![]() ![]() what is needed is a charismatic, populist alternative from the liberal/left side of the spectrum, who can highlight the ridiculousness and bigotry of some of Hamid's arguments on the one hand and speak out for reform (not revolution), something that has been ceded to the likes of Hamid and Khan. Hamid and Qureshi and Khan kept going on about the lavish lifestyles of the ruling elite, the load shedding, the shady defense deals, the corruption, the creaking judicial system, and it is hard to disagree that all this needs to change, and fast. people like him and Imran Khan and Ahmed Qureshi will only win more converts like Azmat if the government continues to shoot itself in the foot. The Ali Azmat video should serve as a wakeup call. in their desperation for an alternative, a lot of people have taken his bait. I arrived in the US three years ago, and haven't had to encounter the 12-hour load shedding and the inflation and governmental ineptitude and bombings, and can sort of see why the youth are flocking to his banner in droves. It must be said, however, that he is tapping into a deep wellspring of despair and disillusionment. ![]() I might also add that he appears to piggyback off of some of Niall Ferguson's writings on financial history - adding a "Protocols of the Elders of Zion"-type cocktail, of course. We Pakistanis are suckers for these things. This usually translates to the green eyes, light skin, red cap covering up the receding hair that nevertheless hangs fashionably long at the back, and command of English. One thing several people have told me is that they are attracted to him because of his "personality". He does mix some facts into his fiction, which helps with the complacency. His fan following appears to have been lulled into complacency, confident that listening to what he says makes up for any research they could have done. If they do, they will find that the whole third tower theory has been debunked. His fans would be well advised to do what the man says: read, research. "Zionist politics of the Brahmminical elite"!! LOL, that was classic, damn those Hinjews! Can we fill this profile up? Can we place him on a scale of Glenn Beck to Yusuf al-Qaradawi? What I am really interested in, is figuring out his audiences, his appeals to them, and his theories of media (and mediation). ![]() The cursory searches on the internets reveal all kind of contestations - he is an agent of ISPR, he is a true Muslim, he is a former acolyte of a claimant to the Prophethood, he is a true Muslim, etc. Naturally, this makes me very, very interested in him, professionally speaking. ("More Indians were killed by the British between 17 than at any time in the previous 5000 years"). ![]() Walid to 1857 - the "War of Independence". He is also, through his privately produced program Brass Tacks, engaged in producing historical narratives - from Khalid b. Some other hair-raising stuff here with Ali Azmat. "We are against the Zionist politics of the Brahmanical elite". Here he explains, for example, what truths lie behind "conspiracy theories": Who is this "Dr." "Prof." Zaid Hamid? He has, from most accounts, secured a niche similar to Glenn Beck in Pakistani media - combining ultra-nationalism with a taste for finding Zionist or Hindu involvement in the Pakistani sphere. So, I turn to you, my collective hive brain. ![]()
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