An image from the new magazine 'Azan'

Introduction

A new jihadi magazine, launched by the Taliban in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area and comparable to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's Inspire magazine, earnestly appeals for help to defeat U.S. drone technology, announces the formation of a death squad to kill former Pakistani military ruler General Pervez Musharraf, seeks to recruit self-radicalizing jihadi youth, produces a full-page image of U.S. President Barack Obama under the words "Wanted Dead Only," and declares that the jihadi forces' ultimate aim is to liberate Palestine from Israel.

Produced in English-language for jihadi youth worldwide, the magazine is called "Azan" – or call to prayer – and has been released by the "Taliban in Khurasan," a geographical region encompassing Afghanistan and Pakistan. The first issue is dated March 2013. The names of editors and publisher are not given, but the expression "Taliban in Khurasan" seeks to remove any distinction between the Pakistani and Afghan Taliban. Contrary to the belief of many Western analysts, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which represents Pakistani jihadis, has always identified itself as part of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the lead body for Afghan Taliban led by Mullah Muhammad Omar, who is described by Azan as "commander of [all] the believers."

A PDF copy of Azan was released on the Jamia Hafsa Urdu Forum, a jihadi internet forum set up after the 2007 Pakistani army operation in Islamabad's Red Mosque and its adjoining Jamia Hafsa madrassa for women,[1] which was ordered by Pervez Musharraf. It produces an image of militant commander Adnan Rasheed surrounded by masked members of a death squad formed to kill Musharraf, who recently returned to Pakistan to contest elections but is under judicial custody pertaining to court cases against him, including one charging him with treason. Adnan Rasheed, a former Pakistan Air Force commando, is a militant commander who was freed from Pakistani jail by the Taliban.

An unsigned editorial, while stressing the magazine's jihadi mission, notes that it is also aimed at self-radicalizing Muslim youth, stating: "Azan is also a platform for the Muslim men and women abroad who seek to humiliate the tyrants in their own lands. We ask all Muslims holding such noble aspirations of discharging their sacred duty of jihad to contact us…." The editorial outlines a media war, stating: "It is also imperative that the ideological battle that the Crusader-Zionist enemy is waging be fully laid out in front of the Muslim masses and a proper reaction to this onslaught be formalized…."

Perhaps in a reference to the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan by 2014, the editorial observes: "The world today stands at the eve of the return to Khilafah as was destined to happen according to the Ahadith [sayings and deeds] of the Messenger of Allah [Prophet Muhammad]." In this context, the description of Mullah Omar as "commander of [all] the believers" is relevant because contrary to depictions of Mullah Omar in the Western media as leader of the Afghan Taliban, he is indeed deemed by jihadis worldwide as Emir-ul-Momineen, leader of the faithful.

Militant Commander Adnan Rasheed Says He Was Influenced By India's Release Of Maulana Masood Azhar And Later Joined "A Clandestine Jihadi Group That Had Been Working In The [Pakistan] Air Force For Years"

An image of Adnan Rasheed with his death squad formed to kill General Musharraf

Adnan Rasheed was jailed in Pakistan for his role in an assassination bid on General Pervez Musharraf. However, he was freed in a daring jailbreak launched by hundreds of Taliban militants in the Pakistani town of Bannu in April 2012. "Azan" carries a long interview in which Adnan Rasheed recounts his childhood and school days spent in Lahore and his joining the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in 1997 and interactions with non-Muslim soldiers, and how a feeling engulfed him that he is "a slave without chains" in the Pakistani government.

Asked what inspired him for jihad, Adnan Rasheed says: "The very first time the jihad inspired me, that was the release of a certain popular scholar from jail [Maulana Masood Azhar, released by India in exchange for passengers of an Indian plane hijacked to Kandahar in 1999] when he announced the formation of the organization known as Jaish-e-Muhammad. The second time I was with the Tablighi Jamaat for three days in Karachi. Whilst in a mosque with them, I found the book Fadayl-e-Jihad (The Virtues of Jihad) [authored by Masood Azhar]."

He also talks about his job dissatisfaction in the Pakistan Air Force and how he had planned to go to Germany for higher studies when the 9/11 attacks took place and he "didn't believe how America could have been attacked." Narrating how he was persuaded by a colleague to join the Mullah Omar-led Taliban after 9/11, he says: "This eventually became an issue of the heart and mind. I was dreaming of (going to) Europe when 9/11 happened; suddenly, my brothers in faith – the Taliban – needed me."

In October 2001, as the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, Adnan Rasheed was introduced to Maulana Masood Azhar and proceeded to the Mansehra terror training camp, where he spent 23 days and was interviewed by several militant commanders. "[The interviewers] said that they had made my Tashkeel (delegation) back to my Air Force squadron. They told me that I should work there and give the dawah [invitation] of jihad, and that the Islamic Emirate had collapsed and so there was no job for me in the Taliban Air Force." The fact that the jihadi interviewers decided to send him back to the PAF indicates that they were working for Pakistani military commanders.

Adnan Rasheed states: "In December 2001, the relationship between India and Pakistan deteriorated suddenly so our squadron was ordered to move forward to base Murid in the Chakwal area of Punjab; the Air Headquarters ordered the imams [prayer leaders] of PAF mosques to mobilize the PAF personnel for jihad. So it was a golden chance for us to give dawah openly. About 30 brothers joined us. Meanwhile, one day, a brother named Y came to us from Shorkot base. He came with the invitation to join a clandestine jihadi group that had been working in the Air Force for years. After authenticating his claims, we three gave Bayah (oath of allegiance) to brother Y for Emir-ul-Momineen Mullah Mohammad Omar."

Adnan Rasheed identifies the secret jihadi group in the PAF as "Idarat-ul-Pakistan," or institution of Pakistan. He states: "The mission of this group… named Idarat-ul-Pakistan was to prepare mujahideen in all three forces – Army, Navy, and Air Force - for a future takeover. But until then, its mission was to get training from Jaish-e-Muhammad and to fight in Afghanistan under their setup [organizational leadership]. We were of the view that Maulana Masood Azhar was a special Emir for Pakistan from Mullah Omar; so we were following Masood Azhar in Pakistan…."

"I Want To Give … [My Prison Inmates] Glad Tidings That Soon Our Brothers Will Strike On Their Cages To Free Them"; "The Jihad Is The Only Solution To The Plight Of Our Ummah… It Cannot Be Stopped Now"

Adnan Rasheed then goes to narrate how a jihadi-minded officer granted him four months' leave to go to Afghanistan, and later when he returned he found that he was basically working for Jaish-e-Muhammad under the command of the Pakistani military's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). He observes: "I decided to talk to my officer commanding, Wing Commander Mushtaq, directly. So I went to him. He used to call me Taliban. I said, 'Sir, do you know that a martyr will take 70 people along with him to Jannah [paradise]?' He said, 'yes.' I said, 'I want to go in the path of Allah for 4 months; so I need a leave. I promise you that if I get martyrdom, I will take you to Jannah!' He said, 'Promise?' I said, 'Yes.' He then said that my leave was guaranteed [sic, granted]; so then I left for Jaish-e-Muhammad [training camp in Afghanistan]."

"[Later, it] was revealed to me that neither Masood Azhar nor [militant commander] Haji Abul Jabbar was officially appointed Emir for Pakistan [by Mullah Omar]; they were working under the ISI. So, I went to my Emir of Idara[t-ul-Pakistan], Dr. Y and told him that, 'Brother, we are wronged! There is no difference between us and Jaish-e-Muhammad. We are soldiers in uniform and they are soldiers without uniform. How strange it is that we follow them and they take instruction from our institutions – the ISI!"

Adnan Rasheed's interview is perhaps the most authentic evidence about security experts' established view that the Pakistani military's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has been creating and nurturing jihadi organizations in Pakistan so that they can be used to advance Pakistan's foreign policy objectives in Afghanistan and against India. "Finally in July 2003, we declared our independence from the Pakistani organizations and decided to somehow approach Emir-ul-Momineen [Mullah Omar] directly," the militant commander adds.

Adnan Rasheed's image is published surrounded by a group of armed masked militants who form a death squad to kill General Musharraf. Referring to Musharraf's return from self-exile to Pakistan, he states: "When jackal's death approaches, it heads towards the city. The mujahideen of Islam have prepared a special squad to send Pervez Musharraf to hell. The squad includes martyrdom bombers, special assault team, sniper team, and a close combat team." He identifies three reasons for previous assassination plots on Musharraf: i) his decision to make Pakistan a frontline state in the war on terror; ii) arrests of foreign jihadis and their handover to America; and iii) assistance to the U.S. and NATO in the war against the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Asked when he decided it was haram (forbidden in Islam) to be working for Pakistani military, he says it was U.S. President George Bush who "asked everyone in the world to be with them or against them. So, when the Pakistan armed forces sided with him, I chose to be against him."

Adnan Rasheed discusses the Pakistani military's insincerity in the use of jihadis and talks about his time in prison, stating: "My other fellows – 13 in number – are still in jails. You are all requested to make dua [prayer] for their release. Yes, I want to give them glad tidings that soon our brothers will strike on their cages to free them, Allah willing." He sums up his mission: "The jihad is the only solution to the plight of our ummah. We are suffering today from the mistakes of the past, and the biggest mistake was forsaking the jihad. It cannot be stopped now…."

Magazine Appeals For Help To Defeat U.S. Drone Technology, Says: "Before 9/11, There Was Only Afghanistan; Today, It Is Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Mali, Algeria, Yemen, Iraq, Syria… The List [Of Jihadi Movements] Will Only Continue To Grow"

In an image, the magazine says: "We are fighting in Khurasan but our eyes are on Palestine"

While the highlight of the magazine is Adnan Rasheed's detailed interview, there are several articles worth noting.  In an article titled "The Drone Chain," a writer named Jaffer Hussain narrates the tragedy brought by the U.S. drone strikes, and how poor people in the Pakistani tribal region are given money to plant chips, leading to the drone attacks. Hussain blames the Pakistani military for assisting in the U.S. drone program.

The article calls upon Muslims to provide assistance to defeat the drone technology, noting: "These drones can be hacked and manipulated, as evidenced by the efforts of the Iraq mujahideen. Furthermore, they can be destroyed using various technologies that the mujahideen are working on. But the Muslims of the world must question themselves as to what role they are playing in helping these innocent Muslims with the abilities that Allah has given them. This is a call to anyone in the Islamic ummah with knowledge, expertise, and theories regarding anti-drone technology. The Ummah is not short of brilliant minds – from the millions of Muslims that live all over the world, there would possibly be quite a few who would assist their brothers in combating these evil missiles designed by the devils of the world.

"Any opinions, thoughts, ideas, and practical implementations to defeat this drone technology must be communicated to us as early as possible because these would aid the Ummah greatly in its war against the Crusader-Zionist enemy," the article adds, calling earnestly for help.

In another article, "On U-Turns And The Pakistan Army Doctrine," the writer Ikrimah Anwar discusses "the role of nationalistic 'Muslim' armies that have supported the Crusader-Zionist alliance in their satanic assault on Allah's Earth." Anwar criticizes the Pakistani military's recent move to focus on the Taliban on the Afghan border by deprioritizing India, which has been traditionally the number one enemy.

Anwar observes:  "The Pakistan Army recently published their new army doctrine, that marked a curious day in the history of its existence. The doctrine states that the 'Army is turning its face away from ominous eastern borders [against India], looking now to disruptive western [Afghan] borders, and deeming internal [terrorist] threats as being more pressing than external, (i.e. Indian) aggression.'"

He traces Pakistan Army's role against jihadi forces right from the early days of Pakistan since its creation in 1947, its operations in Baluchistan, the fighting against east Pakistanis and defeat in 1971, the post-2001 role as an ally of the Crusaders, the 2007 military operation against armed female students of Red Mosque and Jamia Hafsa madrassa in Islamabad, etc., to stress that the Pakistani military has been working in the interests of infidels.

"Islam Negates Every War That Is Fought For Wealth, Family, Tribe, Or Nation; In Islam, The Only War That Is Justified And Obligatory Is That Which Is Fought In The Way Of Allah"

Cover page of the magazine

In an article, "On the Road to Khilafah," writer Muhammad Qasim discusses the system of caliphate as envisaged in the Koran and sayings and deeds of Prophet Muhammad. Reviewing major developments of the past century such as World War I, which ended the Islamic caliphate in 1924, he goes on to describe an emergence of the caliphate again, especially since the Taliban began implementation of Islamic sharia in Afghanistan from 1996-2001. 

The author of the article then reviews jihadi movements across the world – in Afghanistan, Yemen, Pakistan, Mali, Somalia, Chechnya, Nigeria, Libya, and Syria – and presents them as the pathways to a global Islamic caliphate. "The world is watching as the path to Khilafah foretold by Prophet Muhammad is weaving itself forthright under the noses of the Western powers. Before 9/11, there was only Afghanistan. Today, it is Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Mali, Algeria, Yemen, Iraq, Syria – and of course, the list will only continue to grow. The West spent its entirety on trying to abolish the Khilafah and the jihad but they could only provide more cause for these very aspects of Islam to brighten forth." Separate articles on jihadi movements in Syria and Mali are also produced in the magazine.

"Malala, Education, And An Unruly Media," is the title of another article, whose author criticizes the international media for lauding Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenager who was attacked by jihadis for writing an online diary for the BBCUrdu.com in favor of girls' rights after the Taliban imposed a total ban on female education in 2009. The writer also blames the BBC for hatching a plan against the Taliban by getting Malala to write the diary. An article written by slain Al-Qaeda militant Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi criticizing freedom of belief and expression is produced to contrast Islam and democracy, describing the former as "a complete system based on obedience to Allah" and the latter as "a complete religion based on obedience to the people."

An article titled "Nationalism And Islam" is also produced, to negate the notion of territorial nationalism, stating: "Islam negates every war that is fought for wealth, family, tribe, or nation. In Islam, the only war that is justified and obligatory is that which is fought in the way of Allah, and for the establishment and victory of His Religion…. But, according to the Tawagheet (false idols) of today, such a war is not allowed. According to them, only a war that is waged for the 'nation state' is allowed…. But fighting for nationalism is clearly haram (prohibited) in Islam."

"Azan" Offers Encryption-Based Contact For Self-Radicalizing Muslim Youth Worldwide, Gives Details Of Software Code For Secret Communication

The magazine also contains a number of articles and quotes from jihadis worldwide, including Anwar Al-Awlaki, Osama bin Laden, and a court statement of Faisal Shahzad, a Taliban jihadi who tried unsuccessfully to explode a car bomb in New York's Times Square on May 1, 2010. Shahzad is quoted as telling the U.S. court:

"This is only one life. If I were to be given a thousand lives then I would spend each of them waging jihad in the path of Allah, defending my lands, and raising the Law of Allah to be the highest. Allah's law is supreme and it surpasses all other man-made systems and laws. We do not follow these man-made laws because they are always corrupt."

Importantly, the magazine offers self-radicalizing Muslim youth contact details and encryption codes to get in touch with the jihadi leaders. It says: "If you would like to contribute to the magazine or to the global jihad against the Crusader-Zionist alliance – or if you would like to ask questions or give some comments, then contact us using the following email address: azan23452@yahoo.com."

It also notes details about the software used by the jihadis for secret communication: "The procedure for secret communication with us is the same as with the Inspire magazine. All communications will go through the Asrar-ul-Mujahideen Ver. 2 Program. Instructions on using that program can be found in the first issue of Inspire magazine of AQAP, as well as on the websites where the software is available: >> www.ansar1.info, >> www.ribatmarkaz.co.nr. "(Our email address and public key will be changed with every issue InshaAllah). Please note our public key…. [software code here edited out]"

* Tufail Ahmad is Director of MEMRI's South Asia Studies Project (www.memri.org/sasp)

Endnotes:

Introduction

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the Taliban's shadow government in the country, operates a network of websites and social media accounts to connect with potential jihadists, report the Taliban activities in Afghanistan, and advance the cause of global jihad by means of audio, video text and PDF documents. Most of these websites and social media accounts are hosted in foreign countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, and the U.S. In recent years, various Taliban websites have been hacked by foreign intelligence agencies, but they invariably reappear after a few days.

The Islamic Emirate is a formidable jihadist organization led by Mullah Mohammad Omar, who is believed to be in hiding in Pakistan. Mullah Omar is regarded as Emir-ul-Momineen, or the leader of the faithful, by almost all jihadi groups worldwide. The Islamic Emirate is the largest terrorist organization in Afghanistan, followed by Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan led by fugitive terror mastermind and former Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.

Some of the key languages in which the Taliban media outlets disseminate the message of jihad are Pashtu, Arabic, Urdu, Farsi, and English, attracting global audiences. On a day-to-day basis, these web-based media outlets report the activities of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. These jihadi publications also source their content frequently to Zabihullah Mujahid and Qari Yousaf Ahmadi, the two main spokesmen of the Islamic Emirate.

This paper reviews details of the major Afghan Taliban websites and their hosting and domain registration details, as well as their accounts on social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Google, among others.[1] It should be borne in mind that the Taliban's latest video and audio publications are released generally first by Arabic-language jihadi forums such as Al-Fida' and Ansar al-Mujahideen Arabic Forum (AMAF).

The Taliban's Jihadi Websites And Their Audiences

Six leading websites that propagate the Afghan Taliban's jihadi activities are: shahamat-urdu.com, shahamat-english.com, shahamat-arabic.com, shahamat-farsi.com, shahamat.info, alsomod-iea.info, shahamat-movie.com, among others. These websites are at the forefront of reporting the Taliban attacks on U.S. and NATO forces as well as jihadi propaganda material.  

All the Taliban websites' logos include the title "Voice of Jihad," and all of them cross-promote each other and classify their content in the following categories: news, commentaries, interviews, poems, audios, videos and the like. Although the Islamic Emirate says that the Taliban's focus is limited to Afghanistan geographically, its operation of these websites in a number of languages indicates that it is courting supporters and likely jihadists from across the world.

The Urdu-language website shahmat-urdu.com also publishes Shariat, a monthly magazine produced in PDF form, and also recently published on the Internet, to reach audiences in Pakistan and northern India where Urdu is the Muslims' primary language. The Pashtu-language shahamat.info, previously shahamat-pashto.com, reaches audiences in Afghanistan and the Pakistani border tribal region, where Pashtu is the main language. The Farsi-language shahamat-farsi.com is aimed at speakers of Dari, a variation of Persian spoken in Afghanistan, and at audiences in Iran.

The Arabic-language shahamat-arabic.com reaches a vast audience across the Middle East. The Arabic team of the Islamic Emirate's media team is also very active. Most interviews with the Taliban commander appear first in Arabic and are then translated into other languages. It also produces Al-Somood, an Arabic-language journal.

The English-language shahamat-english.com is aimed at the global media and potential jihadi sympathizers across the world, but is primarily aimed at tapping alienated Muslim youth in America and Europe.

Leading Taliban Websites Hosted In Malaysia

Most of these websites are registered through Webnic, which identifies itself as "the leading ICANN accredited Registrar in Asia with offices in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Taiwan. We focus on offering our partners low pricing in gTLDs and many ccTLDs. Serving over 1,600 reseller partners in over 60 countries and managing over 750,000 domain names, [we] currently rank [as] Top 30 registrar in the world."[2]

All of the above-mentioned domains are registered by Adil Madani, who gives his home base as Kandahar in Afghanistan, email as adilmadani@yahoo.com, and phone number as +937.34343456, which may or may not be correct. Internet searches for shahamat-urdu.com, shahamat-english.com, shahamat-arabic.com, shahamat.info, and shahamat-farsi.com show similar registration details. For example, the registration, billing and contact details for shahamat-urdu.com are as in the image below:[3]

Prior to recent hacking attacks against them, these websites were registered through domain registration and hosting companies based in the U.S. and Canada. Currently, these websites are hosted by Malaysian firm SKA Technology Sdn Bhd, whose address is: 24 & 24A, Jalan Cerdik, Taman Connaught, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Tel: 603-91005371, email skatech@skatech.com.my. SKA Technology identifies itself as "a specialist in the system integration, design and installation of security systems."[4] The domain registration and hosting details are as above for all the Taliban sites. The hosting details for shahamat-urdu.com, as an example, can be seen in the image below:[5]

The Taliban's Al-Somood Website – Registered By U.S. Firm, Hosted In Singapore

A search for Al-Somood, an Arabic-language magazine that is generally first to interview leading Taliban commanders, reveals that it too is registered by Adil Madani. However, its domain name is registered by Godaddy.com, a U.S.-based firm.[6]

As seen in the image below, Al-Somood's website, alsomo-idea.info, is hosted by Vodien Internet Solutions Pte Ltd, a web solutions firm that gives its address as  40C Hong Kong Street, Levels 4 & 5, Singapore 059679, Tel: + 6562886264.[7]

Afghan Taliban Twitter Accounts

In an April 2012 interview with the London-based Arabic-language daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Taliban spokesman Qari Yousaf Ahmadi discussed the Taliban strategy of winning the hearts and minds of Muslim youth through social media tools, stating: "Praise be to Allah, I use computers and have accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube."[8] A review indicates that Facebook is more active than Google and Twitter in removing the Taliban accounts. However, Twitter has for now allowed the Taliban to continue to use its service.

Over the past few years, Taliban militants have opened a number of authentic accounts on the micro-blogging site Twitter. Some of the Twitter accounts affiliated with the Islamic Emirate are: @malhamah, @zabihullahmujahid, @Qariyusufahmadi, @alsomood, @alemarahweb, @GhazniwalTariq, @NaSiH_G, @ABalkhi, @alemarahweb, and @samishinwari1.[9]

Of these, three accounts are most important: @zabihmujahid, the official account of Zabihullah Mujahid, and @Qariyusufahmadi, belonging to Qari Yousaf Ahmadi; the two are main spokesmen of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. They publish numerous weblinks via Twitter that lead readers to jihadi content on different websites. A third one, @ABalkhi, is perhaps the most active Twitter account of the Afghan Taliban and has engaged in dueling with NATO officials on Twitter.[10]

Also noteworthy is @malhamah, which is named after a jihadi magazine of the same name. It began tweeting on March 4, 2012, posting links to jihadi material on the Internet. Unlike other Taliban accounts, it posts the bulk of its material in Urdu, while some tweets are in English. As of February 7, 2013, it had posted 500 tweets and had 101 followers.[11]

The Afghan Taliban's Use of Google's Picasa Photo-Sharing Service

In a December 11, 2012 paper, this author examined how the Islamic Emirate has been using Google's free picture-sharing service Picasa to publish and share images of U.S. soldiers deployed in Afghanistan.[12] Two Taliban accounts, Alsomood100 and Alsomood101, were opened on Picasa in the name of Al-Somood, the Arabic-language magazine of the Islamic Emirate. Thousands of images posted by the Taliban on Picasa are only of jihadi fighters but are also of wounded U.S. soldiers, with the aim of advancing the Taliban propaganda claim that the militants are winning the war against America in Afghanistan.

The two accounts feature images of U.S. military tanks and other vehicles attacked and damaged by the militants, wounded U.S. and Afghan soldiers being taken to the hospital, coffins of U.S. and Afghan soldiers being carried, images of jihadi fighters described as martyrs, images of Taliban militants fighting and firing missiles, and the like. The images are dated 2001 through 2012, and are identified by the locations and names of provinces where the incidents occurred.

The Taliban, like other jihadist groups in the Middle East, are relying heavily on a number of U.S.-based websites with impunity to publish their videos and documents to further the cause of jihad, among them document-sharing website Scribd.com, the collaboration tool Box.com, the free digital library Archive.org, and others. Often, the Taliban post their videos on these American websites and publish a link to them from their own websites.

Also, like Picasa, the Afghan Taliban are using Google's video-sharing website YouTube on a large scale. Though occasionally some jihadi accounts are deleted by Google, little progress has been made in deleting online jihadi videos from YouTube, as researched by MEMRI staff.[13]

* Tufail Ahmad is Director of MEMRI's South Asia Studies Project.

Introduction

Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), a jihadist terror organization that is leading the current wave of systematic killings of Shi'ite Muslims across the length and breadth of Pakistan, has released its first magazine in English, calling upon its followers to ensure the fall of Iran first before liberating Palestine.

The SSP, which is perhaps more powerful in its countrywide reach than Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, also operates under two names that are nationally familiar in Pakistan, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), which enjoy some official support from government leaders in Pakistan's Punjab province, where 60 percent of the country's 180 million people live.<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]-->

The first issue of the English-language magazine is titled Al-Rashideen, referring to the four early Islamic caliphs who are considered the Righteous Caliphs. The cover page of the magazine carries the slogan "Iran Must Fall Before Palestine Can Be Liberated."

The Pakistani group's focus is also against the Shi'ite regime headed by Bashar Al-Assad in Syria.

The SSP enjoys support among college-age Pakistani youth, and has branches all over Pakistan, notwithstanding a Pakistani government ban over the past decade.

In an editorial, the magazine's editors, who are not identified, note that it is aimed at Muslim youth: "We present you this first issue of Al-Rashideen. We hope this to be a platform where relevant issues facing the Ummah are studied/analyzed upon by students of colleges and universities, and Muslim youngsters whose first or second language is English."

On February 21, 2013, the SSP opened a Facebook account under the name "Al-Rashideen."<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[2]<!--[endif]--> The group has many other Facebook accounts that preach hatred of Shi'ite Muslims.<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[3]<!--[endif]--> In March 2012, MEMRI published a detailed research paper on how the SSP and its sub-units LeJ and ASWJ are using social media networks, especially YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, to spread hatred of Shi'ite Muslims across the world.<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[4]<!--[endif]--> The SSP, with literally thousands of militant clerics across Pakistan working as its members, deems Shi'ites, who constitute roughly 20% of Pakistan's population, as infidels. The group has been working alongside Al-Qaeda and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.

In recent years, armed members of the SSP and its affiliated organizations have been systematically killing Shi'ite Muslims across Pakistan, pulling them from passenger buses, checking identity cards to ascertain that they carry Shi'ite surnames, and shooting them dead, or simply bombing their homes and religious congregations. The scale of attacks against Shi'ite Muslims in Pakistan has spiked so high that the international press is beginning to carry images of placards held by protesting Pakistani youth with slogans: "Stop Shi'ite killing, stop genocide." On September 25, 2012, MEMRI published a detailed research paper on persecution of religious minorities in Pakistan, including Shi'ite Muslims, stressing the calls for putting Pakistan on a genocide watch.<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[5]<!--[endif]-->

In the first issue of Al-Rashideen, it is perhaps for the first time that the SSP formally endorses the global jihad launched by Al-Qaeda under Ayman Al-Zawahiri. In several articles, the magazine delivers a distinctly jihadist narrative of Islamic history, and cites anecdotes from the lives of Prophet Muhammad and his companions to legitimize the killings of Shi'ites and non-Muslims. Arguing for the legitimacy of any Muslim taking upon himself to implement Islamic shari'a rules, the magazine states in one of the articles: "[Examples from Prophet Muhammad's life] should remove the doubts in the minds and hearts of every Muslim that there is no place for zero self-confidence or impotence in carrying out the shari'a law in Islam, regardless of what the society and world says." It also cites examples of a number of alims, or Islamic scholars, on how they emerged to defend the supremacy of Islam against the non-Muslim world, ultimately becoming part of the jihadist movements worldwide, as cited below.

Over the past two years, the SSP affiliates have used their Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube accounts to express support for Al-Qaeda in its fight against the Shi'ite regime of Bashar Al-Assad. A major focus of the magazine is, therefore, also on Syria, with images and slogans accusing the international community of standing by silently; one statement is: "We are all Jabhat Al-Nusrah [the Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria]" and another quotes the Prophet Muhammad as saying: "Know that Paradise is under the shade of [the] sword."

The magazine also carries excerpts from a book on jihad by Maulana Masood Azhar, one of the three militant commanders released by India in exchange for the passengers of an Indian plane hijacked from Kathmandu to Kandahar in 1999. Azhar heads Jaish-e-Muhammad, a jihadist organization that is active across Pakistan in teaching explanations of what it calls "jihadist verses" of the Koran.<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[6]

Excerpts From The Magazine's Articles

"We Have Been Under Attack... Militarily, Ideologically, And Psychologically Since The Last 200 Years"; "Be It Hindu India, Christian USA-Russia, Buddhist and Communist China-Burma-Philippines, Shi'ite Iran-Syria, Every... Non-Muslim Has Stepped On The Bandwagon [Of Anti-] Muslim Crusades"

In an unsigned article - titled "2013: What Next?" - the SSP outlines a jihadi narrative of Islamic history, arguing that throughout in recent decades alims (Islamic scholars), from Palestine through Iraq and Chechnya to Pakistan have stood in the frontline of jihad for the supremacy of Islam. The article notes that Islamic scholars are "acting as a fire-wall against the Judeo-Christian, Hindu, and Shi'ite nexus." Following are excerpts:"<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[7]<!--[endif]-->

"Another year has passed by and [we are] on the dawn of 1434 [Islamic calendar year beginning November 16, 2012]. Taliban are battling with the Crusader armies in the rugged terrains of Afghanistan, Chechen guerillas fighting for an emirate in the Caucasus, Palestinians with stones in hand defying the Israeli onslaught, Kashmiris protesting against the Indian militancy [i.e. military], Syrians rising up against the Shi'ite Nusayri Bashar, Ulema [Islamic scholars] getting martyred in the streets of Karachi, Pakistan, by Shi'ite militias. A cursory look at these conflict areas brings to light the Muslim plight. With meager resources and scarce bullets at their disposal, they [Islamic scholars] are nevertheless acting as a fire-wall against the Judeo-Christian, Hindu, and Shi'ite nexus.

"Not much has changed vis-à-vis Muslim fortunes since [the war of] 1757 when the British entered the Indian Subcontinent, gained charge and then eventually snatched the Ottoman Caliphate in 1924. Since then, it's been a series of unfortunate events starting from Kemalist reforms in Turkey, Israel's independence in 1948, little or no Islamization in Pakistan, break-up of Bangladesh [in 1971 from Pakistan], Russian invasion of Afghanistan and continuing all the way to the 1979 Shi'ite heretic revolution in Iran to 2011's Arab Spring. Our debacle and its causes had begun a long time ago, but for the sake of brevity let's just not limit ourselves to the American invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq as the setting up the stage for Muslim conflict.

"We have been under attack... militarily, ideologically, and psychologically since the last 200 years and more so since the last one century. Be it Hindu India, Christian USA-Russia, Buddhist and Communist China-Burma-Philippines, Shi'ite Iran-Syria, every possible non-Muslim has stepped on the bandwagon [of anti-] Muslim Crusades. Hindu India stepped in since 1948, USA and Russia were there remotely behind the scenes before, but directly since the '80s, China, Burma, and Philippines hopped in since the late-'80s and early '90s, and Iran and Syria have been cruising along since the '70s.

"We were analyzing and discussing the withdrawal of NATO and American forces from Afghanistan in 2014, when all of a sudden the Arab Spring came up and the mass butchery of Muslims was done [by Shi'ite regimes] in Bahrain [and] Syria, aided by their Shi'ite master-patron Iran. We are under attack; there is no denying that. And we are being so right, left, and center. And the reality as espoused in a popular Hadith [saying of Prophet Muhammad]: 'that there would be a time when the kuffar [infidels] would invite each other (the way we invite people at food) against Muslims' is very much visible now."

"[The] Only Good News... Is The Rise Of The Mujahideen Movements And Their ... Courage To Move On Despite Heavy Odds; And What Is Driving Them? One Reason Is The Spirit Of Jihad... Which Is Expressedly... [Permitted] In The Koran And Sunnah"

"[The] only good news in the midst of all this is the rise of the mujahideen movements and their resilience and courage to move on despite heavy odds. And what is driving them? One reason is the spirit of jihad and shahadat [martyrdom] which is expressedly present [and permitted] in the Koran and Sunnah [deeds and sayings of Prophet Muhammad]. In the words of noted Egyptian jihadi ideologue [and Al-Qaeda leader Ayman] Zawahiri, 'The West can snatch away our territories, kill our women and children, but they can never extinguish in us the spirit of jihad and martyrdom as espoused in the Koran and Sunnah.

"Another reason is the renewing of this Koranic spirit (of jihad) by individuals who have time and time again saved the Islamic Tradition from being ignored by the Muslim masses. When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in the late-'70s, it was Abdullah Azzam (a Palestinian alim) who through his speeches and dawah [preachings], rallied the support of Muslim youngsters the world over to join the holy cause in the mountains of Afghanistan. When Serb and Croat Christians aided by the U.S. and Russian petro-dollars started the Muslim carnage in Bosnia, it was Shamil Basayev (Bosnian) and Ameer Khattab (Arab) who led the Muslim resistance.

"When the U.S. and NATO forces were using the tacit help of the Shi'ites of Iran and Iraq, it was Abu Mus'ab Al-Zarqawi (Jordanian) who dampened any hopes of a complete American and Shi'ite take-over of Iraq for a long time to come. When the Indian Goliath was on the verge of winning the battle of hearts and minds in Kashmir, it was [Jaish-e-Muhammad founder] Masood Azhar (a Pakistani alim) who re-ignited the spirit of jihad in the hearts of Kashmiris and mujahideen posted there. When the Jewish aggressor [Israel] was getting accustomed to Muslim slumber in Palestine, it was Ahmed Yaseen (a Palestinian alim) who woke the Muslims by forming Hamas. When in the early '80s the Shi'ite revolution in Iran started being exported via Iranian petro-dollars in Iraq, Pakistan, and parts of the Middle East, it was [founder of SSP] Maulana Haq Nawaz Jhangvi (a Pakistani alim) and his supporters, who stood up to check the Shi'ite-inspired onslaught."

"Being Muslim Does Not Mean That Our Loyalties Rest Within The Boundaries Of States And Nations Where We Reside"; "We Are With Our Backs On The Wall, The Only Way Out Is To Hit And March Forward! There Is No Turning Back"

"All the above-mentioned examples point in one direction: The presence of internationalism in Islam. And that has been the case and point of Islam's growth as a world religion. The Holy Prophet ... was an Arab, among his Sahaba [companions] there were Hazrat Salman from Persia, Sohaib from Rome, Bilal from Africa and many others. Out of the 144,000 Sahaba thousands are buried outside the Arab heartland in China, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Russia and ... the world over. Islam strengthened and grew in Spain, Indian Subcontinent, Persian Iran and many other regions. Being Muslim does not mean that our loyalties rest within the boundaries of states and nations where we reside.

"We are one the world over, and the examples highlighted above are enough to prove that. As a relevant example I would quote, [Pakistani leader Zulfiqar Ali] Bhutto: 'Gandhi once observed that if Islam is uprooted from the Subcontinent, it will flourish elsewhere, but if Hinduism is uprooted from the Subcontinent, it would be the end of Hinduism. The meaning of the remark was that if Hinduism had to be protected at the cost of uprooting Islam from the Subcontinent, there was a justification in it [i.e. partitioning India, creation of Pakistan]....'

"What Bhutto points out is that had Gandhi not clandestinely paved the way for the break-up of India, and had Muslims and Hindus continue to live together, Islam would have thrived in India at the cost of Hinduism. And he was right, today according to the World Religious Freedom Report 2012, 94% of the world's Hindus reside in India.

"And before signing off, the New Year [of 1434 beginning November 2012] brings us to the point of no-return. We are being constantly taken for granted, our lands taken away in petty deals, our life-styles and culture snatched at the gun-point of immunity marketing. All this and much more has made the Muslim an easy prey to kill. We are with our backs on the wall, the only way out is to hit and march forward! There is no turning back…."

"Zero Self-Confidence [Among Muslims] Is The Outcome Of Secularism As A State Of Mind"; [We Must] Save The Current Arab Spring From A Judeo-Christian Onslaught"

<!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->In the image above, the SSP presents its key argument that Shi'ite Muslims are infidels. The image accompanies an article titled "The Road Ahead – Obstacles 1." Usman Khan, the author, while calling upon Muslims to ensure Islamic supremacy against the West, analyzes how world events during the past two centuries have created "zero confidence" among Muslims. The following are excerpts from the article:

"Whatever that has happened and continues to be happening in Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Tunisia, Syria, and the likes is resonant to so many revolutions that have taken part in the Muslim world in the 21st century. We have the independence movements of Egypt, Algeria, and Pakistan as a prime example of hijacked revolutions. The Pakistan Movement [which led to the creation of Pakistan in 1947] was steeped into a religious awakening owing to the masses and the visionary leadership of men such as [Islamist national poet of Pakistan Muhammad] Iqbal, Quaid-e-Azam [Great Leader or founder of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah], and Maulana Shabbir Ahmad Uthmani. But what happened afterwards is a trend most unfortunate that has time and time again resulted in a deep despair among the Muslims. It is this trend which caused a pioneer of the freedom movement to retort. 'Who's Shari'a? I don't want to get involved. The moment I enter this field the Ulema will take over....'

"This zero self-confidence is the outcome of secularism as a state of mind. But leaving that argument aside... [we] assess the havoc played by such an indifferent attitude towards religion. [We] ... would be limiting my arguments to the 19th and 20th century realm. The examples to follow are disheartening to say the least, and in order to save the current Arab Spring from a Judeo- Christian onslaught, we need to ponder over them....

"[Discussing British rule in the 20th century and end of the Ottoman caliphate:] The Crusader dream of avenging Saladin's victory of Jerusalem came true, but not without the hypocrisy of Muslims such as Habibullah Khan [of Afghanistan] and Mustafa Kamal [of Turkey]. What made them do what they did isn't a very difficult question to answer. It was zero self-confidence which built around them a façade of Judeo-Christian supremacy at whose altar they sacrificed Islam.

"The next example is that of Kashmir. The Radcliffe Award meant that Muslim majority areas [of undivided India] go to Pakistan.... The Indian government in a last-ditch effort managed to convince Maharaja Hari Singh [ruler of Muslim-majority Kashmir state] to play his 'Hindu' card, and side with India. This was one wrong i.e. to go against the wishes of an entire Muslim population, and also against the Radcliffe Award. For those of us who argue 'Two wrongs don't make a right,' the Quaid-e-Azam [Muhammad Ali Jinnah] ordered [Prime Minister] Liaquat Ali Khan to administer a 'covert' war... [in Kashmir against India]."

"[Pakistani Military Ruler] Zia-Ul-Haq Stands Out Among The Many Pakistani Leaders"; "This Was The Man Who Helped Mujahideen Rout The Russian Red Army [In Afghanistan], Who Brought India To Its Knees"; "Have We Forgotten The Koranic Call: 'Oh Prophet, Urge The Believers To Battle'"

"In 1998 the U.S. government under Bill Clinton sent missiles into Afghanistan to kill Osama bin Laden. The missiles trespassed Pakistani airspace. In protest the Muslim masses caused a hue and cry. Protests and road blockades marred every city. In a quest to question this 'anti-Americanism' on the streets, the then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif gave a statement endorsing a Shari'a Bill in the parliament. Obviously so, the attention was soon diverted and the Shari'a Bill issue was soon lost in the pile of pending acts of amendment. Some three years later the then Army chief Pervez Musharraf sided with U.S. in its war against Muslims on the pretext: 'America would have bombed us to stone age.'

"No self-confidence again wins the battle and becomes the perfect recipe for inaction. The example of [Pakistani dictator] Zia-ul-Haq is something that cannot be attributed to a 'lesser' understanding of faith. Zia-ul-Haq stands out among the many Pakistani leaders of the past. That he was an exception and a rarity... is the hard fact. That this was the man who helped mujahideen rout the Russian Red army, who brought India to its knees by supporting [anti-India Sikh militant Jarnail Singh] Bhindranwale and his 'Khalistani' rebels [who demanded a sovereign Sikh nation out of India's Punjab province during the 1980s], carried on with Pakistan's nuclear ambitions regardless of the U.S. disapproval is no small achievement.....  In his 10-year-rule he changed the world scene by having helped remove the second superpower of its time [referring to defeat of the USSR in Afghanistan]. He changed the Pakistan Army, its Inter-Services Intelligence, had support of even the masses, but that final step [unclear] which he never took would go down in the annals of history as a 'lost opportunity' and nothing else.

"The one single reason [lack of collective Muslim self-confidence] which I have identified in each of the above examples merits closer attention. Has not this reluctance to accept our faith become a fact of life for most of us? How many times have we shuddered at the sound of orators like [militant cleric and founder of Pakistani jihadi organization Jaish-e-Muhammad] Maulana Masood Azhar inciting masses for jihad? Have we forgotten the Koranic call: 'Oh Prophet, urge the believers to battle' (Chapter Anfal, Verse 65)

"How many of us have forgotten prisoners [in U.S. prisons] like Aafia Siddiqui, Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman and many others? Have we not listened to the Prophetic saying: 'Free the Prisoner' (Bukhari [collection of Prophet Muhammad's deeds and sayings). How many of us have chided Ulema such as Ameer-e-Azeemat [Haq Nawaz Jhangvi, founder of SSP], Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi and [current leader of ASWJ/SSP] Maulana Ahmed Ludhianvi for fomenting hatred and terror? Have we not read the Koranic verse: 'Those of His servants only who are possessed of knowledge (Ulema) fear Allah. Surely Allah is Mighty, Forgiving.' (32:28)."

"There Is No Place For Zero Self-Confidence Or Impotence In Carrying Out The Shari'a Law In Islam Regardless Of What The Society And World Says… Mullah Omar, Leader Of The Taliban Movement, Refused To Hand Over Osama Bin Laden And Other Mujahideen To The United States Of America And In A Bid Lost His Regime Post-9/11"

"If the Muslim world desires to come out of the shadows of democracy and benefit from this Arab Spring, it must clear the hurdles in its way. The first obstacle I have identified [is lack of self-confidence among Muslims]. In order to overcome it, I shall cite examples from the Seerah of the Holy Prophet, his companions and then all the way to the leaders of some not-so-distant past….

"a) From the Seerah of the Holy Prophet

"The instance where an (Honorable) Qurayshite woman had stolen and the Qurayshites sent one of the Sahaba... to intercede on her behalf.... The prophet stated that the reason for the decline and going astray of the previous Ummahs [communities led by predecessor prophets] was that when their rich and honorable commit a crime they are left alone, when their poor commit the same they are punished (i.e. their different treatment vis-a-vis the rich and the poor) and by Allah, if Fatima ... [daughter of] Muhammad had done the act, I would have cut her hands....

"[Islamic scholar] Hafiz Hajr Asqalani explains the merits of this hadith and concludes: i) this hadith discusses that when someone becomes liable for punishment, he should not be let off even though he may be your relative or an honorable member of society. And it further strictly condones the person who tries to make a way out of this situation by not applying the Islamic law in this case; ii) it also helps us analyze the cause of the decline/going astray of the previous Ummahs.... The prophet's example mentioned above should remove the doubts in the minds and hearts of every Muslim... [as to] there is no place for zero self-confidence or impotence in carrying out the shari'a law in Islam regardless of what the society and world says.

"b) From the Seerah of the Prophet's Companions

"A person comes in the presence of Hazrat Umar [ibn Khattab, the second caliph of Islam] and presents his case saying that I have had a dispute with this Jew. I had gone in the presence of the Holy Prophet [to have it resolved]. This person is a hypocrite. He says that I had sought the verdict of the Holy Prophet. Hazrat Umar replied, as to the prophet's decision ... that the prophet had ruled in the Jew's favor. Hazrat Umar does not enter into an argument with this (outwardly professing) Muslim; instead he takes out his sword and severs the hypocrite's head and proclaims: 'Anyone who doesn't accept the prophet's judgment, in Umar's court his punishment is ONLY death.'

"The above-mentioned example is enough to burst the myth that acting according to shari'a is problematic vis-a-vis Muslim image [in the eyes of the world and society]. From a not-so-distant past, Mullah Omar, leader of the Taliban movement, refused to hand over Osama bin Laden and other mujahideen to the United States of America, and in a bid lost his regime post-9/11. And, regardless of all that... Islam does not allow Muslims to be handed over to non-Muslims. He stands firm in the midst of all the euphoria. He remains stead-fast and this is an echo of the glorious Muslim past."

"Discrimination Against The Sunnis Covers Every Part Of Life From Education, To Politics, Business, Religion"; "The Iranian Government Has Recently Built A Huge Temple To Promote Abu Lu Lu, The Killer Of Umar (The Second Caliph)"

In an article – titled "Shia Equality Or Shia Superiority?" – Raza Hossein Borr, its author, cites statistics, whose authenticity cannot be verified, to prove that the Shi'ite regime in Iran is mistreating the Sunni minority by discriminating against them in all sectors of life. He also argues that compared to Iranian discrimination, Shi'ites in Pakistan and other Islamic countries are enjoying better treatment. Following are some excerpts from the article:

"Discrimination against the Sunnis covers every part of life from education, to politics, business, religion, etc. These are some examples:

"1. Educational discrimination against the Sunnis of Iran

"There are 44,000 students in Iranian Baluchistan universities. [Not] even 4,000 of them are Sunni Baluchis. The Iranian government deliberately does not allow the Sunni Baluchis of Iran to enter universities freely....

"2. Political discrimination against the Sunnis of Iran

"Since the beginning of the revolution, the Shia regime of Iran has not allowed even one Sunni to become prime minister, president, minister, an army general, and an ambassador. There is not even one single Sunni in the Iranian foreign ministry....

"3. Religious discrimination against the Sunnis of Iran

"The Iranian media and leaders cite every day dozens of insulting remarks about the principles of Sunni religion. They have published hundreds of books which discredit the most important values of Islam, so much so that the Iranian government has recently built a huge temple to promote Abu Lu Lu, the killer of Umar (the second caliph), as a great Islamic figure.... There are about one million Sunnis in Tehran, the capital of Iran, but the Iranian authorities do not allow them to build even one mosque....

"4. Economic discrimination against the Sunnis of Iran

"99% of the Iranian businesses are under the control of the Shia population of Iran while 30% of Iranian population is Sunni. The government creates every barrier for the Sunnis to stop them from starting or developing their businesses. The major import and export licenses are allocated to the Shia businessmen...."

"Practically The Shias Have Secured Their Supremacy In Iran At The Cost Of 30% Of Its Sunni Population"; "Eight Of Its Provinces Are Dominated By The Sunnis; Yet There Has Not Been A Single [Sunni] Minister, Army General, Ambassador, Or A Top Official In The Last 28 Years"

"While Iran is applying all kinds of discriminations against the Sunnis, the Sunni governments are quite generous towards their Shia populations. It is a paradox that a regime that is fighting for the rights of the Shias in different countries discriminates more than any other country against the Sunnis in Iran.

"1. Pakistan

"Everybody knows the Bhutto family in Pakistan. They are a Shia family but they have governed Pakistan three times. There have been other Shia presidents and prime ministers in Pakistan. The Shias in Pakistan enjoy complete equality in a Sunni-dominated country...."

"2. Afghanistan

"There are several Shia ministers in the Afghan government. There have been always Shia ministers in various Afghan regimes. There are Shia governors in Afghanistan. There are Shia army generals in Afghanistan. There are very rich Shia businessmen in Afghanistan too.

"3. Kuwait

"There are two Shia ministers in Kuwait. There are many Shia generals in Kuwait army. There are dozens of Shia ministers, army generals, ambassadors, businessmen... in Qatar and other Arab countries. While we see that there are so many Shia high officials in Islamic and Arab world, but there is not a single high official from the Sunnis in Iran....

"Practically the Shias have secured their supremacy in Iran at the cost of 30% of its Sunni population. Now they are seeking supremacy in other countries.... 30% of Iranian population is Sunni. Eight of its provinces are dominated by the Sunnis. Yet there has not been a single [Sunni] minister, army general, ambassador or a top official in the last 28 years in the Islamic Republic of Iran....

"Even more amazing is the complete silence of the Iranian politicians, intellectuals, journalists, and political activists over the total exclusion of Sunnis from all sources of power. The systematic discrimination that has been carried out against the Sunnis of Iran has not been criticized by any Iranian Shia politician....

"Discrimination by Iranian media and journalists against the Sunnis

"The Iranian media of the Shia opposition groups follow the same policy of discrimination against Sunnis. They publish every day hundreds of articles and news on every aspect of life in Iran but they refuse to publish the news of hanging of the Sunnis of Baluchistan....

"All the Shia politicians and journalists of Iran seem to agree with the present government in its policies of genocide and complete exclusion of the Sunnis.... They report widely the news of Hizbullah and the Shia demonstrations in Bahrain. They portray Hizbullah as the hero of the Arab world and the Shias of Bahrain... but they refuse to publish the news of executions and persecutions of the Sunnis in Iran.

"These are not only the Shias of Iran who have dominated Muslims; the Shias of Iraq are pursuing the same path. If the Shias in Iraq are not seeking supremacy why did they dissolve the Iraqi army, civil service, and the Iraqi secret services? If those establishments were allowed to function, today the situation would have been much better. Cleansing the Sunnis from the sensitive cities and areas in Iraq is seeking Shia supremacy. The same could be true about Lebanon. If Hizbullah is not looking for supremacy why is it seeking the toppling of an elected government which has been elected democratically and freely according to the Lebanese constitution....?"

SSP Founder Haq Nawaz Jhangvi's Speeches

"Shia Is The Biggest Infidel In The Whole Universe"; "Shia Is The Biggest And Filthiest Infidel In The Whole Universe"; "There Has Been No Person, No Alim [Islamic Scholar] In These 1400 Years Who After A Perusal Of Shi'ism Has Hesitated In Declaring Twelver Shi'ites [Followers Of 12 Shi'ite Imams] As Unbelievers And Infidels"

The magazine presents excerpts of speeches by Haq Nawaz Jhangvi (1952-1992), the Pakistani militant cleric who founded the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) and was killed by suspected Shi'ite militants. Sunni Muslims, like Haq Nawaz Jhangvi, believe that Abu Bakr, Umar ibn Khattab, Uthman ibn Affan and Ali ibn Abi Talib were the first four caliphs in that order – contrary to Shi'ite Muslims who believe that Ali ibn Abi Talib was the first caliph, leading to a new set of imams (leaders) who succeeded him. This interpretation of succession in Islam has led to the birth of varying practices among Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims.

The excerpts of Haq Nawaz Jhangvi's speeches make the following hateful points regarding Shi'ite Muslims, declaring them as infidels: "I request the intelligence agents, government angels, CID [criminal investigation department] reporters; whatever you may call them to record the words of my claim with sincerity and honesty. It would be their favor on me, if they note these words: Shia is the biggest infidel in the whole universe (Shia Qainaat ka badtareen kafir hai). This is my claim, very brief very clear and very transparent....

"[It] is the wish of both me and workers of Sipah-e-Sahaba... that we make this position accepted in Pakistan's constitution [i.e. to have Shi'ites declared as non-Muslims]. We do it today, (maybe) next year, (maybe) five years later. It is probable that in our lifetime, we may not be successful but with complete trust and faith in God, I can say that if we continue (in this direction) being well-intentioned, then that day would indeed come on Pakistan's soil, when our stand and position be accepted in the National Assembly.

