Extremism begets extremism.
In central and South America they suffer the “Old Europe disease”, the wealthy truly not enjoying their wealth unless they are surrounded by poverty and squalor. Their champagne and caviar lack flavor unless they can look out a window and see beggars starving in the streets.
But in turn, this breeds deep resentment among the beggars, who see radically egalitarian socialism, to utterly crush the wealthy and impoverish them, as the solution to their own poverty. And this is an equally vile belief, because once a peasant is uplifted by power and wealth, as the new “Jefe”, they behave just as boorishly as the wealthy and powerful they displaced. Same as the old boss.
So in Muslim nations, where the power is oppressive Islam, with pretense that it is a religion, forced on all despite its barbarism and stupidity in the modern world, the reaction is atheism, often socialist atheism. In Arab nations it is Ba’athism.
It is a rejection of Islamic government, where the oppression is just as real, but with less of an Islamic face on it. Same as the old boss, but perhaps less sanctimonious about it.
Yet they do not completely discard Islam in the process, only mitigate it somewhat. Even the Soviets could never quite pull this off, so Islam remains. Perhaps this is because atheism really has nothing to offer people.
In Africa, however, there is a different choice. Millions of black Africans are leaving Islam and becoming Christians, mostly Anglicans. At first, many do so just so they can say they are not Muslims, but Christians. Yet they soon realize that Christianity offers them something that just “not-Muslim” does not. And this is why their departure has turned into a flood.
Could it be the same in Pakistan?
Meet the new boss—same as the old boss. How about Castro following Batista.
Very wise, very wise indeed.
I honestly think that in time, there will be a huge conversion, but quite frankly, just not yet. Probably not in our lifetime, but in time Earth will see it’s change for the better. At the moment this is the best possible step in the right direction.