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Beyond Bhutto and Musharraf

Posted in Irshaddering Thoughts, Q & A on Oct 23, 2007

Just received from a woman in Pakistan: “My country [is in] upheaval. We need [an] Islam of reason. Me and my friends are circulating your Urdu translation book under the ground. Pray for us please.” - Asma

Sis, I’ll do more than pray. I’ll direct you to the video section of this website. That’s where you’ll find a young journalist, Imran Siddiqui, interviewing me for Pakistani TV.

It’s not my voice I want you to hear. It’s Imran’s. He’s spiritual, thoughtful and passionate for change. He proves that you and your friends aren’t alone.

Imran pushed hard to get this interview on the air. When it was finally broadcast in Pakistan, here’s what he wrote to me: “Surprisingly, I had a good response. People called with praise.”

To be honest, I don’t think the response surprised Imran in the least. He anticipated that Pakistanis would appreciate my views. That’s why he fought to make this interview happen. The real surprise came to his colleagues, who expected a public backlash.

As I wrote back to Imran, “So many people operate from fear, with blinkers that narrow their potential to dream and do. But not you. You have higher expectations of yourself and Muslims, which is also why I suggested in our interview that people like you have more faith in Muslims than our leaders do.”

Having faith means challenging our own people, because only those who believe we can do better will care enough to take us in that direction — whatever the price to be paid along the way.

This is a moment of clarity for Pakistan. Pray. Then push.