Secular Muslim countries are becoming economic progress models

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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Re: Secular Muslim countries are becoming economic progress models

Well man there is such an ignorance here that now im seeing that even people can't just think and like to be a true muslim, instead of searching for the true Islam and implementing it in our system, here are those litrate ignorant people also who had not even bothered to think about not only eliminating religious extremism but also searching for true Islam and implementing it in this Islamic state, but shamefully today we are seeing people of such an ignorant thought

62

Re: Secular Muslim countries are becoming economic progress models

Notions of secularity are bizzare, as most muslim nations do acknowledge Shariat in some form or another.

Anyhow, it boils down to stability and sustained progress, imho. Turks have made it (recently) a national priority, and the (closet Islamist) party has presided over an economic revival. Indonesia also has it's revivalists, however it's economic progress has been somewhat steady since...60's?

Nations like Pakistan and Afghanistan seem to have feel by the wayside...one could argue because of failed socialist experiements, but by far and wide because of internal and external stability.

Gulf states are rich, mostly because of oil wealth, and offshoot ventures funded by that wealth (realestate, tourism, etc). Again, no real internal problems to set things out of whack, largely because such nations refuse to rock the boat at the national level.

Then you have the wannabe socialist/soviet club of arab states, who can trace their backwardness to soviet era policies, leading to economic stagnation => unhappy masses.

There's no real stellar example in the Muslim world, though. Malaysia and Indonesia are perhaps the most impressive, and Turkey (being a former world power) one wants to root for.

By far and wide, in most of the Muslim world, secular or not, politics is divisive and not condusive to national unity, never mind trans-national, unity. You can' t have progress in this situation...and a big part of the rift is secular vs. religious, so I think it's somewhat funny that secularism is looked upon as an "answer", rathar than as simply the ideology of just another problematic faction within the Muslim world.

63

Re: Secular Muslim countries are becoming economic progress models

Your search for this "True Islam" is a waste of time and is bound to fail.

There are far to many schools of thought, and far to many varying interpretations for there ever to be any consensus on what is true Islam.

What Pakistan needs is pragmatic leadership, wise leadership. This obsessive need to introduce "True" Islam has only, and will only lead to disaster.

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Re: Secular Muslim countries are becoming economic progress models

No one claims secularism is an answer. All I said is that its a means to an ends.
Its a step towards social and political order, which eventually creates an atmosphere in which economic progress can occur.
While there are many potnetial conflicts to deter economic growth, one conflict that a developing country can due without, is religious conflict created when a state tries to adopt a state religion. This whole episode over Salman Taseer illustrates what happens when a state adopts pseudo relgious indentity. Who would invest in a country like Pakistan?

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Re: Secular Muslim countries are becoming economic progress models

A glaring example of how so called true muslims want to implement their personal choices in our system. It is really disappointing to see that so called secular government is maintaining deafening silence, and people at large are too terrified to speak against these lawless mobs openly threatening to kill anyone who does not agree with their mentality.

Mob rule ahead?

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Further evidence of how some segments of society are able to flout or challenge the law at will was provided by a rally in Lahore on Monday which blocked The Mall for several hours. The rally was organised in support of the killer of Salmaan Taseer. Speakers at the rally said that there should be no punishment for Mumtaz Qadri, and that if any court thought otherwise it would be subject to “a stiff reprimand”. It was clear from the speeches made on the occasion that the ‘reprimand’ they had in mind was ripping out the tongues of those who would displease them. Let us be clear about the message being conveyed. The organisers of such rallies are saying that if Qadri is found guilty by any court in the land they will have no hesitation in ripping out the tongues of those who pass a judgement against him, and perhaps of the police who may have guarded Qadri. They may take similar action against any media commentator or columnist who speaks in support of Qadri’s conviction or any member of the wider society who, by default, in not openly supporting Qadri, is declared a “blasphemer.” Shopkeepers who fail to pull their shutters down, for example, may find themselves in a similar situation – in short, anybody and everybody who fails to toe the line drawn by the religious right.

While the above could be seen as unlikely, it is not an impossible scenario. It is not beyond imagination that incited, overcharged crowds may do just that, or at least attempt to. This is a direct challenge to the power of the state and the rule of law, and it is a challenge that so far has been met with deafening silence by the government. It is this very silence that speaks of abdication by the state, of debilitating weakness at the very heart of government which results in the government’s attitude being reduced to virtual deference to the power of the mob. Is it to be that any group henceforth can choose, on the basis of its beliefs, to step outside the structures of a civilised state and impose its own will by whatever means – threats, coercion or violence – on as much of the populace as it can? Many more may follow such a path tomorrow. Lawyers were present at Monday’s rally. It’s a sad commentary on the state of Pakistani society these days that even lawyers showered Qadri with rose petals when he was first produced in court. If the guardians of the law of the land are willing to place themselves at the extremities, so will others as they learn from their example.** As for the state, will it let the law crumble in the face of mob rule**