Pakistan Extremists Target Literature

Islamic extremism in Pakistan, growing in power and influence, has found a new target: Western literature. Evidently, a variety of poems, novels, and other texts used by the English department at Punjab University may have to be scrapped entirely because of complaints that they promote Jews, are pro-Indian, or portray sexuality in a manner that is inconsistent with the views of fundamentalist Muslims.

According to a report in the Guardian, the wife of a retired army general has initiated the complaints and she has said "We have been tolerant for too long."

In the wake of a surprisingly strong performance at elections last October, Pakistan's religious right has become increasingly assertive. In Peshawar, religious parties control the provincial parliament and have voted to impose sharia law. In Lahore, advertising billboards depicting women have been painted over and western soft drinks have been banned from sale in the university. Professors have spent hours in fierce arguments beating off an attempt, endorsed by the religious parties, to drop English as a compulsory subject at undergraduate level.

Pakistan's future is looking very bleak at the moment - the stronger the extremists become, the weaker civil society will appear. If there aren't enough strong people and institutions to stand up to them, Pakistan will likely sink further into extremism - an extremist state with nuclear missiles.

Read More:

• Islam
• Islamic extremists
• Religion in Pakistan