Prem Chand, aged 26, died in the Airblue crash. His coffin was marked "Kaafir".

What complete insensitivity! I was appalled when I read about this.
My question basically is that who are we to identify anyone as a momin (believer) or a kaafir (non-believer)? Isn't that between the man (woman) and God? I know this is a question that has gone in circles since the beginning of time, but I wish to ask once again, who is a kaafir?
From what I have read and researched - a kaafir  is someone who believes in a greater power than God or shares the glory of God with another power human or else. I believe nobody can know about another's belief except oneself. It is a very subjective and private matter which is unlikely to come out in any discussion or action for that matter. I certainly don't mean to deny the teachings of Quran and Sunnah (God forbid) but I do believe it is insensitive to classify like this when most among us who call ourselves Muslims don't follow the religion properly. It is a matter for Allah to resolve with his people.
In a discussion with some colleagues, it was pointed out to me that the Quran states; "O you who believe! do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends; they are friends of each other; and whoever amongst you takes them for a friend, then surely he is one of them; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people."
To which my rebuttal still stands, just because someone is not your friend or and enemy even - you must not defame him/her. People may be good, bad or evil, they still came to this Earth with Allah's will and where it may be important to explain that yes Islam is the correct religion, another's disagreement does not give anyone the right to call the other person names. And just because someone has a different name does not mean that he had not at some point converted to Islam.
So many angles can be touched upon for this topic but I am not here to battle all sides of the story. Just here to say one thing:
Name calling is wrong people - that's the bottom line.

Beware the Dementors...

In my Daily Times days I did a story on the nation's morale being low due to Dementor attacks via the famous Harry Potter series.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\11\07\story_7-11-2007_pg12_1

Since yesterday i've been thinking maybe it really is true that these creatures of depression and gloom exist.

A plane crashed with people we knew or knew of or someone we knew knew. Today we are already forgetting about those people due to the many hardships facing everyone today. Nobody is happy. Everyone has a gazillion worries and nothing seems happy anymore. The happiest of occasions, births, weddings, graduations everything seems meaningless. You look at people's facebook updates and the entire news feed is full of disheartened and complaining people.

What is wrong? What is happening to the world? Or is it really the dementors afterall?!