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Battle for Pakistan
Battle for Pakistan's soul
A titanic battle for Pakistan's soul is raging in the country. The
fate of this battle will decide the destiny of Pakistan. This battle
will decide whether Pakistan evolves into a democratic, moderate,
enlightened and progressive state in conformity with the ideals of a
modern Islamic welfare state espoused by Allama Iqbal and the
Quaid-i-Azam or whether it degenerates into an authoritarian,
extremist, obscurantist and retrogressive state wedded to Islamic
rituals but devoid of its true revolutionary and reformist spirit.
In this epic struggle, the forces of religious extremism symbolised
by the Taliban and other reactionary religious groups and parties
are on the one side while Pakistan's mainstream political parties,
enlightened and progressive religious parties, most of the educated
classes and, in fact, the silent majority of the people, which has
traditionally toed a moderate line, are on the other. This is not
the time to sit on the fence. This is not the time to temporise or
to play politics. It is incumbent on the people of Pakistan and
their leaders to take an unambiguous and vigorous stand in favour of
moderation, enlightenment and progress. They should not allow a
small minority of misguided and semi-educated people lacking an
understanding of Islam's reformist and progressive message to
dictate to the rest of us.
It is high time the state and its various organs, specially the
armed forces, established the writ of the government if all efforts
to persuade the extremist and prone-to-violence religious forces to
lay down arms and operate within the framework of Pakistan's
constitution and law fail. Needless to say that the government must
adopt, based on national consensus, a comprehensive policy to fight
the menace of religious extremism and terrorism including a
judicious combination of political, economic, developmental,
educational and administrative initiatives while keeping the option
of the use of force as a measure of the last resort. The inability
of the government to take effective measures to roll back and
overcome the current wave of religious extremism sweeping the
country will sow the seeds of its disintegration. There is no room,
therefore, for complacency on the part of the country's leadership.
The challenge must be faced head on and the cancerous growth of
religious extremism and terrorism must be rooted out.
Pakistan was dreamt and founded as a modern Islamic welfare state
and not as a theocracy. It is surprising that a state founded on the
progressive interpretation of Islam rooted in the dynamic principle
of Ijtihad as advocated by Allama Iqbal has fallen victim to the
ugly phenomenon of religious retrogression. The Taliban and other
religious groups of that ilk are the very anti-thesis of progress
and an invitation to the stagnation of the Islamic civilisation. In
a major deviation from the teachings of the Holy Quran and the
Sunnah, they are opposed to the quest for knowledge. What else can
one make of their opposition to the education for girls? Instead of
using their mind to find solutions to the challenges of the modern
world within the framework of Islam's basic principles, they rely on
hollow rituals and archaic dogmas for guidance in today's life. The
acceptance of their thinking would be a recipe for disaster for the
Muslims
(The Nation :By Javid Husain: Published: April 28,
2009)
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