Radical Islamism & Jihad *Whither Pakistan? A Five Year Forecast<http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1570> *
*Religious extremism is devouring Pakistan* The clouds hanging over the future of Pakistan's state and society are getting darker. Collapse isn't impending, but there is a slow-burning fuse. While timescales cannot be mathematically forecast, the speed of societal decline has surprised many who have long warned that religious extremism is devouring Pakistan.Here is how it all went down the hill: The 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan devastated the Taliban. Many fighters were products of madrasas in Pakistan, and their trauma was partly shared by their erstwhile benefactors in the Pakistan military and intelligence. Recognizing that this force would remain important for maintaining Pakistani influence in Afghanistan--and keep the low-intensity war in Kashmir going--the army secretly welcomed them on Pakistani soil. Rebuilding and rearming was quick, especially as the United States tripped upin Afghanistan after a successful initial victory. -- *Pervez Hoodbhoy* More...<http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1570> Islamic Society *Muslims at Prayer -- 1<http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1569> * More...<http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1569> War on Terror *America, Give Pakistanis Books, not Guns<http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1567> * *Unfortunately, the United States* has acted in ways that have often empowered the militants. We have lavished more than $11 billion on Pakistan since 9/11, mostly supporting the Pakistani Army. Yet that sum has bought Pakistan no security and us no good will.* *In that same poll, 59 percent of Pakistanis said that they share many of Al Qaeda’s attitudes toward the United States, and almost half of those said that they support Al Qaeda attacks on Americans.* *One reason is that America hasn’t stood up for its own values in Pakistan. Instead of supporting democracy, we cold-shouldered the lawyers’ movement, which was the best hope for democracy and civil society.* **-- **NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF* More...<http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1567> Islam and the West *Israel steals Palestinian’s history too: 1948 no catastrophe, say Arab text books in Israel now<http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1568> * Israel's education ministry has ordered the removal of the word nakba – Arabic for the "catastrophe" of the 1948 war – from a school textbook for young Arab children, it has been announced. The decision – which will alter books aimed at eight- and nine-year-old Arab pupils – will be seen as a blunt assertion by Binyamin Netanyahu's Likud-led government of Israel's historical narrative over the Palestinian one. -- *Ian Black*, Middle East editor, Guardian, London More...<http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1568> Ijtihad, Rethinking Islam *Rethinking Islam: Need for ijtihad is paramount<http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1566> * Serious rethinking within Islam is long overdue. Muslims have been comfortably relying, or rather falling back, on age-old interpretations for much too long. This is why we feel so painful in the contemporary world, so uncomfortable with modernity. Scholars and thinkers have been suggesting for well over a century that we need to make a serious attempt at Ijtihad, at reasoned struggle and rethinking, to reform Islam. At the beginning of the last century, Jamaluddin Afghani and Mohammad Abduh led the call for a new Ijtihad; and along the way many notable intellectuals, academics and sages have added to this plea - not least Mohammad Iqbal, Malik bin Nabbi and Abdul Qadir Audah. Yet, ijtihad is one thing Muslim societies have singularly failed to undertake. Why? -- *Ziauddin Sardar* 4 Comments More<http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1566> -- Syed.Asadullah --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Asalam o Alaikum, You Are Receiving This Message, Because You Are A Member Of FOCUS ON ISLAM, A Google Group [..:: The Best Group For Nice Islamic Mails ::..] \/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<>\/ You can Post Your Comments and Suggestions to Me [Moderator of this Group] on this email address: [email protected] To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.google.com/group/focusonislam/ To post messages/mails to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] Please forward our Mails to Your friends, and convence them to join our Group. Wanna subscribe to this group, send email to [email protected] \/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<>\/ *********************************************************** The Official Website of Group is LAUNCHED, http://www.geocities.co -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
