Islamabad Mourns MJ
EmailABC's Nick Schifrin reports from Islamabad: For anyone who thinks Pakistan is completely consumed by bombs and bullets, that people here only think about terror and the Taliban, know that Michael was a god here, too. Know that pirated Michael Jackson tapes used to be sold in the bazaar in Mingora, Swat, where the Pakistani army is currently fighting the Taliban. Know that an entire street culture exploded after “Thriller” hit Pakistani stores. Know that countless Pakistani musicians still emulate his sound, his moves, his fashion. Know that Pakistani children woke their parents up at 4:00 a.m. today to tell them, “Oh my god, he’s dead. Michael Jackson’s dead.” Know that there might have been a suicide bombing in Kashmir today and an attack against the military in the tribal areas, but private news channels devoted hours of coverage to the departed King of Pop. “There are many people in Pakistan who don't know that the world is round but know who Michael is,” said Munizeh Sanai, the general manager of the country’s most popular English language radio station, City FM 89, which has been playing almost nothing but Jackson songs all day. “He is the only international, non-Indian artist that people from all walks of life connected with — his style, his moves. This is mostly in urban Pakistan of course, but yeah — if Michael had ever performed in Pakistan, it would have been the biggest concert the country has ever seen.” For Pakistanis who grew up in the 80's, like Saqib Malik, a well known director here, Jackson was much more than an American artist. “He really popularized, at least in this generation, American pop culture,” Malik said. “He became an idea for anything that was western pop culture… He embodied, in terms of popular imagination, the best of what the west had to offer.” It is not only the well-heeled here who knew who he was, either. Cooks, drivers, guards – Pakistan’s middle class, most of whom don’t speak English — have been talking about Jackson’s death all day, aware not only because his face has been on local television, but also because of Jackson’s own presence within Pakistani culture. Back when there were no private news channels and all televisions were tuned to the sole, state-run channel, almost everyone in the country watched a skit show called “Fifty-Fifty,” basically the equivalent of Saturday Night Live in its heyday. One of the all-time great scenes is being passed around today via You-Tube: a skit featuring Ismail Tara, one of Pakistan’s most famous comics in the 80s, dancing to the sounds of Billy Jean. His props include a couple of suitcases, a pan, and a pair of very tight pants. “Michael impacted us on every level. He transcended everything – countries, religion, boundaries, everything,” said Mashaal Gauhar, a self-professed “huge” Jackson fan and the editor of a business magazine in Islamabad. Jackson’s popularity, perhaps, was particular in Pakistan because he was not white, or because he had done work in the developing world, or because, much later, he converted to Islam. Or perhaps, as Malik suggested, because the persona he played in his videos was “A guy on the street, trying to find his identity. That made him instantly appealing to everyone here.” But in Pakistan, like everywhere else across the world, it was the music that people loved. It was the bootlegged records and tapes of Beat It and Thriller, the VHS copies of the Thriller music video, that cemented Jackson as an icon in Pakistan. I posted a note on Facebook earlier today asking whether Pakistan was upset about Jackson’s death. After an American friend wrote that he thought any kind of outpouring of emotion would be unlikely, a Pakistani friend of mine countered: “Make no mistake — we might be Pakistan. But we moonwalked as much as you did.”
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“Islamabad Mourns MJ”
I can rest easy now.
Posted by: Betsy | June 26, 2009, 1:14 pm 1:14 pm
“Or perhaps, as Malik suggested, because the persona he played in his videos was “A guy on the street, trying to find his identity. That made him instantly appealing to everyone here.”” – ABC News
Mike did everything he could to find his identity, including multiple surgeries.
Alas, he never did find it, how sad.
Posted by: Noz | June 26, 2009, 1:57 pm 1:57 pm
I AM STILL IN SHOCK. I THINK ABOUT ONE YEAR AGO WHEM MY FATHER PASSED. I DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO SAY OR TO DO. I JUST SAT QUIETLY AND SAID NOTHING, JUST TRYING TO ABSORBE IT ALL.
Posted by: ANDRE | June 26, 2009, 2:51 pm 2:51 pm
Rest In Peace Micheal And May ALLAH Bless Your Soul…
Posted by: Anthony | June 26, 2009, 3:26 pm 3:26 pm
May you rest in peace and get the reward form God for what you passed on to us.You will be forever here in our heart and mind.There will be no second Michael Jackson.Hope your children will.
Posted by: Syed Ali | June 26, 2009, 3:44 pm 3:44 pm
A great talent has died. I have been his fan since he and his brothers performed together years ago. I saw the talent which was unbelievable, I saw the cute little boy pouring his heart and soul into his singing/dancing performance, and I was “hooked”. I bought his tapes, etc. I was disappointed with the scandals about the children’s alleged molestations, but I hope it was all just talk. May his departed soul rest in peace with our Lord. Keep on singing up there, my brother. Love you.
