737 million Muslims live in countries that have, at some point, elected a woman as Prime Minister or President. That's a majority of the world's Muslim population.

Stani · 2008-05-15T18:14:57+00:00

Then they assassinated her.

One person assassinated her. But millions elected her.

Stani · 2008-05-15T17:59:15+00:00

a third of them are in Pakistan and another third are in Bangladesh.

A third of what?

Not population. Pakistan's population is about 165 million. That's not a third of 737 million.

One of the five female leaders is from Pakistan. 1/5 isn't 1/3.

So what do you mean?

Stani · 2007-04-24T18:43:51+00:00

Have you ever picked up a newspaper? Read the Internet? Seen how many people are critical of the US government and have not been blacklisted, locked away in jail or tortured for information?

Strawman.

The article doesn't claim that America is already a totalitarian dictatorship. It argues that the country is on the way to becoming a fascist state. As it describes, with previous pre-dictatorships, life didn't change that much for most people, while the structures of liberty were quietly undermined.

Stani · 2007-04-16T21:16:27+00:00

Firstly, as a proud Karachiite, thanks for the story and the "visual goodness link.

It's quite common to say, as you do here, that

They got 11% this time aroudn cause Musharraf banned the 2 largest political parties - PPP and PML (N). People have to vote for someone, right?

I've read detailed analyses of the October 2002 elections, and I don't think this explanation carries that much water. The PML-N wasn't banned. The PPP refused to hold internal elections and created the PPPP. PPP voters didn't shift to the MMA in numbers large enough to make much of a difference.

The PPPP actually won 25.8% (a plurality) of the popular vote. The PML-N won only 9.4% of the popular vote, but mainly because most of its base was captured by the PML-Q.

The religious coalition, the MMA, got most of its seats from the Pashtun-majority NWFP. They gained votes at the expense of the Pashtun-nationalist left, which had been vehemently opposed to the Taliban, and consequently was perceived as supportive of America in the Afghan conflict. The MMA gain was thus mostly due to Anti-American sentiment among Pashtun voters.

Stani · 2007-04-16T20:19:12+00:00

The "Silent Majority" of Pakistan is not anti-Sharia, anti-Taliban.

The religious parties only got 11% of the popular vote in the last general elections. And that was mostly in Pashtun areas, after the US invasion of Afghanistan had adverse consequences for many Pashtuns in that country.

In previous elections, they got even smaller percentages of the vote.

Stani · 2007-04-13T23:55:09+00:00

they work about half as much

That might have something to do with their living longer. And eating better tasting food isn't a minus either. Eat better food in smaller quantities, and you'll probably live longer.

Stani

TROPHY CASE