Nosheen Abbas: Pakistan Mourns Michael Jackson

We'd bounce our heads to Michael Jackson's songs as we admired the artwork on his CD covers. "Look at the pyramid with the eye in the middle...I think he's part of a cult!" said Ali, one of Jackson's most avid fans. He knew all his songs and went to every concert he could afford. This was in Australia. When I moved back to Pakistan in 1995 as a teenager I was surprised to see how prevalent Jackson was here. He was as ubiquitous as Coca Cola. Everyone knew his songs, and even a popular Pakistani comedy show called 50/50 had Billy Jean playing during a scene where its protagonist robbed a house. Kids, including my brother, constantly imitated the moonwalk, and though most failed you'd find a few success stories. Having lived in seven different countries, including Pakistan, I have seen the various forms of Jackson's stardom across the world. Most see him as a global star that transcended boundaries. In Pakistan he was the definition of 'cool,' with his black shoes, pants, tilting hat, signature ... (link)