#1
FTA: I think there will be far more chaos than Obama can manage. Theres nothing there. The Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamists have billions of dollars. ... 20% of the Arab population is black, but you cant see a single black face. Its a completely racist movement. It says non-Arabs in the Arab Spring have no rights. IF youre [a] Bangladeshi, Filipino, Indonesian [Muslim] you have absolutely no rights.
#3
A headline in today's UK Telegraph: Libya's liberation: finally an end to four decades of pain and grief "We as a Muslim nation have taken Islamic sharia as the source of legislation." said the NTC leader, Mustafa Abdul Jalil.
And in a sign of the divisions that may lie ahead, Mr Jalil then pointedly contradicted himself with: "I call on everyone for forgiveness, tolerance and reconciliation. We must get rid of hatred and envy from our souls."
The choice of Sharia guarantees future decades of pain and grief.
#4
I was reading with interest until I got down to the following:
So what happens next? Is there an answer?
Im very pessimistic about the Arab world. Im not pessimistic about the Muslim world. I think Indonesia, and Pakistan and Bangladesh, Iran..everyone has a bright future. But not the Arab world.
Indonesia, Pakistan Bangladesh, and Iran; everyone has a bright future. REALLY!
[Dawn] IN death, Muammar Qadaffy ...whose instability was an inspiration to dictators everywhere, but whose end couldn't possibly come to them... was denied glory -- he did not go down fighting. Captured maimed, Libya`s undisputed ruler for 42 years died after he reportedly shouted, "Don`t shoot!" That he was alive when captured near Sirte on Thursday was confirmed by the National Transitional Council, which announced "to the world that Col Qadaffy has died in the custody of the revolution". The announcement doesn`t make clear whether he succumbed to his wounds or was killed by his captors. Very aptly did Amnesia Amnesty International and the UN rights chief demand a probe into his death -- something that no government has bothered to give a thought to. AI said that it was essential to conduct "a full, independent and impartial inquiry to establish the circumstances of Col Qadaffy`s death". With the fall of Tripoli in August to the rebels, who had already overrun Benghazi and other major Libyan cities, the collapse of the Qadaffy structure was a matter of time. With NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... providing its awesome firepower to the rebels, pro-Qadaffy forces had little chance of victory. What surprised the world was the tenacious fight put up by Qadaffy loyalists and the eight bloody months it took for the West-supported rebels to crush the last remaining pockets of resistance. However, if you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning... by killing Col Qadaffy, the rebels denied the world his version of history before a court.
Col Qadaffy`s fate is typical of many a populist hero-turned-tyrant. First among the Arab putschists to succeed in acquiring a majority share of revenues from oil production, the Libyan leader rode on a wave of popularity in his country. His achievements included the use of Libya`s oil wealth to develop a social welfare state that raised the standard of living of his people and provided free healthcare and education. However, the hip bone's connected to the leg bone... his `Green Book` containing his political philosophy had little room for dissent. He persecuted those who differed with him, forcing opposition leaders to go underground. Those who chose to go abroad were taken care of by assassins. His Lockerbie crime shocked the world. After denying culpability for years the Libyan strongman handed over two of his intelligence chiefs for trial.
Unlike Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... , Col Qadaffy met a violent death, but not before thousands of Libyans had been killed, and the country devastated. This is a lesson for all dictators. Either they reform and give a share in governance to the people or get ready for consequences that the fate of Qadaffy`s empire and his country`s trauma highlight. This is what the transitional set-up in Libya should keep in mind, and proceed with plans to usher in a representative democratic government.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/23/2011 00:00 ||
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#2
Sadly, I think another lesson is being picked up by the dictators: "Get WMDs. NOW."
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
10/23/2011 9:14 Comments ||
Top||
#3
A more comprehensive account
This is what happened to his bodyguards Four more bodies lay at the other end of the pipes. All black men, one had his brains blown out, another man had been decapitated, his dreadlocked head lying beside his torso.
