familiar with the urdu press but is it fair to assume that the majority of journalists writing there can be expected to have similar views?

Tayyab Mahmood said...

@Sehravi..
we didn't call you crazy its insanity you are presenting. who gives you right to declare anything as inhumane or immoral. morality is a very vague term & every person / area has its own morality standards.

one more thing the way you are condemning & presenting arguments about Homosexuality it seem you know more about Homosexuality a heterosexual ever know :P

Bolshevik said...

Wowie @ the abysmal state of public discourse in urban Mamlikat Allahbakhsh Pakwatan.

Dear Ghaerat Brigade waalahs,

I'm really, REALLY tempted to tell you what you really, REALLY sound like, but I'd rather not use ghaer-parlimani zubaan here. So I'll use code: the word starts with a 'C', ends with an 'S', and has an 'H', a 'U', a 'T', a 'Y', and an 'A' somewhere in the middle.

Love,
~ Me. :-)

Anonymous said...

sehravi tum aik bohot chootarh insan ho

Jamil Kakakhel said...

although Talat Hussain has definitely made a mistake by writing this article, I must also say that "XYZ" seems to be on a personal vengeance against him. I mean who would make so much of an effort to translate the whole article in English, and then go on making clarifications about Jolie and submitting a long list of negatives about Talat Hussain.
Come on guys, always use your own judgment rather than being flocked by someone. This XYZ has taken it a bit too far. So while the article is wrong and it shouldn't have been written in the first place, its not as wrong as we are being told!!
I still hold Talat Hussain in high esteem. He is one of the most competent and unbiased journalists that we have. And i'd still tune in to listen to his views!!

Anonymous said...

i dont think xyz has any motives behind this post except exposing the filthy mindset of a prominent "empathetic towards the masses" journalists (unless xyz works for the agencies who decided to pull their strings on talat). Infact without reading the translation and explanations in the blog, talat hussain's original article itself exposes his mindset.

so come on people spill some dirt on this dirty man! what do former female collegues, subordinates have to say about this man! heard he is quite the ladies man unlike the virtuous self he projects himself to be.

Anonymous said...

Yep. He's puffy angry at being ignored by Jolie. Journalist, bah.

Glad that George Fullton mentioned this :)

Tayyab Mahmood said...

@yasser latif hamdani ...please don't ask DAWN to reconsider because Juan Williams (NPR) got re-contract by Fox Rupert Murdoch for whooping 2 Million Dollars..& we have our own Rupert Murdoch aka Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehamn who can/will do same insane things.

Anonymous said...

talat hussain can write great porn people! the man is a genius!

Sakib Ahmad said...

At another blog by a brainwashed Pakistani I have left the following comment (in fact, I am here because of a link at that blog):

I seem to have ended up here more by accident than design. I am saddened to read this piteous piece of writing by a Pakistani blogger whose mind has been conditioned through long exposure to an alien culture and its language. The curse of celebrity worship is destroying western societies through a general process of dumbing down, and trivialisation of values which are essential for maintaining stable societies.

Talat Hussain has simply held up a mirror to the brainwashed Pakistanis - a veritable army of yes-men and women to whatever becomes fashionable in the West - in which they have seen their hideously distorted features and have recoiled in horror. Talat is quite right: so many members of our westernised elite today rank , in moral terms, lower than the Hollywood actress who visited Pakistan recently.

Thank God for Talat Hussain who has found a way to live successfully in the weird Pakistani society without sacrificing his language and his culture.

Anonymous said...

@ mr sakib ahmad, the problem is that talat does not practice what he is preaching. you have no idea what he is like in his own personal life! he is not much different from angelina jolie

Faisal said...

He is one of my favorite journalist because he is much balanced than others.

Although I agree with most of what the writer said and I was disappointed and surprised that it was written by Talat Hussain.

But I also have to admit that the writer is quite fashionable. Because it has become fashion in our society & FB crowd to look down on people who are religious.

Mind you, Pakistan is not a secular state, so please get your facts correct before supporting the idea of Gay marriages in our culture.

I am not defending his criticism on AG for demanding rights for gays but for your information, his readers are Pakistanis and so far this country is not interested in discussing gay-ism openly on public forums, let alone talking about their rights.

Why all liberals have problem with Sharia laws? It is not applicable in Pakistan but wherever you are living you have to respect the law of the land. I live in UAE but if i was living in Saudi Arabia where you will be stoned to death if found guilty committing adultery outside your marriage, I should respect that or leave their country.

In UAE even consensual sex is punishable crime with minimum 6 months of imprisonment and deportation, so should i write to government of UAE to respect my personal rights!!!

So please keep your sarcasm to yourself and learn to respect law of the land and sharia laws and if the basis of any constitution or the law of the land is based on religion.

Anonymous said...

I fail to understand that, if the article/column was wrong, where is the editorial policy?

Sehravi said...

@ some people here, "Some people do not have the courage to write their names but to abuse others when they lack the ability to provide there point"

sahir said...

you guys are insane n wasting precious time on debating over a useless issue...i dint like the column but thts it...get over it n get a life...dont waste ur debating,tactful skills here:)

Anonymous said...

http://criticalppp.com/archives/26823?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Ahmed Iqbalabadi says:
October 25, 2010 at 3:20 am

@Dil Dil Pakistan, please do not insult the Free Masons! The Free Masons have included visionary people, not touts like the Abbas brothers, Talat Hussain and members of our ghairat brigade!

Fudge said...

Zurain a real eye opener..

Sakib Ahmad said...

