What if -

[Reha]

Re: What if -

@SaeedinPakistan

It probably wouldn’t change much. It’s not the laws that are causing all the mess in Pakistan, it’s the people. Changing laws won’t change how people think and act. There is no quick/easy fix.

Like KKF said, the people who’ll end up losing power will convince people it’s something horribly wrong and then we’ll have riots. Pakistan won’t change much unless people start thinking different, and that won’t happen until the state of education gets better.

I think it would -

Religion is the driving force behind the country, the people, the laws, the values, the morals, the society, everything. Everything in Pakistan has some sort of religious basis - not necessarily true Islam but their version of Islam.

If you eliminate Islam - you also eliminate a reason for people to openly persecute someone else. Yes, it will happen because no country is perfect, not even the US. But it wouldn’t happen the way it is now.

@delhi2lahorekarachi

Rehaji you ask a brave question. I personally also think religion is personal rather than political. Even in subcontinent in secular countries sometimes religion is used in politics for communalim. Although i feel if religion had been the basis of government and law there is a chance it could be affected by imperfect people and then abused. Who will ensure it is properly applied, whose version of religion would be applied? What if a Wahabbi PM was elected who felt destroying Buddhist monuments, as occured under Taliban in Afghanistan, was his duty? Pakistan does have a beautiful collection of Buddhist monuments great for tourism. Who would protect them if not the government? If it had been personal there probably would have been more minorities living in Pakistan rather than going abroad, they would have felt they belonged and they wouldn’t be seen as second class citizens. Dr Abdul Salam, the first Muslim Nobel laureate, a Pakistani Ahmadiya, worked to improve things in developing countries but left for UK when he was declared a “non-Muslim” in the constitution. People may have believed them to be non-Muslim but when it became official despite being a patriotic Pakistani he left in protest. His tomb in Pakistan has many visitors but has got defaced so it reads just Abdul Salam rather than Abdul Salam, first Muslim Nobel Laureate as it did before. Not saying that all Pakistanis would see them that way but some fringe elements might. If US had been a Christian country how different would it be and how would right wing people make minorities feel? Many Pakistani minorities are very patriotic, like Deepak Perwani, but not all have a chance to display their patriotism.

This is what I mean. I do know some people that are Christian Pakistanis…but they don’t have the freedom to wear their culture on their sleeve the way we Muslims do. Because Pakistan is still very much prejudiced against non-Muslims.

I am an American. My Pakistani heritage makes me no less American. My faith makes me no less American. In fact, my life here is representative of the fact that this is America…land of the free. The area I live in…practically every single suburb has a mosque of its own. Is it possible for churches to be built in that manner in Pakistan? No. Because its a Muslim country where only Islam will be allowed to flourish. I have my loyalty here because this country has given me sukoon, safety and allowed me to be me. Why are non-Muslim Pakistanis not allowed to have the same loyalties to Pakistan? Here, I can go to a mosque and if I choose to, I can go to a church. No one will bat an eye at me. But would that be possible in Pakistan? Would I be able to live a life as anything else besides a Muslim in Pakistan carefree? No.

This is why I have always felt Pakistan was not meant to be a Muslim country. There should be no imposing religious influences in public places. None. It just doesn’t work based on the principle it was created on - freedom for those persecuted for their faith.

Take out Islam and you’ll have yourself some Pakistanis…they could be purple, green, pink…but they’d all be Pakistanis.