Making sense of Pakistan’s nuclear moves, Islam and Politics, NewAgeIslam.com

Islam and Politics

Making sense of Pakistan’s nuclear moves

By Cyril Almeida

Karachi

Occasionally, very occasionally, the military mind here hits upon a good idea. The offer to supply nuclear fuel cycle services under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards may be one of those ideas. Let’s begin with the science bit in this maze of scientific jargon and high-stakes international politics.

What Pakistan has offered is analogous to an oil-refining facility. If you have a generator and barrels of crude oil, you can’t very well pour the oil into the generator and flip the switch; you need petrol or diesel. So for countries looking to, say, set up a nuclear power plant — all the rage nowadays — Pakistan is offering to prepare the nuclear fuel that will power the plant which will produce electricity. That’s all we really need to know.

Why is this a good idea?

Pakistan is the bad boy of the nuclear world. Well, maybe not as bad as North Korea or Iran, but bad enough. Neither are we truly accepted as one of the members of the nuclear club nor are we trusted with the technology.

The reasons for this are varied. First and foremost, we screwed up: see A.Q. Khan. (Sure, there may be explanations and mitigating circumstances but we made our own bed.) Then we have loads of jihadis running around blowing up stuff (and themselves). We have an Army which jealously guards its nukes but forgot to inoculate itself against its own progeny, the aforementioned jihadis.

http://newageislam.com/making-sense-of-pakistan%E2%80%99s-nuclear-moves/islam-and-politics/d/2732

The evil of triple divorce – an unmitigated monstrosity, Islamic Sharia Laws, NewAgeIslam.com

Islamic Sharia Laws

The evil of triple divorce – an unmitigated monstrosity

What was assailed by the Honourable Judge was not the infallibility or sanctity of Quran, Hadith or Sunna but a reprehensible practice which not being even remotely authenticated by any of the three, is being attached religious significance. Already under severe attack from and not adhered to by most of the segments of Islamic society , the concept of triple divorce ( Talaqe Bidat) does not fall amongst those pious Islamic institutions which, if criticised , may make the critic guilty of some blasphemous act. However, whether or not the judiciary is within its powers to call a spade a spade while dealing with an issue of religious denomination or whether or not the circumstances of the case did justify the disquisition on whole of Shariat law are not of much relevance for us at present.

A sense of restlessness, no doubt is visible in the Muslim community over the inertia displayed by mullas even under these strained circumstances in either unequivocally endorsing or disputing ‘Talaqe Bidat’ as the triple divorce is commonly known in Islamic parlance.Now when this monster, embellished as a bride is being taken to the Supreme Court, we must try to disclose its real Quranic identity and ascertain its legitimacy.

http://newageislam.com/the-evil-of-triple-divorce-%E2%80%93-an-unmitigated-monstrosity-/islamic-sharia-laws/d/1391

Terrorists breeding most in riot-hit areas, Islam,Terrorism and Jihad, NewAgeIslam.com

Islam,Terrorism and Jihad

Terrorists breeding most in riot-hit areas

Subodh Varma & Rema Nagarajan

21 Sep 2008

There are reports of cells in these states, which provide logistic support, training grounds and the personnel to carry out the actions. In many cases, the locations of these places are unexpected. How and why are youths from small towns in these states getting influenced by the ideology of violence?

Undoubtedly, there is a complex set of circumstances contributing to the evolution of terrorists. But a disturbing truth emerges if one looks at the recent history of communal relations in various states. Between 2001 and 2007, over 71% of all communal incidents in the country took place in the very same states where these terrorists hail — that is Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, MP and UP.

Of the people killed in these communal incidents, an overwhelming 85% per cent were in these states. This exceptionally high proportion is partly due to the Gujarat carnage, which saw nearly 3,000 people, mostly Muslims, killed after the Godhra train-burning incident. But even if one excludes Gujarat, more than two-thirds of all deaths in communal incidents in the rest of the country during this period were in Maharashtra, UP, MP or Karnataka.

http://newageislam.com/terrorists-breeding-most-in-riot-hit-areas/islam,terrorism-and-jihad/d/770

A Marshall plan for Pakistan’s Tribal Areas Needed, Islam,Terrorism and Jihad, NewAgeIslam.com

Islam,Terrorism and Jihad

A Marshall plan for Pakistan’s Tribal Areas Needed

By Ayaz Wazir

The part of establishment and bureaucracy that benefits from the governance regime in the Tribal Areas has also perpetuated a lot of negative myths and propaganda about these regions and its inhabitants. For instance, an impression has been created that the tribal area is inaccessible and its people are difficult to govern. Nothing can be further from truth. This region is home to historic passes that connected the Subcontinent and Central Asia for thousands of years. Poverty and other circumstances in the tribal areas have forced its people to become on of the most mobile communities in Pakistan.

Today thousands of tribal families are living in the urban centres of NWFP and other major cities, which testify to the fact that they want a peaceful emancipated existence like other citizens of the land. The current security situation in FATA is the result of complex regional and international geo-politics. In fact, tribesmen are the worst victims of the prevailing situation in their homeland. The Pashtun society in the tribal areas is inherently egalitarian and thus best suited for practicing modern representative democracy. One of the first political reforms in the Tribal Areas will be to extend the Political Parties Act to FATA. This is perhaps the only region in the world where people have adult franchise but political parties are banned.

http://newageislam.com/a-marshall-plan-for-pakistan%E2%80%99s-tribal-areas-needed/islam,terrorism-and-jihad/d/278