#5
There is a possibility that Gaddafi may have received the head wound before or very soon after his capture in a drainage pipe on the outskirts of Sirte and died later of that wound.
#8
The UK Telegraph reported Qadaffy's convoy was able to escape from Sirte due to poor preparation by the rebels. Once the convoy was away from Sirte, a UAV struck the lead convoy vehicle, followed by one or more bombs from a French fighter-bomber. At that point, elements of the convoy scattered & the rebels caught up with them.
[Dawn] After reading the news that Saudi morality police -- acting as "God's agents" on earth to prevent sin -- beat up a woman and a man accompanying her on suspicion of dating. I asked myself this question: what right do these "keepers-of-faith" have to rigorously impose Islamic morals on other people? The woman and man turned out to be relatives.
When the members of Haia realised their folly, they tried to hush up the Yanbu woman, who was accompanying her uncle for work in Medina, by paying for their hotel stay, SR500 in cash, and mint leaves, with hopes that she would not lodge an official complaint.
The image of God's men exerting force on women and being afraid of an earthly complaint is all a bit odd when thinking of the Prophetic character. Do they really think they're furthering God's wishes on earth? If so, why does their lack of tact so contradict the manner of the last prophet who, through kindness, won the hearts of the rigid Meccans?
To answer my initial question, it is important to ponder upon what constitutes faith. Being a practicing Mohammedan man, who has experienced Mohammedan life in the United States, London, Jordan, Egypt, Soddy Arabia, Morocco and Pakistain, I'm often driven to despair by the emphasis on outward appearance as opposed to one's manners, morals and ethics.
"Why do you not keep a beard?," I am often asked, whether I am at the Regents Park Mosque, in London, or the mosque on 96th Street and Lexington Avenue, in New York City. Some have more forcefully tried to convince me that it's feminine to have a clean shave. "If you keep a beard, my heart will automatically draw toward you because you'll be fulfilling a sunnah," said a man, who hardly knew me, at the Columbia University ...contributed $547,852 to the 2008 Obama campaign. Is there a reason universities are among the top financiers of political campaigns? prayer room that I frequented during my undergrad and graduate-school days. But it surprised me that the gentleman never bothered to actually get to know me; if he did, he would have found a man eager to lead an ethical and moral life and someone who was working toward bettering himself spiritually.
Over the years, I have taken heat from many Mohammedans for using prayer beads because it's a "despicable innovation in Islam," for getting a western-style haircut because "the prophet either kept long hair or shaved his head" (mind you, there were no scissors then), for wearing black because "it's a color for women and men are supposed to wear white," and for my interest in Sufism because "all those Sufis had gone astray" from the right path and some of them were "heretics."
This is only a fraction of the list of things that others commanded that I address in order to be granted a place in heaven, in addition to finding myself an honorable wife who would keep me away from the "lure of women."
If the true measure of faith for men is a four-finger beard and for women is to wear hijab miserly, covering every lock of their hair, then what about the prophet's teaching: "The most excellent jihad is that for the conquest of self."
Surely, Islam talks about modesty, but what is it? "Modesty is ultimately an awareness of both our sensual energy (our marvelous capacity for mischief) -- and whence, also an awareness of our capacity for restraint (our awareness of limitations)," Abdallah Adhami, a prominent Mohammedan scholar explained. "Modesty in this sense is, therefore, inextricably linked to humility."
So, what is humility? "Like modesty, humility begins in the heart, and inwardly, it is the most radiant manifestation of inner calm; outwardly, again like modestly, humility exudes dignity, poise and restraint," the scholar noted.
Ah! So it starts from within.
I can dress modestly, but what good is it if I don't restrain my glance when a woman passes by. What if I am only pretending not to look? I often hear that an unintentional glimpse of the opposite sex is forgiven, but I've seen glimpses that last for 60 seconds, jokes apart.
Forbidding the wrong and commanding the good with use of force will never generate the effect that inward stirrings of the faith would. One can force the other to read a religious text but it is unlikely that the person will drink deeply from the fountain of divine wisdom. The requisite factor for modesty, humility and piety is the intention and the will to change and progress.
