Sudanese liberalism

Omar al-Bashir’s government has whipped a 16-year old Christian girl 50 times for wearing a skirt that stopped at her knees.

Make of it what you will, but I am reminded of the effort to hold elections in Sudan. This juxtaposition recalls that liberal democratic institutions are entirely compatible with theocratic tyranny over the human spirit. Just ask Rebecca Nurse and Hester Prynne. Like we did 300 years ago, Sudan has a very long way to go.

Sharia for Peace?

This week the Pakistani government in the NWFP agreed to a truce with the Taliban in the Swat Valley.  In exchange for a permanent cease fire the provincial government has agreed to the imposition of Sharia Law. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has yet to sign off on the deal, but thus far the price of the cease fire looks to be Taliban control in Malakand, Shangla, Buner, Dir and Chitral, which adds up to roughly 1/3 of the NWFP.

On the one hand, this seems to legitimize Islamists in the NWFP and further undermines an already brittle Pakistani state capacity. Critics fear that ceding the territory to the Taliban will create another haven for terrorist activity and the Pakistani’s inability to defeat militants will only embolden their activities.  Indeed, this pact seems to legitimize what has already been happening in the province, namely Islamabad’s continuing inability to exert control and rule of law in its tribal areas.

It is also important to note the historical experience of Swat, Chitral and Dir,  which officially joined the Pakistani state as “Malakand” in 1969. Historically, tribal law was the source of the judicial system in these areas. The imposition of the ineffective Pakistani judicial system led to calls for a return to tribal/Sharia law. By 1994, the Tehrik-Nifazi Shariat Muhammadi (TNSM) movement was formed under a slogan calling for a return to Sharia Law. Swat elected a secular party in 2008, but militant elements began assassinating the party’s political leadership.

The best hope seems to be that the cease fire and acquiescence to the demand for Sharia will isolate the “Taliban” elements in the province unwilling to adhere to the ceasefire. In a visit to Washington today Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Shah Mahmood Quereshi, called the truce a “local solution to a local problem.” However, the imposition of Sharia could ultimately prove to be too costly for Pakistan’s statehood.

A brief NYT documentary captures some of the risks that ordinary inhabitants of Swat face….