So, what do you think of when you hear "Pakistan"?
a) a country next to India
b) the 6th most populous country in the world
c) a terrorist state?
If you picked c, then you'd probably be like most people in the developed world. Pakistanis are very segmented, religiously, economically, socially, and politically. There's no one paradigm which fits all Pakistanis. If you've read my previous blog entries, or if you can point to Pakistan on a map, then you probably already have a general idea about the economic segmentation.
Within Pakistan, reside Parsees, Muslims, Christians, and Hindus. Also within Pakistan are liberals, moderates, and extremists. There are many Muslims in the country who are very religious and non violent, and then there are many that aren't religious at all who kill and steal. There are even a number of middle class and affluent youth who drink and go to underground parties.
As in the United States, the majority of people here are followers rather than leaders, and unfortunately, it often happens that they follow the wrong crowd. Because of the disparity between the rich and the poor, not to mention poor economic conditions including hyper inflation and unemployment, the number of "have nots" is growing by the day. This group of people is easily influenced, and are ready to release their frustration in any outlet which becomes available to them. By the way, this isn't limited just to Pakistan, this phenomenon is also developing in Europe and the United States as we speak, with hate groups such as the EDL (English Defense League) and right wing Evangelical preachers such as Terry Jones.
I have coined the term "extremist opportunists" to describe those religious leaders who prey on the dissatisfied and motivate them to commit acts of violence, while they stay back safe and sound, and collect money from foreign and local interest groups. The harsh reality is, in most situations, there is a beneficiary, and conflict is no different. In wars, weapons manufacturers make a killing, figuratively and literally. Naturally, there are other parties as well.
Its easy to condemn an entire nation for the heinous acts of a few, or even a religion for that matter. Its much harder to take time and try and understand the entire picture, or at least get to know some of the people you're condemning. But that's too hard, right? We, the people of today, are used to taking the easy way out, we're just ready to believe whatever is spoon fed to us. Humanity must evolve if we are to live together in harmony. If we allow propaganda to control our lives, then we'll never get to know one another, and as long as we don't know each other, we'll never understand each other. One constant in human psychology which has stayed with us over centuries, perhaps millennia, is that we always fear that which we don't understand.
Stay tuned...to be continued
a) a country next to India
b) the 6th most populous country in the world
c) a terrorist state?
If you picked c, then you'd probably be like most people in the developed world. Pakistanis are very segmented, religiously, economically, socially, and politically. There's no one paradigm which fits all Pakistanis. If you've read my previous blog entries, or if you can point to Pakistan on a map, then you probably already have a general idea about the economic segmentation.
Within Pakistan, reside Parsees, Muslims, Christians, and Hindus. Also within Pakistan are liberals, moderates, and extremists. There are many Muslims in the country who are very religious and non violent, and then there are many that aren't religious at all who kill and steal. There are even a number of middle class and affluent youth who drink and go to underground parties.
As in the United States, the majority of people here are followers rather than leaders, and unfortunately, it often happens that they follow the wrong crowd. Because of the disparity between the rich and the poor, not to mention poor economic conditions including hyper inflation and unemployment, the number of "have nots" is growing by the day. This group of people is easily influenced, and are ready to release their frustration in any outlet which becomes available to them. By the way, this isn't limited just to Pakistan, this phenomenon is also developing in Europe and the United States as we speak, with hate groups such as the EDL (English Defense League) and right wing Evangelical preachers such as Terry Jones.
I have coined the term "extremist opportunists" to describe those religious leaders who prey on the dissatisfied and motivate them to commit acts of violence, while they stay back safe and sound, and collect money from foreign and local interest groups. The harsh reality is, in most situations, there is a beneficiary, and conflict is no different. In wars, weapons manufacturers make a killing, figuratively and literally. Naturally, there are other parties as well.
Its easy to condemn an entire nation for the heinous acts of a few, or even a religion for that matter. Its much harder to take time and try and understand the entire picture, or at least get to know some of the people you're condemning. But that's too hard, right? We, the people of today, are used to taking the easy way out, we're just ready to believe whatever is spoon fed to us. Humanity must evolve if we are to live together in harmony. If we allow propaganda to control our lives, then we'll never get to know one another, and as long as we don't know each other, we'll never understand each other. One constant in human psychology which has stayed with us over centuries, perhaps millennia, is that we always fear that which we don't understand.
Stay tuned...to be continued
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