Counseling is effective when the other is seeking counsel. With force you can create a social deviant, but not steer somebody toward religion. In response to a question on the mannerism of good counsel, Faraz Rabbani, a leading scholar of Islam, wrote: "Our age is an age where the Prophetic mercy, gentleness, gradualness, and wisdom need to predominate and condition any "promotion" of both virtue and law."
The only plausible reason for the morality police -- may they be government funded or otherwise -- to intimidate devotees to follow their commands is that it takes less effort to tell other people to do something than it takes to do something yourself. There is a psychological benefit in the knowledge that they are fulfilling God's wishes by preventing sin. And there is also an element of pride in being God's agent.
It is easier to counsel others to keep a beard and to dress modestly than to counsel others on how to be a better human being. All you have to do is to pontificate for a few minutes, scare the other person with talk of hellfire or just beat them up -- after all, you're only ensuring that they're making headway to heaven (pun intended) -- and you can feel the instant gratification from demonstrable change.
Conversely, for real change, one would have to take the pains to mold the other person in a way that would enable them to start thinking for themselves which, in affect, brings an inward change.
If you ask me, until you're squared away on the bigger issues -- manners, morals and ethics -- don't go out picking on the minor shortcomings of other people. We're all works in progress. Live by example and inspire others to improve themselves.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/23/2011 00:00 ||
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CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: The number one item in the Bowles-Simpson report was tax reform, where you'd lower the rates to eight percent, fourteen percent, 23 percent. He had that a year ago in December, he did nothing.
GORDON PETERSON, HOST: Why didn't they just put their arms around Bowles- Simpson?
NINA TOTENBERG, NPR: They should have. But they...
KRAUTHAMMER: But why didn't they? He asked a question: why didn't they?
TOTENBERG: Don't make me the spokesman for the White House. Geez, I don't know.
#1
Well done, Dr. Krauthammer. Oh, and Beavis? Thanks for finding this, but...er...ummm...couldn't you have come up with a somewhat less unfortunate headline? :-D
Posted by: RIcky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
10/23/2011 11:44 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Krauthammer is smarter than 99 percent of the people on the planet.
I'd just probably kneel before Zod.
But as someone who does stand-up comedy (once a month), I would say that's the best takedown in politics since William F. Buckley said to Gary Hart in a PBS debate - "don't this embarrass you? Does ANYTHING embarrass you?" Hart turned white.
I loves me a good roasting on the open flame.
Since 1970, public-school employment has increased ten times faster than public-school enrollment. In 2008, the United States spent more per student on K12 education than any other developed nation except Switzerland and at least the Swiss have something to show for it. In 2008, York City School District spent $12,691 per pupil or about a third more than the Swiss. Slovakias total per-student cost is less than York Citys current per-student deficit and the Slovak kids beat the United States at mathematics, which may explain why their budget arithmetic still has a passing acquaintanceship with reality. As in so many other areas of American life, the problem is not the lack of money but the fact that so much of the money is utterly wasted.
But thats no reason not to waste even more! So the president spent last week touring around in his weaponized Canadian bus telling Americans that Republicans were blocking plans to put teachers back in the classroom. Well, where are they now? Not every schoolmarm is down at the Occupy Wall Street drum circle, is she? No, indeed. And in that respect York City is a most instructive example: Five years ago (the most recent breakdown I have), the district had 440 teachers but 295 administrative and support staff. If youre thinking that sounds a little out of whack, that just shows what a dummy you are: For every three teachers we put back in the classroom, we need to hire two bureaucrats to put back in the bureaucracy to fill in the paperwork to access the federal funds to put teachers back in the classroom. One day it will be three educrats for every two teachers, and the system will operate even more effectively.
