Press TV (Iran): "In the American political vocabulary, the parties that take the Islamic way of life seriously are not moderate."

This is from an interview with Liaquat Ali Khan, who teaches, according to the article, at Washburn University School of Law. That's in Kansas:

Q. In the recent elections in Pakistan, most of the people have voted for 'moderate parties' as they say. Is it a good sign for the country? If yes, why?

A. The word "moderate parties" in the context of Muslim countries is a code word that means secular, pro-Western parties. In the American political vocabulary, the parties that take the Islamic way of life seriously are not moderate. In 2008 parliamentary elections, Pakistanis have voted primarily for two national parties that have ruled before, PPP and PML-N.

Some Islamic parties refused to take part in the elections. Some did but they lost primarily because they were too closely associated with Pervez Musharraf.

If the winning parties in Pakistan will fight the American war on terror, they will be welcome as moderate parties. If the new government will say no to "the war on terror" and make an effort to bring peace to the nation, it will come under economic and military pressure to change.

Unfortunately, some (not all) US policymakers prefer that Muslim governments fight and kill "extremists and radicals." This is a recipe for internal strife and civil war. Pakistan needs to wake up, as must all Muslim nations, to say NO to the genocidal "war on terror." [...]

Tags: Pakistan, Iran, Islam