BLOG 77 - Wild Boar N2I Ignorance

[Dr. Shabbir]

WILD BOAR & N2I
August 7th, 2008 by Dr. Shabbir

1969: RIVER INDUS – WILD BOAR & N2Is

Our class of LMC (Liaquat Medical College) passed out in 1968. Most of us were working as house physicians in various town hospitals for 2 years. I don’t think we can ever forget our alma mater. Ah, that nostalgia for life!

Well, a few of us decided to visit the LMC campus in Jamshoro after visiting the LMCH in Hyderabad, Sindh in late 1969.

The picturesque, historical Indus River flows across between Hyderabad and Jamshoro. Exactly where the highway crosses the river over the beautiful silvery bridge, GMB (Ghulam Muhammad Barrage), there stood a small, lovely two story hotel and restaurant, AL-MANZAR. For me and many of my friends, it would be the most excellent resort in the world, even today! Peace, fluttering winds, rumbling waves, tall palms, oaks, rocks, springs and sand, bushes and shrubs, blue skies, innocuous jungle life – as close to nature as it gets.

The AL-MANZAR employees would catch and fry the fish right before your eyes. Can you believe that the price of one caviar was 2 cents of today! For 10 cents you could eat all the menus you liked. And canoeing in the river was for free.

Wow! Having the best of times, we heard some noise on our side of the river bank. As we turned, we saw 10-11 villagers charging on some animal with their batons. An intermittent growl seemed to make a perfect rhythm with the baton beat.

We asked the waiter to watch our bread, fish and caviar, and got closer to action. Oh, it was a wild boar that Shabbir had seen only in pictures. We asked the villagers why they were torturing the poor animal. Almost simultaneously spoke all of them:

“Swine is an animal of hate.” - “It is Haram.” - “Our Nabi hated it.” - “It must be inflicted with pain to get 'thawaab'.” - “Then it must be killed.” - “If anyone of us touched it, he would have to take a bath.”

We gently said, “Look brothers, we are forbidden to eat swine-flesh, that’s it. Our prophet (S) hated nothing and warned us against torturing animals.”

They brought up, an abrupt end to our lecture by immediately turning away saying, “You children of the West! What do you know? Go baba go!” - And finished the wounded animal slowly in the next half an hour.

THE N2I (NUMBER TWO ISLAM) CRIMINALS HAD SAVED ISLAM THAT DAY AND ATTAINED PARADISE!!!!!

(contd)