Its just about possible to foresee, say, Iceland or Ireland getting its spending under control. But, when a nation of 300 million people presumes to determine grade-school hiring and almost everything else through an ever more centralized bureaucracy, youre setting yourself up for waste on a scale unknown to history. For example, under the Obama stimulus, U.S. taxpayers gave a $529 million loan guarantee to the company Fisker to build their Karma electric car. At a factory in Finland.
If youre wondering how giving half a billion dollars to a Finnish factory stimulates the U.S. economy, well, whats a lousy half-bil in a multi-trillion-dollar sinkhole? Besides, in the 2009 global rankings, Finnish schoolkids placed sixth in math, third in reading, and second in science, while suffering under the burden of a per-student budget half that of York City. By comparison, America placed 17th in reading, 23rd in science, and 31st in math. So the good news is that, by using U.S.-government money to fund a factory in Finland, Fisker may be able to hire workers smart enough to figure out how to build an unwanted electric car that doesnt lose its entire U.S.-taxpayer investment.
In a sane world, Joe Bidens remarks would be greeted by derisive laughter, even by fourth graders. Certainly by Finnish fourth graders.
#3
Besides, in the 2009 global rankings, Finnish schoolkids placed sixth in math, third in reading, and second in science, while suffering under the burden of a per-student budget half that of York City.
Of course they also suffered under Finnish parents who probably had expectations of performance and valued education.
#4
Most nations also have a process whereby those that aren't going on to college are sent to a trade school where they can learn what they want to do and not clutter up the class rooms wasting their time. Granted this applies to high school but still, it skews a lot of numbers because the US insists on forcing kids to stay in school until 18 and only then moving on to learn their trade.
#5
Los Angeles Unified School District already has more administrators than teachers.
Every federal funding program for education contains unfunded mandates for reports and special programs which also require dedicated staff to fill out...so you have administrators twiddling their thumbs for ten months a year to fill out one report required to say the district is fullfilling the requirement of an unfunded mandate.
For funds, the problem is worse, quarterly reports and semiannual reports sent to Dept of Ed that go unread, and then go to Congress where they are not read...but require dedicated school administrators to monitor the program.
Funding requirements and the Dept of Ed are strangling education in the US and siphoning off huge amounts of money and manpower from teaching.
I don't know why Congress always puts these reporting requirements in every funding for education...that might explain why so much of the stimulus money for education has gone unspent...all of the reporting.
It's odd, there is more reporting requirements for the 40B of educational stimulus funds than there is/was for th 1.4T of financial stimulus funds...
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
10/23/2011 13:26 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Simply STOP subsidising Teaching.
Government should make sure Parents are providing an education for their own children, but the State should end harmful subsidies (as well as cut the harmful taxation to fund it).
#8
Officially, Washington has to return 15,000,000,000,000 dollars just to get back to having nothing at all to balance the budget of the United States on the backs of millionaires you would have to increase the taxes of those earning more than 1 million a year by 6 million a year.
Steyn has such a way with words. We have been so screwed by Washington.
#10
What PISSES ME OFF is that all that debt didn't buy is a freaking thing. NOT ONE FU*KING THING!
Its not only spending your paycheck but selling your kids and grandkids into slavery so you can blow it all on booze and hookers (and ripple and not even good hookers either...)
[Dawn] THE recent leakage of heavy water at the Bloody Karachi Nuclear Power Plant has raised legitimate questions about the plant`s safety and utility. Following the leakage late Tuesday, Kanupp has been shut indefinitely. Officials maintain the incident was "not serious" and that the plant and its surrounding areas remain safe. Yet no inquiry has been ordered into the incident. This is not the first time such an incident has occurred at the plant, which supplies Bloody Karachi with about 80MW of electricity. There was major heavy water leakage in 1989 while an incident has also been reported from the early 1980s. Environmentalists have rightfully termed the latest incident a "wake-up call". Built by the Arabian Sea in the early 1970s, Kanupp`s surroundings were initially sparsely populated. But with Bloody Karachi`s rapid expansion housing colonies have begun to sprout in the vicinity. As the facility often remains shut -- as it was at the time of the incident -- it has been labelled unproductive and there have been calls to permanently close Kanupp down.
