World View: Terrorist Bombs Target Shias in Karachi, Pakistan, Killing 47

This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• Terrorist bombs target Shias in Karachi, Pakistan, killing 47
• Nearly 60 dead in four days of deadly ethnic clashes in Bangladesh
• The ‘Harlem Shake’ is shaking up the Mideast

Terrorist bombs target Shias in Karachi, Pakistan, killing 47

The two Karachi bombs blew apart several apartment buildings (AFP)

The Taliban terror jihad against Shia Muslims in Pakistan continued onSunday when two terrorist bombs, planted in a Shia neighborhood near aShia Muslim mosque, exploded, killing 47 and injuring hundreds. Thefirst bomb was planted in a vehicle and exploded via a remote signal.The second bomb exploded shortly thereafter. Tehrik-i-TalibanPakistan (TTP – the Pakistan Taliban) has apparently applauded thebombings, but claim they weren’t responsible. TTP-linkedLashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), has been perpetrating one Shia Muslimbloodbath after another (see “18-Feb-13 World View — Protests boil across Pakistan after mass slaughter of Quetta Shias”), and is suspecting ofSunday’s bombing, but they haven’t yet claimed responsibility. Thereis a rising fury among the Shia Muslims in Pakistan that thegovernment is either in league with TTP to kill Shias, or at the leastis afraid of TTP. Dawn (Karachi) and BBC

Nearly 60 dead in four days of deadly ethnic clashes in Bangladesh

When the Indian subcontinent was partitioned into Pakistan and Indiain 1947, what is now known as Bangladesh was made part of Pakistan,and called East Pakistan. With East and West Pakistan separated bythe vast expanse of India, the two regions didn’t get along. The 1947Partition war was a generational crisis war for (West) Pakistan, butnot for East Pakistan. In 1971, East Pakistan fought a liberation warfrom (West) Pakistan, resulting in independence for Bangladesh. (See “FBI will aid Bangladesh investigation of border guard officer massacre” from March,2009.)

But the 1971 war was actually an ethnic generational crisis civil warbetween the market and government dominant Bahari minority versus theBengali majority. This was also a proxy war between Pakistan, whosided with the dominant Baharis, and India, who sided with theBengalis. During the war, as many as 3 million people were killed,and hundreds of thousands raped, allegedly by the Baharis, supportedby the West Pakistan army. When the war ended, the Bengalis gotrevenge with brutal violence against the defeated Bahari minority,including rapes, mutilations, butchery, torture and murder. Associated Press, December 20, 1971

Today, Bangladesh is in a generational Awakening/Unraveling era, and awar crimes conviction, and there is a war crimes tribunal in progressto prosecute perpetrators of crimes against humanity. Hundreds ofthousands of demonstrators have been massing for weeks to protesteconomic conditions. But the conviction last week of Delwar HossainSayedee for war crimes in 1971 has triggered new ethnic violence.Soldiers are being deployed to control the spreading violence betweendemonstrators and police, which has resulted so far in 58 casualties.

So, (West) Pakistan is in a generational Crisis era, and we canexpect that violent attacks by Sunni Taliban-linked terrorists againstShia Muslims to lead to a new civil war. But Bangladesh is inan Awakening/Unraveling era, so the current clashes are expected tofizzle before long.Guardian (London)

The ‘Harlem Shake’ is shaking up the Mideast

The “Harlem Shake,” a viral dance craze invented by Australianteenagers a few weeks ago, is being used by protesters in Tunisia andEgypt to demonstrate against Islamist governments. In Tunisia,Salafists tried unsuccessfully to stop the filming of a staging of theHarlem Shake at a Tunis school last week. However, the staging wascompleted, and video footage, which shows participants smoking,dancing wildly in uncoordinated manner and simulating sexual acts, hasspread on the Internet, attracting millions of views. Egypt’santi-Muslim Brotherhood protesters have copied the idea. A group ofEgyptians posted videos of themselves on YouTube doing the “HarlemShake” in front of the Giza pyramids, with one of them, wearing whiteunderwear and a bow tie, dancing while riding a camel. A number ofsocial media sites run by Salafists and other Islamist groups havedenounced the “Harlem Shake” as indecent, with participants smoking,dancing wildly and simulating sexual acts. Middle East Online (London) and Daily Star (Beirut)

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