TheTaliban & The Toilet Bowl

Malala Yusufzai may well prove instrumental in awakening the Muslim world to the dangers of the Taliban. Shot four times for wanting to seek an education she is currently recovering at a hospital in the United Kingdom, presumably under strict security detail. Forgive me for wondering, but why is it that young girls cannot have access to education? This seems to me a basic human right? Not so if you are a righteous Taliban male; not so when you happen to believe you are an instrument of Gods judgement on Earth. You see, Allah doesn't want to see women educated. They are simply breeding machines, of less value than males, and can be bartered and dominated as per the strictest interpretation of the Koran. Frustratingly, the vast majority of peace loving and moderate Muslims have, up until now, proven reluctant to speak out against their extremist brethren. It has taken this act of brutality against an 11 year old to awaken them from a dangerous slumber. It appears that at last we see signs of change, with widespread protest and revulsion in Pakistan where this heinous act took place. Curiously, some Imams have issued fatwas against the perpetrators of these crimes, which on the one hand is at least a clear statement, yet on the other just further evidence that Islam is a backward religion struggling to modernise in a changing world. I want these animals bought to justice, and if they die in the process I genuinely don't care. Thing is, society built on vengeance is a society destined to die at its own hand. Now democracy ain't perfect, but its a work in progress and the best way of achieving the highest good for the greatest number. We all know it's flaws, but how ever could it be worse than the kind of religious theocracy the Taliban, or even moderate Islam is offering? Happily, in the West more and more are choosing reason over religion. Young people in particular continue to ignore the siren song of false promise and historical falsehood. They don't care about religion. This is fantastic, but there's a whole wide world still caught in its poisonous vice like grip. At the extreme end of the delusion lurks the Taliban, with its warped values and creepy certainty, and we should never forget that these men act as they do in the name of their God. I have no real beef with the moderates, other than to think their views a bit odd. Many live practically secular lives anyway. But there's still a battle to be fought on the ragged edge, where the loonies plot and pray, believing that they are the perfect representation of their faith. These people we cannot give an inch. We must not indulge them, or offer them even the slightest morsel of hope that they deserve to be treated seriously. It's ok to declare something as ridiculous if it is, for want of a better term, ridiculous. Radical Islam is ridiculous. It must be regarded as such, and dealt with accordingly. No kid gloves, no pandering, not a slither of encouragement. The toilet bowl of history is its only worthy destination. And don't forget to do the full flush.