Wednesday, January 5, 2011

The Real Blasphemers

"Mera azm itna buland hai ke paraye shaulon ka dar nahin
Mujhe khauf aatish-e-gul se hai, ye kaheen chaman ko jala ne de"
[My resolve is so strong that I do not fear the flames from without
I fear only the radiance of the flowers, that it might burn my garden down] 
— Shakeel Badayuni couplet referenced by Salmaan Taseer on Twitter, 8 hours before his assassination 



I had been hoping that I could post something light-hearted, more entertaining at the start to the new year, but today's Pakistan it seems is not the place for these sort of things any more. Four days into January and we already have yet another tragedy that has evoked not only pain and sadness but also immense amounts of disgust at the depths to which we, the unfortunate inhabitants of this blighted country, have sunk.


Assassinated Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer: last man standing (Photo: APP/Dawn)


Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer's brutal and senseless murder in Islamabad today (Tuesday) is not only an intensely heavy blow for his family and friends - to whom our thoughts go out to - but also to the hopes for a saner public discourse about issues that certain people endeavour to keep out of the conversation altogether. He often said things that many think but are unwilling to say in public out of fear or aversion to stoking argument. Whatever anyone may have thought about Taseer's personal life (not that it's any of anyone's concern) or his business practices, there is absolutely no doubt that he was a brave and outspoken man who did not compromise his personal beliefs for the sake of cowardly politics. Along with barely a couple of other politicians on the national level (Sherry Rehman being one), his was a rare voice that was willing to take on the rightist mullah mindset in the public domain.

And contrary to what his detractors claimed, he did so with full awareness of the moral responsibilities of a public figure. In a recent interview, he was asked why he chose to raise the issue of the unjust blasphemy laws when he knew that he would receive brickbats from the rightist parties and become the target of the extremists. He replied: "Because if even I don't, how will others get over their fears?" On December 31, he tweeted:


"I was under huge pressure sure 2 cow down b4 rightest pressure on blasphemy.Refused. Even if I'm the last man standing"


In Salmaan Taseer's untimely death we have all lost a truly courageous individual. Those within his party who opposed his just stand on the abhorrent misuse of blasphemy laws, moral pygmies such as Babar Awan, should hang their heads in shame.


The face of fanaticism: Malik Mumtaz Qadri (Photo: Reuters)

At the same time, one must also feel disgust at those who have either valourized Taseer's self-confessed lunatic murderer Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, or used their weasely arguments to somehow try and justify the outrage. So-called-intellectuals like Irfan Siddiqui and bigots like Jamaat-e-Islami's oily Fareed Paracha and the ever-slimy Ansar Abbasi tried their best to claim (on Geo) that Taseer was somehow himself responsible for his fate because he had raised a "sensitive" issue. I am not of the opinion that one should not speak ill of the dead only because he or she is dead, curse Zia ul Haq with every breath as far as I am concerned. But these gentlemen's basic argument was this: even expressing your opinion about a warped law made by a warped dictator and endorsed by his warped proteges is enough to condemn you to death, so everyone should keep quiet about the misuse of religion and leave it all up to the mullah brigade. It's time to tell them to shut the fuck up themselves.

But the disgust does not end with a couple of morons trying to silence all discussion about religion to and other fanatics praising a criminal. The bigger issue, as we have been saying all along, is the refusal of society to see the inter-linkages of such acts of terrorism with the mindset that has been cultivated through the military establishment's promotion of jihadi outfits, the propping up of so-called religious parties whose only agenda is bigotry, the pusillanimous and opportunistic silence over the treatment of minorities such as Ahmadis, Shias, Hindus and Christians and indeed all dissenters (religious scholar Javed Ghamdi being one), the valourization of criminals such as the illiterate Ilm Deen (dubbed shaheed [martyr] because he was hanged in 1929 for murdering a publisher), the rejection of rationality and logic, the marginalization of the arts and cultural traditions as something alien to our society, and the tolerance for hate-speech and incitements to violence such as that of this monkey. It is this mindset, which has been cultivated by the state looking the other way at - if not directly promoting - acts of radicalization, that allows an entire police squad to see nothing wrong in one of their own planning to commit the murder of someone they are assigned to protect. (We now hear via Geo that Qadri had in fact confided to his colleagues in the Punjab 'Elite Force' about his plans and had even requested them not to shoot at him, a request they honoured.)

