Terrorists have no religion..?...True/False...?

Jihad by Iyer on 2009-01-07 02:32:30.560524+05:30
Bluff. Islam and Koran preach terrorism. People belonging to other religions are called "Kafirs" (Infidels) by Islamic religionists.

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Islam and Terrorism by Dr.Chandra k.Shekar on 2009-01-07 02:14:38.274925+05:30
It is great for him and other muslims to say terrorism has no religion and to delink terrorism from religion. The problem is that most of the massacres are carried out by people whose names start with or end in mohommed or masood or ismail or omar or osama and they make no secret of wanting to kill innocent people in the name of islam with the aim of going to(?Islamic) heaven.Also in J

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OMAR.....ke liya meri Umar by dv sharma on 2009-01-06 20:52:04.492479+05:30
Omar be bold, active, sensible(you are), humanitarion....you can be the next Prime Minister of India, because economist always busy in calculations. We want youngesters. Your presence on the horizon of India is welcome.

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Good point by Vasireddy on 2009-01-06 20:20:39.514457+05:30
Very matured speech and to the point. Keep it up.

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Delink religion from terrorism, says Omar by v ramiya on 2009-01-06 19:37:59.683177+05:30
grievances should be addressed. no doubt about it. but islamic terrorism is real. those who think it is nothing to do with islam are people who close their eyes and believe world does not exist. every islamic terrorist group clearly indicates what its objectives are in their website. none indicates terrorism is due to lack of opportunities for fellow muslims. rather, they openly emphasize the need to convert India into an islamic nation. it is wise to accept their proclamations than to listen to leftist and terrorist sympathizers as to the reasons for islamic terrorism.

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Kasab- The Killer Paki Terrorist

