Come back to the topic: Pakistan needs Democracy

Submitted by WeepingforPakistan (Canada), Oct 11, 2008 at 10:38

Intolerance of other people's opinions is presently costing thousands of lives in Pakistan.

The subject of my post was that support by Pakistanis for the Talibans has led to the present situation where 1,000-2,000 people are being killed in Pakistan every four weeks! You wish us to brush that aside, so that you can tell us the need to follow YOUR version of Islam. That is what the Talibans are doing with bombs on their chests! Pakistan is now in a sectarian civil war! Are you on a different planet?

Everyone in the Pakistanis conflilct says the others are wrong and should be censored! Whose version of Islam do you wish to exclude? Whose rights do you want to take away? The grave-worshipping Barelvis, or the kafir-like Deobandis or the demon-possessed Talibans?

Sir, no one knows it all or has all the answer, not even you! That is why we want democracy, and compromise and we want the other fellow to have the right to be wrong. It is humility to say even I may be wrong, is it not? Democracy is based on the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you..." even if "others" are wrong! You are denying this principle and look at the results!

No, sir, putting on your mental straightjacket or that of another group will only lead to more of the same: continued rivers of blood. When will it be enough? Roman Catholic dictatorship in Spain and Italy was not much different than Islamic dictatorship in Iraq or Buddhist dictatorship in Burma. Dictatorship is horrid, especially if you are part of a minority!

You do not seem to realize that without COMPROMISE, democracy cannot exist in a society. Freedom of expression is the basis of democracy. You apparently want freedom of speech for your group, but no others.

I weep for Pakistan because there are so many tight-minded Pakistanis who will not allow the other person to be wrong! They want to have religious censorship where only "my version of Islam" holds the right to speak. Rubbish. You are creating the scenario for World War Three. The world has had enough of your kind of intolerance.

Racial superiority and genocide was the wicked theory that caused World War II. Those who say that it did not occur dishonour the 50 million Europeans who died as a result of this conflict. They wish to begin the genocide again. This is very different from giving people the right to reject religion and say so publicly. No one is threatened by a religious disagreement, unless the other person is a suicide bomber.

Prideful religious superiority and suppression of the "other" is what you are preaching. Look around you, sir. It is not working in Pakistan or anywhere else!

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