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Musharraf tells it like it is
President Pervez Musharraf appealed to Pakistanâs young people on Monday to shun the forces of conservative Islam, warning that extremism and militancy threaten the countryâs future. Musharraf, who critics say has not done enough to match his rhetoric against radical Islam since coming to power in a bloodless military coup in 1999, was hard-hitting in a speech broadcast live on state television. "What is the biggest source of extremism? Unfortunately mosques are misused, loud speakers are misused, not all... and a few madrassahs are misused to spread hatred, create divisions," Musharraf, dressed in his generalâs uniform, told a youth conference in Islamabad. "We cannot allow that." He said Pakistan was a victim of misperceptions in the outside world, where it was blamed for violence in Afghanistan, insurgency in Indian-controlled Kashmir, nuclear proliferation, and for being a haven for "extremists" causing terrorism abroad. "These misperceptions, what damage can they do to us?" he asked a few hundred students from across the country. "I will not go into details but let me tell you that they can lead to such serious consequences that Pakistan will be incapable of bearing it." Musharraf, a key ally of the United States in its war on terror, has angered hardline Islamic groups for abandoning the Afghan Taliban after September 11, 2001. "We are in the eye of a storm," Musharraf said. "If we get out of the storm we rise, the road ahead is great, if we donât, we jump in the storm." He has often spoken on reform and moderation in the deeply Islamic country of about 150 million people but has remained careful in the past not to directly provoke the powerful mullahs. However, he sounded more aggressive on Monday. "Instead of behaving like an ostrich, hiding the face in the sand in front of dangers, we must confront these dangers realistically and squarely," he said. "You must condemn and counter any religious personality who is dividing you and fuelling hatred and sectarianism and promoting militancy in any form." Musharraf said militants involved in attacks in mosques, bombings and firefights were the real enemies of Islam and quoted the 18th-century French philosopher Voltaire: "Beware of a man who says believe in God as I do, otherwise God will punish you. Because he would say tomorrow, believe in God as I do, otherwise I will kill you." Posted by: TS(vice girl) 2004-05-25 |
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