Pakistan To Cut Phone Services To Prevent Muharram Attacks 119
A reader writes with this news from the Indian Express: "Pakistan's interior minister Friday said the government will suspend cell phone services in most parts of the country over the next two days to prevent attacks against Shia Muslims during a key religious commemoration. Militants often detonate bombs using cell phones and this is the first time the government has implemented such a wide-scale suspension. Saturday and Sunday are the most important days of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, especially important to Shias. Pakistani Shias Sunday observe Ashoura, commemorating the 7th century death of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad's grandson. Different parts of the Muslim world mark Ashoura on different days —neighbouring Afghanistan, for example, observes it on Saturday. 'The suspension of cell phone services will begin at 6 am Saturday and run through the next day,' Interior Minister Rehman Malik told reporters in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad. He said 90 per cent of the bombs set off by militants in Pakistan have been detonated using cell phones. Some criticized the government for suspending services, saying it was a huge inconvenience."
Idiots (Score:3, Insightful)
the whole bloody lot.
I don't think there is a greater hell (Score:5, Insightful)
than being a religious minority in Pakistan
Shia, Sikh, Hindu, or Christian
the West should just allow all religious minorities free passage out of Pakistan
they're being hunted
Doesn't seem a real solution (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:I don't think there is a greater hell (Score:2, Insightful)
No. ALL Superstition is bad. ALL Superstition is enemy to the search for truth because it promotes dogma instead.
We shoud DESPISE primitive beliefs and seek to keep their adherents away. We have enough Superstitionist nutters in the West already.
If any can PROVE their Sky Fairie exists, I shall recant and kiss his/her/it's Noodly Appendage. They've had THOUSANDS of years to prove they aren't promoting lies designed to enslave men to other men.
Re:I don't think there is a greater hell (Score:4, Insightful)
and they've done a lot for pakistan:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minorities_in_Pakistan [wikipedia.org]
The largest religious minority in Pakistan after Muslims, is that of the of Christians. This includes Anglicans, Protestants, Catholics, Armenian Orthodox, Assyrian/Chaldean, smaller numbers of Nestorians and more recent Evangelical sects. They are represented in many fields of Pakistani society and have to some degree, achieved higher positions in the government, bureaucracy and businesses. The Pakistani government has reserved quotas in educational institutes and reserved seats in government to ensure appropriate representation of the Christian community. Famous Pakistani Air Force pilot Cecil Chaudhry is a Pakistani Christian and was credited with numerous kills receiving the PAF awards for gallantry and bravery.
but then
Due to forced conversions, extortion and kidnapping of girls Hindus are fleeing to India. The kidnapping and rape of a teenage Hindu girl, Manisha Kumari, on August 7, 2012 is said to have caused widespread concern among the community. On 10 August 2012 around 250 Hindus refugees from Pakistan crossed over to India.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
the honorable thing to do is stay and fight for your country. which is why i hate on liberal americans who whine about fleeing to canada should republicans win
but staying and fighting assumes an honorable opponent, and a numerical balance
when you are vastly outnumbered, and the enemy has no problem committing vile acts that go unpunished, it is time to run, and live to fight another day, as an expat
Uhm... That won't work... (Score:4, Insightful)
In addition to turning off towers, they will need to set up phone jammers everywhere. If not, all the bad guys need to do is set up one of those portable mobile phone hacking things to enable calling the remote device from a reasonable distance. I know it seems like a lot of work, but you know? If someone is going to go through the trouble of making a bomb detinator using a phone, then it's not a stretch to imagine taking that extra step to ensure that it works.
Other thoughts? If your religion preaches intolerance, it is already a failure. (Yeah, I get it, the number of devout followers of these intolerant and violent religions would offer evidence to the contrary, but I mean failure in another sense.)
Also, Islam would do well to learn lessons from Christianity. Look at how adaptable Christianity has been! It adopts all sorts of holidays and celebrations so that people think it's religious (like Christmas and Easter) and allows participation with pagan holidays like Halloween without fear of corrupting people because it's all in fun, not to be taken seriously. Also, in the 60s, they avoided a serious departure from Christianity in the US by changing God's personality from fire, brimstone and harsh punishment to a gentle god of love, forgiveness and tolerance. And it worked! The face of Christianity in the US today is completely different from the pre-60's version. Islam is like it is stuck 1000 years in the past.
Re:Doesn't seem a real solution (Score:5, Insightful)
The bombers don't come from across the borders. The come from the next street over.
And they use stolen phones.
Re:I don't think there is a greater hell (Score:4, Insightful)
i would prefer a moderate religious person over an atheist zealot, any day
What exactly is the definition of an "atheist zealot"? Asking for positive evidence sounds perfectly reasonable to me, especially whenever what those people profess is only one of a large number of equally likely alternatives. That's just simple logic of reasoning to me.