Bearded Mumtaz Kadri shot the very person he was to guard; Punjab Governor Salman Taseer. The Governor was faulted by him for speaking out against the blasphemy laws.
Congresswoman Giffords from Arizona was shot for her support for the health care reform. How do we differentiate between these two, for those who are biased towards beards, beard is certainly not a determinator.
Both are shameful acts and fanaticism and intolerance creeps in every society, and we need to chuck this by not pushing the radicals to the corner and cause them to dig in their heels. We have to find a way out for every one for creating and sustaining social cohesion and a society where no one has live in fear of the other.
A corollary to Chinese wisdom; if you want to eliminate extremism, have discussions with them in open, give them the attention they are craving, a whole lot of them will see other point of view if we see their point of view. It takes patience but results ought to encourage, the other choice will create an ongoing conflict.
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Mike Ghouse is committed to building cohesive societies thru America Together Foundation and the Foundation for Pluralism championing the idea of co-existence through respecting and accepting the otherness of other and is committed to nurturing the pluralistic ideals embedded in Islam through the World Muslim Congress.
He is a speaker, writer, thinker and an activist offering pluralistic solutions to the media and the public on issues of the day. He is available to speak at your school, work place or place of worship. Mike’s work is reflected at three websites & twenty one Blogs listed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/-