"I have without any foreword or introduction presented the words of my claim. Shia is the biggest and filthiest infidel in the whole Universe (Shia Qainaat ka badtareen aur ghaleez tareen kafir hai).  These words are very clear. I want to give arguments and proofs in support of my claim. And, in line with this talk, I would praise the Companions of the Holy Prophet... which is my life's permanent and unshakeable goal. Among my power and the information which I could extract, there is no authoritative alim (religious scholar) in my observation across the 1400-year-old Islamic history who after a perusal and study of Shi'ism [has] not declared Shi'ites as unbelievers....

"[8th Century Islamic scholar] Imam Malik bin Anas, referring to the ayat [verse] of the Koran (Chapter Al-Fath, last verse), declares openly that in the light of this ayat, Shi'ites are non-Muslims and un-believers.... Pick up any tafseer [books interpreting the Koran] you would find Imam Malik's verdict (fatwa). The most simple and easy to understand exegesis (tafseer) is that of Sheikh-ul-Islam Allama Shabbir Ahmed Usmani....

"The most reliable book of the Hanafi Fiqh (School of Islamic Law) is Fatawa Alamgiri – which was arranged under the supervision of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir and which was compiled by 500 Ulema [Islamic scholars]. In it this truth has been stated in open words: Mun Ankara suhbata abi Bakr fahua kafir (Any person who doesn't believe in Abu Bakr [as the first caliph of Islam] being a companion of the Holy Prophet is an infidel and unbeliever).... "

"Woman [Married To A Shi'ite] Can Separate From The Man Without Divorce Because Shi'ite Is An Infidel And The Sunni Female's Nikah Never Took Place"; "Sons Of The Sunni Father Who Have Become Shi'ite Cannot Be The Heirs Of His Inheritance"

"[16th century revivalist Islamic scholar] Mujaddid Alif Thani Sheikh Ahmed Sirhindi.... writes with his sanctified pen that Shi'ites are non-Muslims and infidels and that the Ulema of the Indian Subcontinent have declared Shi'ites as kafirs [infidels]. Shi'ites had written against this verdict of the Ulema of the Indian Subcontinent that we are Muslims and your verdict is wrong and invalid. Mujaddid Alif Thani gave valid arguments in the light of the Koran and Sunnah to refute the retaliatory verdict and claim of the Shi'ites, and confirmed and supported the verdict of the Ulema in his famous pamphlet, 'Refutation of the Rafhidis' (Radd-e-Rawafiz). In it he writes that Shi'ites are the biggest infidel in the whole universe....

"[18th century Islamic scholar] Shah Waliullah Muhaddith Dehlvi, in his authentic and reliable book 'Aids to Understanding God' (Tafheemat-e-Illaya), narrates one such dream of his [in which he queried Prophet Muhammad about the status of Shi'ites and was asked to read].... Shah Waliullah writes that the next morning I read and studied afresh the Shi'ite concept of Imamate and after reading it gave the decision that Shi'ites do confess with tongue that the Holy Prophet is the last prophet, but in reality Shi'ites do not acknowledge the Khatm-e-Nabuwwat [i.e. the finality of prophethood on Prophet Muhammad]. They believe in 12 prophets after the Holy Prophet.... You very well know that the denier of the finality of prophethood is a non-Muslim....

"Some Twelver Shi'ites have written that the Holy Prophet's status and position is comparatively higher than that of the imams. But Iran's Khomeini.... writes in his Al-Hakumat Al-Islamiya (Islamic government) that the status and position of the 12 Imams is superior to that of every angel and prophet.... [13th century Islamic scholar] Ibn Taymiyya, in his book as-Sarim al-Maslul 'ala Shatim ar-Rasul (The drawn sword against those who insult the Messenger), writes that Shia is the biggest infidel in the whole universe.... Moving on, Shah Waliullah's capable son Abdul Aziz...., in his Fatawa Azizi, writes: 'Hanafi Fiqh declares that Shi'ites are non-Muslims and with them a Sunni female's nikah [marriage] cannot take place'.... The great hero of the Indian War of Independence Allama Rasheed Ahmed Gangohi, in his Fatawa Rasheedia, writes in reply to a question [about a marriage between a Sunni woman and a Shi'ite entered in misunderstanding].... that the woman can separate from the man without divorce because Shi'ite is an infidel and the Sunni female's nikah never took place. Similarly, the sons of the Sunni father who have become Shi'ite cannot be the heirs of his inheritance or property...."

"[19-20th century Islamic scholar] Maulana Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi, in his Fatawa Rizvia and in a brief booklet of his Radd-ur-Rafza, has written that Shi'ites are the worst among non-believers. And his words are that a Shi'ite whether he be big or small, male or female, urban dweller or villager is without any doubt outside the pale of Islam. And, he is not just content on this alone; instead he further declares: 'Whoever doubts the kufr [unbelief] of the Shi'ites, he himself is an infidel'.... Furthermore, he instilled so much hatred for Shi'ites to the extent that a person asks if a Shi'ite enters (or falls) into a well, should we discharge the complete well or should we extract some bucketful of water so that the well becomes pure?.... Ahmed Raza writes...: 'Discharge the whole well and then the well would become pure.'

Excerpts From Maulana Masood Azhar's Article

"May Allah Grant Every Muslim The Ability To Enliven The Compulsory Duty Of Jihad"; "The Followers Of Islam Are Unanimous About The Fact That Jihad Is A Great Mercy From Allah"

In an article – titled "Jihad a Cause of Mercy or Anarchy" – Maulana Masood Azhar, the underground jihadist commander of Jaish-e-Muhammad, argues that the concept of jihad is a mercy from Allah and a blessing. Urging his followers not to adopt "an attitude of embarrassment and remorse" regarding jihad, Azhar cites several verses of the Koran in justification of jihad. Following are excerpts from the article:

"One of the doubts expressed about jihad is that it is synonymous with killing, attacking, and causing mayhem and disorder. In fact, many non-Muslims shrink away from accepting Islam only because of the injunction of jihad. Orientalists have used this to propagate the misnomer that Islam is a barbaric and oppressive religion that advocates expansion by force. Fearing such vehement criticism from the Orientalists, many Muslim authors and historians have approached the issue of jihad very apologetically. Instead of portraying the Islamic conquests and military expeditions with pride and revealing the sacrifices and valor they contain, they have opted to rather adopt an attitude of embarrassment and remorse. They have repeatedly made attempts to explain that these situations occurred for reasons of exigency because Islam would otherwise have nothing to do with the sword.

"In their works our pious predecessors have described these battles and military expeditions in wonderful detail. They have presented the sacrifices and valor of the Sahabah [Companions of Prophet Muhammad] with pride and as precedents to be proudly emulated. In fact, they even penned works dedicated to this subject and etched these narrations in history. Using logical proofs and proofs from the shari'a, we shall address this important subject in brief. May Allah grant every Muslim the ability to enliven the compulsory duty of jihad, thereby allowing the blessings and mercy of this act to spread throughout the world!  

"The followers of Islam are unanimous about the fact that jihad is a great mercy from Allah, and it is through this great mercy that this world and the entire universe remains in existence. Were it not for jihad, this world and the entire universe would be corrupted and destroyed. Without it no masjid [mosque] would have any sanctity and no religious institution would be saved from ruin. In fact, oppression and transgression would become so rampant that people of every religious denomination would find it impossible to practice their religion in peace. It is on the basis of the crystal-clear verses of the glorious Koran that the adherents of Islam can make this claim with complete conviction."

Koranic Verse On Jihad – "Continue Fighting Them Until No Corruption (Especially No Shirk [Polytheism] And Turning Others Away From Islam) Exists And Until Religion (Worship) Is Only For Allah"; "Since The Koran Has Prescribed Jihad As The Cure For Corruption And Lawlessness, It Follows That Jihad Contains Curative Properties"

Maulana Masood Azhar cites several verses from the Koran, some of which are given below, to justify his interpretation of the jihadist mission in Islam:

"If it were not for the fact that Allah opposes some people with others, monasteries, churches and synagogues would be destroyed, as well as Masajid [mosques] in which Allah's name is taken in abundance. (However, because Allah makes the people of truth repel attacks from the evil ones of their respective times, these places of worship remain safe). Allah will certainly assist those who assist Him (those who assist His Deen [religion]). Verily Allah is Omnipotent, Mighty. (Chapter Hajj, Verse 40)

"This verse makes it clear that it is by the clashing of people of the truth and people of falsehood that the safety of places of worship is ensured. If jihad was stopped, there would be none on earth to worship Allah. In fact, it was exactly this that Rasulullaah [Prophet Muhammad] preferred to before the decisive Battle of Badr when he prayed, 'Oh Allah! If this small group (of Muslims) is destroyed, there will be none on earth to take Your Name.'"

"If Allah had not repelled (driven back) some (corrupt) men by others (had good men not prevailed over the corrupt and evil ones), the (entire) earth would have been corrupted (Allah therefore sets matters straight in this way from time to time). However, Allah is the One Who showers grace on the universe. (Chapter Baqarah, Verse 251)"

"One of the greatest causes of lawlessness on earth is widespread corruption that in terms of the Koran is worse than killing. Allah says: Corruption (preventing people from Deen is worse than killing. (Chapter Baqarah, Verse 217). The Koran condemns this corruption in various verses and states that spreading corruption is a hallmark of the kuffar [infidels]. In verse 7 of Chapter Aal Imraan, the Koran identifies that one of the distinctive characteristics of the kuffar is that they search for avenues to cause mischief.... Jihad is a cure for all of this... Allah says: Continue fighting them until no corruption (especially no Shirk [polytheism] and turning others away from Islam) exists and until religion (worship) is only for Allah (until people worship Allah only). (Chapter Baqra, Verse 193)."

"Such are the high objectives of jihad. Allah reiterates this message in Chapter Anfal, where Allah says: Fight them until no corruption (kufr) exists and all religion (worship) is for Allah. (Chapter Anfal, Verse 39) This verse refers to the final objective of jihad, which is to exterminate every shred of resistance that kufr offers so that Islam dominates over all other religions and all abide to the law of Allah."

"Allah has revealed the Koran as a cure and a mercy. Since the Koran has prescribed jihad as the cure for corruption and lawlessness, it follows that jihad contains curative properties and is also a source of mercy. While verses mentioned earlier state that jihad is a source of mercy, the Koran also makes it clear that jihad is a cure for the hearts. In the following verses, Allah mentions six benefits of jihad. Allah says: Fight them! (i) Allah will punish them at your hands (when they are killed), (ii) will humiliate them (when they are imprisoned and defeated), (iii) will assist you against them, (iv) will heal the (pain and sorrow in the) hearts of the Mu'mineen (who suffered at the hands of the kuffar), (v) remove the fury of their hearts (which was built when the kuffar broke the treaty), and (vi) Allah accepts the repentance (from kufr) of whoever He wills (thereby allowing the Kuffar to become Muslims). (Chapter Taubah, Verses 14-15)"

The Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan's Message To Pakistani Soldiers

Militant Cleric's Message To Pakistani Soldiers: "If Iran Were To Attack Pakistan And Preparations Become Underway Especially During 9th And 10th Muharram.... These [Shi'ite] Muharram Procession Mourners Present In Every City Are Iran's Free Soldiers"

The SSP magazine in its table of contents notes: "Cover Story – Inside Syria, Playing Iran's Game." However, it does not produce articles explaining its position on the conflict in Syria and examining why "Iran should fall first before Palestine can be liberated" – the slogan on the cover page. However, images and maps from the Syrian conflict are printed as pages of the magazine, stressing the killing of jihadist fighters and innocent people, including women and children.

Through these images, the magazine's editors stress that the international community is silent on these massacres while Syrian bloggers are crying for their help. The magazine, which describes Hizbullah of Lebanon as a "kuffar militant group," seeks to convey the message that Hizbullah, Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Bashar al-Assad are collaborating in the killing of people, a majority of whom are Sunni Muslims, the constituency of the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan.

The SSP also worries that Iran could attack Pakistan on Shi'ite holy days so that the Shi'ite processions being taken out in Pakistani cities could instantly side with the Iranians and take over Pakistan. Towards the end, the editors produce a message of militant Sunni cleric Maulana Sher Haideri, the former chief of SSP who was killed by rival militants in August 2009:

"If Iran were to attack Pakistan and preparations become underway especially during 9th and 10th Muharram [days when Shi'ite processions mark the martyrdom of Prophet Muhammad's grandson Imam Hussein], and if orders come that all government offices of Pakistan be run over and come under siege, then can anyone tell me: is there a need for Iran to send an army in Pakistan? These Muharram procession mourners present in every city are Iran's free soldiers and without being paid they can take over the country with Iran's weapons and sticks and knives. If something like this happens and in the presence of all officers, these processions take these officers hostage and take control of all strategic locations, and if no one is present to give orders to do something about this, what would happen? They would kill whichever Sunni officer they feel like, imprison whoever they feel....

"When these processions are not mandatory, not sunnat [practice of Prophet Muhammad], not even wajib [necessary], no book of theirs has any mention of this, it's not been reported by an 'imam' then why the need for them....? Then you would cry and scream that Allama Haq Nawaz Jhangvi was right, the Soldiers of the Sahaba [SSP], were right. Listen to us… we are your defenders and this nation's...."

* Tufail Ahmad is Director of MEMRI's South Asia Studies Project (www.memri.org/sasp)

Endnotes:

Mushtaq Zargar[1]

Mushtaq Zargar is one of three militant commanders who were freed by India in exchange for the passengers of Indian Airlines Flight 814 after it was hijacked to Kandahar in 1999, when the Taliban were in Afghanistan; he has been underground ever since. Mushtaq was the leader of Al-Umar Mujahideen, a militant group created by Pakistan that campaigned for the independence of Indian Kashmir and its merger with Pakistan.

The two militant commanders freed along with him by India are: Maulana Masood Azhar, who remains underground in Pakistan and whose Jaish-e-Muhammad organization continues to conduct jihadi activities, including the teaching of jihadi verses from the Koran, at events across Pakistan; and Omar Saeed Sheikh, a graduate of the London School of Economics who was convicted and imprisoned by Pakistan for the murder of U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl.

Left to right: Maulana Masood Azhar; Mushtaq Zargar, Omar Saeed Sheikh[2]

At the peak of the jihad in Kashmir in the 1990s, Al-Umar Mujahideen under Mushtaq Zargar's leadership had some 700 fighters.

Zargar, still underground, recently gave an interview to the Indian weekly Tehelka. The interview comes at a time when jihadi groups in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region are emboldened by the upcoming U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan which is to be completed by 2014; additionally, on March 13, 2013, a suicide bombing, the first in three years, took place in Srinagar, the capital of India's Jammu & Kashmir,.

Following are excerpts from the interview:[3]

"India Must Remember That The U.S. Has Been Defeated In Afghanistan; It's A Success For Al-Umar Mujahideen Too"; "We Are Fighting In The Name Of Allah"

Question: "Since your release, nothing much has been heard about you. What were you up to?"

Mushtaq Zargar: "Al-Umar Mujahideen has been carrying out operations against Indian troops in a limited manner. Sometimes we don't even claim responsibility. India may have hanged Afzal Guru, but it's no longer an impediment. Even if New Delhi hangs men, women, and children en masse, we won't give up what is ours. India must remember that the U.S. has been defeated in Afghanistan. It's a success for Al-Umar Mujahideen too. In four months' time, India will see what we are capable of. Kashmir will be merged with Pakistan, and there is nothing India can do about it."

"Question: How can Al-Umar claim credit for the U.S. withdrawal?"

Mushtaq Zargar: "We have been going wherever Muslims face oppression, and we will continue to go there. We are fighting in the name of Allah. After Kashmir, we will fight in Chechnya and Palestine."

Question: "The Hurriyat factions [groups under the pro-independence All Parties Hurriyat Conference] and the JKLF [Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, now less influential] believe in peacefully resolving the Kashmir conflict. How will you persuade them?"

Mushtaq Zargar: "I don't care what they think. The Kashmir dispute will be resolved only through armed struggle. Our organization doesn't believe in talks. Moulvi Yousuf Shah (Mirwaiz Umar Farooq's uncle) wanted to solve the dispute in a peaceful manner. In reply, he was sent into exile."

Question: "Many Kashmiri leaders say that a nonviolent struggle is the only potent weapon. They have also offered conditional talks."

Mushtaq Zargar: "But that isn't my ideology. I took up a gun in 1988 in the name of Allah. The path of jihad is laden with thorns. One faces a lot of problems. Those who are tired must say that they can't continue with the struggle. I won't criticize those who want to hold talks with New Delhi. If they can solve the dispute with talks, let them do it. But I know they won't be able to succeed in their efforts."

Question: "Hurriyat leaders Maulana Abbas Ansari and Abdul Gani Bhat say that no solution can come from the barrel of a gun. Aren't they being realistic?"

Mushtaq Zargar: "It's their misunderstanding if they think that guns aren't a solution. It's actually the guns that made them and their political careers. Who knew them in Kashmir before 1989? It was only after the jihad that people came to know about Bhat sahab, Ansari sahab and other sahabs [sirs]."

"We Still Run [Terror] Training Centers On Both Sides Of The LoC [Line Of Control Dividing Kashmir Between India And Pakistan]: Nothing Has Changed On The Ground"

Question: "But Pakistan too seems to be pushing for peace. It wants talks and trade with India."

Mushtaq Zargar: "We don't have a problem. Pakistan can always hold talks on Kashmir and trade with India. However, this doesn't mean Pakistan's stance [on Kashmir] has changed. Look at China and the U.S. Both countries maintain hostilities and trade relations at the same time."

Question: "What if Pakistan stops backing militants?"

Mushtaq Zargar: "Pakistan has always given us political, diplomatic and moral support. That's enough. Regarding money, men and guns, we can get it from anywhere. We still run [terror] training centers on both sides of the LoC [Line of Control that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan]. Nothing has changed on the ground."

Question: "You joined militancy in 1988. It's been almost 24 years since then. What changes have you effected on the ground?"

Mushtaq Zargar: "Militancy highlighted the plight of Kashmiris. Earlier, no one knew what was going on inside Kashmir. Now everybody knows that India has occupied it.

Question: "Why did the [Indian Airlines Flight] IC 814 hijackers demand only your release, when other Kashmiri militant leaders were also in jail?"

Mushtaq Zargar: "Whatever they deemed wise, they did. I won't go into the details. In mid-1990s, [the militant group] Al-Umar kidnapped former Bihar MLA [Member of Legislative Assembly] Pankaj Kumar. My boys kept him hostage for more than a year until he was rescued by the troops. My release was demanded at that time. Sheikh Omar kidnapped four western tourists in New Delhi in 1994. My release was demanded then as well. [The militant group] Al-Faran, which kidnapped Western tourists in Pahalgam [of Kashmir] in 1995, also sought my release. The mujahideen always fought for my release."

Question: "The state government [of Jammu & Kashmir] says that militancy has ebbed. What do you think?"

Mushtaq Zargar: "There are crests and troughs in every movement. In 1994, the armed struggle was at its peak. In 1995, it faded a little, but only till 1999. It was again at its peak till 2004, when the then-Indian... [prime minister] Atal Bihari Vajpayee made three ceasefire offers, which we rejected."

Question: "The 2008 Assembly poll [in Jammu & Kashmir] saw a big turnout. Recently, 36,000 panches and sarpanches [local chiefs coming through civic elections] were voted into power. New Delhi sees these as a vote against militancy."

Mushtaq Zargar: "These are sham polls. India has many puppets in the [Kashmir] Valley. What kind of voting takes place in the shadow of guns? If India thinks these polls were votes in its favor, why is the entire state under curfew on January 26 [Indian Republic Day] and August 15 [India's Independence Day]? Why do the police detain children and raid houses? The policemen must understand that their families also live in Kashmir. If they continue to oppress Kashmiris, their families will be forced to migrate."

"We Will Never Lay Down Our Guns"; "Our Goal Is To Expel India And Establish Nizam-e-Mustafa... [Rule Of Prophet Muhammad In Kashmir] Because It Is A Muslim-Majority Region"

Question: "Why don't you support a political dialogue on Kashmir?"

Mushtaq Zargar: "More than one lakh [i.e. 100,000] people have been killed and many are buried in mass graves. Thousands of women have been raped. What kind of dialogue is New Delhi talking about?"

Question: "Will the militant leadership announce a ceasefire?"

Mushtaq Zargar: "We will never lay down our guns."

Question: "Is Kashmir a religious fight? Isn't it a political question?"

Mushtaq Zargar: "Our goal is to expel India and establish Nizam-e-Mustafa ... [Rule of Prophet Muhammad in Kashmir] because it is a Muslim-majority region."

Question: "How about Kashmir's minorities under Nizam-E-Mustafa [Rule of Prophet Muhammad]?"

Mushtaq Zargar: "Nizam-E-Mustafa gives enough freedom to minorities. Sikhs, Hindus and Christians will have more freedom than they have now. "

Question: "The conflict saw Kashmiri Pandits [i.e. Hindus] migrating elsewhere [from Kashmir]. Many Muslims also migrated to Muzaffarabad [the capital of Pakistani Kashmir]. Will Al-Umar call for their return?"

Mushtaq Zargar: "[Hindu] Pandits left the Valley at the call of Governor Jagmohan, who wanted to teach the Kashmiri Muslims a lesson. Muslims left because the army oppressed them. The Pandits didn't leave Kashmir at my call. They left on their own; they can also come back on their own."

Question: "There are allegations that you killed Kashmiri Pandits."

Mushtaq Zargar: "I deny this claim. I have never killed a Kashmiri Pandit. They were Kashmiris like me."

Question: "Al-Umar was carved out of the JKLF [Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front, which stood for the independence of Kashmir]. Is it true that differences with pro-Azadi JKLF [i.e. pro-freedom, not aligning with Pakistan] led to its formation?"

Mushtaq Zargar: "No, it's not true. Al-Umar was formed in 1988. It was only in 1990 that we started claiming attacks on Indian military and government installations. Before that, even Ehsan Dar, the founder of Hizbul Mujahideen, would launch attacks and give credit to the JKLF."

Question: "But isn't it true that [JKLF leader] Yasin Malik was for an independent Kashmir – in which you do not believe [i.e. you believe in a merger with Pakistan]?"

Mushtaq Zargar: "Yasin Malik is just like my brother, in fact more than that. There were no differences between him and me. When the armed struggle was launched, the JKLF was being guided by four men including Yasin Malik. Al-Umar and other organizations would operate separately but never claim responsibility. Everyone would assume that all these attacks were launched by the JKLF. The JKLF would also claim responsibility for attacks which we carried out... That was a part of strategy. But in 1990 we began taking responsibility for attacks."

"Armed Struggle Is Like Walking On A Thorny Path"; "Jihad Is A Long Journey That Many Abandon In The Beginning Or The Middle; We Aren't Angry With Them, It Happens"

Question: "Some observers say Mirwaiz Umar Farooq [the pro-independence moderate leader of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference] had offered tactical support to Al-Umar after whom the group is named."

Mushtaq Zargar: "We respect Mirwaiz because he is a religious cleric. But Al-Umar was named after the second Caliph of Islam. It's not true to say that Al-Umar had Mirwaiz's tactic endorsement."

Question: "How strong is Al-Umar now?"

Mushtaq Zargar: "I won't reveal anything about our strength. You will soon realize how strong our group is. Just give me four months.

Question: "Many former militants returned from Muzaffarabad [the capital of Pakistani Kashmir following an Indian amnesty offer] to lead normal lives in Kashmir. Doesn't this reflect a weariness among the militants?"

Mushtaq Zargar: "Armed struggle is like walking on a thorny path, with nothing to feel sad or excited about. Those who tire of it give up. Those who want to carry on, keep up the fight. Jihad is a long journey that many abandon in the beginning or the middle. We aren't angry with them. It happens."

Question: "Former militants have warned against foreigners hijacking the struggle. Even now, it's the Lashkar-e-Taiba that is increasingly leading the fight [in Kashmir]."

Mushtaq Zargar: "Militants are often dubbed as foreigners. In reality, these are men whose parents migrated from Kashmir in 1947 [the year of India's partition and creation of Pakistan]. Jaish-e-Muhammad and Al-Umar are pro-Pakistan, but our boys are from Kashmir.

Question: "Do you support Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan's (TTP) call for Kashmir Jihad? Recently, TTP called on Pakistan to revive jihad in Kashmir, and also offered to fight in the Valley. Is TTP a foreign group?"

Mushtaq Zargar: "Those waging holy jihad against the oppressors of Muslims will go anywhere. They pick up guns because of Allah's will. Be it Taliban (TTP) or any other group, they'll come. I welcome them. When we fight in other places, be it Afghanistan or Palestine, our boys are welcomed. Why wouldn't I welcome them? I will. These fighters are our brothers..."

Endnotes

[1] Image courtesy BBC.co.uk

[2] Image courtesy Rediff.com

[3] Tehelka.com (India), Issue No. 9, Vol. 10, accessed March 13, 2013. The original English of the interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

Introduction

Using social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Twitmail, Al-Qaeda's Urdu-language internet forum Ansarullah Urdu is aiding terrorists by publishing jihadi material sourced from several languages such as Urdu, English, Pashtu, and Arabic. Most of its Facebook posts and tweets link to jihadi literature and videos on YouTube and its own internet forum, Bab-ul-Islam.net.

Its Facebook "About Us" claims that it was formed in order to:[1] present facts instead of acting as interpreters of imperialist interests; reveal plots by those who use journalism for personal interest; reveal the true face of the corrupt and media organizations; report events based on local media near a particular event; and present analysis based on solid evidence rather than on the basis of false claims and conspiracy theories.

Although in Urdu, Ansarullah Urdu specializes in educating audiences in Pakistan about jihad-related activities in African and Arab countries. It presents translations in Urdu of jihadi materials and reports about various Al-Qaeda affiliates such as Harakat Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen of Somalia, the Ansar Al-Islam group in Iraq, Ansar Al-Din in Mali, Hizbullah, Qaedat-ul-Jihad, Jabhat Al-Nusra of Syria, and the Pakistan-based Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Harkat-ul-Ansar Pakistan.

Facebook.com/AU_Urdu

Ansarullah Urdu was launched in 2010 and opened a Facebook account on October 15, 2012.[2] It also provides alerts through cell phones regarding jihadi news from Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Mali, Somalia, Chechnya, Afghanistan and other parts of the world. In a Facebook post of January 27, 2013, it urged its followers in Pakistan to get free alerts of news about mujahideen by writing "follow loclanews' and sending it to 9900." Between October 2012 and February 2013, it published numerous posts and links to jihadi material on YouTube and on its own websites.

On February 18, 2013, it published an Urdu translation of an article in Arabic by the editor of the London daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi, Abd Al-Bari Atwan, to remind its followers about the "golden years" of Al-Qaeda. In a post dated February 5, 2013, titled "Media Mujahid," Ansarullah Urdu enumerated the basics of waging jihad through media. It stated in Urdu: "It is important that someone who wants to wage jihad through media should know his skills, possibilities, and power, and should also keep targets in his mind. He should adopt all possible means that are necessary for a media person. Certainly, jihad through media has become a separate discipline…."

The article listed the responsibilities of a media mujahid in the field of journalism: spreading news about mujahideen and to bring forth facts which are diluted by infidel media; broadcasting messages of the jihadi leadership, whether addressed to the infidels or the sons of Muslim Ummah; becoming a bridge between mujahideen and ummah; defending mujahideen and discrediting false allegations against them; dispelling confusions about jihad and rejecting fatwas issued by official clerics; working for eliminating Western influences from all walks of life; and more. In the same post, it also noted that a media mujahid's goal was that the "Enemy should be harassed through extreme kind of psychological war so that their passion and morale could be damaged."

A review of its Facebook wall shows that t posts Urdu translations of essays and statements by deceased jihadist fighters such as Anwar Al-Awlaki and Samir Khan, as well as by Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri and other Al-Qaeda fighters across the Middle East. It has posted many books and booklets beside videos encouraging people to join jihad, and describing the virtues of jihad in Islam. Several posts also seek to discredit Pakistani religious scholar Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri, who returned this year from self-imposed exile in Canada to Pakistan seeking to dislodge the elected Pakistani government.

On February 4, 2013, it posted an Urdu translation of the jihadi book "The Truth of the New Crusade," which it described as a joint presentation of Ansarullah, Al-Muwahideen, and Rebaat Media. It gave download links to mediafire.com, box.com and Dropbox.com. An accompanying note stated: "The readers will not take long to guess that the attack carried out by the Muslim martyrs in the heart of this rude devil [America] on the auspicious day of Tuesday [9/11] was just payback of the debt to the U.S."

In January 2013, Ansarullah Urdu posted links to videos of interviews of Al-Qaeda militants from Iraq and Syria.

In October and December 2012, it published numerous posts related to jihadi activities in Syria, Somalia, Iraq, Yemen and other countries. A post dated December 26, 2012 described Damascus as the center of jihad in on earth, where the final war between Islam and kufr (unbelief) will be fought. A December 25 post presented a jihadi song that it claims is the inner voice of the Syrian people. The Urdu translation of the Arabic video reads: "Our Revolution is Islamic – Oh Obama! Syria will become Islam's fortress against your wishes…."

Numerous posts celebrate the jihadi attacks in the Middle East, including in Libya, Algeria and Nigeria. A number of posts, accusing France and the West of launching a Crusade against Islam, concern the continuing war in northern Mali, where French and Mali troopers are fighting Islamists groups.

Twitter.com/AU_Urdu

On October 14, 2012, Ansarullah Urdu joined Twitter, using the handle @AU_Urdu. Its first posts included: a statement of Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri urging Muslim youth to march forward on the path of jihad in Syria, a report about a jihadi fighter killed by Egyptian security forces, a report about three years of jihad in the Arabian Peninsula, and a weblink to a jihadi book "The dust will never settle." All of these posts linked to different jihadi websites, notably Bab-ul-Islam.net, an Urdu jihadi Internet forum.

From October through December 2012, its tweets spread news about, among other things, jihadi activities of Hamas and Jamaat Tawheed Wal Jihad in Gaza; a written statement by Ustad Ahmad Farooq (the head of Al-Qaeda's Media and Preaching Department for Pakistan); several jihad-related news reports from Syria, Somalia and Iraq; and numerous links to jihadi literature. An October 31, 2012 tweet contained a video link from YouTube describing targets in Israel for missile attack.[3]

During this period, a vast number of its tweets did not concern Afghanistan and Pakistan, where Urdu is the dominant language. Most of its tweets in Urdu were predominantly about jihadi activities taking place in the Middle East, and aimed at educating Pakistani audiences about global jihad. Most of these tweets linked to the main Urdu Internet forum Bab-ul-Islam.net, which specializes in translating jihadi material from Arabic.

As seen in the image below, a number of its tweets contained links to Twitmail.com, which enables email sharing for Twitter users. One such tweet, dated December 20, 2012, announced that jihadi fighters had destroyed training campaigns of Iraq-based Shi'ite groups Mehdi Militia and Badr Militia. In December 2012, a large number of the tweets were about the activities of Al-Qaeda fighters in Syria.

During January-February 2013, a tweet linked to Al-Zawahiri's statement claiming that jihadi fighters had played an important role in the past years' Arab revolutions; a January 20 tweet linked to a report about killing of a French intelligence officer in Somalia; tweets focused on Al-Qaeda militants fighting in Somali, Yemen and Syria; and a January 22 tweet linked to an interview with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan chief Hakimullah Mehsud and his deputy Maulana Waliur Rehman that was posted on document-sharing website Scribd.[4]

*Tufail Ahmad is Director of MEMRI’s South Asia Studies Project; Dr. Mirza A. B. Baig is a Senior Analyst at MEMRI’s South Asia Studies Project

Endnotes:

[1] Facebook.com/AU.Urdu/info

[2] Facebook.com/AU.Urdu, accessed February 20, 2013.

[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt8V6itbz9Q, accessed February 25, 2013.

[4] http://www.scribd.com/doc/121783850/Transcript-Exclusive-Interview-With-Ameer-Hakimullah-Mehsud-Wali-Ur-Rehman, accessed February 23, 2013.

In an article in Tahqeeqat-e-Islami, an Urdu-language quarterly Islamic journal published from the Indian city of Aligarh, Islamic scholar Maulana Mohammad Jirjis Karimi examines the principle of expedience in Islam and its relevance in modern times.

In the article, titled "The Importance of Expedience in Religion [Islam]," Karimi draws on the writings of various Islamic jurists and interpreters to argue that Islam allows for the principle of expedience and prudence in the practice of religion, both for purposes which are worldly and for those meant for achieving success in the Hereafter.

Following are excerpts from the article:[1]

"This Religion Is Based On Expedience And Prudence"; Imam Ibn Taymiyyah Writes, "All Clerics And Jurists Are Unanimous On The Presence Of Prudence And Expedience In The Commandments Of Shari'a"

"One of the various characteristics of Islam is that this religion is based on expedience and prudence. The orders that Allah has given contain great benefits hidden in them. Besides remaining deprived of the benefits there would be various kinds of harms if the orders are not followed and religion is relinquished. Allah says: 'And [He] has not laid upon you in religion any hardship' (Chapter Hajj, Verse 78).

"Expedience And Opinions Of Ulama [Clerics] In Islam

"There are innumerable categorical statements in the Koran and Hadith [sayings of Prophet Muhammad] in which expedience and prudence [or wisdom and reasoning] in commandments have been explained, and Ulama have written separate books on this in which the mysteries of shari'a and causes of orders [or instructions or commands] have been discussed. The clerics of Ahl-e-Sunnah [Sunnis] are unanimous on this point that Allah is wise and there is wisdom and prudence in His orders.

"[Leading jurist] Imam Ibn Taymiyyah writes: 'All clerics and jurists are unanimous on the presence of prudence and expedience in the commandments of shari'a. In this regard, some people do not accept analogy [guessing or syllogism], and some others have differences.'

"Replying to those who reject expedience and prudence in the commandments [of shari'a], the Imam [Taymiyyah] writes: 'Ahl-e-Sunnah are convinced of causation (cause] in the orders of Allah. They say Allah likes something and is pleased as proved through the Koran and Hadith. Before them liking and being pleased in absolute terms are more special in comparison to making intention... Indeed, Allah does not like unbelief, disobedience, and sins, although anybody cannot perform these acts without the will and intention of Allah....'

"Regarding the presence of expedience and prudence in Islam, Imam [Taymiyyah] writes: 'When an individual, in short, comes to know that great wisdom are there in Allah's religion (dos and don'ts), then this much is enough; and gradually wisdom and mysteries of Allah's bounty are revealed to him with the increase in his faith and knowledge, as Allah has said in the Koran: 'We will show them Our signs in the universe, and in their own selves, until it becomes manifest to them that this Koran is the truth' (Chapter Fussilat, Verse 53). Or, as this has been more explicitly explained in one of the Hadiths: 'Allah is more merciful towards His slaves than mothers towards their children.'"

19th-Century Theologian Shah Waliullah Muhaddis: "Some People Think That Orders In Shari'a Are Not Based At All On Prudence And Expedience... This View Is Totally Wrong And It Is Rejected By Sunnah [Practices Of Prophet Muhammad]"

"Shah Waliullah Muhaddis Dehlvi [a 19th-century cleric from Delhi noted for exegeses of Hadith], in his book Hujjat al-Balighah, has vehemently rejected those who denied that there are expedience and prudence in commandments [from Allah]. He writes: 'Some people think that orders in shari'a are not based at all on prudence and expedience... this view is totally wrong and it is rejected by Sunnah [practices of the Prophet] and Ijama-e-Ummah [unanimous opinion of the Ummah].'

"The Benefits Of Expedience

"Muhaddis Dehlvi described in detail the benefits of knowing the expedience and prudence [in Islam]. Some of these are as follow:

"a.    This shows the miracle of shari'a like the miracle of Koran (which is beyond human contentions) that the shari'a brought by Prophet Muhammad... is more complete than other shari'as [religions/laws], and such expedience have been kept in mind which is not possible through other ways. This complete shari'a has been presented from the Prophet Ummi [unlettered].

"b.   It makes one's heart content if one gets to know the expedience of shari'a along with complete faith in shari'a of Islam, and this contentment is required as a rule, as Prophet Abraham... has asked of Allah despite complete faith in Him...

"c.    There have been differences among the Fuqaha [jurists] regarding the subsidiary issues [in religion], and it helps one to give preference to one over another through the knowledge of expedience.

"d.   Some sects are doubtful about some issues in shari'a. They think that shari'a's orders in a particular case are contrary to wisdom, and the thing that goes against reasoning should be rejected, as Mutazilah [a sect] have doubt about punishment in graves. In the same way, they say about the accountability and weighing of deeds on the Day of Judgment that when Allah is all-knowing, then what is the use of accountability and weighing of deeds....?

"Imam Ibn Taymiyyah says that expedience is proved in religious commandments through three ways:

"a.    If there is expedience in a certain deed, even if it has not been explained in shari'a. For example, in case the expedience of justice is to establish peace and harmony in the world and oppression and injustice is the cause of turmoil in the world. This expedience is proved through both reasoning and shari'a.

"b.   There is expedience in obeying the commands given in shari'a, and if it is said that one must refrain from something, then keeping away from that is the demand of expedience. This shows that the legislator's order only determines the beauty and ugliness [of something].

"c.    Allah might examine, through a command, whether His slave obeys or not. It could be possible that complying with the order was not intended, as in the case of asking Abraham to sacrifice his son or in the case of the order to the three people (bald, leper, and blind) of Bani Israel [Israelites] so that they acknowledge the special gifts of Allah and spend in the path of truth...."

"Expedience Is Primarily Of Two Kinds – Regarding Worldly Life And The Hereafter; Expedience After Death Means To Seek Allah's Pleasure In The Hereafter.... And Worldly Expedience Means The Benefit In This Worldly Life And The Dispelling Of Harm"

"The Meaning And Explanation Of Expedience

"The meaning of Saluh, Yaslah, Salha, Saluha and Salhiyah is: to be right and correct. And the word Maslihat [expedience or prudence] comes from the same [root words], while Masaleh is the plural of Maslihat. The opposite of it is trouble and disturbance, used in the meaning of mischief and wrong. As a term, it is used in order to express the expedience in the commands of shari'a. It encompasses both the aspects of benefits and doing away with harm.

"Islamic clerics have defined the meaning of Masaleh through different angles. Imam Ghazali [11th century Islamic theologian and jurist] says: 'Acquiring benefit and dispelling harm are the basic needs of people, and it is by the Islah [reform or betterment] of the creature that their goals are achieved. Here Islah has been used in the meaning which is desired in shari'a, and five orders [commands] are in the interest of the creature: safeguard of religion, safeguard of self, safeguard of wisdom, safeguard of race, and safeguard of property.

"Therefore, all the commands or ways which would guarantee these five rules would be called Maslihat or Islah [expedience or prudence] and those which break these rules would be called trouble, and it is obligatory to do away with trouble.'

"Allama Aamdi defines Maslihat in these words: 'The goal of a shari'a command is to benefit someone, or to safeguard someone from harm, or both....'"

"The Kinds Of Expedience

"Expedience is primarily of two kinds – regarding worldly life and regarding the Hereafter. Expedience after death means to seek Allah's pleasure in the Hereafter, entrance into Paradise, and deliverance from Hell. Worldly expedience means the benefit in this worldly life and the dispelling of harm. Most clerics have divided worldly expedience into three categories: a) essential, b) required, and c) appreciable."

The Prophet Muhammad Said: "One Who Changes One's Religion (Leaves Islam) Should Be Killed [As Expedience To Safeguard Religion]"; "The Safeguard Of Religion Is Not Only Limited To Apostasy And Schism [Innovation In Islam], It Is Desired With Regard To Infidels And Polytheists Too"

The Essential Expedience

"The 'essential expedience' is the expedience without which human being cannot have the concept of a healthy life. In modern terminology, it may be described as the basic human needs. Essential expedience is based on five things: a) faith, b) life, c) race, d) property, and e) reasoning. The Islamic point of view is being presented below about the importance of these things.

"a) Safeguarding faith and belief: In the view of Islam, the life of a human being is meaningless without religion and faith. It does not approve a person living a life devoid of faith and belief. In such a situation, how would it appreciate that one be a cause of interference in others' religion and belief, or go astray from one's own belief? It is a punishable crime before shari'a. In other words, Islam wants to protect society from religious commotion. It should not happen that one goes astray himself and becomes a source of deviation for others too. The punishment for the apostates has been defined as a last solution of this. The Prophet Muhammad said: 'One who

"The safeguard of religion is not limited to apostasy and schism [innovation in Islam], it is desired with regard to infidels and polytheists too. Therefore, those who are ready to fight are ordered to fight them; the primary reason behind this is the safeguard of the religion so that unbelief, polytheism, and false religion should not become a source of mischief for Muslims after [they] have become victorious. Allah says: 'And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out. And Fitna [mischief] is worse than killing' (Chapter Baqra, Verse 191).

"The protection of religion, mosques, and Jamaat [gathering for prayer], of Sunnah, and of the order for right and the forbidding of evil are also included in the safeguard of religion.

"b) Safeguarding life: All creatures on Earth, all worldly bounties and activities are because of human beings, and their existence is based on the fact that they should not seek the lives of others, otherwise this world will become desolate and all its splendor will vanish. That is why the killing of a man in Islam has been termed as the killing of all humanity... Allah says: 'if anyone killed a person not in retaliation or murder or (and) to spread mischief in the land – it would be as if he killed all mankind; if if anyone saved a life, he saved the life of all mankind' (Chapter Maidah, Verse 32).

"The value of human life demands that one should not be after one's own life. That is why suicide is haram [strictly prohibited] in Islam. Allah says: 'And don't kill yourselves. Surely, Allah is the most merciful to you' (Chapter Nisa, Verse 29).

"And to safeguard life, Qisas [capital punishment or retaliatory punishment] is ordered by shari'a, in which not only life for life is mentioned but even light bruises and injuries, even a slap, have also been made legal. Allah says: 'And We ordained therein [Torah] for them: Life for life, eye for eye, nose for nose, ear for ear, tooth for tooth, and wounds equal for equal' (Chapter Maidah, Verse 45). Qisas has also  been described as life-giving for mankind. [Allah says:] 'O men of understanding, and there is saving of life for you in Qisas [the law of equality in punishment]; may you refrain from violating this law' (Chapter Al-Baqra, Verse 179).

"c) Safeguarding the race: Safeguarding the race is, in fact, the safeguarding of mankind; otherwise, civil society will become the victim of commotion. It is essential in shari'a that every single child be brought up under the guidance of parents, and should become their heir. Since this can be achieved through conjugal life, that is why Islam has declared Nikah [marriage] as legitimate, and all other types of sexual relations as haram, and punishment for them has been set....

"d) Safeguarding property: Property [or money] is among the basic needs without which a man has no other source for food, clothing, and housing. For want of money, one is forced into poverty and wretchedness. That is why shari'a has given the order to earn, acquire, and spend money, and along with that, to protect it from theft and looting. Allah says: 'O you who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves unjustly except when it be through trade amongst you by mutual consent' (Chapter Nisa, Verse 29).

"The meaning of eating up others' property unjustly [also] includes all those means which have been termed as illegal in shari'a, whether they are done openly or secretly. A Hadith says: 'One who bought a stolen thing knowing that the thing has been stolen is equally involved in that vice and evil deed....'

"e) Safeguarding reasoning: Safeguarding reasoning means to refrain from or avoid such things that could become a source of social disorder and a source of leading them into trouble... Therefore, alcohol and all other intoxicating materials are haram and punishable in shari'a. Allah says: 'O you who believe! Intoxicants [all kinds of alcoholic drinks] and gambling, offered material and arrows for seeking luck are an abomination of Satan's handiwork. So avoid [strictly] that [abomination] in order that you may be successful. Satan wants only to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants and gambling and hinder you from remembrance of Allah and from the prayer. So, will you not then abstain?' (Chapter Maida, Verses 90-91).

"The above are the five expediencies in the shari'a which has been termed as the 'Essential Expedience.' Shari'a has made protecting them obligatory, and punishment has been set for breaking them...."

"A Majority Of Clerics Has Called Qiyas [Reasoning] The Quintessence Of Shari'a; The Prophet Muhammad Had Accepted Suggestions Given On The Basis Of Reason On Many Occasions"; "The Religion Gifted By Allah Is Based On The Worldly And Hereafter Expedience And Prudence Of The Slaves [Of Allah]"

The Required Expedience

"This is the second category of expedience considered by shari'a; it is called 'Required Expedience.' This is the expedience which if taken into account will create ease in life, and abandoning it will result in poverty and hardship, but it does not fall in the degree that happens with the breaking of 'essential expedience.'  

Imam Shatibi [14th century Islamic scholar] writes: 'Requirements means seeking for prosperity and doing away with poverty and if it is not fulfilled then it would create difficulty and hardship....'

"In the light of this explanation Ulama have mentioned two types of Required Expedience: Real Requirement and Complementary Requirement. The two types are present in all kinds of commands, prayers, dealings, habits, and sins. The consideration of required expedience in prayers is like having permission to make infidel statements in helplessness, permission to eat a dead body to save a life...."

Appreciable Expedience

"The third type of expedience is appreciable. Maintaining this expedience creates beauty and virtue in the orders and deeds, and the right reasoning should call for it, and it must not create trouble and hardship if not followed... The examples of this are: cleaning filth, maintaining the veil, keeping neat and maintaining adornment, giving alms, maintaining manners when eating, avoid eating dirty things, avoiding extravagance...."

"Expedience In Religion Is Not Limited Only To These Types

"In general, clerics have mentioned only these five types of expedience and prudence in religion, and have set three categories (essential, required and appreciable). But some clerics have explained that expedience in religion [Islam] is not confined and limited within these types.

"Professor Dr. Mohammad Nijatullah Siddiqi is convinced that the types of expedience should be expanded. In this regard, he cites the works of Imam Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Qayyim.... Ibn Taymiyyah says: 'Some people confine expedience... into safeguarding life, property, honor, wisdom and religion. But doing so is not right. In fact... expedience is to obtain benefit and to do away with difficulties....'

 "Shedding light on the need for expansion in the traditional list [of the types of expedience], Dr. [Mohammad Nijatullah Siddiqi] writes: 'There is also a view that the traditional list of five contents of ... [expedience] – religion, life, wisdom, race, and property – has in itself such a range that many new objectives are thought to be included in that list. For example, justice could be included in religion, and doing away with poverty and general maintenance [i.e. public welfare] are considered to be the part of safeguarding life. I do not agree with this, for two reasons.

"The first reason is, as has been said by Ibn Taymiyyah, that regarding the objectives of shari'a, it is essential to include something beyond safeguarding. The total emphasis is on doing away with harm that appears in the traditional list, and the aspect of... benefit has been suppressed.

"'The second reason [has to do with] current global and national issues, such as environmental pollution controls, safeguarding universal natural resources, a general ban on the development and use of weapons of mass destruction, and the destruction of existing nuclear weapons, including chemical and biological weapons, and other requirements for the peaceful coexistence of nations of the world; it is better to significantly underline Islamic teachings connected to these issues.'

"He [Mohammad Nijatullah Siddiqi] has included the following proposals in the traditional list [of the types of expedience], and has given proof for them from the Koran and Hadith: a) human self-respect, b) basic freedom, c) justice, d) eradication of poverty and general maintenance, e) social equality and putting checks on the growing disparity in the distribution of wealth, f) peace and harmony and law and order, and g) mutual cooperation... on the international level.'"

"Religious Expedience And Reasoning

"'Reason' discovers expedience and prudence in the religion's commandments, but sometimes shari'a orders are also derived on the basis of reasoning. As it is known, the fourth source of shari'a is Qiyas [analogy/reasoning], and in the absence of a direct order on an issue under discussion the ruling of shari'a is sought through this method. A majority of clerics has called Qiyas the quintessence of shari'a. The Prophet Muhammad on many occasions accepted suggestions given on the basis of reason. Similarly, the companions [of the Prophet Muhammad] and people who saw them derived the rulings of shari'a on the basis of analogy and reason...."

"Following Commands Does Not Depend On Knowing About Expedience

"Undoubtedly, the religion given by Allah is based on expedience and prudence, but following the commands of the religion does not depend on knowing about expedience, because human wisdom is limited and it is not necessary that it comes to know all the prudence of Allah.

"Shah Waliullah of Delhi writes: 'It is not permissible to wait for knowing about the expedience in follow the commands of shari'a after it is proved through true tradition – this is because the reasoning of many people cannot understand much about expedience on its own, and Prophet Muhammad's entity is more reliable than our reasoning.'"

"Conclusion

"The conclusion of this discussion is that the religion gifted by Allah is based on the worldly and Hereafter expedience and prudence of the slaves [of Allah]. That is why there can be no other way more beneficial and satisfactory... a source of salvation and welfare.

"Therefore, [not recognizing the principle of expedience in Islam and] forsaking this religion and calling it a thing of past is based on human ignorance, and it could have serious consequences...."

In a recent landmark article, senior Indian Muslim politician Arif Mohammad Khan called for a change in Islamic law to meet the emerging needs of modern times. Citing a number of changes in Islamic law brought by second Islamic caliph Umar ibn Khattab and other leading jurists of Islam, Khan argued: "[In] Islamic tradition, the law is not a rigid institution, but is very sensitive to the prevailing context. Historically, it can be said that Islamic law has displayed dynamic elasticity that it can positively face the demands and challenges of the changing times."

Arif Mohammad Khan is a leading liberal Muslim politician, Islamic affairs expert, author, and a former cabinet minister. His article – "Is There Any Scope For Change And Reform In Islam? – was first published in Tehelka, a Hindi-language magazine, and later translated and published by the magazine's sister publication of the same name in English. In the article, Khan quoted Islamic jurists, sayings and deeds of Prophet Muhammad and other sociologists and reformers like Ibn Khaldun and Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, to argue that change in Islamic law was intended by Allah.

In the article, he argued that several empirical factors, including economic and political, were responsible for changes in Islamic law brought about by Islamic rulers throughout history. Khan cited how the Koran prescribed that a thief's hand be cut off as a punishment, but this punishment was suspended by Umar, the second caliph, in public interest during a time of famine. "All the examples that I have given in this article are from the early period of the Muslim state, i.e. 7^th-10th centuries," Khan later told a journalist in a comment accompanying the article. The following are excerpts from the article:[1]

"The Koran Wants Us To Comprehend This Process Of Change To Enable Us To Prepare Ourselves To Face The New Situations And Challenges Arising On Account Of Emerging Changes; It Says: 'Unless Ye Go Forth, He Will Punish You With A Grievous Penalty…'

"The questions related to reform and change in Islam can be answered in two parts. One part is related to the basic and abiding principles of Islam and the other to the subsidiary issues. As far as basic principles are concerned, which are everlasting according to the Koran and are common in all religious traditions, they are clearly beyond the scope of change or any alteration. The Koran says: 'The same religion has He established for you as that which He enjoined on Noah (prophet) – that which We have sent by inspiration to thee – and that which We enjoined on Abraham (prophet), Moses and Jesus: Namely, that ye should remain steadfast in religion, and make no divisions therein.' (Koran 42.13)

"[Islamic scholar, politician, and independent India's first education minister] Maulana Azad, in his commentary on the Koran titled Tarjuman-ul-Quran, asserts that the Koran came to distinguish religion from its outward observance. The former is called Deen [religion] and the latter is called Shar'a or Minhaaj [law]. Deen was but one and the same everywhere and at all times, and was vouchsafed to one and all without discrimination. In respect of outward observances of Deen, there was variation and it was inevitable. It varied from time to time and people to people, as seemed pertinent to every situation. Variation of this nature could not alter the character of Deen or the basis of religion. The Urdu term that Maulana [Azad] has used for this one and same spiritual order is 'Mushtarak Haq' [shared truth].

