Government of Pakistan should declare a Jihad on the terrorists

[muse]

disagree with using the term Islamist, for a couple of reasons - first, to do so gives the terrorist a chance to legitimize their cause

Islamist terrorists do not need to legitimize thier cause, they are not standing for elections, they will impose their will by force of arms and justify that by using religion, whether you agree or disagree, it will not change that fact.

Refuse to discuss their ideology or motivation, because then you have already legitimized their cause and ideology as one that needs to be distinguished from that of a criminal

Nobody has asked that we "DISCUSS" their ideology, we must reject, censure their ideology - we cannot do this without making people understand why the Islamist terrorist is wrong for using religion as motivation and justification of political or any other kind of violence.

Second, the term Islamist is also used to describe political parties that use religion as a political tool, but are non-violent. To now apply that term so loosely to the Taliban would be to tar these entities with the same brush (which some do deserve

).

Sir, let me try and articulate this better - You suggest a "descriptive" when you say

the term Islamist is also used to describe political parties that use religion as a political tool, but are non-violent

All along I am suggesting a "Prescriptive" -- As in prescription - a value judgement .

Merely describing that some use the term islamist and USE religion as if it were a political tool - is a statement free of any value judgement.

Your position is internally incoherent, on the one hand you follow the prescriptive, the value laden position you AGREE that a unequivical stand must be made and you Assert that the state has an obligation to actr against them --on the other hand , you also want to go "descriptive - go value free" when it comes to those whom you acknowledge that they USE religion as a political tool.

You want it both ways, you want to appear to be condemning Islamist terror but not Islamists.

I do not doubt that you are sincere, I would invite you to reamine the psoition you are adopting. Your position is a crafted position, that is to say it is built to spare the "sentiments" of some, whereas in the field of ideas, in which you excel, "sentiment" will have to take a back seat to "thinking".

You say we should have a UNEQUIVOCAL stand against islamist terror, I look forward to reading your clear and unequivocal position in action