The September edition of National Geographic Magazine has a great article about the sad and interesting situation in Pakistan.

You can read it online here: Struggle for the Soul of Pakistan.

It highlights all of the terrible things happening there, the usual “so-called Muslim” idiocy: gang rapes, corruption, injustice, murder… Interestingly, these “so-called Muslims” are the ones the Quran speaks of in 2:11-12. They are troublemakers and criminals of the highest degree, yet they are oblivious to that fact. Instead, they see themselves as doing God’s work. I’d like one of those idiots to explain how making death threats against a man like Edhi is anywhere near “Islamic”.

“I’m a Muslim,” says Edhi, “but my true religion is human rights.”

Yet it shows an optimistic angle, too. Pakistanis are not mindless terrorists or hopelessly backward morons. (Surprise!)

“Yes, there are extremists here,” says Pakistani novelist Mohsin Hamid. “But they are a small minority in a nation of 165 million people. Most of us want nothing to do with violence.”

I love Pakistan and miss it a lot This article brought back good (and bad) memories and reminds me of how much we have yet to accomplish as a species.

Suggested Reading: Social Justice: The first pillar of Islam