Zachary Latif recently wrote against democracy in the Muslim world: In fact one remains hopefully that there will be no significant upheaval within the Islamic Crescent since autocracy, in a convoluted way, is the one redeeming aspect of the Islamic Crescent. There is no need to consider the popular sentiment thus demagogues do not arise… Continue reading Democracy or Dictatorship
Category: Pakistan
Fall of Pakistani Government
I have read and heard this statement that the Pakistani government might fall to Islamic extremists any day. The latest comes from Jim Henley on Stand Down: Pakistan. It’s got nukes. It’s got a shaky government and an intelligence service full of Al Qaeda/Taliban sympathizers. I think an invasion of Iraq makes Pakistan’s government that… Continue reading Fall of Pakistani Government
Activist Islam in Pakistan: Post 2
Continuing from where I left off with Al-Muhajabah’s “A field guide to Islamic activists”: Second, we can look at recent developments in Islamic thought in Pakistan as a whole. Pakistan was created in 1948 as a state for the Muslims of India after India won its independence from Britain. The Muslims had been an active… Continue reading Activist Islam in Pakistan: Post 2
Activist Islam in Pakistan: Post 1
I promised this series quite some time ago, but didn’t get around to doing it. I’ll use Al-Muhajabah’s “A field guide to Islamic activists” as a jumping-off point (Yes, I remember mentioning it earlier and promising a critique of its Pakistan-related items.) Taliban also need to be understood as a product of the situation in… Continue reading Activist Islam in Pakistan: Post 1
Deported Pakistanis: Illegal Immigrants
The New York Times has a story on some Pakistanis who were deported after September 11. All of them were illegal immigrants, so they do not get any sympathy from me for their plight. In my opinion, an illegal immigrant should face the consequences of his action including deportation. For this story, INS and the… Continue reading Deported Pakistanis: Illegal Immigrants
‘They’ are out to get us
Good advice by Irfan Hussain on the conspiracy theories circulating in Pakistan: Recently, I met somebody, who has worked abroad for much of his life, who flies to London to listen to classical music concerts, and is otherwise a very urbane man. On our first meeting he seriously asked me for my views on 9/11:… Continue reading ‘They’ are out to get us
Impressions from Pakistan
I visited Pakistan after 5 years in December. I couldn’t do much there due to the weddings of both my brother and my brother-in-law. I stayed in Islamabad (my parents) and Wah Cantt (my in-laws), but also visited Karachi. But I thought it might be a good idea to blog about my observations. Some things… Continue reading Impressions from Pakistan
A.Q. Khan: Spreading Nuclear Technology
Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, who is sometimes referred to as the father of the Pakistani nuclear bomb, is now making news regarding nuclear proliferation. From Dawn: Last month, Dawn received a copy of the pamphlet purportedly distributed by A. Q. Khan Research Laboratories, offering vacuum technology for sale. The distributors said the technology can also… Continue reading A.Q. Khan: Spreading Nuclear Technology
US/Pakistan Forces Clash
I know I am late on this news about the clash between US forces and Pakistani Border Scouts near the Afghan border (there’s a dispute about which side of the border it happened.) But then this is a weblog, not a news site. Plus I was enjoying my brother-in-law’s wedding the day it happened. Unqualified… Continue reading US/Pakistan Forces Clash
Islamabad: Pakistani or not?
Ikram Saeed commented about Islamabad: Any thoughts on Slamma-bad (that’s the hip-hop name)? I’ve been only once, and found it odd that the capital of Pakistan is such an un-Pakistani city. It felt like Muscut more than Multan. It reminds me of an American friend who visited Pakistan. According to him, Islamabad is a city… Continue reading Islamabad: Pakistani or not?