The plant completed its 30-year lifespan in 2002 and since then it has been given several extensions; current reports suggest the government wants to keep it running for a few more years. Kanupp was built with Canadian help, yet due to Pakistain`s pursuance of its nuclear programme foreign help soon dried up. Since then, operations and maintenance of the facility have been performed locally. It is to the credit of local scientists and technicians that they kept the plant running despite the cessation of foreign assistance. Yet in light of the recent leak and considering the plant`s age, Kanupp`s time appears to be up and it should be decommissioned. Regarding Pakistain`s energy crunch every megawatt counts, so perhaps the country -- with international help -- should build new nuclear power facilities so that it does not have to rely on such unpredictable plants. Ultimately, if such safety lapses are ignored and the authorities remain complacent, a major tragedy could occur causing havoc for plant staff, the surrounding localities as well as marine life. The state must act to avert such a scenario.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/23/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Leakage rate was not significant?
That line didn't work on the Titanic, either.
Imagine if one bright shining morning, Waris Shah, one of the greatest Sufi poets, was resurrected and came to life. If he was left in Pakistan, he would likely launch a campaign against the Wahabi mullahs that have taken hold of popular discourse and fatwas would be issued against him within hours. His life would likely be in danger and the state would do little to protect him. However, if Waris Shah learned about the modern condition of societies across the world and was given a choice on where to live, he would likely choose a Western country with a heterogeneous population and an open discourse amongst faiths.
Dr Manzur Ejaz has aptly argued that the founders of the Sufi tradition came from mixed urban populations, and their ideals of tolerance were born out of a daily interaction with people of other faiths. While such conditions may no longer exist in Pakistan, Western nations are populated by people of all faiths, from Jews to Sikhs. Thus, there is a great deal that Pakistanis living abroad could learn from the writings of Waris Shah and his enlightened brethren. In fact, Sufism could be an ultimate solution to the identity crisis plaguing Pakistanis in Western nations, allowing them to respect their heritage while also comfortably assimilating in their heterogeneous society.
Identity Crisis for the Diaspora Community:
As a first-generation Pakistani-American, I have seen most of my peers undergo severe self-examinations and breakdowns based on one question: am I Pakistani or am I American? This black-and-white way of looking at one's identity is greatly effected by the definition of Pakistani. A vast majority of Pakistanis, both at home and abroad, conflate their definition of "being Pakistani" with being Muslim, specifically the Wahabi school of Islam which preaches intolerance and chauvinism.
The hijacking of this definition robs Pakistanis of the immense philosophical and cultural history that has existed in their country outside the scope of conservative Islam. However, one cannot blame Pakistanis abroad for teaching this concept to their children, as they were influenced themselves by the Wahabism spread by Ziaul Haq through education and the media. The efforts of the General and his bearded cohorts were successful in erasing the ideas of Sufi mysticism from the people's lexicon, and this has trickled out to the communities living abroad.
Without a full exposure to the spiritual traditions of their homeland, many Pakistanis abroad adopt medieval Islamic concepts. These intolerant ideals make them feel alienated in an open and mixed American society. Which brings us to the next conflated definition: what does it mean to be "American"? Those who feel alienated in a mixed society due to their religious intolerance would define being American the same way a person living in Pakistan would - materialistic, war-mongering, and evil.
That is not to say that every Pakistani-American believes in a chauvinistic form of Islam, indeed, there are those who have rebuked both their Islamic and Pakistani identities in order to feel included in their new society. Many of these individuals are agnostic or atheistic and blame Islam for the poor condition of Pakistan, not realizing that they have only been exposed to a small sect of Islam by their parents.
Therefore, one sees that the character of the Pakistani-American is conflicted where the American feels unattached to their cultural heritage, and the Islamist feels uncomfortable in a society with open mixing of genders and religions. This feeling of unease has resulted in many micro-Pakistani communities popping up across the US. Through the power of Dish Satellites and a close social network, these Pakistanis hermetically seal themselves away from interacting with American society on any level. From the food they eat, to the friends they have, to their political beliefs, these individuals detach themselves from the mainstream society and forgo any of its potential benefits.
