The majority of nuclear-armed Pakistan’s citizenry are Sufi Muslims, an ascetic, mystical sect not given to the wilder excesses of their Deobandi brethren who give religious legitimacy to Taliban-style tactics.
But they’re not exactly the Lutheran Ladies League, either:
Following the assassination of a liberal politician who criticized federal blasphemy laws, loud support for the confessed killer is coming from an unlikely quarter: a violence-eschewing, anti-Taliban school of Islam steeped in Sufism.
While many factions have lauded the slaying, the peace-promoting Barelvi sect has spearheaded mass rallies to demand the release of the assassin, a policeman. Because most Pakistanis are Barelvis, their stance is challenging the belief long held among liberals here – and hoped for by nervous U.S. officials – that the Muslim majority in this nuclear-armed nation is more moderate than militant.
The notion of a moderate but silent Pakistani majority has also been undermined by the stance taken by the nation’s young black-suited lawyers, who three years ago led massive pro-democracy strikes but this month showered rose petals on Mumtaz Qadri, the killer of Punjab governor Salman Taseer. Civilian and military officials have responded with little more than tepid disapproval to the killing…
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“This is a very basic concept. If you kill an innocent person, it means you are killing all humanity,” said Mohammed Ziaul Haq, a council spokesman and author whose new book is titled “WikiLeaks: America’s Horrendous Face.” “Islam is a religion of peace and love, and it asks its followers to restrain themselves.”
But killing in response to blasphemy is another matter, he said, making it “totally different from terrorism.” The government had done nothing to silence Taseer’s criticism of the blasphemy ban, he said, or his support for a Christian woman sentenced to death for the law, which he said had made Taseer an “indirect” blasphemer himself. “Ninety percent of people in Pakistan think Mumtaz Qadri is a hero,” Ziaul Haq said. “If it’s a democracy, the government should think about that.”
As should we all.
The Sufis are probably the most misjudged of all the Muslim sects. Anyone that thinks any of the practitioners of the religion of pieces are moderate or peaceful, they really need to rethink their opinion. None of them can be trusted.
Islam calls it’s adherents to war, Christ calls his followers to peace.
QM, the only group that I can think of that might be an exception are the Kurds.
Have to confess that I am going by what I’ve been told and read though, as I’ve no personal experience.
My personal experience, as a civilian, with Arab and Persian Muslims (primarily in school, and living in Detroit and its environs) resulted in what will probably forever be a negative opinion of them.
I love those who describe Muslims as being so courteous, and friendly. So is a Pit Bull, until it isn’t. I’ll take the Pit Bull, thank you very much.
Do you all remember “Perdicaris Alive or Raisuli dead?” Now Pakistani Muslims have imprisoned an American diplomat and refuse our diplomats visitation rights to determine the facts of the case. The Muslims are on the warpath again, bringing to mind the response of a more alpha American President, Teddy Roosevelt quoted above.
I know what I wish we would do. Put the Pakistani ambassador on notice that we won’t accept this insult.
Quartermaster, I agree. Personally, I wish we would bounce the whole damn Pakistani legation back where they came from in the custody of our wonderful Marines. Or at least threaten to. The Pakistanis evidently consider us weaklings, able to be brought down by a couple of thugs on motorbikes.
Marianne
I’d clap ‘em all in irons and put them in a solitary sometime, then release some low level functionary after a week and tell the rest will follow as soon as our people are released and allowed out of the country.
Then, after about 3 months in solitary, I’d release them and place them directly on a flight. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.
And, we need to get out of AFG soonest.
Marianne, this issue is among the list of questions that I have for my Reps this week. They do so much love hearing from me.
The Paks probably do not have anything to fear, at the moment, though they would if we had real political leaders. The lessons of Raisuli and Khadaffi are not on Musharraf’s radar since the first example is over 100 years ago, with the most recent being over a quarter of a century ago. Good odds for a betting man.
Our pox of a President, the world famous community organizer BHO -not quite of the same mould as TR or RR.
BTW, was not AW1 Tim merely lent a CD of your Milwaukee Art Center performance, to be returned to you after a modest period of time?
“Islam is a religion of peace and love, and it asks its followers to restrain themselves.”
Um… yeah, sure.
Thousands in Pakistan rally against American
By BABAR DOGAR
The Associated Press
Sunday, January 30, 2011; 3:51 PM
LAHORE, Pakistan — Hard-line Islamic leaders on Sunday rallied at least 15,000 people against an American official arrested in the shooting deaths of two Pakistanis and warned the government not to cave in to U.S. pressure to release the man.
A senior U.S. official has said the American man was authorized by the U.S. to carry a weapon, but that it was a “gray area” whether Pakistani law permitted him to do so.
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IN RESPONSE, our country (if we had the LEADERSHIP we need) would state unequivically that all Pakistan diplomats will be asked to leave the US…we would also state that we are reviewing aid to Pakistan and that it will be curtailed as long as our diplomat is held…and then do it.
Yeah, if’n only…
Nothing like an emotional rally to determine State politics, or the outcome of a legal investigation.
