Mushastaid Hussain Quotes
Pakistan is a democracy. We cannot do anything against human rights.
Mushastaid Hussain, Minister of Information, Pakistan, Response to critics of the Pakistani law enforcement practices and policies which were notoriously very brutal and arbitrary, Interview, BBC TV, Hard Talk, August 12, 1997
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
Over 1000 people had registered to be candidates in the Iranian national election. However, under the Iranian Islamic Constitution all candidates have to be approved by the Guardian Council of Ayatollahs who are appointed by the Supreme Leader, also appointed. The Guardian Council found that all candidates but 6 were not worthy enough Muslims to be allowed to run for public office. 2 of the over 1000 rejected candidates were very prominent Iranians. The Supreme Leader made this statement which seems very reasonable and democratic until his order to the Guardian Council is considered. He ordered them to reconsider 2 or the 1000 rejected candidates.
It is ironic that Pakistan, the creation of Jinnah’s efforts, has to a great extent adopted Sharia (Islamic Law) resulting in severe curtailment of freedom of speech and thought. Professors languish in jail for not teaching the history of Muhammed in the orthodox way, people are sentenced to death for what the local mullahs regard as blasphemy—results which from Jinnah’s point of view were terrible.
This is a classic Egyptian political technique. Egyptian political leaders espouse democratic values and endorse human rights, but control and regulate the actual exercise of rights so that “unacceptable” groups or people can never really assemble or protest. They make an application to demonstrate and find themselves arrested or “detained” so the Egyptians can say that no one is refused the right to assemble. Their permit was not denied.