On the other hand, there are those who reject their Pakistani heritage, which they see as tarnished by chauvinistic Islam, and submit themselves completely to the American way of life. These individuals forsake the stimulating ideals and vibrant culture of their homeland, because all they see is a small form of Islam enacting hate and violence throughout Pakistan, and the world.
The dichotomous us-versus-them mentality supported by Wahabi Islam and its followers has created a stark division of identity amongst the Pakistani community, to the point that the two sides have little interaction or debates. However, the answer is not to rule in favor of one side or the other, but to realize that they have both adopted their ideals based on limited information, which must be supplemented before they consent to following a faith or political ideal.
Sufi Tolerance and Multicultural Principles:
Dr Manzur Ejaz stated that the tolerance that Sufis advocated for on a spiritual level has been accomplished by many Western societies based on a practical need. With capitalism rising in the industrialized world, there was a need for a labor class, and distinctions based on gender, religion, or race became less important than profit. Thus, capitalism brought a mix of religions to urban centers, which caused many of the divisions between cultures to collapse. While a Pakistani and Indian may curse one another in their respective countries, this becomes far more difficult when they have a Pakistani neighbor or Hindu coworker whom they interact with each day. This is primarily because they see a breakdown of their prejudices and realize the shared humanity in their counterpart.
This realization was exactly what Sufi mystics attempted to embody in their philosophies as they themselves lived in multicultural societies, where some of their followers were Sikh, Hindu or Muslim. Bulleh Shah famously stated "Somewhere he is called Ramdas and elsewhere Fateh Muhammad/ This dispute is from the eternity/Once the quarrel between them was settled/ Something else came out of it." Bulleh Shah breaks down the divisions between Hinduism and Islam to claim that all holy men belonged to the human order and should thus be embraced by all humans equally. Sufis belonging to the Chistia School held such a tolerant and inclusive view, that some of their writings were included in the most holy of books for Sikhs.
Thus, the principles of Sufism came to life in Western industrialized societies not by spiritual design, but out of necessity. There is no doubt that Waris Shah would critique capitalist societies for their focus on material wealth and excess. Still, Waris Shah would reflect on the mix of temples, churches, and mosques that dot the American landscape and feel his ideas of tolerance and common-humanity came to life. He would believe that this environment gives Pakistani Muslims living abroad the chance to exchange ideas and engage in a critical examination of their own spirituality, which is a central tenant of Sufism.
Sufi Rejection of Rituals:
In many ways, the Wahabi Islam adopted by many Pakistanis living abroad focuses greatly on the rituals of the faith rather than attempting to espouse the spirit of their religion. Many of the rituals carried on by Pakistanis alienates them from their society, for example, a visible sign of Wahabi Pakistanis living in the US is their long beard or raised shalwar/pants. These styles focus on outward appearance rather than on a spiritual introspection. In response, Bulleh Shah would yell, "burn the prayer mat and lota (earthen pot)/ Don't take the prayer rosary and holy stick/Lovers are announcing over and over/Leave the kosher and eat non-kosher. Oh Bullah drink wine and eat kebobs, burn the fire of your bones under [them]. Rob the robber of robbers". Rather than merely adopting the rituals and appearances of piety, Sufi mystics would say that Pakistanis living abroad should emulate the ideas of equality and love for humanity that their Prophet (PBUH) imbued.
While some imams in Western Countries are finally calling for interfaith meetings with leaders of other faiths, Sufis were far ahead of their time as they accepted any faith into their fold. The Sufis' interfaith exchange could be resurrected to encourage those living abroad to engage spiritually and socially in their multicultural society. This rejection of rituals as a means to enlightenment is a concept that could greatly serve those living in the US. Not only would this improve the life of the person by allowing them to take benefits of being part of such a society, but it would give them the ability to critically examine their own spiritual beliefs rather than relying on dogma or rituals.