"Elsewhere, Maulana [Azad] holds that the teaching of a religion is two-fold. One constitutes its spirit; the other is its outward manifestation. The former is primary in importance and the latter is secondary. The first is called Deen (religion); the second is Shar'a [law], which has come to mean the law prescribed by religion.

"So it is clear that the basic principles of religion are of abiding value, but the laws that have a particular social, economic, or political context become redundant when the context itself undergoes a change. The Koran itself describes changes like alteration of day and night, changes that occur in a human body as a result of advanced age, variations of the color of skins and languages, etc., as signs of God, and emphasizes the need to apply one's mind to understand this phenomenon. The call to study this process of change makes one thing abundantly clear: the Koran wants us to comprehend this process of change to enable us to prepare ourselves to face the new situations and challenges arising on account of emerging changes. It says: 'Unless ye go forth, He will punish you with a grievous penalty, and put others in your place.' (Koran 9.39)"

Leading Islamic Jurists – "There Should Also Be Suitable And Necessary Changes In The Law, And It Should Take Cognizance Of Its Surroundings"; "The Laws Have A Context, And If The Context Undergoes Change Then The law Is Automatically Terminated"

"Constant change is a fact of our lives. If a non-living thing, like a stone, is protected from environmental impact, then it is possible that even after a thousand years it will stay the same. But anything that has life, whether human, animal, or vegetation, would either grow or diminish by the day. It cannot stay the same.

"Famous Muslim scholar Ibn Khaldun writes in his book Muqaddimah, 'The situation of the world and the habits of various countries are not always the same. The world is the name of the story of change of civilizations. Similarly these changes take place in humans, times and cities; in the same manner it happens throughout the world, through different ages and regimes. This process of change is the way of God which has always been underway among his creations [including among humans].'

"Dr. Sibhi Mahmasani, an expert in Islamic law, writes in his book Falsafa Shariat-e-Islam, 'There is no doubt that as a result of this variability of the world, man's lifestyle changes, [and] so does the paradigm of his welfare. Because the foundations of law are based on welfare of man, therefore it is imperative that along with the changes of time and society, there should also be suitable and necessary changes in the law, and it should take cognizance of its surroundings.'

"Another Islamic scholar, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyah, has underscored this point in unequivocal terms: 'Changes in the law are associated with changes in time and era, changing situations, and the change in human behavior.' He says: 'there is a relationship between mankind and law. A lack of appreciation of this basic principle has given rise to a misunderstanding that has resulted in limiting the scope of Islamic laws.' Ibn Qayyim further says that 'the Islamic law has attached highest priority to Masaleh Insaani (public welfare), and it has no place for such a narrow viewpoint.'

"It is important to keep in mind that the nexus between law and public welfare [and therefore the need for change in law] was highlighted by Ibn Khaldun about 800 years ago, and 400 years later Ibn Qayyim had forcefully reiterated the same principle. This argument is embodied in Article 39 of Mujallatul Ahkamul Adaliya (Islamic law rules). It sates: 'la yunkir taghayyuril ahkam bit taghayyuruzzaman,' meaning it cannot be denied that with the changing times, laws also change. Other Muslim jurists, commenting on this legal maxim, have suggested to add: 'wabittaghayyural Askana wal ahwaal' (the rules change as a result of change of residence and change of circumstances). In this respect the observation of Maulana Alai, a leading jurist, is equally important. He says that the laws have a context, and if the context undergoes change then the law is automatically terminated."

Changes In Islamic Law: "Khiraj Is A Tax That Farmers Had To Pay… Imam Abu Yusuf Reduced These Rates With The Change Of Times"; "Ulema... Who Taught In Schools… Were Granted Large Estates… [But Jurists] … Prescribed That The Teachers Of Koran And Other Religious Books Are Not Permitted To Receive Any Salary"

"When we look at the history of Islamic law, we come across several instances where with the change in the context, necessary changes were effected in the provisions of the law. There are several examples:

"i) Khiraj is a tax that farmers had to pay. Its rates were fixed in the time of Hazrat Umar (the second caliph of Islam), but later Imam Abu Yusuf reduced these rates with the change of times.

"ii) Imam Shafi'i is one of the four Imams whose names are associated with the four Sunni schools of jurisprudence. He was an erudite scholar and travelled extensively. As a result of his travels he gave up several of his old beliefs (known as Iraqi Mazhab) and adopted new beliefs known as Egyptian School (Misri Mazhab).

"iii) During the initial days of Muslim rule, the Ulema (clerics) who taught in schools (madrassas) were granted large estates and stipends by the rulers. [Leading jurist] Imam Abu Hanifa and his colleagues took cognizance of this fact and prescribed that the teachers of Koran and other religious books are not permitted to receive any salary for their teaching job. Later, when grants and stipends were suspended, the Ulema of standing argued that this rule is no longer enforceable due to change in circumstances and issued a necessary fatwa [decree] to remove the ban imposed by Imam Abu Hanifa.

"The principle of changing laws due to the changing times and era is given full recognition in Islamic jurisprudence. But the examples cited above relate to laws based on the opinions and fatwas of juri-consults (Ulema and Muftis [those who deliver fatwas])."

Changes In Islamic Law Ordered By Second Caliph Umar: "[Muhammad] Used To Provide Financial Assistance To The New Converts … Umar Stopped The Payment"; "In Islamic Law, The Hand Of The Thief Is Cut Off… As Provided In The Koran… But Hazrat Umar, During The Time Of Famine, Had Suspended This Punishment"

"In addition to this, there are laws which are based on the provisions of the Koran and prophetic traditions. Since the Koran and prophetic traditions are the primary sources, it is believed that any law based on these two sources is unalterable.

"However, we have several documented instances in history, particularly during the reign of second Caliph Hazrat Umar, when changes were made in the laws based on the Koran and prophetic traditions. Famous Muslim scholar Shah Waliullah, in his book Fiqha-e-Umar, has discussed this subject in detail, and some of the cases he has cited are given below:

"i) There is a clear provision in the Koran about charity (Sadaqah): 'Alms are for the poor and the needy, and those employed to administer the (funds); for those whose hearts have been (recently) reconciled (to truth); for those in bondage and in debt; in the cause of Allah; and for the wayfarer: (thus is it) ordained by Allah, and Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom.' (Koran 9.60)

"As stated in the above verse, the Prophet [Muhammad] himself used to provide financial assistance to the new converts of Islam. Islamic commentator Imam Behiqui writes that in spite of this explicit provision of the Koran, Hazrat Umar stopped the payment and said that the prophet provided this financial assistance to help you to stand by Islam at a time that it was being attacked and persecuted. But now Islam is strong and there is no fear of persecution, and therefore there is no need to continue these payments.

"ii) According to Sahih Muslim (a compilation of prophetic traditions), Abu al-Sahba said to Ibn Abbas: 'Enlighten us with your information whether the three divorces (pronounced at one and the same time) were not treated as one [necessitating the pronouncing of two more] during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger … and Abu Bakr [the first caliph]. He said: It was in fact so, but when during the caliphate of Umar (Allah be pleased with him) people began to pronounce divorce frequently, he allowed them to do so (to treat pronouncements of three divorces in a single breath).' – Sahih Muslim Book 009, Hadith Number 3493

"Considering the conditions and requirements of his time, Hazrat Umar implemented the views he deemed fit, but it is also true that a good number of Ulema did not agree with this view and even now in several branches of Islamic law, the three divorces pronounced in one sitting are treated as one. Sheikh Ahmed Mohammad Shakir, in his book Nizam-e-Talaq fi Islam, wrote that this decision of Hazrat Umar was based on the political exigencies of the time.

"iii) In Islamic law, the hand of the thief is cut off as punishment, as provided in the Koran: 'as to the thief, male or female, cut off his or her hands: a punishment by way of example from Allah for their crime.' (Koran 5.38)

"Prophet Mohammad had himself given this punishment for theft under this provision, but Hazrat Umar, during the time of famine, had suspended this punishment in the public interest. And this was widely accepted.

"iv) According to Islamic law, if an unmarried person commits adultery, then he is punished with 100 lashes and is banished for one year from that place. It is reported about Hazrat Umar that when he banished Rabia bin Umaiya, he went and joined the Roman forces that were fighting the Muslims at the time. On this, Hazrat Umar said: 'from now onwards I will not banish any person from the city.' Hazrat Umar had effected this change in the rule in the interest of the state as the times and context had changed greatly."

"Islamic Law Stipulates The Provision Of 'Khoon Baha'; According To This The Murderer Or The People Of His Tribe Were Required To Give A Specific Amount To The Family Of The Murdered; But Hazrat Umar Changed This Provision"

"v) Islamic law gives authority to the ruler to decide the punishment if there are no clear provisions in the law. But in one hadith [saying of Prophet Muhammad] it is clarified that in such cases, the punishment should not exceed 10 lashes. But Hazrat Umar punished a man, who had made a fake seal of the state treasury, with 100 lashes. Imam Malik, the first compiler of hadith, said that the punishment of 10 lashes was specific to the times of Prophet Mohammad and it is not applicable to later times.

"vi) In cases of murder, Islamic law stipulates the provision of 'khoon baha [blood money].' According to this the murderer or the people of his tribe were required to give a specific amount to the family of the murdered. But Hazrat Umar changed this provision. The reason was that when he organized the government and the army for the first time, the collective power shifted from the tribes to the government.

"Imam Sarkhasi, while praising this decision, said it cannot be said that Hazrat Umar's decision deviated from the traditions of Prophet Mohammad. Actually, it was in accordance with the same tradition because he knew that Prophet Mohammad had devolved this responsibility on the tribes, as at that time, they were the basic units of governance and power. But with the creation of the army, the power shifted to the armed forces and many a time the soldiers fought against their own tribe. On the other hand, Imam Shafi'i rejected this logic saying it was against the Prophet's traditions.

"One thing is clear from this argument: that in Islamic tradition, the law is not a rigid institution but is very sensitive to the prevailing context. Historically, it can be said that Islamic law has displayed dynamic elasticity that it can positively face the demands and challenges of the changing times.

"In this context, the argument given by [Indian Muslim reformer] Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (1817-1898) is very interesting and lucid. According to him, the Koran is the word of God and everything that we see in the world is the work of God. He said it is impossible to imagine any contradiction between divine word and divine work. If we perceive any contradiction, then it means that we have failed to understand the word of God. In such cases, we need to review our own understanding of the word of God and strive for a meaning that will establish total harmony between the two.

"The Koran appreciates the endeavor for establishing harmony and finding a solution to new circumstances and challenges and says, 'And those who strive in Our (cause) – We will certainly guide them to our Paths: For Verily Allah is with those who do right (Koran 29.69)"

In an e-book published by an Urdu-language jihadi Internet forum, Al-Qaeda responds to the message of Pakistani religious scholar Tahir-ul-Qadri, who in January launched a failed bid to unseat the elected government in Pakistan. Qadri, who reportedly also holds Canadian citizenship and returned to Pakistan in December 2012, gained fame in the West as a moderate cleric after issuing a fatwa in March 2010 on terrorism and suicide bombings in Pakistan.

The 43-page e-book, titled Tahir-ul-Qadri's Return: Hidden Truths and Ambitions, by Qari Abdul Jabbar, was published by Ansarullah Urdu, the Urdu edition of the leading Al-Qaeda jihadi forum AMAF, Ansar Al-Mujahideen Arabic Forum.[1] It was posted on the U.S.-based document-sharing website Box.com.[2] The e-book was also linked to by the Facebook account of Ansarullah Urdu.[3] Copies of the e-book have also been posted on many other U.S.-based websites, such as Scribd.com.

In January this year, Tahir-ul-Qadri sought to engineer an Egypt-like uprising in Islamabad, hoping to unseat the elected Pakistani government just weeks before it is to complete its five-year term, in a bid to bring an Islamist government into the country. In the e-book, the author cites numerous statements by the Prophet Muhammad and his companions, writings of leading Islamic jurists, and stories from the Koran to argue that Tahir-ul-Qadri is an apostate and a new Satan out to mislead the Muslims.

E-Book Cites Stories From The Koran To Prove That Tahir-ul-Qadri Is A Continuation Of Satan Who Misled Adam And Eve In The Garden Of Eden

After a short introduction, the e-book deals at length with Tahir-ul-Qadri's return to Pakistan, raising four key questions: a) What objective has Tahir-ul-Qadri returned to achieve? b) What changes does Tahir-ul-Qadri want to bring in society? c) Whose agenda has Tahir-ul-Qadri come to fulfill? and d) What kind of revolution does Tahir-ul-Qadri want to bring in?

In the introduction, the book argues that Tahir-ul-Qadri is a new form of the Satan who misled Adam and Eve, and that the war between good and evil has been ongoing since time immemorial. It states: "Satan and its spiritual offsprings have been at war with the people of faith and they are constantly trying to lead Adam's sons away from the path of success and put them on the path of heresy and apostasy." The book quotes from the Koran to prove that Satan does this work by befriending Adam and Eve and by taking a form similar to theirs, for it is the most effective tools to lead someone astray. In this regard, the quote from the Koran states:

"And Oh Adam! Dwell you and your wife in the Paradise, and eat thereof as you both wish, but approach not this tree; otherwise you both will be of the unjust and wrong-doers. Then Satan whispered suggestions to them both in order to uncover that which was hidden from them of their private parts; he said: 'Your Lord did not forbid you this tree, save that you should become angels or become of the immortals.' And he [Satan] swore by Allah to them both [saying]: 'Verily, I'm one of the sincere well-wishers for you both.' So he misled them with deception. Then when they tasted of the tree... their shame became manifest to them and they began to cover themselves with the leaves of Paradise. And their Lord called out to them: 'Did I not forbid you that tree and tell you: Verily, Satan is an open enemy unto you.'"

The e-book cites the stories of the Pharaohs and of the Prophet Moses from the Koran to prove that good and evil have always been at war; in Urdu, 'pharaoh' is commonly depicted as an evil hegemon. The book traces the lineage of what it describes as evil to great South Asian reformers like Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, stating: "In the India-Pak subcontinent, characters like Sir Syed Ahmad Khan [a 19th century reformist who established the Aligarh Muslim University to offer modern education], Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani [founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Movement] and Ghulam Parvez [a noted scholar of Pakistan] engaged in uprooting Islam and followed the British agenda of promoting irreligiousness and atheism, and the arrival of such Satanic people continues [in the form of Tahir-ul-Qadri]."

It goes on to say that Tahir-ul-Qadri's return is a continuation from the time of Adam and Eve, to lead people away from the right path. It states: "Tahir-ul-Qadri's return is a link in the same chain; after six years of luxurious self-exile, he has returned to Pakistan under the auspices of his Canadian citizenship and on orders, and with the support of, the world's biggest devil, the U.S. [He returns] in religious garb as the world's peace emissary and as an historic leader, with the hollow slogan of 'Revolution' and 'Change' to deceive the people [of Pakistan] once again and to keep them contented with the existing enslaving devil system in Pakistan and to dissolve the [mujahideen's] sacrifices for the implementation of Islam in Pakistan."

"In Tahir-ul-Qadri's View, Jews And Christians Are Not Included Among Infidels"; Prophet Muhammad:"He Who Amongst The Community Of Jews Or Christians Hears About Me, But Does Not Affirm His Belief In That With Which I Have Been Sent And Dies In This State – He Shall Be But One Of The Denizens Of Hell-Fire"

Questioning Tahir-ul-Qadri's views regarding other religions and events at which non-Muslim personalities have shared the stage with him, especially in Canada and the UK, the book presents Qadri's views as contradictory to those of the Prophet Muhammad, especially with regard to Jews and Christians. The first subhead reads: "In Tahir-ul-Qadri's view, Jews and Christians are not included among infidels."

It argues that Muslims unanimously believe that anyone who does not believe in the Prophet Muhammad and denies that he is a prophet is in any case \ an infidel, whether they believe in any book, and that those who do not consider such people infidels are themselves apostates. It argues that Tahir-ul-Qadri seeks to lay the foundation of a new religion whose warp and woof are linked to the false faith of the "unity of religions," and that Jews and Christians have always attempted to bring Muslims accept this false faith.

The e-book cites an audio clip in which Tahir-ul-Qadri says: "The world is distributed between believers and non-believers. Non-believers are called infidels in literal terms and believers are called those who have faith in revelation from Allah, Heavenly Books and the Prophets. When a distinction is being made between believers and non-believers, then followers of the Jewish faith, Christians, and Muslims are counted among believers, and they are not counted among infidels."

The e-book charges that Tahir-ul-Qadri always invites leading figures from infidel faiths to the events he holds; he has been quoted as saying, "The name of Allah is not exclusively for Muslims. Allah is the translation of God in Arabic and [you] call out to your God in whatever name and as you like, call Him as it is said in your religion." It questions Tahir-ul-Qadri's stand that "Jews, Muslims and Christians are included among the believers; those who do not believe in Heavenly Books are infidels" (Roznama Khabrain, January 3, 2006). Similarly, he is quoted as saying, "There are three great religions of the world; Jews, Christians, and Muslims are among the believers." (Roznama Insaf, January 3, 2006).

The book then continues to reject rejecting Tahir-ul-Qadri's "false faith" by citing statements by the Prophet Muhammad and exegeses by Islamic scholars. Imam Muslim, one of the leading Islamic jurists, is reported as recording: "[The Prophet Muhammad] observed: By Him in Whose hand is the life of Muhammad, he who amongst the community of Jews or Christians hears about me, but does not affirm his belief in that with which I have been sent and dies in this state [of disbelief], he shall be but one of the denizens of Hell-Fire." (Muslim, Book 1, Number 0285) It goes on recounting sayings from different books with various sources, and then concludes that that "Believers are only those who have faith in all Heavenly Books and Prophets along with the Prophet Muhammad – otherwise they are considered to be among the infidels and will remain in Hell-Fire forever."

Seeking the prove that Qadri is an apostate, the book quotes Qadri as saying: "If a Muslim follows all the obligations and denies the Prophethood of Jesus Christ then he would be considered infidel." The book mocks this argument with a counterargument: "Consider this! If a Muslim denies the Prophethood of Jesus Christ then he becomes an infidel and remains no more among the believers (this is true on its own), but how would the Jews and Christians who deny the Prophethood of Muhammad... remain among the believers despite their denial?" It argues that whosoever carries such faith should be damned and that "there is no doubt about his being an apostate."

Tahir-ul-Qadri "Observes Christmas Celebrations"; Quoting Second Islamic Caliph Umar: "Avoid The Eid [Festival] Of Allah's Enemies"

Under the sub-head "Tahir-ul-Qadri Observes Christmas Celebrations," the e-book says that Tahir-ul-Qadri not only places Jews and Christians among the believers, but that in order to find favor in their eyes, he has even begun celebrating "Merry Christmas Day" under his religious institution Minhajul Quran, "to which not only was the Christian papacy invited but cakes were cut and candles were lit, as the Christians do." It contains photographs from different sources showing him meeting with people of different faiths and celebrating Christmas.

Tahir-ul-Qadri is quoted as saying to a Christian musician, "Your fingers move skillfully. It is my desire that you visit our Sama [a kind of dance in ecstasy by mystics] congregation and participate in Qawwali [a form of singing]." Accusing Qadri of declaring that the doors of Minhaj-ul Quran Mosque will remain open to Christians, the e-book quotes him as saying: "We must do away with hatred, for the sake of establishing peace" (Roznama Express, January 3, 2006).

The e-book cites sources from the Koran and Hadith (the sayings of Prophet Muhammad) to argue that Christmas is a religious celebration of Christians and that its celebration is not permissible for Muslims. It questions the legality under shari'a of Christmas celebrations under the banner of Minhajul Quran, an institute set up by Qadri. It argues that even a gesture of "welfare" for Christians does not go with the practice of the Prophet Muhammad and his companions, or with that of those who came after them. If done consciously, it says, such acts are like committing an act of being an infidel.

The e-book quotes many incidents from Islamic history which forbid Muslims from observing religious practices of others. It quotes Umar (the second caliph of Islam) as saying: "Avoid the Eid [festival] of Allah's enemies." It asks Tahir-ul-Qadri if he wished to be raised on the Day of Resurrection among the Jews and Christians for "the one who lives among the polytheists and celebrates their festivals of Eid and Nauroz and adopts their styles and dies in that state, then he would be raised with them on the Day of Judgment." The quote is of Umar from the book Iqtiza al-Sirat al Mustaqim by leading Islamic jurist Imam Ibn-e-Taymiyya.

Claiming that Tahir-ul-Qadri's program is to turn the mosques into churches, and placing this under its own separate subhead, the e-book cites a report in Urdu daily Roznama Jinnah of January 3, 2006 in which Tahir-ul-Qadri is quoted as saying: "[My] institutions, mosques, will always remain open for Christian brothers and sisters, as for Muslims. They may worship according to their belief whenever they want." Tahir-ul-Qadri is criticized for justifying Jews' and Christians' visits to mosques, for which he gave as an example an incident in which a Christian delegation from Najran visited the Prophet Muhammad and stayed at the Prophet's mosque.

The e-book argues that this is a rejected justification, noting that after a verse – "Oh you who believe (in Allah's Oneness and His Messenger Muhammad)! Verily, mushrikun (polytheists, pagans, idolaters, disbelievers) are impure. So let them not come near Masjid-e-Haram in Mecca after this year' – was revealed in the Koran (Chapter: Tauba, Verse No. 29), then the Prophet Muhammad issued a new order: "No polytheists should enter our mosques from this year except the people with the Book and their helpers" (Masnad Ahmad, Vol. 29, P.171).

The Muhaddiseen (experts in the teachings of Prophet Muhammad) say that here the people of the Book are those who are Dhimmis (non-Muslim subjects under Muslim rule) and their slaves, and this is justified with another saying of the Prophet Muhammad from the same book – Musnad Ahmad, Vol. 30, P.236. Islamic scholar Ibn-e-Kathir writes explaining the aforementioned verse from Chapter Tauba that "Hazrat Umar... denied Jews and Christians entry to a mosque due to the verse which calls the mushrikun impure." The e-book argues that under no circumstances is permissible for non-Muslims to use a mosque to perform their worship.

The e-book also questions statements attributed to Tahir-ul-Qadri that Shi'ites and Sunnis are brothers, citing statements by the Prophet Muhammad, his companions, and other Islamic jurists to argue that Shi'ites are outside of Islam. It also accuses Qadri of sanctioning such practices among his followers, for example, prostrating before him, interacting with unveiled women and shaking hands with them, and engaging in singing and music and dancing at Sufi shrines.

Qadri Criticized For Saying That The U.S. And Europe Are Dar-ul-Aman (Land Of Peace); "Dar-ul-Aman Is Conditional That Aman (Peace) Has Been Given By The Muslims To The Dar-ul-Harb And Not Because Dar-ul-Harb Has Given Peace To Some Muslims"

Tahir-ul-Qadri is also criticized for statements that the U.S. and European countries are Dar-ul-Aman (Land of Peace), and not Dar-ul-Harb (Land of War). Under the subhead "In Tahir-ul-Qadri's views the U.S. and European countries are Dar-ul-Aman," the e-book alleges that Tahir-ul-Qadri is working to advance the American agenda in Pakistan by extrapolating Islamic shari'a's definitions regarding the terms such "Dar-ul-Islam" (Islamic country ruled by Muslims), "Dar-ul-Aman" (a country where Muslims are at peace) and "Dar-ul-Harb" (countries with which Muslims are at war).

After defining the concepts of Dar-ul-Islam and Dar-ul-Harb with examples and definitions from prominent Islamic scholars, the book discusses Dar-ul-Aman at length. It repudiates the arguments of Tahir-ul-Qadri that a country is Dar-ul-Aman if individuals have permission to offer prayers, and argues that "Dar-ul-Aman is conditional upon aman (peace) having been given by the Muslims to the Dar-ul-Harb, and not because Dar-ul-Harb has given peace to some Muslims."

It continues: "If supposedly it is accepted that the U.S., Europe, and countries including India all are Dar-ul-Aman, as Tahir-ul-Qadri says by citing the example of Hijrat [exodus] to Habasha [modern day Ethiopia] where infidels were the rulers and Muslims were allowed to follow their practices on this ground (which is wrong), the U.S. and other European countries are Dar-ul-Aman." It goes on to prove that these countries are against Muslims and Islam even though they have given certain freedoms to some people, whereas the people of Habasha were not against Islam and did not support the infidels of Mecca against Islam the way the U.S. and other European countries play a pivotal role in the "Crusade against Muslims in the name of terrorism under the banner of the United Nations." It also mentions oppression in Kashmir, Chechnya, Bosnia, and other places.

The book accuses Tahir-ul-Qadri of deviating from Islamic teachings by arguing that the blasphemy laws of Islam are for Muslims only and not applicable to Jews, Christians, and others. (It should be kept in mind here that Qadri has elsewhere argued that Jews, Christians, and Hindus, including both men and women, should be killed for blaspheming the Prophet Muhammad.) The e-book quotes Hazrat Abbas (a cousin of Prophet Muhammad), Imam Ahmad ibn-e-Hambal (proponent of a school of thought among Sunnis), a letter from Abu Bakar (the second caliph of Islam) and even an order by the Prophet Muhammad regarding a Jew named Kaab bin Ashraf as saying that the death penalty is the punishment for a person who commits blasphemy against Allah and His Prophet.

The book also charges Tahir-ul-Qadri with relying on the advice of Western officials in major issues of the day. Quoting a verse from the Koran, it urges the Pakistani people to beware of Tahir-ul-Qadri's fitna, or mischief, and to try to arrange to crush it. "Remember! Those who express love for the U.S. and English are slaves themselves, and slaves are not free..." the book states.

Endnotes:

[1] Bab-ul-Islam.net, accessed January 25, 2013. A copy of the e-book is available upon request.

[2] Box.com, posted January 19, 2013.

[3] Facebook.com/AU.Urdu, posted January 19, 2013.

Abdul Hakim Mujahid was a Taliban ambassador to the United Nations until September 2001. In the past, he also served as the Taliban regime's ambassador to Pakistan. Now he serves as a representative of Afghan President Hamid Karzai in negotiations with the Taliban.

In a recent interview with an Indian weekly magazine, Abdul Hakim Mujahid discusses the recent release of Taliban prisoners by the United States and the December 2012 peace talks involving the Taliban and Afghan government officials held in Chantilly, France.

Following are excerpts from the interview:[1]

"Mullah Omar Does Not Want A Civil War; He Wants A New Constitution Written By Afghans, And Agreed To By All Afghans, Including The Taliban"

Question: "For the first time since the war started in Afghanistan, the Taliban have come forward to negotiate. Has there been any progress?"

Abdul Hakim Mujahid: "The meeting in Paris was a unique one in which all Afghan stakeholders – the Taliban, tribal leaders and the government – participated. Everyone was quite frank, but there were no harsh words. Everybody agreed that if the Afghans are allowed to lead the talks, they will be able to win peace."

Question: "Who represented the Taliban in the meeting?"

Abdul Hakim Mujahid: "The Taliban were represented by Maulvi Dilawar and Dr. Mohammed Naeem Wardak. A member of the Taliban's inner group, Wardak is a PhD. Dilawar is moderate, sensible, intellectual, and a religious scholar. Before moving to Qatar, he was in Peshawar, Pakistan. During the war against Russia, he was a mujahid commander and we fought together.

"He said Mullah Omar does not want a civil war; he wants a new constitution written by Afghans, and agreed to by all Afghans, including the Taliban. The Taliban have assured to protect the rights of civilians, women, and minorities. The Taliban's only condition is that foreign troops must leave Afghanistan. [The ruling] Northern Alliance leaders were also present in Paris, and Taliban representatives had frank talks with them. We differed on some points, but we agreed on larger issues."

Question: "What were the differences?"

Abdul Hakim Mujahid: "There were issues about the constitution and governance. But as it was a closed-door meeting, I am not supposed to give you details. Our initiative could be sabotaged by enemies of Afghanistan."

"The U.S. Has Released The Taliban Men Before; They Released Prisoners From Guantanamo Bay On Their Own, Without Any Agreement"

Question: "Who are the enemies of Afghanistan?"

Abdul Hakim Mujahid: "There are so many. Afghanistan has become a battleground for the world powers."

Question: "The Taliban will not negotiate unless all foreign troops leave Afghanistan. So, what is the future of the peace talks?

Abdul Hakim Mujahid: "The main problem is that there is no trust. The U.S. and its allies need to clarify their policy on Afghanistan. They want to talk to the Taliban and then they carry out drone attacks against them. In one meeting they agreed to release five Taliban commanders [from Guantanamo Bay], yet they have not released them. The U.S. needs to get rid of contradictions in their policies."

Question: "The U.S. is concerned that if the Taliban men are released, they might go back to the battlefield again."

Abdul Hakim Mujahid: "The U.S. has released the Taliban men before. They released prisoners from Guantanamo Bay on their own, without any agreement. When they release these five commanders, it will be based on a proper agreement with the Taliban. I do not think there will be a violation of the agreement."

Why Peace Talks – "The Taliban's Thinking Is That Jihad Is The Last Resort"; "Mullah Omar Declared Jihad Only After The U.S. Invaded Afghanistan"

Question: "Why have the Taliban suddenly decided to negotiate?"

Abdul Hakim Mujahid: "The Taliban's thinking is that jihad is the last resort to defend your country and its citizens. Mullah Omar declared jihad only after the U.S. invaded Afghanistan in 2001. The Taliban are aware of the misery the war has brought to Afghanistan, and they want to end it."

Question: "The foreign combat mission will end in 2014. After that, will the Afghan Army be able to defend the country against the Taliban?"

Abdul Hakim Mujahid: "If there is no reconciliation between the Afghan government and the Taliban, there will be a bloodbath. That is why it is important for these talks to succeed."

Question: "What is Pakistan's take on the talks?"

Abdul Hakim Mujahid: "When the [Afghan Government's High Peace Council] delegation visited Pakistan, the government there assured support for the peace talks. We hope for Pakistan's support, which is very important."

Question: "Why is it important?"

Abdul Hakim Mujahid: "Pakistan is our immediate neighbor. Our people live on the both sides of the border and Pakistan is also the member of the international coalition, which is fighting the war in Afghanistan."

Question: "And, because Mullah Omar lives in Pakistan?"

Abdul Hakim Mujahid: "We were told by a top Taliban man that he is not there."

Question: "Where is he now?"

Abdul Hakim Mujahid: "This is an irrelevant question. We cannot disclose his whereabouts and compromise his security."

Question: "Pakistan arrested top Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar after he initiated talks with the Karzai government. Do you think Mullah Omar will face the same fate?"

Abdul Hakim Mujahid: "According to the Taliban, they are totally free to speak and reach an agreement. They are not under the influence of Pakistan. One of the reasons why the Taliban established an office in Qatar is to negotiate independently."

"We Shared Our Concerns With Pakistan; They Have Agreed To Release Some Of The Taliban From Their Prisons; We Understand That Pakistan Also Wants To End The War"

Question: "President Karzai has been silent on the talks. Does he support the negotiation with the Taliban?"

Abdul Hakim Mujahid: "Karzai wants peace and security for his country. He realizes that without negotiation, peace will not return to Afghanistan. He has been trying hard to reach out to the Taliban. He supported the initiative to remove names of the Taliban leaders from the UN list of terrorists. This allowed people like Wardak to travel outside Pakistan. That also allowed them to establish the Qatar office. Now they have a place and address where they are available for negotiation."

Question: "How did the French suddenly organize the talks?"

Abdul Hakim Mujahid: "France is an important country for us, as part of the international coalition and as a member of UN Security Council. They supported some leaders of the Northern Alliance [then an armed opposition], when the Taliban were in power. France still has contacts with the Northern Alliance. The Paris talks were also supported by the U.S."

Question: "You live in Kabul and you are leading the negotiation. Do you fear for your life?"

Abdul Hakim Mujahid: "No, I do not. Why should I fear?"

Question: "High Peace Council chairman Burhanuddin Rabbani was assassinated by the Taliban after his return from Pakistan."

Abdul Hakim Mujahid: "Wrong. He was not killed by the Taliban."

Question: "Who killed him, then?"

Abdul Hakim Mujahid: "You can find out. There are so many players in Afghanistan."

Question: "Was he killed by Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence?"

Abdul Hakim Mujahid: "I do not know and I do not want to discuss the issue. What is important is that despite the assassination, the Council visited Pakistan for peace talks, and it was led by Rabbani's son, Salahuddin Rabbani [Afghan ambassador to Turkey]. We shared our concerns with Pakistan. They have agreed to release some of the Taliban from their prisons. We understand that Pakistan also wants to end the war in Afghanistan…."

Endnote:

[1] The Week (India), February 5, 2013. The original English of the interview has been mildly edited for clarity and standardization.

Syed Salahuddin, Supreme Commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, continues to preach jihad in Pakistani Kashmir

Jammu & Kashmir is divided between Pakistan and India by a Line of Control (LoC), with the Pakistani part known as "Azad" (Free) Kashmir. At the end of the 1980s, as the Afghan jihad was ending, a large number of youth from Indian Kashmir were recruited by Pakistani intelligence agencies to join a new Afghan-like jihad against Indian security forces in Kashmir valley. Thousands of Kashmiri youth crossed over the LoC into Pakistani Kashmir to join an array of jihadist organizations, supported by the Pakistani intelligence.

During the 1990s and onwards, these Kashmiri youth were armed and trained at terror training camps in Pakistani Kashmir, and they began returning in batches to fight against the Indian security forces, leading to 20 years of Kashmir jihad. They were broadly united under the Muttahida Jihad Council (UJC), a network of anti-India terrorist groups in Pakistan. The UJC was led by Syed Salahuddin, who is the Supreme Commander of the Harkatul Mujahideen, one of the key anti-India Kashmiri groups.

Now, encouraged by an amnesty offer by India and occasional peace initiatives between the two countries, these Kashmiri youth are beginning to return home, disillusioned by a failing Kashmir jihad and also by the depressing economic and security situation confronting the Pakistani state.

Below are excerpts from Urdu media reports filed by renowned journalist Zulfiqar Ali, who is based in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir. These reports were part of a series called "Return Of Kashmiri Militants Towards Peaceful Life: Journey from Guns to Peace; Is Pakistan Withdrawing its Support?; Remorse on Militancy; Returning to Kashmir…"[1]

"According To The Kashmiri Militant Organizations, About 600 Kashmiri Militants Have Returned To Indian-Administered Kashmir To Lead A Peaceful Life"

Introduction

Using the micro-blogging website Twitter, former Pakistani nuclear scientist Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan glorifies the advancement of the Pakistani nuclear program, inculcates global Islamism among his followers, and seeks to legitimize attacks against the West.[1] Khan is chairperson of the Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Pakistan (TTP or the Movement for the Defense of Pakistan), a new political party. Using the handle @DrAQ_Khan, he has published more than 1,000 tweets as of February 11, 2013 and has over 18,800 followers.[2] His tweets are aimed at a nationalistic audience of Pakistanis. The tweets comment on issues and events in Pakistani life; for example, sending greetings on Prophet Muhammad's birthday or when Pakistan's cricket team wins matches, steps for electoral reforms in Pakistan, activities of Pakistani government, endorsing tweets and websites that promote Shi'ite-Sunni unity in Pakistan, justifying Pakistan's nuclear program, supporting freedom for Kashmir, and criticizing India and the Amn ki Asha peace initiative launched jointly by Pakistani and Indian media groups, among others.

Khan's tweets also link to his columns in Roznama Jang and The News, major Pakistani dailies. A November 12, 2012 tweet linked to a column in which he favors a system of religious schools in Pakistan so that "students coming [out] of these schools would then not only have religious knowledge (Koran, Seerat-un-Nabi, Ahadees [personality and sayings of the prophet])… but also knowledge of Urdu, mathematics, science, history, geography…."[3] A September 21, 2012 post he retweeted reveals his ideological stance on Pakistani politics and society: "Come forward as servants of Islam, organize the people economically, socially, educationally and politically." Advocating an international Islamism, he tweeted on October 2, 2012: "Pakistan is bound to become the headquarters of the world Islamic government in future!"

Khan, who was forced under U.S. pressure by Pakistani military ruler General Pervez Musharraf to go on television in 2004 to admit his role in international nuclear proliferation, is being watched for his possible participation in the 2013 elections in Pakistan, though his party is unlikely to win.[4] On February 3, he tweeted an announcement: "We'll contest these elections along with Jamaat-e-Islami." A tweet dated January 28 noted that a "missile" will be the symbol of Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Pakistan in the upcoming elections.  On February 2, he expressed a desire to be a caretaker prime minister of Pakistan during the 2013 elections, stating: "If I were given the chance to become the caretaker prime minister, I'd accept it with impartiality and justice." Earlier, in a tweet dated December 4, 2012, Khan noted that he "personally wouldn't run [in] elections" but would run a campaign in favor of his Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Pakistan party.

Through his tweets in mid-January 2013, Dr. Khan endorsed a failed bid by Pakistani religious scholar Tahir-ul-Qadri to unseat the elected Pakistani government through an uprising, ruing in a January 17 tweet that cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan rescued the government by not joining Qadri's mass rally in Islamabad. In other posts, the former nuclear scientist has stated that he disagrees with Qadri in many respects. His hopes for a revolutionary change in Pakistan were dashed when Qadri's march failed. Khan, who is seen as the father of Pakistan's nuclear program, is aware that the 2013 general elections in Pakistan may test his popularity, as expressed in a December 14, 2012 tweet: "Elections 2013 shall make it clear how much my nation loves me and how much respect I earned. My last test as a patriot."

Tweets On Kashmir And India: "It Should Be Clear That India Would've Thrown Acid A Thousand Times On Pakistan And Kashmir If We Weren't A Nuclear Power"

On the occasion of Kashmir Solidarity Day on February 5 this year, he tweeted that "our people can bring freedom for Kashmir this year, by using their votes rightly in elections 2013 [i.e. by voting for Khan's allies]." A day earlier, his tweet noted in Urdu: "India you do not have that line [of destiny] on your palm, Kashmir is not the fiefdom of your father…" On February 2, he outlined a national agenda for Pakistan, stating: "#FreeKashmir is a trend which should top not only Pakistan but the world as well."

A January 24, 2013 tweet defended his role in making Pakistan a nuclear-armed state, noting: "If Pakistan weren't a nuclear state, India would've gone too far in its quest for gaining power and destroyed Asian peace and stability." He is routinely criticized by Indian Twitterati, to which he responded in a tweet dated December 8, 2012: "All the hate coming in my timeline from Twitter users of India proves my point. Hinduism isn't a religion. It's an ideology as well."

In December 2012, Zeeshan Abbas, the captain of Pakistan's "blind" cricket team, accidently consumed phenyl, a cleaning fluid, apparently mistaking it for mineral water in his Bangalore hotel. He was hospitalized and cleared to play by Indian doctors in Bangalore. However, the incident was presented by some groups in Pakistan as an acid attack on Pakistani cricketers. On December 8, Khan posted several tweets: "It should be clear that India would've thrown acid a thousand times on Pakistan and Kashmir if we weren't a nuclear power"; "The attack on our blind cricket team captain is a slap on face of those so-called [Pakistani] liberals who favor Hinduism and deny two-nation theory [a movement that Hindus and Muslims could not live together that led to the creation of Pakistan in 1947]."

A series of his tweets dated September 8, 2012 sought to justify the Pakistani nuclear program. He noted in his tweets that Pakistani leader Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had the foresight to see the emerging nuclear challenge from India, stating: "After fall of Dhaka [in the 1971 war leading to the creation of Bangladesh] India was working on nuclear bomb; Bhutto could foresee the coming challenges and he started thinking of a nuclear state [of Pakistan];" "You see no major war by India after attaining nuclear bomb [in 1998]; so it is evident that Pakistan is much safer than non-nuclear Pakistan." To mark Pakistan's Defense Day, he noted in a tweet dated September 6, 2012: "Praise be to Allah I am sure … that by virtue of our nuclear program we don't suffer external threats, only minor internal ones."

In tweets dated August 22, 2012, he observed: "After 1971, India became a tiger and tried to wage wars in 1987 and 1999…"; "After our nuclear explosions [in 1998], India never even dared to look at Pakistan with dirty eyes…."; "Today Pakistan stands tall and looks into the world eye to eye [i.e. confrontationally – in South Asian English]! No matter how much problems we suffer, we're alive and filled with pride"; "Our nuclear program helped to establish equilibrium in this region [of South Asia], causing peace and stability with no chance of war in near or far future"; "Why did not India again wage a war against Pakistan after Mumbai [terror] attacks in 2008…"; "Reason being this time India knew Pakistan can pay them back in the same coin!"

Tweets Targeting The West: "By Even Giving Hamza Missile To Our Brothers [i.e. The Taliban]… We Can Destroy Drones In Pakistan"; "[With Pakistan] Even Having Nuclear Capability, It Is Wrong Perception That We Cannot Take Action Against The United States, England Or France"

On December 26, 2012, Khan retweeted a post in his honor by the Shi'ite group Jaferia News Network – @JNNsms – that noted in Urdu: "No Muslim can make an atomic bomb unless he enjoys the patronage of Muhammad and his family members."

Apparently endorsing a likely North Korean nuclear design against America, he tweeted two days earlier that Pyongyang "may have nuclear missile technology that could hit the U.S. West Coast" – which was linked to a news report by the British newspaper Daily Mail. On September 27, 2012, he praised Pakistani military leader Ziaul Haq saying he "was a dictator but he was a patriotic ruler" and in another tweet the same day stressed the strength of the nuclear-capable state of Pakistan with regard to its foreign policy relations with the West: "[With Pakistan] even having nuclear capability, it is wrong perception that we cannot take action against the United States, England or France." On September 12, 2012, his tweet stated: "It's high time America explains to the world the big question mark [regarding nuclear security] now raised on its own nuclear program…." 

In a tweet dated November 10, 2012, he noted the United Nations declaration of Malala Day, after liberal Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, who was shot and wounded by Taliban militants in Pakistan. But he used the occasion to demand that the UN announce such a day for the victims of U.S. drone attacks in Pakistan, noting: "I hope UN will one day announce drone attack victims day too…" Earlier, in an October 12, 2012 tweet, three days after the Taliban attack on Malala, he noted: "We must also raise our voice for thousands of our daughters who're becoming orphans because of drone attacks…" On the same day, he condemned the Pakistani Taliban for "degrading Islam."

But a few weeks earlier, in a tweet on September 27, 2012, he suggested that Pakistan's Hamza series of missiles could be given to the Pakistani Taliban without Pakistani army involvement in order to target the U.S. drones, stating: "By even giving Hamza missile to our brothers [i.e. the Taliban] in FATA [federally administered tribal areas of Pakistan], we can destroy drones in Pakistan without army assistance." On September 22, 2012, his tweets stressed that following the paths shown by the Koran and Sunnah (deeds and sayings of Prophet Muhammad) is the best way to hurt the West, stating: "The act of Muslims that hurts the West the most is the following [of] Koran and Sunnah. We must follow them to give them an answer"; "One who is a servant of the prophet, he is our leader…" On August 29, 2012, he tweeted: "Pakistan has the technology to destroy American drones! If our government used it rightly, America would have never dared to kill our innocent people."

In numerous tweets, he has expressed love for Prophet Muhammad, an issue of emotional religious significance in Pakistani society conflicted over liberal demands to reform the country's controversial blasphemy laws, stating in a September 17, 2012 post: "Nothing more precious than the love of our prophet…" Commenting about an anti-Islam movie on YouTube that enraged Muslim sensibilities worldwide, Khan posted several tweets on September 17, 2012, noting the following: "[The] government of Pakistan should block NATO supply too until the blasphemous material is removed from internet by these Western search engines"; "I am certainly in favor of permanent ban on YouTube if they are not willing to remove the disgraceful material from their site…" On the same day, his tweet greeted the entire team of Pakistan's Babur cruise missile Hatf-VII.

In tweets on September 19, 2012 about the controversy over the anti-Islam movie on YouTube, Khan said: "Western nations are trying to test our patience by going into blasphemy beginning from statements, cartoons to directly hitting us"; "Behind these blasphemous acts are Western states which are using these individuals as their state tools. #America." The controversial anti-Islam film, Innocence of Muslims, was made by Mark Basseley, an Egyptian-born U.S.-based Christian, but Khan dubbed it as a Jewish film released to attack Islam. In a tweet on September 17, 2012, he urged Pakistan and Muslims around the globe to boycott YouTube on September 20-22, 2012 "to record protest against Jewish film about Islam." A day earlier, his tweet noted: "All Muslim countries should strive for an international blasphemy law which will include all faiths and religions. It’s the only way forward."

"Einstein Has Been Regard[ed] As Father Of Science And Physics For Supporting America Destroying The World"; "Only Reason Western World Finds Our Nuclear Program A Threat Is They Can't Figure Out How Did We Succeed In Beating Them In Technology"

Although his tweets are generally about Pakistan, Khan sees an Islamic – rather than secular democratic – future for Pakistan and believes in global Islamism. In a tweet dated September 13, 2012, he urged Muslim nations not to destabilize other Muslim countries such as Syria, stating: "Muslim countries shouldn't try to destabilize other Muslim countries by supporting Western propaganda #Syria #FakeRevolution." On August 22, 2012, he tweeted: "If we didn't initiate our nuclear program, Pakistan would have been no different than Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya or Syria today!"

In a tweet dated September 9, 2012 he rejected the idea that Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah advocated a secular future for Pakistan, noting: "If… [his] dream was a secular Pakistan, he'd have never supported the idea of formation of a separate nation for Muslims." On the same day, his tweet stressed that he cannot be dubbed a nuclear proliferator because he did not do so for money, stating: "Nuclear proliferation is a baseless allegation and if it was true then my priority would have been money making. But where is the money?"

On September 9, 2012, Khan posted several tweets, revealing his ideological standpoint regarding the West. In two of the tweets, he stated: "Einstein has been regard[ed] as father of science and physics for supporting America destroying the world"; "Was Einstein not a nuclear proliferator when he handed over all German nuclear research and centrifuge processing to America?" On the same day, he tweeted: "Only reason Western world finds our nuclear program a threat is they can't figure out how did we succeed in beating them in technology!"

"Pakistan's Nuclear Program Is Far Advanced Than Any Other Nation"; "Today We've Surpassed Even America (Founders Of Nuclear Warfare) In Terms Of Nuclear Advancement"

In some tweets, he has blamed the West for calling Pakistan's nuclear bomb an "Islamic bomb." However, in tweets dated August 23, 2012, he stated: "I have no problem if they call it an Islamic bomb. We admit it's an Islamic bomb and just like Islam (which means peace) it'll maintain peace"; "The Western world is united in Muslim-bashing and ridiculing Islam and its golden values." On August 24, 2012, his tweets noted: "The Americans themselves sold us all kinds of computers for use in Kahuta [nuclear laboratory] as well as electronic components and other nuclear-specific things"; "The Afghan war [of the 1980s] was a blessing for our nuclear program since Western countries were too scared with the Russian invasion of Afghanistan [and needed Pakistani assistance]."

Writing about the current state of the Pakistani nuclear program, Khan tweeted on August 21, 2012: "Pakistan's nuclear program is far advanced than any other nation even when we're competing any highly developed nation"; "Atom bomb wasn't called Pakistan bomb; it was named Islamic bomb as it has showed the world we can still do better than what you do"; "Our nation has never learnt to live under fear; we're brave people and we'll stay strong no matter, how much you'll try to suppress us!" A tweet dated August 22, 2012 noted: "Today we've surpassed even America (founders of nuclear warfare) in terms of nuclear advancement…."

When he began tweeting on August 6, 2012, Khan talked about the security of Pakistani nuclear weapons, stating: "Truth is our warheads can't get destroyed by any missile once they've been launched! They're not projectiles"; "We've almost 95% uranium enrichment and almost 80 to 90% fission during the nuclear bomb blasts! Unachievable for others"; "In America's nuclear bomb only 60% fission is possible and in India only 40 to 50%. Pakistan is far advanced." Khan sees himself as interested in application of technologies. In a September 1, 2012 tweet, he stated: "As a scientist I have always been interested in all important, applied scientific disciplines."

* Tufail Ahmad is Director of MEMRI's South Asia Studies Project (www.memri.org/sasp)

Introduction

Pakistan Cyber Force (PCF), a Pakistani nationalist group active on social networking sites, is using its Facebook page to promote antisemitism and hatred of Israel, the U.S., and India.[1] In numerous posts, it describes America as the "United States of Zionism," or USZ, and promotes a jihadi viewpoint.

The PCF Facebook page was first launched in September 2009, but was subsequently removed for some time, presumably for advocating hatred of Jews and the U.S. Once back on line, beginning November 9, 2012, it began republishing its earlier posts. A post on that date states: "They can block our pages but they can never stop us. Nasr MinaAllah Wa Fathun Qareeb [Seek help from Allah and victory is at hand]!" As of this writing, its page has over 11,000 likes; it claims that before it was shut down, its page had over 36,000 likes.

In a blog post on Blogspot linked to a Facebook post, also dated November 9, the PCF blamed "Zionists" for its removal from Facebook, stating: "Pakistan Cyber Force censored again by Zionists." The blog post added: "This is not the first time that Pakistan Cyber Force has been censored. Previously, [a] few of our articles were deleted by Google...."[2]

An April 4, 2011 article in The Tribune Express, a leading Pakistani newspaper, pointed out PCF's involvement in "cyber combat activities."[3]

Like most right-wing groups in Pakistan, the PCF blames the U.S., Israel, and India for all major problems faced by Pakistan today, and justifies Hitler's killing of Jews. A November 15 post states: "The way Zionists have occupied Palestine and are committing genocide of Muslims through terrorism, one can understand by watching them as to why Hitler had them killed. The world would not have seen this day if Hitler had not spared the Zionists."

On its Facebook page, the PCF also draws on anti-U.S. and anti-Israel statements by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to advance its antisemitism campaign.

The organization does not differentiate among Jews, Zionism, Israel, the U.S., or and India, all of which it sees as threats to Pakistan and to the cause of Islamist forces. As far as it is concerned, even the U.S. troops fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan are Zionists.

