We Have Met the Enemy and the Enemy is Us! Nazarhayatkhan #364 {"Salim
There is a lurking suspicion that Army this time is serious in Bajaur. .. Northern Area has to be saved because in Taliban's perspective, Ismailis are infidals ..Meanwhile, Zardari is still in humour - made a pass at Palin. (a good respite from Atta & blast crisis!)I think Zardari is principle-less enough to be a more than match for these fundos."}

Khan Sahib,
This Army has been serious so many times before. If it weren't for the despicable acts and murderous behavior of the Tally Ban, I would almost pray for the destruction of our Army. The ony problem is that the horrible terrorists are a tad worse than this Army. Maybe the Injuns are right - the TallyBan and the Army should commit mass suicide.

As for Zardari, his pass at Palin was a lot more generous than the enema she is getting from all the comedians. Our country's image is so bad that a lecherous leader may be a blessing.

Salim (I have to use another nick due to insidious sabotage of my article and nick by Injuns known here as Chowk Staff.)

Emerging Pakistan-U.S. relations I have developed a simple yet effective detection strategy concerning explosions in Pakistan:

If there was any element of human sacrifice on the part of the perpetrator(s), the explosion is the work of our "Islamic" brethren.

If there is a huge loss of life, following a limited loss of life in an explosion in India, AND there is no suicide involved in the attack, then it is the work of our lovely neighbors to the east.

If the explosion catches the Paki military by total surprise (wink, wink) AND every officer swears up and down on a stack of Korans that they were not consulted prior to the bang bang, then it's the work of our American benefactors. \

Pakis are supposed to die in great numbers, but we need to know who is dispatching us to paradise?

Emerging Pakistan-U.S. relations Hamidumdum Sahib,
I have a suggestion. Why doesn't Pakistan forcefully, unilaterally, and unconditionally impose total independence on FATA and any other areas that wish to join that cradle of freedom?

Perhaps this would be an incentive for India to consider similar sanity in its dealings with the oppressed Kashmiris.

Sincerely,
Salim

Emerging Pakistan-U.S. relations Hamidumdum Sahib,
What kind of stupid people comprise the dysfunctional unit known as GoP?
If this horrible massacre is the work of RAW, then our ISI should not be engaging in similar acts.
If this horrible massacre is the work of "Islamic" brothers from FATA, then the GoP should learn from history that no one has ever succeeded in subduing these warlike tribes - NO ONE - not Alexander, not the Mughals, not the Sikhs, not the British, and certainly not the Russians. If the Pak Army, with its illustrious history, wants to attempt to control these people on behalf of the Americans, I have some shares of Lehman Bros that you may want to buy.

A Guantanomized Age harimau #83 {"If you checked fatwa-online (or in the original Arabic), you will find that it is perfectly permissible for a Muslim to beat his wife in case of disobedience.
Don't be a kaffir and advocate not beating one's wife. "}

Harimau,
I can direct you to some Dalit websites where you can go and defend the the injunction to kill, maim, and suppress fellow human beings without the sin of touching them. I can quote from the Bible where menstruating women are not to go near the temple.
Whether factual or manufactured for insidious reasons, such relics of the past need to be researched, refuted, and eradicated from our modern systems - including religious, economic, social, legal, or political.
The current effort in Turkey to discard irrelevant, obscure, and divisive "Hadiths" and perceptions is to be commended. Thank you for your genuine interest in improving Islamic institutions.

Sincerely,
Salim

A Guantanomized Age cliftonbridge #8 {"However if you think there is a country that treats its immigrants better than america (for the most part) then youve obviously never travelled outside of disney world.

The nuanced argument is that americans could do a better job with international human rights..... o.k but they are already far superior to any muslim country in the whole world in terms of domestic human rights so lets keep that in mind while laying out utopian conditions for them to satisfy.

cliftonbridge #65 {"However i think american society has treated muslims very well and for the most part i think american muslims are very pro america in general which they should be and they have every right to be against american foreign policy like countless nonmuslim americans."}

Cliftonbridge,
If I were a jingoistic American, I would applaud your justification of our diminishing regard for our own high ideals as embodied in our constitution. In your zest to be more Catholic than the Pope, you are obviously ignoring the fact that to most Americans our freedoms, including those of our fellow citizens, are absolute and not subject to some obscure scale that compares our standards to those of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, or, for that matter, India.

One of the important traits of responsible citizenship is to not drink our own bathwater. Insisting that blacks have a far better life and more rights in the US than in most of Africa cannot justify or even excuse the real discrimination that exists in our country against African Americans. This line of reasoning was long used by racists and the KKK in their persecution of minorities and suppression of any attempts at rectifying the injustice.

Your assertion that America treats its Muslims better than the treatment they receive in most Muslim countries does not hold water. It's analogous to saying that a husband who beats his wife once a week is a better husband than the one who beats his wife several times a week. The correct position should be that domestic violence is evil - regardless of the frequency or intensity.

The current state of draconian measures against people who have "Muslim-sounding" names, "Muslim" features, or "Muslim" garb cannot be justified and must be eradicated. Your defense of this treatment is neither helpful nor foresighted. In ancient Japan, people suspected of being Christians had to stomp on the crucifix to prove that they were not followers of hated western foreigners. After the Reconquista in Spain, new Muslim converts to Catholicism had to eat pork to prove their sincerity. It won't be long before each one of us will have to have disposable Korans to, God forbid, flush down the toilet to prove our loyalties. Please reconsider your viewpoint.

Sincerely,
Salim