Yesterday, it was reported that the Pakistani Minister for Minorities (a Cabinet-level position in Pakistan’s government) was shot by gunmen yesterday thought to be Muslim extremists. This follows the assassination of a Pakistani governor in early January, also by Muslim extremists. In the first case, the Minister was a Christian and in the case of the governor, a Muslim. They both had criticized the country’s blasphemy laws and suggested their removal or amendment. These killings follow years of harassment, persecution and violence against those accused under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. [Read more...]
Jan
13
Hizbullah’s Moves in Lebanon: Future Implications for Islamist Movements
In a recent blog post about Hizbullah’s intentions in withdrawing from the Lebanese government and thus causing its collapse, I argued that this might be their attempt to institute the Islamic order they advocate in their ideology.
However, beyond the intentions and implications for Lebanon, it is also important to consider what Hizbullah’s moves might mean for the greater Middle East and for Islamist movements throughout the Middle East (and arguably the entire Islamic world). [Read more...]
Jan
02
The Leaders of Islam: According to Daniel Pipes
According to a recent post by Daniel Pipes, there are 4 countries that really determine the future of Islam in the modern nation-state system:
1) Turkey: According to Pipes, Turkey “leads the way to Islamism 2.0, a more democratic and sophisticated version of the supremacist and totalitarian ideology forwarded by Khomeini and Osama bin Laden.” What he is describing here is the gradual movement of Turkey’s government to a more-Islam-centered emphasis, in constrast to their staunchly secular posture of the last 80 years. [Read more...]