Ideological State V. Liberal Democracy
By Omar Mirza
Dar ulHarb, NY
Nawaz Sharif has claimed, “Quaid-i-Azam is indeed ranked amongst the most visionary politicians and great statesmen of the world. The Quaid successfully led the freedom movement of the Muslims of the Sub-continent and established the first Islamic ideological state of the world."
What Quaid-i-Azamhad said was clear, "Pakistan is not going to be a theocracy to be ruled by priests with a divine mission." It was ZAB and Zia ulHaq who made Pakistan into a theocratic ideological state. Mr Jinnah wanted Pakistan to be a secular, liberal democracy, where religion was not to be the business of the State as any Western educated lawyer with a background in Political Science and European History, like myself, knows too well.
Barrister M.A Jinnah did not want the wars of religion that were fought in Europe 430 years ago to be replicated on Pakistani soil, which is why he favored the secular, liberal democratic model for Pakistan. Unfortunately, wars of religion are being fought between various extremists on Pak soil and the root cause is that these people think that they can take over the 'Islamic' state in the name of their own brand of Islam because Islam affords them legitimacy as it is the State religion. They were coddled by the State and some still are.
Secularism is an ideology that treats everyone equally before the law, regardless of religion. Whereas in an ideological and theocratic state some are more equal than others before the law, like women's testimony is equal to half that of a man's testimony in court, which is sheer injustice and an anachronism, and minorities are marginalized and openly discriminated against.
What is needed is reason, enlightenment, reformation and renaissance to adapt to the modern world.
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