by Deepak Chopra and Salman Ahmad
Pakistan is a war zone, but its battle is far more cultural than military. The whole country realizes this fact and is holding its breath, hoping that President Obama will come to the same realization. As long as the United States pursues the futile military policy of the Bush years, the situation in Pakistan will grow increasingly dire.
Catastrophe looms. Although Pakistan is an overwhelmingly Muslim nation, culture, not religion, is the glue that binds the souls of its people. But now the Taliban are grafting an alien form of Islam onto Pakistan. Earlier this month a weak Pakistani government, realizing that its frontier regions are completely out of control, was forced to make a deal. After countless pitched battles with the militants, they ceded a key area, the Swat Valley, to fundamentalist control.
Imran Khan, formerly Pakistan’s greatest cricket star and now a political activist, appeared on CNN over the weekend with a desperate plea to the U.S. The points he made are crucial to understand:
- The Taliban are extremists but they are not terrorists. Merging them with al-Qaeda was a serious mistake on the part of the U.S.
- The bombs dropped from fly-over drones do little to stop the real terrorists but have destroyed civilian morale. As a result, the militants gain sympathy among the population. What was once a hated insurgency is steadily becoming a people’s revolution.
- The frontier territories have reverted to tribalism and chaos. There are no police or law courts. The Pakistani army has lost to the militants.
- The democratic honeymoon after General Musharraf gave up his power is over. The current government is seen as a bigger stooge of the U.S. than its military predecessors. Khan, and every other informed Pakistani, despairs over the blindness of the U.S. as it stubbornly does everything it can to increase the radicalization of the country. War has two children: sorrow and chaos. Both are running wild in Pakistan today.
So what to do? The first thing is to realize that there is no military solution. The Soviet Union sent a massive force into Afghanistan, killed hundreds of thousands of people, and achieved nothing. The whole regional conflict will turn into Obama’s Vietnam unless he changes course drastically and soon.
The next step is to realize your final goal. In this case, the final goal is to isolate al-Qaeda from the Taliban. Fundamentalists can be talked to. Dialogue can reduce tensions. Power sharing and compromise become possibilities. But as long as you equate the Taliban with the terrorists, there is no hope for peace and much risk that you will drive the two camps into each other’s arms. Imran Khan made a critical point when he said that the U.S. must begin to understand the people, in particular the Pashtuns who occupy the region shared by Afghanistan and Pakistan. Over 40 million strong, these tribes furnish an unlimited supply of young males to fight for the militants.
To understanding these people, a basic fact must be known about Pakistan. For six turbulent decades as an independent state, Pakistan has been held together by its music, poetry, films, literature and sports. There is no hope of winning a military war, but the U.S. could win the culture war. The Taliban’s strict puritanism is widely hated as they forbid dancing, singing and the watching of television. They also suppress women, who make major contributions to culture — they are its heart and soul. The fanatics’ idea is simple: to strangle Pakistan’s rich and vibrant culture and replace it with a totalitarian brand of Islam.
In short, the Taliban is a cultural enemy far more than a military one. Contrary to the Bush era, when Islam stood for a "clash of civilizations," Obama needs to support, respect, and appreciate the value of Islamic culture. Keeping that culture alive will win the allegiance of moderate Muslims, but even beyond that, it will uphold the dignity, beauty, and worth of Muslim life everywhere.
For the last twenty years, Pakistani music and pop culture has built a global following. The late Sufi singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan collaborated with Peter Gabriel and Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam on Hollywood soundtracks. Pakistani rock bands and singers like Junoon, Strings, Jal and Atif Aslam have been huge draws in India, America and Europe. Last year Pakistani director Shoaib Mansoor’s movie "In the Name of God" became the first Pakistani film to be released in India. The film portrays the difficulties of being a liberal Muslim in Pakistan after 9/11 — something that will become harder if voices like Mansoor’s are silenced by radicalism.
The U.S. has an important role to play. America must help strengthen Pakistani civil society — the artists, writers, humanitarians, rights activists and educators who have braved military dictators, corrupt politicians and religious fanatics. They are America’s natural allies against extremism. By promoting creative collaborations in film, television, fashion and music, the U.S. will empower the voices that the Taliban seek to silence. But with the Taliban creeping farther into Pakistan every day, that precious window of opportunity is closing fast.
