I would like to comment on Terence Netto's piece on secularism (Religious coalition cautions against altering the Merdeka contract, Jan 31).

The modern nation-state, in fact, cares two hoots for the people but only about the power it can amass at their expense including even enslaving them. This is because politics has become the art of the devil and all politicians appear in fact to be possessed by demons.

Just consider the mess that corrupt politicians are making everywhere as they continue to line their pockets. Argentina, surely, takes the cake.

Sure, the modern nation-state may appear to pay lip service to this or that community but that's about as far as it goes i.e. mere lip service. Malaysia's own self-professed love for the bumiputra is a case in point.

In that sense, Islamic militants are just waging a battle against godless modern nation-states. However, once in power, as in Taliban Afghanistan, they (Islamic militants) will be the exact duplicate of what they overthrew.

After all, "heads I win, tails you lose" and "if you can't beat them, join them" and "being life-long members of the Winners Club" are mottos the devil himself swears by.

All this must makes us wonder whether life on Earth is the proverbial Hell.