Since several recent posts have been about the persecution of Christians in Pakistan, I thought that I should at least mention the fact that General Musharraf has declared emergency rule and suspended the constitution. I do not intend to comment on that; you can read more about it here.
What is more relevant to the subject of this blog is the news reported in this article:-
Islamabad - Pakistan is considering enforcement of Islamic laws in Pakistan's north-western Swat valley to meet the demands of pro-Taliban militants who briefly seized and then released around 100 security personnel after nine days' fierce fighting that left more than 200 people dead. "The government is considering the implementation of Sharia law in the view of the demands of the local people," said Ali Muhammad Jan Aurakzai, governor of the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) in which the valley is situated.As I mentioned in a previous post, there are a number of Christians in that area who are already suffering persecution. If the Pakistani government agree to the implementation of Sharia in the NWFP, the situation for these people can only get worse.
Update: The imposition of emergency rule by General Musharraf is, perhaps, more significant than I originally thought. It appears that he is now opposed by both the Islamists and the moderates.
If Musharraf's regime falls, the danger is that it would be replaced by a Taliban-style Islamist theocracy in the same way that the overthrow of the Shah resulted in Iran becoming an Islamic republic.
If Sharia was imposed throughout Pakistan it would be disastrous for Pakistan's Christians who make up 1.6% of the population of approximately 161 million. Their persecution would almost certainly get much, much worse.
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