Religious extremism & fundamentalism & radicalism Archive
Saleem Shahzad’s two very important interviews: Asia Times Pakistan Bureau Chief and TRNN contributor Syed Saleem Shahzad was found murdered in Islamabad on Tuesday. In a recent report for Asia Times and a TRNN interview, Shahzad reported on splits in the Pakistan military over support
Faith in minorities as equals can only strengthen Pakistan: By Adnan Rehmat The primary function of a national constitution is to guarantee universal rights and to ensure all citizens of the state are dealt with equally in terms of these rights. The guarantees are supposed to be unambiguous.
Punjab: Impunity for rape, abduction and forced conversion of Christian and Hindu girls: Editor’s Note: For how long must our fellow Pakistanis be subjected to these horrors just because they don’t share the faith of the majority. The right to practice one’s faith freely is the fundemental right in democracies and is
The Phantom of vanity -by Suleman Akhtar: "We have been counting the bodies soaked in blood and wrapped in vanity and strategic depth coffins for years and it’s mounting with each passing day. If we still don’t realize that peril haunting us nowhere but within then
Shehrbano Taseer in UK speaks out against radical political Islam: by Lizzy Millar Religious seminaries Madarash in Pakistan are raising a new generation of children to propagate hatred in the wake of bin Laden’s assassination. Shehrbano Taseer, the daughter of Salman Taseer, the governor of Pakistan’s Punjab region who
Pakistan: The narratives come home to roost – By Omar Ali: Editor’s Note: The following post by Omar Ali (cross posted from 3 Quarks Daily) is a timely reminder of how the security establishment has run the country into the ground. Unable to protect their own sensitive installations that are
Roots of our intolerance -by Khaled Ahmed: Pakistan is worried about the rising intolerance in its society. It is a collective version of hate, but is a natural human instinct at the level of the individual. If someone hurts you, it will be your natural response
Pakistan: The Troubles Continue -by Sybil Daniel: In August 2009, a mob of religious bigots took seven lives in Gojra, Pakistan, which has a Christian minority, and the whole village was set ablaze. This violent act continued for five hours and busloads of people joined the
Attacked or driven out from their homes: the trampled rights of Christians in Punjab: Two Christian nurses were seized and beaten for nine hours by an official of the Muslim Fatima Hospital in Lahore (Punjab), a wealthy Muslim landowner, with a history in politics, usurped the land and the houses of two Christian
Dara Shikoh: The Sufi Prince: Editor’s Note: At a time in its history when the Pakistani State is hostage to the Anti-India Jihadi enterprise of its security establishment, we the people of Pakistan can look to such universal heroes like the seventeenth century Mughal Prince,
Hollow Antiterrorism Efforts – by Farman Nawaz: The article was published in the Daily Outlook Afghanistan before Abbottabad operation and killing of Osama but the reason to share it with the readers is to show how shallow the anti-terrorism efforts are if at the end we
Is the security establishment ready to abandon its undemocratic policies -by Arshad Mahmood: Originally published in the ‘Daily Aajkal’
Dr Johnson’s Pakistan —by Abbas Zaidi: General Zia — a murderer, tyrant, usurper and a monument of moral bankruptcy — was the greatest patriot during his 11 years of misrule During my time as a student of English Literature at Government College, Lahore, my most
Pakistan’s jihadi section of media mourns Osama bin Laden: by Shoaib Adil Originally published in the ‘Daily AajKal’
Human rights report: 2010 a ‘cataclysmic year’ for Pakistan, says Amnesty -by Saba Imtiaz: Unprecedented flooding, extrajudicial killings, terrorism and attacks on journalists in Pakistan are summarised in Amnesty International’s 2011 report ‘The State of the World’s Human Rights’, which was released on Friday. The report paints a grim picture of the state
Pakistan: Taliban vs Osama -by Inam R Sehri: Who are the Taliban and why they are there? Pakistan has suffered a lot during the last ten years on this account. Pondering upon the history of Taliban’s making, it may be note worthy that Mullah Omer had started
Dangerous Liaisons -by Sana Bucha: Jon Stewart is funny. He made me laugh when he asked Musharraf where Osama was. Musharraf’s response of “lead the way, I will follow” comment made me smile. The late Af-Pak Envoy, Richard Holbrooke, in answer to my question
Caught Red Handed -by Arshad Mahmood: This article was originally published in the ‘Daily AajKal’
Ten wounded: Attacks on Christians in Gujranwala: Lahore, April 30(ANI): At least ten people, including police officials, were wounded in attacks on houses of Christian community members in Lahore on Saturday. Demonstrators attacked the residences of members of the Christian religious community in Gujranwala, and also
I’m a better Muslim than you -by Meera Ghani: In Pakistan being a Muslim isn’t enough anymore. You have to be a certain type of Muslim, constantly having to prove your piety and religiosity to others (by religiosity I mean public religiosity). We seem to have gone so
Blasphemy laws misused: Blasphemy laws in many countries are supposed to protect religion. But while the one religion may be protected, believers of other religions often have to suffer. A piece of paper can mean a lot. Without an identity card your
Bullets of Intolerance – by Farhad Jarral: The apparent lull following the daylight slayings in recent months of two of Pakistan’s most prominent liberal politicians raises even more questions about a nation unwilling to confront the propagators of fear and destruction. They took less than 60
The outspoken Fauzia Wahab denounces religious extremism – by Alexandra Zavis, Los Angeles Times: Pakistani lawmaker briefly trades death threats at home for serenity in Southern California The outspoken Fauzia Wahab denounces religious extremism and reflects on her homeland’s future. It has been a harrowing few months for liberal Pakistani lawmaker Fauzia Wahab.
