Word: shari
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...Shari'a Dilemma Once unleashed, it is nearly impossible to put the genie of militant Islam back in the bottle. Even Pakistan's moderate Muslims are caught in the middle. Islam has never been decoupled from Shari'a, and though few Pakistanis see the Taliban period in neighboring Afghanistan, in which women were stoned for adultery and thieves faced the amputation of hands, as the ideal Islamic state, they feel conflicted about throwing it out entirely. "Hardly any Muslim will say, No, I do not want Shari'a," says Najam Sethi, a top Pakistani newspaper editor. "To say that would...
...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...