Back in Pak

Imagine my sinking feeling while on the flight from London to Islamabad, BBC news reported just how angry the Pakistanis were about the supposed American airstrikes against some homes along the Afghan/Pakistan border. Fortunately, everyone was pleasant to me in the airport in spite of my US passport. While getting into my car, two friendly porters even tried to get $10 from me, though they had not carried my bags. I laughed. Hollowly. And didn't pay.

Then I collapsed in my guesthouse for a short morning nap and slept until dinner time, blissfully unaware of the anti-American demonstrations that had taken place until I read about them in the newspaper shoved under my door.

It was a telling paper. Aside from the articles about the missile strikes, there was an article about homelessness in America and shoplifting in America. There were also several apologist articles about fundamentalist Islam.

The most depressing article, however, was by a young educated woman, who wrote to explain why she wore the full body veil. Apparently, she'd been curious about her other acquaintances' decision to veil, but resisted it until an unveiled classmate of hers was kidnapped and then murdered when she refused to marry her kidnapper. At that point, after three days of soul searching, the author of the article decided that a good Muslim woman should cover up, head-to-toe and she now does so. The remainder of the article explained how much closer to God she now feels thanks to her chador, and that she's a better Muslim for wearing it.

Hm.