Smokers’ Corner: About extremism
There is nothing vague about the concern that knee-jerk acts of religious intolerance, exhibitionism and self-righteousness have become a norm in Pakistani society.
Whereas the state is fighting an armed battle against the more militant expressions of this phenomenon, there is no such battle taking place against the social aspects of the issue.
It is important that such a battle is drawn-up because the Islamist guerrilla insurgencies raging in Pakistan are still managing to draw periodical bursts of moral and material sympathy from certain sections of the society despite the fact that their actions have caused the deaths of over 40,000 Pakistanis in the last decade or so.
Armed ideological insurgencies are not defeated by the bullet alone. Political legislation and social action too are required, especially if the insurgencies’ moral credibility is to be eroded and challenged.
The militants gain this moral credibility by glorifying acts of intolerance by non-militant members of the society as statements against the state’s failures. They then legitimise their own militant violence as being the revolutionary expression of society’s fight against state and governmental malfunction in the spheres of economics and justice.
It is true that out of frustration faced in the areas of economics and justice, sections of the society do begin to express their desperation by committing acts of discrimination and outright violence against their perceived tormenters.
But it is also correct that such a society then becomes extremely vulnerable to both cynical as well as fanatical forces that begin to colour the society’s reactions in this context with deep, brash strokes of extreme versions of ideology.
They do this because, though these forces are usually found on the fringes, they however become the main beneficiaries in the awkward outcome of whatever friction that is produced in a society that begins to justify acts of intolerance and xenophobia as an expression of its creed and faith.
Mainstream politicians in Pakistan have all suggested that the best way of lessening the growing menace of religious intolerance in the society and militancy in the mountains is to co-opt the more extreme and fringe groups into the mainstream political process.
These are the groups — that include Islamist militants, sectarian outfits, radical evangelical organisations, and even some televangelists — that are manipulating the society’s economic and judicial woes by explaining them as crises of the faith that need to be addressed by imposing an extreme and xenophobic version of the religion.
How to co-opt these groups into the mainstream democratic process?
How will this be done when these groups may have street power, media audience and the loudspeakers of the mosques but hardly any electoral clout or votes?
More so, how to manoeuvre in this regard in a society and polity plagued by a glaring dichotomy in which those elements of the society with anti-democratic and extreme views about faith have clout in the Urdu media, the mosque and on many a street, but none whatsoever when it comes to populist electoral politics?
If legislation is required to stop extreme elements from manipulating religious sensitivities and emotions just so they could undermine religious and sectarian plurality, and the parliament’s jurisprudence in such matters, then who is going to do that?
Secular and/or non-religious political parties in the parliament remain to be the logical choice. These parties can be from the left-liberal and centre-right traditions.Though the recent parliament has been successful in constructing an impressive democratic consensus that supports a large part of the military’s campaign against armed Islamist militancy, little thought has gone into also developing a similar consensus and legislation against those tendencies in the society that actually end up giving moral credence to armed religious militancy.
The social battle in this respect is being lost.
Non-religious parties such as the left-liberal PPP and the centre-right PML-N have no coherent programme to address this.
It is true that both these parties have been kept busy by fighting their own battles of existence against nosey military interventionists, a cynical, ratings-hungry (and at times bizarrely monologist) electronic media, and now (especially where the PPP is concerned), a rather whimsical exhibition of judicial activism.
But one can safely conclude that there has been very little understanding in these parties about the social aspects of Pakistan’s fight against extremism.
This aspect may (as yet) not be able to dent these parties’ electoral prowess, but their legislators can expect to continue remaining hostage to the impulses of extremist social tendencies.
These reactive social tendencies will go on clipping these parties’ wings when it comes to passing legislation that can guarantee religious freedom, tolerance and at least a semblance of secularism that is required to run a democracy in a country brimming with sectarian, religious and ethnic diversity and tensions.
Comparatively speaking, the social aspect of the issue seems to be more apparent in the thought process of parties like the MQM and the ANP.
The understanding of this aspect can also be found in Imran Khan’s PTI.
Though PTI may constantly fluctuate between being conservative and ‘liberal’ on any given day, I believe it is (at the moment) the only party that, if it comes to power, will be willing (and relatively freer) to push through legislation to address the social angle of the said issue.