Salman Ahmad, a doctor by training, is the founder of the Rock Band Junoon, a UN Goodwill Ambassador for HIV/Aids, and the author of forthcoming book "Rock and Roll Sufi" (Simon and Schuster). His email is sufisal@hotmail.com
First, the Taliban are not terrorists is absurd, tell that to all the women and young girls who suffered under their rule before the US invasion. The Taliban, then, looked like, walked like, and, talked like, a terrorist if, I remember correctly and they offered al-Qaeda a comfy home base.
Frankly, I think it is time for America to realize that Pakistan, Afganistan, Iraq need their own people to choose and decide what is what for themselves. If they want help from the US in dealing with extremists then we can help, but, in reality we can do know more.
America needs to understand it’s limits of influence, period, whether they be diplomtically, or militarily or culturally.
America cannot strengthen Pakistan’s civil society, Afgan’s or Iraq’s for that matter, it can only strengthen it’s own by it’s own people’s choosing.
It is time for America to back out, back off and offer help when requested, only.
Interesting post as I just read in todays Boston Globe the US is continuing to bomb Pakistani boarder with drones…..however some thoughts and questions arise.
Women, women, women, will win in Afghanistan.
A clear message needs to go from USA that they want peace in South Asia! They need to behave in that way.
USA talks peace and than brings out one reason or other and bombards a country, because they have powerful weapons.
People in South Asia have a feeling than USA wants Oil from this region, hence it is killing innocent citizens by bombing their houses, giving reasons that they are searching for Terrorists.
People here believe that USA army is bigger terrorist. They kill innocent people, children's.
Killing Parents of small children and then giving food to these children is not love or peace.
Or distributing Insurance policies or medicines which are of no use in these place is not peace.
Selling weapons in this region in the name of peace is not peace.
Peace and love can be spread only with forgiveness, not by killing.
US army say these people are terrorist and these people say US army is terrorist and are coming here for Oil, so who will stop the war and infiltration.
Only forgiveness can.
And there is no human leader existing at present on earth with a large heart of forgiveness.
May almighty forgive them!
Peace Peace Peace.
Complete Peace!
Rajesh
http://rajeshmsharma.blogspot.com
The U.S. should clean up our house instead of devoting so much money and manpower to “liberating” other nations with our bombs.
The people dropping bombs from thirty thousand feet, and by remote control, and the “boots on the ground” that do the mopping up are the real terrorists!
Peace
Cultural “war” can not be won by military means. I do not see any reasons why the whole world is looking towards president Obama as he was some kind of god an could do miracles. He is just a sweet talking politician – no different than his predecessors or those who will folow him.
You probably know the old definition of politics: poli= many; tics = blood sucking insects
And who are we to tell anybody in the world how to live their life?
We should just mind our own business.
Love and peace,
Les
http://tinyurl.com/aoqm3d
Well, I guess, all the males have forgotten what Afganistan was like under Taliban rule since they so easily say the Taliban are not terrorists just extremists, excuse me? Well, then, I guess for women and young girls the terrorists would be the better choice.
The Taliban’s extremism was and is terror for women and young girls. The US cannot rid Afganistan or Pakistan of terrorists or the Taliban, only they can, we can help, but only help, we cannot be the driving force behind these Nations inner battles because then the US becomes the target instead of the terrorists or the Taliban. The terrorists and the Taliban then get more recruits in an attempt to drive out the “oursiders, the oppressors, the US.”
Well put Rann Baets!
Could not say it better.
Les
Helping People Live Better
http://www.wytms.com
Well Ruth, maybe if we bomb more weddings and continue slaughtering innocents those Afghani and Pakistani women will love us a little more eh . . .
Rann,Les i completely agree . Also wanted to share that India listens to singers from Pak , invites them to their TV shows ( la american idol ) , takes all initiatives for peaceful coexistence but still our innocent people get attacked in Bombay but still we dont even think about retaliating since Indians always feel peace as only solution .
I agree with Tom. This area of the world is not necessarily interested in Western culture. America cannot force itself down the throats of Pakistanis or Afganis any more than they could the Iraqis. America cannot use the model of America to bring stability to this region, and they are fools to think they can. Working with and supporting the reasonable local people can be the only way.
The US military action in the region is beginning to galvanize ALL the people of the region into one against the US.
Even the best military action dicates the tenet ‘divide and conquer’. And this can only happen by displaying peace and compassion towards the subjegated. This empowers revolt from within.