That is why Taseers concern is pure ,unadulterated fake.Regarding choice for dalits in Pakistan,many had converted during British days.Some dalits did cross over to India.I remember reading a novel by someone called Chaman Nahal which described the exodus of Hindus/Sikhs and dalits were part of the exodus.Why werent the dalits forced to convert to Islam?Every society has to face some unaswerable questions but it is Porkistan which ignores,suppresses such questions.Let alone poverty,Pakistan=intellectual shunya.vina wrote: Another thing to consider is that many of the Dalits in West Punjab converted to Christianity (the Aisia Bibis and the other Christians being harassed , murdered, raped etc and in Pakistan are all Dalits). That is the choice Dalits made to stay in Pakistan , because being Hindu there wasn't tenable. A poor choice I'd say , maybe they should have become Muslims. They are now being persecuted for being Christian. See despite all the protestations of equality and egalitarianism, nearly all Islamic societies, especially Pakistan is highly unequal and very tribal and your station of birth largely determines your life. Not much social mobility etc.
It is ironic that in India where despite the stereotypes, the caste strictures have loosened tremendously and "lower caste" /"dalit"/"disadvantaged background" because of democracy is a viable means of social empowerment and mobility, in Pakistan, the "caste" system morphed and merged perfectly into an Arabized tribalism into a pitiless social structure that is deeply oppressive and fundamentally cruel.
Think of this Aisia Bibi case. She fetched water from a well, some of her fellow laborers insulted her/humiliated her calling her "unclean" (was she "unclean" because she is Dalit or Chrisitian or both and the Muslims feel "cleaner") and the rest is history.. resulting in the death of Salmaan Taseer.
It is amazing how this works in Islamic societies. In Iran, the Zorastrians and Jews are "unclean" and socially segregated , barred for schools and public pools,societies etc, consigned to the margins doing absolutely menial and degrading jobs (like the Christian Dalits in Pakistan, largely consigned to manual scavenging of human waste).. for eg most of the waste cleaners /gargbage collectors/recyclers are Copts in Egyt. There was an entire NYT article on that when the Swine Flu hit egpyt and the effects on the copts when they ordered all their pigs to be killed.
Bad enough as it is, there is no social mobility possible for those minority groups because in Islamic states , that is forbidden for non muslims by religious law!.
In our Punjab,the dalits are far better off.It is completely off topic to discuss caste here.Porkistan has retained the worst features of caste while the positive elements of Hindu heritage are wearing off very fast.It is the Hindu elements,which in the first place got the 'moderately enlightened' tag.
Why didnt Taseer express sympathy for the Hindus,Sikhs,Baloch,Baltis who are being killed everyday? Aasia Bibi was a nice glamorous issue to parade the false liberalism before goras to get more certificates and dollars?
They had roses in the desert!