Anonymous,

I know next to nothing about Talat Hussain's personal life. I had assumed that he lived a normal life with wife and children. If your statement is true then, certainly, Talat's article needs to be re-assessed.

For your interest, here is a reply I gave to a brainwashed Pakistani eulogising the role of a "UN ambassador":

Do you realise what you are saying? Just goes to show the extent to which the Pakistanis have been brainwashed by the country’s bastardised educational system – which replaces independent thinking by a servile acceptance of high sounding meaningless drivel uttered by arrogant Americans and other English speakers. The Americans and the British tend to hold the average English-speaking Pakistani in contempt because this sorry specimen of humanity is expected always to fall in line with the western view of things. What makes such obsequious Pakistanis so useful to the West is their utter failure to feel any sense of national pride or to comprehend what is good for their country as a whole.

You tell me that a country ravaged by floods – some 20 million people affected – needs to have its “awareness raised” by a visiting “UN ambassador”! The UN is a hypocritical organisation, a convenient tool in the hands of world powers to influence other countries. I suggest you do a little research and read the damning articles about the UN published outside the narrow, suffocating world inhabited by westernised Pakistanis.

The “UN ambassador” was invited to Pakistan by the fawning Pakistani government, not by Talat Hussain. As an independent journalist he is not bound by government policies and he is free to write about any subject he chooses to write on. You should know that when China’s leaders, or the Pope, tour abroad as official guests, large scale demonstrations take place to protest against their policies or their past misdeeds. Do Pakistanis inhabit a different planet?

The spirit of independence that Talat Hussain has shown needs to be applauded. It is such a shame that Pakistan’s brainwashed English-speakers, who derive their values from the trashy ideas circulating in the West at the moment, have leapt on him as a pack of hounds.

Anonymous said...

@sakib... the point of celebrity ambassadors is to use their media drawing power to attract attention of people all over the world to a the issue. as such, jolie and others like her have attracted millions in aid funds to pakistan's flood victims, not so much in money given to the UN but in general through private and NGO donations.

it's only your sheer blinkered stupidity that is apparent in your thinking that angelina jolie is trying to raise awareness of *pakistanis* about their own flood.

Anonymous said...

@sakib: As a thoroughly brainwashed Pakistani who had the misfortune of going to an English-medium school (thereby losing all my sense of patriotism, national pride and capacity to think independently) may I beg you to name the free-thinking madrassah you studied in so I can redeem myself before it's too late? Thanks.

Meanwhile, can you also provide me with me some details about your private life so that I can write a sleazy account of it in the Express? Do give me some details about your sexual history too so I can inform my readers about your life, only as my patriotic duty of course.

I promise I will do it after I have done my madrassah homework and after chasing off my teacher who likes to touch me in strange places. Thanks a million

PS which madrassah did Talat go to?

Kamran said...

some related stuff to the story:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQ1bG8qf2-s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvJif2Bl3eQ&feature=related

Don't miss to check out Brittany Murphys bio on the web after viewing the second video

Anonymous said...

Mr. Asim Maqsood Basra,

nobody gave you the right to comment on anyone's personal character whether its clean or not. She was the UN embassadar and served her purpose. A hypocrate Pakistani made fun of her character rather than appreciating her cause. She is not a Muslim and has no implications to be a Muslim like Mr. Talat. She has a different religion and you have no right to weigh her on Islamic Rules and character. Infact She is far bettter than today's Pakistani Muslims.

Anonymous said...

Did you read the article on Khaleej Times whose link you provided? The assertions are so ludicrous and childish I wonder why would a sane person like Julie air them publicly, if at all. And Dubai-based Khaleej Times, of all newspapers, happened to be privy to the leaks? I wonder how on earth is that possible. It seems someone got jealous that Jolie visited Pakistan so printed those "leaked" comments to tarnish both the Pakistani state, and Jolie who is such a loud mouth that she cannot fulfill her responsiblities as a UN good will ambassador without inviting controversy with stupid comments.

strange-stranger said...

The author of this blog you are a pseudo intellectual, it seems in heart of your heart you are obsessed with Syed Talat Hussain but since he doesn’t condone your life style so he turns into a sour grape for you.

I’ve read that article completely. I don’t think you understand urdu well. He didn’t call her slut, he infact categorically mentioned that she was an actress at theater but not like many pakistani stage actresses. He acknowledged her good work in film industry.

The main theme of his article was not Angelina Bashing by any means. He just presented a comparison that Had she been in Pakistan, we would assume she is the worst creature, (he didn’t condone this perception mind you). He just said what would have happened. Then he shared her ideas about her visit to Pakistan in flood days. He then compared her character traits and ideology with those of our current regime in Pakistan.
The logical conclusion of his argument could be summarized below like this;

1. Angelina Julie despit her low moral values (in classical pakistani perspective without condoning it) is far far better than our custodians of country, so called muslim rulers of our country.
Thats it

What is wrong in it? He was basically using a literary technique. You use two contrasting themes to make the difference strike you harder than they normally would.

One more subtle way to say whatever he said could have been
“They(like of Angelina) are non-muslims but they follow basic values of Islam better than many so called muslims do”. Now it was his choice what method did he prefer. Sometimes you say things in a subtle way, sometimes you don’t. All depends on circumstances.

So in future please first learn urdu, then learn to read context, then learn to understand the actual message being conveyed and then start bashing your wildest early youth dream.
Regards

PS The funny thing is all of these blogs / appeals moderate messages strongly to make sure no one differing their opinion gets it through