Ezra and Tigerhawk are discussing what to do about the vicious practices of Islamic fundamentalists in Pakistan. The first thing I want to say is that these kinds of problems are general afflictions of pre-modern societies, and not really specific problems with the Islamic world. Consider my Hindu ancestors, who invented the caste system, and who encouraged widows to burn to death on their husbands' funeral pyres. While the caste system is officially rejected and the burning of widows mostly ended in the 19th century, shadows of the customs still remain. I can remember my grandfather telling me that my Brahmin ancestry made me superior to other people, and after he died, my grandmother stopped wearing colorful clothes and eating some tasty foods that she used to eat before. I think it's true with all of us that when you go far back enough in our family trees, you're going to find members of some pretty awful societies.
In general, these societies didn't change because of military action by benevolent conquerors. They changed when internal reformers became powerful enough to foment changes.
