Contemplating changes that the Taliban are provoking in Pakistani society:
Pakistan has important left and secular traditions and you wonder whether the Taliban are reinvigorating them by tying religion to mindless violence and Draconian repression.
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johnpi
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johnpi
One political movement can learn from another in the Muslim world.
It is sadder to observe some of those, who were formerly from what was deemed as the liberal left in Pakistan, arguing that the Taliban should not be pushed until the Americans are out.
Such an argument is made without recalling that the partnership between the liberal left and the extreme right in Iran was at the cost of the former. The left represented by Ali Shariati didn’t realise how fast it was taken over and swallowed by its partners.
Yes, what was the name of the prison where Marji said her beloved uncle was buried in a mass unmarked grave with all the other lefties?
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shams
Personally, I’d leave the crocodiles in the moat to help force Obama to his withdrawal timeline.
But that is just me.
The more the viability of the Afghan campaign declines in the electorate’s esteem, the sooner we can leave.
The more atrocity and gorror that falls on the unfortunate young american soldiers, the sooner we can gtfo.
Sadly, the enemy of your enemy is still a reaver, and there is no conversion of reavers back into to humans as far as i can tell.-
johnpi
Easy for you to support the Taliban when it’s not your beloved uncle…
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shams
lol
from a game theoretic POV it is a good move.
jus’ sayin’
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aziz
a great series at Open Left by diarist dreaminonempty has been chronicling the future decline and fall of the Republican Party on the basis of demographic trends, ethnic and religious. The post on religious trends had a extensive section on how muslim voting trends, which have been much more volatile in response to policy than comparable groups like African Americans or Jewish Americans. I take these results at City of Brass and re-open an old debate about whether there is/should be a "muslim vote" and whether it would necessarily be aligned with the political Left.
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aziz
Thursday thread: Shahed’s post at Beliefnet argues that muslim-Americans’ natural political home is the Progressive Left. However, I remain skeptical that the Left will ever be more than an ally of convenience; in my experience, progressive lefties are equally likely to impose their morality (or rather, their secularism) on others as conservatives are. It’s difficult to argue for preservation of our religious values when we are marching alongside Amy Richards and her ilk. The rhetoric of the progressives is one of tolerance and inclusion, but the reality is that they are not immune to xenophobia – it was Hillary Clinton who led the charge against Dubai Ports World. And we cannot ignore the simple truth that the Left has an innate hostility to religious expression, most particularly with respect to issues of personal choice like hijab.
(I made the case against a strong alliance with the Left in more detail at City of Brass)
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Mr Moo
Muslims in the UK tend to socially progressive (leftwing), internationally centrist and conservative when it comes to personal morality.
The alliance in the UK between activist Muslims such as MAB, and the polical left in the form of the RESPECT party didn’t work out so well, though to be fair, these were less Progressive and more activist.
However, the progressive leftwing newspaper the Guardian, which I occasionally blog for, has been exceptional in putting out the broad range of Muslim opinion. We you and I say that over and above the nominal payments I receive for blog posts.
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Sy
I think that a difference should be drawn between the selfish, sometimes evangelical liberal lefties (I’m thinking of the Feinsteins and Pelosis) as well as the very radfems vs. progressive lefties (Feingolds), who oftentimes don’t view religion as the enemy. I’m not versed enough to go thru the differences, which have been done ad nauseum many other places, but I think the sheer number of progressive Christians and Jews and the practice of their faith would be inviting enough.
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thabet is discussing. 
shams and 
johnpi are discussing. 
Sy and 
thabet 12:23 am on December 13, 2009 Permalink | Log in to Reply
See the work of Hamza Alavi.
thabet 3:30 am on December 13, 2009 Permalink | Log in to Reply
FYI: an article from a Pakistani leftist.