JARGON!

Submitted by Yasser El Sharara (Turkey), Jan 15, 2008 at 03:10

Being both of Egyptian and Pakistani background, I can confirm that your are wrong, wrong, and wrong yet again with your hate-filled tirade of jargon. For somebody who has had the luxury of traveling around the world, it is disgraceful to hear you talk as if you have lived in a tiny sheltered bubble your whole life.

Did anybody put a gun to your head and ask you to live in Pakistan in the first place??? You make it sound like you were doing Pakistan a favour by living there! I know lots of Westerners (French, British, Canadians, Poles and Germans who live in Pakistan (not just with the embassy) who are happy there. Most importantly, they understand that it is a difficult time for the country of 165 million, and that this is the time where Pakistan needs help –not people to pack their bags like cowards and run away. Good riddance though, I'm sure nobody there will lose even three minutes of sleep over your departure.

I interned with Asma Jahangir in Lahore in 2004. She is the world-reknowned activist and head of the HRCP (Human Rights Commission of Pakistan). I know about the honour killings problem, but alas they don't exist just in Pakistan.

Most importantly and pertinently, the government has outlawed the ‘Hudood Ordinance' whereby such violence against women will be a highly punishable and incarcerable act. Equip yourself with information before you speak out disrespectfully about ANY country. I could ask you why college kids in America armed to the teeth go to college campuses and high schools and go on shooting sprees. Everything is relative.

Whether you hate Islam or don't is irrelevant and your own prerogative. Wake up to today's reality: We are 1.6 billion strong in the world, and the fastest growing religion! It seems that people like you just don't understand what true Islam is. Read the hadiths and the suras before ‘gracing' us with your oh-so-intelligent posts. You are only doing harm to your own credibility.

Islam is far from what you dubiously call "death cult." I am proud to be a follower of peace and compassion, just like majority of the Muslims out there. I don't see you complaining about the Christian fanatic McVeighs (look no further than Cheney) or the extremist Talmud Jews like Jonathan Pollard or Moshe Yaalons of the world...

good luck!

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".