From: jamalin@newton.ccs.tuns.ca (Nadeem Jamali)
Subject: Re: Is Islam equal to Intolearnce and Fascism ?
Organization: Technical University of Nova Scotia, Halifax, N.S.
Date: Tue, 25 Aug 1992 22:11:01 GMT

In article <l9kuhuINNde9@pageboy.cs.utexas.edu> hyder@cs.utexas.edu (Syed Irfan Hyder) writes:
>In article <1992Aug24.232511.16301@newton.ccs.tuns.ca> jamalin@newton.ccs.tuns.ca (Nadeem Jamali) writes:
>>
>>In Pakistan, Islam is considered as an absolute determinant... one that can 
>>veto what the people decide according to the democratic process. This 
>>incident shows the kind of issues considered significant in the country.
>>It shows how Islam is used to harrass someone. The problem we face is not
>>the intolerance that/if Islam explicitly supports.... it's the intolerance
>>that comes as a net effect of Islam. 
>
>The problem is NOT "intolerance" of ISLAM, but the hypocricy of the
>elites. Why can't they muster enough moral courage to come out in the
>open and say that they don't want to be called Muslims because they
>don't like Islam. All the elite presidents and prime-minister of Pakistan
>including ZAB (remember banning alcohal, Friday holiday etc),
>BB (don't forget the ever present dupatta), Zia, NS have used
>Islam to further their own agenda (which obviously without Islamic
>front they wouldn't have been able to impose).

What's so amoral about sticking to the tradition of calling oneself
Muslim??? If one's perception of Islam allows him to be less fanatical,
he/she doesn't become obliged to renounce allegiance to Islam. 

That elected leaders of Pakistan have had to use religious cover to
save themselves is because of the assumed supremacy of Islam over people's
wishes. That Pakistan is shown to the world as a fundamentalist state is
assumed enough for Pakistan's power hungry military to justify removing a non-
fanatical elected government. If late Bhutto was scared of something then
it was the assumed justification that the army would get to topple him...
which despite all his last minute manipulations (including the acts you
mention) it did. Your reference to Benazir Bhutto's using a scarf I find
only a reflection of your political preferences.

>
>Problems with Pakistan will end the day the hypocritic bureaucracy and
>army (all elitist) and politicians (landed aristocracy) debunk "Islam"
>as a false front. Why is it necessary for the elites to use the Islam
>card? why can't they leave the islam card with the "Mullahs". After
>all if Mullah's and their agenda is not popular, who will listen to
>them! People will simply throw them off. Why worry about the people?
>If  elites are correct in saying that  people do not want Islam then
>they should not fear people.
>
>If on the other hand, people do want Islam. Find it powerful enough
>to sway their feelings, and are moved by it, then why all this complaint?
>After all, democracy calls for respecting people's wishes!

The people like to call themselves Muslim... what gives you the right to
suggest that they don't. Their beliefs are what their beliefs are. No body
has a right to come and tell them that irrespective of what their real
beliefs are, given that they prefer to call themselves Muslim, they aught to
believe in something else.

>
>NOTE:
>====
>Only those people need fear the "blashphemy law in Islam", who want
>to keep a front of Muslims, like Salman Rushdie, and then insist on
>ridiculing it. I can guarantee that no one who decides to rupudiates 
>Islam, and does so by openly relinquishing his name and other priviliges 
>which go by being a Muslim, will not be harmed by any one.
>
>If Salman Rushdie had clearly stated on his book that he was NOT a 
>Muslim, no one would have bothered him. After all, Dante wrote 
>worse things then him! 
>

You Sir, happen to be sick. If someone criticises something that doesn't
happen to be something he/she agrees with, what's your problem?? Unless,
one's intension is to hurt someone's feelings, how can he/she be blamed for
something.

That one choose to call (him/her)self Muslim and chooses not to be fanatic,
is an individual's prerogative... no body has a right to stop him/her.

What you fail to recognise is that in that person's perception, you
are not on the right path. Why should that person go in the defensive?? Why
don't you call yourself something else if you don't want to share the word
Muslim with more normal people.

Nadeem

-- 
Nadeem Jamali                                     jamalin@newton.ccs.tuns.ca
						 
School of Computer Science			  
Technical University of Nova Scotia		  (902)420-7882