Mr. Haq apparently shares a misconception about democracy with a large number of Americans. The purpose of government isn’t to follow the will of the majority, but to protect the rights of the minority. It doesn’t matter if 90% of the population support blasphemy laws, they’re still tyranny. Not to mention piss-poor theology.
Absolutely. The tyranny of the majority is no different from that of a single tyrant.
Democracy is an horrible form of government, exceeded in it’s latent evils only by that of of communism, socialism, fascism, and other soul-crushing leftist forms of government.
We in these United States are doubly blessed that our forefathers saw the inherent wisdom of a representative democracy, a Republic, and also separated the religious and secular laws, making the former subservient to the latter.
Free men, Free Markets, and a Republic to keep and hold. THAT is what we need more of.
+1 Jeff FTW.
No middle ground- endless jihad, baby, endless jihad…
QM,
No quarrel regarding the underlying premise, but reformational Christianity understood it with a different tint:
“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
“But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.”
“The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”
(Lord of Hosts as used in the Bible is a military term equivalent to CinC)
Reformational Christianity understood that they were not to proselyte with a sword, but swords were not inordinate when required.
Beating swords into plowshares is a timing issue. Those who beat their swords into plowshares prior to the appropriate period will plow for those who have not.
I don’t have a problem with that. Christianity can’t be propagated with a Sword. As the saying goes, “you can baptize the Devil, but all you get is a wet Devil.”
Christianity is a relationship that is seated in the heart and must be sincerely accepted.
Having said that, the sword is necessary at times. Just not to spread Christianity
AW1Tim … Wasn’t it Winston Churchill who said that democracy was a horrible form of government, except for all the other forms of government – which were worse?
Democracy is a flawed vessel. But so are all of the others. And Democracy is the least flawed, yielding the most personal freedom, yet still able to function efficiently.
Marianne
Indeed. What I was referring to was how wise our founders were when they settled upon a representative democracy, a republic, rather than a true democracy.
For town meetings and such, pure democracy can work fine, but for a National Government, or even a State government, it’s too unwieldy and prone to mischief by the mob.
BTW, I was listening to your CD again the other day. You are truly gifted with a lovely voice.
As a riff on the Instapundints oft-commented, “Is there anything Bacon cannot do?”, I offer, “Is there anything Churchill did not say?” (with the greatest admiration and respect for Mr. Churchill).
I have had WC’s “The Great Democracies” in my pile of books for awhile, need to put it on top, though at the moment Mr. Twains Autobiography (Vol. 1) and more enjoyably, his book about Joan de ‘Arc, has priority on my pleasure reading time. The book about Joan is extraordinarily good. His AB was o.k., though after 700+ pages in a semi-scholarly format, I was ready for it to be finished. Doubt if I will read the upcoming Vols. 2 & 3.
Was interesting that Twain said that the three persons he admired and was most fond of were Pudd’nhead Wilson, Nigger Jim, and Joan.
I also need to call, well, somebody, about my thought that they should go whole hog and burn any book of his that has the term “nigger” in it, and replace it with an edited PC version, then, what the heck, they should review and correct the Bard and Churchill also.
Some are saying that the real reason for the riots are raising food prices…. If true it would not be the first time a population grew inpatient with their government for rising food prices or no food.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/ambroseevans_pritchard/8291470/Egypt-and-Tunisia-usher-in-the-new-era-of-global-food-revolutions.html
Also
It look likes Egypt is more radical then we thought, if you believe in this poll then we should be afraid of another hard line Islamic republic like Iran.
http://www.worldthreats.com/?p=5715
Note to Ron Snyder, Lex and those of you who were kind enough to want to hear my folk song concert from back before many of you were born. Those were gifts, dear hearts, and not loans. Thanks for your intelligence and courtesy which have enlivened my life since I first discovered Lex’s blog.
I want our next President to be a military person. First on my list is Lex, although if he’s smart [and we all know he is extremely] he’ll turn down the job. Next on my list of candidates is Petraeus, and he’ll probably turn it down too. But this is the caliber of man I want in the White House.
Let’s hear it for Duty, Honor, Country, Courage, and Fidelity.
Affectionately, Marianne
Marianne
Marianne, excellent suggestion about Lex -though I agree he would probably turn it down. Those who would be a great President don’t want it, and those who want it at any cost are not great Presidents.
IMO this is part of our challenge today at all levels of government. Well, that and too many people are allowed to vote who should not, and too many people think that they have fulfilled their civic duty by voting once every two/four years.
Lex is faaaaarrr too sane to run for Prez.
Now, QM would be glad to be ruler of the world (the Universe is already taken by some one with a great deal more seniority than I). My first act would be to cane all members of the Democrat Party. My next would be to give VX all the free Barbancourt he can drink, and Bombay for Byron, Guinness for Lex, and the rest can name your poison.
The I’d ship Billary to China, and Carter to Iran. I’ll entertain suggestions after that.
Sounds good to me QM, except that we might not hear from Virgil for awhile.
It’ll be just me and Charlie Sheen…road-trippin’ it.
(‘Course I’ll have to bust him out of re-hab first.
)
Some burdens are just too heavy to ask a person to shoulder Virgil.