Katrina

As devastating as it was Katrina has left thousands stranded in its affected areas. New Orleans is deep under water and most of the pumping stations have failed to keep abreast with rising waters in the area. I see pictures of chaos in the state. I have two concerns. The first being that there is a large Pakistani physician community in New Orleans and most of them have not been able to contact their relatives thus far. Mainly because all the telephone links are down. This is a cause of grave concern to me and I believe to the families of these individuals. May Allah keep them safe, wherever they are.
My second concern is more of a cynical nature. I look at all those pictures of mayhem going on in the state and can't help laugh at the situation. Not that I am a sadist who derives pleasure from pain but because I see the most civilized nation on this planet behaving like idiots on a run. I hear the reports of shots being fired and aid work being hampered by hooligans and a smile spreads over my face with the thought that these are the same people who have been pointing finger at scenes of anarchy in our under developed countries. They are the first ones to point out our barbaric behaviour. They are the first ones who tell us that we need not fight over basic amenities as we can always solve problems of poverty through dialogue. Dialogue my ass. When you are hungry you kill to eat. That is a simple rule. And we see those very civilized people of the most developed nation are doing this.