Our real disgust should be directed at all those parts of society that cannot put two and two together despite the evidence staring them in the face. We will inevitably hear a lot in the media about security lapses and administrative efficiency lapses that led to a criminal being part of a protective force (incidentally, Geo is also reporting through its sources that Qadri had been sacked from the Punjab Police's Special Branch a few months ago because he was dubbed a 'security risk'). But the only void that I think we really need to focus on is the one in our society's collective brain.

So how do we deal with all this? I have heard a lot of dismay and hopelessness today and I can completely understand the feeling. For many people, this is another nail in the coffin of the idea of a viable future for Pakistan. The only option to counter this feeling of despondency, in my opinion, is to become more assertive and louder and to shame those who would stifle dissent. The problem of course is that wishy-washy liberalism cannot fight fanaticism. Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. Simply put, we can either shut up, resign ourselves to our fate and disconnect from this country and society or we can fight back and refuse to cede the space that the bastards want us to. Nobody ever said it would be easy.

As a start, let us declare Qadri, all those who support Qadri and murderers like him, the Khatm-e-Nabuwat movement and its ilk as outside the pale of Islam. Let's see how they like being referred to as blasphemers and murtids. Nobody said the fight would not be dirty.

66 comments:

  1. Well said! All of these people and their sympathisers are nothing more than armed bullies and petty criminals. Murders at best!

    They are nothing more than blasphemers themselves for they are equating love for the Holy Prophet and God with murder and mayhem. Have they not studied their own faith? Or has the orgy of violence and ritual heavy-substance light practise of religion left everyone but nothing but symbolism of a religion that reflects the worst in them, rather than the best possible individual they could be.

    If this is what being a Muslim is all about, I might as well opt out voluntarily.

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  2. How, exactly, are people without guns supposed to be more assertive than people with guns? Because really, the power of intimidation is what carries these people. They have it, we don't, and that's the end of that.

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  3. Count me in.
    I am SO willing to stick it up their faces and make them cry for what they are doing to My country!
    And pardon the language, you must understand that this is an all time low for me as a Muslim and as a Pakistani.
    So furious I am, in fact, that I've been endlessly battling it out with them Death-lovers on every FaceBook page and status that I come across for the past 10 hours(sounds feeble I know, but I do not know what more I can do right now).
    How I wish that they realize the error of their ways before it gets too late!

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  4. I have decided to move away from this society. I have been living away from Pakistan for a few years and I will never regret my decision. Being an openly non-religious person I would never want to live there again.

    I only hope I never have to come back.

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  5. You say "fight fire with fire". I am assuming you mean we fight violence with violence. I agree. The problem is that could create civil war in Pakistan.
    The alternative would be another military coup. A hard-ass mofo like Saddam takes over. Death squads, more people vanish but we all know that results in more chaos.

    I don't think there is an easy answer. I think it is incumbent on the PPP to take a stand not just for Taseer but for Benazir. I bet if they take a strong stand the ANP and the MQM will join them. All that is required is for Zardari to show some spine. That is our only viable choice.

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  6. When Nimrod built a pyre to burn Allah’s prophet Ibrahim, the hoopoe carried water in its beak and released it onto the flames from above.

    An onlooker, asked the hoopoe whether it thought the two drops of water would put out the mighty blaze. ‘I don’t know,’ replied the bird. ‘All I know is that when Allah makes a list of those who built this fire and those who tried to put it out, I want my name to be in the second column.’
    -taken from NA book

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  7. The fact is that the fanatics are growing stronger with all the support they are enjoying from the powerful quarters. They have the power of gun and we don't. The liberals are so frightened that they think a hundred times before saying something mild against extremist mindset plaguing the country.

    On the other hand, fundoos can kill people and dare to endorse such a crime.

    I totally agree with the author that the liberals should take a bolder and radical stand on the blasphemy law and other such issues in the aftermath of Taseer's assassination.

    The main purpose behind his assassination is to deter the anti-blasphemy campaigners. Let not them to succeed in their so-called cause.

    They can kill Taseer and Sherry easily because they are the only voices being heard against fanaticism. Though it's a speculation, but i strongly believe that he wouldn't have been spotted and killed if his voice was one of the thousands speaking against Mullahs.

