What Obama Can (And Should) Learn From Pakistan

As we learn that President Obama is softening his tone on Hamas, and has approved a large Turkish arms sale to Lebanon (which has rightly disgusted Israel), it is worth having a cogent understanding of what all this short-sighted and suicidal appeasement leads to.

Back in February, the Pakistani government handed over the Swat valley region of Pakistan to the Taliban, officially recognising the implementation of Islamic law there. They did this "in an attempt to placate extremists".

But guess what - it hasn't worked. In fact, it's had the exact opposite effect.

According to the BBC: "Taleban militants operating in Pakistan's Swat region who agreed a peace deal with the government have expanded operations [emphasis added] into nearby Buner." Furthermore, "The Taleban say they will not lay down their arms until Sharia is fully implemented."

In other words, appeasing jihadists does not work, and has in fact never worked. It only emboldens them, as it grants sharia a legitimacy that it should not have and creates an image of dhimmi weakness that they are quick to exploit.

The actual impact of sharia in Pakistan is demonstrated by the widespread concern that "[t]he Taliban takeover of Swat is likely to expand to extend to more parts of the country and will mean worsening conditions for Christians".

Todd Nettleton of Voice of the Martyrs says the Taliban seem to have taken encouragement from their success in Swat and now have a foothold from which they could expand into other parts of Pakistan.

About Swat Nettleton said, “We have had Christian workers in that area who have been kidnapped, they have been badly mistreated, and they have been beaten because of their Christian witness. Some have been killed, simply because they were known to be Christians and known to be involved in outreach to Muslims.

“This is bad, as it is, and will only worsen if sharia law spreads further than the Swat Valley. As these militants have gained standing, they have gained clout within the country that also promises more pressure against the church.”

For a bajillion examples of the persecution of Christians in Pakistan (up to August 2007, prior even to the implentation of sharia in Swat), see here.

We have a moral obligation to say no to sharia. Now that sharia courts are officially binding in Britain, don't be surprised if we see the calls for more of it very soon (in fact, we already have).