No seriously, go fly a kite in Pakistan and do some hard time. Pakistan’s Supreme Court (I didn’t think they had courts either) just upheld a ban on kite making, sellling, and flying stating that the sport had become too deadly. During the court hearing, 500 kite makers and enthusiasts assembled to protest only to be greeted by tear gas shells and baton courtesies.
Every year in Lahore Pakistan, tens of thousands of kite enthusiasts gather to celebrate their hobby by flying kites off of rooftops and fields in what is known as Basant. Last February, 19 people died and 20 were injured as a result of falling off rooftops and people using metal-lined strings.
Hard-line Muslims don’t like the festival for several reasons. They feel it’s a waste of money and has roots in Hinduism. The word Basant itself means "yellow" in Hindi. The festival is also celebrated with loud music, another no-no in Pakistan I bet.
I find this to be absolutely ridiculous on a few issues. First, it’s just a damn kite! It’s not like their having a pork festival. Sure a few people get hurt, but just pass some rules and safety measures and bingo-bango you’re good to go. Secondly, with such a ban, a lawyer representing the kite industry estimates tens of thousands of lost jobs. Lastly, this whole "Hindi" argument is just laughable. How about they call it something else like "Fly a Kite Day" or "Kite Fest".
I’m sure glad that Pakistan is one of our "allies" on the war on terror.
No related posts.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court (I didn’t think they had courts either)
celebrated with loud music, another no-no in Pakistan I bet
What kind of newsbreaking is that anyways? Is this another I-am-american-who-are-you-and-where-is-your-country attitude site??
Go terrorize the globe, bush-voting redneck.
CU at starbucks.
It’s more than just kite flying. Thoes kids are putting razors on their kites and sharp wire to teather them down with. They are kite fighting, and it’s why so many people get hurt.
There would be bans on kites here in the US if kids were attaching razor blades and other dangerous crap to the kites.
Sure it sounds crazy, banning kites, but look beyond the hype of the headline, you’ll see that they are dealing with a pretty nasty problem.
In repsponse to indio, I didn’t vote for Bush and I hate coffee. As for koft, there is no mention of razor blades and banning a sport because of a few idiots is hardly reasonable. Like I said in the article, pass some safety regulations and police the festival. That way everyone is happy. Geez, rough crowd tonight.
well it certainly makes giving the advice ‘go fly a kite’ a little difficult to give..
but the people doing this should be held accouable for creating and using weapons, (in other words, get dangerous kites classified as weapons) and not affect people who just want to have a good time.
Well, I used to enjoy this website, but I found this post frankly below par. I am sorry, but indio has a point regarding your Supreme Court comment. Furthermore, you should really spend sometime in the Third World and learn to appreciate why it’s called thus. The anarchy and lawlessness that reign would not be cured by your academic regulations.
You also come across as very insensitive as regards to the zealotry of this crowd (do really go to Pakistan/India and find out more how much love’s been lost there) and do not redeem yourself by not researching the additional issues raised by koft.
I’m very tempted to end with a flippant “Grow up”, but you are doing a good job here and deserve some leeway.
Peace.
[...] I’m taking another look at my Go Fly A Kite Muslims post because it ruffled the feathers of a few readers, which is to be expected on a site of this nature. Normally I wouldn’t, but I felt their arguments had some merit to them and needed to be explored further. I’d like to begin by addressing some of the comments made by indio, koft, and Papillon. [...]
Basant means spring in Hindi.
To ask the Muslims to reflect on why they are perceived as evil by humanity is an exercise in futility. Not since Hitler’s Germany has there been as great a threat to civilization. There is no silver lining here.
[...] reported on the infamous Basant festival of destruction before. This years Basant was yet another trip through madness that resulted in wanton [...]
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