Of course, whether this legislation would be done to offer another bone to the always-agitated religious groups (like Z A. Bhutto did when he passed the anti-Ahmadi laws), or end up check-mating those faith-based outfits that are supporting PTI is anybody’s guess; one thing is for sure. A PTI-led regime is most likely to fuse the political with the social.
Let’s see if it does this like Ziaul Haq or Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Khan’s anti-liberal posturing may as well hold a more secular agenda within.
Extremism is natural result of creation of Pakistan on the basis of religion.(like israel).Immediately after its creation Kashmir dispute pushed Pakistan into a security state which sought help from America and fundamental forces in the country. Had we got decided Kashmir issue before independence(i.e. issue of accession of states) perhaps the after effects of partition would not have been so severe for both Pakistan and India.
We inherited feudalism from British India, unfortunately they dominated Muslim League and they continue to do so to date through democracy and army rule. Under the present political set up it is impossible to get rid of them. Ignorance , illiteracy and poverty suet them.
Continued ignorance, illiteracy and poverty and hatred for India created another menace for Pakistan in the form of religious extremism. Like feudalism it is not possible to control this danger.
Federalism and extremism did not allow Pakistan to progress economically and improve standard of living. This gave rise to break down of law and order.No body's life and property is safe in Pakistan. We are at the mercy of criminals.Police and courts are helpless.
In the present scenario , there will be still worse law and order condition which will give free hand to extremist forces to prosper no matter which party runs the government.
It is not possible to undo and rectify earlier mistakes.
I think if there is some wisdom left in the country, we should think of changing system of government in a democratic way. We should have presidential type of government like USA, In provinces Governors should have powers like governors in USA. President and governors should be elected directly. Provinces should be given more powers to run their affairs.
PEW polls suggest a large majority of pakistanis want sharia in pakistan. In a situation like this, who can expect a truly secular party to get much votes? PPP, MQM and ANP are less secular than ethnic based. I agree with NFP that PTI seems like the only federal party to push through reforms while filling the gap between the religious society and secular government. I truly believe Imran Khan to be a secular man (his whole life is an evidence, and a person CANNOT change). His conservatism seems just a political move to appeal to voters. Think Jinnah!
Extremism? Why this word has become so much popular since recent years while the rituals we are following are the same. People always want change, even in their religion.
Good article by NFP. Has NFP finally realized that this PPP isnt the PPP of old anymore?
can you write about the non-religious extremism or the liberal extremism?
NFP, took you this long to realise this, I have been saying it for months (on my humble twitter account), IK's right-wing leading views are only to garner the fanatics/deluded right-wing (sizeable as they are) support. Once in power, I do not see him leaning towards the right in his policy making.
Am glad you came to the same conclcusion.
The only article in a very long time of NFP to which I would agree mostly.
@NFP, I am so pleased to read your current article, it seems that you did pay heed to my previous posts in the " Figuring Qasim: How Pakistan was won" blog where i had asked for your opinion on Imran Khan being a leader and you have showcased a very critical issue "extremism" plaguing us on the aftermath/fallout of what Pakistan has become, based on our past. And we can be sure that you are a neutral as well, people saw patterns of similarity of you voicing in favor of PPP and being against army and status quo.
I am sure that the JI alliance will be short-lived, after all PTI is learning the ropes on how to come to power in the real electoral mindset, the general elections wont be held on Facebook or other social forums. The chunk of votes are still rural and this is the bigger PTI challenge in my opinion. And i am also believe all other parties wont even touch this subject as it would open a pandora's box and have the religious force battle it out with the political and a third party would benefit from the stalemate.
Last thought – What an intolerant lot you are – No publishing without censorship
Last thought
Whatever you censor out of this comments column – will always appear in the Economist and the Times of India – plus all the American blogs.
All magazines and newsp[apers Censor afterwards – But only if it is offensive to other people – The c ensorship never happens BEFORE the comment is published.
At the end of the day, Pakistan needs its own 'Arab-styled Spring'.. All the politicians and generals as well as the religious nutjobs should be shot & hung upside down on the main boulevard in Islamabad.. begin fresh! Erase these scum from Pakistan's soil..
