kendor said:There is extremism in loads of countries of the world including this one but that doesn't mean that the authorities or the public in general are all extremeists does it?
you're correct, it doesn't. and i did highlight this in my first post:
....pakistan shouldn't be assumed to be either a moderate country, or a secretly extremist country....
.... it would be incorrect to say that all pakistanis are extremist, or that all pakistanis are decent moderate people....
its the proportion of extremists to normal people that is really under question. some will argue that extremists number maybe 0.001%, others will argue 99% of their population is extremist. now if you believe that the extremists are a tiny minority, and i believe they are a sizeable proportion (say 70%), who's right?? i believe i am, due to mass demonstrations against musharraf (who is seen as a moderate), everyday people ignoring the existence of terrorist camps, mass celebrations over 9/11, no protests demanding a more moderate pakistan, etc..etc..
and i believe the pakistani govt to be extremist, due to the links i posted earlier.