Waziristan, Pushtunwali, & "The Hardest People on Earth"

Stanley Kurtz discusses the books of Akbar Ahmed at The Claremont Institute website. It is an informative essay that looks at Waziristan, its tribesmen described as "physically the hardest people on earth," their honor system ("Pushtunwali"), and what this microcosm has to say to the question of how to meet and live in peace.

Kurtz concludes Tribes of Terror by saying, "In a sense, global Islam is now Waziristan writ large. (The author) Ahmed rightly spots tribal themes of honor and solidarity throughout the Muslim world—even in places where tribal social organization per se has receded. Literally and figuratively, Waziristan now seeks to awaken the tribal jihadist side of the global Muslim soul."

This is an essay at once interesting, informative, and unique in its perspective. For one with a predilection to the work of René Girard, there is a great deal of grist for the mill here. [HT: GA Blog]