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I think Dr Khalid
Sohail has reviewed today’s situation nicely. But the problem is that the
situation now is out of control. What is happening in Pakistan
nowadays is really worrying. Also one has to define what secularism is
really. To a common man, and perhaps rightly, secularism is equivalent to
atheism and; that is unacceptable to Muslims and even other religions in
the world. If you define it as “everyone has a right of practicing his own
religion without forcing the other” then perhaps Islam is the real secular
religion which allowed everyone to practice his own faith and religion;
which was not the norm till few decades back. In any country dominated by
any faith Muslims were not allowed to practice their religion. Even now in
western countries, Muslims find it difficult to practice their religion as
they don’t get halal food easily etc. Hence there
is a need to discuss these issues and take the population of world into
confidence; without which it will really be difficult to root out
extremism.
Dr. S. Q. Nizami
Professor
of Pediatrics &
Consultant
in Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Division
of Maternal & Child Health
the Aga Khan University
P.O. Box 3500
Stadium
Road
Karachi Pakistan
e-mail:
qamaruddin.nizami@aku.edu
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