The opening sentence in Time's guide to the conflict in Pakistan is quite appropriate: "The turmoil in the streets of Pakistan stems from a mercurial mix of history, religion and politics -- with explosive results."
Religion is front and center in this very important part of the world, but are reporters telling the story?
The New York Times scored an interview with embattled Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday, and while the religious issues don't pop out at the reader, they are present:
He said Pakistan was suffering from a "disturbed terrorist environment," and he appeared to be unaffected by calls from Europe as well as the United States for an end to the emergency rule.
Instead, the general, whose government has received more than $10 billion in aid from the Bush administration, mostly for the military, asked for even more support, and more patience.
The Bush administration has called the general the best bet to fight Al Qaeda and Islamic militants, but has also complained that the cooperation of the Pakistani military has been sporadic and often ineffective.
You don't have to read too deep between the lines to understand where religious issues come into play. But religious issues remained cloaked in vague terms, such as "moderates," as tmatt pointed out Wednesday.
As for the Time piece, it is a good start and long overdue. However, it is only a start and it largely fails at explaining the various forms of Islam in Pakistan and how they relate to the law and politics.
A helpful way to go about this would be to compare Pakistan and other Middle Eastern countries dominated by Muslim politics. Some are comparing the situation in Pakistan to the pre-revolution situation in Iran. Now that is a scary thought. But how does the presence of the highly professional military in Pakistan negate that factor, and what does religion have to do with it?
Speaking of countries highly influenced by the military that also happen to be allies of the United States, how does this compare to the situation in Turkey? An important aspect of this story is that Pakistan is no Turkey in terms of its relationship with the U.S. The country is far more radical, at least in religious ideology. Before September 11, 2001, the country was headed the way of Iran and Iraq as an official supporter of terrorism. But things changed on that tragic day, and the United States needed help of Pakistanis -- along with Iranians -- in routing the Taliban out of Afghanistan.
Another significant religion ghost that could receive more attention concerns former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. What is the religious significance that the opposition leader in an Islamic country is a woman? What does that tell us about the way Islam is taught and applied in the country?
Just as everyone was caught off-guard by the Iranian revolution, another surprise could be on the horizon concerning Pakistan. Religion will likely be in the center of it all.