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  8. Thanks Takhalus for the very nice story. So I gather from your story that all of us who support the abolishment of the blasphemy law are on the side of Allah because we stand for reason and enlightenment and all those bastards who are killing our countrymen and leaders in their evil holy war are on the side of NIMROD. Completely agreed.

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  9. Cafe Pyala certainly has the courage to speak without fear. But does anyone know the full dimensions of the forces that are pulling the strings of the many puppets in lively action lately in Pakistan? Are we witnessing in slow-motion a well planned demolition of the few barely surviving institutions that held promise of reason and hope? What does fate hold in store for the dwindling number of progressive and liberal minded Pakistanis? Intolerance waving the banner of faith has once again stepped out of the shadows. Has Pakistan already succumbed to the ominous alien forces while the vast majority of the neglected masses watch helplessly having very little to hold on to other than their faith and fear of the boot? Even Mother Nature has dealt a couple of heavy blows to add to their misery. Is Pakistan destined to live in peace with itself and its neighbors? The fate of more than 1,500,000,000 souls precariously hangs in the balance.

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  10. @Ahsan

    "How, exactly, are people without guns supposed to be more assertive than people with guns?"

    ...by getting themselves guns. It's high time liberals man the fuck up.

    "the power of intimidation is what carries these people. They have it, we don't, and that's the end of that."

    You actually do. You choose not to use it- out of fear for being labeled (gasp!) intolerant and bigoted.

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  11. day of mourning for qadiyanis and western secularists ... go cry me a river on twitter and facebook ...hahahhah..

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  12. /\

    haha,.. look guys a 'liberal' is talking above

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  13. "As a start, let us declare Qadri, all those who support Qadri and murderers like him, the Khatm-e-Nabuwat movement and its ilk as outside the pale of Islam. Let's see how they like being referred to as blasphemers and murtids."

    I think this is the fundamental problem with debates in Islamic countries even among the liberals.
    Why are you using Islam as a locus of debate than using/appealing to our natural moral conscience? The fundamental problem as I see it with Islamism&cause of extremist versions of it is "The Book" is becoming the locus of debate.So if "The Book" is indeed prescribing violence or intolerance and people accept the intolerant version of interpretation,then what?
    This I think is the most fundamental fallacy of liberal aspirants in Islamic countries.Every debate goes around Prophet did that,Prophet said that..rather than,let us look into our conscience or heart.
    Like Hitchens says we dont need a book to become good people,we already are at a fundamental level,good,fairminded people. Religions are just anachronistic bunkum to control people by clergy by guilt-tripping them.

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  14. Like it or not. Only if PPP, MQM and ANP let lose their men on these fuckers only then can we fight.

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  15. By far, the most virulent TV show discussing yesterday's events was by Orya on AAJ. Is there any point in requesting AAJ TV management to shut that show down?

    Can lawsuits be filed against Nawa-e-Waqt? Can we request the courts to shut down Jihadi publications like Zarb-e-Momin?

    Or is that too much to ask from a judiciary that admits petition for Sherry Rehman's disqualification, for submitting a blasphemy law amendment bill?

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  16. Another sad day for sane pakistanis, another thing to add to the list of things that make many of us ashamed to call ourselves a pakistani.

    Its this kind of nonsense that makes me reluctant to tell people I'm a Pakistani, for fear of automatically being thought of as a terrorist or fundamentalist.

    And to the idiot who thinks we are all qadiyanis, you show your level of intelligence right there. For your information I am a sunni muslim.

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  17. why have the namaz e jnaza of taseer
    he always sucked up to west and was never took pride in Islam?
    wont he feel more at 'ease' if he was just cremate him or even better do Antam Sanskaar
    his sikh wife and son could come in handy for that

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  18. what goes around comes around.. that is what have happened and that is what is going to happen..!

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  19. Yawar,

    "Like it or not. Only if PPP, MQM and ANP let lose their men on these fuckers only then can we fight."

    Hear, hear.

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  20. Time to stock up on them guns. All them liberals been running so much from the religion that they forgot how much of countermeasures that it does provide. Become soft you lot. Get guns, run miles, toughen up, train, and shoot that rat filthy bastards who wish to impose their thinking on you.