Readers Opinions	Write to Editor
Kasab thought he was on Mission Kashmir
Naeem,Pakistan,says:I am a Paksiatni and feel very upset what the likes of Kasab have done in Mumbai. This man is not a Muslim or a Hindu or a Christain. He is a terrorist. Both he and the people who brainwashed him should be shown no mercy. Get all the information out of him so that his trainers are revealed as well. Atthis point, I don't care where he came from.  [5 Jan, 2009 1124hrs IST] Sharad C. Misra,Mumbai,says:Shocking ! It shows the extent to which an illiterate or semi-literate , gullible person can be brain-washed so that he can even lay down his life for a fictional cause ! In this case, unlike cases of Tamil Tigers or the Kamicaze Japanese pilots during the Second World War the motivating force to propel the likes of Kasab into action was Islam. Persons like Kasab are conditioned into believing that by sacrificing their lives in the service of Allah they would be destined to paradise where life would be an eternal bliss. They can be only saved from falling into the clutches of terror gurus in madarsaas and seminaries by the Government scanning their curriculum and expurgating from it all that teaches hatred against other religions. There is no other way. [5 Jan, 2009 0443hrs IST] Jack,Samaspur, Punjab, India,says:I thought he already spent some time in the Taj Hotel in summer to study it for the grand plan. That was stated by him during his initial statements. Has he now changed his mind? How can anyone believe this? [5 Jan, 2009 0436hrs IST] P.M.G.Pillai,Mannar Allpauzha Kerala,says:Dear On Line Editor,Ajmal Amir qasb is not revealing all truth but only twisting things for example when he travelled by a boat the certainly he should have know that Kashmir is not asurrounded by any ocean.During eighteen months training hateindia Hate Hinduism must have beenn the most important subject to tune his mind towards saturating his mind on hated to India. Then his statement that Islam doesnot allow killing innocents if correct then he must have known that people standing at Chatrapathy Sivaki Rail way startion were just INNOCENTS waiting for arrival of thier trian to home. But what did he do open fire against all who were in raliwaystartion..Probabaly initially during traing he must have been told that this batch is being traned to free kashmir because the populationwas Islamic and for that killing any one is a route to HEVAN alaso must have been told.Ajmal Amirs mind is still with Islamic Jihadi and AntiIndian he will,not let all secrets of their set up inspite of all questioning. This is clearfrom his statemensts.He must be put up for trial for carrying out TERRORIST activities by trespassing into India, killing hundreds of innocent people and then the government must act according to the court judgement.If the India government still imagines that Pakistan will hand overor even put any one for trial under Pak law is justmoonshine,The Pak government is highly Partisan hence they can not put people on trial or takwe any other action.It is essential that the government ofIndia undersad this fact and keeping this in mind only negotiate or discuss with Pakistan  [5 Jan, 2009 0424hrs IST] tanyashaw,USA,says:Thats exactly what i had written in my earlier comments. India's aggression in Kashmir has come around to hit her. India should stop killing innocent people in kashmir and bring about a people friendly solution to the disputed territory and stop being arrrogant about Kashmir as being its integral part, which is not true at all. By hiding the realities from its own people and letting extremist elements cash on what is happening in Kashmir, India is exposing its people to more threat than before.  [5 Jan, 2009 0419hrs IST] HeWasRight1,India,says:Actually he was right....ultimatly it would lead to get indians kicked out of Kashmir....he was right, nothing brainwashed there!!! [5 Jan, 2009 0412hrs IST] Krushan Kumar,India,says:This man was firing his automatic killing people - men, women and children. He know what he was doing, he heard them cry in pain. He has been trained to talk to his interrogators. He knows he will get away like the indian airline hijacker. The least the indian police could do is to hang the pictures of his victims on his wall. He should see those picture day and night.  [5 Jan, 2009 0337hrs IST] David Cardozo,Mumbai,says:Stop making Mohammad Kasab, the lone surving captured terrorist humane. He is not a victim, he was a ruthless, violent Muslim who came to specially kill Hindus. Now its upto India's leadership to show some spine and take on Pakistan head on. Even if they have a nuclear bomb. What about our nuclear bomb. How many Indians should die, be maimed, property damaged and violent acts perpetuated by Pakistan trained terrorist before our spineless leadership takes some concrete action against Pakistan even if that means war. We need to destroy Pakistan once and for all and take their land without the people as compensation. This will be a just war, its been thrust upon us unfortunately. When India fights this war, India should not care for human right or innocent people getting killed. Human rights is preached to the week. Human right organisations lack credibility. Where are they when millions of African American youth are rotting in US jails, Native Americans in the US anihilated, in Saudi Arabia, China. Does life in India has any value to these human rights organisations. For once Indians should be ready to die and take casualties and go for war to teach Pakistan the ulitimate lesson and wipe it out. We spend billions on the armed forces for what? To protect whom? Its time to use them. [5 Jan, 2009 0318hrs IST] ajoy,patna,says:why the interrogators did not ask him to name and details of his neighbours, their children, his relatives and his covillagers and their children, his friends and their parents and make those names public? it would not have been possible for Pakistan to hide the whole village, from the international eyes. contrary to popular opinion, i would prefer that he lives so long in captivity that he repents his decisions and his actions. he should ask for death but should be kept alive in captivity. longer the life, greater are the chances for his humanization. [5 Jan, 2009 0227hrs IST] Hughes,USA,says:Just torture and kill this terrorist thug. He should be shown no remorse. It is a shame that journalists report of how his mother would pardon him. How about that little kid that he is said to have shot and killed at CST station? That kid will never see the world and never have a chance to grow to be an adult, nor realise his or her little dreams and desires. Thugs should be shown no mercy.  [5 Jan, 2009 0218hrs IST] RM,US,says:They should make a documentry of him and release it to world. It will be a lessons and eye opener to all those developing terrorists that no body goes to heaven etc and all this is bull shit. The documentry should be released in world to show that there is nothing achived by terrorism and people should work constructive rather than destructive [5 Jan, 2009 0154hrs IST] KEITH ,U.S.A.,says:The Indian Prime Minister and the Union Minister of law and justice should get America and the third world country to come together and get hold of Prime Minister of Pakistan and who ever is responsible to be bought to books.What we are hearing about Pakistan it looks as if there is no law there, America should get into Pakistan like Iraq and do what was done in Iraq,that is the only way out.  [5 Jan, 2009 1121hrs IST] suchitra,malysia,says:Kasab is lying to the maximum possible.He feels he can gain sympathy through all this.But what he should know now is that he can start counting number of days he is going to live(alla's Islam wish)that if he is taken to Pakistan his alla's wished people (militants )won't keep him alive and if he is in India he will be hanged anyways. So now what he should understnd is that he should tell the real truth .Not talk about Islam ,Jihadi's or gods child etc stuff.He should tell the truth about those militants who made him this and how can we get through them so that no more jihadis,mujahudins and militants kill innocent people IN THE NAME OF ISLAM. [5 Jan, 2009 1052hrs IST] Mr India,India,says:Kashmir is not under Indian occupation for it to be given up. Ask Pakistan to give it up. [5 Jan, 2009 1051hrs IST] rajath,kerala,says:I dont think any god will accept this persons action.I think he should get a punishment that should be a lesson for others. [5 Jan, 2009 1036hrs IST] khan,hyd,says:we should strike deep into POK and destroy these dreaded elements . [5 Jan, 2009 1027hrs IST] Khem Harin,Toronto ,says:God is love. Was Kasab expressing his love for these people by brutally murdering them? What about the 13 year old child who lost his entire family? Does he feel great love towards God because of Kasab actions. What kind of God would instruct his people to brutally murder his own creation?. No, it was not God motiving these killers but it was Satan.The enemy of the human race, the source of such hatred.  [5 Jan, 2009 1019hrs IST] Kaushik,Bangalore,says:Did he not also know that he was in Mission Kashmir to save a damsel in distress?? It sounds so funny. Once caught they act so naive and innocent as if one fine day they got up and someone asked them to go for a mission and they listened! Stop such Crap. Everyone knows that right from the childhood they are taught to think ill about India and Indians. And why is media so hell bent in highlighting his thoughts?  [5 Jan, 2009 1014hrs IST] riya,pune,says:How can any person be convinced by other and how can anybody do it by taking god's name?  [5 Jan, 2009 1002hrs IST] Raja Hindustani,USA,says:I don't understand why is TOI making Kasab a HERO. He is such a dreaded terrorist who killed innocent civilians and the super cop Tukaram Ombale. By making comments like this one "He was brainwashed for Mission Kashmir and all" is just INSULTING the dead Indians and the ones injured. I hope some day Indian media would start doing some duty towards the nation than just becoming an entertainment channel/web-site. [5 Jan, 2009 0957hrs IST] Asif,Delhi,says:Dear Editor, "You can tell a person who does not know, you can tell again to the person who fails to understand - But you cannot tell a person who knows but pretends as if he does not know." - Same is the story with Pakistan - they want proofs!! There are issue of so called 'Kashmir liberation' being discussed. Which liberation are we pointing to? - was not the way Kashmir inducted in Indian territory consistent with other regions. If I understand correctly - 'Kashmir liberation' may mean getting the POK and China occupied region FREE! I think this Bombay attack saga is our own problem and we need to deal with it ourself. Don't expect China, US or Britain to help in this!! I think enough time has been 'wasted' on diplomacy routes which hardly resulted any fruitful action. Enough has been obtained from this person. If Pakistan don't own him then send him to 'his version of allah'. No point wasting resources for these type of people. [5 Jan, 2009 0950hrs IST] Hans G.,Germany,says:Look at Israel - they feel the pinch and hit back precisely and deeply where it hurts the most to stop their own pain. I bow my head to this survival instinct. Now look at India - pacifists and fed on lies that BPOs and Software would make the lives of the billion people better and magically the infrastructure would become better as well. World power? Super power? Think again! What this pitiless terrorist does and does not do is not the point -- the point is, where is India's survival instinct? [5 Jan, 2009 0941hrs IST] Niraj Sharma,Sambalpur,says: This is ridiculous I don't Know why we Indians are so emotional and why media is also getting Emotional on this point in time. We all know what he has done. If this time again if we get emotional than no one can save us.  [5 Jan, 2009 0940hrs IST] Rad,Canada,says:Kashmir is just a pretex,its just a fake reason; it is not the TRUE CAUSE. The true causes are 1)illiteracy & poverty, 2)the dangerous Islamic fundamentals, 3)the anti-India sentiments in pak culture. If pakistan is so much in love with kashmir then why did it give away land (Aksichin) as gift to china? It could have hung on to that piece of land too. We have border dispute with China too, so why don't they start some kind of jihaad in order to regain Arunachal Pradesh. They do not do it because its not in there "religious & cultural" sense. On the other hand these young boys in Pakistan and India are made to believe in some religious book, and sent for jihaad on pretentions! Kashmir is just an ego-issue for pak and can be resolved through talks. Anybody who thinks that terrorism is because of Kashmir problem are fools. India never occupied Kashmir. It was and is a part of India since independance. [5 Jan, 2009 0935hrs IST] Masudali Shankar,Tianjin, China,says:Dear Sir, With regard to the recent news articles about the sole surviving terrorist, I wish to make two points. First, if Pakistani 4th standard dropouts were able to hold off the cream of the Indian anti terror forces for as long as this lot did, we ought to be glad that they were not people who could think on their feet, and adapt tactics as necessary. Second, the Government of Maharashtra has not announced the composition of the panel that will investigate the episode, nor has the new Chief Minister announced what precise goals he has regarding securing the city, and the timetable in which he commits to getting them done. As long as there is no distance between the politicians and security services on postings, promotions, etc., these incidents will reoccur.  [5 Jan, 2009 0921hrs IST] VN,India,says:Just hang this guy,he has worked for satan not god, why should we hear his stories now ? This guy has no remorse and has commited the most unforgivable of crimes. Extract as much information from him and just hang him. [5 Jan, 2009 0910hrs IST] avinash,Sydney,says:Pak Mujhids can only kill innocent people as soft targets. Where are they, now when innocent Palestenians are being slaughtered ? Mahatma Gandhi said that eye for an eye policy will result in all being blind ! How factual. [5 Jan, 2009 0906hrs IST] satyendra,delhi,says:I am surprise to see why so many importance is given to this one terrorist or incidence. I agree that we are living under threat of terror but that does not mean we become used to read only one news everyday. There has been so many attacks/blast in the past and even after this in Assam. We have not done much for any of those attacks. Number of people died or suffered in other attacks has been significant as well. We need to think a comprehensive solution and act rather than just warnings to Pakistan.  [5 Jan, 2009 0901hrs IST] Smriti,Pune,says:I believe that whatever said and done,he killed many innocent people by his act and hence he should be hanged.Even if his handlers brainwashed him,it should have given him no reason to still kill people be it in Kashmir or Mumbai.No point keeping a trial. [5 Jan, 2009 0837hrs IST] killpaki,karachirampur,says:Pakistan is a failed state. It is written off. Either U.S. or U.K. should take over and run the administration. Pakistan is incapable of administration. [5 Jan, 2009 0814hrs IST] Readers Opinions  Write to Editor Kasab thought he was on Mission Kashmir Manish,USA,says:CBI should read the blog as well . They will find so many traitors who actually directly or indirectly support massacre by telling it as an act of conspiracy. How about keeping watch on them.  [5 Jan, 2009 0726hrs IST] inidan,hongkong,says:Kasab had come to Mumbai and killed many innocent people and caught red handed why still govt is holding him, just hang him or shoot him. he was supposed to be killed in shooting.Time will come when Indian citizens will rally against govt for doing nothing. [5 Jan, 2009 0721hrs IST] Harsh,USA,says:Kasab says - "He did not do anything against Islam, which is against killing of innocents". I would like to know why those Indians who were gunned down by him in Mumbai were not innocent in the eyes of Islam? What is the crime of my India according to Pakistan or Islam which justifies this attack ? [5 Jan, 2009 0716hrs IST] Imran,Canada,says:I do not know why media is depicting this guy as a God of Terror. We daily listen something from Indian media about him. Probably he is more famous than Shah Rukh Khan in India, What more this guy may like? By the way i do not know when and how many times this guy go to washroom, I will be thankful to the media if get this information. Whereas the reality is that till now, any American agency has not given the statement that this guy is a Pakistani. [5 Jan, 2009 0551hrs IST] GM Malik,Michigan, USA,says:it is sad and tragic to see innocent people being killed by millitants or by the government army in kashmir. we all should look at the reality of what is "cause and Effect" of this tragedy. As suggested by Christan Science monitor newspaper a few days ago, India can not grow into and become a super economic power as long as it is going to hang to Kashmir. Even the British had to eventually give up thier occupation of India - it is matter of time and the price of occupation - India needs to learn from the history.  [5 Jan, 2009 0547hrs IST] jigar,australia,says:truely well said article... people now a days wants these kinds of articles to read and follow almost daily basis... thanks sri sri ravi shankar for giving us such good thoughts [5 Jan, 2009 0546hrs IST] drbmsharma,gwalior,says:Such news items are of significance. It is possible to hypnotise a man if he is illiterate. This is a lesson for all the parents of the world: be it a girl or boy: first requirement is that they have education which teaches them respect for secular and democratic values including respect for all religions. Mr. Kasab is a material evidence not only for sociologists but also a source of regrets for all so called fanatic teachers of all religions. [5 Jan, 2009 0545hrs IST] semi,France,says:The Indian Govt.produce him on TV where he will be seen by the world . Then If PAK still denies his confessions despite all the evidence ( FBI ETC ) then India should carry out precise punitive strikes against all Terror cells in POK and Bangladesh. PAY BACK TIME. PAK is black mailing India ..Time to put stop to eyepass [5 Jan, 2009 0545hrs IST] Zia-Ul-Huq,India,says:Zionists and sangh parivar were responsible for this attack, when will hindus understand that all this is zionist conspiracy with the help of sangh parivar? [5 Jan, 2009 0504hrs IST] Prof. P.R. Murti,Trinidad, West indies,says:Kasab says "he will never pick up a gun again". He will not as the hangman's noose is reserved for him. [5 Jan, 2009 0446hrs IST] Dr.K,USA,says:This is the root of the problem - "Kasab was indoctrinated into the hate-India campaign by making him believe that he would go to heaven (jannat) for his actions." Somehow, India must convey to the pakistani madrassas that once slain, their disciples bodies will be buried or cremated along with dead pigs in India. Thus, they will never enter their heaven. Also, Indians should raise pig farms along the Indo-paki border at a large scale to reduce these heaven-loving medieval barbarians from entering India. [5 Jan, 2009 0152hrs IST] Arup,Stockholm,says:It seems the preachers of true Islam are not doing much to eradicate this wrong believe which terrorist are using to brainwash the innocent people to take up weapons. or is it the true face of Islam? [5 Jan, 2009 0146hrs IST] dont know,Dallas, TX,says:Kasab, where in Qur'an its written to kill people? [5 Jan, 2009 0138hrs IST] Umesh,USA,says:India should invite Kasab's parents to come and see him. This will be great humanitarian gesture and will go a long way in calling Pakistani lie. [5 Jan, 2009 0125hrs IST] Rohit,USA,says:stop this hero worship of this terrorist. We should not give him celebrity status.  [5 Jan, 2009 0103hrs IST] UMESH,USA,says:ANOTHER NEWS STORY TO CONFUSE THEM SELF.  [5 Jan, 2009 0048hrs IST]

