Dawn.com:
By Munir Akram, former Pakistan ambassador to the UN
FROM the desert of the Sahel to the islands of the Pacific, Muslim peoples and states are today afflicted by conflicts and violence of varying dimensions and intensity.
The malicious myth propagated by Islam’s adversaries is that Muslims are prone to violence due to their faith and culture.
‘Islamic’ terrorism, militancy and extremism are the only ones to have acquired a religious sobriquet. With this simplistic explanation for every situation of conflict and violence involving Muslims, it has become much easier to brush aside the legitimate interests and rights of Muslim states, nations and communities across the world.
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The genie of rising popular expectations and demands, unleashed by growing inequality, poverty and injustice and the Internet, will be difficult to put back in the authoritarian bottle. Yet, such popular revolts, as evidenced by the history of almost all ‘democratic’ nations, also crystallise these fault lines in societies — class, sect, ethnicity, political affinity — yielding a period of turbulent transition.
Excellent article with a matter of fact analysis and a clear worldview as to what is happening to Muslim communities all over the globe.
To those Indian commentators who have made it their task to demonize Pakistan and the Muslims and who keep reminding Pakistanis about Baluchistan and the abuse of minorities in the Muslim world, I can only tell them that Mr. Akram has not defended these atrocities. He has extensive knowledge as ambassador at the UN to know the facts.
But to deny that Muslims are suffering because of bad treating in Kashmir, Palestine, Burma and in Russian republics, just to name few places, is a blatant lie.
As far as Baluchistan is concerned, go and talk to the ordinary people there and you will see that no amount of CIA and RAW money will make them unpatriotic. Western and Indian state propaganda and western asylum to Baluchi terrorists is one reason that Baluchistan is getting such headlines. These feudal lords of Baluchistan, who have kept their people backward and uneducated, want more money to have comfortable lives in the west. That Pakistan government has refused and instead Pakistani governments have been doing all they can to meet the legitimate demands of the people in the province and lots of money is being spend on development projects there.