President Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the MMA, saying opposition to the LFO was not an issue and the real issue was whether Pakistan needed a Taliban-style government. âWe have to decide whether we want Pakistan Talbanised,â Mr Musharraf said during his speech. âWe donât need backward Islam. We should be open to debate as to what is best for the country,â the president added. He said any expression of intolerance would harm the countryâs interests. âWe are not living in a vacuum. Pakistan is part of the global village. We can only develop when there is internal stability and a balanced external policy. The countryâs development is unlikely unless we interlink internal and external policies,â Musharraf emphasised.
| That doesn't work well when jihad is the only solution to any problem, to include locking your keys in the car... |
The president said Muslims were being called âterrorists, fundamentalists and intolerant todayâ.
| "Also 'lunatix,' 'nut bags,' and even 'crackers'! I wonder why?" |
âEven so that the world believes that Islam teaches terrorism. The world does not believe us even if we say a thousand times that Islam teaches tolerance. And this is because we are not being tolerant internally and the worldâs impression is not changing,â the president said.
| That might be because adherents of the Religion of Peace™, in the name of the Religion of Peace™, slaughter infidels, each other, and innocent bystanders by the dozen, by the hundreds, and sometimes by the thousands. Killing and maiming seems to be a central tenet of their beliefs. And we're supposed to think they're tolerant? Of what? It certainly isn't us, and it certainly isn't each other. |
He said certain steps by the MMA government â including the ban on music, damage to billboards, forcing women to wear veils and making wearing of shalwar kameez compulsory â manifested âpetty thinkingâ. The president said the MMAâs way of thinking could be a hurdle to development. Whether or not a man has a beard, or a woman wears a veil, should not matter. Why do some people want to force their views on others?â
| I think they just like the sight of blood, myself. |
He argued it was difficult to bring about a real change without motivation. âYou cannot change oneâs mind and heart by order. One may obey you this way but he will curse you in his heart. Try to be a model with your beard. I would like to follow such characters even if they have grown beards. I may also grow a beard when I see someone worth emulating,â an emotionally charged Mr Musharraf said as NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani sat close by. âWe need to know the basic values of Islam. If we by ourselves donât know about real Islam, how can we teach the world?â Musharraf said.
| Please! Don't bother! I'd really rather remain ignorant. |
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