Public Platform

To Fix Islam, Start From the Inside

The best way to fight radicalism is to empower Muslim women worldwide.

America's 44th President will not need any 3 a.m. phone calls to keep him awake. Figuring out how to restore the United States' moral authority in the Islamic world —while encouraging Muslims to reform themselves—would stop anyone from sleeping soundly.

The solution will require more than success in Iraq or the Palestinian territories. After all, most Muslims live outside the Middle East, and Washington must learn to acknowledge their worth. Doing so demands a foreign-policy rethink. Instead of being driven strictly by counterterrorism, the United States' approach to Muslims should be complemented by a universal human-rights thrust—a cooperative strategy that recognizes ordinary Muslims, especially women, to be immediate targets of jihadism, as well as indispensable partners in the fight against it.

Such a foreign policy would not only improve the United States' global image, it would also allow Americans to form smart alliances and make even smarter use of tools like microcredit. And it would intensify the U.S. pursuit of rights-abusing thugs—those who bomb, behead, bury alive or beat up civilians. Not coincidentally, these are often the same criminals who threaten U.S. security. A textbook example is the Iranian government, which makes everyday Muslims its first victims. Last year the regime arrested Zohreh and Azar Kabiri, 20-something mothers, on charges of adultery. The sisters got 99 lashes each before being sentenced to be draped in white sheets, lowered into dirt pits and stoned to death with fist-size rocks.

Islamic law can be brutal; no amount of cultural theorizing erases this fact. But as a faithful, feminist Muslim, I know that seventh-century cruelty is not inevitable in the 21st century. Human interpretations of divinely inspired words are exactly that—human, fallible and subject to reversal. In October, during the United Nations' annual debate about children's rights, Iran announced its intention to reduce juvenile executions. Campaigns in more than 80 countries and local activists prodded Tehran to that point. The next step is follow-through, and savvy pressure by the United States and other nations can help. The trick for Washington is to listen and learn: listen to dissidents who seek support, respect those who do not and learn from those with a track record of triumph.

Let the record show that human dignity can win. Ahmad Batebi is an Iranian democracy advocate who has faced certain execution more than once over the past decade. A 1999 photo of him—captured in the midst of a bloody protest—circulated worldwide on the cover of a Western magazine. The fallout apparently induced cold feet at the gallows. Batebi's execution was postponed long enough for him to flee to the United States, where he now lives. Western attention also advanced the recent case of a Saudi woman who was gang-raped, then threatened with jail for "dishonoring" her community. Late last year a media uproar amplified by U.S. broadcasters compelled King Abdullah to take the extraordinary step of pardoning her.