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  21. "The only option to counter this feeling of despondency, in my opinion, is to become more assertive and louder and to shame those who would stifle dissent."

    C'mon XYZ, if a billionaire governor, a stalwart of the ruling party, couldn't protect himself, what chance do I with Rs. 147,000 in the bank and zero political power have?

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  22. liberals are running around like mad dogs today looks like someone has put a foot on their tail ...ha ha ha ha ...
    lol ... today is ashoora for liberals .

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  23. time to buy guns Anon 2:13. Now I know why the MQM was formed. Punjab will have to build its own version of the MQM.

    And yeah, the Al Qaeda types are trying to push the old Khatm-e-Nabuwat style buttons in Pakistan.

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  24. Oh, Anon 2:13 have the sense to shoot a man with your face showing. Loser liars, can't even have a fixed location when they try to taunt people on the internet.

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  25. Salman Taseer's assasination once again proves what kind of a disgusting collective mindset our society possesses. We would prefer bigots and sweet talkers like the ones plundering our nation for decades over those like Taseer who are bold, brave, dont have mindless political agendas and not afraid of being politically incorrect. This nation truly deserves the altafs, the sharifs, and the zardaris.

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  26. The dividing line between a jehadi and moderate has got almost merged.
    People are so afraid of their own lives that they toe the line of the mullahs in order to escape the wrath and be seen as 'Pious and religious'. For a country, founded on a asinine principle of hatred of 'Hindu', there is nothing that can go right. I dont want to get into the Genie of Islam Jinnah let loose to achieve the security of economic interests of Muslim landlord and created Pakistan on the plant, 'Not India'

    Well, We have seen the enemy and he is us. Here’s the good General Zia to tell you who’s a good Muslim and who’s not, and to create a number of laws to let you know how you’re doing in that regard. Right through the last 30 years, the Pakistani male has defined his identity by saying - I am not you. Resulting in more violence. actually this has the potential for the most violence - because the target is now inner directed, and there's no clear way of defining the enemy as easily as before. So, let's just kill as many people as we can.

    pakistan has already redefined the dictionary of civilized human behavior. And this grotesquely modified new dictionary claims the direct sanction of God (who is one and true God as per the definition of the word pakistan). Unless (Islam minus pakistan) unambiguously repudiates this new definition, (world minus Islam) will inevitably equate it with Islam. And that would be a very sad consequence.

    I hope IM community learns the right lessons from this Paki experiment. Supporting inhumane and monotheistic ideology is like playing with fire and will harm their own children in front of their eyes. Be spiritual in self and live at peace with others (non-muslims) and revere the land that fed your forefathers, and feeds your future generations. Make peace with your non islamic past as a first step and stop pretending to be Arabs by supporting radical interpretations to get over this humiliation of forced conversions and mass murders.

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  27. Subtle defecation on TLWJanuary 5, 2011 at 4:16 PM

    @ TLW : The MQM was formed by the very same forces that formed the jihadis.

    The ANP, PPP, I can understand, but don't muddy the good cause with their mention.

    May Qadri, Altaf and TLW burn in hell together. For ever and ever.


    P.S: And ever.

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  28. Respected All , Not a Single Media Channel Dared to Call the Governor "Shaheed" Very Hope Less ????? it is necessary to to take legal action against those mullahs who had openly incited for murder

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  29. and having illegitimate children out or wedlock with sikh women like salman taseer did also won't hurt and will help us to reach our 'true' identity

    ... kali mata ki .... ja.....

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  30. I'm a student of Engineering.

    I have a question for all who are weaping at his death.

    Does he deserved to be the governer of punjab, province of ISLAMIC republic of Pakistan, while he beleived that holy laws of islam were KALAA QANOON ???

    Does he deserved to be the governer while he is famous for his "DRINKING" habit????

    Does he deserved to be the governer while his own boy states, "Don't believe n whatever he says after 8 at night, because he is always drunk"?????

    Does he deserved to be the governer while you can google for nude pictures of his children??????

    Except killing him, was there any way to stop him from betraying his nation?

    I know, the answer will be a "No" if you truely ask your heart fr all the answeres

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  31. Whatever. One side has the guns and the other doesn't.

    At what Cafe Pyala said about tagging the extremists by calling them Murtad, etc, the army's propaganda wing already does this by having the soldiers refer to them as Takfiris.


