Fanatical Islam, Sufi Islam and Sharif's indictment of Pakistani Government
Imagine the economic and social problems of Muslims in India is solved, imagine the Kashmir problem is also solved; imagine too, the Israelis and Palestinians have made peace. Would al Qaeda and the various self-proclaimed jihadists “then put their guns down?”
Indeed ask this question. This was posed by Salman Rushdie in New York.[1]
And then he went on to make the point that I had made earlier in my post on Mumbai Attacks. Fanatical Islam (Sunni Wahabi) had taken over the Sufi Islam in the sub continent. Kashmir was about THAT dominance! Contrary to what most moderate commentators would like to suggest there are different “Islams”. Some are more fanatical than others. Sufi Islam has been used by some fanatics to justify their activities on the grounds of victimization and maintain a cloak of plausible deniability!
The terrorists were not really concerned what happened in Kashmir, he continued, and their action has to do with everything that overtook Sufi Islam in Pakistan and had it replaced by “fanatical Islam, an Arabised Islam.”
Soul searching is always required by everyone. And I also maintain that organized religions/sects and anything to do with any Guru/Prophet/Masters/Saints has been the nemesis of mankind. However, there are certain ways to interact with the world which are healthy and others that aren’t. I maintain that the fanatical practice that Rushdie talks about here is a very unhealthy and sick form of human interaction. It has yet to provide the world with any thing positive.
Unless the world challenges this squarely and head on.. without the usual diversionary tactics of “oh look this religion also has violence” etc.. then we will be preparing to very soon having to stop another Hitler like force. And by then it will be too late! Today’s Islamic elite and the cleric mindset is about dominance along a pattern that they see world as, irrespective of how the “other” guy sees it.
The Ajmal Kasab Cover-up
Meanwhile in Pakistan, after numerous flip flops – from “he is a Hindu Zionist with a red band names Amar Singh” to “He is not a Pakistani” to “He is a Pakistani picked up by Indian forces in Nepal”… to many others versions which are tough to keep a track of… finally Sharif has said that Kasab is indeed a Pakistani and the Pakistani forces have cordoned off his village in order to bar the media from getting there. [2]
Meanwhile Pakistani court has admitted a petition seeking registration of a case against the private Geo News channel for showing a report that said Ajmal Kasab, is a resident of a village in Punjab province as the report “damaged Pakistan’s image” across the world.
Geo News had secretly recorded interactions with the residents of Faridkot who accepted that Kasab was a resident of Faridkot and that he had visited his place 6 months ago and told his mother that he was going for “jehad”.[3]
Interestingly this is what, Pakistani media and moderates keep calling “India’s Blame Game”. Yet, NO ONE is ready to ask the question that what makes their nation so numb that it refuses to acknowledge its own citizens?? How and why are they used as canon fodder?
Btw, I just bought the book “Frontline Pakistan” from Delhi written by Zahid Hussain, the Pakistan Correspondent of The Times (London), Wall Street Journal and The Newsweek. When I finish it I will write about things in it, most of which – including the way this guy words it – are very close to how we have termed it on Drishtikone in our analysis. So it was pretty interesting to read from a guy who had the benefit of view from a vantage point that is difficult to have.
Reference Links
1. ‘The jihadists are dragging us into the Middle Ages’
2. Former PM Sharif says Kasab is Pakistani
3. Ajmal ID: Pak court admits petition over Geo report