Beautiful poetry. No wonder the Sufi saints were revered by all.

The destruction of the shrine of Rahman Baba, the Pashtun mystic and poet who is widely regarded, indeed revered, across NWFP is yet another indicator of the advancing wave of intolerance and extremism that now engulfs us. Reports say that the shrine was blown up by militants using up to 40kg of explosive because it was frequented by women. There are reports that militants had warned that they would not tolerate women attending the shrine, and that they suspected them of involvement in immorality or ‘illegal acts’. It is difficult to imagine precisely what immoral or illegal acts might have been performed by pious women – but not difficult to imagine the misogynist mindset of those who would banish women forever to a darkened room where their sole function is to cook and produce male children. The deal done in Swat is a Pandora’s Box of troubles that now pour out everywhere. The validation of one set of extremist demands now gives them the green light to make other demands wherever they choose in the entire country where they wish their vrit to run. Let us be under no illusion here – the militants now ruling in NWFP have their sights set on ruling Pakistan. All of Pakistan. They wish their interpretation of Islam to be the one followed by all of our people, no matter what their Muslim denomination or their faith – which is why our religious minorities fear for their safety and their future.

Are we to see the great shrines of Uch Sharif similarly attacked? Are we prepared to see our cultural heritage destroyed before our very eyes? Remember the Buddhas of Bamiyan, those ancient structures in Afghanistan that had stood for over a thousand years? Remember their destruction, just a few short years ago? Or the Buddhist statues in Swat? Or the agitation for the destruction of Buddhist and Hindu rock carvings of great antiquity at Chilas? Are we to see the ruins of Mohenjo-Daro pulverized because they are from a time before Islam or our museums razed to the ground in an iconoclastic frenzy that will leave us bereft of our cultural past? How long will it be before bookshops are burning, following hard on the heels of music and video shops? Ours is a land which was a part of the cradle of civilization. Within what are now our borders were sown the seeds of human greatness and invention. We are the custodians of that heritage. We have a duty to ourselves and the rest of the world to protect it. A duty which, as of recent times, we might be said to be failing in. Dark tides,
Friday, March 06, 2009, The News.

Thanks, Aemal. Who are Panjpirees by the way?

http://www.saleemsafi.com/ShowSingleArticle.php?path=Articles%2F2009%2FFeb%2F14-Article.gif
aemi

Aemi, Thanks for explaing the Panjpeeris. I also found this link very useful:

“Madrassahs and Sectarianism
Sectarianism on the basis of faith or fiqh is new to Afghanistan. The first major sectarian incident occurred in the country during the late years of King Zahir Shah’s rule (1933-73) and came through Pakistan. Sunnis in Afghanistan subscribed to the Deobandi school of thought since most of their scholars were educated at Deoband. A few Afghan students of a Deobandi cleric, Maulana Muhammad Tahir Panjpiri, who was based in the Swabi district in Pakistan and had strict views against bida’at (innovations in religion), returned to Afghanistan and initiated a campaign against what they declared to be un-Islamic practices. The local clerics who were involved in the practices such as shrine worship and Sufism turned against this Panjpiri campaign, which resulted in widespread social disorder. Before this, there had been no clashes between Shi‘as and Sunnis.

Another incident of sectarianism occurred when some people, especially in Badakhshan province, became associated with the Ahl-e-Hadith school of thought. Although they were few in numbers, their ill-advised strategies disturbed the peace to a considerable extent.

These were, however, minor incidents of sectarianism compared to the kind now being seen in Afghanistan. Millions of refugees have lived in Pakistan and Iran for years, several of whom obtained their education — and imbibed external influences — from the madrassahsthere. A clear example of the transfer of such influences to Afghanistan were the mass massacres conducted by the Taliban and the Shi‘as against each other in Bamyan and Mazar-i-Sharif in 1997 and the following years.

Incidents of Afghan sectarian violence have crossed the border into Pakistan as well. The BBC reported on its Urdu website that violent sectarian clashes had erupted between two rival groups in the Bara area of Khyber Agency in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan. Both groups were led by religious leaders, one of whom was the famous Afghan, Pir Saifur Rahman, also known as Bara Pir. Dozens were killed. Later, both the groups scattered and their FM Radio channels were also closed down with the help of the local people.

Saif-ur-Rahman, now living near Lahore, is a cleric who only accepted his own interpretation of Islam; those who did not subscribe to his interpretation were automatically labeled as non-Muslims. Unfortunately, the number of such intolerant people is on the rise in Afghanistan.”

http://www.ips-pk.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=232

This violence is a product of Islamist thinking, linked directly to Islamic doctrines and teachings. Pakistan is paying the price for its choosing a Muslim identity and putting it above all else (nation, history, family, honour, equality, human rights, etc.). In case you don’t know, Islamic doctrine is full of hate against the ‘other’ which can be both infidels and even other Muslims that do not conform to some Islamic doctrines (as interpreted by some).

You folks are screwed! You cannot oppose this because to do so would be “unislamic”. As far as I am concerned, you have brought this upon yourselves. You have let your country discriminate against non-Muslims since 1947. You have let them teach hate against India and the West for decades. You make excuses for the evil things that Muslims do in so many places. You always blame others for your problems. You dare not question anything from the Quran and hadith. You put a religious ideology above your personal understanding of right and wrong. By doing this you accept that your mind and body is not yours to control. You are not free. You submit to mental and spiritual slavery.

You have chosen Islam as a way of life and basis for your state. Now Islam is devouring you.

It will get worse. The radicals will not stop with Swat. Say goodbye to art, music, books, poetry, movies, tv, sports, love and happiness. Women, say hello to burkas and chains.

Too bad! But not-unexpected. I pity the good folks of Pakistan. There aren’t enough of you to change anything.

Kactuz

PS: Islam does not mean ‘peace’. Can’t Muslims even get the most simple concepts right?

PSS: As I right this, I shake my head. Certainly most Muslims will see this as a “hate Islam” post. Oh well. On the other hand, there may be a few that will consider it to be a “Hummm, this is something to think about” and “How did this happen to us” post. I am pessimistic. Trouble for Pakistan means trouble for all of us, but I don’t see any future except more radicalism and hate, which will generate even more radicalism and hate, both amongst Muslims and non-Muslims. The problem is much bigger than one area of the globe.