Word: shari
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Malay-based party that dominates the 14-party National Front. In a clear sign that UMNO can no longer automatically count on Malay votes, two of Abdullah's former cabinet members lost their parliamentary seats. One beneficiary was PAS, some of whose leaders have previously advocated instituting Islamic Shari'a law nationwide. With crime rates rising, PAS candidates struck a chord by preaching that their spiritual values would be more successful in managing society than UMNO's policies...
...Pakistan's black-suited lawyers took to the streets last year to protest Musharraf's dismissal of the Supreme Court - which was poised to invalidate his October re-election by a then pliant parliament - the call for Shari'a grew louder. Pakistan's justice system - slow, corrupt and usually anything but just - had earlier commenced a quiet renaissance. But a new court was installed, stacked with judges who signed an oath of loyalty to Musharraf. The court has little credibility with the Pakistani public, who see the whole episode as yet another confirmation of a corrupt justice system, where those...
...This isn't a religious revolution," says retired Brigadier Shaukat Qadir, who, like many other analysts, says most Pakistanis don't really understand what Shari'a is. "It is a good-sounding word because it comes from the Prophet. It's a safe word. But what people want really is the rule of law. Equality. That there be no discrimination between a brigadier and a laborer when it comes to law. That does not exist right now in Pakistan...
...Most of Pakistan's ultraconservative groups have sought, unsuccessfully, to install an Islamic government and Shari'a through elections. The problem, says Sami ul-Haq, head of one of Pakistan's largest religious parties, is that most conservative leaders share the sentiments of the militants. "The extremists are saying that the government has not allowed us to implement Shari'a through peaceful means. They say, 'You have tried yourself and failed completely. So it is time to vacate the stage for us,'" says ul-Haq. "The problem is that we cannot condemn them because they have a valid argument...
...Terrorism, indeed, is proving to be an effective means to advance the religious cause. In Swat, a picturesque valley that has been besieged by Fazlullah's militant forces, the government has proposed the implementation of Shari'a. Bhutto's husband and de facto successor, Asif Ali Zardari, says he will eschew the military option in favor of dialogue with militants in the restive tribal areas along the border. That approach could work, but it requires the Pakistani people to take a firm position on who takes control of their religion. The extremists have already shown that they are willing...