A Sceptical Islamist

The failure of Pakistan's political Islamic movements

"What can we say about the inevitable and long-awaited expansion of the US’s war on Islamic self-determination into Pakistan, with tragic results for the millions of people directly affected, and potentially disastrous effects for the country as a whole and everyone in it? Watching developments in Pakistan over the last 18-24 months has been like watching a car crash in slow motion. You can see exactly what is happening, and what the inevitable results will be, but you are powerless to do anything to change them; meanwhile, those involved seem oblivious of the dangers and determined to charge headlong into the disaster...

"Pakistan’s long-suffering people should never have been forced to choose between supporting the primitive and often brutal Taliban, and a corrupt and self-serving pro-Western government. This is the result of the failure of its mainstream Islamic movements, and the Jama'at-e Islami in particular, to offer any political leadership... "

Only in Pakistan? -- a response to an article by Irfan Husain (Dawn, Nov. 8, 2008)

On November 8, Mr Irfan Husain published a column on the US presidential elections in Pakistan's Dawn newspaper, under the title "Only in America" (click here to open article in new window).

This was picked up by some Muslims and circulated by email, which is how I came to see it.  Yesterday I wrote some comments on the article and circulated them on the same emailing lists.  A revised version of those comments is given below.

As this was originally part of an email discussion, the same format is used here.  Irfan Husain's original column is reproduced in full, in standard black text, with my comments inserted throughout in bold blue text.

The challenge facing the Islamic movement in Pakistan as civil war looms

(Editorial, Crescent International, October 2008.)

The recent history of Pakistan seems to be one of crisis after crisis, punctuated only by periods of waiting to see what the next crisis will be. Developments in the last month, however, have been ominous and dangerous even by Pakistani standards, raising genuine fears that the crisis now developing may reduce the country to levels of disorder and chaos unprecedented even in Pakistan's turbulent history. In a country crying out for change, some even look forward to such a development, welcoming almost anything that might break the current pattern of political corruption and incompetence. That, however, is to assume that there is the prospect of something better emerging from it, of which there is sadly little sign.

Pakistan and US policy begin to move on after Benazir Bhutto

By Iqbal Siddiqui
(Addendum, Crescent International, January 3, 2008.)

A week after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the political dust has settled sufficiently for us to hazard some analysis of the situation Pakistan faces and where it might go from here. The announcement that elections have been postponed until February 18, and the appointment of Benazir’s husband and son to lead the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) – confirming it to be a family fiefdom rather than a political party in any real sense – have established some of the parameters of Pakistani politics in the post-Benazir era. And yet, in perhaps the most important ways, her death really changes very little. To understand why, it is necessary to understand the nature of the US strategy in the country.

First, however, the question that dominated all discussions in the immediate aftermath of the assassination must be discussed: who did it and why?