Given these nonviolent victories, why do citizens and governments of the West often bristle at the notion of getting involved? Put bluntly, too many freeze in fear of being deemed racists for taking up "other" people's business. But as the economy has rudely reminded us, ours is an interdependent age in which the "other" is a mirage. Muslims inhabit the same world as non-Muslims. No wonder a rising number of Islamic scholars—such as Prof. Bassam Tibi of Germany and Abhdullahi Ahmed An-Naim, a Sudanese-American and renowned expert in Sharia—argue that everyone should enjoy the same freedoms of thought, conscience and expression.

This is not to counsel more military invasions to rescue Muslims from each other. Exactly the opposite: Washington's fixation on counterterrorism reduces Muslims to the status of perceived anti-American conspirators, creating enemies out of those who ought to be Lady Liberty's fiercest allies. Foremost among them are Muslim women, who have the most to gain from reform withinIslam. Ultimately, it is women who will help Muslims help themselves. The new U.S. president can benefit the Islamic world by engaging the entrepreneurial talents of Muslim women.

nter a tiny miracle known as microcredit.

In this season of financial turmoil, it takes chutzpah, I confess, to propose more lending as the answer to anything. But extending minuscule loans to Muslim villagers has demonstrated its worth time and again, inspiring near-perfect repayment rates that shame today's industrial banks. Better yet, microcredit has the backing of Islam. Khadija, beloved first wife of the Prophet Muhammad, was a self-made merchant who employed her husband for many years. If Muslim men are serious about emulating the life of Islam's messenger, they should have no qualms about letting their wives work for themselves. Moreover, according to traditional Islamic teachings, when a woman earns assets, she may spend 100 percent of them as she sees fit. Through microloans, Muslim women can launch community businesses that build profits and, ultimately, change cultures.

I know of a woman in Afghanistan who accepted a $200 microloan, started a candle-making venture, and used some of the returns to pay for reading lessons. She found female-friendly verses in the Qur'an and recited them to her still-illiterate husband. When he realized that these words came from God's book rather than a secular declaration of human rights, he immediately stopped beating her. Not exactly paradise, but no longer the pit of hell.

Microloans would also equip Muslim women to establish their own schools. That, too, is happening in parts of Kabul, where handwritten signs proclaim, "Educate a boy and you educate only that boy. But educate a girl and you educate her entire family." A sign aimed at the U.S. president might read: "Remember the multiplier effect of investing in Muslim women."

To be sure, Washington cannot neglect the Arab states—nor would it by embracing this approach. If anything, the baby boom in today's Middle East illuminates the urgency of microloans for Muslim women there. About 60 percent of Arabs are now under 20 years old (compared with 29 percent of Americans). In one decade (or just over two U.S. presidential terms), Arab Muslim numbers are projected to increase to 430 million. Plenty of young Arabs have college degrees, yet no prospects for work. The idle often gravitate to radical organizations. Deny this growing generation an opportunity to participate economically, and the chaos could convulse our planet.

Here again, microcredit offers a way forward: Muslim businesswomen can save not only their families and neighborhoods but also people and places beyond. Entrepreneurial mothers create spaces of commerce—and imagination—for their children. The ensuing sense of possibility will stem the globalization of grievance. That is why microcredit for Muslim women would fit seamlessly into a foreign policy that balances counterterrorism with human rights.

In adopting this policy, the new president should ally with other countries, each of which would shave a sliver of its annual security budget and pool the proceeds into a coherent microloan program. Bye-bye to the Coalition of the Willing. Hello, salaam, and possibly shalom to the Alliance of the Interdependent.

Western nations ought to join the alliance, but Muslim countries, particularly the royally rich Gulf states, must also pull their weight. The next U.S. president can whisper into the ears of emirs his respect for the Qu'ran's message of personal responsibility. Islam's scripture tells Muslims that "God does not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves." Translation for Muslim leaders: put your money where your moderation is.

