Violence... The story so far

This page updates the status of the Taliban and by implication, what may be going on with bin Laden and what is left of al Qa'ida. We report original quotes from the front page article of the 17-23 April 2009 edition of The Guardian Weekly."

Individual	Quote
Yousaf Gilani Prime Minister	[The new law] "has the support of the nation."
Javed Almed Shopkeeper	"As long as there is peace, it doesn't matter what the law is; if sharia law can do that, that's just fine."
Ayesha Khan, Women's right activist	"The government has officially accepted Taliban rule in Swat. How can this regulation bring peace, hope, and real justice if you don't have even your basic rights? People may be happy today, but they are going to regret it."

Sufi Mohammad Pro-Taliban cleric	"Those who have carried guns will quit their armed struggle... Our aim is to forget the past and move forward."
Asma Jahangir United Nations special Rapporteur on religious freedoms.	"I don't think this law is going to appease the Taliban. It's just going to give them a taste of victory."
Taliban Spokesman	["Any politician who voted against the law would be considered an apostate, a crime that carries the death penalty under traditional Islamic law."]
Farooq Sattar Government Minister	"The government is buying peace at gun point... This will have far-reaching consequences for the idea of a moderate and peaceful Pakistan."
Alio Davan Hasan Senior South Asia researcher with Human Rights Watch	[Pakistan is] "oscillating between fighting the bad war and making the bad peace."
Taliban Officials	Quoted to the effect that they considered Islamic law the first step in a broader movement intended to encompass economic, political and economic change.

In another article, "theguardian weekly," p. 11, reported: "A female politician was shot dead last weekend after leaving a provincial council meeting in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the killing."

Dateline 16 April 2009

"Sharia doesn't permit us to lay down arms," Muslim Khan said by telephone. "If a government, either in Pakistan or Afghanistan, continues anti-Muslim policies, it's out of the question that Taliban lay down their arms." - By Anand Gopal; Christian Science Monitor

Clearly the Taliban have declared war on non-Taliban Islam--starting with Pakistan and Afghanistan. We have already observed how they rule in Afghanistan. In view of all of the above, we have no hope that the Taliban will cease being militant. To be Taliban is to be masters (men) or slaves (women). Since Taliban women are powerless, it is up to the other cults of Islam to prevent catastrophe.


Imagine: Six years after fleeing Afghanistan, the Taliban now rule critical areas of Pakistan--by agreement with an ineffectual government with nuclear weapons and nuclear-capable rockets with a range of 1,500 mi., (2,400 Km).

The only positive outcome we can envision is that a local nuclear war could shake the humanity remaining to take meaningful and permanent steps to outlaw and prevent the use of nuclear arms of all sizes. After that, Humanity might even prefer total peace to perennial war.