Support for secularism growing in Pakistan!

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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Here is some good news…

According to surveys, more Pakistanis today believe there should be a strict seperation of religion and politics then a few years ago! Perhaps we may one day see a secular Pakistan!

Support for separating religion from govt grows’

http://www.dawn.com/2007/10/08/top2.htm

By Anwar Iqbal

WASHINGTON, Oct 7: Support for strict separation between religion and government has grown steadily in Pakistan over the past five years, says a US survey released this weekend.

Majorities in 47 countries, surveyed by the Washington-based PEW Institute for public opinions, agree that religion and politics do not mix.

But opinions are moving in opposite directions in two key Muslim allies of the United States. Support for strict separation between religion and government is growing in Pakistan, while in Turkey support for such separation has declined significantly in the past five years.

Pakistanis who believe that religion and government should remain separate were only 33 per cent of the population in 2002. Five years later their size grew to 48 per cent, a 15 per cent increase. In Turkey, support for secularism declined by 18 per cent over the same period. In 2002, 73 per cent Turks said they believed religion and politics did not mix. Although secularists are still a majority in Turkey, their size declined to 55 per cent in 2007.

In all 47 countries surveyed, at least seven-in-ten respondents believe that education is equally important for boys and girls.

Most people also believe that men and women are equally qualified for political leadership, although there is less agreement on this issue.

Sizeable minorities in several predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East and Asia – and a majority in Pakistan – say that a woman’s family should choose her husband.

In Pakistan, 82 per cent of those surveyed also say that growing trading ties between countries are good while 52 per cent say they are very good.

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Re: Support for secularism growing in Pakistan!

what good would "secularism" do? pardon remainders of corrupt/looters/killers? right now it doesn't matter whether its Islamists vs Seculars vs Atheists vs etc., what really matters is enforcing and upholding law, thats the biggest challenge. If people see secularism failing they will join the jehadists/inquilabists to get the justice whether it thru mob mentality or gangster or jirga.

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Re: Support for secularism growing in Pakistan!

That is a good news, but Pakistan is a religious state with very religious people. So, separating religion from state is next to impossible.

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Re: Support for secularism growing in Pakistan!

What good has a theocracy done? Just take a look at NWFP these days...

A less religious Pakistan might not guarantee good governance, but atleast we wont have to worry so much about religious fanatacism and extremism.

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Re: Support for secularism growing in Pakistan!

look at the last point. sub acha maal to bhar araha hai ya smuggle ho raha hai

so wat else is left there is poverty. ghreeb awam dont care who the heck is there- either religion or secular. the survey u r refering to dont dealth with rural areas.
in ghreeb logoon ka to yeh haal hai k if u say haan ge (as an urbane), they will also gonna say haan ge."

n these so-called secular n religious leader sub topi baaz lotay hain.

p.s. yes i am extremly pissed on that sheikh rashid. :aj: who the heck he is to tell us if we dont appoint Musharraf, we gonna face marshal law!
WTH :mad: “as if we r living in paradise rite now” :super mad:

Secular Muslim countries are becoming economic progress models
Secular Muslim countries are becoming economic progress models
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Re: Support for secularism growing in Pakistan!

This is a bit of self-praise Zobia.

Every society keeps its "Acha maal" (best selection) close to its heart. Yeah some of the educated elite may come out of the country. But all the mega-farmers, industrialists, and businessmen make much more money and live in bigger Pakistani homes and drive flashier cars than most of you North Americans (UK paks are usually not as well to do as Pak-Americans).

These are the guys who thrive in Pakistan and thus determine the intellectual and social direction of the country.

So let's not be too pompous about being in America or EU.

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Re: Support for secularism growing in Pakistan!

^ gee tabhi steel mill k saath wo ho raha tha jo aziz-e-jaan cheezoon k saath hota hai.

do u know wat rice is considered best in states, its pakistani rice. :hoonh:
(just go n ask any household woman the difference).

  • go n check out quality of cotton. n then tell me wat is exported to japan. n then wat is imported from japan.
    n also come to US n see the quality of pakistani clothes over here in states n over there is pakistan.

  • go n check out spicez.
    -go n chek out their lives.

sub kuch pani may doodh or usi pani may garaseem, alag hogaeyea ga :teary2:

-rite now i am just asking u to go n check out. wait until i rite facts. but facts wo to shaid goray loug he acha likhtay hain, ya likheya jatay hain.

p.s. seriously i m so pissed today u cant imagine. i dont rite here much but the fact is all u ppl r so naive. in stupid poltician ko discuss kernay ka to app logoon ko bhut waqt hai.
kabhi PAKISTAIOON k leya bhi sooch loo.

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Re: Support for secularism growing in Pakistan!

Agree with the analysis 100%.

We neither need a theocratic state like Iran nor an ultra-liberal western. It shud be one that is democratic and respects the local culture.

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Re: Support for secularism growing in Pakistan!

Well, thats the problem. 60 years after independent we still don't know what we really want. Personally I think something like Malaysia would be perfect for society like ours.

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Re: Support for secularism growing in Pakistan!

I am not saying we should have theocracy either, what really matters most is enforcement of law and order... all these -----cracies will fail if we can't have law and order, justice etc.

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Re: Support for secularism growing in Pakistan!

Actually so is the united states. Come to think of it, the US is one of the most conservative countries in the Western Hemisphere....

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Re: Support for secularism growing in Pakistan!

Eh? Wouldn't it be better if religion was kicked out of law and order? A woman wouldn't need four witnesses of her being raped, for starters...

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Re: Support for secularism growing in Pakistan!

Well, we need a middle ground... But striking that balance is easier said then done. These days your either secular or a theocratic, with very little room in between.

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Re: Support for secularism growing in Pakistan!

You can't even think of having justice with such crazy medieval laws like hudood ordinance and blasphemy laws.

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Re: Support for secularism growing in Pakistan!

I didn't know that is the only blocking issue in all 100,000s of cases in all the courts, thank you for your enlightenment.

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Re: Support for secularism growing in Pakistan!


So a guy cannot be proscuted for killing someone, someone cannot be prosecuted for corruption, for dacoity/loot etc because there are medieval laws like Hudood ordinance and Blasphemy laws?

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Re: Support for secularism growing in Pakistan!

If the hudood laws are soo bad, why doesnt the 99.5% who support mush in the assembly get rid of it completely?

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Re: Support for secularism growing in Pakistan!

You know what I was referring to when I said justice, i.e. justice for those victimized by these 2 laws. In a country when such laws cannot be removed, what hope is their for other justice?

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Re: Support for secularism growing in Pakistan!


Obviously because it's an assembly of people's representatives and many of them belong to feudal and rural areas where honour killings are still considered ok. Just because they support Musharraf because there is no other half decent option does not mean they are right on every issue.

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Re: Support for secularism growing in Pakistan!

Khehkashan, I understand that point. There is difference in law makers (parliament, assemblies), law interpreters (courts) and law enforcers (police). But the problem in our country has been enforcement, police fails to enforce laws, and when it occasionaly does enforce it the 'culprit' finds out his connections in army/assembly and gets out of jail free.

And now we are seeing mockery of law making these days (separate topic).