Two Faces of Fanaticism

Loughner.

Qadri

The recent shootings in Tucson and the Pakistani Governor's brutal assassination invite some unsettling parallels regarding the nature of fanaticism in the U.S. and Pakistain.  In the case of Pakistan, we see fanatical Islam woven so tightly into the fabric of the moral culture that many, even middle-class, well-educated citizens, have risen up to support the massacre of a governor who had made statements that disagreed with the moral and legal code of a significant amount of Pakistanis. In Arizona, although the case and motive for the attack on Representative Giffords are still relatively unclear, Sheriff Dupnik's statement suggesting that a vitriolic political atmosphere has implications as a motive serves as the basis for my comparison.
Both sides of the spectrum in the United States are responsible for the current atmosphere, but in this case it seems that fanatical right wing objectives like "fighting to take back the U.S." and "recovering America's former greatness" may have been taken too literally by Jared Lee Loughner, the suspect in the case.

Here's some links to articles regarding each story. Inform yourself.  Form an opinion, and share that shit in the comments section.

Arizona
NYTimes: "Bloodshed Puts New Focus on Vitriol in Politics"
Washington Post: Analysis: Tucson shooting put focus on security, political climate

Pakistan
Washington Post: Thousands rally in Pakistan for blasphemy laws
BBC: Salman Taseer murder: Is Pakistan past tipping point?