The College of Art and Design in Lahore is one of the most cultured institutions in Pakistan's most cultured city. When I visited a couple of months ago, it was surrounded by sandbags: a department for traditional music had been opened and al-Qaida, which considers music un-Islamic, had threatened to blow it up. Despite this, both teachers and students told me that the real problem they faced was America. 'It's true there are some misguided boys,' the principal said, 'and they may be the ones threatening us, but it is America that has bombed their homes.'

LRB 25 September 2008 | PDF Download