Sufi Separation of Mosque and State:
Lastly, there is a political ideology that has accompanied the Wahabi form of Islam that is popular in the Diaspora community. This political ideology is steeped in anti-Western beliefs, especially critical of the separation of Church/Mosque and State as being a concept that violates Islam. The Western response to this argument is that the State cannot be dirtied by the hands of spiritual unelected individuals who could, rightly or wrongly, be claiming divine right.
Sufism turns this critique upside-down by agreeing that the Mosque and State must be separated, but not in order to preserve the State, but in order to preserve religion or spirituality itself. Shah Hussain stated: "Kings are busy in their kingdoms, the moneylenders are collecting their debts and the tiller is concerned about his village. We only seek the pleasure of our Sain (Lord, Beloved)." Thus, rather than relying on the political Islamic ideologies that have alienated individuals from their newly adopted countries, Sufis would encourage Pakistanis abroad to separate their politics from their spirituality in order to maintain purity of both.
Conclusion:
Waris Shah would certainly condemn Western societies for its innumerable vices, especially the materialistic way in which the culture operates. However, with a mix of different faiths living side by side, and a government that allows for an open exchange of ideas, Waris Shah would likely thrive. Even without Waris Shah's resurrection, Pakistanis living abroad could learn a great deal about living in Western societies from Sufi thinkers. Rather than relying on a ritualistic form of militant Islam that creates identity crises, the Pakistani Diaspora community should study the tolerant and open ideas of Sufi mystics. Not only would this bring greater prosperity to the Pakistani community abroad, but it would allow the first generation children to respect their heritage and draw from its immense wisdom while also comfortably engaging with their mixed society.
Continued on Page 49
#3
Yes, yes, the existential angst of the first generation American. Choose either to be an American enriched by the culture of your ancestry, which enables you to more fully appreciate what America means, or move back to the ancestral home, where you will discover you feel no more one with the people than you do here. With 20% of Americans facing the exact same experience, you are not special, my dear. But it's nice that you see farther down the path than the noisier of your peers.
#5
Sorry to disappoint you but the Ottoman Turks and the leader of the genocidal Sudanese junta were sufis just to name a few. And their actions were approved by all the Suffi community.
#7
I believe you are being unfair JFM. But even if you are not, who would you rather have Pakistani-Americans listening to: Waris Shan, or the Wahibists?
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Col Qadaffy`s fate is typical of many a populist hero-turned-tyrant. First among the Arab putschists to succeed in acquiring a majority share of revenues from oil production, the Libyan leader rode on a wave of popularity in his country. His achievements included the use of Libya`s oil wealth to develop a social welfare state that raised the standard of living of his people and provided free healthcare and education. 
His Lockerbie crime shocked the world. After denying culpability for years the Libyan strongman handed over two of his intelligence chiefs for trial.
[Dawn] After reading the news that Saudi morality police -- acting as "God's agents" on earth to prevent sin -- beat up a woman and a man accompanying her on suspicion of dating. I asked myself this question: what right do these "keepers-of-faith" have to rigorously impose Islamic morals on other people? The woman and man turned out to be relatives.
"Why do you not keep a beard?," I am often asked, whether I am at the Regents Park Mosque, in London, or the mosque on 96th Street and Lexington Avenue, in New York City. Some have more forcefully tried to convince me that it's feminine to have a clean shave. "If you keep a beard, my heart will automatically draw toward you because you'll be fulfilling a sunnah," said a man, who hardly knew me, at the 
This is only a fraction of the list of things that others commanded that I address in order to be granted a place in heaven, in addition to finding myself an honorable wife who would keep me away from the "lure of women."
Forbidding the wrong and commanding the good with use of force will never generate the effect that inward stirrings of the faith would. One can force the other to read a religious text but it is unlikely that the person will drink deeply from the fountain of divine wisdom. The requisite factor for modesty, humility and piety is the intention and the will to change and progress.
