CU-Boulder Source on the Taliban and Islamic Extremism in Pakistan

May 18, 2009

Najeeb Jan, an instructor of geography at the University of Colorado at Boulder, is researching "political Islam" in Pakistan and has interviewed clerics, students and members of the military for a book he is writing called "The Meta-colonial State: Pakistan and the Crisis of Power."

According to Jan, the bloody and violent turmoil that is currently rocking Pakistan has deep and complicated roots and will be difficult to rectify.

"It's a really complicated and dynamic situation," he said. "It's not simply a rabid ideology versus a modern state. It's not just one group. There are a lot of unknown groups and dissident factions. There is much more to it.

"The distinction between the Koran and the Kalashnikov (an assault rifle) for the Taliban is no longer there. They use both as weapons and it's an insult to their religion. The force that is driving this organization is really a drive for sovereign power and it has its own very violent logic."

Jan, who is part Pakistani, spent several years attending school in that country and has relatives and friends living there.

Jan can be reached by calling 303-492-2860 or by e-mail at Najeeb.Jan@Colorado.Edu. MP3 files of Jan talking about the Pakistani conflict are posted at www.colorado.edu/news/broadcast.

Or call Dirk Martin in the CU-Boulder Office of Media Relations and News Services at 303-492-6431.

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