The bleeding sufi – by Suleman Akhtar: With the every bleeding Sufi the dream of tolerant and democratic Pakistan is fading away and the culture that may prove to be the final antidote to the militant Islam is slipping away into the abyss.
Emotionalism, extremism and Pakistani media – by Rameez Karamat Ali: “I am standing in a victim’s house where YOU CAN SEE an eight year old and the only son of a local teacher is killed in suicide attack, yesterday. Now you can see the situation here and we are
Pakistan: Failed state or Weimar Republic? – By Omar Ali: Editor’s Note: The following article is a excellent thought provoking piece (cross-posted from 3quarksdaily) by our valued contributer, Omar Ali. The author raises many interesting points which are then well argued. In its increasing Anti-Semetic attitudes atleast (as captured by this Nazi poster), Pakistan
Christians protest holy Quran’s desecration, also feel under threat after recent killings & attacks: Minority members of the provincial assembly (MPA) from both the treasury and the opposition benches on Friday protested against the Holy Quran’s desecration by US Pastor Terry Jones and labeled him a terrorist. Christians have asked the Church of
‘No future for secularism or radical Islam’: An interview with Javaid Ahmed Ghamidi – by Shehrbano Taseer: Related articles: LUBP Archive on Javed Ghamidi Javaid Ahmed Ghamidi does not breathe fire and brimstone. As someone who preaches tolerance and reason, he is not your typical Pakistani religious scholar. And he has had to pay a price
Is the media fanning extremism? —by Yawar Abbas: Giving more airtime to apologists and sympathisers of militants and very little time to their critics and exposing audiences to the fanatical views propagated by semi-educated anchor-persons and politicians is by any standard yellow journalism and is reflective of
Right wing media and conspiracy of silence: “Control your ‘flight of imagination and avoid fabrication’. the smarter the journalists are, the better off society is.” Warren Buffett . Today, Pakistan is facing troubled times where people are dying of terrorism around the country. In a conflict
Reference for Shahbaz Bhatti, March 20, Karachi: Related articles: Peasants for Democracy Citizens for Democracy Invitation for a Reference for slain Federal Minister for Minority Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti, March 20th, 2011, 5.00 pm, Karachi Press Club. Please feel free to download, print out and distribute. Source:
Pakistan: The land of the pure, for whom? – by Sybil Daniel: The “Land of the Pure” is once again being blackmailed by Zia’s vision. His creation, the Taliban and his laws that persecute minorities are at the forefront of all that is bad in Pakistan. The controversial laws are used
Views on Muddiness in Punjab – by Hassnain Jamil and Hukam Singh Siasi: Courtesy Daily Aajkal and Awami Jamhori Forum
Are we a nation of murderers? — by Marvi Sirmed: Never had I felt so dejected and heartbroken throughout my life of activism and movements I had ever been a modest part of, the way I did when a friend called me to be careful. These ‘be careful’ messages
As Pakistan battles extremism, it needs allies’ patience and help – by Asif Ali Zardari: Source: Washington Post, 6 March 2011 Two months ago my friend Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab, was cut down for standing up against religious intolerance and against those who would use debate about our laws to divide our people.
Farewell to George Fulton: Is Pakistan a livable country? That is the question in the minds of many Pakistanis. Most of whom had no choice in deciding to be a Pakistani citizen. Whereas George Fulton – who we all recognize from “George ka Pakistan” –
Tribute to Shahbaz Bhatti – by Naveed Ali: Related articles: Shahbaz Bhatti assassinated: Thank you, Deep State! LUBP Archive on Shahbaz Bhatti It is a day which one wishes it never came. A wish that if time can go back and mistakes can be corrected, if bloodshed