Posted by: susiegal | June 26, 2009, 5:44 pm 5:44 pm
I saw it in a very personal way how Pakistan music scene saw a sea-chage when MJ’s Thriller album was released. Kids started dressing differently, American pop music started replacing Indian movie songs, break dancing become popular, out of nowhere Pakistan pop and rock bands started to emerge from underground into the commercial arena. He was definitely a very positive influence.
Posted by: waqas anwar | June 27, 2009, 12:48 am 12:48 am
Michael was every bit as revered and admired for his charming and upbeat songs, his gentle Peter Pan style in Pakistan as it was in the US.
Rest in peace dear Michael. Amin
Posted by: Tariq Shah | June 27, 2009, 10:06 am 10:06 am
ALL MY FAMILY WERE SAD WHEN WE HEARD THE SKOCKING NEWS OF MICHEAL JACKSON’S DEAD!
Posted by: Tamim | June 28, 2009, 10:34 pm 10:34 pm
I’m so relieved to read this article. MJ was an international icon, loved everywhere, even at the farthest corners of world. In Pakistan he was a rage for decades, even since his Thriller. MJ’s Pakistani fans are in no means less or inferior than any other fans. Today he is being mourned equally in Pakistan as in rest of the world.
RIP MJ, the greatest artist the world has ever seen. May Allah bless him and forgive his sins. Amin.
Posted by: Jahanzeb | July 12, 2009, 7:53 am 7:53 am
There is start of everything and MJ was starter, everybody in Pop or other genre of music are somehow followers of King of entertainment and King of Pop, in every corner of this world people know who is MJ, living in caves, living in villages, without electricity, working of farms everybody knows him.
Me My brother who commented above Jahanzeb, and all my family members loved him…we grew up with him, we can never feel same heat on stage, in our ears same music same lyrics.
RIP MJ may God give your kidz happiness and maybe one of them can somehow give us a tiny touch of your voice in future.
Posted by: Basim | July 12, 2009, 1:16 pm 1:16 pm
i met mj once in 1988 during his bad tour in london.i was struck by his delicate sweetness .a great guy to talk to although very sensitive but a very very nice human being
Posted by: asma | July 20, 2009, 2:02 pm 2:02 pm
HE ROCKS
Posted by: JASON | November 3, 2009, 10:47 am 10:47 am
MJ was a craze here in Pakistan back in the 80′s.. and that too without any media publicity (facebook, internet, cable tv, etc). Those were the pre-historic days compared to today’s world of technology.
I remember the time when I was in school and we would see these break dance groups expressing their identities through street graffiti. “Break Machine” was one that I still remember. Their name was spray-painted all over the walls in my neighborhood. And I remember how my brother and his friends used to learn break dance moves on the roof of our building. He even taught my younger sister how to do “the wave”. We kids used to try those moves when these guys were gone! Then there were the street competitions. I vividly remember getting all excited about one such event which was to be held in our street. That night, we kids went to our building’s roof and watched the many groups battle it out on the stage. Mind you, these were the kids who had no direct knowledge of the U.S. or the western world in general (unlike the kids today who have the internet and the cable tv). And the moonwalk was a craze! My brother and his friend performed it at one of the functions we kids organized for the residents of our apartment complex. I still have the pic of these guys dancing!
The tight black short pants, the loafers, the white socks, the beaded cut gloves, the tape on the fingers, the MJ posters on the bedroom walls.. an explosion of pop culture in the ordinary middle class homes.. and the mania spread like wild fire!
I also remember watching a VHS of MJ’s concert and my brother pre-informing me (with amazement) that people passed out during his concert. And surely they did, as the VHS proved. And how can I ever forget the Thriller tape we bought from our collective allowance! It must’ve cost us PKR 25/- (around 30 cents) at that time but we used to listen to the tape everyday after coming home from the school. Without actually seeing this guy perform (except for this one VHS, which many did not even get the chance to watch), MJ became a phenomenon here!
So, for those of you who think Pakistan hasn’t experienced the MJ phenomenon, you’re sooooo mistaken!
Whatever bad publicity he received, came to us through the western media esp. Star World that aired that God forsaken Bashir movie. I’ll never forgive Star World for airing that movie; and myself for watching it and thinking it presented facts and truth.
MJ is even bigger in his death, and has taught me so much about media and the corruption that power can bring when it falls into wrong hands. It has also taught me about my responsibility to research before believing anything the media dishes out.
Rest in Peace & Harmony, MJ! You deserve it.
Lots of love, from Pakistan
Posted by: Flash | November 6, 2009, 4:04 am 4:04 am