Surviving Musharraf's Exit?

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aww tahmed, did arjun turn you into a jihadi that quickly? LOL!

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tahmed,

..... it seems that you don't have any friends on chowk other than me ! ..... so be nice to me

arjun,

.... did i ever tell you that i love you? .... thanks for keeping us pakis honest - the drinks are on me if and when we ever meet ...... even though i really don't have the patience for hindoo code coolies, i will make an exceptiion in your case .....

bubba,

....you ignorant slut ! ..... the leh is the filthiest open sewer in the sub continent that runs through my hometown of rawalpindi ..... and how can you not know what is watwani ? .....haven't you seen a mohammedan man standing by the road with his nala (aazar band) in one hand and the other stuck inside their shalwar drying off their thingee with a stone - it is the most important sunnah of all ....

.... anyway, i enjoyed your comments on my demands from the new government - they hit the mark

Re: # 107 Hamidm

I thought the Sahih Bukhari Hadees regarding personal hygiene and stones was after a No:2?! and I think the recommendation is an ODD (1,3,5..) rather than EVEN(2,4,6..) number as well!

gotta go; enjoy!! whatever works for you guys

Hamidm, now why would someone go to detroit to have a drink with you? I mean, people leave detroit, no one goes there!

Re: # 105

Hamid mian,

[#62 Posted by masadi on March 31, 2008 10:29:47 am
g'night]

masadi is saying g'night to you and you ignored him? Again!? What happened between the two of you? Are you not talking with your sweet prince anymore?

Re: # 107 Posted by hamidm2 on March 31, 2008 1:51:18 pm

hamid mian,

[.....haven't you seen a mohammedan man standing by the road with his nala (aazar band) in one hand and the other stuck inside their shalwar drying off their thingee with a stone - it is the most important sunnah of all ....]

I thought that was called "istanja?" would that be considered a lewd behavior in the west? or would that be protected under muslim's religious practice?

re: tahmed and other democracy-minded islamists (talk about a contradiction in terms!)

This is how "democracy" is maintained in an Islamic land:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/03/31/turkey.trial.ap/index.html?e ref=rss_world

Here's the article:

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Turkey's top court will hear a case for a ban on the Islamic-rooted ruling party, a decision that could lead to months of political uncertainty in a nation divided over the role of religion in society.


The country's chief prosecutor is seeking the dissolution of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party on the grounds that it is trying to scrap secular principles enshrined in the constitution.

The 11-member Constitutional Court's decision to hear the case was unanimous, said Osman Paksut, deputy chairman of the court, on Monday.

The case highlights the power struggle between Turkey's secular establishment, including the judiciary and powerful military, and Erdogan and his allies -- pious Muslims who advocate political and economic reforms as part of Turkey's bid to be a member of the European Union.

Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek, who also serves as the government spokesman, told a news conference that the governing party would "use its democratic right and defend itself."

Cicek, however, downplayed the importance of the legal challenge, saying: "We are focusing on economic issues and reforms to progress the country's membership bid to join the European Union."

Erdogan's Justice and Development Party will seek the support of opposition parties to amend the constitution to make it more difficult for the party to be closed, senior lawmaker Nihat Ergun said.

"It is now inevitable to make changes on articles related to political parties," Ergun said.

The party has 340 seats in the 550-member parliament. Constitutional amendments require at least 367 votes. However, if the proposed amendment receives at least 330 votes, the president could call for a referendum on the changes.

Hikmet Sami Turk, a former justice minister, said the government should not use its power to influence this case. "If they amend the constitution that should only be valid for cases after this one; otherwise the ruling party will be passing an amnesty for itself," Turk said.

Ilter Turan, a professor of political science at Istanbul's Bilgi University, said closing down parties was "a pretty common practice" in Turkey.

"The ruling party had no reaction when the chief prosecutor sought to disband a pro-Kurdish party," Turan said, referring to a case against the Democratic Society Party on charges of ties to Kurdish rebels.

Istanbul's stock market closed 1.23 percent lower on Monday, partly because of traders' concerns over the court decision. The Turkish lira slid 1.7 percent against the U.S. dollar, according to Central Bank figures.

By law, the governing party has one month to prepare its initial defense. The party can ask for an extension, which would be subject to approval by the court.

If it is shut down, its members could regroup under the banner of a new party to lead the government.

However, a ban on the party could slow or derail government policies, including reforms linked to Turkey's bid to join the European Union.

The court previously closed two political parties deemed to be anti-secular, in 1998 and 2001. Erdogan's party is the successor of those parties.

"This is a fight between the Islamists and secularists harking back to early 1900s. It is not a simple case about a party," said Nihat Ali Ozcan of the Economic Policy Research Institute in Ankara.

He said the legal process would "chip away at the power of the governing party while relaxing the secularists who fear that the secular regime is at stake."

A ban could hurt the governing party ahead of local elections early next year, especially if Erdogan and dozens of other leading members are barred from politics.

Barclays Capital said in a report released prior to the court decision that the controversy could distract the government from economic reforms.

"Again, while we believe these issues will ultimately be resolved, they cloud Turkey's outlook," the London-based investment bank said in a report titled "Emerging Markets Outlook: March 2008."

The Justice and Development Party has wide popular support, winning 47 percent of the vote in general elections last year.

Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya, the chief prosecutor of the High Court of Appeals, has accused it of fomenting "anti-secular activities."

Yalcinkaya cited the government's efforts to lift a ban on the wearing of Islamic head scarves in universities, attempts to roll back restrictions on religious education and allegedly anti-secular comments by ruling party officials.

The prosecutor asked the court to bar 71 people, including Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul, from politics for five years. Even if Gul is banned, he could remain as president because the post is meant to be an apolitical position.

Eight of the 11 members of the top court were appointed by Ahmet Necdet Sezer, the former president who was a strong supporter of Turkey's secularist traditions.

The government said it would uphold secular principles, and criticized the prosecutor's move as antidemocratic. Ruling party officials have said the party might try to craft a constitutional amendment to make banning political parties more difficult.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said on Saturday he was concerned about efforts to ban the governing party and suggested the issue could have ramifications for Turkey's membership bid.

Turkey's EU campaign, which is expected to last many years, has already been damaged by French and German misgivings, a dispute over the divided island of Cyprus, freedom of speech issues and divisions within the predominantly Muslim nation that have sapped domestic support for the project.