In Facebook Post, PCF Quotes Pakistani Author Qudratullah Shahab: "If At Any Time Any Fatwa For Jihad Is Issued... Pakistan's Armed Forces And Barehanded Population Will March Towards Israel... Craving Jihad"

On November 25, 2012, the PCF posted on Facebook a page from Shahab Nama, the autobiography of Pakistani writer Qudratullah Shahab, commenting "Every Zionist in the East and the West, and within Pakistan, is hell-bent on attacking and weakening the Pakistan Army." According to the post, some Pakistani nationals are working against Pakistan's national interests, and they are therefore Zionists. The post added that Qudratullah Shahab, a civil servant, wrote that Pakistanis would not hesitate to march towards Israel if a fatwa for jihad against Israel was issued.

According to the post, Qudratullah Shahab had warned:  "America's real and basic loyalty is with Israel. And it is also known to all that if at any time any fatwa for jihad is issued in the name of Islam, then Pakistan's armed forces and barehanded population will march towards Israel, without waiting for anyone's order, craving jihad."

In numerous posts on its Facebook page, the PCF paints extremely negative images of the U.S., India, and Israel. It also portrays Zionism as a threat to the cause of Islam and Pakistan.

On November 24, it posted an image (see above) of someone wearing a tee shirt with the following text: "The world stopped Nazism; the world stopped apartheid; the world must stop Zionism." In most of its posts, it writes Israel "Isra-hell."

A December 28 post defines Israel (see below) as follows: "Is-ra-el: noun: Rogue state created by ethnic cleansing; specializes in state terrorism and humanitarian crimes; sponsored by the United States." The post goes on to quote from leftist American intellectual Noam Chomsky and the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy to support its case against the existence of Israel.

In a November 25 post, the PCF accuses Israel of genocide against the Palestinians, quoting Sheikh Khalid Yasin, executive director of the Islamic Teaching Institute, as saying: "Never forget! Palestinians have no army, no navy, [and] no air force. Israel does not even allow Palestine to obtain foreign aid (medicine/clothing, etc). In contrast, America has given Israel weapons of mass destruction... Israel has already used its chemical weapons on Palestinians. This is not a war, this is genocide." The post also calls the U.S. the greatest terrorist.

A December 21 post shows two images of U.S. President Barack Obama captioned "The descendant of Antichrist rules America today." On the first image is written, "We don't negotiate with terrorists," while on the second is written, "because we are terrorists."

Another post includes an image of President Obama with an antisemitic mark on his face.

Driven by zeal for Islamic revivalism, the PCF sees the dismantling of America as essential to the advance of Islam. A November 15 post presents a collage of images (see below) showing a U.S. map, a torn U.S. flag, a U.S. soldier at a crossroads, fire, and a wrecked overturned jeep with Islamic logo of Zarbul Hadeed ("Strike of the Iron") on it, along with swords and the Koran. A caption in Urdu reads: "The dreamer of breaking up Pakistan [i.e. America] – 20 American states begin demand for secession." It continues, "We won the war yesterday, the war is continuing today also; we broke Russia yesterday, and now it is the turn of the U.S." Along with the image, the PCF also sent via Twitter: "Previously it was USSR, now it will be United States of Zionism. #RiseOfIslam #FallOfZionism."

PCF In Facebook Post On Pakistan's Anti-Polio Vaccination Campaign As Zionist Agenda: "We Exposed The Zionist Eugenics Agenda Of Mass Vaccination And Deliberate Injection Of Deadly Diseases"

While the PCF considers the Afghan Taliban to be working in defense of Pakistan by launching attacks against the U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, it sees the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants fighting against the Pakistan Army as anti-national and considers their jihad is unjustified. On December 9, the group posted on its Facebook page an image of a U.S. tank attacked by the Afghan Taliban, commenting: "The U.S. tank has been set ablaze by the Afghan mujahideen, and all six Zionist soldiers have been killed, and the rest have fled."

Another November 15 post showed an image of a cracked road with the caption: "The dent resulting from an [IED] attack by Afghan mujahideen... on the other side are the dogs of the TTP [i.e. the Pakistani Taliban] who have no time left after blowing up mosques and schools and killing children." It adds that the TTP are "USZ/India-backed terrorists."

A November 22 post called the Afghan Taliban militants the "real mujahid" and accused the TTP militants of working as agents of the CIA and RAW, the Indian intelligence agency.

A November 25 post cites an Urdu daily report stating that five Pakistani children had died from vaccination, to support the group's warning to Pakistanis about the Zionist agenda in Pakistan's anti-polio vaccination program. The post reads: "The Pakistan Cyber Force was mocked and ridiculed when we exposed the Zionist Eugenics agenda of mass vaccination and deliberate injection of deadly diseases in the most innocent – the New Born Babies. Now even the worst critics have been silenced!"

Urging Pakistanis to boycott products of various companies, the group claims that the companies are owned by Jews, or support Israel, and that the money paid to them by Muslims is used to make bombs for use against Muslims. In a November 19 post, it asked people to boycott Lays potato chips, calling them "another Zionist-backed product." One post features an ad for Coca Cola, adapted to criticize the family pictured in it for enjoying a Coke; the altered caption captions states: "We are very happy today because we have supported Israel in their attempts to martyr Palestinians by buying Coca Cola."

The PCF accuses Pakistani television channels of advancing the so-called Zionist agenda in Pakistan. In several posts, it terms Pakistan's immensely popular GEO TV channel the "Zionist channel," calling it "Jew TV." It blames Pakistani television channels for promoting shamelessness and nudity, accusing them of strengthening Western influences in Pakistani society.

In a November 17 post, it urges Pakistanis to "break the slavery chain of the Zionist media" in Pakistan. In one of its posts in Urdu, it said in reference to the country's electronic and print media: "We are the mules of the Jews... we will show nude dance and music... because we are from the race of Satan; our mission is to destroy Pakistan and Pakistani Army; this task has been assigned to us by our antichrist father [the U.S.]."

Depicting leading Pakistani figures such as former Ambassador to the U.S. Husain Haqqani, former parliamentarian Farahnaz Ispahani, and leading Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir as agents of Zionists, it accuses them of advancing the Western agenda in Pakistan.

In numerous posts, it portrays India as an ally of the Zionist forces, posting images accusing Indian security forces of massacring Kashmiri Muslims. Following the border clashes in Kashmir in January 2013, it posted messages of right-wing Pakistani analyst Zaid Hamid, who advocates a narrative of Ghazwa-e-Hind (Battle of India), allegedly a dream of Prophet Muhammad prophesying that the Muslim armies will rise from India to meet with the forces of Jesus in present-day Israel to establish global Islamic rule. According to a January 16 post, Hamid says: "Pakistani nation – wake up. Hindu Zionists are planning a war when we are weakest within... Let the Hindu Zionists come. We have been waiting for Ghazwa-e-Hind for centuries."

Anti-Israel, Anti-U.S., Anti-India Images On PCF Facebook Page

Clockwise from upper left: Israeli killing Palestinian Christ, President Obama the Israeli, and Jewish vampire sucking Palestinian child's blood.

PCF calls for boycotting Western companies that "support apartheid Israel" – McDonalds, Coca Cola, Nestle, Starbucks, L'Oreal, etc.

A Pakistani member of the Jinnah Force, named for Pakistan's founder M. A. Jinnah, steps on Indian flag.

This post states that Lays potato chips contain pork, which is forbidden to Muslims; pigs are considered unclean.

This post lauds Al-Qaeda terrorists in Algeria for demanding the release of Dr. Aafia Siddiqi, imprisoned in the U.S. for attempting to kill U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan, in exchange for Western prisoners.

The destruction of the U.S.. The text, in Urdu, notes: "The dreamer of breaking up Pakistan [i.e. America] – 20 American states begin demand for secession."

The Amn Ki Asha peace initiative launched jointly by Pakistani and Indian media, as a betrayal of Pakistan.

* Dr. Mirza A. B. Baig is a Senior Analyst at MEMRI's South Asia Studies Project (www.memri.org/sasp)

On January 28, 2013, the Urdu-language daily Roznama Islam published an article by Pakistani columnist Dr. Sajid Khakwani about the Holocaust. The daily is simultaneously published from the cities of Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Multan and Muzaffarabad.

Following are excerpts from the article, which is titled "Yehud Be-Behbud" ("Jews, Not to Prosper"):[1]

A Taliban magazine recently interviewed an Afghan National Army (ANA) soldier who claimed to have killed more than 50 NATO troops in an August 7, 2012 attack on a U.S. base in Shewak district of Afghanistan's Paktia province. According to independent media reports, at least one soldier was killed in the attack.

In the interview, the defecting soldier identified himself as Saeed Rasool, son of Saeed Gul from the Bazmay village of Geza district in Afghanistan's Uruzgan province. The interview was published in Morchal, the Taliban's Pashtu-Dari language monthly magazine.

"My Mother, Who Sent Me To The National Army To Kill The Americans, Was Very Happy And Prayed, 'Allah Almighty Be With You!' Afterwards, "[I] Joined The Taliban, With Whom I Had Prior Contact"

Question: "Kindly share with us information about your job. When and where you served?"

Answer: "I was a soldier of the 3rd Group of 6th Kandak, 1st Lewa, Thunder Corps [of Afghan National Army] and served for a year and a half in the army in the Shewak district of Paktia."

Question: "Would you like to explain how did you plan the sacred operation and reach the target?"

Answer: "I had already intended to carry out such an attack. My few colleagues in the National Army were aware of my clandestine plan and cooperated with me. I was ill and undergoing treatment at a 400-bed Kabul hospital. My colleague phoned me to tell me that Americans were packing and were transferring the [security] campaign to the National Army. 'What will you do?' [he asked].

"I immediately returned. The doctors at the 400-bed hospital told me, 'You have not yet recovered. Where are you going?' I replied: 'You will know of my recovery. I am sound and well.' When I returned, I saw that the Americans were about to leave. It was 1:00 p.m on the 19th of Ramadan. I asked the interpreter [there] when the Americans would leave. He replied that they are leaving today. I picked up the rifle, cleaned the rounds, put on a new uniform, boots and everything. After taking a bath, I prayed and offered Nafil [thank you] prayers...

"I had given no thought to escaping [after the attack]. When I reached the center of the base, I saw the Americans sitting there; they had loaded all their weapons in armored vehicles. They had gathered for a memorable video shoot. They were drunk and expressing happiness over leaving without suffering any casualties.

"On a pretext, I walked past them and counted them. They were over 30 in one line, and more than that in the other line. I returned to the room and phoned my mother to tell her that everything is ok and to ask her to pray for me. My mother, who had sent me to the National Army to kill the Americans, was very happy and prayed, 'Allah Almighty be with you!'

"I picked up the rifle, loaded it with magazine. I put several more magazines in a bag and picked it up. It was approximately 3:00 p.m. when I turned my rifle against them. All the American troops were unarmed and were killed on the spot. An American soldier attempted to shoot me. I returned fire and killed him. In the meantime, all the U.S. commanders came out of a room. They were drunk out of their senses, and were looking here and there … I also shot them dead and kicked [them] in the head. I roamed the base for 10 minutes, but no foreigner was alive for me to kill or shoot. I came out of the campaign [outpost]. I walked towards the Shabak Tangi Mountain and joined the Taliban, with whom I had prior contact."

"There Is A Long List Of American Crimes... But The One That Ignited My Spirit Was That Several Times I Found Pages Of The Koran In Their Waste Dump";"I Decided To Attack With The Intention To Be Martyred"

Question: "How did you develop love for the mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate, and why did you decide to join them?"

Answer: "I already knew that the Taliban are the real sons of the country and ready to sacrifice everything for the protection of the faith [of Islam] and the country. My brother too is a former Taliban [fighter] and mujahid. That is why I developed a love for the Taliban, and took a step towards them."

Question: "While serving in the so-called National Army, was there a bitter experience of the Americans' crime and brutalities that ignited your jihadist feelings and forced you to turn your gun against them and spray their chests with hot bullets?"

Answer: "There is a long list of American crimes and brutalities, but the one that ignited my spirit was that several times I found pages of the Koran in their waste dump. They were deliberately throwing it there. Secondly, whenever they seized a white banner [the Taliban flag] inscribed with Kalima [words proclaiming the Islamic faith], they immediately put it in a dog's' mouth. Thirdly, once they removed an elderly civilian man from a vehicle and severely beat him, in order to suppress all the Afghans."

Question: "You worked closely with Americans and know them better than anyone else. Is it true that they came for the reconstruction of Afghanistan? Are they really Afghan sympathizers? What is your view?"

Answer: "Truly, we saw the Americans from close up, and saw their true face. They never came for the reconstruction of Afghanistan, as they brought with them war resources instead of construction resources. They do not do basic work; they work temporarily in the bases. They have no sympathy for the Afghans and are always ready to suppress and dishonor Afghans...."

Question: "How did you prepare for such a big sacrifice? Didn't you expect that the enemy would arrest you and imprison you, and that you would face severe hardships?"

Answer: "I decided to attack with the intention to be martyred. When an individual gets ready to achieve his goal at the cost of his life, then he cares not care for hardships. Aggressors' cruelties, crimes and occupation of the beloved country swelled my jihadist feeling to such a level that I forgot troubles and hardships of prisons."

"My Mother Gave Me Permission [To Join Afghan Army] Only On The Condition To Kill Americans; She Would Phone Me Every So Often To Ask Me 'What Happened?'"

Question: "What is your view about the slave Karzai administration? Is it independent in the country or not?"

Answer: "The Karzai administration is a servant, paid, puppet and a slave in the control of others. It does not enjoy any power and is acting on behalf of the Americans. Most of the time, they even did not allow us to come out [of the base] in order to show us that we are their slaves and have no independence."

Question: "Did you consult anyone before [the attack], or did you carry it out on your own?"

Answer: "Besides my mother, I consulted no one. No one was aware of my secret [plan to attack Americans] except my mother. I did not even tell my brother, who is an active mujahid in Helmand [province], that I had joined the National Army. My mother gave me permission [to join the Afghan army] only on condition that I kill Americans. She would phone me every so often to ask me, 'What happened? Why don't you do it? You have to do it!'"

Question: "How many Americans might have been killed in your attack?"

Answer: "I don't know the precise count. However, none of the Americans on the base escaped alive, as I was roaming for 10 minutes inside the base and no one was there to open fire at me. A few days later, I phoned a confidant in the National Army and asked him to tell me honestly how many American were killed in my attack. By God, he replied, 'I counted 50 dead and more than 60 wounded, some of them critically.... "

Question: "What is your message to the occupation forces in Afghanistan, especially the Americans?"

Answer: "The international forces are well aware that invading Afghanistan is easy but withdrawing is very difficult. Afghans area patriotic and faith-loving people who have met every invader with guns, and have never bowed to anyone. Every aggressor who came here faced humiliation. So, my message to the aggressor infidels is: You, like others, will also taste defeat and will leave Afghanistan with heads bowed.

"Now, you have the opportunity; if you do not leave in a hurry, you will cry but will get nothing. Don't take [President Hamid] Karzai, [former defense minister] Abdul Rahim Wardak, [governor of Nangarhar province] Gul Agha Sherzai, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, [1st vice president] Marshal Qasim Faheem, and other servants for Afghans. They grew up in the West; they have adopted Western culture and citizenship. By nature, Afghans love jihad and freedom. True Afghans have not accepted and will never accept slavery to others."

"Oh, National Army Soldiers And Police! Allah Almighty Has Offered You The Best Opportunity To Wage Jihad"

Question: "What is your message to Afghans serving in the so-called national army, national police, and other government organs?"

Answer: "Oh, soldiers of national army and police – Allah Almighty has offered you the best opportunity to conduct jihad. The Americans are terrified of [inside] attacks carried out by you. Hasten to turn your weapons against Americans and have your names go down in the historic shining pages of Islamic history by performing such historic deeds…. The mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate warmly welcome you and bestow you with great privileges."

Question: "What are your future plans?"

Answer: "I came with the intention of jihad, and I will continue to wage jihad to oust the Americans or achieve the greatest aim, martyrdom."

Question: "To conclude, do you recall any good or bitter experience of your life?"

Ans: "There are a lot of bitter and sweet experiences [in my life]. The bitter I have mentioned in reply to your ... [earlier] query. In my whole life, there were two sweet experiences. Killing the Americans and seeing blood trickling from their noses and mouths – indeed, this was a very sweet experience. The second was joining the Taliban after the attack [on the U.S. troops] and the warm welcome awarded to me by hundreds of the armed Taliban fighters in every village amid the aerial firing of rockets, machine guns and AK-47s, amidst the slogans of Takbeer [Allah-o-Akbar]…."

Source: Morchal (Afghanistan), November 2012

Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr. Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri (Image courtesy: Tribune.com.pk)

Introduction

Dr. Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri (born February 19, 1951) is an eminent Islamic scholar who, after five years of self-exile in the United Kingdom and Canada, returned to Pakistan on December 23, 2012, and on the same day addressed a mass public rally in Lahore, pledging to unseat the elected Pakistani government through a mass uprising just weeks before it is to complete its five-year term. In recent years, Tahir-ul-Qadri has achieved an international reputation as a moderate Islamic cleric after he issued a celebrated fatwa (Islamic decree) against suicide bombings by Taliban militants.[1] He is a proponent of the Barelvi school of Sunni Islam, a noted follower of which, Mumtaz Malik Qadri, a member of an elite Pakistani commando force on duty to protect Pakistan's liberal provincial governor Salman Taseer, assassinated him in January 2011 for advocating reforms to Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws.

The stated purpose of Tahir-ul-Qadri's return is to bring about fundamental political and electoral change to Pakistan, where the British form of parliamentary democracy is in practice, with a lawmaker directly elected by the people being nominated with parliamentary consent by the victorious political party to the post of prime minister as the executive head, and the president elected as the titular head of the state by members of parliament and provincial legislatures. Before arriving in Pakistan, Tahir-ul-Qadri was interviewed from his base in Canada by a Pakistani journalist about the relevance of democracy. Qadri responded: "I am neither a representative of the Western world nor I am coming [to Pakistan] with any agenda of Western democracy. Rather, right from the beginning I am opposed to this notion [of democracy] itself. My notion, my concept, and my teachings are that every country has a right to develop its own model of democracy in consonance with its political, social, economic, and geographical situations."[2]

Tahir-ul-Qadri's return is seen in Pakistani politics as a big bang, causing worry among some rival Islamic scholars and politicians. Maulana Fazlur Rehman – a leading Islamic scholar, politician, and chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) party – has described Qadri's slogan of Save the State, Not Politics as "illogical" and has expressed concern that "such tactics… [could be] only used to derail democracy."[3] For the first time in Pakistan's history, the current government of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) is set to complete a full term, opening the possibility of a peaceful transfer of power in the 2013 elections. However, the suddenness with which Tahir-ul-Qadri has arrived in Pakistan, where elected governments have been routinely dislodged by the military, has many politicians wondering about who is behind him and whether the current government will be allowed to complete its full term by the Pakistani military's controversial Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). A day after his December 23 rally in Lahore, the Urdu-language daily Roznama Ummat carried frontpage reports with headlines: "Reforms in the System: Tahir-ul-Qadri presents agenda for delaying elections; rally in Lahore – declares [2013] elections under the present administration unconstitutional and if not rectified by January 10, threatens march on Islamabad"; and "Tahir-ul-Qadri has returned to turn democracy's continuity upside down."[4]

In a parliamentary democracy like Pakistan, the existence of a nationwide party organization is a prerequisite to winning elections. Tahir-ul-Qadri will probably take years to build a party and win an election to form a government. However, one factor that has led some to believe that he is supported by some hidden forces, possibly the Pakistani military's ISI or foreign powers like the United States and the UK, is Qadri's quick collaboration with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), the third largest political party in Pakistani parliament with strong pockets of influence in Karachi and other parts of Sindh province. Unlike other mainstream parties, the MQM is known for a consistent secular position on most issues facing Pakistan but has also been engaged in an unending series of violence by followers of different political parties in Karachi. Tahir-ul-Qadri arrived in Pakistan on December 23, 2012, declaring that the present system of elections and politics is a hurdle in the way of real change in the country. He also addressed a mass public rally jointly organized by the MQM in Karachi on January 1, 2013, where he vowed to turn Islamabad into a second "peaceful Tahrir Square" on January 14.[5]

Tahir-ul-Qadri is a former Pakistani parliamentarian and heads a party named Pakistan Awami Tehreek, founded on May 25, 1989 but which holds no electoral presence. He may not win power outright, but he is a leading proponent of the Barelvi School of Sunni Islam and his followers are present in large numbers in Pakistan, India, the United Kingdom, Canada, and other countries. His return to Pakistan is likely to turn international attention to the thoughts and practices of the Barelvi clerics in Pakistan and elsewhere. His likely influence on the country's politics is expected to strengthen the hands of Barelvi clerics in Pakistan, and possibly in neighboring India where he travels frequently.

The Barelvi School Of Sunni Islamic Thought

The Barelvi School of Sunni Islam was propounded in the 19th century by Ahmed Raza Khan of Bareilly, a town in northern India. Ahmed Raza Khan (1856-1921) is popularly known as Aala Hazrat (of the highest station) and his followers are generally described as Barelvis, in opposition to the Deobandi School of Sunni Islam, which follows the teachings of the scholars at the leading Islamic seminary Darul Uloom in Deoband, another northern Indian town. Darul Uloom Deoband is the second largest Islamic seminary in the world, after Cairo's Al-Azhar University.

The Barelvis are criticized by Deobandi scholars for sanctioning bid'ah (innovation) in Islamic practices such as some spiritual forms of singing, music, and dance prevalent at numerous shrines of Sufi mystics across South Asia. In Pakistan, the Taliban are known to be followers of the Deobandi school and have bombed several Sufi-Barelvi shrines in recent years. Literally, thousands of religious organizations, owing their allegiance to the Deobandi and the Barelvi doctrines, are active in Pakistan and India. In Pakistan, Barelvi and Deobandi followers have attracted media headlines for armed attacks and for preaching violence against each other, as recently as in 2010.[6]

In Pakistan, the Deobandi stream enjoys the support of the state institutions, but the majority of Pakistanis follow the Barelvi practices. Despite doctrinal differences, the Barelvi followers are also known for holding Taliban-like orthodox and militant views, notably adhering to unconditional love for Prophet Muhammad. It was due to this unconditional love for Prophet Muhammad that Barelvi follower Mumtaz Malik Qadri assassinated Salman Taseer, after the liberal governor had called for reforms in Pakistan's laws regarding blasphemy of the prophet and had been working for release of Aasia Bibi, a Christian mother sentenced to death in Pakistan in an alleged blasphemy case.

Mumtaz Malik Qadri, member of a Barelvi group called Dawat-e-Islami, was influenced by Barelvi scholar Allama Muhammad Hanif Qureshi, who called for killing anyone who caused disrespect to Prophet Muhammad, stating in a December 31, 2010 sermon: "We explicitly say it without mincing any words that if the death penalty was not provided in Section 295-C [one of Pakistan's blasphemy laws stipulating the death penalty] for the blasphemers in that case Allah has given us the courage. We know how to trigger a gun, how to shoot somebody dead and how to behead those who commit blasphemy against our beloved Prophet [Muhammad]."[7]Thousands of Barelvi clerics and their supporters from different sections of Pakistani society organized mass rallies in support of the assassin. Pakistani lawyers garlanded the assassin, and Justice (retired) Khwaja Muhammad Sharif, the former chief justice of Lahore High Court, defended the assassin in court hearings.[8]

The Barelvi assassin was also defended by Al-Qaeda. Umar Ahmad Farooq, the Head of Al-Qaeda's Media and Dawa Department for Pakistan, spoke in favor of Mumtaz Malik Qadri, reminding the Pakistani nation that Prophet Muhammad himself had advocated such practices. Farooq stated: "On the Day of Victory of Mecca, when all people were granted amnesty, the Prophet [Muhammad] was informed that there were about 10 people, including women, who had committed blasphemy against him. He ordered that even if they are found hanging by the curtains of the Kaaba (the Holy Mosque of Mecca), they deserve no respect, and their blood should be spilled; and indeed it was spilled."[9]

Tahir-ul-Qadri's politics has suddenly boosted the Barelvi school of thought. He is a leading international pioneer of the Barelvi movement in the early years of the 21st century and is on record telling his followers that his organization Minhaj-ul-Quran International was founded at the urging of Prophet Muhammad.

Tahir-ul-Qadri Says Prophet Muhammad Told Him: "If You Want Me That I Stay In Pakistan, Then The Condition Is That Only You Become My Host"; "You Will Be Responsible For [Bus/Train] Ticket For Wherever I Come And Go In Pakistan"; "Set Up Your Organization Minhaj-ul-Quran"

Tahir-ul-Qadri's video was first posted on Facebook and later removed

In a black-and-white video whose date is difficult to ascertain, Tahir-ul-Qadri narrates a dream in which Prophet Muhammad visited him in Pakistan and urged him to establish Minhaj-ul-Quran International, an organization that propagates the cause of Islam through his books, videos, and religious activities. Throughout the video, Tahir-ul-Qadri sobs, weeps, and cries – along with the audiences – and wipes his tears repeatedly as he addresses a crowd of Islamic clerics and followers, narrating the dream. Tahir-ul-Qadri tells the audience:[10]

"[In the dream, Prophet Muhammad visits me in Pakistan] I sit on the floor, kissing the prophet's pious feet… and the lord [Prophet Muhammad] begins the process of conversation and tells me: 'Tahir, I had come to Pakistan at the invitation of the inhabitants of Pakistan, at the invitation of the religious institutions, religious parties, and Ulema [Islamic scholars]…. and despite inviting me here they did not accord me respect, were not a host for me.

"'And now, displeased at the inhabitants of Pakistan, I am returning to Medina. I am saddened; they have hurt me; they have invited me, but did not play host to me…. [The Prophet] said they have hurt me, invited me but did not play a host for me…. Being saddened, I have decided now that I am leaving Pakistan to return [to Medina]. That is why I did not meet with people [here in Pakistan]. I am now returning, leaving Pakistan.'

"After hearing of this, I fall to the feet of the prophet, peace be upon him. I hold the pious feet, stick to them, kiss them, weep and cry. I fold both my hands before him, beseeching, 'lord, for the sake of Allah, please change the decision; do not leave Pakistan; do not leave Pakistan [sobs and cries, along with the audience]… revise the decision.' The lord says, 'No, Tahir, you do not know; they have hurt me very much.'

"Repeatedly, [Prophet Muhammad] says, 'They had invited me; I had come at their invitation, but they did not respect me despite having me invited…. I have decided that I will leave Pakistan, to return [to Medina].' I keep crying, pleading: lord, have mercy; do not leave Pakistan, do not return; please order me, lord, is there a way for you to stay here…  [He] repeatedly says, no…. After lots of crying and pleading, the pious feelings of the lord change, a little love and affection comes, the pious anger cools down a bit. And he says: 'Tahir, if you want me to stay more in Pakistan, there is one condition: if you promise to fulfil that condition… (I ask him, the lord, what is that condition and he says)… Tahir, if you want me that I stay in Pakistan, then the condition is that only you become my host… you become my host, then I stay here….'

"I respond: 'lord, I cannot refuse, it is a blessing, but I am not capable, I am a very weak and frail person; your highness, how can I be worth hosting you, how will I host you?' He says: 'there is only one condition, you promise to me… to play host, you alone promise to host, then I promise to stay.' Crying, I submit, your highness, I undertake the promise to you; I become a host to your highness. [He] says, 'Tahir, you promised me, so I too promise that I stay.' And he said: 'For seven more days, I stay in Pakistan. I will stay here for seven more days….' Now, I cannot say what is meant by 'seven days'….  

"I say, your highness, this is acceptable to me but how will this be organized. He says, 'you promise and everything will be arranged…' And he tells me then, 'Promise me one thing more; you will have to arrange my stay; you will be responsible for my food and drink; you will be responsible for [bus/train] ticket for wherever I come and go in Pakistan... And when I have to return to Medina, then too only you will buy me the ticket valid till Medina; you will be responsible for this entire arrangement; promise me this.' I said, your highness, I promise all of this. [He] says, 'then I stay here for seven days.' Then the lord told me, 'you set up your organization Minhaj-ul-Quran, and I promise to you that I will visit you at your organization.'"

In another video statement, Tahir-ul-Qadri, when challenged by his critics, has denied that the Minhaj-ul-Quran was named on Prophet Muhammad's "order" in the above-narrated dream, stating: "In such matters, if the Prophet (peace be upon him) wishes to issue an order to the ummah, he can do it through dreams. But the matter is this that I have never said and have never understood so [about the prophet telling me to found the Minhaj-ul-Quran]."[11]

Tahir-ul-Qadri's Doublespeak On Pakistan's Blasphemy Law: Speaking In English – "[It] Is Not Applicable On Non-Muslims, Is Not Applicable On Jews"; Speaking in Urdu – "Whoever Be The Guilty Of Blaspheming The Prophet [Muhammad]… Whether He Be Muslim, Jew, Christian, Hindu Or Any Other… The Punishment… Is Killing"

Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws have attracted international headlines in recent years after a number of Christians, Ahmadi Muslims, and others were accused of blaspheming the Koran and Prophet Muhammad, and in several cases were sentenced to death. In many cases, militant religious followers have taken upon themselves to deliver justice by shooting to death those accused of blasphemy who were granted bail by Pakistani courts. Barelvi groups have organized mass public rallies against any proposal to amend the blasphemy laws, at least one of which under Article 295-C stipulates death punishment.[12]

Salman Taseer, the liberal governor of Punjab province, was assassinated by his security guard for advocating reforms in the blasphemy laws. Less than two months after him, in March 2011, Pakistan's federal minister Shahbaz Bhatti, the only Christian in the Pakistani cabinet, was shot dead for supporting calls for reforms in the blasphemy laws. Liberal Pakistani lawmaker Sherry Rehman, who had introduced a legislative bill to amend the controversial blasphemy laws, received threats from militant Pakistani groups and had to be removed out of Pakistan by being appointed to the post of Pakistani ambassador to the United States.

While addressing Western audiences, Tahir-ul-Qadri is on record for arguing that the blasphemy laws of Islam do not apply to Christians, Jews, Hindus, and other non-Muslims. However, he is also on record supporting the blasphemy laws, including killing of Jews, Christians and Hindus. These conflicting viewpoints articulated by him at various times are on video, removing even a possibility of denial. In September 2012, Denmark's Minister for Integration Karen Hækkerup cancelled an anti-radicalism conference with Tahir-ul-Qadri.[13] In a highly controversial video, which combines video clips of Tahir-ul-Qadri and is being circulated on the internet, he states the following:[14]

"[Speaking in English in a Western country] whatever the law of blasphemy is, is not applicable on non-Muslims, is not applicable on Jews and Christians and other non-Muslims, minorities. It is just to be dealt with Muslims.

"[Speaking in Urdu sometime earlier, before his supporters] I was taking the stance… about the said [blasphemy] law that I got enacted [in Pakistan], my point of view was that whoever be the guilty of blaspheming the Prophet [Muhammad], whether Muslim or non-Muslim, man or woman; whether he be Muslim, Jew, Christian, Hindu or any other, or be man or woman, the punishment for one who commits blasphemy is killing.

"[Speaking in English at a conference] To explain the situation; the Danish integration ministry and the minister [Karen Hækkerup], they… have been totally receiving wrong information [regarding blasphemy laws of Pakistan being enacted at my advice]; they should try to correct their source of information; the fact is… I am not saying for the sake of the conference; the fact is I was never a consultant or adviser to General Zia-ul-Haq, the president who made the laws of blasphemy in '80s.

"I had never been a member of his cabinet; I was never a member of the parliament in his days. He invited me, offered me to be federal minister for three times, [but] I refused. And I never joined his dictatorial rule. And the way he was formulating the shari'a law, I was totally against it…. Finally, when this [blasphemy] law was made, President Zia-ul-Haq never consulted me. And I was never a part of shaping this law in the parliament made by General Zia-ul-Haq….

"[Speaking in Urdu sometime earlier before his supporters] I want to tell that this law on the protection of the honor of the Prophet [Muhammad], 295-C, this law that was enacted in this country, I want to bring it on record as to whose efforts this law was enacted. It is I who got this law enacted. Then it happened, let me tell you the entire matter.

"In 1985 when I completed 18 hours of arguments [before a court in favor of blasphemy law], at that time the rule was of General Zia-ul-Haq and there was a shura [cabinet led by Zia-ul-Haq] through 1986 and 1987. Some people of the cabinet met General Zia-ul-Haq and told him that the court has taken the decision, written the decision, my arguments were very solid, the court is about to announce the decision soon; if the law is enacted on the order of the court, the credit will not accrue to you [General Zia-ul-Haq]; but since you [General Zia-ul-Haq] are issuing the Hudood Ordinance [stipulating strict Islamist laws on women]… if you include the [blasphemy] law in that as an act of parliament, then the credit will go to you that you have served the deen [religion of Islam]; so instead of this decision being announced by court, you announce this decision on the behalf of the parliament.

"Upon this, General Zia-ul-Haq sent an order to the court seeking a copy of the entire file and the decision… and the decision that was [already] written was turned into an act of parliament. And this is how this law was enacted through the parliament. So, I want to tell that this law on the protection of the prophet's honor, the blasphemy law 295-C, was made by Allah through your this servant and brother [i.e. Tahir-ul-Qadri]….

"[Speaking in English about his position on the blasphemy laws] I differ with the procedural and administrative, all procedural law of this matter; I have many reservations, I have differences of opinion….

"[Speaking in Urdu earlier before his supporters] For the protection of the honor of the Prophet [Muhammad], so that all paths and all possibilities for blasphemy be eliminated, whether Muslim or infidel, man or woman… whoever committed the blasphemy of his highness [Prophet Muhammad] be killed and be kicked to hell like a dog….

"[Speaking in Urdu when asked by a television reporter while travelling in a car as to how much of truth Tahir-ul-Qadri uses in his life] Thanks to Allah, I speak 100% truth…."

Tahir-ul-Qadri On His Fatwa On Terrorism And Suicide Bombings: "Not Only Does [Islam] Renounce Suicide Attacks … But It Excludes Anyone Involved In Them From The Fold Of Islam, Which Is To Say That They Are Considered Infidels"

On March 2, 2010 in London, Tahir-ul-Qadri released a fatwa against suicide bombings in Pakistan. The 600-page fatwa, titled "Fatwa on Terrorism and Suicide Bombings," was later published by Minhaj-ul-Quran International in December 2010.[15] The fatwa attracted global attention because it was delivered by one of the leading scholars of Islam in contemporary times. Tahir-ul-Qadri has authored more than a thousand scholarly and polemical books on Islam and his followers are based in several countries. According to his own website, Qadri has written "one thousand books in Urdu, English, and Arabic languages…. His revivalist, reformative, and reconstructive efforts and peace dynamics bear historic significance and hold an unparalleled position in promoting the cause of world peace and human rights, propagating the true Islamic faith, producing prodigious research work, and preaching the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah [sayings and deeds of Prophet Muhammad]."[16]

In several interviews, Tahir-ul-Qadri has condemned terrorism in Islamic as well as Western countries. It should also be noted that several Pakistani clerics have issued fatwas against terrorism and suicide bombings in Pakistan in recent years, but the same clerics have also declined to speak clearly against the Taliban's suicide bombings in Afghanistan. Following the release of his fatwa, Tahir-ul-Qadri was interviewed by Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, a London-based Arabic-language daily. In the interview, Tahir-ul-Qadri noted that he had written against terrorism as early as 1995 and was now concerned about "the growing strength of terrorism in Pakistan."[17] He also declared that suicide bombers "cannot claim their suicide [attacks] to be acts of shahada [martyrdom]" and that "not only does [Islam] renounce suicide attacks … but it excludes anyone involved in them from the fold of Islam, which is to say that they are considered infidels."[18] Following are excerpts from the interview:[19]

"I have written 1,000 books, 400 of which were actually published, and 12 of which deal with this issue [of opposing terrorism]. The first [book on terrorism] was published in 1995 and dealt with the issue from the perspective of human rights... I wrote that killing [people] – Muslim or non-Muslim – through acts of terror is unequivocally forbidden... The second book was published in 2004 and titled Islam on Human Rights, one-third of which discusses the prohibition of terror according to shari'a proofs drawn from the Four Imams [founders of the four leading schools of Islamic jurisprudence] and from other important religious scholars, such as Sheikh 'Abd Al-'Aziz bin Bazz, Nasser Al-Din Al-Albani, 'Sheikh Al-Islam' Ibn Taymiyya, and Saleh Al-Fawzan....

"I have written jurisprudential studies and books of this sort in the past, but my reason for drafting the fatwa at precisely this moment is the growing strength of terrorism in Pakistan over the last year. And [the terrorists] are no longer satisfied with simply killing people, but slaughter them like animals in Swat and the tribal districts. Furthermore, several eyewitnesses have reported that [the terrorists], after killing people, disinterred their bodies and hung them on trees for three days. This happened in Swat, where many people were slaughtered. Later on, the terrorists launched a campaign of bombing mosques on Fridays... Their heinous, barbaric deeds prove that they are 'modern-day Khawarij,' 'an old evil with a new name.'"

It appears that Dr. Qadri's fatwa and similar fatwas against suicide bombings by various Pakistani clerics were driven by a concern for saving the state of Pakistan, the first nation formed in the name of Islam in 1947, and possibly not by a belief that Islam itself is against suicide bombings even in a non-Muslim nation. Several Pakistani religious scholars have issued fatwas against suicide bombings in Pakistan. Zaid Hamid, a nationalist Pakistani security analyst who frequently cites Islamic literature in his writings, has also condemned suicide bombings in Pakistan.[20] A juristic clarification is still needed from Pakistani clerics on whether suicide bombings are forbidden by Islam even in non-Muslim countries.

Minahj.org, a website that belongs to Tahir-ul-Qadri, indicated in a report on December 6, 2009, that his fatwa against suicide bombings was meant for Islamic nations. That report said: "Qadri has termed suicide attacks and bomb blasts in a Muslim country [emphasis added] as anti-Islamic…. Islamic teachings do not allow anyone to take arms against any Muslim state [emphasis added]…."[21]

Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa, a liberal Pakistani author who enjoys support among moderate Islamic forces around the world, noted that the 600-page "fatwa tends to offer a new theory of rebellion and state response to this phenomenon [of terrorism and suicide bombings] in a Muslim state and society [emphasis added]."[22] She added: "The legal-theological opinion by Qadri creates an impression that there is a consensus in Islam on the Khariji [those who rejected the authority of the Islamic state] which did not exist in Prophet Muhammad's … time but came about during the reign of the Fourth Caliph Hazrat Ali… and challenged his authority. The fatwa indeed is historical and manipulates the opinion of many earlier jurists to establish its thesis regarding the legality of the use of force by non-state actors in an Islamic state.

"For instance, the author has used Ibn Taymiyyah, one of the most prominent Islamic scholars of the Hanbali school of thought, who has driven the thinking of the Taliban, at least five times without any reference to the scholar's core argument. Indeed, this is to create an impression of a consensus which is not the case. The problem with this approach is that a strong counterargument cannot be constructed without engaging with the argument first.

"The fact that Tahir-ul-Qadri has misguided in the past, for example, about an assassination attempt on him, may not help in convincing hard core Takfiris [those who accuse Muslims of being apostates] or even Deobandis who are fed on an equally manipulative work by others such as [Pakistani terrorist group Jaish-e-Muhammad chief] Masood Azhar's three-volume justification of jihad, which, in turn, is styled on a research thesis of a modern Saudi scholar. What Qadri condemns as terrorism and Azhar applauds as jihad is actually an undecided debate in Islam on the legality of the state and rebellion…. Considering the very thin line in the fatwa between licit and illicit rebellion [against an Islamic state], one wonders how Qadri will justify his own rebellion against the political system [i.e. against the current elected democratic government in Pakistan]."[23]

Anti-Shi'ite Militant Group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Lauds Tahir-ul-Qadri For Saying: "One Who Does Not Consider A Shi'ite an Infidel Is Himself An Infidel"

The Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), a former political party banned by the government for its role in the killings of Shi'ite Muslims, continues to function as Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), led by Maulana Ahmed Ludhianvi. The SSP's armed wing Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), which is possibly more powerful than the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), carries on the killing of Shi'ite Muslims across Pakistan. The group considers all Shi'ites as non-Muslims and has demanded that the Pakistani Shi'ites be declared minorities, or non-Muslims, like Ahmadi Muslims were declared non-Muslims under the Pakistani constitution in 1974.

The Lashkar-e-Jhangvi has posted a six-part video series on YouTube in which it justifies the killing of Shi'ites. The above footage from the video shows Tahir-ul-Qadri, with the Urdu text stating: "One who does not consider a Shi'ite an infidel is himself an infidel."[24] Another text under the image of Tahir-ul-Qadri, who dismisses the literature of Shi'ite Muslims in the accompanying video statement as false and without authentic sources, states: "The Shi'ite and the Sunni can never be brothers. The Shi'ite is the biggest infidel of all."[25]

The LeJ video also notes that Ahmed Raza Khan, the founder of the Barelvi school of thought to which Tahir-ul-Qadri belongs, also considered Shi'ites as non-Muslims. Haq Nawaz Jhangvi, the slain founder of SSP-LeJ, is shown addressing a crowd while the Urdu text clarifies his speech:"There is a fatwa [Islamic decree] by Maulana Ahmed Raza Barelvi [the founder of the Barelvi school of Sunni Islam] stating that the Shi'ite is a kafir [infidel], and anyone who doubts this is also a kafir."[26]

At Public Rallies, Tahir-ul-Qadri Describes Taliban As "Sons Of Soil", Demands End To U.S. Drone Attacks, Calls For Four-Year Interim Government In Pakistan

On December 23, 2012, at his first rally in Lahore, Tahir-ul-Qadri told his followers that the political and electoral system in Pakistan is "a sheer violation of the [Pakistani] Constitution."[27] The public rally was supported by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party, and some other politicians. Importantly, he issued a highly impractical deadline of January 10, 2013, for the Pakistani government to begin electoral reforms, failing which he called for four million people to march on Islamabad on January 14 and vowed to turn the Pakistani capital into a second Tahrir Square. Calling for an interim government in Pakistan, Tahir-ul-Qadri said that his agenda was to correct, not to postpone, the 2013 elections, but "there is no bar in constitution under its Article 254 to extend the date of elections for 90 days, if needed."[28] However, he has said earlier that such an interim government could be for three to four years, according to a September 1, 2012 interview.[29] His line of argument has kicked up a political storm in Pakistan, with democratic forces expressing concern that he is out to sabotage democracy in Pakistan, especially since the elected government is the first in Pakistan's history to complete its full five-year term by February 2013.

Addressing the crowd in Lahore, Tahir-ul-Qadri warned: "If the job [of electoral reforms] is not done by that time [January 10] we will throng Islamabad on January 14, with a gathering double the size of today's, and the marchers will decide for themselves how to eliminate the corrupt and dishonest from the system…. I will convene a people's parliament in Islamabad on January 14 to take decisions in the interest of the people which professional parliamentarians had been refraining from throughout our history…. My ultimatum is for all stakeholders of the present system, including the judiciary, armed forces, politicians, bureaucracy, and common man, to sit together and decide necessary changes in the system within the specified time to ensure that all constitutional provisions governing the conduct of free, fair, and impartial elections are implemented in letter and spirit."[30]

Qadri's argument that judiciary and military both should have a role in the formation of an interim government has lent to suspicions that he is supported by the Pakistani military, as both the judiciary and the military have played controversial roles in dislodging elected governments from power throughout Pakistan's history. A Pakistani journalist noted that Tahir-ul-Qadri's "stress on a role for both the military and the judiciary in choosing an interim government has sparked rumours that he probably had the backing of the military establishment [referring to the ISI, which is known for supporting the Taliban]."[31] In fact, as he led a people's march on Islamabad into the night of January 14, Qadri took an oath on the Koran from his followers not to leave the Pakistani capital before his demands were met and issued a deadline of 11 am of the next day for the government to dissolve the parliament and all elected provincial assemblies, and within hours the Supreme Court of Pakistan extended a helping hand to him by ordering the arrest within 24 hours of Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Parvez Ashraf in a corruption case.[32]

According to a report in the Urdu-language daily Roznama Express, Tahir-ul-Qadri, in his address at Lahore, urged the people to support him in establishing an Islamic system of governance on the lines of the first Islamic state established by Prophet Muhammad in Medina. Qadri stated: "I believe in politics, and the establishment of the state of Medina was the beginning of the politics of Muhammad. I want the system of Abu Bakr and Umar Farooq [respectively the first and second caliphs of Islam who succeeded Prophet Muhammad]."[33]  

According to a report in The News daily, Tahir-ul-Qadri said that "those who have taken up arms [i.e. the Taliban militants] and are indulging in extremism due to some misunderstanding are also the sons of the soil."[34] Calling for an end to the U.S. drone attacks, the Islamic scholar sought to build bridges with the Taliban. According to the report, "He invited them to join hands with him if they wanted an end to drone attacks and to rid the country of foreign dominance. Addressing the extremists, he said if they talk of social and legal justice, the Constitution and real Islamic values, he would stand with them."[35] He also alleged an American hand in terrorism in Pakistan, especially on the December 17, 2012 Taliban attack on Peshawar airport, stating: "The bodies of the [terrorists] killed during the Peshawar airport attack bore tattoo marks, which is a proof of the involvement of foreign hands."[36]

In 2012, on a visit to the Indian town of Vadodara, Indian reporters sought Tahir-ul-Qadri's stance on terrorist attacks in India originating from across the border in Pakistan, but he declined to condemn the Pakistani terror groups, most of whom enjoy the support of the powerful Pakistani military establishment. Qadri stated: "I will not comment on matters between India and Pakistan. I will speak in general [against terrorism]. I will not say something that might cause more misunderstanding in the relations between India and Pakistan…. My topic is only love. I condemn terrorism in general, whether it be in any country, any religion…."[37]

On January 1, 2013, Tahir-ul-Qadri addressed a large public rally in Karachi with the support of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), which has a strong presence in the biggest Pakistani city. Addressing the crowd, Qadri rejected concerns in the Pakistani media that some hidden hands and foreign agenda are behind his sudden rise in politics and stated: "There is no agenda behind us. Our agenda is ahead of us… our agenda is the elimination of feudalism and capitalism…. We want a caretaker government which is totally impartial, powerful and honest and possesses the courage and the political will to bring about electoral reforms."[38]

Altaf Hussain, the leader of MQM, also addressed the rally by telephone from his base in London, urging the Pakistani military to support Tahir-ul-Qadri. The MQM chief said: "For the protection of Pakistan, the armed forces and the institutions of national security should support this revolution instead of acting as an obstacle in the path of the poor people's revolution; the revolution's journey has begun and, Allah willing, it will end only after reaching its conclusion."[39] MQM leader Altaf Hussein, who later withdrew his support for Qadri's January 14 march on Islamabad, had warned of a political drone striking Pakistan.

Tahir-ul-Qadri Seen As A Threat To Pakistan's Fledgling Democracy - Former Pakistani PM: Qadri Wants "To Sabotage The Election Process"; Religious Leader: Qadri's Mission Is "To Destabilize Pakistan"

Tahir-ul-Qadri's Facebook wall proposes: "Green, popular, peaceful revolution"

The suddenness of developments surrounding Tahir-ul-Qadri's return to Pakistan and the message of radical political and electoral reform reiterated in his speeches and media interviews has caused a serious concern in Pakistan that he is here to delay, as he has proposed, the 2013 elections, which could result in the imposition of martial law or some other form of a non-democratic administration on the country.

On January 3, the ruling and opposition parties in the legislative assembly of Pakistan's Punjab province passed a unanimous resolution demanding that Qadri be arrested and tried for treason as he is involved in "conspiracies against democracy."[40] The resolution – titled "Resolution against Conspiracies against Democracy, Assemblies and Upcoming General Elections" – reads: "The house condemns conspiracies against democracy, assemblies and upcoming general elections. The house condemns the plan to [impose an] unelected person on the nation in order to postpone the upcoming elections…. The house demands all political forces unite against conspiracies including sabotage of the elections and democracy."[41]

On January 3, former Pakistani Prime Minister and top opposition leader Nawaz Sharif, who leads the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), accused Tahir-ul-Qadri of panning to disrupt the general elections ten weeks away. Sharif, reminding Qadri that a Canadian passport-holder like him cannot lead a party in Pakistan, told reporters: "Some people say he is in Pakistan to fulfill some foreign agenda while others see a hand of [Pakistani intelligence] agencies behind him…. I am also thinking why he has chosen this particular time and the only available answer is that he wants to sabotage the election process…. The people of Pakistan are all set to bring about a change in the country when all of a sudden a man intervenes and starts giving ultimatums to the government."[42]

Maulana Ahmed Ludhianvi, the nationalist leader of the militant religious group Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat, said Tahir-ul-Qadri's mission is "to destabilize Pakistan."[43] Asked if his group will join the Qadri-led march, he said: "We will never destabilize Pakistan and completely respect its law and order situation."[44] On December 31, former Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, vice president of the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP), described Tahir-ul-Qadri's march as "uncalled-for" and asked him to enter politics as per the country's electoral system.[45]

On January 4, a petition filed in the Islamabad High Court accused Qadri of trying to create a parallel parliament by organizing the march on Islamabad, and described it as a "direct challenge to the sovereignty of Pakistan."[46] On January 9, another petition filed in the Supreme Court of Pakistan sought an injunction that Qadri "be directed not to do anything, which is illegal, improper, unlawful and unconstitutional" as apprehensions are being expressed that his "real agenda … [is] to derail the nascent democracy."[47]

* Tufail Ahmad is Director of MEMRI's South Asia Studies Project (www.memri.org/sasp)

On December 26, 2012, Afghan clerics held a conference in Kandahar city where they issued a fatwa against suicide bombings being carried out by Taliban militants across Afghanistan. The clerics called on Afghan youth to reject suicide bombings. The conference was attended by a number of Islamic scholars and Sufi mystics.

The Kandahar Governor's Media Office issued a statement regarding the fatwa. Following is the text of the press statement, translated from the Pashtu version:

"Kandahar Ulema Shura Islam Terms Suicide [Attacks] As Haram

Following his release from prison in Afghanistan, Qari Muhammad Zaher has rejoined the Taliban's jihad in Afghanistan's Samangan province, and was appointed head of jihadist activities for this northern province by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban's shadow government).

In an interview with Shahamat, a Dari-Pashtu language magazine published by the Islamic Emirate, Qari Muhammad Zaher discusses the jihadist situation in Samangan and the Taliban's recruitment drive. Following are excerpts from the interview, as translated from Pashtu:[1]

"Except For Khurram Sara Bagh, The Mujahideen Have A Presence In All The Districts Of Samangan Province, And Carry Forward Their Jihadist Operations"

Question: "Respected Qari Sahib, would you like to introduce yourself to your readers?"