"Of course, whether this legislation would be done to offer another bone to the always-agitated religious groups (like Z A. Bhutto did when he passed the anti-Ahmadi laws)"
Come on NFP! If that was a bone, i dont know what would have been a feast on offer? May be throwing all Shias, Hindus and christines out in Arabian Sea bodily???
The missing social change and challenge to these intolerant, religious zealots is the main cause of continuing destruction of Pakistan. The cowardice the Pakistani political parties have shown in the face of attrocities committed in the name of Islam by these religious extremists is mind boggling. It seems they simply don't care or are t oo scared.
Either way unless the secular or, at least, religiously tolerant parties fight this scurge; Pakistan is sliding in to anarchy. The process has started a long time ago and no one can surely say if there is enough time to save the soul of the nation.
I just hope there are some good leaders who would come forward for the love of their country and stop this mayhem.
I must say NFP has been writing fair Satires and Articles lately. From my standards the fair means telling the things the way they are. Thank you NFP.
On the subject of bringing social improvements in Pakistan; one can only go by the track record. Case in point, Shaukat Khanum Hospital. Have Bhutto, Zardari or Hussain built a college, university or hospitals? I have heard of stories of MQM having solo rights on some existing hospitals; but certainly not building one? Zardari's and Bhutto's children are famous for going to schools abroad and not for patronizing local institutions. So did Imran studied abroad; but again with comparatively little personal resources he was able to build a solid institution which will benefit Pakistanis for decades to come.
To be fair to MQM with the help from Musharraf's Government they did a wonderful job in improving Karachi's infrastructure with much of its citizen's delight & high morale. Although it was on micro level, however, a step in the right direction. PPP is definitely credited with few laws on papers that supposedly can improve life of some, however, with virtually no examples of enforcing them.
RANI SHARMA, has your first name given you some delusion of being the Queen Empress? Nagpur has a lot of good shrinks, get some help
II
Jesuits favourite tactic of infiltration has been to superficially convert to Islam, or claim to be Hindus, Sikhs, Jews etc, very cunningly, they made themselves famous as pious, devout Muslims/followers of other religions they claimed to belong to and get appointed as Muslim mullahs in Muslim areas, Hindu priests in Hindu areas, Sikh priests in Sikh areas and so on. Then, under disguise as priets and mullah, they started controlling these societies religiously and spiritually as in Europe so in the colonies, as they do even today. They built Christian missionary schools and universities to train the local elites and masses into Christianity, and the Christian versions of Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism etc. When the Christian Churches had achieved enough social, religious and secretive criminal and political control of colonies, they started nationalist movements of de-colonization through their graduates and students demanding Europeans, British, French etc. to leave the colonies on the name of freedom and independance. The European instrunents of colonization had been shifted to new areas like Australia, canada etc, the Christian churches stayed in the colonies as the solid symbols of permanent Christian colonization : Catholic, Protestant, Methodist, Baptist etc. Christian priets, nuns, Jesuits, Dominicans, Fransciscan monks, priests etc. remained openly on the name of religious reasons, in reality as the agents of neo-colonization, neo-imperialism and virtual neo-slavry, under disguise. Their strategy ramains as always : Deception, cheating, propaganda using extreme religious and moral language covering their practice of extreme evil, mischevious and destructive activities. The Most dangerpous of the Christian activists, the Jesuits secretly & invisibly control the world ; today the work overtly in 115 countries and covertly in all countries of the world, through infiltration into the state apparatus, the state secret services like American FBI, CIA, Russian KGB. FSB, German STAST, DGSC, BND, British MI5, MI6, Pakistani, Indian RAA, Israeli Mossad, Iranian SAVAK, SAVAMA, VEVAK etc, overt & covet national police organizations, bureaucracy, military, police etc. as well as in UNO, Amnesty international, and other Humanist and Human right organizations serving the interests of the Vatican and Christian, while drawing their salaries fron the state and other organizations. They live in different countries but they remain loyal only to Vatican’s religious-political empire, continuing their covert activities under the loud slogans of religious freedom and liberty, posing the serious question of the national loyalties of different religious people whose « Holy » lands are locared outside the lands of their birth, nationality and residence. They sned their children to the religious madrassas/schools of their countries, tarining and creating the next generation of Vaican’s religious-political insttruments : The zealots, extremists and fundamentalists ; the Jesuits usually work as teachers in schools, colleges and universities, as media workers, as intellectuals and