Bhutto knowingly chose path of true martyrdom

Benazir Bhutto

The word too often associated with the Islam is "martyr." We hear of jihad and jihadis, and holy wars, all of which is shorthand for some fanatic walking into a marketplace or restaurant, pressing a button and killing themselves and 20 to 200 innocent civilians.

This week, in a real tragedy for the future of the Muslim world and the region – another type of martyr: Benazir Bhutto. Her martyrdom was not of the John Wilkes Booth or Mohammad Atta variety, but rather of the Mahatma Gandhi and Martian Luther King type. She returned to Pakistan carrying the banner of democracy, the rule of law, women's rights and peaceful Islam. In short, she was a metaphor for civilization itself. She waded into that deadly chaos knowing full well the enemies of that civilization for which she willingly gave her life marked her for death.

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Who would have murdered this decent mother of two children who was prepared to gamble everything she had, and everything she might ever have, for the sake of the Pakistani people? Of course, it is too soon to tell. However a list of her enemies would be long and, not coincidently, represent some grave threats to human rights: a sly dictator skilled at courting favor with both na?ve neocons and murderous terrorists, and, of course, one must add al-Qaida, the ISI (Pakistani intelligence service) and Osama bin Laden – aspiring terrorists, all of whom are scared at the prospect of a woman doing anything more than voting. Whoever murdered Bhutto will have had much in common with any of these enemies of human rights.

Many journalists and leaders will express their sincere regret and horror over this brutal murder; so must I, and not only for reasons of principal. I knew Benazir Bhutto. It was my honored to interview this intelligent, well-spoken, witty, charming, decent human being at her friend's house in Potomac, Md.

Over tea, cookies and a Marntz tape recorder, the former prime minister spoke freely. And it seems fitting to share a prediction that Benazir Bhutto made to me during that interview: That President Pervez Musharraf would say yes, yes, yes to the United States on the issues of combating terrorism, but would look the other way and allow terrorism to fulminate.

Who could deny that Bhutto was not absolutely correct in her assessment? A.Q. Kahn, the man responsible more than any other for Iranian and North Korean access to Nuke weapons, remains under house arrest in a prison any one of us would envy. President Musharraf makes sure that Kahn remains a national hero and lives in a gilded cage.

Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Mullah Omar remain in Pakistan (the betting is that), and many have questioned the sincerity of Musharraf's "attempts" to capture or kill him. Indeed the same week that saw the murder of Bhutto also witnessed reports that millions of dollars in neocon aid to Musharraf, supposed to be used for anti-terror have been diverted. In many respects, with the murder of Bhutto, the Bush administration policy in Afghanistan has collapsed.

But to return to the personal side, one of our associates at Talk Radio News Service knew Benazir Bhutto from college and recalled a beautiful young girl whose nickname was "Pinky" after the pink sweaters she often wore. Aside from her marked intelligence and character, she was, in most respects, just an ordinary college kid with the same hopes and dreams as any young person is entitled to have at the start of her life. Our college watched her grow over the decades and marveled at how this young girl, whose father was hanged on trumped-up charges, had the compassion and courage to continue to devote herself to her country. A lesser character would have remained in the safety of another country to trade on her name and get the big bucks.

Instead, Benizar Bhutto knowingly chose the path of true martyrdom. She gave her life for the cause of freedom.