    Progressive/Leftist/Communist activist or armed/unarmed groups were killed and beaten down with the connivance of the state. The ANP and PPP had serious militant factions. The MQM is irrelevant to this debate beyond being an example of a (so called) "secular" armed group. Now all we are left with, is bleating on the internet about the lack of an effective one inside Punjab.

    And anybody who wants to abuse me, let me just say that we are all burning inside hell together right now.

    It's just refered to as Pakistan.

    Welcome to the Dystopia of These Long Wars.

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  32. @TLW: No need for "so called" secular armed groups. If we do, then, in that particular resulting dystopia, we'd be yearning for yet another militant group to fight them.

    Bleating on the internet? I thought that was our minimum common agenda. If you think it's entirely silly, log off.

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  33. @ Anon 4.39, You can not be chandrabhan, Sad but true.I will not stoop to your anti Hindu and anti Muslim talks. I am not delving into the mindset you carry but let me ask you some questions.
    Why are Egyptians proud of their Pharaoh heritage? Why Iranians are proud Persians and why Turks are proud Turks?

    Your hair brain will get sprained to understand this. religion is only one the many variables in the formation of nation state. language, Culture, Ethnicity and Race are equally important.

    making peace with your ancestral past is important.

    @Anon 5.01,
    You are a student of Engineering, Purest of rational sciences. Only works on mathematical and rational principles. I have a question to ask you too. What is your right to peep into the personal life of Taseer and his 'Nude' Family. Religion only gives you a set of Codes and ethics to live 'YOUR' life in case you seek enlightenment or whatever you want to call it.

    Why don't people mind their business and let people carry on their lives? If Salman Taseer's family is having fun, How is your life getting affected by it? Your chance of 'jannat' does not get spoiled by his deeds, it's his. Why are you getting worked up? Id it because you secretly want it for yourself too but can not get it due to economic reasons?

    You follow the edicts in your life why bother about the other.

    This is the reason I resist from commenting on Pakistani forums and It is sad to see the erstwhile Indics (Sanatanis) being reduced to farce and abandoning the power of reason and logic.

    I am worried about Sherry Rehman and marvi menon now

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  34. @chandrabhan:
    i couldnt agree more with all that you said. And what all those Anons are saying is not representative of what several of the educated, level headed Pakistanis think so dont let it stop you from commenting on Pakistani forums.
    Salman Taseer's personal life was, well personal. Agreed the exhibitionism was rather insensitive/unnecessary but who are we to judge! Seriously most of those 'angry' at his ways would most probably do the same if they had the chance. However they dont so it's always been the case of sour grapes really.
    And mister anon whatever. Seriously? You think the rest of the mofos running the country deserve to be doing so? Taseer certainly had some achievements behind him to back his appointment and tenure.
    I wish as a nation we would know where to draw the line between personal and professional lives, know how to judge someone's merits, and just became a little less judgemental and sensationalism-hungry.

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  35. I was looking for some middle ground here but i came to know that this is actually the complete opposite end of the spectrum...i would like to reference Muhammad Malik from capital talk yesterday about the mental condition from both the liberals and extremists...I am in no way saying his murder was correct or anything..hell i remember how every inch of my body was boiling when the imam of my local mosque announced yesterday that everyone should carryout a thanksgiving prayer : /

    but saying you should fight fire with fire isn't going to help anyone(other then giving a proof of your leftist mindset)

    sigh...i hope one day i find people
    who lie somewhere in between this black and white world and restore my faith in humanity(if only a little)

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  36. Are we thinking straight,the blasphemy laws were
    in place but the assassin took the laws in his own hands ignoring
    Shariat how can this be of service to the Blasphemy law? How can a law
    be strengthened if it is ignored? Only those forces which are against
    Namoos e Risalat will taken advantage from this. Mumtaz Qadri's moment
    of madness and ignorance has dealt a severe blow against me and everyone
    who are for keeping the blasphemy Laws. A Blasphemer has become a media hero this is what this madness has done.If ALLAH forbid The forces against Namoos-e-Risalat are so strengthened by this act that they succeed in their accursed intentions then who shall we say is responsible who shall we grab by the collar? The anti religous forces or The man whose madness and ignorance brought to us to this

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  37. In Pakistan today a system of apartheid operates, two parallel worlds of ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’. The former, living in their ivory towers away from ordinary Pakistanis, have arrogated to themselves such fancy titles as “liberal” and “humanist” whereas the ugly reality is that these people are the worst sort of oppressors who are mercilessly fleecing the poorest of Pakistanis and denying them equal opportunities in life by erecting a thick wall of English which ordinary people cannot penetrate. Behind that sky-high wall of English these shameless followers of the worst aspects of American culture wallow in obscene luxury.

