This Fire Needs to Be Put Out

why is there no islamic leadership that has some type of broad respect (respected in the muslim world) kind of letting out the word (preaching?) that this murdering of people that have nothing to do with the problems in the muslim world will solve nothing? the muslim leadership needs to take a step back and look at how bad this violence is damaging their religion. if the solution should be peaceful-why arent we hearing that from some type of powerful muslim entity?

That's very well said!

Has anybody here thought through the 'toleration of intolerance' problem? As Francis Wheener wrote in his book 'How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World', it all started when, following the glorious Iranain Revolution against a dictatorial Shah who was being propped up by an oil-grabbing America to oppress his own people, the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979, India cheering them on and the American CIA conspiring with a guy named Osama and elements of the Pakistani ISI to recruit young boys from poor Muslim families acroos the world to become cannon fodder in a mujahideen war of attrition against the Soviets, a war which the brave boys won. But then, they were not only left in the lurch. But the manipators had (and still have), each one of them (India, Pakistan, the Soviets and the US), designs not only on this strategic territory of Central Asia but also the oil resources of the Caspian.

Are the casualties of these satanic geo-strategic manoeuvres supposed to tolerate this monstrous intolerance against them? Of course, they had been naive! Maybe they were even themselves naively complicit in the geo-strategic manoeuvres. Nonetheless, monsters have been created in the process which are now visiting the barbarity that had been infused into their souls by the demons of war on thse who manipulated them. I condemn the idea of 'collateral damage', but we ought to have known that war unleashes the very worst insticts in all of us, including in returning American soldiers who bravely fought to defend us, but now find their lives shattered. When will humanity find more humane ways to manage conflicts? Great progress has been done in Game Theory, but its application in military strategy is lagging except in software used for robotic strategies to pursue an enemy that uses equally smart evasive strategies.

I am beginning to think Muslim school of thought is fostering violence , it seems the preponderance of the evidence is indicating this. I think eventually it will come down to 2 things either the muslims clean up there house and start practicing Tolerance or the rest of the Tolerant world will become intolerant to the muslims.

Re: the Pakistan government has created, supported and trained Islamic jihadists for decades. The Pakistani military needs to genuinely embrace the idea of zero tolerance for jihadists

UNQUOTE:

Till when?

The Russians enter Afghanistan again?

BTW am I the only one who thinks this article is a "me, me, me, and my family" article by FZ?

I am beginning to think the muslim school of thought fosters intolerance for other schools of thought. Lets face it religion or belief systems are schools of thought some have tolerance for other schools of thought , so the other schools of thought tolerate them but for the intolerant schools of thought there can be no tolerance.

With all due respect, Fareed's tone in this article is awfully similar to the tone he chose to criticize when it was Bush and the Americans who sounded it. Not that he was necessarily wrong (or right) in either context. This, and the American problem are complex -- neither lending themselves well to either "let's kill them all" or "why can't we just be friends?"

It is the prerogative of -an equally nuclear Israel to [refuse to go quietly into that good night- and of Obama-Gates to mount -a massive military campaign to eradicate that Islamic infection- as much as it is your to join the Indian ???jawaans- on the front at the Siachen glacier. And you will not fail to join them, right?

A perverse consequence of the partition of the Indian subcontinent is that Muslims are everywhere a minority???which closes off the chance at political power. (The parts of British India that had Muslim majorities became Pakistan and Bangladesh.) " But Pakistan was created as a homeland for the muslims of the sub-continent--they should have known they would be minorities by staying.

If the attack reminds us all of 9/11, the government's haphazard response reminds me of the flooding of New Orleans, and the needless loss of American lives in a distinctly American city.

