Pakistan “Moral Laws” Spark Controversy
In Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province, a new law creating a religious
“police force” has been tabled and presented to the local government amidst protests countrywide and worldwide. This new bill, called extremist by Pakistan’s opposition parties is endorsed by the MMA or Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, Pakistan’s six- party religious alliance that holds the majority in the North-West Frontier Province.
This bill, resembling those of the old Taleban in Afghanistan, would allow for vigilante like groups to patrol the streets at night and during the day making sure that residents follow a few guidelines. First, residents will be required to observe daily prayers at precise times. In addition, unrelated males and females will be “discouraged” from meeting in public places and “singing and dancing” will also be forbidden. On Fridays, the Holy Day, the vigilantes will make sure stores and closed and no commerce is
conducted.
Islamic extremism is slowly becoming more and more a threat to national security not only in the United States but elsewhere as well. The London bombings were most likely conducted by Islamic extremists and even the most well
intentioned nations looking for commerce and not foreign policy(like South Korea and China) in the middle east have lost innocent civilians. Whether or not U.S. Foreign policy is well intentioned is highly debatable but terrorism is never ever justifiable on any grounds.
One fear that Pakistani officials and lawmakers have is “Talibanizing” or turning the government into a wing of the religion in the area. This kind of homogeneous thinking can only lead to psychological herding making people when they speak of their nation, refer to not only their nationality but their religion as well. As we have seen through history when the state and military become intermingled with the religion, it often give vindictive religions the power of the sword and has only lead to harming world peace and diplomacy.