soc.culture.pakistan

Always, when some such incident occurs, a few "righteous" Muslims
will get up and declare that Islam does not teach this or that. The
net result of such pontification, however is zero. Another example -
today
in India Deobandi Muslims have declared that terrorism is un-Islamic.
If one hopes Islamic terrorism will stop after this heavy-duty
pronouncement, he or she is a fool.

The fact of the matter is that the inspiration to rank and file
Muslims for
these evil deed comes directly from the evil book, the Koran.

"Conversion by force into Islam is against Islamic teachings." --
Really?
=================================================

CRIME FOR THE SAKE OF PARADISE

Letter in Dawn, Feb 26
http://www.dawn.com/2008/02/26/letted.htm

The British Council and the British Alumni Association of Pakistan
held a seminar on Feb 23 on "children's right; are we doing enough?"

The keynote speaker and the 6 panelists expressed their views which
were followed by a question and answer session for over one hour.
Members of the audience asked many questions but most disturbing and
heart rending was asked by an old Sindhi Hindu lawyer.

He said that that underage Hindu girls, as young as 12, were being
kidnapped, forced to marry and convert to Islam. Parents' attempt to
file an FIR against the culprits is not registered by the police, they
take no action against the criminal, the girl is never recovered, the
parents suffer life-long pain, and NGOs take no action while the media
ignores it. The complaint was confirmed by the fact that the news
report in the following day's newspapers on the seminar did not even
mention this point.

He wanted to know why was it so? Is not kidnapping, irrespective of
the faith and ethnic background of the victim, a crime under the laws
of Pakistan? Are such heinous acts not un-Islamic, and immoral? Why
does the state behave like a helpless bystander and why do human right
organizations in Pakistan maintain a deafening silence? Do they not
know what pain and humiliation it causes to the parents, particularly
to the mother whose little girl is taken away forcefully and never
allowed to meet her again?

I believe that we Muslim Pakistanis in general and the Human rights
organizations and civil societies in particular should feel the pain
through the question and do all that is required and possible to stop
this crime. We cannot condone such crimes by Muslim fanatics in the
name of Islam or it will rebound against us, Muslims every where and
most of all against Islam which strongly and unequivocally condemns
all such acts.

I hope the government will take remedial measures. The self proclaimed
religious scholars who give long lectures on Islam on TV channels will
condemn it and all such crimes committed in the name of Islam.
Conversion by force into Islam is against Islamic teachings.

MANSOOR ALAM
Karachi