    As for the blasphemy law, ordinary people need to be informed of all the issues in a language that they can understand. Therefore, the fake humanists need to step down from their ivory towers and speak to people in Urdu or in the language of the region they belong to. A babble of voices in English may win the brainwashed Pakistanis a pat or two on the back from their foreign friends but it is entirely useless in saving Asia Bibi from the intolerable situation she finds herself in.

    The tragedy of Pakistan is that it is being destroyed by two equally evil opposing forces: the USA-worshippers and the army of foolish mullahs who have distorted our Deen into a religion of weird ideas and rituals.

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  38. Barelwis and Deobandis belong to Hanafi sect. Shockingly, Imam Abu Hanifa said that a non-muslim cannot be killed for blashphemy. So this makes Imam Abu Hanifa a "liberal extremist".

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  39. Errr... is he father of times square bom-joker? He looks a lot like him.
    Governor should have known - guy looks like he will kill for fun. Wait-a-minute! Everyone looks like that over there! Ooops!

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  40. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  41. The Prophet (SAW) was pelted by stones by the people of taif, and yet he (SAW) prayed for their forgiveness and prayed to God to show them the right path.
    An elderly woman used to throw trash at the Prophet (SAW) and when one day she did not throw trash at Him (SAW), He (SAW)went to her home and found her to be sick, and then he also cared for her.
    I am sure that if anyone even commited blaspemy against the Prophet (SAW),HE (SAW) would pray to God for his forgiveness and to show him the right path. This is the sort of example that our Prophet (SAW) has left for muslims to follow. It is an example of peace and tolerance, and it is certainly not an example of revenge, hatred and ignorance.

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  42. @Butool,
    My take on Salmaan Taseer's intent when he took up the mission to go against the blasphemy law is his arrogance. He just lost touch with the reality of fast radicalising Pakistan.

    He thought that belonging to the rich and elite, with his fingers in each pie in Punjab, the support of Zardari (and thereby the west) ensured immunity from the masses. Living in that protective bubble had made him deulsional, cut off from the reality of the real pakistan in the slums and the galis. Well, the protective bubble has just burst, he and the other elite just got a rude wake up call.

    One more truth us that If people like him (Position of pwer, Connected and resourceful whom people look upto) don't stand up for rationalism and human values then who else can? I think he realised his responsibility too well

    The rich have lands and Army background to support, Poor, landless have nothing except religion to cling on. They were promised Pakistan to be the homeland and heaven for muslims and to keep them focussed the Genie of islam was invoked.

    They will not allow any dilution of Islam or Islamism. Pretending to be purer than the 'Bedouin' and corrupt Arabs has become the Goal - they have no control on any resources and no industries worth it's name to work and uplift themselves. hardly any good schools and Colleges.

    This is what has happened in Taseer's case. Pakistan is at crossroads. Like Julius caesar was warned not to go to senate by soothsayer, Wife and omens, He still went to senate and got murdered. that shook the foundations of Roman republic and it became a Kingdom and the whole structure got changed. Romans were lucky they had Antony.

    Who will bring in change here and take on the Genie of Mullahcracy and "Whoever has a gun decides who is more pious"

    Protect Sherry Rehaman and others, the whole world is watchin

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  43. i completely agree with the article posted by cafe pyala and the comments chandrabhan has made. It is disturbing to see that in the 21'st century pakistani masses by and large are driven towards the ideologies and dictats which belong to the middle ages and threaten to pull them back to the life that was common place in those hard and ruthless times of invasions and forced conversions. I personally believe god did not make any religion it was all the handiwork of men in the name of "god" ..peace

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  44. Zainab Akram: It is indeed black law and those who support it are nothing but twisted warped criminals like you put it,For whatever its worth I for one am not going to shut up about it. May Allah rest Salman Taseer's soul in peace.