In the same spirit, the president should push for a Muslim country to spearhead this alliance. Turkey—a trusted U.S. ally, a veteran NATO member and a functioning democracy—seems a natural candidate, but its ardent desire to become part of the European Union incites suspicion in the rest of the Islamic world. I thus nominate Indonesia, the biggest Muslim country on earth. Its 17,000 islands bustle with as many believers as the entire Middle East. Unlike most of the Middle East, however, Indonesia is an electoral democracy with a secular Constitution that celebrates "unity in diversity." It is a nation forged from 300 ethnicities, scores of languages and a history of tolerance among Muslims, Christians, Hindus and animists. Indonesia faces its own extremist threat. But if the United States welcomed Indonesia's stewardship on behalf of all Muslims, especially before next year's national elections there, the gesture could go far to ensuring that pluralistic Islam carries the day.

Even with Indonesia at the helm, some will smear the Alliance of the Interdependent as a handmaiden of U.S. imperialism; such a rhetorical cudgel is just too convenient to be abandoned. But the new cooperator in chief can draw strength—and inspiration—from language Martin Luther King Jr. once used when accused by eight Alabama clergymen of being an "outsider." As the civil-rights icon replied, "We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial 'outside agitator' idea."

So it must be in our day, when citizenship is that much more global. Islamist radicals do not give a fig for moderate Muslims—whom they term the "near enemy"—or for Westerners, the "far enemy." We wear the same garment. All the more reason to treat universal human rights as a link between our mutual security interests: the bridge that will return America not just to dry land, but to higher ground.

Manji, creator of the PBS documentary “Faith Without Fear,” is a scholar with the European Foundation for Democracy and the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University.

Public Platform

Pakistan: Islamic or secular?

Email: news.post@thenews.com.pk Saturday, January 03, 2009 Dr Muzaffar Iqbal in his column "Islamic or secular Pakistan?" (Jan 2) seems to present quite a controversial case. He states, quite clearly, that Pakistan was made on the basis of 'La ilaha ill-Allah' (there is no deity except Allah). However, what he fails to understand is how Pakistan was not only made for the Muslims but was also made for the protection and freedom of all minorities. Our great leader, M A Jinnah, stated in a speech made to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on August 11, 1947: "You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in this state of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed that has nothing to do with the business of the state."  What does this statement show? That religion has nothing to do with the business, or running, of state affairs. If the Quaid of this country made this speech, I strongly stand by it and feel that no matter what argument Dr Iqbal gives, it will never be substantial enough to deviate from this truth. In addition, he also stated that if alcohol and prostitution are made legal then theft, murder, robbery and all other crimes should be made legal too. This is by far one of the most childish and ridiculous arguments I have ever heard. Anything done in excess is not good.  Having said that, if an individual decides to drink but not in excess, in accordance to the laws of society, he is not harming anyone and this involves him, and solely, him. If an individual murders someone, he has involved another person; he has harmed another person; he has killed another person. Only God has the right to give and take life and therefore, the legalisation of alcohol cannot be compared with the legalisation of crimes such as murder, robbery etc. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in a rally once stated: "Yes I do drink wine... but at least I don't drink the people's blood!" This was reacted to with a thunderous applause and appreciation from the people.  When and if the government legalises alcohol, they will themselves see the benefit they are providing to society. I will explain this by saying that when alcohol is made legal, all bootleggers would stop making their huge profits (since no one really has stopped drinking behind closed doors), and this would result in the government making a lot of revenue on this, which could be used positively towards the construction of schools, hospitals, roads, and so on. Imaan Hazir Islamabad

Terrorists sexually Humiliated guests before killing them

Foreign nationals at the Taj were particular targets of barbaric terrorists who first forced some of the guests to strip, then killed them

By Santosh Mishra

Disturbing photographs made available to this newspapers by police sources indicate that several of the guests at the Taj Mahal Hotel during the siege November 26 were sexually humiliated by the terrorists and then shot dead. Police sources confirm that even as the terrorists were engaged in a fierce combat with NSG commandos, they were humiliating their hostages before ending their terrifying ordeal.  Foreign guests were their particular target. Eight of the 31 killed at the Taj were foreign nationals. Photographs taken by a police forensic team after the hotel was sanitised yield a gruesome picture of some of the guests in the nude.  These bodies were found away from the hotel's swimming pool which makes it clear that they were not those guests who were taken hostage from the poolside.  "Even the Rabbi and his wife at Nariman House were sexually assaulted and their genitalia mutilated," said a senior officer of the investigating team, not wishing to be quoted. “We have CCTV footage which reveals how these terrorists forced some of the guests who were holed up in restuarants to strip, but there is not evidence of rape,” he added.  These pictures, most of which we have refrained from printing, are in the records of the police and are now part of the investigation.