I WOULD like to congratulate the objectivity, cool headedness and insight with which Dawn’s articles and editorials are laced, particularly as the media is caught in a frenzy of bashing each other and other institutions and fanning religious hatred. Also, your columnists bring to their analysis a certain freshness often missing from the more stereotyped writing.

There seems to have crept a polarisation between those who may be termed secular and religious. This manifests itself through the use of specific terminology and ideas that appear to imply that only secular elements believe in democracy, and are vocal against violence and violations of human rights, whereas those who hold religion close to their heart are driving the country to the verge of extremism. Terms such as Islamists, jihadists, Islamic terrorism are often used without considering their true meaning. The only antidote presented to ‘extremist Islam’ is Sufism.

If Muslims were to try to understand the Qur’an and Islam correctly, they would realise that none of the horrible practices they are seeing the world over today are Islamic.

Several other articles too seem to imply that there is a war in Pakistan between the liberals and those who are ‘religious’. I would suggest that Dawn should attempt to be less of an ‘extremist’ on either side, and give space to views that can show that true religion is about peace, love and tolerance.

Nikhat Sattar

Karachi

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2014