The flaming of Salman Azhar (and his animated and frequent replies) is but
an exercise in self-righteousness. The piece of mail that caused such ire
was at the most as offensive as many posted earlier on this newsgroup ( ref.
a malicious remark on HazratBal etc.). The reason for it being offensnsive
to some people was its subject line and timing (India's defeat). The fact
that made it more embittering was that Pakistani supporters were chastised for
their teams defeat at Sharjah, and a reciprocation of such provocations was
anticipated.
The only thing offensive in Salman's original post was a reference to "hindu-
sounding names". The reference to religion was not in good taste, but again
let me maintain that it was'nt the first reference of its kind. So this does
not make Salman Azhar the only bad guy on the net. Salman's mention of "hindu-
sounding names" was at best not an intentional slur on somebody's religious
feelings. I am sure that he intended to refer to "Indian supporters". The
choice of words was injudicious, for which he has already apologized.
Contrary to what people say, I think Salman Azhar generally reflects the
feelings of most Pakistani fans, although I do not agree with his use of the
term "hindu-sounding names". His posts never contain or hint at vulgarity,
which we cannot sadly say for some people frequenting this newsgroup.
I maintain that Salman Azhar is one of the more rational writers on this
newsgroup, and I hope he continues to write in his debonair style.
NA