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February 3, 2015 Special Dispatch No. 5950

Pakistan's Urdu Media Articles On Charlie Hebdo Attack: 'There Was A Jew, Abu Afak – Very Old, Very Dirty And Foul-Mouthed, Meaning [That He Was The] Charlie Hebdo Of His Time'

February 3, 2015
Special Dispatch No. 5950


A page from Urdu weekly Haftroza Al-Qalam

Pakistan's Urdu media tried to justify the January 7 attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo saying it was a justified response for publishing cartoons blasphemous of Prophet Muhammad.

The Urdu-language weekly Haftroza Al-Qalam published an article by jihadi group Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) praising the Paris killers, saying that the "martyrs of Islam" had taken revenge for Prophet Muhammad. The JeM is led by Maulana Masood Azhar, one of the three terrorists released by India in exchange for the passengers of an Indian plane hijacked from Kathmandu to Kandahar via India in 1999. Haftroza Al-Qalam is openly sold in towns across Pakistan. The article is part of a regular column titled "From The Pen Of Saadi", which is believed to be written by Maulana Masood Azhar.

Roznama Ummat, a major Urdu-language daily, wrote an editorial headlined "Beware," warning Western governments that they must stop insults against Prophet Muhammad if they wanted to stop incidents such as what happened in Paris.

Roznama Islam, an Islamist newspaper sympathetic to Al-Qaeda-linked groups, demanded an international blasphemy law to make it a criminal offense to insult the prophets of all religions.

Column In Haftroza Al-Qalam: "The Blasphemy Of The Prophet Muhammad Is A More Serious Crime Than Killing Hundreds Of Thousands Of Innocent People, Because This Crime Will Open The Doors Of Hell"

The following are excerpts from the column in Haftroza Al-Qalam:[1]

"Allah's peace and countless blessings be on those martyrs who paid back their love for the Prophet [by killing the cartoonists of Charlie Hebdo], on those who lit the light of the love for the Prophet and Islamic honor by [sacrificing] their lives...

"Glory be to Allah, what an historic event and how great are those three martyrs. [I] say the truth; my hands are shaking with excitement, emotions, and obedience; and my pen is falling from my hand. [Those] opening the burst of bullets on those who made the blasphemous cartoons have achieved a very high status. Anyone who has even a little love for Prophet Muhammad will pay tribute to those martyrs, and will consider praying for them as honor for themselves...

"When we study the life of Prophet Muhammad we come across these words: ...[Arabic words deleted here] 'who is, who is for me, that is just for my honor and dignity, who will finish this depraved [person] It is the incident of 2nd Hijri. There was a Jew, Abu Afak - very old, very dirty and foul-mouthed, meaning [that he was the] Charlie Hebdo of his time. He would blurt verses to insult the Prophet; so, in fact, he was abusing Allah. The blasphemy of the Prophet Muhammad is in reality the blasphemy of Allah. The blasphemy of the Prophet Muhammad is a more serious crime than killing hundreds of thousands of innocent people, because this crime will open the doors of hell and eternal failures.

"Blaspheming the Prophet is a more fatal and lethal sin than burning whole cities along with their inhabitants. This sin is not against one exalted personality but against all of humanity. When Abu Afak's insults crossed limits, the Prophet Muhammad, for the safety of humanity, said with great pain in his voice: '... [Arabic words deleted] who will finish this depraved person?' Glory be to Allah... Saleem Umair's name came out of the draw of honor. When he heard the Prophet's words, he jumped and said he had already promised to himself that either he would kill him [Abu Afak] or be killed. Then he left with a sword and killed this cruel, cancerous, AIDS, Ebola [i.e. Abu Afak]...

"When the magazine Charlie Hebdo committed blasphemy of Muhammad, it pierced a sword into the hearts of tens of millions of Muslims. Even after protests, they remained obstinate like a donkey, taking pride in their security, and maintained the blasphemous stance... A voice [of Prophet Muhammad] must have come from the Green Dome of Medina [where the Prophet is buried]: 'who will protect me from this depraved [Charlie Hebdo]...?'

