December 3, 2016

"In the province of Sindh, where I live, licensed shops, usually called wine stores, have operated even since prohibition."

"The stores are supposed to sell only to non-Muslims, but they don’t discriminate. Owners have to pay off the police, though, and any dispute can result in the shops having to close down. The laws can be cruel and absurd. Last summer, the local police in Karachi banned liquor stores from keeping freezers, in order to stop consumers from buying a cold beer. Apparently chilled beer was a threat to our faith and to peace, but warm beer was just warm beer. In late October, a High Court judge ordered the closure of all these stores after accepting a petition that said alcohol is prohibited not only in Islam but in Christianity and Hinduism, too. This ban means that only those who can afford imported liquor will keep buying from a flourishing network of bootleggers.... The rich drink in their own homes and frolic or puke on their own lawns, but the assumption is that if the poor get drunk in public spaces, they’ll make a nuisance. Which is why those who can afford fine scotches can also afford to give everyone else lectures about our religious duties. It seems that those who suck the blood of poor people want to make sure it’s not tainted with cheap alcohol...."

Writes the novelist Mohammed Hanif in a NYT op-ed titled "Pakistan Has a Drinking Problem."

What a delightful writing style! I'm going to read all his other NYT op-eds — there are 10 of them — linked here. Why have I not noticed him before?

Here's one of his novels, "A Case of Exploding Mangoes."

21 comments:

David Begley said...

Fake news. Jesus had wine at the Last Supper.

Where are the NYT fact checkers when you need them?

Wince said...

The rich drink in their own homes and frolic or puke on their own lawns, but the assumption is that if the poor get drunk in public spaces, they’ll make a nuisance.

"Just Lost, Drunken Men Who No Longer Care Where They Find Themselves Each Morning."

Hagar said...

The spirit of the Ctrl-left is strong in the Oxford educated Indian Brahmins.

Paddy O said...

That's a brilliant last sentence in the quote.

It seems that those who suck the blood of poor people want to make sure it’s not tainted with cheap alcohol...."
...with trans-fats....
...with nicotine....
...with fast food...

A great line.

trumpintroublenow said...

In USA and elsewhere in the free world there are many "social scientists" working around the clock to increase drink prices through legislation and (illegal) price fixing agreements among bars and restaurants. Including in Madison, where approx 30 campus area bars held a press conference in 2002 to announce their price-fixing agreement. The press release -- "We as a group have agreed that we will voluntarily and immediately end all drink specials on Fridays and Saturday nights after 8 P.M. in our establishments." Somewhat odd to hold a press conference to announce a criminal conspiracy.


No significant impact on the rich. It is the poor and poor students who are drinking more than they should -- according to the "social scientists."

traditionalguy said...

I presume that you have read The Kite Runner. These Kabul Afghans are very intelligent guys.

effinayright said...

@tcrosse: ISWYDT

Ignorance is Bliss said...

David Begley said...

Fake news. Jesus had wine at the Last Supper.

Better re-read your bible. It was his blood. Try to keep up.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

The rich drink in their own homes and frolic or puke on their own lawns, but the assumption is that if the poor get drunk in public spaces, they’ll make a nuisance.

Sounds like a pretty damn correct assumption, as anyone who has ever lived anywhere near a bar could tell you.

effinayright said...

As the story goes, a Saudi customs official places a call from Riyadh's airport to the household of a prince, to inform him, "Please advise His Highness that his shipment of furniture is leaking."

YoungHegelian said...

So, when the Muslims in the story go to confession after a drinking binge (I know, I know, work with me here), do they say "Bless me, Father, for I have Sindh"?

YoungHegelian said...

@tcross,

And, yes, I, too, thought of General Napier's pun.

Warped minds think alike.

David Begley said...

Ignorance

It started out as wine. Read your Bible.

clint said...

Forget the last supper.

If you want to see Jesus's stance on wine, just look to his very first miracle -- at the Wedding at Cana.

Mark said...

Had to register as a Christian every year there so I could go to the one hotel bar in each major city and drink, when on break from doing research in the countryside.

The city Christian locals have quite a nice side business buying their max allotment and reselling.

Ron said...

He had me at "frolic or puke on their own lawns"

LYNNDH said...

Sounds like they have their own Democrats too.

Sharc said...

Beat me to it, tcrosse. But not Napier.

Saint Croix said...

Jesus had wine at the Last Supper.

His first miracle was to turn water into wine!

And not just a little wine. One hundred and twenty gallons of wine.

I don't know how big that wedding was. But that's a big party!

Saint Croix said...

One of the interesting questions to me is why Jesus said wine is his blood.

Why not water? Water is pure. Water is clean. We are baptized with water. He could easily have said that water is his blood. That symbolism would have made a lot of sense.

But his first miracle turned water into wine. At his mother's request, mind you! To help out the poor Jews who didn't have enough wine for their wedding.

And maybe he remembered what a big party that was. What a celebration it was.

Anyway, it's wine, not water. Even though alcohol has its dark side, its ugly side. It's not as clean and pure and nice as water.

Maybe it's a reminder to us that Christ is with us, even when we are bad.

Anyway, many, many Christians are wary of alcohol, and the dangers of it. When I was a kid I would get drunk off my ass. Very glad we did not have cell phones and Facebook back then! Now I am a two beer man.

Matthew and Mark and Luke all managed to leave out the wedding at Cana. "We don't want to talk about that!" John remembered that story, decided to include it. Thank you!

Bad Lieutenant said...

Ignorance is Bliss said...
David Begley said...

Fake news. Jesus had wine at the Last Supper.

Better re-read your bible. It was his blood. Try to keep up.
12/3/16, 11:37 AM

1. Eeeew
2. Jesus was an orthodox Jew and an orthodox Jew would never, never, never drink blood.
3. Going from newest to oldest, this is an improvement over the previous one, but I'm finding this guy pretty tiresome. But yes, the line about those drinking the blood of the poor not wanting it to be tainted is choice.