The leaders of the Lal Masjid fanatics are gone, probably now answering why did they mislead fellow Muslims into doing bad deeds in the name of Islam, and why did they give Islam a bad name, causing untold sufferings to fellow brethren. What President Musharraf did was right: to show extremists that they have no place in the Muslim society; and this point should be noted by the authorities in Malaysia before it is too late as many of these ugly ducklings have reared their head in this country. A more comprehensive action needs to be taken, and it has to begin with education: the understanding of the fundamentals of Islam as brought to us from Allah SWT in His Holy Book.
Anyway,back to Pakistan, Musharraf needs a three-pronged strategy, in my opinion. First is to gain control of the madrasahs and put them under the auspices of the state (read: Federal Government); second is to educate and re-educate the general public, especially the youths and children, the real teachings of Islam as a way of life (never use Islam as a religion because religion is what spoils it in the first place); third is to continue to combat terrorism and extremism.
Yes, easier said than done. But Musharraf has to do it. He must also make sure that his aspiration to eradicate extremism in Pakistan has to be shared with and understood by his subordinates. He should also ensure that his subordinates are his real allies since there has been several attempts on his life already to date, and I am sure more will come after the Lal Mosque episode.
The problem is, Musharraf himself has destroyed, or undermined, the political structure of Pakistan to the point that it is too weak to survive a sudden post-Musharraf era (read: assassination). Therefore, steps have to be taken to ensure that the public at large has little or no grouses against his government. Without the support of the general public, the latter will only be too happy to see Musharraf go, no matter what method was used, or by whom.
The Malaysian government, too, should take preventive steps now, to eradicate, not only extremism, but misintepretation of Islam by such people.
SeaDemon Says 