Water and oil do not mix
by Charles C. Hall, Ed.D

"We shall not become a theocracy. " - John Adams - 1776

"Religion should be something personal. It should not be the concern of the state ... " - Asma Johangir

Ms. Johangir is the first female barrister in Pakistan. She was not permitted to attend her classes at the University because the professors "... did not think it suitable for women to attend law lectures. " Undaunted, she became one of the most capable and out-spoken defenders of democracy and constitutional rights for all Pakastanis, particularly the poor and underclass. "In 1980, she set up a practice with her sister, Hina Jidani and two other friends which was the first legal aid center in Pakistan; it was the first all-women legal practice." *

Ms. Johangir said, "I was born a Muslim, and this is my identity. Islam is no more violent or fanatical than any other religion.-- it is just that Muslim countries have politicized religion for the benefit of the rulers." She further states, "There are Christian fanatics and Hindu fanatics, too -- put a gun in the hands of any of them and they will terrorize people." Amen!

Ms. Jahangir's cogent remarks, attitude, honesty and democratic principles will come as a shock to those in the West who have demonized all Muslims as terrorists. I have always believed, and stated previously, that to condemn everyone who follows a particular belief, religion, creed, or tenet as being all of like mind, is a major mistake. (Are all Catholics, Protestants, so on and so forth, alike?) We accept that they are is a recipe for unforgivable disaster.

When Rumsfeld was confronted with news of the unspeakable horrors of Abu Ghraik by a general, his comment was, "They are only Iraqis. "

Only Iraqis. Only Palestinians. Only foreigners. Only Others.

Who are these people who can be so cavalier about the inhumane torture of human beings? Rumsfeld's remark indicates that they are not human beings. Think what that says of us as a nation. And, what is torture? History has answered that question over millennia, and each of us knows what it is. Have we learned nothing?

We watch what we have let happen to this country wordlessly. We appear to be either ignorant, apathetic, careless, or, all three. When was the last (or first) time you were capable of getting a sit-down with your congressman? I've never even seen mine in person. Senators and Congressmen want to talk to lobbyists and moneymen (bagmen), not you and me. The entire subject smacks of disgust and distrust in these guys.

During the recent session of Congress (before they headed for the hills for 30-45 days) did they debate the following to reach agreement: education, immigration, exhorbitant prescription drug prices, the Iraqi fiasco, prisoner torture, or any important issue concerning you and me, which we as a nation have become?

No. They spent days debating a flag-burning bill. And, how many flags have been burned in protest since 1777? In two hundred and thirty years of the republic, only forty-seven flags have seen set to flame in protest.

Another hot-button topic was the attempt by a few to have intelligent design (ID) discussed in science classes along with evolution. ID is not science, whereas evolution has a long history of empirical evidence to support its hypotheses. ID is religion and must needs be discussed in homes and/or churches.

I have no problem with those who believe ID except -- and this exception is big -- when its adherents attempt to infuse it in a science curriculum. Evolution does not demean religion, nor ID. In fact, it never mentions either in a science class. Science has strict parameters within which it must be conducted. Scientists are the first, usually, to expose frauds and charlatans and squash their nutty claims. It is also quick to upgrade the original, or subsequent hypotheses when new evidence is found to be scientifically supportable.

Ms. Jahangir is firm on the separation of church and state. (This from a born Muslim will be news to the neocons and the bash clock). She does not find them to be compatible -- nay, they are antithetical. They do not mix.

It is past time when we should have honest, open discussions on several topics in order to balance our priorities more in line with the commonweal. We cannot live in fantasy land and hope things will right themselves without the input of us humans.

So it goes ...... *Dalrymple, Wm. The New Yorker, April 23, 2007, pp 26-35