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  45. Yawwwnnn.... I hear same verbose shit from you guys every day without any action. You just talk of ideologies and what should happen without getting off your fat ass.

    Another group, be it secular or not, won't help because then you'll ask for yet another one to root it out when it gets corrupt.

    Want a practical solution? Start with your own house, your school, your office and preach tolerance. Make people understand that its ok to disagree, its ok to have blatantly controversial perspectives on everything including religion, God, Mohammad, Shahid Afridi and everything in between. But remember, when they jerk you off, don't fight. Be persistent yet polite.

    I know that will take years and years, so start already as this is he only solution.

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  46. I agree with you! Very well said! The real question that should be asked now is how to counter this sort of mentality that not only the entire perspective of the society changes, but also that such events don't ever take place!

    That is the real battle that needs to be won!

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  47. @Anon 12:54 AM:

    "Another group, be it secular or not, won't help because then you'll ask for yet another one to root it out when it gets corrupt."

    This is a strawman. No one is staking the claim that a secular governance can never be corrupt. Moreover, what makes you think that corruption is the only reason why people would want to root out a government?

    "But remember, when they jerk you off, don't fight."

    That depends on what you mean by "jerk you off."

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  48. I feel the pain of my brothers and sisters in pakistan.It is easy forme to watch on Tv In the USA but you guys are in it with all those crazy Mullhas and helpless so called civil society
    SO sad nothing good is coming out of pakistan afsoos so afsoos

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  49. we should fight against extremism but not by arms or getting as insane as the fanatics get.

    but by rational and calculated moves.

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  50. I have a simple message:
    "Pakism sucks"

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  51. Sheer madness and nothing else prevails in the country these days and the credit goes to none other than the nerd ass**** Ziaul Haq (May his soul remain restless and in agony). We all need to stand up, fight back and reclaim whatever sanity is left in this impoverished country.

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  52. The concept of “True Islam” and “Pakistan is a fort of Islam” have all ready driven the country down. However, bickering here will not achieve much. The question is what we can do to counteract this religious fanaticism. I do not know, neither does anyone here. Which is the fundamental issue: we (the ones referred to as liberal or non-islamo-fanatics) do not have a unifying ideology. We come, we bicker, and we go. Our pseudo-intellectual view of the world keeps us safe in our bubble. We object on cyber-space and on coffee tables at cafes. We have to move past our bubbles and our safety nets if we truly want to see the change we envision.

    (When Musharaf pulled the 3rd November Emergency, I was in a college back then my journey into activism began from a coffee table at CTC in Lahore. The difference was that that table was full of people there to make a difference and not just discuss it.)

    I am not saying pick up a gun and fight, hell no, I am more non-violence than the most lot. At least come together on a consensus on important points and support each other in the cause. Brainstorm as to how we can counter act such hate full voices. Rally journalists, anchors, religious figures, family members, who-ever and everyone around you to instil that change. Preach your ideas to the people around you without threatening their belief system (This last sentence can be a dangerous one, but do you have an option here.)

    Do we have an option?
    Yes, we do: ‘Speak now or be silent forever’ OR ‘speak now and BE silenced forever.’
    This land is as much mine as it is yours. I have a say and I will make it sound.

    ________________________________________
    “Then they came for me
    and by that time no one was left to speak up.”

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  53. anon@10:57. Interesting that you refer to popular western song lyrics, use a western language, and use social medias which are a direct product of western research and productivity - to vent your ideas. I am not a fan of Mr. Taseer at all. But I am not a fan of those who disfigure Islam and hold it up for ridicule by committing acts that are abhorrent to the spirit of a religion that was and is - ahead of its time in many ways, promotes ideas of education, tolerance, rationality and progress. There is repeated stress on not spreading 'fasaad' and hate-mongering is just that. If you can preach tolerance and save one life, you will have saved humanity (in the words of the Quran). We are enjoined to follow the Sunnah - not one example in the Prophet's life suggests that we kill or encourage and applaud killing of such nature. Do we (liberals / extremists / all) really know WHAT Islam is???!!!

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  54. Jinnah said that Pakistan would be a lab for experimentation in Islam. Experimentation will always cause continuous explosions in this lab. In hindsight, it can be said that partition was a bad idea. Muslim league lead by secular Jinnah used religion to attain political power. He didn’t even know the basics of Islam. He never offered prayers, never observed fasts, never went to a mosque, never performed Hajj, loved whiskey and ate pork, never mentioned a single verse from Quran or Hadees and partied with the elite class of India.

