Pakistan and Future

I usually refrain writing and debating about religious matters, however I was unable to stop myself from posting this comment at http://pakistaniat.com/2009/04/03/flogging-taliban-girl-swat/comment-page-19/#comment-184864 

I know it might be a little bit puzzling but it just shows how confused I am myself.

I don’t know how muslim world existed before 1977 , I don’t know how muslim countries other than Pakistan, Afghanistan, KSA and few others , exist now. Since I was born in 70’s , got my school, college education in 80’s and 90’s , here is how my brain had been hard-wired to believe in the following:
1. All the girls who shake hands with “na-mahrem” are “be-haya” and “be-sharam”… I live in Europe , my wife usually will shake hands with “na-mahrems” , although I won’t have any objections to her but somewhere in my mind I’ll have this “be-haya” and “be-sharam” thingee , I remember when I was 15-16 year old , most of my elders one generation above will talk about how General Zia’s wife might have shook hands with American President…. and they would condemn him of being hypocrite because he preached Islam, but his wife “will shake hands with ‘na-mahrem’ ” which is against Islam.
2. I am programmed to believe that all girls/women who wear half-sleeves shirts with jeans and do not take “do-patta” are shameless creatures… when I was in university in Pakistan it was in fact considered “OK” to tease (sorry for bad translation the urdu word we used was “chaiRna”) them, since there was a question mark on such girl’s character.
3. Even though spending a whole decade in West and working with “Kuffar” , every time I shake hand with a lady , I am hesitant somewhere in my mind or heart.
4. During my teens I was always told and taught by my elders “Islam is the way of life” , Saudi is still considered by my parents and my elders (one generation above me) as the heaven on earth. But when I went to Saudi to work there few years back I ran from there with my family when someone told me “if Matuawwa found that my wife is going alone with a na-mahrem, they would hand out lashes to my wife. I was also told that if a women is raped by a rapist usually both rapists and women will be meted out punishment as it would be very hard for the women to prove that she was not willing partner in the rap. Remember punishment could be anything from lashes to “stone to death”….
5. Few years back in 90’s , BB (Benazir) once talked about “barbaric” punishments , there was big hue and cry about them. I also felt disgusted that how BB can describe “Islamic” punishments as “barbaric” , the religion that is “complete way of life”…
6. I know why I am finding it hard like many others to say that handing out lashes to a young girl is “barbaric” however just like I have an internal hesitance when shaking hands with a lady but I still do, I would condemn this act as barbaric and inhuman and consider it unislamic and against the teachings of Islam, but I do believe in “Second Aya” of “Sura Noor” , I do believe in Quran and Islam as Complete way of life … but I would say this act was un-islamic.

Let me quote the most liberal of “Islamic scholars” who is considered by many other of his compatriots as “kafir”, however you would understand my dilemma when even the most “liberal” scholar of Islam find it hard to “condemn” this act.
It is the ninth letter to “Tahira”
http://www.tolueislam.com/Urdu/tkn/tkn.htm

about “Parda kay mutalliq” , I shall try to translate it in English.
At page 116 in “Tahira kay naam khatoot” , Mr. Ghulam Ahmed Pervez states that:

As a side note , in the verse of Sura Noor describe above, needs some explanation which will be beneficial. Few days back a non-muslim member of the assembly objected that you want to implement a Quranic system in which punishment for fornication is 100 lashes. On this our apologist muslim members were so embarrassed that if it were in their control they would have thrown out (maazallah ) the verse about this “BARBARIC” punishment from Quran. And then have told the critics triumphantly that they were things of past , in the new edition of Quran there is no such verse of the dark ages. But this was not possible for these poor souls , therefore they came up with the excuse that Quran has put the condition of 4 witness who saw the crime with their own eyes and since nobody even does a lawful sexual act in front of any body let alone an unlawful act. So therefore the crime of fornication can never be proved against anyone therefore there won’t any “barbaric” punishment for them. With this logic our muslim members were very happy that they have saved Quran from a big objection.

Please excuse my bad translation.

Over the last couple of day I have several blogs , watched a lot of tv talk shows , listened to the scholars and I feel sorry for Adil Najam who said

There are those who will try to make this a story about what Pakistan or Islam is. Such bigoted approaches are to be resisted. This is not a story about what Pakistan is. This is clearly not about what Islam is. This is a story about what the enemies of Islam and enemies of Pakistan are doing.

Because for some enemies of Islam are the “Taliban” who meted out punishment to the poor girl and for others enemies of Islam are the one who “released” this video and using this video to prove Islam as “Barbaric” religion ….
Would Adil Najam help me which enemies of Islam he is talking about?