The trouble is that these ''crazy Muslims'' executed a skilled,highly planned attack. The fog is still out there,but there are increasing signs as noted by Mumbai papers and REUTERS,that the planners used a mother craft in the Bay to launch ZODIAC small boats that disgorged their human cargo on the shores with the latest small armaments and that each team used a military-level ''buddy team''system to shoot and scoot each covering the next advancing terrorist. This was a highly planned,highly financed operation. This deal has ISI / al Qaedan fingerprints all over it. Enough suspicions have been raised that their spy chief is now in Delhi meeting with Indian officials in order to tamp the deal down. Using Kashmir as grievance,the Paks are not merely advancing the old hatreds of the Indians,but are seeking to take out a few infidels and Jews in the process lurching the two [quite nuclear ready] nations towards a showdown.
Obama is helpless to do anything concrete here. Back the Indians,and the Paks will do even less than they have already done in allowing the march of al Qaeda and the Taliban to go forward,absorbing the Mushareff/Bhutto moderates and holders-back of the onslaught and will seize the nuclear trigger,alarming the entire Middle East and India at large. Do not expect an equally nuclear Israel to go quietly into that good night either. Nor can Obama do anything outside of a massive military campaign to stop the radical Islamic infection,which he will not do. Thus,no status quo antes,no quid pro quos,but the next paradigm of global terror that is about to commence.

I think this article is out of touch with reality particularly where it lays out the case for radicalization of Indian Muslims. The one terrorist who was captured in the Mumbai attack has said that he is from Faridkot, Pakistan and the British press is reporting about the involvement of British citizens of Pakistani origin in the attack. Both pointers to how the attack was planned outside India.

There indeed is a criminal Muslim underground in Mumbai who possibly helped these terrorists. But this underground is allowed to exist because Indian governments are reluctant to go after these people for fear of undermining their secular credentials and for fear of offending the sensibilities of Indian Muslims who are an important vote bank .

Further the premise of the article is also undermined by the case of Mansoor Peerbhoy who was arrested for terrorist attacks earlier this year while making about $50,000 a year. This person, an Indian Muslim was radicalized only after he went on a pilgrimage to Mecca i.e. to the fountainhead of radical Islam in Saudi Arabia.

Other Indian readers should be careful to blame local Muslims - many of the hateful comments well may be from radical groups trying to ignite religious violence within India. It also appears as if some of the religious violence in India is being stoked by the Islamic radicals from outside India. See this news item today where a Bangalore court has convicted people who burnt churches in Karnataka and are now in hiding in Pakistan. Apparently their aim was to set of Hindu-Christian clashes in the state.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Church_serial_blasts_11_get_death/articleshow/3774113.cms

As always, you have beautifully summarized the angst of progressive people of India, who feel at a total loss when the shores and borders left open in peace are broken into and innocent blood is spilled. Lets hope and pray that religious fundamentalism does not eat into the fabric of India, let all Indians unite to kill this menace.

Mr. Zakaria,

I am an avid fan of yours. I've read parts of your books, sitting at the Borders (as a freebie :)), and have googled your name to know more about you and, ofcourse, tuned to CNN GPS. Having said that, I especially like the sharp ways of your articulation -- putting the blame squarely where it belongs, jihadists/terrorists.

But in the last couple of articles, I've seen a tinge of "minority" sentiments expressed by you .. when you point to situations such as Muslims "unaffected", "under-represented." The minority not represented adequately in power echelons, IMHO, is quite different from minority interests not heeded to. I think Indian Muslims have been taken care of well legally and socially be it the reservation quoto-s or shariat laws of inheritance/marriage etc.

The "ideal" middleground justice is a phantom utopia that we should never even aim at... there should be just case by case approach when all parties will have to compromise and yield.

I am from South, and I've had many Muslim friends and one whom I consider very close. While Muslims may never feel a perfect environment in India, it is far better than what most of their clans feel in the Islamic governance in other countries.

Thanks
Ramanan

The only solution is to complete the partition. Get rid of all Indian Muslims - they can either convert to an Indian religion (Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism) or leave the country. They can take the valley of Kashmir with them - we will keep Ladakh and Jammu.

Na rahe gi bans, na bajegi bansuri.