Pakistan: still full of islamofascists

[wautd]

Thousands at funeral of Pakistani executed for murdering governor

Huge crowds mourn for Mumtaz Qadri, who was hanged for killing Salmaan Taseer over his opposition to blasphemy laws

An estimated crowd of more than 100,000 people have attended the funeral of Mumtaz Qadri, in a massive show of support for the convicted murderer of a leading politician who had criticised Pakistan’s blasphemy laws.

The vast gathering on Tuesday centred on Liaquat Park in Rawalpindi, where a succession of clerics made fiery speeches bitterly condemning the government for giving the go-ahead for Monday’s execution of Qadri, a former police bodyguard who became a hero to many of his countrymen after he shot and killed Salmaan Taseer, the governor of Punjab province, in 2011.

Fearing violence, authorities closed schools and beefed up security in both the garrison city of Rawalpindi and neighbouring Islamabad, the capital. Key roads were closed to traffic and the “red zone” near important government buildings was sealed.

Many people had travelled from around the country to attend the funeral, and crowds spilled out of the park on to the adjacent thoroughfare where throngs crushed around the flower-strewn ambulance that eventually brought Qadri’s body to the event.

Some of the all-male crowd wore “I am Qadri” signs around their necks while others held up the front page of the Ummat newspaper for bypassers to kiss, which was entirely covered with a photo of Qadri’s dead and garlanded body.

Many in the crowd were furious with the courts for convicting Qadri, with the governing faction of prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League for not ordering a presidential pardon, and with the media for agreeing to a strict news blackout on the protests.

Despite the huge numbers of mourners, none of the fleet of satellite trucks representing Pakistan’s numerous television stations were in attendance.

Sajjad Akhtar Abassi, a lawyer wearing the black suit and tie of his trade, condemned the supreme court for upholding Qadri’s death sentence last year.

“It is a court of law, not a court of justice,” he said. “Islam is a religion of peace and harmony but it does not allow anybody to use wrong words against the prophet or any other holy character.”

Qadri’s supporters believe he was justified in killing Taseer as he left a restaurant in Islamabad in 2011 because he had called for the pardoning of a poor Christian woman who had been convicted under blasphemy laws, which he also condemned.

The blasphemy laws are much criticised by human rights groups who say hundreds of people, mostly members of religious minorities, have been convicted for insulting Islam, often on flimsy evidence.

“The government can never change the blasphemy law because we are a nation of Muslims and the constitution already protects the position of minorities,” said Abassi.

The extreme sensitivity of the issue was reflected in the silence of Pakistan’s usually voluble politicians on the decision to execute Qadri.

On Monday night, video footage appeared online showing the information minister, Pervaiz Rasheed, being heckled by passengers in the departure lounge of Karachi airport.

One politician who did comment was the minister for religious affairs, Pir Muhammad Amin Ul Hasnat Shah, who released a statement that described Qadri as a martyr and urged people to participate peacefully in his funeral.

Thank Zeus this nation doesn't have nuclear weapons or I'd be worried for the future. Oh wait...

[madd0ct0r]

And at the back of the crowds a man with a little black book was scribbling down names...

[Ralin]

And at the back of the crowds a man with a little black book was scribbling down names...

Is this a reference to something?

[Elheru Aran]

And at the back of the crowds a man with a little black book was scribbling down names...

Is this a reference to something?

I do think it rings a bell (1984 perhaps?). But as far as I know he's merely noting that the government's security services are almost certainly noting down potential future trouble-makers for keeping tabs upon.

[wautd]

And at the back of the crowds a man with a little black book was scribbling down names...

Is this a reference to something?

I do think it rings a bell (1984 perhaps?). But as far as I know he's merely noting that the government's security services are almost certainly noting down potential future trouble-makers for keeping tabs upon.

Yeah... when in the article even a minister condones/justifies the political murder on one of his former collegues I don't have my hopes up too high

[madd0ct0r]

Pakistan central authorities are quite happy for America to continue droning lists of political dissidents / islamofacists. It's much cheaper then doing it yourself or running a non-klepotcratic state. It suits the general's for most of the population to be scared of the remainder. After all, the army is there to keep the peace.

[jwl]

There are several serial killers in the West that have fanbases, what is the diifference?

And at the back of the crowds a man with a little black book was scribbling down names...

Is this a reference to something?

Death Note?

[ray245]

Thank Zeus this nation doesn't have nuclear weapons or I'd be worried for the future. Oh wait...

It is this kind of people, the supporters that don't necessary carry out acts of violence but agrees and support the people doing so that feeds into people's fear of Muslims.

They represent the faces of Muslims worldwide, especially among people that have little contact with someone from the region. I don't think this will change in the near future until an actual progressive movement is actually strong enough to overturn such perception.

It's unfortunate that the failure of the Arab spring movement only serves to reinforce the perception that all people from these regions are Islamofacist.

[Darth Yan]

But why is Pakistan in particular so radical? According to various pew polls the Muslim world has pretty diverse views on more conservative views of their faith (a lot are either low or middling but Pakistan has been pretty high)
http://www.pewforum.org/files/2013/04/gsi2-chp1-9.png
http://www.pewforum.org/files/2013/04/gsi2-chp1-11.png

[K. A. Pital]

But why is Pakistan in particular so radical?

You can trace at least part of it to the infamous Pakistani dictator Zia Ul-Haq:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_ ... f_Pakistan