advisors/secretaries to politicians, presidents, ministers etc. misguiding the nation. In Christian countries, the Jesuits usually work as Confessors of Presidents, Prime Minister, Kings, Queens, Princes and Princesses-spying on them and manipulating them in the intersts of Vatican and the Catholic Church, in Islamic countries they work as religious scholars and advisor, spying for Saudis who regularly pay them. They are known for their abuse of poisons, adultration of food, spreading diseases and epidemics, thefts, provocathion and abetting of murders and other , and destructive activites against the political and religious opponents. They have very high rates of homosexuality and sodomies as well as pedophilia/child sex abuses. Their tactic is to create religious, scctarian, ethnic, regional civil conflicts and chaos through gang wars of gangs and counter-gangs of their organized crime ; and for this purpose, sitting in their bureaus in the Christian churches and mosques, they create and support extremist and fundamentalist religious, ethnic, linguistic and regional movements like Muslim Brotherhood, Jamaat i Islami and other extremist religious political parties in all religions, societies and nations ; organizations which are less concerned with the welfare of the people and more concerned to impose the extremist religious totalitarianis, whether of Islamic, Christian or Jewish labels.
EAD FURTHER DISCUSSION in th following articles :
Why I support the highest form of Democracy : National Constitutional Monarchy in Pakistan http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Interesting_article…
You GOT to be kidding me. This is satire, right? Please say yes.
Sure….. Read the next one!
Islam and Modern extremism : Muslim Brotherhood or Muslim Fascism: Neo-Colonization is it ?
Michael F Brown
I
There are international organizations involved in the creation and rise of religious extremism, fundamentalism, and Islamic fundamentalist organizations like Muslim Brotherhood, Jamaat i Islami, Zoinist extremist parties, Palestinian PLO etc. in what appears to be part of a recognizable historical process of intellectual and spiritual colonization spread over centruies of Islamic and Christian Imperialism. Here, I am discussing an important aspects of the Christian or Western Christian Imperialism. One of the main international organization, involved in the physical and spiritual (religious) colonization of the human intellect in the world is the "Society of Jesus" : This was created by the Vatican-Catholic Church to wage a war against the German Reformation where Martin Luther had rebelled against the religious and political hegemony of the Catholic Church and the Popes, and so had started the Protestant rebellion called the Reformation Movement: The Catholic Church reacted with Counter-Reformation movement, of which the Jesuits-members of the Society of Jesus were the main machine ; founded in 1543 as a secret military intelligence society using spiritual, scientific and intellectual means to counter the religious and political fallouts of the Reformation. They were fundamentalist and extremist Catholics, mostly comprising the university professors and retired military personnel, and their basic strategy was to infiltrate the Protestant Churches disguised a Protestants, and to abuse the modern social sciences like Psychology, Psychiatry, Sociology, History etc. as their war tactics at individual and the mass levels. They infiltrated the Protestant churches and communities as new converts to Protestant religion, they became devout Protestant priests under disguise, they created new sects in the Protestant Church; they controlled famous reformers like John Calvin who quarrelled with other reformers and created a reign of religious terror in Geneva in the 16trh century ; he burnt other heretics in accordance with the proclamations of the infamous Catholic Inquisition. John Calvin in turn influenced John Knox-the Scottish religious fascist reformer, and the Puritan spiritual totalitarianism and fascim in England culminating in the English Civil War of 16-17the Centuries. The Jesuits tried all means to destroy the Protestant German Empire in the 17th century which culminated in the European Religious War for the next 30 years devastating Germany and Europe, resulring in civil wars in all countries involved, mass-murders of millions and emigration of millions to US and other colonies. With their succes in creating religious and political chaos and civil wars leading to increased Catholic influence, they extended their area of action and soon became the vanguards of Christian colonizion in Asia, Africa and Americas, using Europeans as the human instruments-the soldiers, the priests, monks, nuns and bureaucrats of imperialism.The Jesuits alongwith the Dominicans, Fransciscan monks and other Christian priests and nuns were also instrumental in the Christian Inquisition of 17-18 centuries which resulted in the burning and drowning of hundreds of thousands of European women as witches, and of killing of thousands of European professors and intellectuals for heresies and blasphemies. The Jesuits continued these mass-murderous and genocidal policies in the colonies, the famous Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire wrote many letters of protests against religious burning/drowning of innocent women and intellectuals for witchcraft and blaphamey/heresy in India and other colonies.
