David Horsey: Extreme words have deadly consequences

[n2doc]

Enflamed by ideology and wild rhetoric, a zealot with a gun took it upon himself to shoot an elected official whose liberal views were at odds with his own.

This happened on January 4th in Islamabad, Pakistan. Killed was Salmaan Taseer, governor of Punjab province, an outspoken critic of blasphemy laws that have been used to persecute Pakistanis with minority religious views. Taseer's assassin was a policeman assigned to protect him, Mumtaz Qadri. Qadri is now a hero to Muslim fundamentalists who could not tolerate the governor's liberalism.

In the Sunday New York Times, Taseer's son, Shehrbano Taseer, wrote that his father simply wanted blasphemy laws to be amended to prevent abuse, but "(h)is views were widely misrepresented to give the false impression that he had spoken against Prophet Mohammad. This was untrue, and a criminal abdication of responsibility by his critics, who must now think about what they have caused to happen."

After Saturday's bloody events in Tucson, I have to wonder how close America is to becoming Pakistan.

more
http://blog.seattlepi.com/davidhorsey/archives/235039.asp

[n2doc]

1. kick n/t