Qari Muhammad Zaher: "My name is Qari Muhammad Zaher and I hail from Sholgara district of Balkh province. I received a religious education at various Islamic seminaries in Afghanistan and Pakistan and learned the Koran by heart. I graduated from the famed religious institution Darul Uloom Haqqania [run by Pakistani religious leader Maulana Samiul Haq, who leads a faction of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party and is chairman of the Defense of Pakistan Council, an alliance of religious parties and militant groups] in different religious subjects in 2004. In the past, I was active in jihad in Balkh province [of Afghanistan].

"I was iprisoned in Bagram and Pul-e-Charkhi prisons. Before taking over the jihadist responsibility in Samangan [a relatively peaceful province in northern Afghanistan] a few months ago, I served in the recruitment commission of the Islamic Emirate."

Question: "Kindly give us information about Samangan province."

Qari Muhammad Zaher: "Samangan is one of the northern provinces of Afghanistan and located in the midst of Balkh, Kunduz, Baghlan, Bamiyan and Sar-e-Pul provinces. Aibak city is its capital while Dara Sauf, Deh Ahmad Beg, Ravi Doaab, Hazrat Sultan, Khurram wa Sarbagh and Pir Nakhchir are its districts. We also lead jihadi responsibility for Khulam (Tashqurghan) district of [neighboring] Balkh province."

Question: "Kindly give us information about the jihadist situation in Samangan, and tell us the number of areas to which the jihadist operations have been extended."

Qari Muhammad Zaher: "Except for Khurram Sara Bagh, the mujahideen have presence in all the districts of Samangan province and carry forward their jihadist operations. The mujahideen have strong presence in the capital Aibak, Dara Sauf and Tashqurghan districts. The mujahideen are in full control of several areas in Dara Sauf district and have gained a massive presence in the district for the last four years by clearing most of the areas from the enemy. Similarly, the mujahideen are also mounting attacks on the enemy in Aibak, Hazrat Sultan, Tashqurghan, Pir Nakhchir and other areas from time to time."

"The Mujahideen Achieved Key Victories During The Al-Farooq Operations" In Samangan Province; The Taliban Offered "Stiff Resistance For Nine Days, Killing A Large Number Of Policemen, Including A District Police Chief"

Question: "Would you like to share with us information about this year's [jihadist] operations? Did you have any achievements during the Al-Farooq Operations?"

Qari Muhammad Zaher: "By the grace of Allah Almighty, the mujahideen achieved key victories during the Al-Farooq Operations. The operations conducted in Samangan this year and the casualties inflicted on the enemy have no examples in the past. The mujahideen destroyed a Ranger [pick up] vehicle in Sha'ban 1433 [June-July 2012] in Kanda Shok area of Dara Sauf district and raided a post [of Afghan security forces].

"Local security forces launched an operation in the area [after these attacks]. The enemy suffered huge casualties in the firefight and their operations failed. Later, the enemy attacked Dara Jamalak area of Dara Sauf from the west. [The Taliban offered] stiff resistance for nine days, killing a large number of policemen, including district police chief and wounded tens more. Only a single associate of ours embraced martyrdom.

"Similarly, we also conducted an effective operation in Hazrat Sultan district this year, in which the mujahideen caused casualties to the enemy in [roadside bomb] explosions. On Sha'ban 30, the mujahideen attacked a logistics convoy in the Darbatak area of the provincial capital. As a result, 31 enemy supply vehicles were torched. The attack worried them, as from the enemy's logistics point of view the road passing from the middle of Samangan was very important. They had not faced such a massive and well-organized attack in the same area before this. We must say that jihadist operations were a success in most of the areas, as the mujahideen are taking part in the operations in large numbers and have tightened the screws on the enemy."

Question: "Are foreign troops present in Samangan?"

Qari Muhammad Zaher: "Of the foreign troops, German forces were based in the Samangan provincial capital for several years. But the foreign troops left Aibak and established its base in Hazrat Sultan district after the people of Samangan demanded of the foreign forces to leave Aibak during protest demonstrations against the desecration of the holy Koran at Bagram [airbase] last year. However, they also left the same area a month ago, and there is [currently] no foreign aggressor in any part of Samangan."

"I Urge All Those People Working For Army [And] Police… To Prepare For Their Better Future And In The Hereafter Starting Today, By Renouncing Their Sins And Contacting The Mujahideen"

Question: "Besides military activities, what about your administrative and recruitment programs?

Qari Muhammad Zaher: "This year, another key achievement was in the Dawat wa Irshad [recruitment drive of the Islamic Emirate]. Like in other parts of Afghanistan, the Dawat wa Irshad process launched in Samangan also yielded good results, as a large number of people shunned providing support to the enemy, in every nook and corner of Samangan. Similarly, most of the high-ranking officials and individuals who were firmly standing by the U.S. have contacted us following this program and promised not to oppose [the Taliban].

"According to my experience, huge negative propaganda was conducted against the mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate in different zones of Afghanistan, especially in the northern zones. They [i.e. those who joined the security forces] have been told that they have no other option but to fight the mujahideen… This is why most of the people who were deceived by the propaganda in the beginning or to get some money joined the enemy ranks and permanently stand by them, because they find no way to escape.

"However, the way has been paved for several such people following the Dawat wa Irshad program to make contact with the mujahideen very satisfactorily, and to obtain a guarantee of peaceful life in the future by ceasing cooperation with the infidels. Taking advantage of the opportunity, I urge all those people working for army, police, Arbaki [U.S.-funded village militias] or other government and civilian groups standing in the aggressors' ranks across Afghanistan, especially in Samangan province, to prepare for a better future and in the Hereafter starting today by renouncing their sins and contacting the mujahideen. If they stop friendship with the enemy, the mujahideen will guarantee them that their life, property, and honor will be fully protected, like those of other Afghans."

Question: "Respected Qari Sahib, if you have any message for the mujahideen and the nation, we hope you will share it with us."

Qari Muhammad Zaher: "My message to the nation is to be very attentive, not to be deceived by enemy propaganda, and to know who your friends are. You must realize who wants you to be successful in this world as well as in the Hereafter, and who has occupied this country and are the enemies of our faith [Islam] and culture. These days, very poisonous and one-sided propaganda is being conducted against the mujahideen. However, the nation should not be deceived by Western propaganda and radio talk, and should know its mujahideen brothers.

"As the nation ought to respect the mujahideen, the mujahideen should also take maximum care of their nation. The mujahideen should respect the old and the young of the nation just as they respect their own father and brothers. In their personal lives, the mujahideen should develop piousness, sincerity, and obedience, should know the goal of jihad – which is to reform and protect the people – and should never cross the limit of shari'a and should link their success to the will of Allah Almighty. If this is done, then the jihad we have started will achieve its goal,m and no power in the world can stop it."

Endnote:

[1] Shahamat (Afghanistan), November 2012.

In a new video, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Hakimullah Mehsud and Waliur Rehman reject Pakistani media reports that there are disagreements between them. In the video, Waliur Rehman also warns that the TTP will wage a struggle for implementation of Islamic shari'a rule in Kashmir and India, as it is currently doing in Pakistan.

The 45:52-minute video is produced by Umar Media, the broadcasting arm of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in Pashtu language and with Urdu subtitles, and is meant for audiences across Pakistan.[1] It was released on a jihadi internet forum. The video is titled "The False Propaganda of the Dajjali Media Revealed." In the Muslim world, Dajjal is understood as the one-eyed anti-Christ, blood-thirsty and often a Jew, out to destroy the values and systems of the Islamic world through multi-faceted means of deception, such as the media.

In the video, Hakimullah Mehsud and his deputy Maulana Waliur Rehman appear together. Waliur Rehman is the Emir of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan for the Mehsud region of Waziristan, a post whose holder usually succeeds as the TTP chief.

The video begins with a background song in Urdu language, stating that "we are united," as footage is shown of Waliur Rehman hugging slain TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud and meeting with Hakimullah Mehsud.

Waliur Rehman: "The Practical Struggle For A Shari'a System That We Are Carrying Out In Pakistan, The Same Way We Will Continue It In Kashmir, And The Same Way We Will Implement The Shari'a System In India Too"

As the video opens, Hakimullah Mehsud, the current TTP chief, sits beside Waliur Rehman, and speaks in Pashtu, saying: "Our war is against the current system [of governance in Pakistan], which is the kufri [infidel] system, and our war will continue, Allah willing." The video has been released in the context of recent Pakistani media reports that Waliur Rehman is maneuvering to replace Hakimullah Mehsud as the TTP emir.

Rejecting any dissension in the ranks of the TTP, Waliur Rehman states: "We are one, will remain united, of the same organization." Waliur Rehman, who was recently rumored to have dislodged Hakimullah Mehsud as TTP chief, assures viewers: "History will prove that, and our sitting together proves, that we were one earlier, and even now we are one, and Allah willing in the future too we will be united."

Reiterating support for Hakimullah Mehsud as the TTP emir, Waliur Rehman states: "All praise be to Allah, by consensus, we put our trust in the emir [Hakimullah Mehsud]; and the trust we put in him was as the head of the [TTP] movement. And this journey is continuing as such and will, Allah willing, continue as such in the future too."

Waliur Rehman, speaking in Pashtu, says: "The practical struggle for a shari'a system that we are carrying out in Pakistan, the same way we will continue it in Kashmir, and the same way we will implement the shari'a system in India too. And this is the only solution for people's problems."

For Perhaps The First Time, TTP Spokesman Ehsanullah Ihsan Is Shown On Video

For perhaps the first time, TTP's official spokesman Ehsanullah Ihsan is shown in the video. Soon thereafter, Ehsanullah Ihsan appears on the video shaking hands with Waliur Rehman and Hakimullah Mehsud.

The TTP emir, Hakimullah Mehsud, introduces him by saying: "Ehsanullah Ihsan is present here with us. And in response to this question [being run as propaganda in media], what should I say, that Ehsanullah Ihsan is our spokesman or not."

Then Hakimullah Mehsud turns to Waliur Rehman and says: "Maulvi sahib, what will you say [about the propaganda that Ehsanullah Ihsan is not a real person and TTP spokesman]?" Waliur Rehman says: "This is a fact [that Ihsan is the spokesman]. There is no need to present evidence for it because his presence here itself is evidence."

Hakimullah Mehsud Rejects Division In TTP Leadership, Says: "Time And History Have Proved That … [Waliur Rehman] And I Are One Soul; And Allah Willing, We Will Be One Soul 'Til Our Death"

Thereafter, Hakimullah Mehsud is asked by a reporter about Pakistani media reports that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan is divided into two groups at the level of leadership. The man who asks the question is not shown. Hakimullah Mehsud responds:

"The propaganda that is being carried out that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has become divided into two groups; in reality this propaganda is meant against me and Maulana Waliur Rehman. The propaganda being carried out in the media is baseless and there is no truth in it. And its proof is I and Maulvi sahib [Waliur Rehman] sitting together here. Earlier too, media had carried out such propaganda, but time and history have proved that Maulvi sahib and I are one soul. And Allah willing, we will be one soul 'til our death."

The next question put before Waliur Rehman is about reports that he is prioritizing the jihad in Afghanistan against U.S. and NATO forces, and is not paying attention to the jihad in Pakistan. Waliur Rehman is asked how he sees the jihad in Pakistan. He responds:

"The question you have put, before answering that question, I would like to say that, the talk you just had with respected emir [Hakimullah Mehsud]…. [the] media time and again released [false] news stories that there are differences between the two [i.e. between Waliur Rehman and Hakimullah Mehsud], that there is a war between them, they are out to kill each other, but time has proved that, as the respected emir said, these were baseless propaganda. The same way, history will prove that, and our sitting here together proves that we were one and even now we are one, and Allah willing in future too, we will be one, one soul and one organization…

"And why should we not be one soul? [And we are one] because this thief military and intelligence institutions, thief politicians and bureaucrats are united in looting Pakistan, are united in destroying Pakistan. Then why should we not remain united for the implementation of the word of Allah….

"The shari'a system for which Allah has ordered us, we are waging the struggle for the same shari'a, and the same shari'a teaches us to keep holding the rope of Allah; and the Prophet [Muhammad] also teaches that we keep the organization [i.e. Islam] united and follow it essentially. And one who left the organization [i.e. Islam], he separate for the fire…. Praise be to Allah that by consensus we put our trust on the respected emir [Hakimullah Mehsud] and we have trusted him as the head of the movement [i.e. TTP]."

Waliur Rehman: "Whether It Be Against Pakistan Or Against Afghanistan, We Consider Both As The War Against America And Are Fighting Against The Crusader-Zionist Alliance"

Waliur Rehman further states: "With regard to your second question, I would like to say that for seven, eight, or 10 years, especially since 2003, the jihad against Pakistan, or with regard to the jihad in Pakistan, look at our practical life, our sacrifices, and our friends' steadfastness. Regarding this, I would like to say that to release such news stories that [I] am interested in the jihad in Afghanistan or jihad in Pakistan, then I would like to clarify that these two are our battlefronts.

"America is directly ruling over Afghanistan, has installed a puppet [government] there, and in the same way has installed a puppet [government]. By paying salaries to the army [of Pakistan], makes them fight [against the Taliban]. Therefore, this [Afghanistan-Pakistan] is a single battlefront, whether it be against Pakistan or against Afghanistan, we consider both as the war against America and are fighting against the Crusader-Zionist alliance which they have formed. Our fight is against them, Allah willing.

"Through the sacrifices and martyrdoms of our martyrs, we have proved that whether it be the soil of Afghanistan or the soil of Pakistan, we have irrigated them with our blood. And this is all purely for the sake of Islamic system."

Waliur Rehman – "[Jihad] Is An Ideological Journey"; Hakimullah Mehsud – "We Consider… Serious Negotiations; If This Is So, We Can Hold Negotiations"

Waliur Rehman is also asked about Pakistani media rumors that he or Maulana Fazlullah, the emir of TTP's Swat district branch, now hiding somewhere in Afghanistan, is being made the emir of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. He rejects these rumors as baseless, stating: "There is no post or position in jihad in which one will be interested. Three are no positions in the monstrous system in Pakistan to which one will get attracted….Here in jihad, the higher status one has, he is more on the target of the enemy…. [Jihad] is an ideological journey."

The interviewer asks Hakimullah Mehsud whether he would seriously consider an offer of some sort from the Pakistani government. Mehsud says: "The question you have put forward with regard to negotiations [with the Pakistani government], we have never refused to hold negotiations. But we consider those negotiations which are serious negotiations. If this is so, we can hold negotiations with them.

"But if the negotiations are not serious… [if they ask that we] surrender weapons, surrender the gun, [and only] then we [i.e. the Pakistani government] will hold negotiations, these are not serious talks. For nearly sixty years… weapons have been in existence among the tribes; weapons are the jewelry of a tribesman; therefore it is an unserious talk [to demand] surrender of weapons…. We do not accept conditional negotiations…. We have not refused serious negotiations…."

Hakimullah Mehsud accuses the Pakistani government and military of breaking peace agreements in the past, especially those that were signed his predecessor Baitullah Mehsud. He goes on to say that Pakistan has no capability to hold negotiations with the Taliban, stating: "Pakistan has no authority of its own because Pakistan is a slave nation [of America]. It is a follower of Americans, a slave of Americans. And a slave is never autonomous…. If Pakistan is really autonomous, then it should boycott Americans. And on its own authority should hold negotiations with us…. not like the previous negotiations, which were broken at the pressures from American, and [Pakistan] shed the blood of its tribes and people [by launching security operations against the Taliban]."

The TTP emir also charges Pakistan with capturing Dr. Aafia Siddiqui and handing her over to the Americans. Siddiqui, a Pakistani scientist, is imprisoned in the United States for trying to kill U.S. forces in Afghanistan. "How can we trust such a slave government?" Mehsud asks.

At this point in the interview, Waliur Rehman is asked to give his reaction to the viewpoint articulated by Hakimullah Mehsud. Waliur Rehman expresses "100 percent" support for the views expressed by Mehsud, stating: "As I have said earlier, it is an ideological journey. It is a journey of faith. In our notion and conception, there is no possibility that we accept slavery of anyone or we accept the slavery of a system of our enemy. However, if serious negotiations were held, if the path was paved for serious negotiations, and if we feel that the government is really serious for negotiations, then negotiations can be considered and a decision taken…."

Asked if the manpower strength of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has weakened and whether he can give a picture of its strength, Waliur Rehman says that since the TTP was formed by Baitullah Mehsud, and that every year has proved that the region of the Taliban's manpower and influence have been expanding, not receding. He notes that the December 16, 2012 attack on the Peshawar airport has proved that the Taliban have strength and manpower. The TTP commander also rejects the distinction between "foreigners" and "locals" among militants, saying that such a conception does not exist in Islam and all Muslims of the world are brothers. "When the need emerges, the locals and foreigners will be with us," he adds.

Hakimullah Mehsud Expresses Support For Arab Revolutions: "If They Need Our Blood, Our Life; If They Need Our People, We Are Ready For Every Type Of Assistance"; "Allah Willing, The Shari'a System Will Be Established Only Through Jihad"

Hakimullah Mehsud, the TTP chief, is also asked to give his opinion about the recent people's uprisings in Arab countries. Mehsud says that these countries and their rulers were under the patronage of America and people there were victims of cruelty of their rulers who ran systems of infidels. He states:

"Kufri [infidel] system was prevalent in the Arab nations. All praise be to Allah, the revolutions that came, the movements that arose, these movements are brought about for the implementation of a shari'a system. We believe in them, and it is our hope from them, that because of these revolutions, an Islamic system will be ushered in and the infidel system will be eliminated from the Gulf. Therefore, we support them and we will aid them. If they need our blood, our life; if they need our people, we are ready for every type of assistance so that the democratic and secular system [in Arab nations] comes to an end; the kufri system ends, and an Islamic system is established…."

Urging that people should not opt for democracy and secularism, Hakimullah Mehsud states: "Do not trust secular democratic systems. It should not be that once again the secular democratic system is imposed on you. Do not be misled that your well-being is in a secular democratic system. There is no good for Muslims in a secular democratic system because Muslims have always been mistreated in it and it is a kufri system, it is kufr [unbelief]….Allah willing, the shari'a system will be established only through jihad. And it has been proved by history."

Asked about the forthcoming general elections in Pakistan, Hakimullah Mehsud rejects the elections, saying that democracy is kufr. He accuses all Pakistani political parties of supporting America in the war on terror for the sake of American dollars. He says the Taliban's war is not against any party but against the system itself.

In the video, Waliur Rehman justifies the recent assassination of Pakistani provincial minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour, saying that he claimed to be a preacher of non-violence but actually followed violence by supporting the Pakistani military operations. He vows to continue to work for the revival of Islamic caliphate at practical level.

Hakimullah Mehsud: "Emir-ul-Momineen [Mullah Mohammad Omar Mujahid] Is Our Emir Too, Is Emir Of Afghan Taliban And Is Emir Of Al-Qaeda Too"

Hakimullah Mehsud is asked what will be the Taliban strategy after the U.S. forces withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of 2014. He says: "In short, I will like to say that in 2014 when the American forces withdraw from Afghanistan, after that, Mullah Mohammad Omar Mujahid, who is our emir, who is our emir today and [will take over Afghanistan and] will be our emir in future too… [i.e. after presumably coming to power in 2014 in Afghanistan. Editorial note: Mullah Mohammad Omar Mujahid is considered emir by both the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban].

"Whatever will be the policy of Emir-ul-Momineen [leader of the faithful] Mullah Mohammad Omar Mujahid, we will pursue that policy. Even today, we support his policies, and even after that [i.e. after 2014] his policy will be our policy…."

Hakimullah Mehsud is also asked to clarify the distinction between the Afghan Taliban and Al-Qaeda. He says: "As regards the Afghani Taliban, Emir-ul-Momineen [Mullah Mohammad Omar Mujahid] is our emir too, is emir of the Afghan Taliban, and is emir of Al-Qaeda too. All praise be to Allah. He is emir of all Muslims. And all praise be to Allah, we have accepted him as emir with a true heart. There is no question of relations regarding this.

"Therefore, we are waging jihad under the command of only one emir. Similarly, Al-Qaeda men are our brothers. And we are ready to offer any type of sacrifice with them. They are our muhajireen [immigrants] brothers and we are their ansar [Editorial note: Ansar or "aiders" were local people in Medina who aided Prophet Muhammad when he immigrated from Mecca to establish first Islamic state]. And for them, our families and properties have been sacrificed…. When respected emir Sheikh Osama bin Laden was martyred in Pakistan, our first emotion was that we will take his revenge, and we took it and we will continue to do so in future…."

Waliur Rehman: "The Struggle That We Have Launched, The Jihad We Are Waging, We Are Doing It Considering It As Ghazwa-e-Hind [A Prophecy Attributed To Prophet Muhammad]"; "As Per Ghazwa-e-Hind, Whether It Be Pakistan, Kashmir Or India, These Are All Our Practical Battlefields"

Towards the end of the video, Waliur Rehman is asked about Pakistani media propaganda that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan is supporting India and what he would like to say about atrocities against the people in Indian Kashmir. Waliur Rehman responds:

"With regard to this, I would like to urge that the people of Kashmir are our brothers, and the atrocities meted out against them and the barbarism that they are victim of, whether this atrocity be from India or whether this be from Pakistan, the game that these countries have played in the name of Kashmir, the [cross-border] trade that they have started, we are very sad about it. Our hearts are surely hurt by the atrocities being committed against them [i.e. on Kashmiris], our hearts ache. Insofar as Pakistan's dirty policy [on Kashmir] is concerned, as per which Kashmiris have been ruined and destroyed under the pretext of Kashmir policy, their everything has been destroyed, we strongly condemn this policy too as much as we do about India's atrocities.

"The struggle that we have launched, the jihad we are waging, we are considering it as Ghazwa-e-Hind [or the Battle of India, a prophecy attributed to Prophet Muhammad that in the end-days, an army of Muslims will rise from the land of India and join with the forces of Jesus in the present-day Israel to establish global Islamic rule]. So, as per Ghazwa-e-Hind, whether it be Pakistan, Kashmir or India, these are all our practical battlefields.

"Allah willing, the mujahideen of Tehreek-e-Taliban will arrive in Kashmir and as per the Islamic shari'a will help the Kashmiris get their rights. As our ancestors sacrificed their lives for Kashmir and liberated Kashmir by force [in 1947-48], the same way their progenies [i.e. Taliban fighters], walking in the footsteps of their forefathers, will liberate Kashmir [from India], and will help them get their rights, Allah willing.

"The practical struggle for a shari'a system that we are carrying out in Pakistan, the same way we will continue it in Kashmir, and the same way we will implement the shari'a system in India too. And this is the only solution for people's problems.

"And that registered [i.e. government-sponsored] jihad that Pakistan had begun cannot liberate Kashmir, and even if it were to be liberated, it will be in name only, but the system will not change [in favor of Islamic shari'a rule] and their fate will not be changed, and if it were to change, only the shari'a system will change it. And it is our promise to those people [in Kashmir] that we will share their grief, Allah willing."

Hakimullah Mehsud: All Praise Be To Allah, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Is An International Organization"

At the end of the video, both Hakimullah Mehsud and Waliur Rehman criticize the Pakistani media, accusing it of not presenting a correct analysis of the Taliban positions and accusing Pakistani journalists and political commentators of working for money. Waliur Rehman accuses journalists of opening a media front against the Taliban in their reports and articles.

Hakimullah Mehsud describes the TTP as a global organization, stating: "All praise be to Allah, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan is an international organization. Its objective is not that it be present in every region. First of all, our war is a guerrilla war. And the purpose of guerrilla war is that the [location of] bases are not clear; that is, there is no specific base. Nobody knows what influence is in which region. Where the Taliban are present, and where they are not.

"When there was no war in the tribal area [of Pakistan], the Taliban were present here at that time too. Everyone knew about it. But when the war started, then no one knows whether the Taliban are present or not [in a certain geographical area]. Anyway, we are present in the tribal region. Jihad is underway. And I do not want to tell where the Taliban are present, and where they are not. And you know more than me about the situations in the tribal region."

Speaking about the Pakistani military operations, Waliur Rehman, the TTP emir for Mehsud region, accuses the Pakistani military of destroying people's homes and mosques and seminaries, and of killing people, women, and children. He accuses the Pakistani state of believing that it is a nuclear power state and therefore it can subjugate the tribesmen. However, Pakistan earned the enmity of the tribesmen in a bid to gain acceptance by the U.S., he says, adding that Pakistani has only lost during military operations over the past 10 years or so.

Endnote:

[1] AMAF, January 6, 2013.

Muslim women in India turn out to vote

In a recent op-ed, MEMRI's South Asia Studies Project Director Tufail Ahmad examined how the recent appointment of Syed Asif Ibrahim as the first Muslim chief of India's Intelligence Bureau reflects the maturing of democracy in India and its beneficial impact on Indian Muslims. "India is the only country where Muslims have experienced democracy for more than half a century; the other two countries where Muslims have had some democratic experience are Indonesia and Turkey but their experiences have been limited to a few decades," Ahmad wrote in the article, which was published by The New Indian Express, a major Indian daily.

Soon after the publication of the article, Tufail Ahmad was interviewed by The New York Times on the question of how democracy has impacted the collective life of Muslims in India. Asked whether the democratic experience of Indian Muslims during the past six decades could be a model for Egypt's new rulers to follow, Ahmad told Thomas L. Friedman of The New York Times: "[D]emocracy matters… it is democracy in India that has, over six decades, gradually broken down primordial barriers – such as caste, tribe and religion – and in doing so opened the way for all different sectors of Indian society to rise through their own merits." The interview was published by The New York Times on December 16, 2012, as part of an article titled "Egypt: The Next India or the Next Pakistan?"[1]It was later translated into Arabic and published December 17, 2012 by the leading Egyptian daily Al-Gomhuria ("Democracy").[2]

Subsequently, The Economic Times, a major Indian financial daily, interviewed Tufail Ahmad on the significance of Syed Asif Ibrahim's appointment as the first Muslim head of Intelligence Bureau (IB). Asked why it has taken time for India to appointment a Muslim to the sensitive post of IB chief, he stated:"The reason why it has taken time for Ibrahim to become the first Muslim chief of the Intelligence Bureau is because it has taken time for democracy to mature in India. As democracy flourishes, matures and takes deeper roots in Indian society, we are witnessing large sections of the Indian people becoming empowered in the process… Ibrahim's appointment as IB chief marks a turning point in the development and prospering of Indian democracy. In the coming decades, we can be certain that more and more Muslims in India will rise to prominence by hard work and merit alone."[3]

The following is Ahmad's original op-ed which sparked the debate about the life of democracy in India, as published in The New Indian Express under the title "Glow of Indian Democracy."[4]

Ibrahim's Appointment As First Muslim Chief Of India's Intelligence Bureau Is "Of Much Greater Significance Than Is Being Imagined Now"

Image courtesy Dinodia.com

Introduction

Raza Academy, an orthodox Islamic organization based in Mumbai, came into prominence with a fatwa (Islamic decree) against novelist Salman Rushdie after his book Satanic Verses was published in 1988. In a statement on its website, it claims: "In 1988, the first fatwa against the ill-famed Salman Rushdie was issued by Raza Academy after obtaining it from Jaanasheene Huzoor Mufti-e-Aazam [the successor of Mustafa Raza Khan, son of the founder of Barelvi sect Ahmad Raza Khan] which was published in the Daily Hindustan on 11th November '88 and on 12th November in Inquilab and Urdu Times [both Urdu dailies]."[1] Early in 2012, the group held protests against a planned visit to India by Salman Rushdie. In the image above, Raza Academy demanded that Salman Rushdie be hanged.

Raza Academy claims that it is an organization of Indian Muslims adhering to the Barelvi sect of Islam, named after Ahmad Raza Khan (1856-1921) of Bareilly, a northern Indian town. The Barelvis call themselves Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat, or the people of the Prophet's tradition, and claim to be the legitimate form of Sunni Islam in South Asia. They are opposed to the other schools of thought like Deobandi, Wahhabi and Ahl-e-Hadith, Salafi, Ahmadiyya, whom they deem apostates.

Raza Academy was formed in 1978 with Mohammed Saeed Noori as its founding president. Saeed Noori is also described as secretary-general of the organization.

Raza Academy says that it champions the cause of Sunni Muslims. Some critics have described it as "protest dukaan" (shop), trying to organize Muslims for the Islamist political cause.[2] Over the years, it has articulated anti-U.S., antisemitic, and anti-West viewpoints, and, since it adheres to the Barelvi school of Sunni Islam, it has also opposed the Tablighi Jamaat and Ahle-Hadith stands of Islam. The group was noticed for its role in violence after an August 11, 2012 protest meeting at Azad Maidan in Mumbai that turned violent, and its members led a mob protesting against the recent killings of minority Muslims in Myanmar and the northeastern Indian state of Assam. In 2012, it offered a reward of 100,000 Indian Rupees to anyone who could throw slippers at Salman Rushdie, as he was to attend a literary meet in the Indian city of Jaipur.

Over doctrinal and other differences, it has opposed even Barelvi clerics and others who are not of Barelvi school. In a recent spat with Maulana Tahirul Qadri, it emerged that a rift exists among Barelvis, as Raza Academy filed a petition in Bombay High Court, saying that Tahirul Qadri be prevented from making public appearances in Mumbai and arguing that "his speech may create communal tension in Mumbai."[3] In 2008, Raza Academy also filed a court case over doctrinal differences, demanding a ban on Indian Islamic televangelist Zakir Naik's events in Mumbai.[4]

The group appeals to Indian nationalism when doing so could potentially advance its agenda. For example, Raza Academy held anti-America protests over the issue of U.S. immigration officials frisking Indian scientist and former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam when he visited the U.S. in 2006.

Origins And Ideology

In New Delhi, Raza Academy members protest against the Pakistan Taliban (Sunninews.wordpress.com)

Initially, Raza Academy was set up for printing and publishing books authored by Ahmed Raza Khan (1856-1921), a Sunni Islamic scholar whose writings led to the emergence of the Barelvi movement in Sunni Islam. It also publishes other Islamic scholars' works to advance the Barelvi movement. On its website, Raza Academy claims to have published over 300 books.

The website also notes: "In 1978, after the formation of Raza Academy, a madrassa [Islamic seminary] by the name of 'Raza-ul-Uloom' was started for the sole purpose of giving Islamic knowledge to children and young people as well as the elderly. In 1980, the Raza Academy published the 'Kanzul Imaan' (Urdu translation of the Holy Koran by Aala Hazrat Ahmed Raza Khan)... In 1981, the concept of Noori Mehfil [congregation of people where poems in praise of Prophet Muhammad are recited] was formed, and it was started at [the address] 47, Ghoghari Mohalla, Bombay-3, to be held every Thursday... Around 1100 mehfils [congregations] have been arranged so far. These mehfils are attended by a lot of Indians as well as foreign ulema [Islamic scholars]...."[5]

Although Raza Academy claims to have 37 branches all over the world, including in Durban, Colombo, Johannesburg and Lahore, most of its branches are in the Western Indian state of Maharashtra, of which Mumbai is the capital. The group is influential in the region around Mumbai, where it held protests against America, Jews, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and others. Raza Academy also aims to work for educational awareness among Muslims.[6]

Barelvis are always at loggerheads with Deobandis, Wahhabis, Salafis, Shi'ites, and Ahmadis, calling them kafir (infidel). Imam Ahmad Raza Khan, founder of the Barelvi movement, wrote to prove that non-Barelvi scholars such as Maulvi Ismail Dehlvi, Maulvi Ashraf Ali Thanvi, Rasheed Ahmad Gangohi, Qasim Nanautavi, Khaleel Ahmad Ambethavi and Mirza Ghulam Ahmad are apostates. During a visit to Saudi Arabia in the early 20th century, he also obtained a fatwa from about two dozen clerics of Mecca and Medina, declaring Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of the Ahmadiyya movement in Islam, an apostate. "He also refuted Ahle-Hadith and 'Ahle-Quran'... But his main work was to receive the fatwa from the ulema of the Holy Harmain [Mecca and Medina]. They ratified ... [his] fatwa of [unbelief] and apostasy against Thanvi, Gangohi, Nanautavi, and Ambethavi and [Mirza Ghulam Ahmad] Qadiani, which he wrote in his book, Al-Moatamad-ul-Mustanad."[7]

Like other Muslim sects, the Barelvis believe in the Koran and Sunnah and consider the Prophet Muhammad the last prophet of God. However, they also believe in Sufism and its various silsilas (orders), such as Qadri, Chishti, Naqshbandi, and Suhrawardi. They differ from other Sunnis because of their beliefs regarding the Prophet Muhammad, considering him noori basher (a human made from God's light) who is hazir (present in many places at the same time) and nazir (witnessing all that goes on in the world). The Barelvis also think that Muhammad was imbued with ilm-e-ghaib (knowledge of the unseen) and is mukhtaar-e-kul, i.e. one who has the authority to do whatever he desires as granted to him by Allah.[8]

Ahmed Raza Khan, the founding Barelvi leader, was reportedly opposed to such practices as taziah (marking the day of martyrdom of the Prophet's grandson Hazrat Imam Hussain by enacting and recreating the scene of the Battle of Karbala, as practiced by Shi'ite Muslims), qawwali (a form of singing in praise of Allah, the Prophet, and Islamic mystics such as Sufis), tawaf (circling of a holy site or tomb), sajda (prostrating before a tomb) and women visiting mazars (shrines), calling these activities bid'ah (forbidden innovations in Islam). However, Barelvis in general practice all of these will great enthusiasm.

The Barelvi Muslims observe public celebration of the Mawlud (Muhammad's birthday). They ask aulia (deceased Sufi mystics) for intercession with God on behalf of the living, which is why devout Muslims flock to Sufi shrines in India and elsewhere. Some popular Sufi shrines of India are at Ajmer, of the 12th century mystic Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti; at Delhi, of the 13th century mystic Hazrat Nizamuddin; at Gulbarga, of 14th century Sufi Khwaja Banda Nawaz Gesu Daraz; and at Bareilly, of Ahmed Raza Khan, the founder of the Barelvi movement. Numerous such shrines in India are visited by Barelvi Muslims.

Sunni Dawat-e-Islami, another Barelvi group, works closely with Raza Academy. It introduces itself: "Some prominent intellectuals of... Mumbai had this feeling that a movement should be initiated in the field of Dawat-o-Tabligh [calling towards and propagation of Islam] to carry forward the mission of the Prophet and which could be ever-ready to crush the heads of every fitna [mischief] that comes in the way of Islam and the thought of Aala Hazrat [Ahmed Raza Khan]; and to achieve this goal with the lovely name of Sunni Dawat-e-Islami, a movement was founded on September 5, 1992. Hafiz and Qari Maulana Mohammad Shakir Noori was unanimously accepted as the leader and emir of this movement by the ulema."[9]

The Raza Academy Leadership

Mohammad Saeed Noori, leader of the Raza Academy (jaymaharashtra.com)

Mohammad Saeed Noori controls the helm of affairs at Raza Academy. People call him Maulana, a titled used for Islamic scholars, though he has not received any formal higher degree from a madrassa. He is known as an activist, especially for organizing protests and for facilitating the work of Islamic scholars of the Barelvi school. An Indian media report notes: "Noori has never received a formal Islamic education though uninformed reporters happily call him Maulana (scholar). While working in the sewing thread business, he aspired to use Raza Academy to champion Sunni Islam which, unlike the Wahhabis, accepts Sufism and sanctions visiting the mausoleums of saints [e.g. Sufi mystics]... Noori, a self-styled follower of the sect, has turned Raza Academy into a protest machine."[10]

He has been charged with rioting by police for violence during the August 2012 protest at Azad Maidan in Mumbai. A media report noted that Saeed Noori, along with another Islamic scholar Maulana Athar, was involved in rioting. "The charges slapped against some of the accused include criminal conspiracy and murder, besides damaging public property, unlawful assembly, and indulging in violence... The attackers, who went berserk, attacked police personnel, molested some policewomen, [and] pounced on media persons covering the procession and damaged their vehicles."[11]

Other than Mohammad Saeed Noori, very few names associated with the Raza Academy come to light. Two mentionable names are: Suhail Rokadia, who as a spokesperson of Raza Academy was a member of a delegation which called on the U.S. consul-general in Mumbai in May 2005; and Mohammad Arif Razvi, whose name appears in the press releases of Raza Academy. But the organization's control remains in Saeed Noori's hands.

Saeed Noori has been seeking to spread the work of Raza Academy and ideologically associated groups. He notes: "Over the years, the Academy set up 32 centers across India, and became a voice of the country's Sunni community."[12] The spiritual leadership of the Barelvi movement, from its base in the northern town of Bareilly, supports Noori. All India Ulema and Mashaikh Board (AIUMB), a top body of Barelvi clerics and mystics in India, the Sunni Dawat-e-Islami and the Muslim Students Organization (MSO) are some of the groups associated with Raza Academy. The AIUMB represents numerous Sufi shrines and mosque leaders. The MSO, founded in 1977 at the Aligarh Muslim University, works closely with Raza Academy as it is evident from their joint protests in 2009 and adherence to the same school of thought.

Islamic scholars, madrassa controllers, and mosque leaders closely associated with Raza Academy include: Maulana Ashraf Raza of Darul Uloom Hanafia Rizvia, Mumbai; Maulana Yaseen Akhtar, president of Darul Taleem; Maulana Musannah Miyan, chairman of Tanzeem Aimmae Masajid; Maulana Mansoor Ali Khan, secretary-general of All India Sunni Jamiatul Ulema; Maulana Saiyad Siraj Azhar, president of All India Sunni Tablighi Jamaat; Maulana Waris Jamal Qadri, president of All India Tablighi Seerat; Maulana Khalilur Rehman Noori, general secretary of Tanzeem Aimmae Masajid; Maulana Abdus Sattar, secretary of Sunni Tehreek-e-Aimmae Masajid; Maulana Mehmood Aalam Rashidi, secretary of Anjuman Barkat-e-Raza; Maulana Abdul Qader Habibi, secretary of Anjuman Gulshan-e-Madina; Muslim Council of India convenor Ebrahim Tai, and Abdul Razaque Maniyar, president of the Public Complaint Centre.[13]

These figures and organizations are active in propagating the Barelvi movement in Sunni Islam through a chain of madrassas, mosques, khanqahs (monastery) and social organizations. With the growing impact of the puritan Tableeghi Jamaat, which is opposed to what Barelvis do in practice, the Barelvis have also formed similar-sounding groups such as All India Sunni Tableeghi Jamaat and All India Tableegh-e-Seerat (propagation of the life and deeds of Prophet Muhammad). They want to get control over mosques, leading to conflicts in lots of mosques throughout the country on big and small issues such as who should be prayer leaders.

Protests Against Israel, America, And Salman Rushdie

In Mumbai, in December 2011, Raza Academy activists protest against Israel's reported ban on the azan, the Islamic call for prayer (Roznama Sahafat, India)

In December 2011, Raza Academy held an anti-Israel rally in Mumbai, protesting against a media report that Israel had proposed a ban on the azan, the Islamic call to prayer from mosques.

In a report titled "Raza Academy protested against Israel," a Barelvi website observed the following: "A prominent organization of the Indian Sunni Muslims protested against the Israeli Zionist government-proposed decision to ban the azan, calling the faithful to prayer. Members of Raza Academy today called the azan outside the Israeli Consulate in Mumbai to protest against its proposed ban on the azan.

"The Palestinian Muslims are living in absolute injustice, and Israel has continued [its] atrocities against this most victimized community, despite protests from various quarters of the world. The UN has become a mere tool in the hands of the U.S. and its allies, and is doing nothing to prevent the regular violation of human rights."[14]

In 2006, leading nuclear scientist and former Indian president Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was reportedly frisked, in violation of diplomatic norms, by U.S. immigration officials when he visited the country. The revelation that Dr. Kalam had been frisked came sometime in 2011, leading to Indian groups criticizing the U.S. The Raza Academy leadership too saw an opportunity for an anti-U.S. protest. A Barelvi website carried this report on November 16, 2011:

 "A prominent organization of Indian Muslims, Raza Academy, today protested against the United States of America on insulting of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam at John F. Kennedy Airport, New York. The activists of Raza Academy, which had also held a mass rally at Azad Maidan, Mumbai in 2006 against the arrival of then-President George Bush to India, sent an old pair of shoes to Mr. Barack Obama, President of the U.S through the U.S. Consulate.

"Mohammad Saeed Noori, general secretary of Raza Academy, told [journalists] that America is the greatest terrorist. It has been murdering innocent civilians in the name of bringing peace, since the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki... Now, after leading unjustified attacks on Libya, it is preparing for a war with Iran. The war on terror has nothing to do with democracy or peace but it is a propaganda war to destabilize the growing economies... The recent insult to former Indian President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam at JFK International Airport in the name of [security] checking shows how much respect it has for our highest-level leaders and politicians. India must not act like slave countries and must lodge its strong protest by summoning the Counsel of the U.S....[15]

In January 2012, noted author Salman Rushdie was scheduled at speak at a literary festival in the Indian city of Jaipur. However, the leaders of Raza Academy issued a call for a protest, and the local police, at the behest of the ruling Congress party which was eyeing Muslim votes in the impending state elections, forced Rushdie's trip to be cancelled.

A Barelvi website noted: "Controversial author Salman Rushdie, who has caused a lot of pain and anger in Muslim world by his evil writings, is once again coming to India to attend a literary festival in Jaipur Rajasthan. The literary festival will be held at Jaipur from 21st Jan 2012. Muslim organizations are agitated and have demanded cancellation of his visa. All India Ulema and Mashaikh Board, Raza Academy, MSO of India have threatened to protest if his visa is not cancelled. MSO ... [held] a protest meeting in Jaipur yesterday on 9th January 2012 under the patronage of Chief Mufti of Jaipur Muhammad Abduls Sattar Razwi..."[16]

* Dr. Mirza A. B. Baig is a Senior Analyst at the MEMRI South Asia Studies Project (www.memri.org/sasp)

Following are excerpts from an address by Egyptian TV host and satirist Bassem Yousuf, which aired on CBC TV on December 14, 2012:

Click here to view this clip on MEMRI TV.

Bassem Yousuf: "You must think that freedom of expression is in danger or that liberties are suppressed. Not at all – absolutely not.

"Laughter in audience

"This was true in the days of the Secret Service. They would intimidate journalists, fabricate news, and smear the opposition. But all that has changed, because today, we have the Preaching Service instead. They don’t have prisons where they can torture you to extract confessions. Instead, they do it on the street. That way, they don’t waste your time. They don’t need to prevent you from demonstrating or to set the police on you. Instead, they hold their own demonstrations. That way, if anyone dies, it is for the sake of Islam – because all the rest are infidels.

[...]

"Once, they used to smear you by saying you were against the state. Now they say that you are against the state as well as Islam. They do not need to resort to planting drugs or pamphlets on you. They plant alcohol, condoms, cheese, and apples on you. That is enough to show that you are a bum, a deadbeat, or a homosexual, or an apple-eater, for that matter...

[...]

"The Preaching Service will appear on all the TV channels, but when they don’t like what they see, they will shut them down, because they can’t tolerate hearing anybody opposing them.

[...]

"And please stop talking all the time about the democracy abroad. Don’t say: 'Look what's going on in other countries.' What do you care what’s going on abroad? Stay inside... A little further in... A little further... You’re in? Now shhhhhhhhh...

[...]

"I will vote in the referendum and will say 'no' at the top of my voice. You can say that we are a corrupt minority, collaborators, mercenaries, remnants of the Mubarak regime, Christians, anti-Islamic, and non-Muslims. No problem – curse and smear us as much as you like, and enjoy your majority and your control of the parliament. It was our minority that started the revolution and brought you to power. Have you forgotten? It wasn’t so long ago."

[...]

Following are excerpts from a TV show, in which Pakistani model and actress Veena Malik participated. The show aired on Geo News via the Internet on October 14, 2012.

Click here to view this clip on MEMRI TV.

Veena Malik: "I worked in Pakistan for seven years, and approximately 99.9% of the people who worked with me were gay. They would tell me how painful their lives were because of the many problems they faced. Today, science has proven that it is one’s genes that determines whether one will be gay or lesbian.

"I believe that all – whether animal, plant, or human being – should have the full right to lead their lives [as they see fit]. I would like to say today that every gay or lesbian – every living being – should have the right to lead their lives [as they see fit]."

TV host: "I did not ask whether gays or lesbians have the right to lead their lives. My question was directed to [you], a woman who has read a translation of the Koran. I asked whether you had consulted the Koran before giving a statement in support of gays and lesbians. Did you consult the Koran after that?

"I am asking this because the Koran is explicit about the nation of Lot and what happened to them."

Applause from the audience

Veena Malik: "But that nation of Lot makes up a large part of our society today, and they should have the right to lead their lives the way they see fit."

[...]

The following report is a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). Subscription information is available at http://subscriptions.memri.org/content/en/member_registr_jttm.htm.

In an article titled "Afghan Youths In The Enemy Ranks," an Afghan Taliban commander predicts that there will be an increase in insider attacks on U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan in the coming weeks. Maulvi Abdul Samad Sayyal, the Taliban commander whose location is not identified in the article, describes in detail how Afghan police commanders are reaching out to the Taliban with the help of local tribal elders.

One incident described by Sayyal in this article involves an attack by roadside bomb, planted with the help of an Afghan security commander, against Romanian troops deployed in Afghanistan as part of NATO forces.

The article appeared in Morchal, a Pashtu-language monthly magazine published by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban's shadow government in the country). The argument forwarded by Maulvi Abdul Samad Sayyal is that the members of Afghan National Army and Police are motivated to attack U.S. forces because of the recent desecration of the Koran and insults to Prophet Muhammad.

Following are excerpts from Sayyal's article:

"Death Toll Of American Aggressors And NATO Forces In Attacks By Afghan Police and National Army [Defectors] Would Increase Several Folds In The Future"

"According to my estimate, the death toll of American aggressors and NATO forces in attacks by Afghan Police and National Army [defectors] will increase several fold in the future. To support this claim, I share an experience with you. I wanted Allah Almighty to bestow me with the opportunity to know the views of the members of the [Afghan] National Army and Police on their attacks on aggressors.

"Luckily, the opportunity came when I recently went to my province on a jihadi journey and started jihadi activities after rejoining my associates. Sometimes attacks were to be conducted on enemy by planting roadside bombs, and sometimes by ambush. The string of operations continued. Once a local resident contacted me by phone and wished to come to see me or for me to meet him somewhere. As they were elders, so I decided to go there and meet them.

"When I reached the specified location, I saw two bearded elderly tribal elders. They started the conversation by discussing the work of the mujahideen and jihad, and expressed admiration of the local mujahideen for their good conduct and treatment of local residents. They went on to say that they and other people of the area were ready to cooperate with the mujahideen. Our meeting, which took place in a roadside orchard amidst sincerity and good intentions, covered several topics.

"The location was dangerous for the mujahideen; however, the meeting continued with great satisfaction. As the meeting was about to be concluded, a tribal elder, raising his finger toward three checkposts of the security forces, said:

"The checkposts ahead, the ones in front and the one below, all the three are under the control of one [Afghan security] commander. The commander [of the checkposts] secretly and repeatedly told me that he wanted to establish links with the Taliban. We have been trying for the last several days to contact you [Taliban], but unfortunately did not find people to be trusted and could not share it with all and sundry. By the grace of Allah, now we are satisfied. We have a good view about this commander. Now it depends on you, how you deal with him and what should be done next."

"I replied to them that I would discuss the matter with our emir [local Taliban leader] and the next step would be taken in the light of the principles and guidelines of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan [the Taliban's shadow government]. However, I have no authority to take any decision. Our meeting concluded with these sincere words and I said goodbye to them. When I reached the area I received a call from an unknown number. [The man on phone] told me immediately after exchanging greetings: 'Did you meet the two elders?'

"He introduced himself soon after I replied in affirmation, saying: 'I'm the commander of the same checkposts.' The commander also reminded me of the discussion I held with the local tribal elders. I also apprised him of the discussion with local elders and promised him to share the matter with my leader.

"When I met the emir and briefed him on the whole discussion, he recounted his instructions under the guidelines of the Islamic Emirate. I stayed with the emir for some time. Later, the emir decided that I should contact by phone the [government forces] commander [who was willing to work with the Taliban]. To contact [the commander], I went to an area located far away from our base where the phone network was active. I caught the commander on phone and shared with him the advice of the emir.

"The commander told me: 'I accept the decision of the Islamic Emirate whole heartedly and salute you with both hands that you have entered the battlefield empty-handed against those who desecrate our Holy Prophet and are making all-out efforts to eliminate our faith [Islam]… I too am a Muslim and an Afghan, and I will extend you all possible cooperation.' At last, it was agreed that the commander should join the mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate."

"[It] Satisfies Me That There Are Still Youth In The National Army And Police Who Have Love For Their Holy Religion And The Prophet, And Who Hate The Aggressors And Are Ready To Take Revenge On Them"

"However, the commander demonstrated something before joining [the Taliban]. By the grace of Allah Almighty, the commander fulfilled most of his promises. Once in the month of Ramadan [July-August 2012], [Taliban] colleagues wanted to plant land mines near a checkpost as per a tactical plan. We contacted the commander and he said: 'Ok, it is the most suitable place and appropriate time to conduct operations against the aggressors.'

"It was dusk, and redness in the sky had covered the mountaintops; the associates picked up the land mines, reached the designated place and planted the land mines in a few moments. It was time to break the fast, and the azans [calls inviting for prayer] could be heard, when the Romanian troops' tanks struck the land mines, which exploded with a big bang. The tank [flew] into pieces and all the troops in them were killed. The wreckage of the tank and the flesh of the troops was scattered widely.

"The commander phoned me moments after the roadside bomb attack, and said it was very successful explosion. The scene I witnessed is permanently recorded in my mind, as the commander was dancing near the body parts of the Romanian troops. A man told me: "When the commander was dancing along with his colleagues, more Romanian troops arrived there and saw him [dancing]. They expressed shock over the dancing and asked the commander why they were dancing. The commander replied: 'This is our [traditional] condolence rituals which are observed on such occasions.'

"The Romanian troops were gathering the flesh of their troops, and the darkness was slowly spreading its wings over the area. The happiness provided to us by that evening attack on the aggressors multiplied our happiness of breaking the fast. While breaking the fast with cold water and… bread, we were feeling that it was still afternoon. That feeling still refreshes my memories and satisfies me that there are still youth in the National Army and Police who have love for their holy religion and the prophet, and who hate the aggressors and are ready to take revenge from them."

