Word: shied
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...legal and state matters. Take beards, for example: in Afghanistan, members of the ruling Taliban militia will grasp a passerby's facial hair in their fist. If the beard is shorter than the Taliban's fist, the offender is publicly whipped. But next door in Iran, Shi'ite Muslims believe that according to the Koran, a beard can be a stubbly 1 cm long. Nawaz Sharif, whose chin is cherub-smooth, was asked if he too would grow a beard. No, he replied, nor will women in Pakistan be forced to veil themselves or stay indoors. Some women are skeptical...
Nawaz Sharif may hold moderate views, but human rights activists fear the imposition of Shari'a may unleash an army of zealots. Minorities are worried too. Nearly 15% of Pakistan's Muslims are Shi'ite, and in several cities their mosques and schools have been attacked by Sunni extremists. Last week, after the murder in Islamabad of a Sunni extremist leader and three companions, his followers retaliated by burning down a mosque and several homes belonging to Shi'ites...
Iran and Afghanistan, two of the most profoundly fundamentalist Muslim countries, sit side by side, but common faith doesn't make them friendly. In fact, each despises the other's brand of Islam. Now Iran's Shi'ite leaders and the Sunni Taliban militia that has nearly succeeded in imposing its rule over most of Afghanistan are threatening to turn an ancient theological schism into a fighting...
...immediate provocation is nine dead Iranians, killed last month when Taliban warriors conquered Mazar-i-Sharif, a stronghold of Afghanistan's Shi'ite community. Only last week did Taliban leaders admit that eight diplomats and a journalist holed up in the Iranian consulate were massacred by the invaders. Iranian officials were equally upset by the defeat and reported slaughter of the city's Shi'ites. Tehran vowed revenge and announced last week that it was dispatching 200,000 troops for "maneuvers" on the Afghan border...
...turbaned former philosophy professor has set the country on a new course toward greater freedom, respect for the rule of law and "a dialogue of civilizations." He wants an Iran where the people, not just the Shi'ite Muslim mullahs, have their say. Small wonder that friends and foes alike refer to him as Ayatullah Gorbachev...