Adil Najam
To view such a video and assume that all of Pakistan is against the Taliban would be as delusional as the proposition that all of Pakistan is for them is deceptive.
The point of this video is not that all Pakistanis are opposed to Talibanization. It is that not all Pakistanis are for them.
The distinction between the two is subtle, but vital. The video puts to a lie the notion that anti-Taliban sentiment are to be found only in the so-called “liberal” and “elite” classes. Indeed, the empirical fact is that the people who the Taliban and other religious extremist forces have been killing in Pakistan are (a) nearly all Pakistanis, (b) nearly all Muslims, and (c) none of them are either very “liberal” or very “elite.”
It should not be a surprise, then, that at least some, probably many, and possibly most, “non-liberal,” “non-elite,” Pakistani Muslims would be against the Taliban and the war they are waging on Pakistan, Pakistanis and on Pakistani Muslims. The tragedy is that too many Pakistanis remain agnostic on the Talibanization threat and even more who are afraid of or reluctant to raise their voices against them.
There is clearly a need to counter the propaganda of those who would have us believe that the Taliban are opposed only by a few “liberal elites.” But equally important – even more important – is the need to acknowledge and somehow deal with the deep fissures and divisions within Pakistani society. Indeed, if there is any one unambiguous truth about Pakistan today it is that we are a deeply divided society. Deeply divided on many of the most existential questions about the country’s past, present and future: Including on questions of what the Taliban represent and how they should be dealt with. It is this division that the Taliban are exploiting. Until these societal fissures are somehow addressed neither military action, nor political strategy, nor international intervention will make any difference whatsoever.
This is the problem that I see here also in this discussion :(
It is true that our govt. is not working correctly, America is our open enemy and there are many other problems but does this make traitors of a nation to be supported like we are doing here?
Making Pakistan a purely peaceful islamic country is everyone struggle here but for that we need unity instead of dividing people here in the name of XSharia/YSharia.
I don’t think the people in the video are influenced by the West or are liberals.Most Pakistanis given the choice will reject the tyrant Talibans who are forcing their ideology at the point of a gun.It is the job of the State to establish its writ.
They thought the “Neanderthals” went extinct thousands of years ago,some how they have reappeared as Taliban.It is possible their frontal lobes are not fully developed therefore reason or logic won’t work with them.
We have very long war ahead of us.
@PMA: being “Ummi” does not mean “Illiterate”. That’s the deficiency of English that it can’t have the right word for the arabic word “Ummi’. THe Prophet was not illiterate, He just could not read. A big difference. Second, NOT all sahabas were “illiterate”[according to your definition]. Many of them actually wrote Quran on stuff available at that time for writing.
Rest Zecchetti has given you a good answer about who is literate and who is not. I second him
You write:
The point of this video is not that all Pakistanis are opposed to Talibanization. It is that not all Pakistanis are for them.
Since there are no women in the video, there is no way to judge from it what “all Pakistanis” think, is there? Women vote in Pakistan and outside the Taliban-controlled areas, are they not allowed to express their opinions?
@ Musalmaan,
What evidence can you bring about to support your claim that the Taleban are kafir? Because they are killing Muslims? What about the Zardari establishment who themselves have authorised the U.S to use drones to bomb Waziristan to create terror? Doesn’t that make the Pak gov kafir? Now if the Taleban are reacting to drone attacks, that means the drone attacks came first, which means who became kafir first? The ones who authorised the drone attacks!
If I were you I would be very very careful about making takfir (calling a Muslim a kafir). The Prophet sallallahu ‘alayhi wasalam said that if a Muslim makes takfir on another Muslim, then one of the 2 is a non-Muslim. In other words, if you are wrong, it comes back to you.
This debate about who is on the side of Allah and who is on the side of Shaytan is pretty easy to solve for those who bother to read Allah’s book with understanding. Take a look at the following quote:
“Allah says: {O you who believe! Be afraid of All