Source: Morchal (Afghanistan), October 2012

In separate interviews, excerpts from which are given below, key Taliban commanders Sirajuddin Haqqani, Mullah Mohammad Nadir Haqju, and Maulvi Abdul Ghani discuss jihadi activities in Afghanistan. Of the three named here, Sirajuddin Haqqani is the most influential militant commander, whose fighters have been mainly responsible for reviving the Taliban's war against the U.S. and NATO forces throughout Afghanistan since 2006. In addition to his leading role in jihad throughout Afghanistan, Sirajuddin Haqqani is also the Taliban's shadow governor of Khost province. In his interview, Sirajuddin Haqqani once again rejects the U.S. position that his Haqqani Network is not part of the Taliban in Afghanistan. However, critically, Haqqani propounds a view of global jihad in the interview.

Mullah Mohammad Nadir Haqju, who is 33 years-old, is the Taliban's shadow governor for Sar-e-Pul province. According to a note accompanying the interview, Mullah Mohammad Nadir Haqju is an Uzbek who was born in Al-Malik village of Sayyad district in Sar-e-Pul province. He went to Islamic seminaries in Afghanistan and Pakistan in early childhood, but could not study beyond sixth grade due to his preoccupation with jihad. He has fought in Jowzjan, Faryab, and Sar-e-Pul provinces of Afghanistan. Maulvi Abdul Ghani is the Taliban's shadow governor for Herat province, an important base of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The three interviews were published in recent issues of the Urdu-language publication Mahnama Shariat, produced by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban's shadow government led by Mullah Mohammad Omar). The Urdu monthly is most probably published from somewhere in Pakistan.

All three commanders discuss the recent jihadi activities in Afghanistan. The following are excerpts:

Commander Sirajuddin Haqqani – Taliban's Shadow Governor Of Khost Province

Commander Sirajuddin Haqqani: "Being Of A Muslim Faith I Have Firm Belief That The Way Our Predecessors, The Companions Of Prophet [Muhammad], Reached The Gates Of Rome And Persia Unarmed [We Too Will Reach]"

Following are excerpts from Sirajuddin Haqqani's interview:[1]

Question: "Introduction and identity are a part of Islamic culture, and it is also a culture in print [media]. Despite the fact that your personality needs no introduction, it would be good if you introduce yourself to the readers of Shariat."

Sirajuddin Haqqani: "My name is Sirajuddin Haqqani. I am son of Jalaluddin Haqqani. I am known by the name of Khalifa among Mujahideen. I am the governor of Khost province in accordance with the thought, suggestion and order of His Highness Emir-ul-Momineen [Mullah Mohammad Omar]."

Question: "Please inform Shariat readers about the health of venerated Islamic scholar and spotless flag-bearer against the two aggressive forces (Red Communism and Black Imperialism), respected Maulvi Jalaluddin Haqqani."

Sirajuddin Haqqani: "By the grace of Allah, he is much better and healthy now, although weakness is a natural thing with the growing age. I ask the Muslim ummah to pray for his good health and safety."

Question: "I had the opportunity to have seen Maulvi Jalaluddin Haqqani for the first time at Pakistan's prominent educational institution Jamia Darul Uloom Haqqania during the jihadi movement against Russia [in Afghanistan in the 1980s]. I found him a tall personality in white dress, and a pistol was hanging with his blue jihadi belt. His high robe was giving the victorious impression of Afghan jihadi pride. He was infusing jihadi passion with his passionate speech on the topic of Khilafat [caliphate]. Can he repeat the same examples of his jihadi youth?"

Sirajuddin Haqqani: "We always take suggestions from him on the continuing jihad. All praise is to Allah; all his suggestions based on his proven experience are a blessing for the Islamic Emirate [of Afghanistan]. He is physically weak but one can guess about his strong ambitions and iron will that he did not undergo the tiresome treatment in this sensitive time just because it would become a source of his being away from jihadi suggestions and battlefield…."

Question: "What are the things through which you people have started knocking at the doors of Kabul?"

Sirajuddin Haqqani: "All Praise is to Allah. Being of a Muslim faith I have firm belief that the way our predecessors, the Companions of Prophet, reached the gates of Rome and Persia unarmed [we too will reach]. To reach to our goals we have firm belief on this verse: 'How often a small group overcame a mighty host by Allah's leave.' [Chapter 2, Verse 249]"

Sirajuddin Haqqani On The U.S. Drone Attacks: "According To The Sayings Of Hazrat Umar (RA) [Second Caliph Of Islam]: If They Have More Arrows, Then We Have More Chests"

Question: "Collective martyrdom attacks have always been weakening the enemies of Islam and this land. What are those techniques or system through which they meet with success and inflict heavy losses to the enemies by breaking their lines despite all their security arrangements?"

Sirajuddin Haqqani: "As a Muslim and as a jihadi I say that it is the promise of Allah, who has no downfall, that He opens ways for the mujahideen himself. We achieve our goals with aid from Allah and with the programs made by the Administrative Commission of the Islamic Emirate."

Question: "You say that you follow the philosophical leadership of the Islamic Emirate and you consider waging jihad under the [Taliban's] white flag as an honor to you; and you have also reiterated this in your interviews that you find yourself dutifully abiding by the program issued by the Administrative Commission of the Islamic Emirate, but even then the Western propaganda machinery says that you are an independent network and they mention the name of Haqqani Network. How would you refute this and how would you make the Western world believe that you are an inseparable part of the Islamic Emirate?"

Sirajuddin Haqqani: "We are satisfied that there will not be any change in the stand of the Islamic Emirate and that is why we obey His Highness Emir-ul-Momineen [Mullah Mohammad Omar] without any materialistic [lust] and lust for post. All of our administration and work is going on under the Islamic Emirate and this proof is enough for the world on my part."

Question: "What would you say about the unmanned planes of the U.S. which give advantage to the occupation forces by its blind [indiscriminate] bombing? How effective are they and is there is any resource available to bring them down?"

Sirajuddin Haqqani: "According to the sayings of Hazrat Umar (RA) [second caliph of Islam] if they have more arrows, then we have more chests. The blind bombing by the drone aircraft are ineffective. The Muslim ummah should have patience that the Islamic Emirate believes in this verse from Holy Koran: 'they were plotting… and Allah too was plotting; and Allah is the Best of those who plot' against all the resources of the enemies."

Question: "As it is clear from photographs, lots of people have gathered at your training camps ready to sacrifice themselves [i.e. suicide attackers]. What measures do you take to sustain such a big system and how do you recruit people?"

Sirajuddin Haqqani: "The success of all efforts is based on Ikhlaas [purity of intention] and Taqwa [restraining from evil and fearing Allah]. All Praise is to Allah, the foundation of the Islamic Emirate is also on Ikhlaas and Taqwa; that is why we have faith in every department and individual of the Islamic Emirate. It is the result of the complete purity of heart of His Highness Emir-ul-Momineen that each and every department of the Islamic Emirate is working in a better way without any search and inquiry."

"The Honorable People Of Afghanistan … Should Thank The Endless Sacrifices Of The Empty-Handed Taliban Brothers And Give Them All Sorts Of Assistance…."

Question: "You people carried out a big attack on the U.S. base in the areas of Sehra Bagh in Khost, so much so that the U.S. itself admitted the death and injury to the occupation forces. What is the reliable counting [death toll], according to you? Please also tell us as what was the technique through which you could send the martyrdom bombers inside the base?"

Sirajuddin Haqqani: "Yes of course, according to our best information it can be said this much that before that mission 70 people were killed in the restaurant [inside the U.S. military base] while 43 were seriously injured and about 100 partly. So far we have not received any information about the second attack. To know about our technique watch the film Badri 2."

Question: "Do you have more programs for such tooth-breaking attacks?"

Sirajuddin Haqqani: "Yes, of course. There are [many], for they are not our friends!"

Question: "What do you say about the Al-Farooq Operation of the current year?"

Sirajuddin Haqqani: "Al-Farooq was the laqab [appellation] of second caliph of Islam Hazrat Umar Farooq. As a good tiding and due to the blessing of the name, we would see the occupation forces going out of Afghanistan."

Question: "Would you like to tell us as how much loss has been inflicted through the Al-Farooq Operation, which began in the beginning of the spring this year?"

Sirajuddin Haqqani: "Since we are involved in the administrative field, that's why working is our responsibility and counting is yours."

Question: "You must be remembering many incidents during your jihadi life. Which one of them would you like to narrate to the readers of Shariat?"

Sirajuddin Haqqani: "There have been many incidents in the current decade of jihad, but lack of time doesn't allow this narrative…."

Question: "Shariat Monthly is the resonance of the mujahideen's voice and its workers are waging jihad with the pen for the success of this continuing jihad… What do you say on this?"

Sirajuddin Haqqani: "Mujahideen have a very positive opinion towards the dedicated workers of Shariat Monthly. You have delivered your full services to represent us in the field of broadcast and print. I and all other mujahideen are happy with you. May Allah keep you happy!"

Question: "The Taliban mujahideen have created a world record of their devoted activities. The coming generation would feel proud on their sense of honor. Do you have any message for those mujahideen or general public?"

Sirajuddin Haqqani: "The Taliban's world record is not their achievement but it is the blessing of Allah. I advise all workers of the Islamic Emirate to maintain Ikhlaas, Taqwa, obedience, brotherhood, and sacrifice. My message to the honorable people of Afghanistan is that they should thank the endless sacrifices of the empty-handed Taliban brothers and give them all sorts of assistance in the field of services…."

Commander Mohammad Nadir Haqju – Taliban's Shadow Governor Of Sar-e-Pul Province

Commander Mohammad Nadir Haqju: "The Jihadi Activities Began In Sar-e-Pul Five Years Ago For The First Time Against The Americans"; "Four Years Ago, I Was Given The Charge Of The Jihadi Activities Of Sar-e-Pul Province"

Following are excerpts from Mohammad Nadir Haqju's interview:[2]

Question: "Respected Haqju Sahib! We welcome you. Please tell us about the overall situation in the Sar-e-Pul province and tell us how the jihadi activities started in the region?"

Mohammad Nadir Haqju: "All praise is to Him and peace be on the merciful Prophet… Sar-e-Pul province is in the northern provinces of Afghanistan and its boundaries meet with Jowzjan, Faryab, Samangan, Bamiyan, and Ghor. It is spread over 15,999 sq km. This province consists of Sayyad, Syedabad, Sozma Qala, Sangcharak, Balkhab, Kohistanat [hilly region], and Gosfandi, besides the provincial capital (Sar-e-Pul Bazar).

"The jihadi activities began in Sar-e-Pul five years ago for the first time against the Americans. In the beginning we were eight people who initiated jihad in Sayyad district. Since the pressure from the enemy was much, we had no place to live and sustain ourselves in the plain and populated areas. That is why for three months we lived in mountains, caves, and under big rocks. At times we used to climb down in extreme secrecy to the lowland for activities.

"Other mujahideen from Jowzjan, Faryab, and other provinces were also in contact with us. Some of their companions used to sometimes join us in our activities. In the beginning the jihadi activities were not administered at a provincial level, but we used to carry out our actions jointly. After some time we began our Dawati [call to Islam] activities in the cities and populated areas. At that time there were four villages in Sayyad district that helped us. Later, when many mujahideen joined us from Sar-e-Pul and adjoining areas, then we increased in great numbers and Sayyad district came under our control to a greater extent.

"Four years ago, I was given the charge of the jihadi activities of Sar-e-Pul province by the Islamic Emirate [of Afghanistan]. At that time the total number of our armed companions was 70. We also established training camp there and spread our activities to other areas where people welcomed us cordially. Later we started our recruitment at Syedabad, capital Sar-e-Pul, Sangcharak, Kohistanat, Sozma Qala, and Gosfandi also. And by the Grace of Allah, our activities are continuing in all the districts except Balkhab; and most of the areas of the province have been conquered."

"Only Balkhab Is The Area Where We Don't Have Recruits"; "The People Of Balkhab Are From A Shi'ite Sect And They Had Links With Hizb-e-Wahdat [Party] Earlier"

Question: "Please brief us about the current situation in Sar-e-Pul as to how mujahideen are there and what situation the enemies are faced with?"

Mohammad Nadir Haqju: "It would be appropriate to say that the current year [2012] has been of great importance as regards the victories of jihadis. If [earlier] mujahideen had only symbolic control and occupation in some of the districts of the province, now they have significant control over all the districts except Balkhab, and their communication network has spread on a wide scale. For example, district Syedabad, which is situated close to the center and the road from Sar-e-Pul to Jowzjan passes through it, is considered as a very strong front of the mujahideen. There are several villages situated in the east of that road which are all under the mujahideen control. mujahideen are even capable of going up to the door of the city. Mujahideen have suzerainty in the areas west of the road also.

"If we talk about the headquarters of Sar-e-Pul, then two big areas called Sheeram and Neemdan which consist of many villages are openly included in the mujahideen's control. Sheeram is such a big area that the mujahideen regard it as a separate district, and many villages in the south and west of the capital are also under mujahideen control. For example, mujahideen have built so much pressure in Laghman, Adrang, Lati, and adjoining areas that enemies have to make security arrangements every night afresh to safeguard themselves from the expected mujahideen attacks. A few months ago, mujahideen attacked the central jail of Sar-e-Pul and were successful in freeing many mujahideen by breaking into the jail. Readers may guess from this the reach and capability of the mujahideen.

"Mujahideen have reduced their presence to some extent in Sayyad district, which is the main land of the birth and growth of the mujahideen. Enemies have increased their pressure there and soldiers from Almania [sic, possibly Albania] have established their bases there. Mujahideen have brought down their presence heavily to avoid the raids from enemies and instead have put all their power in other areas. Even now a large number of mujahideen are present in Sayyad, and they keep attacking enemies from time to time.

"The region of Kohistanat, which is very large, has been divided into four parts. Pogan, Chikan, and Charas are the three areas where Mujahideen openly rule. The enemies have no influence and presence there. Enemies have symbolic control over the area known as Istarab only, which is the district headquarters. Mujahideen are present here also and they don't allow the enemies to freely move or rule. By the grace of Allah, mujahideen got significant success this year in the districts of Sozma Qala, Gosfandi, and Sangcharak. There has been a notable increase in Mujahideen's activities and people's support this year in these areas…. These three districts are the most populous districts of the province and most of the areas consist of gardens and orchards. Dozens of villages in the area are under mujahideen's control and all the people here are mujahideen's supporters.

"Gosfandi district is the area which borders with Balkh province and it is under mujahideen command openly. The killing of the enemies' commander, whose name was Shahzada, at a village in Sozma Qala is an obvious victory. He was killed some time ago in a mujahideen attack. Balkhab is the only area where we don't have our recruits, and the reason behind it is the lack of people's support only. The people of Balkhab are from a Shi'ite sect and they had links with Hizb-e-Wahdat [party] earlier. The same way the jihadi activities are weak in the areas of Bamiyan and Daikundi in the whole of Afghanistan, we have not had any significant success in Balkhab."

"[The Anti-Taliban Militiamen] Are Very Few In Number, But After Becoming Armed They Are Oppressing People, And Their Influence Is Also Increasing In The Area"

Question: "Enemies are making this propaganda, that they have distributed weapons to thousands of people in Sar-e-Pul and have armed them in the name of Arbakians [anti-Taliban militia]. What is the truth behind this news?"

Mohammad Nadir Haqju: "Enemies have truly distributed weapons in limited areas of Sar-e-Pul, and in their overconfidence have taken services of the Arbakians, but it has no impact on our activities. You know that the people of Sar-e-Pul are extremely religious and practicing [Muslims]; they have given important sacrifices for the mujahideen during the past few years. Later, when the enemies made the thieves, dacoits, and goons Arbakians by arming them, then these people unleashed extreme tyranny on them. In this situation common people who have been very true to the mujahideen from the very beginning contacted the mujahideen. They told mujahideen that there are some people who have been armed by the enemies.

"They [the anti-Taliban militiamen] are very few in number, but after getting armed they are oppressing people, and their influence is also increasing in the area. When these people came against the local people… then people in some areas took away their weapons, and the enemies announced that they have recruited hundreds of Arbakians. But this has harmed the enemies rather than benefitting them. That is why these people do not come in the way of mujahideen; instead they are supporting mujahideen fully, as earlier. They have made the government believe that they are Arbakians, but they have gotten armed to safeguard them from the dacoits and goons and they have love and support for mujahideen as usual.

"The Arbakians, who are there in Sayyad district and south of the center, are confidants of mujahideen and whenever the enemies enter those areas they inform mujahideen beforehand. Thus, ten percent of our mujahideen are fighting against the enemies with their weapons only. Some of the mujahideen themselves have gotten weapons from the enemies, and for some their relatives have procured them the weapons. That is why we can say that mujahideen have faced no loss with the distribution of weapons there; instead we have gotten help at several occasions."

"Enemies Are Trying To Create Distance Between The Mujahideen And The Common People"; "Due To The Grace Of Pure Jihad... Sacrifice, And General Welfare, The Hearts Of Sar-e-Pul People Are With The Mujahideen"

Question: "An important issue in Sar-e-Pul has been the incidents of making schoolgirls unconscious [by poisoning their meals at school]. Enemies have blamed it on the Taliban. It would be better if some information regarding this is given."

Mohammad Nadir Haqju: "There has been one incident after another of making unconscious the schoolgirls and teachers of three schools in Sar-e-Pul in the last ten days of June this year. These are the incidents which have been done by the enemies in different areas of the country. I can say only this much about these incidents - that they are the enemies' plot to defame the mujahideen… Since the enemies have failed in competing with mujahideen militarily, that is why the enemies are trying to create distance between the mujahideen and the common people by getting gas thrown on girls and blaming the mujahideen for that.

"To achieve this goal, the enemies also exploded bombs at many educational institutions, clinics, and other public service institutions. Enemies threw gas one after another for three days on girls and schools in the city [of Sar-e-Pul] and made hundreds of girls unconscious. They did not stop there. Their security personnel sexually harassed these girls at the time of admission and transfer to the hospital.

"The people from those areas called us and complained about them and narrated their brutalities… It has now been evident that such crimes can be committed by the rioting government and security and secret [intelligence] personnel… Keeping these incidents in view I can say that the Afghan Muslim people should beware of enemies' designs… People should recognize the real culprits behind these incidents and should punish them for their crime by supporting the mujahideen."

Question: "Respected Haqju Sahib… I would be grateful if you add something more to the above-mentioned information."

Mohammad Nadir Haqju: "Thank you, brother. In a nutshell I would like to say that this area has become a strong front of the mujahideen by the grace of sacrifices of general public and the mujahideen of Sar-e-Pul. People here are very sympathetic to the mujahideen, and due to their support mujahideen keep getting aid and supplies from all sides, and the jihadi situation is better now on the whole… The contemporary and religious educational institutions are fully active in all cities and villages of Sar-e-Pul now.

"We have a separate editorial department for Madaris [Islamic seminaries] in every district and in those far-flung autonomous areas of Kohistanat where even government doesn't have control. Recently, the Islamic Emirate has made educational institutions active and has begun the work of guiding people on religious lines. Due to the grace of pure jihad, truthfulness, sincerity, sacrifice, and general welfare, the hearts of Sar-e-Pul people are with the mujahideen. They have broken all previous relations and have now opened their hearts and eyes for mujahideen only. Mujahideen should also give respect to the people in return for their support. Such programs should be initiated on bigger scale which; this could become a source of public welfare, facilities, ease, and confidence. Similarly, special attention should be given to the education and training of children…."

Commander Maulvi Abdul Ghani – Taliban's Shadow Governor Of Herat Province

Commander Maulvi Abdul Ghani: "Jihad Is... Spread Throughout The Province; Shindand, Adraskan, Gulran, Rabab Sangi, Kushk Kuhna, Obe, Chisht And Ghoryan Districts Of Herat ... Have Mostly Been Conquered"

Following are excerpts from Maulvi Abdul Ghani's interview:[3]

Question: "Respected Maulvi Sahib! First of all we welcome you… Please tell our readers about the present jihadi situation in Herat in detail, and also on the overall situation there."

Maulvi Abdul Ghani: "All Praise is for Him [Allah] and peace be on the merciful Prophet. First of all, I convey my Salam to all of your readers. Regarding Herat province, I would like to say that the jihadi work is in good condition in comparison with the past. It is not only that our recruiting activities are going on in all the districts of Herat, including its capital, but all the orders that are issued as Laiha [strategy] by the Islamic Emirate [of Afghanistan] are also followed actively in all the districts of Herat. Besides that, practical jihad is also spread throughout the province. Shindand, Adraskan, Gulran, Rabab Sangi, Kushk Kuhna, Obe, Chisht, and Ghoryan districts of Herat are those areas which have mostly been conquered; that is, the mujahideen have control in all those and adjoining areas and Mustazad Guzrah, Zindajan, Injeel, Pashtun, Zarghun, and Karkh [all phonetics] are the areas where enemies have only symbolic occupation and the mujahideen are so powerful there that enemies cannot move easily.

"Let me tell you about the occupation and stability of enemies in Herat. Their control has become very weak there. Now some Americans are present in the center, Shindand and Obe districts only. The area of Zirkoh [lower hills] in Shindand district is a thickly populated area and it is an important area. Earlier, there were many camps and checkposts of the Arbakians [anti-Taliban militias]. Now the enemies have fled from those camps and most of the Arbakians have also surrendered. Now these vast areas, where thousands of families live, have been taken from the enemies except the Bakhtabad village where internal and external forces have their control.

"Now the enemies rely totally on this mercenary... Milli forcess (Afghan National Army) which are hiding in different districts. This is the reason that the foreign forces' control has gone down heavily. Local militias (Arbaki) are present in very small numbers in Shindand, Kushki Kuhna, Obe and Islam Qala only. Now they are surrendering every day before the mujahideen in those areas also."

"The Biggest Successes Of Herat's Mujahideen Were That The People Who Were Working In Different Security Agencies At Various Places In Herat Joined The Mujahideen"

Question: "Would you like to reveal information regarding the successes of Al-Farooq Operation?"

Maulvi Abdul Ghani: "All praise is to Allah. The Al-Farooq Operation has got some important successes in Herat province too, like the whole of Afghanistan. After the announcement of that operation there have been 118 attacks and explosions in the whole of Herat in which enemies have suffered great losses. And more successful actions have also begun in the central city [of Herat] due to the grace of mujahideen's strive. You know that Herat is the biggest and most important city in western Afghanistan and enemies have also been giving all their attention to defend it.

"But despite all hindrances from the enemies and due to the blessings of sacrifices from the mujahideen, enemies are being attacked even at the gates of the city. 'Til the mid of Ramadan-ul-Mubarak [9th month of Islamic calendar, July-August 2012] there were seven impactful operations in Herat. At times the enemies' soldiers were targeted with silencer rifles and hand grenades were hurled on enemies' centers. Similarly, the ranger vehicles of the enemies were destroyed by bomb at Chaurangi, which is very near to the provincial headquarters…."

Question: "You have talked about the enemies laying down weapons. It would be better if you give its details."

Maulvi Abdul Ghani: "Why not? The biggest successes of Herat's mujahideen were that the people who were working in different security agencies at various places in Herat joined the mujahideen, leaving the ranks of enemies due to the grace of Dawat-o-Irshad program [i.e. the Taliban's recruitment drive]. They not only joined the mujahideen themselves but also gave many weapons to the mujahideen. We have not counted those who have surrendered so far, but it can be said that in recent days 159 people in Shindand, 26 in Adraskan, four in Obe district, and 21 in Chisht have joined the mujahideen along with heavy and light weapons in great numbers, wireless sets and motorcycles. The enemies have surrendered in other districts of Herat also and this [phenomenon] continues 'til present.

"The incidents of surrender are happening more because this year the Islamic Emirate set up a commission in the name of Dawat-o-Irshad which attempts to make the Afghans, who are fighting for the enemies only for money, realize their fault. This commission has worked in Herat also, like all over Afghanistan, and so far good results are being seen. Allah willing, we hope that the enemy would remain alone due to the blessings of this work of Dawat-o-Irshad and which would be a source of their failure. This is also becoming possible for us to inflict losses on the enemies without any fighting or any loss to us; and on the other hand this would also have an effect on enemies' moral and they would be frustrated with their future."

"All The Borders Of Iran Which Meet With Afghanistan In Herat Are In Complete Control Of The mujahideen"; "The long Mazar-Herat Highway, Which The Enemy Convoy Use For Their Supplies, Is Attacked Always By The Mujahideen"

Question: "You had said a few moments ago that lots of areas have been freed from the presence of enemies. Didn't the enemy take any measure to reoccupy them? If they took any such measure, what was the result? The Defense Ministry of Kabul always says that they are carrying out a campaign in the name of 'Umeed' [hope]. They make claims every day that they have occupied many areas. Similarly, they claim to be martyring the mujahideen and arresting them in operations every day. What is the reality of their claim with regard to Herat?"

Maulvi Abdul Ghani: "There is no doubt that the Karzai government has been defeated at the practical fronts; now they want to change this defeat into victory by making baseless claims and propaganda. I have already said that foreigners have very little control in Herat now and they seldom participate in operations now. Enemies [the U.S. forces] rely more on the [Afghan] National Army that has been created by the Ministry of Defense. In the past few months the internal army of the enemies, which at times have foreigners also [in their teams], carried out operations many times in Guzara, Rabat Sangi, and lower hilly areas of Shindand, but they could not achieve anything except heavy losses and defeat. They could neither injure nor arrest any mujahideen.

"Let me tell you about the losses to the mujahideen. After the beginning of the Al-Farooq Operation, only ten mujahideen were martyred and seven injured in the whole of Herat. These losses are very less in comparison to 118 operations. These mujahideen were martyred in face-to-face combat with the enemies and not in any operation by the enemies."

Question: "Herat province borders Turkmenistan and Iran, and thus is called the western gate of the country [Afghanistan], through which pass very important routes for supplies. It would be great if we are informed as who controls these routes."

Maulvi Abdul Ghani: "Insofar as borders are concerned, all the borders of Iran which meet with Afghanistan in Herat are in complete control of the mujahideen. That is to say that the Karzai government does not have any control over a long strip except the door of Raghandi, and the defense administration on the border is also in the hands of the mujahideen. The plains areas near Shindand and Gulran districts along the Iranian border are under Mujahideen control. Mujahideen don't have control over Islam Qala areas.

"Let me tell you about the routes for supplies; these routes are also under mujahideen control. It is impossible for the enemy to pass through these routes peacefully. The long Mazar-Herat Highway, which the enemy convoys use for their supplies, is attacked always by the mujahideen. Mujahideen can block this route permanently at Sabzak but since public transport is more on this route, that is why they block it when they wish to attack the enemies' convoy, and then they reopen it."

"Now Foreign Forces Are Leaving Afghanistan Gradually, And We Have Seen The Numbers Of Their Camps And Check-posts Reduced In Herat Also"

Question: "Maulvi Sahib, do you have any message for the people and mujahideen of Herat or Afghanistan which we could take to them through this magazine?"

Maulvi Abdul Ghani: "May Allah give you better rewards. History is witness that people of Herat have been the lovers of religion and followers of Islam and the mujahideen. It would be evident to you if you look at the recent past history that the people's movement against the Communist revolution began in Herat first. The people of Herat presented 26,000 martyrs at the beginning of the jihad against Russia [in the 1980s]. This is the open proof of jihadi aspirations of the people of Herat….

"For those who are involved in practical jihad, for them I don't have any message except that they keep steadfast to their chosen jihadi path and not to come under the influence of enemies' propaganda and ideological attacks. The path of jihad that they have chosen is the only way of honor and success in this world and Hereafter. The enemies are trying to instigate the fire of hypocrisy within the mujahid people of Herat and do away with their passion for unity, religiosity and love for religion and nation. Therefore, the people should keep an eye on the nefarious designs of enemies and maintain their unity.

"Now foreign forces are leaving Afghanistan gradually and we have seen the numbers of their camps and check-posts getting reduced in Herat also. Similarly, we have such proofs (of the loosening grip of enemies) in other parts of Afghanistan also …. Mujahideen should keep their morale high so that the presence of enemy gets folded from this country openly by the help of Allah and this land becomes easy for the [establishment of] glittering and pure Islamic system…."

Endnotes:

[1] Mahnama Shariat (Afghanistan/Pakistan), October 2012.

[2] Mahnama Shariat (Afghanistan/Pakistan), August 2012.

[3] Mahnama Shariat (Afghanistan/Pakistan), September 2012.

The militant group was named after the famous Tora Bora mountains in Afghanistan, which was the military base of Maulvi Muhammad Younas Khalis; it was later developed by Al-Qaeda and served as a base for Arab fighters. Anwarul Haq Mujahid was arrested by Pakistani security agencies a few years ago in Peshawar. Recent media reports indicate that Anwarul Haq was released, along with a dozen Taliban leaders, by the Pakistani government in a joint peace bid with Afghanistan.[2]

Maulvi Muhammad Younas Khalis had been strongly opposed to the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, and was considered to be very close to the Al-Qaeda leadership. He left Afghanistan in October 2003 and died at an undisclosed location in July 2006. During a meeting in the White House in 1987, the late jihadi leader had reportedly asked then-U.S. President Ronald Ragan to convert to Islam.

"Da Mujahid Kitab" Was Authored By Late Chechen Commander Shamil Basaev, Has Been Distributed In Peshawar As Well As In Afghanistan

"Da Mujahid Kitab" was authored by late Chechen commander Abdullah Shamil Abu Idris aka Shamil Basaev in March 2004, and has been translated into Pashtu and distributed by the Culture Commission of the Tora Bora Front in Peshawar, the capital city of Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, as well as in Afghanistan.

The 180-page book is considered to be a guideline for Islamic militants, and explains what should be a fighter's philosophy, character, experience, tactics and strategy in the light of the Koran and Sunnah (the deeds and sayings of Prophet Muhammad). The translator dedicates his work to Maulvi Muhammad Younas Khalis, Chechen commander Shamil Basaev, Taliban martyrs, and other mujahideen fighting against the Afghan and U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan.

In addition to a preface by translator Asim Andaleeb and a note by the editor of Tora Bora jihadi magazine Jamaluddin Adeeb about the importance of the book in the ongoing war between the Taliban and the U.S.-led forces, the book consists of 73 chapters which are titled as: 1-Jihad, 2-Mujahid, 3-Kindness, 4-Learning, 5-Experience, 6-Stratagem, 7-Strategy, 8-Incompleteness (Shortcomings), 9-Confrontation, 10-Tactics, 11-Persistence, 12-Sufferings, 13-Problems or Hardships, 14-Wisdom, 15-Risk, 16-Perseverance, 17-Resolve, 18-Partnership, 19-Generosity, 20-Prayer, 21-Victory, 22-Loneliness, 23-Love, 24-Justice, 25-Patience, 26-Fear, 27-Composure, 28-Hatred, 29-Faith, 30-Presentiment, 31-Rest, 32-Duty, 33-Trifles, 34-Self-confidence, 35-Confidence in others, 36-Preparedness, 37-Responsibility, 38-Hypocrisy, 39-Freedom, 40-Negotiations, 41-Care, 42-Envy, 43-Courage, 44-Independence, 45- Martyrs (Loss of lives), 46-Thoughts, 47-Inspiration, 48-Help, 49-Evil Sight, 50-Repentance, 51-Mistakes, 52-Consequences, 53-Cowardice, 54-Memory, 55-Sorrow, 56-Intrigues, 57-Conspiracy, 58-Stupidity, 59-Betrayal, 60-Goal, 61-Anger, 62-Equality, 63-Agreement, 64-Martyr, 65-Du'a (Prayer), 66-Fasting, 67-Asceticism, 68-Decency, 69-Sincerity, 70-Modesty, 71-Discipline, 72-Politeness, 73-Purity.

In his note, Jalaluddin Adeeb observes: "The book is studded with pearls that only jewellers who know its worth... Shaheed Shamil speaks very softly and politely to his fighter. He speaks from his heart. Some of his points are very clear and open, while some are wrapped in numerous covers. The book polishes the heart and wisdom of a Mujahid, teaches him the manners of a civilized fighter, and gives him the courage to choose between the right and the falsehood."

Translator Asim Andaleeb: The Book Discusses All Aspects Of The Life Of A "Real Mujahid"

Asim Andaleeb, the translator, notes in the preface the struggle of Commander Shamil Basaev for the freedom of Chechnya from Russia, observing: "Nothing could stop General Abdullah Shamil Abu Idris Basaev's struggle in jihad. He fought the enemy for ... religion and soil, and gave the message of jihad to the Muslims of the world and stressed unity in Ummah." He says the book discusses all aspects of the life of a "real Mujahid" and guides him towards his responsibilities is the outcome of the jihadi life.

In Chapter 2 (titled "Mujahid"), the definition of a fighter is given as: "A Mujahid is one who takes active part in jihad with his property and his soul for Allah, and who is capable of comprehending the miracle of life and to fight till the end for what he believes in.... A Mujahid ardently desires to receive the reward from Allah for fulfilment of jihad, which is the most important religious duty of a Muslim.

"Allah says: 'Go forth light and heavy, and strive hard in Allah's way with your property and your persons; this is better for you, if you know.' (The Immunity, 41) The Prophet [Muhammad] said: 'A mujahid is one who fights against his passions.' (At-Tirmizi and Ahmad)"

Following are excerpts from the chapter:

"A Mujahid sticks to monotheism and renounces polytheism,

"He sticks to the truth and renounces lies,

"He sticks to justice and renounces injustice and oppression,

"He sticks to honesty and renounces treason,

"He sticks to faithfulness and renounces guile,

"He obeys his parents and renounces disobedience to them.

"He maintains relations with his kin and does not sever them,

"He maintains good-neighbourly relations and does no harm to his neighbours.

"A mujahid clings to any good manners and rejects any vileness.

"A mujahid looks closely into a child's eyes, for they are the ones that get to see the world without sorrows. When a mujahid wants to know whether someone beside him is trustworthy, he tries to see it with eyes of a child. He never loses sight of what is being created for centuries to come, and he remembers how firm these bonds are and how powerless the time is before them."

"A mujahid knows that enemies exist in order to test his Faith (Iman), his courage, his perseverance, his ability to make decisions, and his patience. The enemies are making him fight for the sake of fulfilling his duty before Almighty Allah."

The Chapter on stratagem notes:

"Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: War is a stratagem!

"A mujahid remembers the words said by Umar Ibn Al-Khattab [the second caliph of Islam], which were said to Saad Ibn Abu Waqas: 'I am ordering you and your mujahideen to always be upright because truthfulness is the best weapon against the enemy and the best stratagem in a war.'

"A Mujahid will never go for guile. Yet he can make the enemy confused and misled. However a strong desire of victory may overwhelm him, still to achieve the desired goal he does not ... play a game; and this is where he becomes a strategist. When he feels that he runs out of power, he makes the enemy think that he is just in no hurry to go anywhere. When he is going to attack the right flank, he brings his troops towards the left flank. When he is about to engage in a battle immediately, he pretends that drowsiness came over him and that he is about to go to sleep.

"'Look how low his morale fell,' his friends say. But the mujahid pays no heed to their remarks, for even his friends will not have to partake of the stratagems and tricks that he uses in battle. A mujahid knows what he wants."

Endnotes:

[1] Ansar1.info, accessed November 16, 2012.

[2] http://www.memrijttm.org/content/en/blog_personal.htm?id=6373¶m=UPP, November 15, 2012.

In a recent article, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the fugitive Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan chief who has been in talks with U.S. and Afghan officials, has argued that the reelected U.S. President Barack Obama should take into confidence the Afghan jihadi forces in order to reach a political settlement in Afghanistan.

The group led by Hekmatyar is the second largest group of militants in Afghanistan, after the Taliban.

The article, titled "Obama's Reelection and the Afghan Issue," is published under the name "Musamem" – widely believed to be a pen name of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Local journalists in Afghanistan and Pakistan believe that Gulbuddin Hekmatyar uses several other pen names as well, among them "Haqpal," "Haqmal," and "Abdul Rahman."

The article appeared in Wrazpanra Shahadat, a Pashtu-language daily published in the city of Peshawar and distributed in Afghanistan. Peshawar has been the main base of Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan in recent years, and he group's above-ground leaders have held frequent meetings in Peshawar. Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan has also been in recent talks on the future of Afghanistan with U.S. and Afghan officials.

Following are excerpts from the article:

"Osama Bin Laden And Al-Qaeda Were Unjust Pretexts For Occupying Afghanistan"; "The Brave Mujahideen Prevented Them From Having Their Way"

"As he did previously, [during his 2012 election campaign] Obama set aside international issues and focused on the U.S.'s domestic issues. This slogan helped him defeat his rival [Mitt Romney]. U.S. politics are not restricted only to the president, as the Senate and the Pentagon also play key roles in it, and without these the hands of the president are tied while the final decisions are made by the Pentagon.

"The Afghanistan issue has become a cancer for Americans, as they are facing some basic problems in connection with their troops' stay in Afghanistan. Financial expenditures and the cost [of the war] have broken their backbone, and they can no longer afford it; the American nation's hatred for war has reached its final stage, following the [arrival of the] coffins of American troops killed in the unjust war that began under America's leadership; the [American] people are fed up with the unaffordable taxes being collected on various pretexts.

"[In addition,] 22 million people have lost jobs. This is another headache for the American rulers, and the implications will be very bad if they fail to solve this problem.

"Besides these problems, taking control of Afghanistan, due to its strategic importance, is the Americans' long-awaited wish, and they want this wish fulfilled. The shaheed [martyr] Osama bin Laden, and Al-Qaeda, were unjust pretexts for occupying occupy Afghanistan. However, the brave mujahideen prevented them from having their way, by sacrificing their lives."

"The Americans And The Fuel Supply Contractors Are 50-50 Partners [In Corruption Involving Contracts] And Have Become Owners Of Huge Assets"

"Now, let us come to the point about what the occupation of Afghanistan has yielded:

"a) [In order to install a pliant government of their choice], they [the Americans] put together a mixture of people during meetings held in hotels in the U.S. and other Western countries, and [Afghan] people who are communists, anti-Islam, anti-Afghan and prejudiced against some ethnic groups [in Afghanistan], establishing the foundation of such a government that is indulging in corruption. The Americans are also hand in glove with them. Massive projects, companies and contracts are awarded in exchange for huge bribes, and the stink has reached as far as the U.S.

"The Americans and the fuel supply contractors are 50-50 partners [in corruption involving contracts] and have become owners of huge assets. For example, the communist Gen. Baba Jan is now the owner of around 2,500 oil supply vehicles. The governors are also hand in glove with the Americans in embezzling funds for reconstruction projects. A race of bribes continues to get contracts for mines.

"b) The Americans have restricted the central [Afghan government] to a specific zone; for example, Balkh Provincial Governor Atta Muhammad Noor is a man favored by the Americans. He gives no importance to [President Hamid] Karzai, and has direct dealing with the Americans and other Western countries. The same is true for the corrupt governor of Nangarhar.

"c) It is surprising that 114,000 companies have joined hands with Americans to loot this small country.

"d) Internal mafia and Americans are also engaged in poppy cultivation and drug trafficking."

"It Is A Matter Of Shame That 141 Members Of The [Afghan] Parliament Went On Pilgrimage To The Kaaba [In Mecca, Saudi Arabia] At Government Expense"

"Now, look at the so-called Afghan government:

"i) The peddlers of faith, and the winners of the dollars, are busy achieving their personal interests. The people occupying key posts in the government are enjoying all illegal privileges, while those who consider themselves the opposition are continuing a drama...

"ii) Absolute lawlessness is the hallmark of three organs of the state, and the national exchequer is at their mercy. It is a matter of shame that 141 members of the parliament went on pilgrimage to the Kaaba [in Mecca, Saudi Arabia] at government expense. The same is true for the Supreme Court and ministries.

"iii) [Water and Power] Minister Ismail Khan and Atta Muhammad Noor are openly and actively working on creating another tragic game. Problems have progressed to the final stage."

"Russia Asked The U.S. Not To Push Up The Withdrawal From Afghanistan; It Seems That The Russians Want To See The Americans Buried In The Quagmire Of Afghanistan"

"Now, let's come to our real aim:

"Karzai criticized Obama's politics on various occasions. He thought that ... [the Republicans] would win the presidency, and that he would assure them of his friendship in advance. [But] Karzai's thinking and assessment proved wrong. This itself shows differences between the incumbent U.S. rulers and Karzai.

"Russia asked the U.S. not to push up the withdrawal from Afghanistan. It that seems the Russians want to see the Americans buried in the quagmire of Afghanistan, and take revenge on them. They also want to strengthen pro-Russian elements under the military presence of Americans in Afghanistan and use them whenever they need.

"If Obama and his team have a bit of farsightedness, they will investigate the structure of the Kabul government, their own loss of life and property, the humiliation of their own political cruelty and aggression and loss of trust....

"The servants of Russians [i.e. pro-Russia elements in Afghanistan] will only serve the interests of Russia, no matter how much loyalty they show the Americans. Reforming the rejected Kabul government is impossible. Pinning hopes on this puppet government will bring more humiliation and will yield no positive outcome."

"It Is A Good Opportunity For Obama, As Well As In His Interest, To Show Farsightedness And Find A Just And Permanent Solution To The Issue, By Taking Jihadi Forces Into Confidence"

"It is only just that the Americans drop this burden from their shoulders, and that the real heroes of the nation and the mujahideen of Rah-e-Haq ["the right path"] and the nation should sit together and find a just solution to the problem…

"Dreaming of the occupation forces' stay and their success in Afghanistan [beyond 2014] is nothing but self-deception. The Americans and other countries should accept the rights of the Muslim Afghans, before they are forced by further humiliation to find solutions to the problem.

"It is a good opportunity for Obama, as well as in his interest, to show farsightedness and find a just and permanent solution to the issue, by taking jihadi forces into confidence. The Americans should know that thinking of a military solution is a waste of time, and will result only in humiliation."

Source: Dailyshahadat.com, Pakistan, November 13, 2012

Note to media and government: For a full copy of these reports, send an email with the title of the report in the subject line to media@memri.org. Please include your name, title, and organization in your email. 

·         In Interviews, Sirajuddin Haqqani And Two Other Taliban Commanders Articulate Global Jihad And Discuss Jihadi Activities In Afghan Provinces

·         Taliban's Tora Bora Front Distributes 73-Chapter Pashtu-Language 'Book Of A Mujahid' In Pakistan-Afghanistan Border Region

·         Gulbuddin Hekmatyar On Obama's Reelection: "It Is A Good Opportunity For Obama... [To] Find A Just... Solution To The [Afghan] Issue – By Taking Jihadi Forces Into Confidence"

Poster announcing the conference

Introduction

Seeking the enforcement of Islamic shari'a in Pakistan, British Islamist leaders have announced a "Shariah4Pakistan" conference for November 30, 2012, to be held at the Red Mosque of Islamabad, a highly controversial site where Pakistan Army carried out a military operation against armed jihadist students and Taliban militants in 2007. The venue seems to have been chosen with an aim at Pakistan's struggling democratic and liberal activists, especially at a critical time when Pakistan is faced with the strengthening of jihadist forces in the run-up to the scheduled withdrawal of the U.S. and NATO troops from neighboring Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

The conference's stated objective is to launch the Shari4Pakistan Project, which is aimed at enforcement of Islamic shari'a rule in Pakistan. Following the announcement of the venue, the Islamist leaders came under pressure, clarifying afterwards a minor change that the conference would be held outside the mosque.

The group's five-point program for the day, as described in the poster above, includes:

• A discussion of the kufr (non-Islamic) nature of the Pakistani constitution, to be led by Islamic preacher Abu Walaa;
• The declaration of a fatwa (Islamic decree) by Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad against teen Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, who is currently recovering from an attack by the Taliban for penning an online diary in early 2009 that catalogued the day-to-day enforcement of Islamic shari'a by Taliban militants;
• A lecture on Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah focusing on his betrayal of Islam – notwithstanding the fact that he established the Islamic nation of Pakistan for India's Muslims of India – to be delivered by young radical British Muslim Abu Baraa;
• A lecture declaring Pakistani President Asif Zardari an apostate, which could lead to a call for his assassination, to be delivered by Abu Rumaysah, a former Hindu; and
• A speech by guest speaker Anjem Choudary, Judge of the Shariah Court of UK, on how Pakistan can be transformed into a shari'a-compliant state. Shariah4Pakistan is seeking to uproot the foundations of Pakistan – in an attempt to establish an Islamic caliphate.

Of the speakers named above, the most prominent is Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad, a radical cleric and founding leader of jihadi group Al-Muhajiroun who while residing in the U.K. delivered speeches and sermons glorifying terrorism to British Muslim youth, prior to departing for Lebanon; he is now banned from returning to the UK. Early this year, he defended suicide bombings as a means to establish Islamic rule in Syria, stating: "In two or three operations, [Al-Qaeda] can make the Ba'ath party flee.... With martyrdom operations – you call them suicide bombings – the Al-Qaeda [bomber] will go to the Parliament when the Ba'ath are inside, he will blow himself up, and he will say 'Oh God, receive me, Oh God, I am hastening to you.'"[1]

The second most important speaker is Anjem Choudary, who notes on his website: "I believe that Islam is something that we must believe in Tawheed [monotheism], live by shari'a and be willing to call for and sacrifice for by way of Daw'ah [preaching] and jihad. As a Muslim, I believe that Islam is superior and will never be surpassed by any other belief or ideology in every aspect of life.... I believe that one day Britain and indeed every part of the world (including the rest of Europe, USA, China and Russia...) will be governed by and under the authority of the Muslims implementing Islamic Law."[2]

Abu Walaa, who is slated to speak about the non-Islamic character of the Pakistani constitution, is described as an Islamic preacher and as the director of the Truth Commission. Abu Baraa, a 29-year-old British Muslim, is described as a lecturer in Islamic jurisprudence. His real name is Mizanur Rahman, and he was imprisoned in the UK for propagating extremism and, following his release, produced a 244-page book this year titled "Are Demonstrations Beneficial? – In Light of The Qur'an and Sunnah," which clarified that copyright is prohibited in Islam and that everyone should feel free to disseminate the book.[3] Abu Rumaysah, a former Hindu and a spokesman for Convert2Islam, is listed in the poster as chairman of the Society of Muslim Converts.

All the speakers listed for the event belong to a close group led by Anjem Choudary and Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad. The conference in Islamabad is probably meant to gain a propaganda point, as most of the speakers are unlikely to be able to come to Islamabad to address the conference.

It should be noted that Anjem Choudary and Omar Muhammad Bakri planned a similar conference in New Delhi for March 3, 2012, to mark the 88th anniversary of the end of the Turkey-led Islamic caliphate, but the conference was disallowed by India.[4] Nevertheless, their Islamabad conference could invigorate the Pakistani jihadi groups if they succeed in addressing their audience by telephone – a method commonly used by foreign-based Pakistani leaders such as Altaf Hussain and recently by former Pakistani President and ex-Pakistan Army chief General Pervez Musharraf.

A domain name was registered for Shariah4Pakistan website with a U.S.-based company on October 29, 2012.[5] It should be noted that in recent years all jihadist organizations, including Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, have been relying on U.S.-based companies to publish and broadcast their jihadist content among Muslims. U.S. firms that facilitate the jihadi message of these groups include Google and its various services such as YouTube and Picasa, Yahoo and Google Groups, the social networking website Facebook, Archive.org, the micro-blogging site Twitter, and many others. The Shariah4Pakistan.com domain was registered by one Abu Usamah, with the registrant's full details concealed by the U.S. firm Dynadot Privacy, which specializes in protecting individuals' private details on the Internet. The contact details are listed as: Abu Usamah c/o Dynadot Privacy, PO Box 701, San Mateo, CA 94401, United States, phone: 1-650-585-4708.[6]

Shariah4Pakistan Declares Pakistan's Founder Jinnah A Kafir [Infidel], Says: "Jinnah Was Born To An Ismaili Shi'a Family; Ismailis Are Considered Non-Muslims"

On Shariah4Pakistan website: Pakistan founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah is pictured with dogs, a sign of unpiousness for many Muslims.

Pakistan founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah was an Indian Muslim leader who led a mass political movement, whose defining principle was that Muslims and Hindus cannot live together, leading to the establishment of the Islamic nation of Pakistan in 1947. Ever since the establishment of Pakistan, its policymakers have been engaged in an unresolved debate over whether Pakistan should be Islamic in character or a liberal democratic state for Muslims. Jinnah's own vision for a pluralistic Pakistan is contested by Islamist forces who argue that he established an Islamic state.

Shariah4Pakistan not only supports the Pakistani Islamist forces in their arguments about Muhammad Ali Jinnah, but goes a step further, by questioning his Islamic credentials and arguing that he was never a Muslim as per Islamic shari'a and cannot be celebrated as a role model for Pakistani children.

A November 10, 2012 article published by the group, titled "Muhammad Ali Jinnah: Hero or Traitor,"  notes: "Jinnah was born to an Ismaili Shi'a family. Ismailis are considered non-Muslims because they attribute divine qualities to [Islam's caliph] Ali bin Abu Talib.... Jinnah did not even practice Shi'ism, and he maintained his position of being secular throughout his life. None of his biographies mention him regularly attending mosque for prayers, fasting during the month of Ramadan, or paying Zakat [Islamic tax]. He never went to perform the Hajj, even though he was extremely wealthy."[7]

The article goes on to question Jinnah's personal life and dietary habits, stating: "Jinnah’s first wife died while he was still a teenager. He remained unmarried until the age of 42, when he married an 18-year-old Parsi [Zoroastrian] girl, against the wishes of her family. Jinnah's second wife, Rattanbai 'Ruttie' Petit, was an ultra-liberal woman, and began smoking cigarettes during her teen years. She also wore revealing Western clothes in public, though she claimed to have reverted to Islam. It is a well documented historical fact that Jinnah's wife used to cook pork [forbidden in Islam] at home, and that Jinnah would eat it."[8]

Urging Pakistanis to reject Jinnah as the leader of Pakistan, the articles states: "Your rulers and their Crusader masters have presented Jinnah, nationalism, and democracy as physical and ideological idols, and you are being forced to submit to them. That is why you see the portrait of this Kafir (disbeliever) Jinnah installed in every office and on every street corner in Pakistan."[9]

Shariah4Pakistan To Investigate Pakistani Teen Activist Malala Yousafzai's Anti-Jihad Statement, Claims She Was Used By The West "To Publicly Declare Unthinkable Things, To Belittle And Insult Islam And Its Symbols"

Upsurge of popular support for Malala Yousafzai in Pakistan (Courtesy: thefridaytimes.com)

The poster announcing the November 30 conference identifies two individuals besides Muhammad Ali Jinna as targets: Malala Yousafzai and President Asif Ali Zardari. Fourteen-year-old Malala attracted unprecedented sympathy among Pakistanis after she was shot and wounded by the Taliban on October 9, 2012 for writing an anonymous online diary that recorded the day-to-day enforcement of Islamic shari'a rule and total ban on girls' education in Pakistan's Swat district in early 2009. Pakistan's Islamist groups – notably Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and Imran Khan-led Pakistani Tehreek-e-Insaf party – have criticized the attack on Malala in words that failed to explicitly condemn the Taliban.

