Dreadful Terrorist Attack In Peshawar, Pakistan

[Rajoo]

Taliban are Pushtun, an independent tribe (like the Kurd's) which straddles Afghanistan and Pakistan. Unlike the Kurds who are nationalistic, the Taliban want an austere version of Islam in their land. Ethnically they have very little in common with Pakisitan and consider the NW region of Pakistan part of their homeland, again similar to the Kurds except for Islamic fundamentalism.

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by BeamOn

No, it is a serious question under the circumstances. If ISIS is the benefactor of Pakistani Taliban, it would be easier to control them. But do they have the will?

I don't think the Taliban have access to the means necessary to finance anyone. They depend on wealthy benefactors, mostly in Saudi Arabia, to funnel money their way. So too does ISIS but, now, to a far lesser extent. They are generating tons of money on their own by selling Iraqi and Syrian oil on the black market and have equipped themselves with the materiel that we provided the Iraqi Army and which they left behind when they deserted en masse.

John

[merrylander]

Originally Posted by Ike Bana

Some of the more vocal Muslim activist women have taken the risk to express that the subjugation of their gender is due to some of the language in the Quran. Certainly much of it is distorted interpretation by some Muslim men, but these comments from women need to be listened to.

My personal experience with several highly educated and successful families where the husband and wife were both born in Pakistan is that the guys tend to have this attitude toward women (diminishment is the best term I can think of) that just seems to creep out at the most unexpected times. Just my anecdotal experience, but a bit troubling for me nonetheless.

Years back we were sitting in the airport at London waiting for our flight. An Iranian man sitting with his wife (I am guessing it was his wife as she/it was wrapped head to foot in black. Well the a**hole gets up and stands in front of Florence and demands (in Farsi) to know if she was Iranian. I yelled no at him and he backed off. They not only mistreat their own women but seem to think thay can bully all women.

[barbara]

While I'm not defending the cultural norms toward women in those countries which allows that behavior, ...... I find that many men right here in the United States treat women in a similar manner, albeit not as extreme. But, because that behavior is not culturally sanctioned in the United States, acknowledgement of it is often dismissed.

I'm not talking about all men in the states.... But there are quite a few of the "keep them barefoot and pregnant" mentality.

[Ike Bana]

Originally Posted by barbara

While I'm not defending the cultural norms toward women in those countries which allows that behavior, ...... I find that many men right here in the United States treat women in a similar manner, albeit not as extreme. But, because that behavior is not culturally sanctioned in the United States, acknowledgement of it is often dismissed.

I'm not talking about all men in the states.... But there are quite a few of the "keep them barefoot and pregnant" mentality.

Absolutely. And I'll take it a step further. The more fundamentally religious the background of these men in Muslim countries, Europe or the US, the more likely the attempts at subjugation...and the more fundamentally oriented, the more severe the subjugation.

[Ike Bana]

Originally Posted by Boreas

There is definitely a power struggle within the Kurdish diaspora with different groups vying for power. Each faction will have stories to tell about the evils of their opponents but, again, your statement above doesn't refute anything I've said about the PKK. They are not the "Taliban". They are secular and they are about a Kurdish homeland, not a global caliphate.

John

You're picking a nit with me John. My friend's point was that when it comes to the two groups and their interactions with the government's they might oppose or when it comes to their treatment of anyone who opposes them, including their fellow Kurds for whom they allegedly desire a homeland (or in the case of the Taliban their fellow Pashtuns), there's no difference between the PKK and the Taliban. To him the notion of the secularism of the PKK versus the religious fanaticism of the Taliban means nothing...when to the victims, the philosophy makes not one bit of difference.

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by Ike Bana

You're picking a nit with me John. My friend's point was that when it comes to the two groups and their interactions with the government's they might oppose or when it comes to their treatment of anyone who opposes them, including their fellow Kurds for whom they allegedly desire a homeland (or in the case of the Taliban their fellow Pashtuns), there's no difference between the PKK and the Taliban. To him the notion of the secularism of the PKK versus the religious fanaticism of the Taliban means nothing...when to the victims, the philosophy makes not one bit of difference.

It's pretty obvious that both you and your friend are pretty clueless on issues of geopolitics. I knew that about you already, but now I have the same impression of your friend.

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by Ike Bana

You're picking a nit with me John. My friend's point was that when it comes to the two groups and their interactions with the government's they might oppose or when it comes to their treatment of anyone who opposes them, including their fellow Kurds for whom they allegedly desire a homeland (or in the case of the Taliban their fellow Pashtuns), there's no difference between the PKK and the Taliban. To him the notion of the secularism of the PKK versus the religious fanaticism of the Taliban means nothing...when to the victims, the philosophy makes not one bit of difference.

No difference? No difference? Jesus wept! When was the last time the PKK murdered 135 school children? How often have they shot a teenage girl in the head because she spoke out for the education of girls?

John

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by Boreas

No difference? No difference? Jesus wept! When was the last time the PKK murdered 135 school children? How often have they shot a teenage girl in the head because she spoke out for the education of girls?

John

To him, anybody other than card-carrying members of Likud or The Jewish Home party are terrorists.

[barbara]

Originally Posted by Ike Bana

Absolutely. And I'll take it a step further. The more fundamentally religious the background of these men in Muslim countries, Europe or the US, the more likely the attempts at subjugation...and the more fundamentally oriented, the more severe the subjugation.

Well stated.