"Ah! The voice kept echoing for four years. We the Muslims kept crying, sobbing and ashamed. Several lovers [of Prophet Muhammad] armed with knives embarked but were arrested or killed. Every Muslim wanted to shout: 'I am, I am, O Prophet of Allah, I will take revenge of your dishonor.' But luck smiled on Cherif and Said [Kouachi]. They reached the target fully prepared and fought such a war that even the skies must be watching and saluting them. The world witnessed that Islam's lap is not barren yet..."

"Accept That Islam Is A Reality; Jihad Is A Reality, And Love Of Prophet Muhammad Is A Big Reality; As Much You Will Inflame The Fire Of War And Increase Hardships, Muslims Will Become More Militant"

"Europeans are holding huge demonstrations. Every country is tightening its security. These fools don't understand that these are things you have been doing since 9/11 - killing, catching, bombing, executing, tightening security, threatening, scaring.  

"But what is the result of these acts of yours? Think, think, has jihad weakened or strengthened? Has Qital fi Sabeelillah [fighting to kill in the path of Allah] become limited or expanded? Now, if you keep doing the same, the consequences will also be the same. If you make blasphemous caricatures, do you think the lovers of the prophet will sit idle, wearing bangles in their hands? France is very fond of bombardment [in] Afghanistan, Libya, or Iraq; its Mirage [jets] are the first to bomb the Muslims.

"If you spray bombs, do you think the children of Medina [the city where the Muhammad is buried] will shower petals on you? Oh, accept that Islam is a reality, jihad is a reality, and love of the Prophet Muhammad is a big reality. As much you will inflame the fire of war and increase hardships, Muslims will become more militant and more powerful...

"Remember, death is not a thing to scare a Muslim; rather, it is a beautiful damsel... Muslims will remain faithful to their religion, their Allah, and the Prophet of Allah, Allah willing."

Editorial In Roznama Ummat: "[Charlie Hebdo] Has No Respect For The Feelings Of Muslims; Rather, It Has Been Providing Proof Of Its Enmity Against Islam"


Roznama Ummat, January 9, 2015

The following are excerpts from an editorial in Roznama Ummat:[2]

"According to a British paper, the attackers raised slogans and said, we have taken revenge for the blasphemy of Prophet Muhammad. In different news stories, the attack was declared an act of Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. America, Russia, the European Union, Britain, and the UN Secretary General condemned the incident and termed it as an attack on freedom of expression. Pakistan has not yet given its response. However, the [London-based Pakistani politician] leader of Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Altaf Hussain from London, has expressed sorrow at the killings of those who published blasphemous cartoons in Charlie Hebdo and has sent condolences to the people of France.

"The issue is not that Charlie Hebdo has mistakenly published blasphemous cartoons. This magazine had earned notoriety in 2006 by publishing blasphemous cartoons. It had reproduced the cartoons published in Danish daily Jyllands Posten. After the publication of those cartoons, the Muslim world, especially the Middle East, had protested strongly, and at least 50 persons were killed in violence. Charlie Hebdo terms the publication of blasphemous cartoons as expression of freedom of speech. On the other hand, it has no respect for the feelings of Muslims. Rather, it has been providing proof of its enmity against Islam by hurting them regularly. The magazine also showed its mentality in November 2011 and September 2013.

"Despite protests by Muslims, Charlie Hebdo chief editor Stephane Charbonnier always refused to express regret. Recently, he published the title of a controversial book on the cover page; by showing the ruler of France in 2020 to be a Muslim, it ridiculed Muslims of the world. Before the attack on Wednesday [January 7], the magazine had tweeted the Islamic State chief Abu Bakar Al-Baghdadi's caricature.

