As many of us argued over the years, there is no moderate Islam. There is just Islam and degrees of practicing this religion. What is known as the Islamic Revival is the return to a full practice of the religion as created by its founder. This trend has been unfolding in Pakistan for decades. A few years ago, a WSJ article reported that so-called fundamentalist Islam is not only taught in the madrassahs but also in state run schools.
Why, then, the surprise, as in this news report, that Pakistan may soon be a greater danger than Afghanistan ever was? Surely the meme--“it is only a bunch of extremists”--must be getting stale. Let’s face it: it’s the religion, stupid.
15 comments:
Jason_Pappas,
Stupid yes, but also dangerous.
Very dangerous
Indeed! Doubly dangerous when our leaders are in denial!
What do you make of this: Remember during the campaign BHO criticized the GWB administration for "ignoring" the threat Pakistan presented? Remember how he talked about possibly invading Pakistan, and how up in arms everyone was because Pakistan was an "ally"?
What do those of you who think deeply about these types of geopolitical issues think about that?
I did not know enough about Pakistan's history nor ythen-current situation to really have an opinion. But in retrospect. . .
Do you think he meant it, or was he just being contrary to make political points, or what?
I find that to be a very curious part of the 2008 Presidential campaign, and I have seen no commentary about it at all.
(Not saying there is none, just have not happened upon it).
Ro
BHO, like Bush, believes that the problem is just a few extremists. BHO couldn’t deny the evidence of 9/11. He has to be tough in some limted isolated manner. Both don’t understand Islam’s role in the problem.
I’d argue that the difference between Bush & BHO is rather small compared to the kind of leader we really need. As I always say, first we must understand the enemy and the ideology that drives this enemy: Islam. We are just in the beginning of this educational phase. I don’t expect much from either party at this point.
Articles like the current one from Yahoo (see link in the post) show that Islam, true fundamentalist Salafi Islam, is being implemented by whole regions and countries. It is getting harder to dismiss this as just a few fanatics.
Jason_Pappas,
If only it was just few fanatics.
Yeah, but BHO talked like he was willing to invade Pakistan (saying that Iraq wasn't the real problem, etc.)
Do you think he meant it?
He seems to be following through on his pledge to focus on Afghanistan.
I just have not followed Pakistan like a lot of folks here seem to have over the last few years. I have followed it really only since Benazir's murder.
And it did seem like GWB's administration was in a bit of denial then, per the observations above.
Ro
Ro
Good grief - Ro, not RoRo. Now I sound like scooby do again. . .
Maybe 'few' means different things to different people.
3% of muslims doesn't sound like much.
3% would be a minuscule slice of the electorate.
39 million sounds a lot different.
Maybe some genius will ask Obama what % of muslims he thinks are dangerous loons?
Asking for a percent would be a good trick. However, after bowing down to the Saudi head of state, I have no confidence that Obama knows anything about Islam except the extremely superficial. Still, I wish someone would make him talk about the subject so we could see his ignorance on display.
Yes, Ro, I believe he meant it but I have no idea where he intends to go. What’s his foreign policy? What does he want to achieve in Afghanistan? What does he intend to do about the jihadist base in Pakistan besides lobbing a few bombs at them ala Clinton? What will he do when the jihadist are in power in Pakistan? What does he want to achieve in the region and why? Why make a stand in this place? And why is it our role?
I won’t even try to guess.
Jason_Pappas said:
"...Both [BHO and Bush] don’t understand Islam’s role in the problem...first we must understand the enemy and the ideology that drives this enemy: Islam. We are just in the beginning of this educational phase."
That reminds me of a joke...
Did you hear the one about the advanced hyperpower that saw a backward malevolent ideology hack, murder, and rape its way across FOURTEEN HUNDRED YEARS OF HISTORY so that its leaders might one day scratch their heads and go: "Huh?"
Ok, it's not a very funny joke.
Sorry I left out the punchline, but I'm not pivy to it.
Jason_Pappas @...Both [BHO and Bush] don’t understand Islam’s role in the problem...
Bush did not understand islam, but it is a grave mistake to say the same for obama
I am afraid it is those that claim that obama doesnt understand islam are the one who do not understand
Tell us more, Shiva.
Well Jason_Pappas
First we have the fast track of Washington being the capital of the caliphate a la osama
Then we have the slow track a la Obama
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