Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Buddhas Bombed in Pakistan
On the sixth anniversary of 9/11, militants in Pakistan tried for a repeat of one of the acts that solidified their place in the "enemies of all that is good" category:
At least the statue is mostly unharmed. But read to the bottom of the article:
60 of them. That's a shocking number. Imagine 60 shops in an American shopping mall being destroyed in this way. It would be a national emergency. In Pakistan and much of the Middle East, it garners barely a footnote in the world press.
It's useful to remember why we are fighting in Afghanistan. It's too bad our reasons for fighting in Iraq aren't nearly so justifiable. And it's a crying shame that our fight in Iraq has taken us so far afield from the fight against violent religious extremism. No matter what your opinion of our military (mis)adventures in southeast Asia, it behooves you to remember that there are still bad guys out there, and they are still murderously intent on imposing their will.
http://www.forret.com/tools/trackback.asp?title=Buddhas Bombed in Pakistan&blog_name=Decline and Fall&url=http://www.declineandfall.net/2007/09/buddhas-bombed-in-pakistan.html
Suspected pro-Taleban militants have tried to blow up an ancient carving of Buddha in north-west Pakistan. The statue, thought to date from the second century BC, sustained only minimal damage in the attack near Manglore in remote Swat district.
At least the statue is mostly unharmed. But read to the bottom of the article:
Last week, militants blew up about 60 music, video and cosmetics stalls at a market in the valley after stall owners ignored warnings to close businesses deemed un-Islamic.
60 of them. That's a shocking number. Imagine 60 shops in an American shopping mall being destroyed in this way. It would be a national emergency. In Pakistan and much of the Middle East, it garners barely a footnote in the world press.
It's useful to remember why we are fighting in Afghanistan. It's too bad our reasons for fighting in Iraq aren't nearly so justifiable. And it's a crying shame that our fight in Iraq has taken us so far afield from the fight against violent religious extremism. No matter what your opinion of our military (mis)adventures in southeast Asia, it behooves you to remember that there are still bad guys out there, and they are still murderously intent on imposing their will.
Labels: fundamentalism, religion, terrorism