    Religion is still being used to hold on to power. Instead of the army doing the fighting, the poor kids got killed in Afghanistan and Kashmir. The fortress of Islam narrative is essential to justify a huge military budget. Mullahs reversed the land reforms and protected the feudals. The main concern for business class is profit. Murder of Salman Taseer is a rare case, normally theocracy or religious extremism has no affect on the elite.
    Nobody will be allowed to explode himself in Lahore Gymkhana, Cantt or DHA clubs. Only the ordinary man will suffer. Even in case of Salman Taseer, the security was sufficient; it was a case of bad choice of security guards. Historically, our caliphs had harms of 100s of women and they were not bound by any Sharia. The solution is simple: GET RICH

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  55. I DONT THINK SALAM TASEER deserve what Qadri has done is a crime and he should be punish for it. who give a rite to Qadri to kill someone when his own crime is not less then other. only allah have a rite to judge his own people. i hate how these people murder and kill others in the name of ISALAM AND IN THE NAME OF Prophet(PBUH). when in reality they dont even care about the religon but just if someone say something they end up killing them in the name of ISLAM. when islam does not teach you to murder other. Islam is a religon of peace and love but people like Qadri use the name of islam in wrong ways. i wish may allah guide others and teach them the true meaning of being a good muslim and fallow the islam the right way and the way Qadir fallowed. i wish he get death sentace for killing the inncoent and people who think Qadri is hero are also fallowing the path of hell.

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  56. The people living in Pakistan are CONFUSED! dont know what they are following!
    and same is true for most of us commenting here...including me.!

    "...the pusillanimous and opportunistic silence over the treatment of minorities such as Ahmadis,..."

    do u think Ahmadis are just a mere minority?! Or they are going against the principles of Islam??

    bloody modernization!! forgetting the grave we will be buried any moment!

    Taseer or Qadri! decision will be made by ALLAH! So no use of arguing and debating when none of us know the real facts! only gossips!!

    Apart from the running debate...
    U must have noticed the aggression in finding the real cause behind Taseer's murder...!! I wish that sort of aggression was present for Benazir's murder investigation!!

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  57. Props for words well said =D!

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  58. Kudos to the anonymous trolls, gutless does as gutless is.

    It is sad to see a righteous man brought down by a coward acting in the name of God. The coward will find his just deserts when he is judged for his crimes at the end of his days, and will spend eternity lying with the bodies of the pigs and dogs in the filth he made.

    Taseer's name, his honour and his just deeds will live for eternity as a lesson to the filth spewed forth by his detractors. Those that fear the just and the right like Taseer, have only the tree of Zaqqum to look forward too.

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  59. Since the humanisation of people has reached such a stage that e hairy barbarian lunatics can only satiate their bloodlust through sheer acts of terror and are actually praised for it. I for one would like the Pak state to legalise murder once an for all.

    Lets c how the men-with-giant-beards handle the wrath of the masses they hve been terrorising for sooo long!

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  60. I think Shaheed Salman Taseer has become a hatred for those who want to prove themselves so called Islamic but I consider them Blasphemers cause they are blood thirsty and use Prophet’s name for human killing. Taseer sahab will stay alive in our society in form of courage to speak against intolerance and religious extremism.
    A day will come, we will see a change, laws will be amended, that day will be Taseer’s day.

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  61. @Asif Ali:

    What's with your ilk that rambles on about "liberal extremism" like a fucking broken record player, and yet fails to find any evidence of violence or incitement to violence by these extremists? Grow a brain, mate!

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  64. Well said, that man.

    I had never heard of Salmaan Taseer before this week but it looks as though the whole world will remember him now and the cause he died for.

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  65. By not attending the funereal of Ex Governor ST PML N clearly supported Fanatics and supported the culprit

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  66. Cafe Pyala.

    so, "Freedom of speech", is that what you want to prevail in Pakistan. I wanna know how did you react to the Sketch blasphemy day celebrated by facebook and various anti-islamic organizations!?

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It would be preferable if you left a comment without using the anonymous option, but it's entirely up to you.