Allah is in the House - From the darkest heart of Pakistan comes a report Allah knows you will enjoy not nearly as much as he did.
There is a tiny - and I must reiterate, tiny - minority who are taking the religion of Islam to a sinister new level. And this small fringe element . . . is making its presence felt more strongly than ever. They openly advocate terror, regard Osama Bin Laden as a "scholar of Islam" and their radical and militant views strike a chord with the impressionable, angry and frustrated youth . . . .
[M]y research opened up my eyes to the fact that people whom I know very well - friends, family, colleagues - possess opinions that are enough to send shivers down the spines of most people. These are ordinary people who have well-paid jobs, are educated and seem very pleasant in conversation. . . .
Young people also now have access to a vast amount of Islamic literature and websites in a language that is common to them. . . . The academic Benedict Anderson argued that, between 1500 and 1700, European countries established their national identities through the medium of print, creating an "imagined community". Perhaps the availability of literature and the internet is making more people conscious of their Islamic identity, creating an "imagined" Islamic community in the process. Websites such as islamonline.net and Islamicawakening.com are hugely popular with young [people]. And hundreds of Islamic conferences now take place around the country, providing a platform for Muslims to congregate, share opinions and remind each other of the global Muslim struggle. . . .
Wearing traditional clothes in no way marks you out as an extremist, but there's no ignoring the militant views of some young Muslims. I recall one conversation I had with Abdul and Jalaal in a [local] café. As we sat there, I felt as if we could almost have been brothers. Like me, they were of Bangladeshi origin and in their mid-twenties. But when I asked them about their opinions of September 11 and the recent Madrid bombings, I realised that we were polar opposites. "Whether it be through a bomb on a train or a natural disaster... Muslims are always happy to see the enemies of Allah being killed," suggested the stern-faced Jalaal. His . . . sidekick Abdul nodded in agreement. They were an almost comical double act - had it not been for their bloodthirsty views.
Considering that they're such a tiny - and Allah must reiterate, tiny - minority, the author of that article sure seems to have met a lot of them. But that's Pakistan for you.
Wait, did Allah say "Pakistan"? He meant "Great Britain".
Allahu Akbar. |