Ever since Malala's image appeared on the poster announcing the November 30 conference, which noted that a fatwa against her will be issued by Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad, concern arose in Pakistan that the Britain-based group was about to pronounce a death sentence on her. The matter was of serious concern for British authorities, as she is currently being treated in a UK hospital. High Commissioner of Pakistan to the United Kingdom Wajid Shamsul Hasan issued an angry statement against the British government, saying: "We have stated that these groups [associated with Hizb ut-Tahrir and Al-Muhajiroun to which Anjem Choudary and Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad belonged] are banned in Pakistan and openly active in the UK, and I have seen their membership growing in the last 17 years of living in the UK, but the UK authorities don't seem to take the threat of these groups seriously."[10]

On November 21, 2012, under mounting pressure, Anjem Choudary and Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad issued a joint statement, clarifying: "The Shariah4pakistan body has not issued a fatwa or death sentence against Malala Yousafzai; rather it is investigating her case fully.... [It] is clear is that the Pakistani regime is an apostate regime allied with the enemies of Islam and Muslims who implement kufr (non-Islamic) law."[11] However, the same statement made it clear that the group would investigate whether Malala had rejected jihad and the hijab (Islamic veil). It noted: "What has been said regarding Malala such as her denying jihad and the hijab and helping the U.S. war effort all need to be verified, and could amount to apostasy [punishable by death under some groups' interpretation of Islamic shari'a].... We condemn Muhammad Ali Jinnah as an enemy of Islam, the kufr [un-Islamic] constitution of Pakistan, and the illegitimate regime of Zardari and their use of Malala as a pawn against the mujahideen to please their masters, the Americans."[12]

In an earlier statement, dated November 1, Shariah4Pakistan noted that Malala Yousafzai "has been ruthlessly recruited by Western forces to promote American interests in the region, to promote the Western ideology in opposition to Islam, and to promote the U.S.-led military occupation of Afghanistan and call for fighting and killing of Muslims in the region, [including] Taliban and other resistance fighters. She has also been used to publicly declare unthinkable things, to belittle and insult Islam and its symbols [in words that] that American and Pakistani politicians dare not say directly for fear of their own lives. In particular, it is known that she publicly praised Barack Obama and his military campaigns, and insulted the hijab, a fundamental Islamic ruling of Islamic dress for women. These crimes are very serious, especially in times of war and of conflict between Islam and its enemies."[13]

In a November 11 statement, the group argued: "As for Malala Yousafzai, the truth is that she has been used by the West as a poster girl for secularism and democracy (i.e. falsehood) and as a tool to undermine the call for the Khilafah (Islamic state)."[14] Arguing that Muslims should not support liberal activists like her, the statement quoted a Koranic verse: "Oh you who believe! Take not as your helpers those outside your religion (pagans, Jews, Christians, hypocrites) since they will not fail to do their best to corrupt you. They desire to harm you severely... (3:118)."[15]

Shariah4Pakistan Advocates Jihad Against Non-Muslim Nations: "Relationships With Them Are Dictated By What Jihad Demands According To The Divine Law"; "Countries We Are At War With Such As Israel Must Be Confronted With Jihad"

Under the Islamic shari'a rule envisioned by Sharah4Pakistan, the Islamic state of Pakistan will consider all other Muslim nations to be part of a single global Islamic state. In a statement dated November 11, the group noted: "The relationship with other Muslim 'countries' is to be considered as domestic affairs. The Khilafah [caliphate] will never recognize them as separate countries. All existing embassies in Muslim 'countries' will be closed. These territories must be united with the Khilafah under the flag of the Khilafah and no diplomatic relationship will be established with them."[16]

The group also advocates waging of jihad against non-Muslim nations: "All other countries in the world, east to west are considered to be Dar al-Kufr (The domain of disbelief) and Dar al-Harb (The domain of war). Relationships with them are dictated by what jihad demands according to the divine law and the benefit of the Muslims."[17]

In an article titled "What Will Change If Khilafah Is Established In Pakistan? the group clarifies how an Islamic state should establish relationships with the U.S., Israel and other non-Muslim nations, observing: "States with whom we do not have treaties are to be considered as potential enemies and all precautions must be taken against them. This would be the case with states like the USA, Britain, Russia and France. The Islamic state will not establish diplomatic relationships with them and they will not be permitted to have their embassies in our state....

"Countries we are at war with, such as Israel, must be confronted with jihad. Their citizens are prevented from entering the Khilafah and their blood and money becomes halal for us. Islam obliges all Muslims to fight them until the land is liberated.... It is forbidden for the Islamic state to enter into any kind of joint military operation such as the UN. It is also forbidden for any Muslims to fight under the flag of kufr (disbelief), to shed blood for the disbeliever, to protect a disbelieving country or give the upper hand to the disbelievers such as Pakistan's current treacherous alliance with the Americans allowing them to enter Muslim lands and spy, fight and torture Muslims."[18]

Shariah4Pakistan Says It Will Confiscate Institutions Of Democracy: "Under Islamic Rule The Present [Pakistani] Parliament Will No Longer Be Hosting The Preparation Of Man-Made Laws"; "Prime Minister's House Will Be Converted Into A Women's University"

In statements dated November 13, Shariah4Pakistan outlined its ideology, advocating a comprehensive overhaul of the systems of governance, banking and democracy in Pakistan, to include confiscation of the Pakistani parliament and the Houses of the President and the Prime Minister. In a statement titled "Permanent Dissolution of Pakistan's Parliament," it stated: "Parliament House of Pakistan is a blatantly hypocritical structure. On the face of it is written the statement of faith, i.e. 'There is nothing worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.' But inside are the men and women who are busy drafting laws based upon their own whims and desires. Legislating laws other than what Allah and his messenger... have commanded is Kufr; hence, under Islamic rule the current parliament will no longer be hosting the preparation of man-made laws."[19]

It further stated: "Inside the parliament, the picture of Jinnah will be replaced with the flag of [the] Islamic Emirate bearing the Kalima [words proclaiming Islamic faith]. Parliament will be dissolved, all MPs will face trial and ordered to repent of their apostasy, and the building may be used to hold consultation and advice for the Khalifah. Unlike in parliaments and democracy, the right of legislation in an Islamic state belongs only to Allah, people have no right to make laws but have a duty to implement and rule by the laws of Allah. A Shura Council is only a consultative body to advise the Khalifah in permissible matters where Allah has given a choice in His divine law for people to decide."[20]

A similar statement titled "Confiscation of the President's and Prime Minister's Houses" noted: "[The] President House will be converted into 'Jamia Faridia' [Islamic seminary] and will be allotted to the surviving male students of Lal Masjid [Red Mosque], as they were inflicted with unprecedented brutality, unleashed by the tyrant sitting in the building. Once the Khilafah is established, [former military ruler General Pervez] Musharraf will be extradited from the UK and will be put on trial in the Supreme Shariah Court. If Musharraf is convicted of murdering the innocent students of Lal Masjid [during the 2007 military operation at the Red Mosque], he will likely face the death penalty.

"The present-day Prime Minister's House will be converted into a women's university, like 'Jamia Hafsa', the girls' madrassa of Lal Masjid that was raided by the Pakistan Army. Our sisters and daughters in Lal Masjid showed exemplary courage in the face of brutal rulers, and we had wished something more beautiful for them, if there had been any place in Pakistan better than the Prime Minister's House. Their real reward is with Allah... and we pray that may Allah admit them to Al-Firdaus [Paradise] where they will see no pain ever again."[21]

In Video On Shariah4Pakistan Wesite, Former Pakistan Army Doctor, Educated At Imperial College Of London, Says: "Taliban Mujahideen Engaged In Jihad In The Tribal Regions Of Afghanistan And Pakistan Are In Reality Extremely Innocent Muslims"

Former Pakistan Army doctor Dr. Tariq Ali, now based in London

On November 20, 2012, Shaiah4Pakistan posted a video of Dr. Tariq Ali, a Pakistan Army surgeon who left the military service over its support for the U.S.-led war on terror. It is pertinent here to note that a former Pakistan Army doctor, Mohammad Aqeel, aka Dr. Usman, was involved in several terror attacks in Pakistan in recent years, including the October 2009 terror attack on the General Headquarters of Pakistan Army in Rawalpindi.

Speaking in Urdu in the video, Dr. Tariq Ali notes that he immigrated to Britain seven years ago after quitting the Pakistan Army due to "its injustices and crimes."[22] In the UK, Ali studied medical science at Cambridge and the Imperial College of London, and now resides in London.

Urging Pakistanis to listen to him carefully as he is to give important information about the current situation in Pakistan, he says: "First of all, I testify that except Allah... there is no one worth praying. And I testify that Muhammad... is the last prophet and messenger. There is nothing in this universe whose love is more for me than for Allah, and there is nothing in this universe whose fear is more than the fear of Allah for me. My dear Muslim sisters and brothers, the topic of my address is: 'Pakistan's rulers, military generals and their Crusader masters sitting in America and Britain.'

"I want to clarify to the sincere Muslims in Pakistan that the promise by the founders of Pakistan to establish Islam in this country was based on mere lies and deception. This wine-drinking and pork-eating Jinnah could not implement Islam in his life, so how could he do so in this country?

"The truth is that the purpose of the creation of Pakistan was only to divide the Muslims at the behest of the English Crusaders, so that the path for the re-establishment of Islamic rule in entire India would be prevented.

"It is possible that some of you might be hurt by my talk, but I am ordered to call to Islam, that there is no deity but Allah.

"My Muslim sisters and brothers, the 65-year history of this country [Pakistan] is witness that whether it has been a political leader or a military general, every ruler of this country has been a puppet dancing at the behest of America and Britain. In the future too, under the kufr system of democracy, any politician, military general, or cricketer [referring to Imran Khan]... who becomes the ruler of this country will also be protecting the Crusaders' interests. As per Verse 217 of Chapter Al-Baqra in the Koran, these kafir Crusaders will not relent until they turn you away from Islam...."[23]

Going on to describe the war in Afghanistan as the war between kufr [unbelief] and Islam, Ali states: "I would like to draw your attention to the war between kufr and Islam underway in Afghanistan. When I look at the role of the Pakistani government and military, as a former soldier, my head bows in shame. The way the Pakistani military and government turned traitor against the mujahideen [by supporting the U.S. invasion of the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan in 2001] – there is no parallel to it in Islamic history. I am sorry to say that as a doctor I too was involved in the 2005 military operations in North and South Waziristan, where I witnessed the crimes and barbarism of the Pakistan Army with my own eyes....

"I want to make it clear on you that the Taliban mujahideen engaged in jihad in the tribal regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan are in reality extremely innocent Muslims whose goal is only and only the protection of Islam and its honor. As a [former] soldier, I want to state that the Taliban mujahideen are not the agents of anyone, and the media propaganda [that they are American agents] is based on mere lies and mischief. The war underway in the Pakistani tribal region was started by the Pakistan Army at the request of its Crusader masters, and initially the Taliban mujahideen did not want to fight the Pakistani military. These mujahideen, despite their few resources, and drunk only on faith, are fighting against the most powerful infidel alliance of human history – and, with Allah's blessing, appear to be winning...."[24]

At the end of his video statement, Dr. Tariq Ali urges rebellion in Pakistan Army, calling on soldiers to refuse to serve in the anti-Taliban military operations as he did by refusing to take up his posting in Waziristan. He says: "Oh, officers and soldiers serving in Pakistan Army and imbibed with faith, you should be aware that the Crusader infidels sitting in London and Washington are using you as their forward squad. It is because of your sacrifices that these Crusader infidels have stayed put in Afghanistan for 11 years. If you gather courage, situations can change, and this is not such a difficult task. You have to simply refuse the orders...[of Pakistan Army officers]."[25]

* Tufail Ahmad is Director of the MEMRI South Asia Studies Project.

In an article titled "Taliban's Coming War Against Journalists," MEMRI South Asia Studies Project Director Tufail Ahmad examined a recent document released jointly by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), justifying the October 9, 2012 militant attack on Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai.

Malala Yousafzai was attacked by the Taliban for defending Pakistani girls' right to education through a series of anonymous online diaries, which were published in early 2009 when the Taliban militants led by TTP commander Maulana Fazlullah were enforcing Islamic shari'a rule in Pakistan's Swat and neighboring districts. Maulana Fazlullah, who had called for a total ban on girls' education, is currently in hiding somewhere in eastern Afghanistan.

The TTP-IMU document is unique in that it develops the meaning of war to include liberal Pakistani journalists and activists in its ambit, arguing that liberal activists like Malala Yousafzai are armed combatants and must be targeted.

Following are excerpts from the article:[1]

Of these, Roznama Ummat, which is published from Karachi and Hyderabad, is popular in Sindh province. Roznama Nawa-i-Waqt is a major newspaper published by veteran editor Majeed Nizami, who is known for his long-standing work in the defense of the Ideology of Pakistan, a theoretical framework based on the idea that Muslims and Hindus, or other non-Muslims, cannot live together. Roznama Jasarat belongs to the Jamaat-e-Islami, the largest religious group in Pakistan.

"Obama's Reelection And Relations With Pakistan," Roznama Ummat

"The Original Population Of The U.S. Was Made Up Of The Black People.... The Reelection Of A Black Person... [Is] The Sign Of [America] Going Back To Its Roots"

"Barack Obama has been elected president for the second time by defeating his rival Mitt Romney. Unlike Pakistan and other developing countries, the Republican Party candidate did not allege any misappropriation in the election process and congratulated Obama on his victory and admitted his defeat with large heartedness. More than 100 million American citizens exercised their voting rights by braving the hardship of weather and other difficulties. They expressed their confidence in Democratic Party candidate Barack Obama and elected him president for a second term (four more years). His electoral symbol was a donkey, while his rival Mitt Romney's electoral symbol was an elephant. Women voters played an important role in the elections, who voted for Obama in the majority.

"If it is a thing of honor to become the American president for a second term, it is also like walking on thorns because many of the countries in the world look towards the U.S. for justice and rights. There is no superpower opposed to the U.S. at present. It looks like dominating every forum, including the UN and international monetary institutions. On behalf of Pakistan, the U.S. may be reminded at this juncture that if Pakistan had not played its role in defeating the other superpower of the world, the Soviet Union, and in getting other Muslim countries freed from its grip, the U.S. would [now] be facing a threat from the Soviet Union. Similarly, the U.S. had the chance to end the Taliban government and stabilize its foothold in Afghanistan due to the extraordinary cooperation of former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf, which is still being continued by the present government.

"Obama is the first black president of the U.S., and the American citizens have accepted him as their president for a second term. Every student of the U.S. knows that the original population of the U.S. was made up of the black people. White people went there from Britain, and later from other countries, and resided there. The reelection of a black person could be taken as the sign of [America] going back to its roots. The Holy Koran, 1,400 years ago, explained that everything returns to its roots."

"American Muslims... [Voted For] Obama Because, Unlike His Rival Mitt Romney, He Does Not Have A Soft Attitude Towards The Muslims' Worst Enemy – The State Of Israel... Romney Called Jews A Nation Superior To Muslims"

"American Muslims also exercised their voting rights in favor of Obama, because unlike his rival Mitt Romney, he does not have a soft attitude towards the Muslims' worst enemy – the State of Israel. Mitt Romney openly declared his support for Israel during his presidential campaign, and called Jews a nation superior to the Muslims.

"Barack Obama is committed to working under the policies of the U.S. policymakers, but has tried to lessen the terror and brutality of his predecessor George [W.] Bush, and to resolve international issues in a better way. That is why he was able to maintain his popularity among his people and around the world. He made possible the return of the U.S. and allied troops from Iraq, and now the withdrawal of the foreign forces from Afghanistan will also be completed, in his term only.

"Contrary to the wishes of the American war hawks, Obama has to date held back on attacking Iran. George Bush would have targeted Iran, after Iraq and Afghanistan, and Pakistan would also have come under [fire].

"At this time, Barack Obama faces two great challenges: firstly, the unemployment of the millions of Americans due to the destruction of the U.S. economy in the wake of the international terrorism initiated by George Bush; and secondly, the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan with peace and ease.

"The role of Pakistan will be important here again. If Obama, under pressure from the [U.S.] Department of Defense and the CIA, gives India the opportunity to play a greater role [in Afghanistan] instead of showing confidence in Pakistan, it will become a source of increasing tension in the region, rather than ending it. In order to renew U.S.-Pakistan relations, Obama must devote attention to the real Pak issues – energy and the economy. It is possible that Obama may wait for this until the general elections in Pakistan, and that only then will he give a final shape to his policies for Pakistan."

"Obama's Reelection: Victory Of Democracy And An Example For Pakistan" – Roznama Nawa-i-Waqt

"The Reelection Of A Black American As U.S. President Against A White Candidate Backed By The American Jews Is In Itself A Sign Of Revolution In American Society"

"Obama ran his first presidential election campaign on the slogan of 'change,' and while he achieved clear victory in that, he could not keep up with his slogan in realizing the aspirations of the American people. During his four years of rule, he also faced some challenges with regard to the war on terror and in maintaining relations with the Muslim world. For these reasons, commentators were of the view that he would not obtain the positive appreciation from Americans for a second term. There was an atmosphere of a close contest during the campaign also, and while analysts with deep insight into American elections were cautious about making any kind of prediction, the election results came in with a clear majority for Obama against all analyses and predictions – a clear indication of the American people's prudence and farsightedness.

"The reelection of a black American as U.S. president against a white candidate backed by the American Jews is in itself a sign of revolution in American society [editorial note: media reports indicate that 69% of American Jews voted for Obama in 2012, and 78% in 2008[1]]. It also shows that the American people still have hope in Obama for the improvement of the U.S. and accomplishment of his slogan of change.

"By describing the American people as a family, Obama himself has tried to convince his opponents of his link with that family, and his loyalty to America; whereas the Americans have found his announcement that 'the decade of war is nearing its end and we will take the U.S. to a new height' very appealing. According to Obama, Americans want to make and see their country peaceful, and they have expressed their views by electing him for a second time."

"Insofar as the two-party system in the U.S. is concerned, the two parties, Republicans and Democrats, keep the American interest before them, despite their differences in policies, and they also refrain from making such allegations against each other, which could harm the U.S. interest. This was the third presidential election in the U.S. fought in the name of safeguarding the American security and interest in the war against terror. Therefore, both the candidates ensured to bring in all possible measures regarding this in their election manifestos. And in this regard the two candidates were unanimous in continuing the drone attacks in Pakistan. Of course, Romney took a more aggressive stance in this regard, and he found it necessary to announce during his second debate with Obama that he would not only continue the drone attacks on Pakistan but would also expand it."

"Obama's Reelection Seems Beneficial For The Muslim World – Because The Republican Mitt Romney Was Formally Nominated... By The Jewish Lobby"

"Drone attacks are certainly an open challenge to the security of Pakistan, and both the Democrat and Republican candidates are pledging to continue the drone attacks on Pakistan. So it can be taken from this that they have no concern for the security of the U.S.'s frontline ally in the war on terror, Pakistan. In this regard, we should not hope for any change from whoever holds power in the Washington administration, because there will be no change in the U.S. policy on the war on terror….

"However, when Obama and Mitt Romney are compared, the reelection of Obama seems beneficial for the Muslim world, because the Republican Mitt Romney was formally nominated as a candidate by the Jewish lobby, and, if elected, he would have been busy making life difficult in the Muslim world, in the Middle East, the Arab countries, and the [Indian] subcontinent, under the influence of that [Jewish] lobby. New kinds of atrocities would have been unleashed on the Palestinians, and the journey of the Kashmiri people would have been made difficult, while the extension of U.S. and NATO forces on Afghan land would have taken practical shape.

"In contrast, Obama has given a message of a peaceful society to the Americans with regard to the Afghan war especially, and has included in his manifesto the withdrawal of the U.S. forces as per the timetable decided by the NATO summit…. After his election as president, he gave the Americans the good news that the decade-long war was about to end…. This second term for Obama is good tidings that he will play his role in ending the war in Afghanistan and will recall the U.S. Army from Afghanistan….

"Since the presence of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan in itself has been a cause of increased terrorist activities and the promotion of corruption in the region, it is definite that this withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces can only ensure peace in the region. Therefore, Obama's reelection can be termed a guarantee of the establishment of peace in the region, and it can also be hoped against this backdrop that we will get rid of drone attacks during this second Obama term. Perhaps the majority of Pakistanis living in the U.S. supported Obama on the basis of this constructive thinking, and on the basis of his declaration [that he is] part of the U.S. family and that his being a child of a Muslim family [means that] a better relation with the world is expected from him….

"In any case, whatever Obama's policy may be, it will be in the American interest. That is why we should not be living in any vain hopes, and why our rulers should make policies on relations with the U.S. under the best interest of the country. They should learn something from the U.S. rulers regarding the safeguarding of the country's security and national interests."

"Obama's Victory" – Roznama Jasarat

"The Drone Attacks... [Against] Pakistan, Whose Numbers Have Increased Many Times Over During Obama's Inauspicious Term – Is This Not A War?"

"U.S. President Barack Obama has once again been elected for four years, after a tough fight. The American people preferred Democratic Party candidate Obama over Republican candidate Mitt Romney, though [Romney] had the edge in various states and his loss was mourned there. There was an impression that Romney represents elites, and is inclined towards business, while it was said about Obama that he was the people's representative. However, it is the American people's choice, and it has nothing to do with Pakistan or other countries. It is a fact that foreign policy is not changed when the president changes – though there may be a change in its implementation.

"It is strange that the two candidates targeted Pakistan during their campaign this year, like the previous time. There has been no ambiguity in Obama's policy regarding Pakistan and Afghanistan, and this will continue. After the victory announcement, Obama said in his address that 'war is not solution of any disputes and peace is the right of everyone.'

"It is strange that this talk is coming from the war-loving president of a war-loving nation, who four years ago continued the war initiated by his predecessors Bush Junior and Senior, and extended the circle of destruction in Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama has said that he would withdraw the troops from Afghanistan by 2014. Perhaps this will be so; but when war is not the solution of any issue, then why weren't the forces withdrawn immediately? The question is: What are the forces of the Crusader countries doing there under the American leadership? Are they distributing peace to everyone?

"Whatever Obama said might be meant for the American people only; otherwise his statement is mere hypocrisy for the world. Perhaps he meant that peace is the right of every American only, and that other people of the world, especially Muslims, do not come under the category of humans, and that is why they are being deprived of peace and why war is thrust on them. The drone attacks [on militant hideouts] that are being carried out against Pakistan, whose numbers have increased many times over during Obama's inauspicious term – is this not a war? And wasn't the [May 2011] attack on Abbottabad [killing Osama bin Laden] in the darkness of night a call for war?

"It was the Pakistani rulers who maintained silence, and the country's president [Asif Zardari] and prime minister [Yousuf Raza Gilani] appreciated it instead; a different, self-respecting government would not have tolerated this attack on the country's freedom and sovereignty. Furthermore, the spirit of Salala martyrs [i.e. Pakistani soldiers killed in a U.S. attack on border post] still wait for justice. The Pakistani people should not hope for any good from the U.S. rulers..."

"It Is Commendable That The Candidates In The U.S. Presidential Elections Did Not Hold Any Enmity Against Each Other"

"It is commendable that the candidates in the U.S. presidential elections did not hold any enmity against each other. Traditionally, they tried to convince people through debate, but on Tuesday [November 6] Obama halted his campaign in Chicago and congratulated his rival Mitt Romney for his spirited campaign, and also praised his supporters. After his victory, too, Obama said that the two are working for the U.S. This is a thing of great magnanimity, and Pakistani politicians should learn from it."

In an article titled "Taliban's Coming War Against Journalists," MEMRI South Asia Studies Project Director Tufail Ahmad examined a recent document released jointly by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), justifying the October 9, 2012 militant attack on Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai.

Malala Yousafzai was attacked by the Taliban for defending Pakistani girls' right to education through a series of anonymous online diaries, which were published in early 2009 when the Taliban militants led by TTP commander Maulana Fazlullah were enforcing Islamic shari'a rule in Pakistan's Swat and neighboring districts. Maulana Fazlullah, who had called for a total ban on girls' education, is currently in hiding somewhere in eastern Afghanistan.

The TTP-IMU document is unique in that it develops the meaning of war to include liberal Pakistani journalists and activists in its ambit, arguing that liberal activists like Malala Yousafzai are armed combatants and must be targeted.

Following are excerpts from the article:[1]

Compiled by: Said Saeedi

Pages: 353

Chapters: 135

Year of Publication: 2012

Publisher: Cultural Affairs Commission of the Islamic Emirate

In a 353-page book titled "Dreez" (The Stand), the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban's shadow government in the country) restates its known positions regarding the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and presents again various Taliban commanders' interviews and statements.[1]

The book, titled in full as "The Stand Of The Islamic Emirate On Occupation," is published and disseminated by the Cultural Affairs Commission of the Islamic Emirate. It carries messages and statements issued by Mullah Mohammad Omar, the fugitive leader of the Taliban's Islamic Emirate, and various Taliban spokesmen since 2008, as well as interviews of the Taliban deputy chief Mullah Baradar Akhond (who is in the Pakistani custody), Jalaluddin Haqqani, head of the Haqqani Network, and Taliban spokesmen Zabihullah Mujahid and Qari Muhammad Yousaf Ahmadi.

The book recounts the achievements of the Taliban government before and after the fall of the Taliban regime in late 2001. A chapter titled "introduction of the book" notes that the book was compiled by Said Saeed and is 12th book published by the Taliban's Cultural Affairs Commission.

Preface To The Book: "The Leaders Of The Western Culture And Civilization Led By The United States Launched Unjust And Barbaric Attacks On Afghanistan... On The Pretext Of The 9/11 Incident"

The book's Table of Contents is very long. Aside from the preface, it carries 135 statements, messages, and interviews of Taliban commanders and the Islamic Emirate. It observes:

"The start of the 21st century, which the international community considers as an era of dialogue, humanity, tolerance and civilization, was the beginning of modern barbarism and ignorance unleashed upon the Afghan nation [by the U.S. forces in the wake of the 9/11 attacks]. The leaders of the Western culture and civilization led by the United States launched unjust and barbaric attacks on Afghanistan on October 8, 2001 on the pretext of the 9/11 incident.

"They martyred and wounded tens of thousands of Afghans, destroyed villages, houses, orchards, and dropped tons of bombs on funeral, jirgas [meetings of elders] and used chemical weapons – white phosphorus bombs and… They again imposed former communist professional murderers and warlords who defamed the sacred jihad on Afghan nation."

To counter the propaganda of the occupation forces, the Cultural Affairs Commission of the Islamic Emirate collected the statements issued by Mullah Mohammad Omar and the Islamic Emirate on different occasions and published in the shape of a book, the preface notes.

A chapter titled "A Few Talks" recounts how the Taliban movement was formed in Maiwand district of Kandahar province by a respected cleric, Mullah Muhammad Omar, who was running a seminary in the Sangsar area of the same district, and how it captured a majority of Afghanistan regions including Kabul in a short time despite meager resources. It says factional fighting, warlordism, insecurity and growing financial and moral corruption forced the Taliban supreme leader to launch the Taliban movement.

The chapter also recounts and elaborates key achievements of the Taliban government in the following key areas: (i) Enforcement of Shari'a, (ii) Security, (iii) Protecting Afghanistan from Disintegration, (iv) Safeguarding National Assets, (v) Revival of Education and Training, (vi) Reconstruction, (vii) Reforming Collective Thinking, (viii) Effective Anti-narcotics Efforts, (ix) Countering Armed Resistance against the Islamic Emirate, (x) World and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, (xi) 9/11 Attacks in the United States, (xii) The U.S. Invasion of Afghanistan, (xiii) Armed Jihad Against the U.S. Invaders.

"The U.S. Invasion Was An Unjust Aggression Of Infidels And Barbarism As Per Human, International And Islamic Laws; Jihad Is Considered Obligatory Against It [i.e. America]"

About the U.S. attack on Afghanistan in 2001, it says" "The [then-] U.S. President [George W.] Bush had lost his senses following the 9/11 attacks and blindly issued orders of preparations for an attack on Afghanistan. Taking advantage of its influence, the U.S. not only incited the United Nations and a large number of countries of the world to endorse the attack on Afghanistan but also actively took part in the invasion.

"The U.S. intelligence offices in Central Asia also started their operations with a new spirit. They started meetings and consultations with leaders of the Northern Alliance [the anti-Taliban group now in power in Kabul] and opened the string of unending assistance to them… The unilateral efforts of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to dig out the country from the crisis failed to yield results while the U.S. leaders had firmly resolved to start war and had kept shut their ears and eyes to the offers of understandings and dialogue….

"The U.S. invasion was an unjust aggression of infidels and barbarism as per human, international and Islamic laws. Jihad is considered obligatory against it [America]. The administration installed as a result of the aggression is completely a puppet and illegal and not acceptable to Afghans in any form…," the book states. It says that the biggest achievement of the Islamic Emirate was the exemplary peace and security which the Afghans still remember, despite that Afghanistan was a symbol of insecurity in the world before the Taliban rule.

It adds: "Protecting Afghanistan from disintegration was another major achievement of the Islamic Emirate. The country had been turned into Buzkashi [a traditional Afghan game] in the hands of neighbours and international conspirators with the convenience of some sold-out commanders and paid servants and was faced with the threat of disintegration. The dirty plans of the internal and foreign enemies were foiled through the untiring efforts of the brave youth of the Islamic Emirate..."

Mullah Mohammad Omar: "Their Anti-Human Actions Cannot Yield Them Victory"; "With The Help Of Allah, It [The Taliban Movement] Is Standing At The Door Of Success"

The book also carries an interview of Jalaluddin Haqqani, the founder of Haqqani Network, republished from the Taliban's Arabic-language magazine Al-Somood in its December 2008 issue. Jalaluddin Haqqani says: "After the passage of seven years, the Americans have realized that their current strategy is not working and it needed to be reviewed. The reviewed strategy will have different points: i) surge of the U.S. troops in Afghanistan; ii) creating rifts between and among different ethnicities in Afghanistan and pitting them against each other and to establish tribal militias [against the Taliban]; iii) holding negotiations with the Mujahideen in Afghanistan."

He adds: "The two points of the proposed new strategy had already been put in force but failed to yield any positive results. Now, the Americans want to use the third option to achieve the below mentioned goals on the pretext of talks. [It aims] i) to create distrust between the Mujahideen and give so much importance to the propaganda of talks that the international media spare their days and night for this issue…; ii) to legalize the puppet Karzai administration on the pretext of dialogue; iii) to defame the Islamic Emirate that they do not want solution to the problem and want the war could continue for longer."

Jalaluddin Haqqani says: "If we see the ongoing battle between right and falsehood in Afghanistan, it is an unbalanced fighting between Islam and infidels; and it has an example in history which is the Battle of Ehzab."

Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, in one of his statements is quoted as saying: "Dear countrymen and brave Mujahideen! All the plans of the international imperialists about Afghanistan were foiled following your countless scarifies. The NATO, led by Pentagon, has launched the policy of brutalities and barbarism in Afghanistan for the last several years. They believed that the brave nation of Afghanistan would bow before them. For this purpose, they even do not bother to use nuclear weapons and all their advanced technology, hire hundreds of propaganda centers for this war and spent billions of dollars on media in order to show their military force strong and pressure the rival party.

"However, all their anti-human actions cannot yield them victory. Rather, the resistance and jihadi movement against the aggressors turned into a strong Islamic and national movement with the passage of time. With the help of Allah, it [the Taliban movement] is standing at the door of success."

Endnote:

[1] Shahamat-pashto.com, Afghanistan, accessed October 20, 2012.

A Taliban website recently released a video of an Afghan police defector who allegedly killed U.S. Special Forces soldiers on August 10, 2012 in the Sangin district of Helmand, the southern province of Afghanistan. Though the Afghan media had earlier reported that the defector had invited the U.S. troops to a meal, there is no mention of the invitation in the video interview.

The video is titled "Da Sangin Ghazi" (The Hero of Sangin). It was produced by the Al-Emarah Jihadi Studio of the Cultural Commission of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban's shadow government in the country). It should be noted that the defecting Afghan policeman is identified as Abdul Razzaq, though Afghan authorities had earlier disclosed the name of the defector as Asadullah.[1]

Narrator Cites Koranic Verse: "And Fight Them Until There Is No More Unbelief And Polytheism, And The Religion Will All Be Of Allah Alone [In The Whole World]"

The video begins with a verse from the Koran's Chapter Al-Anfal: "And fight them until there is no more unbelief and polytheism, and the religion will all be of Allah Alone [in the whole world]."

The narrator continues: "O, the Mujahid nation of Afghanistan! As the most cruel and barbaric infidels invaded our motherland 10 years ago and have occupied our Islamic soil since then, we have a good opportunity to say yes to the highly valued order of Allah [to fight them]." The narrator says after the video refers to another Koranic verse from Chapter Taubah: "Fight them, [and] Allah will punish them at your hands and degrade them, and He will help you [to victory] over them and heal the [injured] chest of believers."

The video, showing dead bodies of Afghan children, men, women, and Taliban fighters reportedly killed in a bombing by U.S.-led forces, says: "The unbelief, brutalities, cruelty, mercilessness, and enmity against Islam during the past 10 years became clear to us like the sun… As the enemy occupied our soil, it detained religious scholars, killed the Taliban fighters, burnt alive children, urinated on [the bodies of] our martyrs, and torched the Holy Koran repeatedly. It is the best time to take revenge on them for their cruelties, as they are on the run."

Inciting Afghan security personnel to load their guns and pump bullets into the U.S.-led troops, the video says: "There is a distance of one burst between you and the paradise." Quoting a Hadith (saying or deed of Prophet Muhammad), the narrator says: "A Muslim who kills an infidel will not enter the hell."

"When I Joined The Government, It Was In My Mind That I Am A Mujahid And Would Kill The Infidels Because They Are The Enemies Of Our Country, Islam, And Muslims"

In the video, an unseen interviewer asks questions to the infiltrator who reportedly killed three U.S. troops in Sangin district of Helmand province. Excerpts from the interview are given below.

Question: "Respected brother! Introduce yourself. What is your name, father's name, village, district and province's name?"

Answer: "I served in the escort force for six months. Then I came to Helmand and was in the guard of a police chief who was killed in a landmine explosion. Later, I went to Kabul and joined the National Army. I left the army and returned to Helmand…"

Question: "For how long did you work for the incumbent government?"

Answer: "I served for approximately two years in the current government."

Question: "Where and which post did you occupy during the two years?"

Answer: "I served in Ghazni. Then I came to Nawa district of Helmand, where I was in the guard of the district police chief. The police chief was transferred to Garmsir district where he and his two colleagues were killed in a landmine explosion..."

Question: "Did you contact Mujahideen before killing the infidels?"

Answer: "Yes, when I joined the government, it was in my mind that I am a Mujahid and would kill the infidels because they are the enemies of our country, Islam, and Muslims. They came here to destroy our belief and country, not to build Afghanistan. No book suggests that infidels could become friend of Muslims. Why is the government supporting them?… In Baghni, they [NATO forces] dropped bombs after the Taliban captured spies of infidels, martyring 160 civilians. What kind of friends they are…?"

"I Was Motivated By My Faith, Islam"; "There Were Officers Who Were With Me And Told Me To Move Forward And Kill The Infidels"

Question: "What motivated you to attack the infidels and kill them?"

Answer: "I was motivated by my faith, Islam. They are committing cruelties in our country, dropped bombs on weddings, martyred and harmed innocent Muslims, and caused them losses of property. I did it because they are meting out cruelties [to our people]. For what purpose did they come…? I urge the National Army and National Police to turn their guns towards the infidels and killed them."

Question: "Were you in contact with your friends in the police in this regard, and did they extend cooperation to you or not?"

Answer: "There were officers who were with me and told me to move forward and kill the infidels. I will not disclose the names because there are still soldiers [in Afghan forces] who may kill more Americans. I did it with their permission."

Question: "Do there exist more people in the police who want to mount similar attacks?"

Answer: "I do not know whether they are present amongst the soldiers or not; but a police officer told me that they have more people. He told me to carry out the attack in the evening…"

Question: "How did you escape after killing the infidels?"

Answer: "When I opened a burst on them, two or three [U.S. troops] entered a room. I could also take their guns standing against a wall in a corner but did not. I sneaked out of the base through a small gate of the main entrance and passed near a tower of infidels, crossed a wooden bridge after passing near a mosque, and reached the Mujahideen controlled area."

"I Prayed To Allah That I No Longer Wanted Life; Rather I Wanted To Be Martyred"

Question: "As you said, you worked for the government for two years and were waiting for the opportunity to kill the infidels. Where were you, how did you find the opportunity and make the decision? Please tell us complete detail."

Answer: "I went to Kabul and was also deputied in a patrol in Ghazni, and worked in Helmand but did not find the opportunity [to attack NATO troops]. I again went to Kabul and joined the Afghan National Army's 111th Division where we were given driving and traffic training, but did not get the opportunity [to attack the troops]. I left the ANA [Afghan National Army] and rejoined the police after returning to Helmand. I spent three months in Sangin and served for one month in the police headquarters…

"It was a Thursday night; I prayed to Allah that I no longer wanted life; rather I wanted to be martyred. When I finished the prayers and was preparing for sleep, an infidel and two Afghan Special Forces troops came to our officer and said they wanted to discuss something secret with him. I thought that Allah has accepted my prayers and why should I not attack them. I put on my uniform and loaded the gun before entering the base of Afghan Special Forces…

"Then I entered the Arabano base [ISAF outpost]. There an infidel come towards me and asked in English what I was doing [there]. I replied but he did not understand. He looked back over his shoulder after moving forward. I raised my hand in a gesture to go. I followed him towards two wooden cabins. He entered from one cabin to the other. There were four infidels in the cabin; three sitting in front of computers, one standing behind the computers and talking with each other.

"Now, their number rose to five… I raised the slogan of Allah-o-Akbar [Allah is the greatest] and opened fire on them, killing one followed by another. The remaining three jumped and entered another cabin when the rounds in the magazine finished. I soon loaded the gun and opened a burst on the wooden cabin [the three troops were hiding in]. Later, it was reported by radio that four infidels were killed and one wounded… I escaped from the base and reached Barakzai, where aircraft were hovering in the air…"

"I Urge People In ANA, Police, Special Forces, And Commandos To Kill The Infidels; For Us, There Is No Loss If We Are Martyred, Detained, And Injured"

Question: "Did you and your colleagues in police and National Army discuss why the Mujahideen emerge in local police, army, and national police, kill American troops; and whether it is right or wrong?"

Answer: "My colleagues in police were very happy for the killing of infidels – whether these were in Jalalabad, Kunar, or Ghazni province, because they are our enemies…"

Question: "What is your message to the people working in the puppet government and supporting the Americans?"

Answer: "I urge people in ANA, police, Special Forces, and commandos to kill the infidels. For us, there is no loss if we are martyred, detained, and injured. Get yourself martyred, injured, and detained…"

Question: "What is your message to ANA?"

Answer: "The same message is to ANA, not to support the infidels, eliminate them, and join the Mujahideen brothers. They have committed huge cruelties which the ANA and other people working for the government must have witnessed. So, they should turn their guns on the infidels and not allow a single one to escape. Become heroes."

Question: "It appears that more attention is being given to village force [locally known as Arbakis] compared to the national police and army, as they are given more power and arms. What is your view?"

Answer: "When we were in the [police training] academy, they [the foreign forces] were giving 400 to 500 Afghanis to each man in the village force per day, and equipped them with heavy weapons only to martyr the people and the Mujahideen…"

In the video, a militant is also seen giving cash rewards to two Afghan policemen who defected to the Taliban, along with a pick-up vehicle. The video ends with a quote from the message of Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar, urging people working for the government and security forces to stop supporting the government and foreign forces and join the Taliban.

Endnote:

[1] Shahamat-movie.com (Afghanistan), accessed October 20, 2012.

In a recent interview, former Pakistani interior minister Lt.-Gen. (retired) Hamid Nawaz argued that the October 9, 2012 Taliban attack on 14-year-old Pakistani education and women's rights activist Malala Yousafzai may have been carried out by American agents like Raymond Davis, the CIA agent who was held in Pakistan for killing two Pakistani nationals in Lahore and later released.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the attack on Malala Yousafzai, accusing her of advancing Western interests in Pakistan after she opposed the Taliban's total ban on girls' education in early 2009 in a series of anonymous online diaries. The diaries, which she wrote for the BBC's Urdu language service and were published in early 2009, described how the Taliban was enforcing Islamic shari'a rule in Swat district. She is now recovering at a hospital in Britain.

Lt.-Gen. (retired) Hamid Nawaz's interview was published October 19, 2012 by the Urdu-language daily Roznama Ummat, in a report titled "American Agents Like Raymond Davis Could Be Involved In The Attack On Malala." In it, Hamid Nawaz also argues against a military operation on the Taliban and Al-Qaeda hideouts in Pakistan's North Waziristan district.

A few days earlier, on October 15, the newspaper published a conspiracy-theory report stating that the anonymous online diaries by Malala Yousafzai were part of a pre-conceived plan against Pakistan. The report, titled "Malala's Diaries Were Written By The BBC Reporter," also observed: "The aim was to create hatred against all the Taliban in the name of Swat fighters. After the popularity of the diaries, the [BBC] bureau chief was promoted to become news producer. In return for this 'mission,' Malala's father was said to be given lots of money from U.S. and British NGOs. Popularity was the bonus."

Excerpts from both reports are given below.

"American Agents Like Raymond Davis Could Be Involved In The Attack On Malala" – Roznama Ummat, Pakistan, October 19, 2012

"It May Be Uncovered Through Some WikiLeaks Revelation… [That The Attack On Malala Yousafzai] May Be The Handiwork Of American Agents Like Raymond Davis"

Question: "What do you think about the Malala incident? Is it an incident, or was it carried out under some plan, or was a U.S. agent like Raymond Davis used in this?

Hamid Nawaz: "Intelligence operations are very deep. The thing you are talking about carries much weight. Apparently, it [i.e. the attack on Malala Yousafzai] has been shown as a big atrocity. But it really they who have claimed that they are responsible for it? It has been greatly stressed, but what is the reality behind it?

"Perhaps many years later it will be uncovered through some WikiLeaks revelation... that [the attack] may be the handiwork of American agents like [CIA agent] Raymond Davis."

"A Few Thousand U.S. Troops Who Fight Traditional War Will Exit [Afghanistan In 2014] – Giving The World The Impression That The U.S. Is Completely Out"

Question: "The U.S. has promised to leave Afghanistan by 2014. Do you see any chances of the U.S. doing so?"

Hamid Nawaz: "In fact, the U.S. will not leave. [That is,] NATO forces and the U.S. ground forces will [indeed] leave, but the Americans will leave three things behind them.

"[First, they will leave] the setup of drones, which are 200 to 400 in number, and are operating in this area. The Americans are not taking them away; they will remain.

"The second system [that will remain] is the U.S. Special Task Forces, which carry out operations like Abbotabad [i.e. the killing of Osama bin Laden]; 15,000 Special Forces troops will remain at the Bagram airbase. A task force consists of 40 to 50 personnel… There are 300 task forces which carry out operations in Afghanistan, as we have seen, they carried out the operation in Abbotabad and we could do nothing. Americans are leaving these dangerous forces behind them.

"The third system is the cyber-weapon system, which creates problems in computers. The U.S. capability has increased much in cyber warfare. Their experts in the U.S. have set Iran back 10 years, by creating problems in Iranian computers through cyber-weapons. The Americans claim that Iran would have become a nuclear power if they had not done so, [saying,] 'This is the work of our [U.S.] cyber-weapons, that their [Iran's] computers have been destroyed.' They have created the problem sitting in the U.S., through cyber-weapons in all of [Iran's] centrifuge grid stations where computers and the latest technologies are used.

"What would be the significance of their exiting [Afghanistan] if the Americans leave these three systems behind them in Afghanistan? A few thousand U.S. troops who fight traditional war will exit [Afghanistan in 2014] – giving the world the impression that the U.S. is completely out. But the U.S. capability of creating devastation will remain intact, and they will keep backing the Afghan security forces."

"The Outcome Of A [Military] Operation In North Waziristan Would Not Be Good, And The [Pakistan] Army Would Be Trapped…. The American Interest Is That If Pakistan Suffers A Loss, Let It Be, But Let The U.S. Interest Be Served"

Question: "The demand for operations in North Waziristan is growing. What do you think? Is it public demand or is it U.S. pressure?"

Hamid Nawaz: "The outcome of a [military] operation in North Waziristan would not be good, and [Pakistan] Army would be trapped there. The American interest is that if Pakistan suffers a loss, let it be, but let the U.S. interest be served. The U.S. thinks that there are Taliban and Al-Qaeda bases in North Waziristan, and its priority is to destroy them.

"Even if Pakistan fulfils the U.S. aspiration by bearing great losses, the situation would be under control only temporarily, and when the troops leave the area five or six years later, then the areas of Swat and South and North Waziristan will face the same situation they faced at the time of the operation."

"I Don't Say That There Will Be No Foreigners [i.e. Non-Pakistani Militants In North Waziristan] But That They Will Be In Limited Numbers"; "Why Is There A Need To Send [Pakistani] Forces… To Defeat Them?"

Question: "But the government must have some policy for its rehabilitation in case of any operation?"

Hamid Nawaz: "Where is the policy? Policies which take care of all the possibilities and all the aspects of what is to be done after an operation [against militants]. For example, if the army carries out a surgical strike [against the Taliban], then the federal and provincial governments must make arrangements to win people's hearts... and solve people's problem, help the people, and create a civil system for peace. The government does nothing but make statements.

"Now plans are being made to attack North Waziristan, on the pretext of the Malala incident. Some mentally ill people created such a big issue by attacking Malala. But through a media campaign on this attack, and by inviting U.S. supporters [to speak on television on the issue], the path is being paved in support of the U.S. [demand on Pakistan to attack the Taliban in North Waziristan]. Parliament's unanimous resolution is the only voice of the nation [regarding how to deal with the Taliban]. The voices that are coming through media are not the true voices of the nation. But even today, the government is trying to act as per the U.S. wishes, as it used to do earlier...

"In case of any operation in North Waziristan, the general election [of 2013] will be postponed, which is not in our national interest. If this decision is to be taken, then it should be taken with great consideration and it should be very strong, so that it reassures the people; it should not be to go into attack mode and kill your own people [i.e. the Taliban]. I don't say that there will be no foreigners [i.e. non-Pakistani militants in North Waziristan], but that they will be in limited numbers, and that American drones are already after them. Why is there a need to send [Pakistani] forces … to defeat them?

"Instead, a comprehensive policy should be drawn up, and people should be taken into confidence, and only then should there be any decision [on whether or not to attack the Taliban]. In fact, such a big decision should not be made on the pretext of the Malala incident. The media should also think about giving priority to the Pakistani interest rather than to the U.S. interest."

"The [Pakistan] Army Has Told The Federal Government Many Times That We Should Not Carry Out Any Operation In North Waziristan, At Any Cost"

Question: "The U.S. envoy [i.e. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan] Marc Grossman is visiting Pakistan. Is he coming with any fresh message, and will there be increase in the U.S. pressure on Pakistan?"

Hamid Nawaz: "There has been pressure on the [Pakistan] Army and government earlier too. The army told the federal government many times that we should not carry out any operation in North Waziristan at any cost. However, now the form of pressure is changing. The U.S. wants to pressure the government through the media. It remains to be seen how the people react.

"This is a big question. If the people of the nation are not ready for that, then the government could bear this U.S. pressure even now, as they have borne it in the past two and a half years. We should take a decision that is in Pakistan's interest, not the U.S. interest. If we decide to take a decision in our interest, then there remains no issue."

Question: "The Americans are contacting the Muslim League (N) and Tehreek-e-Insaf to win their support for the operation in North Waziristan. Do you think that these political parties will agree on this issue?"

Hamid Nawaz: "In my view, both the Muslim League and Tehreek-e-Insaf will resist the U.S. demand, but the parties which are allies of the government will throw their weight in favor of the government, and all the opposition parties will oppose it, and thus the U.S. attempts in this regard will be in vain."

"Malala's Diaries Were Written By The BBC Reporter" – Roznama Ummat, Pakistan, October 15, 2012

 "Malala Yousafzai's Diaries Against The Taliban Were Written By Then-BBC Peshawar Bureau Chief"; "The Aim Of Those Diaries Was To Create Hatred Against All The Taliban"

"Malala Yousafzai's diaries against the Taliban were written by the then-BBC Peshawar bureau chief.[1] He wrote this diary in the name of Gul Makai, one of his relatives, and got it released by the BBC after consultation with Malala's father. The aim of those diaries was to create hatred against all the Taliban on the pretext of Swat fighters [i.e. Taliban militants who were enforcing Islamic shari'a rule in early 2009 in Swat district]. This bureau chief was sent to Prague as news producer of the U.S. propaganda Radio Mashal, in reward for his service.

"One of the sources at BBC headquarters, Bush House in London, has revealed that these diaries were written by one of its correspondents, who was then bureau chief in Peshawar, in the name of Malala Yusufzai. He was from Quetta. He had close relationship with Malala's father Ziauddin Yousafzai, who was running a school in Swat.

"Ziauddin is a greedy and ambitious man. The BBC bureau chief met with him and persuaded him to release the diary in Malala's name and said that he would get it aired by the BBC and would post it on its website.

"Ziauddin agreed for three reasons. [One,] he was promised a large sum of money from U.S. and British NGOs in return. Secondly, children and women are not beaten in the Pashtun community; therefore, there would be no danger in using Malala, as people don't bear animosity against women and children even in the case of life-threatening enmity. They can go anywhere openly. Thirdly, Ziauddin was seeking popularity for himself and for Malala in this guise. So he agreed, and diaries were released in the name of Malala.

"If the diaries that gained popularity are carefully analyzed, it seems that it is impossible for them to have been written by a seventh-grader. They clearly indicate that they have been written by some mature person, who has something to do with literature or media. The print-outs of these diaries could be taken from the BBC Urdu website. It is most probable that the BBC bureau chief must have given his diary to get it copied by some girl or Malala [herself] to make sure it was in female handwriting.

"If the diary and Swat operation [that followed against the Taliban in mid-2009] are analyzed, then many mistakes crop up. There was the peace deal [between the government and the Taliban] in Swat on February 16. The Taliban declared a ceasefire on February 24. Operation Black Thunderstorm began May 5. The diaries under Malala's name began January 9 on the BBC website [i.e. much earlier than the ceasefire].

"The first entry is dated January 3, while another was dated Sunday, January 4. On the 5th, the diary mentions TV. The Taliban announced the closure of schools January 15, 2009 (which was later rescinded). But Malala's diary mentions the closure of the schools 12 days prior to that. How was this possible? If the details of the diary are taken to be true, then the Taliban had made no announcement till that time. How could Malala receive this 'revelation' 12 days in advance? And the information [in the diaries] about markets could never even be dreamed by a seventh-grade girl.