Soon after the colonial conquests, the imperial Christianity started building thousands of churches in the colonized countries, the Jesuits and priests spiritually organized the local crime in the area of each church for forcing people to submission to churches and for bullying them to submit to the dictates of Christianity. The locally organized crime was regionally and nationally organized into syndiates and attached to the Italian Mafia- a close ally oft he Vatican and the Catholic Church, and the invisible hegemonic force remniscent of the Roman imperialist colonizers and bullies.
Hitler, like the Italian fascist Moussolini, was full of praise for the Jesuits, they were his advisors, his teachers, his ideologues, his ministers; indeed Hitler dully claimed that he organized his Nazi Party as an imitaion of the Society of Jesus. Hitler and his Nazis repressed Germans and liberal Europeans, and mass-murdered Jews, forcing the Prussian Protestanats and other liberals into converting to Catholicism-the basic religious ideology of the Jesuits and the Counter-Reformation….. >>> II
humanist_2008 AT yahoo.com
This man NFP, one can never ever pin him down. The moment one feels that they have him all figured out, he will make a stunning move. He now thinks it is PTI and Khan who can tackle social aspects of extremism in Pakistan. NFP is slippery. And I love him for it. Kudos, bro. Keep 'em guessing.
As much as I hate the SC for continuously torturing the PPP and making it in ineffective, I feel that this government was fairly incompetent and never took any clear stand on anything. It somehow lacked conviction and vision. PTI will not usher in a more secular set up, if they do, they will be thrown out by the people in the next election. Unless the people of Pakistan want a secular society, it won't happen and I am afraid the majority of the people of Pakistan want a more radical Islamic society! The minorities in Pakistan have no hope!
Majority of Pakistanis just want two breads a day, a roof and some security and hope in life. Religious groups are strong because they have built grass roots institutions, including madrassahs, charities and social networks over past 30 years. How can an uneducated Pakistani not listen to the mullah when all his social life is linked to the mosque where the mullah sits, disputes are settled by religious 'buzurgs', his children get free education in madrassah and when the police bugs him, the religious groups' goons are there to protect him? If the state had provided basic facilities, people would not have gone over to the religious groups. Take Karachi for example: Just because MQM has a grass roots organization penetrating to the level of the smallest street, it has been able to keep the religious groups out. MQM's leaders have publicly stated support for all the causes that oppose religious parties, including protectino for ahmedis and cracking down no taliban… yet this has not dented its public support. Only way to save Pakistan from the shackles of extremist groups is to have similarly strong liberal parties or the state itself reclaiming the trust of the public by providing grassroots institutions of welfare.
You are correct Mr S
IK would be a disaster like Tsunami! Although not a AAZ fan but best among the worst lot.
AAZ best of the worst. Now what sort of a reply can one give to you other than asking you to see a good psychiatrist.
Religious extremists are angry and frustrated because they cannot have what they want. They remain angry and frustrated because what they want is impossible.
ANGER – FRUSTRATION – VIOLENCE – RELEASE —— ANGER – FRUSTRATION – VIOLENCE – RELIEF
a never ending cycle until goals become realistic goals.
For the sake of sawab I hope some body throws them in the sea.
well said!
The problem with insurgency in Pakistan is similar to “you fighting yourself” no one can win that fight. In Pakistan’s case, one side of the Government is fighting another side of the Government, how can anyone win this until someone changes their mind and joins the other and hope it is for the good.
Brilliantly put, FatCheck. And maybe that's why the dichotomy that NFP is talking about.