"It may be recalled that Charlie Hebdo's office was attacked before as well, and its chief editor was living in strict police protection. It is a belief of the Muslims that any indiscretion shown towards Allah can be forgiven, but no Muslim will tolerate even minor disrespect towards Prophet Muhammad. A Muslim will, by sacrificing his life, punish any non-Muslim or Muslim if the name of Prophet Muhammad is insulted. Surprisingly, the so-called civilized Western world and its followers have not understood this point."

Editorial In Roznama Islam: "The Muslims... Have Been Demanding On International Forums That Intellectual Terrorism In The Name Of Freedom Of Expression Should Be Stopped But To Please A Handful Of Jews [They Refuse]"


Roznama Islam, January 9

The following are excerpts from an editorial in Roznama Islam:[3]

"After the attack on the weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, an atmosphere of fear has emerged in the European countries, especially France. The rulers of the Western countries, including U.S. President Barrack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, have condemned the incident in strong words. And French President Hollande has announced [plans] to take revenge for the attack, after which apprehension is expressed about an increase in Islamophobia in Europe and violent incidents against Muslims is on the rise.

"What are the motives and dangers of the Paris attack? Nothing can be said definitively about it, but if you see apparent guesses and the French police statement, it [appears] a response to the nefarious act of Charlie Hebdo for repeatedly publishing cartoons of Prophet Muhammad, despite protest by Muslims of the world. The Western circles will immediately term this response as terrorism and [it] will be regarded as a detestable act at the international level. In the present-day world, the occurrence of such violent acts is really unfortunate. But while condemning this act, the rulers, intellectuals and people of Western countries should keep this fact in mind: that publication of blasphemous and mischievous caricatures and essays had hurt the feelings of Muslims all over the world as much as this incident has [hurt] Europe.

"But it is very unfortunate that European countries do not feel the need to condemn or try to stop the publication of such blasphemous cartoons. Terming insults to the Prophet Muhammad, whose [personality] is the cornerstone of 1.5 billion people's belief, as freedom of expression, and rewarding the satanic Salman Rushdie, and giving no importance to the feeling of one-fourth of the world's population, has no connection to standards of rationality. The Muslim world understands the grief of the West... but questions arise as to why insulting the Prophet of Islam... and hurting feeling of 1.6 billion Muslims is continuing, and why the United States and Western governments are paying no serious attention to solve this.

"The West should understand that violation of the... Prophet of Islam's dignity is [such a] heinous and mean act that any Muslim, under any circumstances, will not tolerate or offer any window for compromise on it. The Muslims, for the past three decades, have been demanding on international forums that intellectual terrorism in the name of freedom of expression should be stopped, and insulting prophets and sacred personalities should be made a crime, but to please a handful of Jews the Western countries, who made doubting of the fiction of the Holocaust a crime, are not ready to listen the just demand of the Muslims.

"Not a single week passes when some perverted individual insults humanity's biggest benefactor [Prophet Muhammad]... whereas no law in the world allows insult of [even] an ordinary person. When the Muslims talk of making efforts to stop insults to the Prophet and sacred personalities, the West and its cronies advise Muslims to show patience and tolerance, and do not feel the need even to verbally condemn the provocations... No educated person is oblivious to the fact that insulting... sacred personalities and freedom of expression are two different things, and no one in the world should have permission to hurt the feeling of others ... by using freedom of expression. The Paris incident is a clear message to the international fraternity that attention needs to be paid to the solution of the sensitive issue of limits of freedom of expression and insult to religion...

"To curb the acts of blasphemy, an international law should be enacted under which insulting the benefactor of humanity [Prophet Muhammad] and other prophets and sacred personalities should be made a crime, so that some people with bad motives should not have the courage to spread evil in the name of freedom of expression and disturb the peace of the world..."   

 

Endnotes:

[1] Haftroza Al-Qalam (Pakistan), Edition 478, January 16-22, 2015.

[2] Roznama Ummat (Pakistan), January 9, 2015.

[3] Roznama Islam (Pakistan), January 9, 2015.

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