"The operation began in May, but there was no diary during the whole of April. However, the tensest month was the month of April only."

"Malala's Father Ziauddin Yousafzai Brought Malala Before The Media After The Diary Became Public"; "Ziauddin Began Successfully Using His Daughter"; "When These Diaries Got U.S. Media Attention, There Was A Shower Of Rewards For Her"

"It should also be noted that the Taliban had issued an order only for the closure of government schools, not for private schools, which remained open as normal. Malala did not attend a government school, but attended her father's Khushhal Public School. But the scene she depicted in her diary is as if it is her school that has been closed down, and her education that has been stopped. But this was not the case; Malala and her fellow students kept attending school throughout this period. Khushhal Public school was not concealed from the Taliban, but it was not their policy to close down private schools.

"Malala's father Ziauddin Yousafzai brought Malala before the media after the diary became public. According to [prominent journalist] Hamid Mir, Ziauddin Yusufzai and his daughter Malala met him in Swat when he was there following the death of GEO [TV] correspondent Musa Khan Khel, and he invited them to his program Capital Talk. This was when Ziauddin began successfully using his daughter. When these diaries got U.S. media attention, there was a shower of rewards for her.

"One more reason to give the name of Malala to these diaries was that Malala is an intelligent and confident girl. She was not at all reluctant to speak before the media. When Malala reached the pinnacle of her popularity, the media, including The New York Times, made documentaries about her, published features about her, and wrote stories about her.

"Afterwards, U.S. officials agreed to provide considerable funding for the establishment of an educational and cultural center in Swat, at the suggestion of Malala's father Ziauddin. This center was to become helpful in establishing liberal thinking, open education for wome,  and open society in Swat. Malala did not represent those girls who study in government schools or Taat schools [schools where students sit on sacks] and whose schools were destroyed. The BBC bureau chief took advantage of the whole play…"

"Afterwards, Malala Claimed To Have Written This Diary In The Name Of Gul Makai"; "There Was No Reason To Write This Diary"; "Ziauddin Is Hopeful That He Will Be Able To Acquire Big Sums In Malala's Name And U.S. Support To Get Malala Into Pakistani Politics In The Future"

"The name 'Gul Makai' is more common in Baluchistan or in the tribes; it is not a common name in Dir, Swat, Bajaur or Buner areas [of the region where Malala Yousafzai lived]. Most probably, she is some relative of the BBC bureau chief from Baluchistan, and the diary was released in her name only. But when he was asked for proof, then he put Malala forward after talking to Ziauddin, and this diary was declared Malala's – otherwise, the bureau chief would have lost his job. But the Americans swallowed these lies...

"Afterwards, Malala claimed to have written this diary in the name of Gul Makai. There was no reason to write this diary. Her school was not shut down and the Taliban never searched her, or other girls. The most important thing is, how were these diaries of Malala published regularly on the BBC when the [Inter]net system was shut down and phone service in Swat at that time was disrupted? How did Malala send her diaries to the BBC?

"All these facts show that an innocent girl like Malala was used by supporters of U.S. interests in Pakistan. It should be noted that when Malala met Amir Haider Khan Hoti [chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province], she told him that her idol was Bacha Khan [or Badshah Khan, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan]. When she met [then-Pakistani] prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, she said her idol was Benazir Bhutto, and when she met Americans, then [U.S. President Barack] Obama became her idol…

"The benefit of Malala Yousafzai's campaign did not reach the students of government schools, but the public school of Malala's parents benefited. The issue will remain thus, unless there is any clarification from all the three groups of the Taliban – Hakimullah Mehsud, Maulvi Nazir and Hafiz Gul Bahadur.

"The U.S. and Ziauddin benefited most from the attack on Malala. The U.S. achieved three aims, and Ziauddin [may achieve] two. [For the U.S.,] the countrywide movement against the blasphemous film [Innocence of Muslims] was suppressed and died out; the U.S. had [also] been concerned that religious parties would get the popular vote in the [2013 general] elections and that the election outcome would change the political map that it had decided for Pakistan.

[Aim No. 2 for the U.S. is that] the Taliban is categorized as a tyrant, without any distinctions. And [for Aim. No. 3,] the killing of over 40,000 women and children in drone attacks in Afghanistan and FATA are forgotten. The Pakistani media have proven the proved the tyrant as victim and victim as the tyrant. Thus the U.S. changed the game by losing its one pawn [i.e. Malala Yousafzai].

"Some British diplomatic sources say that the U.S. is leaving Afghanistan, but before doing so it will sacrifice its own pawns to achieve its goal.

"The U.S. dream of establishing an anti-Taliban center in Swat through Malala [and her father] has dissolved into thin air. However, Ziauddin is hopeful that he will be able to [achieve two aims:] to acquire large sums of money in Malala's name, and to acquire U.S. support to get Malala into Pakistani politics in the future.

"According to [unidentified] diplomatic sources, they are a small pawn in the big game…."

Image source: Insaf.pk

Known for his mass public campaign against the U.S. drone strikes on Taliban hideouts, rising Pakistani politician Imran Khan is currently visiting the U.S. for fundraising events organized by the U.S. branch of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

According to the official PTI website, Khan will address a fundraising dinner at the Soundview Studios in New York City on October 26, 2012.[1] The event will be broadcast live worldwide and is expected to be viewed by Pakistani diaspora and people in Pakistan.

Imran Khan is a globally celebrated cricketer who captained his country's cricket team to win the 1992 World Cup, and after retirement from cricket has emerged as an immensely popular leader in Pakistan, mainly due to his anti-U.S. campaign that has sought to channel popular Pakistani public opinion against the U.S. drone attacks on Taliban hideouts. Khan also opposed the unilateral U.S. unilateral raid that killed Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in May 2011, arguing that the U.S. violated Pakistan's sovereignty.

Although Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is not expected to win the 2013 elections in Pakistan, which follows a parliamentary form of democracy in which the prime minister and the president are not directly elected by people, he has definitely emerged as a popular leader in Pakistan. A large section of youth and religious groups express support for Khan's PTI. With growing popularity, Khan's statements and political positions have also been examined minutely by the Pakistani media in recent years.

Excerpts are given below from Pakistani media reports, which indicate that Khan has recently sought to justify the Taliban's waging of jihad against the U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan while simultaneously refusing to condemn the Taliban in Pakistan. Media reports indicate that Khan opposes the U.S. role in Pakistan to the extent of saying that Pakistan doesn't need any U.S. aid. At the same time, Khan has also sought to garner the support of rightwing Pakistani public opinion that is sympathetic to the Taliban and opposed to India and the United States. In the statements given below, Khan also alleges that the Jewish/Israeli lobby in America controls the global media and is working to undermine Pakistan's nuclear program.

Pakistani Newspaper Report: Imran Khan Says "War In Afghanistan Is Jihad"

In October 2012, after visiting Malala Yousafzai, a 14-year-old Pakistani girl attacked by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for her advocacy of girls' education and opposition in an anonymous online diary to the Taliban's enforcement of Islamic shari'a in Pakistan's Swat district in early 2009, Imran Khan justified the waging of jihad in Afghanistan. Following are excerpts from an October 11, 2012 media report titled "War in Afghanistan is jihad, says Imran":[2]

"Terming the ongoing war in Afghanistan a 'jihad,' Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan parried a question... whether the war in Pakistan's tribal belt could be labelled as terrorism. He was addressing a press conference in Peshawar after paying a visit to inquire after the health of Malala Yousafzai.

"The PTI chief condemned the attack on Malala, saying attacking children was against the teachings of Islam and Pashtun traditions, and offered every possible help to Malala's family. Imran added that there was a need to investigate the motivations of various Taliban factions operating in the country, adding that the decision to carry out a military operation in Waziristan in 2004 and the Lal Masjid episode [i.e. 2007 military operation against militants in Islamabad] were 'the main reasons' behind the violence across the country.

"[He said:] 'In the guise of the Taliban, there are several criminal gangs who didn't even spare PTI workers by demanding extortion money.' The PTI chief said that 'drone attacks are carried out with the consent of the government, and in reaction, Taliban attack civilians."'

According to a video of his statement made at the press conference in Peshawar, Imran Khan said:[3] "Jihad is a very simple thing. When I wage a war for my freedom, it is jihad. It's averse of the Koran; it's straight clear. [When] one fights for his freedom, it's jihad. Those who are fighting in Afghanistan against foreign occupation, it's jihad."

Afghan Websites: Afghan Government, Lawmakers Condemn Khan's Jihad Comment

According to an Afghan website, "The Afghan government has strongly condemned... Imran Khan for calling the ongoing war in Afghanistan against foreign troops 'jihad.' Farhad Azimi, Deputy Secretary of the Afghan Parliament... said, 'This is clear interference in Afghanistan's internal affairs. We urge the Pakistani government to arrest people who support the Taliban'....

"Hamid Zazai, managing director of Mediothek, an Afghan-German NGO... said, 'The war in Afghanistan is not jihad. This is a war by terrorists against Afghanistan, its people and the entire international community.' He alleged that Khan is receiving support from the Taliban, and that by making such statements, he is just 'paving the way for stronger Taliban support than what he is enjoying now.'"[4]

According to a report on the Afghan website Tolonews.com: "Afghan lawmakers ... slammed the recent statement made by former Pakistani cricketer and politician Imran Khan that the war in Afghanistan was Jihad or Islamic 'holy war.' The lawmakers said that such statements incense people against the Afghan government and foreign forces and ignite more instability in the country.

"'Imran Khan was pro-American in the past, but now he's following the ideas of ISI [Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence known for supporting the Taliban],' Badakhshan MP Fawzia Koofi said. Daikundi MP Asadullah Sahadati said that Khan was not the only one making these statements. 'Several Pakistani organs are making propaganda against Afghanistan,' he said."[5]

In TV Interview, Imran Khan Justifies Taliban's 2009 Enforcement Of Shari'a Rule In Swat, States: "When People Talk Of Shari'a, What Is That Shari'a? The Common People, Who Are Pakistani, They All Want Shari'a"

In an interview with television host Dr. Shahid Masood, Imran Khan answered a range of questions about his protest movement against the U.S. drone attacks and the anti-Taliban military operations as well as the 2009 enforcement of Islamic shari'a rule by the Taliban in Pakistan's Swat district. He observed:[6]

"Peace will return only if the people stand with you. They [i.e. the government] ruined everything by sending troops to the tribal region [to fight against the Taliban militants], and the extremist who was on the margin has become the mainstream... The second aspect is that there is a fear, that shari'a [rule] has arrived. Our so-called liberal class is afraid that shari'a has arrived; one doesn't [know] what would happen; hands will be chopped off [as punishments by the Taliban]. Shari'a is what makes us human... Shari'a brings justice and humanity in society; it's the name of a welfare state....

"Look at Allah's blessing that a liberal alliance [the governments of secular Pakistan People's Party in Islamabad and of secular Awami Nationalist Party] have brought shari'a [referring to shari'a-for-peace deal agreed between the government and the Taliban that led to enforcement of shari'a rule in Swat district against which Malala Yousafzai spoke]....

"[Justifying the shari'a rule in Swat district] Look how wrong is [the late U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard] Holbrooke's statement that shari'a rule will be very bad. Now, tell me, will they teach us which Islam to follow?... When people talk of shari'a, what is that shari'a? The common people, who are Pakistani, they all want shari'a...."

In another interview, Khan stated: "It is shameful that we call ourselves Muslims and fear shari'a; what is shari'a? Shari'a is the path of the Prophet [Muhammad] peace be upon him. If you are a Muslim, you want to follow shari'a."[7]

Khan On Pakistani Government: "Who Is Benefiting From This War [Against Terrorism]?"; "Have You [i.e. Pakistani Government] Given Them [i.e. Americans] Permission To Kill Our Own People?"

In June 2011, following an anti-U.S. protest meeting, Imran Khan was interviewed on the killing of Osama bin Laden, the Pakistani government's role in the U.S.-led war against terrorism, as well as recent attacks on the headquarters of Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy by jihadist forces inside the military. Following are some excerpts from his June 16, 2011 interview:[8]

"Who is benefiting from this war [against terror]? The tiny elite. This sit-in [a protest meeting organized by Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party] was directed at the government. It was telling them: 'Tell us the truth.' What is the real truth? Have you given them [i.e. Americans] the permission to kill our own people?

"Secondly, it was directed towards the Americans – that the violation [e.g. killing of Osama bin Laden] of some country's sovereignty is against the United Nations charter. They are violating their own humanitarian laws. In the United States, all humanitarian laws are against anyone becoming judge, jury, and executioner.... 

"The attack on the naval headquarters [in Karachi on May 22, 2011] has shaken Pakistan. It has shaken Pakistan because there is a realization that if we keep on the path we are going, we could have mutiny in the army. Because, this was clearly an inside job. Clearly, people from within the navy or the air force were involved in this attack."

"Over 80% Of The Pakistanis Think That The U.S. Is An Enemy; Why...? Because They Think That The U.S. Is Not Fighting A War Against Terror; It's A War Against Islam" 

"I have been warning against this for a while, because according to all the polls taken in Pakistan, all the surveys, over 80% of the Pakistanis think that the U.S. is an enemy. Why do they think of them as an enemy? Because they think that the U.S. is not fighting a war against terror. It's a war against Islam. 

"So, if 80% of the population thinks like that, then if you take it to the army, surely 80% of the armed personnel would also be thinking like that. That is why it is very dangerous – because so far, the attacks on [former Pakistani military ruler] General Musharraf both were from within the army. The attack on the headquarters ... [of Pakistan Army in Rawalpindi on October 10, 2009] – that was an inside job. Fifty of our commandos were blown up in the base – an inside job. There have been a lot of people caught, within the army, and then whisked away, and they disappeared, because they were thought to be involved in some sort of subversion or mutiny... 

"Now if we keep going on this course which we have taken, it is so dangerous for Pakistan. It is dangerous for Pakistan because if anything happens within the army, the country is in real trouble, because that is the only thing that is holding the country together right now. 

"Here is the U.S., and people in the West, saying that Pakistan could be destabilized, that Pakistan's nuclear assets could fall into the wrong hands, and yet they are doing so far in Pakistan, by asking us... pushing us to do more now, sending our troops, forcing us to go into North Waziristan [to fight against the Taliban], is actually destabilizing the country. All the actions are leading to a scenario where it could possibly happen – that the country could be so destabilized that the nuclear weapons could all into the wrong hands...."

"If... [The Pakistani Government] Is Perceived To Be A Stooge Of America – Taking Dollars To Be A Hired Gun For The Americans, Then All We Are Doing Is Fanning Extremism, And This Is A Never-Ending War Which Will Destroy Pakistan"

"May 2nd [the date of Osama bin Laden's assassination] took us all by shock. It was the biggest shock because here was Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan – the number one shock. Number two – he was not in the tribal areas of the wild areas, and actually in a city. Number three – we heard that the Pakistan government, army, or intelligence agencies provided the intelligence. Yet they didn't finish the job. The Americans came and killed him....

"There are so many question marks about Osama bin Laden: Was he there? What was he doing there? Who kept him there? How did he avoid detection? How did the Americans find out? Why didn't the Pakistanis know about it? And so on.... 

"The feeling in Pakistan is that we have a ruling elite that to fill its own pockets, rather than conducting reforms, which the country badly needs, rather than spending money on education, on human development, fighting corruption, setting up institutions, rule of law...

"What they are doing is taking a shortcut, taking money from the U.S., pretending to be this people who are fighting Islamic radicalism – the word used is 'bulwark' against terrorism and Islamic extremism... They basically want the situation to continue just so the aid keeps coming, benefiting them, while the country sinks. They make a lot of money. 

"So people feel that the time has come for a change. Say 'no' to aid. We do not want this aid. It is destroying our country. We want to stand on our own feet, be a sovereign country, and take responsibility for whatever happens within our borders. We should be... A sovereign, credible, democratic government should be responsible for all terrorism from its soil. But it can only do that if it is sovereign. If it is perceived to be a stooge of America – taking dollars to be a hired gun for the Americans, then all we are doing is fanning extremism, and this is a never-ending war which will destroy Pakistan...."

In Interview, Khan Tells U.S.: "We Will Fight This War Our Own Way; We Don't Want Interference; We Don't Want Your Money; We Don't Want Your Aid"

In another interview, Imran Khan also opposed the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a unilateral U.S. military raid in Pakistan in May 2011, arguing that the U.S., being an ally, should have respected Pakistan's sovereignty. Following are excerpts from the interview:[9]

"I am a Pakistani citizen. My country has given 34,000 people dead in a war we had nothing to do with; $70 billion lost to the economy when the total [U.S.] aid has been $20 billion. How would I feel that my ally who we are fighting for doesn't trust us, instead comes and conducts the operation itself [to kill Osama bin Laden without informing Pakistan]; should it not have told our government; either it is an ally or it's not an ally....

"First of all, this myth being spun that 4-5,000 Haqqani Taliban is the reason why the U.S. is not succeeding in Afghanistan; 140,000 U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, greatest military machine in history, is not succeeding because of these four or five thousand fighters that are supposed to be holed up in North Waziristan [tribal district of Pakistan] does not make sense....

"Are we Pakistanis not allowed to criticize American policy...? [Commenting on the U.S.'s right to self-defense] But does the Pakistani government also have not any semblance of sovereignty in our country...? They are fighting this war on terror, which is why 34,000 people have died; can they not fight it their own way....?

"[Asked about UK Prime Minister David Cameron expressing concern over Pakistan's double-sided role in the war on terror] God, if I was the prime minister of Pakistan, I would have immediately told them [the U.S. and UK] that look, we will fight this war our own way; we don't want interference; we don't want your money; we don't want your aid. Look, it doesn't mean cut in the relationships with the Americans.... Pakistan has lost $70 billion... this is published by our own, current government; total aid is $20 billion; this aid is destroying us."

According to another television interview, Khan stated that Pakistani "people feel that the time has come for a change. Say 'no' to aid. We do not want this aid. It is destroying our country. We want to stand on our own feet, be a sovereign country, and take responsibility for whatever happens within our borders. We should be... A sovereign, credible, democratic government should be responsible for all terrorism from its soil. But it can only do that if it is sovereign. If it is perceived to be a stooge of America – taking dollars to be a hired gun for the Americans, then all we are doing is fanning extremism, and this is a never-ending war which will destroy Pakistan."[10]

Pakistani Media Reports: Khan's Rise Supported By Pakistan's ISI; Opposition Leader Nawaz Sharif Gives "A Go-Ahead To Party Leaders To 'Expose The Games Of The Military Establishment' – And Particularly To Criticize" The ISI

Imran Khan addressing a political rally in Lahore (Roznama Jang, October 31, 2011)

Following a hugely successful political rally organized by Imran Khan in Lahore on October 30, 2011, political leaders alleged that the Pakistani military's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which has been known to be supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan, is behind the sudden rise of Imran Khan in Pakistani politics. Following are excerpts from a Pakistani television program:[11]

"The frantic political stir created by the up-and-coming Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has provoked opposing reactions on Saturday [November 12] from the two heavyweight parties of the country, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). While [then] Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani calmly shrugged off talk of there being any threat to his party from the PTI’s monumental rise, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan [of PML-N] was more frantic – alleging that there was a concerted effort to undermine the PML-N, using parties such as the PTI, and saying he had evidence to support this claim.

"Though it had been fluid for a while, the political landscape was shaken by the PTI’s mammoth October 30 rally... in Lahore, the seat of power in Punjab, long considered the bastion of the PML-N's power. Even before the Lahore rally, with PTI's major political activity taking place in urban Punjab constituencies, analysts and observers concluded that the rise of Imran Khan's PTI would hurt the PML-N the most.

"The Lahore rally seemed to drive this point home emphatically for the PML-N, which has since then been in a huddle, planning what to do. PML-N’s President Nawaz Sharif on Saturday [November 12] held a meeting of the party's senior leaders in... Lahore where he also presided over a meeting of party workers from Faisalabad division.

"According to senior party member privy to the discussions at the meeting, Sharif has given a go-ahead to party leaders to 'expose the games of military establishment' and particularly to criticize the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The PML-N's think tank last month had decided that this offensive would be launched if the [military-led] establishment did not cease and desist from interfering in the country's political dynamics – and that those ISI officials allegedly involved in this practice would be 'exposed'...."

Opposition Leader Chaudhry Nisar Says He "Would Demand That the Prime Minister Call The Army Chief [Gen.  Kayani] To The Floor Of The National Assembly To Clarify The Establishment's Position"

"Chaudhry Nisar, in a typically fiery press conference, said he would present evidence of the military establishment’s sponsoring and promotion of PTI's Lahore rally. He warned that if the ISI did not mend its ways the PML-N would take 'direct action' either on the floor of the house, in the courts or through the media. 'I have detailed documents of funding and ample evidence of the management the ISI extended in making the PTI's rally successful,' Nisar said...."

"Asked why he did not approach Chief of Army Staff Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani with the allegations, Nisar replied that he had approached the general a number of times to control the role of ISI in politics. Kayani, he said, never responded to the pleas. He did add that he told the army chief that the ISI's role under Kayani had remained 'excellent' for the first two years – but that this role had become dubious once again.

"[In answer] to a query, Nisar said that since Kayani would not listen to him, he would demand that the prime minister call the army chief to the floor of the National Assembly to clarify the establishment's position in the making and breaking of political parties.

"He said that the ISI was being used for petty politics despite the Pakistan military being under immense foreign pressure.... He said that Imran Khan had been in politics for 15 years, yet those that have joined him in recent days have strong linkages with the establishment. He added that 90% of those joining the PTI are from a party created by former President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, that is, the PML-Q...."

Report: "[Former ISI Chief] Hamid Gul... Began Working On A New Plan For The Future Leadership Of The Country; He Chose Three Prominent Pakistanis... Imran Khan Agreed to Take A Political Role"

Following are excerpts from a Pakistani media report examining how former ISI chief Hamid Gul has supported a plan to install Imran Khan in power:[12]

"Imran Khan captained the winning Pakistani cricket team in the 1992 World Cup in Australia and returned to Pakistan a national hero. He then pursued the cause of establishing a free cancer hospital in memory of his deceased mother Shaukat Khanum, who died of cancer.

"At the same time, Lieutenant-General Hamid Gul retired from the Pakistan Army and began working on a new plan for the future leadership of the country. He chose three prominent Pakistanis; namely, former governor, renowned social worker and reformer Hakim Mohammad Saeed, the social worker and philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi, and Imran Khan. Saeed refused to take part in politics, and was gunned down in front of his clinic in 1998. Edhi left Pakistan in the mid 1990s, alleging that Pakistani intelligence was trying to force him into politics. Imran Khan agreed to take a political role.

"The transformation of an Oxford University political sciences graduate seen as a sex symbol in the West into a politician who penned articles in leading Urdu newspapers against the Western lifestyle and Westernized thinking in Pakistan stunned many.

"After the October 12, 1999 military coup [by General Musharraf], Khan jumped on Musharraf's bandwagon but by 2003 he had distanced himself from the president. The military establishment continued to engage him. However, Khan has remained a major campaigner against the Pakistan military's oppression of Islamic forces. Even in 2009, as all Pakistani politicians including Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz Group [of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif] supported military operations in Swat, he insisted that they could only breed militancy...."

Khan In Interview: "The Jewish Lobby... Controls The Global Media"; "There Is A Very Big Lobby In America... That's Basically The Israeli Lobby; It Wants The Pakistani Nuclear Program Rolled Back"

Interviewed on Pakistan's Aaj TV, Khan said that the Jews control the global media:

"[Asked about the decline in Pakistani media coverage for his political activities in Pakistan, he said:] "The problem is that our competition is with two governments: the central government on the one side and the provincial government in Punjab. They have massive funds for advertisements [to give to pliable newspapers and television channels].... Advertisements play a big part and because of it, a small minority, the Jewish lobby, which controls the global media..."[13]

Asked to explain the U.S.'s dominant agenda in Pakistan by a television host on Dawn News television this year, Khan stated:

"There is a very big lobby in America, and it's a very powerful lobby, and that's basically the Israeli lobby. It wants the Pakistani nuclear program rolled back. When they use the word 'secure', it basically means roll back.

"Actually, it is their dominant agenda that is coming to the fore; they are consistent about it. And that lobby is very powerful. The one which is trying to get an attack launched on Iran, the same lobby is after the nuclear program of Pakistan and it is the Israeli lobby."[14]

Khan On India's Westernizing Generation: "I Am Strongly Opposed To What Is Happening In India [i.e. Indians Imitating The West]; Because, They Have Become A Desi Bitch With A Western Bark"

India, with a fast-growing economy, has emerged as a major U.S. ally in recent years. People in India are also adopting Western lifestyle, which is also reflected in their pro-West outlook on economy, politics and cinema. In a television interview, Imran Khan offered disparaging comments about Indians, observing:[15]

"I am strongly opposed to what is happening in India [i.e. Indians imitating the West in lifestyle, economy and cinema]. Because, they have become a desi [indigenous/Islamic] bitch with a Western bark. In other words, they are Indians, but they are trying become Western. A crow trying to walk like a swan [i.e. making a fool of oneself, or trying to become something you are not]. They can never be Western; no matter how much they try, they will remain Indian.

"But in their films, in their advertising, lifestyles are Western. But they are Western. Their people are brown, but those who act on television, their color is white; they do not represent people; their people speak one language, they speak a different language. Their habits, saying hi, come from America, which is an imported culture, divorced from their own culture. Unfortunately, in the name of progressive thought, we are bringing the same in Pakistan; we are acting the same habits in Pakistan."

Reviewer Of Khan's Autobiography:  Imran Khan "Liked The Defiance Of [Zulfiqar Ali] Bhutto, Who Had Committed Pakistan To A Thousand-Year War With India"

In a review of Imran Khan's autobiography "Pakistan: A Personal History," noted Pakistani commentator Khaled Ahmed observed:[16]

"Following the completion of his A-levels in 1972 from Aitchison College Lahore, Imran went to Oxford (p.57). He already liked the defiance of [former Pakistani leader Zulfiqar Ali] Bhutto who had committed Pakistan to a thousand-year war with India at the UN. But Bhutto fell early enough because of his embedded flaw of a feudal mind (p.40). Memory inclined him to abhor what he calls the brown sahibs of Pakistan whom he first saw in Lahore Gymkhana where 'Pakistanis pretended to be English and danced to Western music on a Saturday night' (p.43). Gora sahib British had embedded an inferiority complex amongst the natives with great care (p.45).

"He loved cricketers who refused to kowtow: 'Sir Vivian Richards from the West and Sunil Gavaskar of India were both examples of sportsmen who wanted to assert their equality on the cricket field against their former colonial masters' (p.64). British Raj had romanced the Pathan highlander even as he fought him, admiring his defiance. As captain of the Pakistan team, Imran got on well with Gen. Ziaul Haq, although 'his political use of Islam was aimed more at capturing the mood of the time' (p.69). He thought Islamization was mere outward observance and remained untouched by it. (Later, Captain Inzimamul Haq would preside over a crudely demonstrative religiosity that left the team empty of all ethic. Today, after Talibanization, even Miandad says he used to do wuzu [ablution] before going in to bat.)

"Imran imbibed a strong sense of personal destiny. He recalls: 'Pir Gi [Sufi mystic] from Sahiwal said I would be very famous and make my mother a household name' (p.89). Imran had announced his first retirement when he met another clairvoyant: 'Baba Chala lived in a little village just a few miles from the Indian border. He certainly had not heard bout [sic] my retirement... the man looked at me and said I had not left my profession.... It is the will of Allah; you are still in the game' (p.93).

"But the man who stood by him as his spiritual mentor was Mian Bashir (d.2005) who shocked him by naming the Quranic ayat [Koranic verse] his mother used to read to baby Imran and predicted that Allah had turned the tables in his favor in the Lamb-Botham libel suit whose reparations would have pauperized Imran (p.189). Mian Bashir also disarmed a sceptical Jemima [the British heiress] by accurately guessing her three secret wishes (p.120)."

Imran Khan "Is Aware Of The 'Born Again' Label And Resists It... He Is More Firmly Moored In [The Teachings Of Islamist Poet] Allama Iqbal... But He May Ultimately Be More Like Sayyed Qutb"

"Imran married Jemima in 1995, but the marriage was on the rocks soon enough. He is graceful in his expression of sincere regret at what happened: 'The six months leading up to our divorce and the six months after made up the hardest year of my life' (p.214). If the book is a personal narrative, Jemima probably deserved more space. She was of far greater personal worth than he realizes, although he is appropriately grateful that his two wonderful sons are growing up with her in England, away from the violent dystopia of Pakistan.

"Jemima and Princess Diana were both good for Imran and his cancer hospital. His icons looked for the 'autonomous woman' in their dedicated lives. [Pakistan's Islamist national poet] Allama Iqbal had his Atiya Fyzee and [Pakistan's founder M. A.] Jinnah his Ruttie. Inspirational, predestined Imran had his 'rational' Jemima? He discusses his premarital 'hedonism' and calls it 'a mirage': 'The hurt I caused and the feeling of emptiness I experienced in transitory relationships far outweighed the moments of pleasure' (p.91).

"He is aware of the 'born again' label and resists it, even recalling Fazal Mehmood, the playboy fast bowler of Pakistan, who went heavily religious after retirement from cricket. He is more firmly moored in [the teachings of Islamist poet] Allama Iqbal.... From his sense of predestination comes his risk-taking character. But he says: 'The difference between a good leader and a bad one is that the former takes huge risks while fully grasping the consequences of failure. Leaders of a country shaping policies out of fear of losing power have always proves to be disastrous. Great leaders always have the ability to resist pressure and make policies according to their vision, rather than fear' (p.113).

"A most falsifying aspect of leadership is its condition of being a public good. Imran has read his Allama Iqbal and [Iranian writer] Ali Shariati, but he may ultimately be more like Sayyed Qutb [the ideologue whose ideas are espoused by Al-Qaeda], too reactive, too much a politician of extremes...."

Khan In Article: "[In My Youth] I Considered... Islam An Outdated Religion; Philosophers [Honored In The West Were] Like Darwin Who...  Supposedly Disproved The Creation Of Men And Hence Religion"

In an article titled "Selective Islam," Imran Khan explained his early Westernized upbringing and how he began embracing Islam after the Salman Rushdie issue emanating from Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini's fatwa. Following are excerpts from an article by Khan:[17]

"My generation grew up at a time when colonial hang-up was at its peak. Our older generation had been slaves and had a huge inferiority complex vis-à-vis the British. The school I went to was similar to all elite schools in Pakistan; despite becoming independent, they were, and still are, producing replicas of [English] public school boys rather than Pakistanis. I read Shakespeare, which was fine, but no Allama Iqbal [the Islamist national poet of Pakistan].

"The Islamic class was not considered to be serious; when I left school, I was considered amongst the elite of the country because I could speak English and wore Western clothes. Despite periodically shouting 'Pakistan Zindabad' ['Long Live Pakistan'] at school functions, I considered my own culture backward and Islam an outdated religion. Amongst our group, if any one talked about religion, prayed or kept a beard he was immediately branded a Mullah [cleric]. Because of the power of the Western media, all our heroes were Western movie or pop stars.

"When I went to [the University of] Oxford, already burdened with this hang-up from my school days, things were no easier. At the university, not just Islam but all religions were considered anachronisms. Science had replaced religion, and if something couldn't be logically proved it did not exist. All supernatural stuff was confined to the movies. Philosophers [honored in the West were] like Darwin, who with his half-baked theory of evolution supposedly disproved the creation of men and hence religion.

"Moreover, European history had an awful experience with religion. The horrors committed by the Christian clergy in the name of God during the Inquisition had left a powerful impact on the Western mind. To understand why the West is so keen on secularism, one should go to places like Cordoba in Spain and see the torture apparatuses used during the Spanish Inquisition. Also, the persecution of scientists as heretics by the clergy... convinced the Europeans that all religions are regressive."

"It Was A Miracle I Did Not Become An Atheist; The Only Reason I Did Not Was The Powerful Religious Influence Wielded By My Mother"

"However, the biggest factor that drove people like me away from religion [during our youth] was the selective Islam practiced by most of its preachers. In other words, there was a huge difference between what they practiced and what they preached. Also, rather than explaining the philosophy behind the religion, there was an overemphasis on ritual.

"I feel that humans are different to animals; whereas the latter can be drilled, humans need to be intellectually convinced. That is why the Koran constantly appeals to reason. The worst, of course, was the exploitation of Islam for political gains by various individuals or groups. Hence, it was a miracle I did not become an atheist.

"The only reason I did not [become an atheist] was the powerful religious influence wielded by my mother on me since my childhood. It was not so much out of conviction but out of love for her that I remained a Muslim. However, my Islam was selective, that is, I accepted only parts of the religion that suited me. Prayers were restricted to Eid days and occasionally on Fridays, when my father insisted on taking me with him [to mosque]. If there was a God I was not sure about it, and certainly felt that He did not interfere with my life."

"The Inferiority Complex That My Generation Had Inherited Gradually Disappeared As I Developed Into a World-Class Athlete"

"All in all, I was smoothly moving to becoming a Pukka Brown [Pakistani] Sahib [i.e. a Pakistani in blood but like a colonial-era British official in taste and clothing]. After all I had the right credentials in terms of the right school, university and above all, acceptability in the English aristocracy, something that our brown [Pakistani] sahibs would give their lives for. So what led me to lota [i.e. repudiating the West] on the Brown Sahib culture and instead becoming a desi? Well, it did not just happen overnight.

"Firstly, the inferiority complex that my generation had inherited gradually disappeared, as I developed into a world class athlete [as a cricketer]. Secondly, I had the unique position of living between two cultures. I began to see the advantages and the disadvantages of both the societies. In Western societies, institutions were strong while in our country they were collapsing.

"However, there was an area where we were and still are superior, and that is our family life. I used to notice the loneliness of the old-age pensioners at Hove Cricket ground (during my Sussex years). Imagine sending your parents to old peoples' homes! Even the children there never had the sort of love and warmth that we grew up with here. They completely miss out on the security blanket that a joint family system provides."

"While Science Can Answer A Lot Of Questions... Two Questions It Will Never Be Able To Answer: One, What Is The Purpose Of Existence; And Two, What Happens To Us When We Die?"

"However, [I] began to realize that the biggest loss to the Western society and that in trying to free itself from the oppression of the clergy, they had removed both God and religion from their lives. While science can answer a lot of questions, no matter how much it progresses, two questions it will never be able to answer: One, what is the purpose of the existence; and two, what happens to us when we die?

"It is this vacuum that I felt created materialistic and hedonistic culture. If this is the only life then one must make hay while the sun shines and in order to do so one needs money. Such a culture is bound to cause psychological problems in a human being, as there is going to be an imbalance between the body and the soul.

"Consequently, in the U.S., which has shown the greatest materialistic progress and also gives its citizens the greatest human rights, almost 60 percent of the population consults psychiatrists. Yet, amazingly in modern psychology, there is no study of the human soul. Sweden and Switzerland, which provide the most welfare to their citizens, also have the highest suicide rates; hence, man is not necessarily content with material wellbeing; he needs something more. Since all morality has its roots in religion, once religion was removed, immorality has progressively escalated since the 70s. The direct impact of it is on the family life.

"In the UK, the divorce rate is 60 percent, while it is estimated that over 35 percent of mothers are single mothers. The crime rate is rising in almost all Western societies, but the most disturbing fact is the alarming increase in racism. While science always tries to prove the inequality of man (recent survey showing the American black to be genetically less intelligent than whites) it is only religion which preaches the equality of man. Between '91 and '97, it was estimated that total immigration into Europe was around 520,000, and there were racially motivated attacks all over, especially in Britain, France and Germany."

"The More I Understood The Game [Of Cricket], The More I Began To Realize That What I Considered To Be Chance Was, In Fact, The Will of Allah"; "But It Was Not Until Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses That My Understanding Of Islam Began To Develop"

"In Pakistan during the Afghan war [of the 1980s], we had over four million [Afghan] refugees, and despite the people being so much poorer here and in the NWFP [North West Frontier Province, now known as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa], they suffered a considerable loss in their standard of living as a result of the refugees; yet there was no racial tension. It is no wonder that last year in Britain religious education was reintroduced into schools.

"There was a sequence of events in the 80s that moved me towards God. As the Koran says: 'There are signs for people of understanding.' One of them was cricket. As I was a student of the game, the more I understood the game, the more I began to realize that what I considered to be chance was, in fact, the will of Allah, the pattern which became clearer with time. But it was not until [the publication of] Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses that my understanding of Islam began to develop.

"People like me who were living in the Western world bore the brunt of anti-Islam prejudice that followed the Muslim reaction to the book. We were left with two choices: fight or flight. Since I felt strongly that the attacks on Islam were unfair, I decided to fight.

"It was then I realized that I was not equipped to do so as my knowledge of Islam was inadequate. Hence I started my research and for me a period of my greatest enlightenment. I read scholars like Ali Shariati, Mohammad Asad, Iqbal, Gai Eaton, plus of course, a study of the Holy Koran."

"Since This Is A Transitory World Where We Prepare For The Eternal One, I Broke Out Of The Self-Imposed Prisons"

"I will try to explain as concisely as is possible, what 'discovering the truth' meant for me. When the believers are addressed in the Koran, it always says, 'Those who believe and do good deeds.' In other words, a Muslim has dual function: one towards God and the other towards fellow human beings. The greatest impact of believing in God for me meant that I lost all fear of human beings. The Koran liberates man from man when it says that life and death and respect and humiliation are God's jurisdiction, so we do not have to bow before other human beings. As [Pakistan's national poet] Iqbal puts it:

"Wo aik Sajda jisay tu giran samajhta hai,
Hazaar sajdon say deta hai aadmi ko nijaat.
[The bowing before Allah that you so despise;
Frees you from bowing down before man millions of times]

"Moreover, since this is a transitory world where we prepare for the eternal one, I broke out of the self-imposed prisons, such as growing old (such a curse in the Western world, as a result of which plastic surgeons are having a field day), materialism, ego, what people say, and so on. It is important to note that one does not eliminate the earthly desires, simply that instead of being controlled by them, one controls them.

"By following the second part of believing in Islam, I have become a better human being. Rather than being self-centered and living for the self, I feel that because the Almighty gave so much to me, in turn I must use that blessing to help the less privileged. By following the fundamentals of Islam rather than becoming a Kalashnikov-wielding fanatic I have become a tolerant and a giving human being who feels compassion for the underprivileged."

"Only Now Do I Understand The True Meaning Of Islam: If You Submit To The Will Of Allah, You Have Inner Peace... In Pakistan We Have Selective Islam"

"Instead of attributing success to myself, I know it is because of God's will; hence [I prefer] humility instead of arrogance. Also, instead of the snobbish Brown Sahib attitude towards our masses, I believe in egalitarianism and strongly feel against the injustice done to the weak in our society; according to the Quran, 'Oppression is worse than killing.'

"In fact only now do I understand the true meaning of Islam, if you submit to the will of Allah, you have inner peace. Through my faith, I have discovered strength within me that I never knew existed and that has released my potential in life: My education program that I intend to announce... is far more ambitious than the cancer hospital project.

"I feel that in Pakistan we have selective Islam. Just believing in God and going through the rituals is not enough; one also has to be a good human being. I feel there are certain Western countries with far more Islamic traits than us, especially in the way they protect the rights of their citizens, or for that matter their justice system. In fact some of the finest individuals I know live there.

"What I dislike about them [the Western nations] is their double standard in the way they protect the rights of their citizens yet consider citizens of other countries as being somehow inferior to them as human being, e.g. dumping toxic waste in the Third World, advertising cigarettes that are not allowed in the West, and selling drugs that are banned in the West."

"The [Westernized] Group On Whom The Greatest Proportion[s] Of Our Educational Resources Are Spent In... [Pakistan] Must Study Islam Properly"

"One of the problems facing Pakistan is the polarization of two reactionary groups. On the one side is the Westernized group that looks upon Islam through Western eyes and has inadequate knowledge about the subject. It reacts to anyone trying to impose Islam in the society and wants only a selective part of the religion.

"On the other extreme is the group that reacts to this Westernized elite and, in trying to become a defender of the faith, takes up such intolerant and self-righteous attitudes that are repugnant to the spirit of Islam.

"What needs to be done is to somehow start a dialogue between the two extremes. In order for this to happen, the group on whom the greatest proportion of our educational resources are spent in this country must study Islam properly. Whether they become practicing Muslims or believe in God is entirely a personal choice, as the Koran tells us that there is 'no compulsion in religion.'

"However, they must arm themselves with knowledge as a weapon to fight extremism. Turning up their noses at extremism is not going to solve the problem."

"At The Moment, The Worst Advertisement[s] For Islam Are The Muslim Countries With Their Selective Islam – Especially Where The Religion Is Used To Deprive People of Their Rights"

"The Koran calls Muslims 'the middle nation,' i.e. not of extremes. The Holy Prophet [Muhammad] (PBUH) was told to simply give the message and not worry whether people converted or not; therefore, there is no question in Islam of forcing your opinions on anyone else. Moreover, we are told to respect other religions, their places of worship and their prophets. It should be noted that... Muslim missionaries or armies never went to Malaysia or Indonesia. The people converted to Islam due to the high principles and impeccable character of the Muslim traders.

"At the moment, the worst advertisement[s] for Islam are the Muslim countries with their selective Islam, especially where the religion is used to deprive people of their rights. In fact, a society that obeys fundamentals of Islam has to be a liberal one.

"If our Westernized class started to study Islam, not only would it be able to help our society fight sectarianism and extremism, but it will also make them realize what a progressive religion Islam is. They will also be able to help the Western world by articulating Islamic concepts....

"Prince Charles [stated that he] accepted that the Western world can learn from Islam in his speech at the Oxford Union. But how can this happen if the group that is in to best position to project Islam gets its attitudes from the West and considers Islam backward? Islam is a universal religion and that is why our Prophet (PBUH) was called a mercy for all mankind."

Justifying the attack on Malala Yousafzai, the joint TTP-IMU document cites Prophet Muhammad's orders in his time for killing women and Jews. Noting that in the modern era the media does more harm than a sword can, the document argues that Malala was using the media to further the Western agenda against Islam. It also cites Islamic shari'a injunctions to argue that Malala is over 15 years of age and is therefore an adult, who must be held responsible for her actions.

Malala and her two school friends, Shazia and Kainat, were shot by a Taliban militant who has been identified as Ataullah, who was previously jailed in Pakistan but later released by a court. According to a Pakistani media report, two relatives of Ataullah have meanwhile been detained by Pakistani officials.[1]

Following is the text of the TTP-IMU document:

"The Present War Underway In The World Is A War Between Two Faiths And Struggle Between Two Religions"; "This Is The War Of Two Faiths, A War Between Islam And Kufr [Unbelief]"

"Clash Of Faiths

"The present war underway in the world is a war between two faiths and a struggle between two religions. A war is continuing around the world presently between religiosity and irreligiousness. One says put on clothes; the other says don't [do that], remain naked, it is your right. One says maintain the veil; the other says no, don't violate women's rights. One says don't do sinful [sexual] things [because] this would destroy the race; the other says it is not so, it is your fundamental right, do whatever you want to do.

"One says acquire education; the other says no, in the name of education and art, do immoral acts and indulge in dancing and singing, obscenity, music and jumping. One says be steadfast to your religion; the other says no, keep religion and the world separated and keep mullahs away from government.

"One says give respect to the elders; the other says no, insult revered persons and, god forbid, commit blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, because this is the era of freedom [of expression] and everyone has a right to exercise his/her opinion. One says give education to girls [and] take care of their veils; the other says no, appear on TV and give interviews to unknown males [the males with whom marriage is permissible] also. One says protect women; the other says no, instead mock those Taliban and Mujahideen too who stop Muslim girls from obscenity, immorality and Western civilization. In short, it is a war of two faiths.

"Now we come towards the real issue, and that is 'Malala'; and behind her cover the infidels and their agents are spiting venom against the Taliban continuously day and night. We would like to say something on this issue which is being raised by the pro-West people: Malala is a doll [puppet] in their hands.

"We would analyze the question one by one which is being raised in the media, but they are not giving any chance ever [to us] as so many things are being said against you [us] after all; what is your opinion on that? This is the time of freedom of expression! And in this, the Taliban are not given an opportunity to put their stand anywhere, anytime. Sometimes, their statements are broadcast but after cutting them, and then so many ignorant critics are given the opportunity to speak on it that the real issue gets lost."

"Malala Is 15 Years And Four Months Old"; "[As Per Sharia] A Girl Is Considered Adult At The Age If 15 Even If Other Signs Of Adulthood Like Menstruation, Etc., Are Not There, And An Adult Person… Is Considered Responsible For His/Her Words And Deeds"

"Let's consider it:

"First thing: was Malala a young girl?

"Malala is 15 years and four months old, according to her birth date July 17, 1997. I don't know in which language this [adult] girl is being called a young girl.

"Since we talk about shari'a, that is why we would like to say that a girl is considered adult at the age of 15 even if other signs of adulthood like menstruation, etc., are not there, and an adult person, be it male or female, is considered responsible for his/her words and deeds."

"The Prophet Of Allah [Muhammad] Gave The Order To Kill Many Women"; "Prophet Muhammad Ordered To Kill Two [Female] Slaves Of Ibn-e-Khatal Who Used To Commit Blasphemy Against Prophet Muhammad And Muslims"

"Second thing: Whether killing of women is permissible in shari'a?

"Yes, of course! It is permissible to kill a culprit woman. The Prophet of Allah [Muhammad] gave the order to kill many women.

"1. At the time of the conquest of Mecca, Prophet Muhammad ordered to kill two slaves of Ibn-e-Khatal who used to commit blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad and Muslims, and used to instigate passion in infidels.

"Some points are to be noted here. i) They were women. ii) They were slaves and they were not independent, and they did what they were told to do. iii) These women were in the Haram [Holy Mosque in Mecca], where shedding of blood is not permissible. iv) An announcement of general forgiveness was made but they [these two female slaves] were not forgiven. Even Hinda, who had chewed the heart of Hazrat Hamza [uncle of Prophet Muhammad], was forgiven. This proves that a verbal war is more dangerous than a war waged by the sword. Those who fought with swords were forgiven, but those who committed blasphemy and incitement against Muslims were not forgiven. The wounds of a spear get healed but the wounds inflicted by words don't heal."

"When A Blind Companion [Of Prophet Muhammad] Killed His Insolent Wife, Prophet Muhammad … Declared The Killing As Permissible"; "Prophet Muhammad Had Termed The Killing Of The Jewish Woman By A Companion [Of The Prophet] By Strangling Her As Permissible"

"Jahil Online [literally: ignorant online, a slap at Pakistani television program Alim Online (Scholar Online) hosted by] Amir Liaquat should rectify his studies [of Islam], who declared the Mujahideen as Khwarij [a sect considered outside of Islam] by ignoring these important incidents at the time of the Mecca conquest.

"2. Hazrat Ibn Abbas narrates that when a blind companion [of Prophet Muhammad] killed his insolent wife, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) declared the killing as permissible.

"3. Hazrat Ali [the fourth caliph of Islam and son-in-law of the Prophet] narrates that Prophet Muhammad had termed the killing of the Jewish woman by a companion [of the Prophet] by strangling her as permissible because she used to abuse Prophet Muhammad.

"4. A Ghamdi [tribe] woman was stoned to death by His [the Prophet's] order.

"Besides that, it is known that a culprit woman is given capital punishment in retaliation. Our aim here is to make it clear that this notion is wrong that killing of women is not permissible while she keeps doing anything. Instead, shari'a is for all, and there is rule for all in shari'a.

"Third thing: What does the Pakhtun [Pashtun] culture say about it?

"This is very simple, though it is not permissible in shari'a; and since it is being said in the media that this is against the Pakhtun tradition too, we would like to say that according to the Pakhtun tradition a boy and a girl are both killed on mere suspicion [of having an illicit relationship]. Malala used to give interviews against shari'a and in favor of Western education, and that too in full make up [using cosmetics].

"She used to participate in the mixed [male and female] gatherings as the spearhead. It would be intolerable for the bashful Pakhtun even for a moment. It should be noted that we are not for Pakhtunism; we believe in shari'a and the traditions that are in accordance with the shari'a; or those that are not contradictory to it, we appreciate them, whether it may belong to any nation or people. We don't consider killing people on mere suspicion valid."

"Was Malala A Culprit?"; "Our Aim Is To Make It Clear: My Child Malala, How Come Obama Became Your 'Ideal,' Who Is Killing Muslims All Around The World?"

"Fourth thing: Was Malala a culprit?

"Yes, she is a culprit. She was exceeding her boundaries; her diaries which were written or got written [by the BBC Urdu Online] under the pseudonym of Gul Makai are based on false and petty allegations [against the Taliban when they were enforcing shari'a rule in Pakistan's Swat region in early 2009].

"To a great extent, this diary has been pivotal in preparing an atmosphere against the Taliban throughout the world. The things did not stop there only; her statements with every passing day against the Taliban and in favor of the Lord Macaulay's education system [introduced by the British colonial rulers and mostly prevalent in government schools of Pakistan and India] kept adding to her crime. That is why the infidels who abuse our prophet keep awarding her!

"This 'innocent girl' calls [U.S. President] Obama as her ideal and says that 'the black Satan' has brought peace in this world. We would like to say to Malala supporters that the Obama for whom Malala has expressed her love openly has shed the blood of so many Malalas in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Waziristan and has cut them into pieces. We don't want to say this here, that if the Americans are killing innocent people, we would also kill. Our aim is to make it clear: my child Malala, how come Obama became your 'ideal,' who is killing Muslims all around the world? And it is a rule that an enemy's friend is also an enemy, and especially the one [like Malala] who adds salt to our wounds. If Malala is a child she should live her childhood. Making statement against the Taliban, shari'a, and the Islamic system is not work to be done by children!"

"In The Current Era… The 'Media' Has Taken The Shape Of A Dangerous Weapon"; "Language Is Used In Media And Its Wounds Are More Fatal Than The Wounds Of Spears"; "Malala Was Fighting Against The Taliban With Words And Pen"

"Fifth thing: Was Malala an unarmed girl/child?

"There is no need to reply to this question in the current era, as the 'media' has taken the shape of a dangerous weapon. Language is used in media and its wounds are more fatal than the wounds of spears. The pen is used, whose blade is sharper than a sword. Those who say that she was barehanded and unarmed are trying to hoodwink the people. Malala was fighting against the Taliban with words and pen. It should be noted that wars are fought in three ways:

"Firstly: by hands.

"Secondly: through tongue (the nib of a pen is also included in it).

"Thirdly: with wealth.

"Malala was harming Islam and Muslims through her tongue and pen and she has been, by the Grace of Allah, punished for that."

"When A Jew, Kaab Bin Ashraf, Was Killed [For Writing Poems Against Muslim Women], Jews Came To Prophet Muhammad Protesting"; "The Prophet Of Allah Said: 'Kaab Bin Ashraf Had Spoken Against Us… And If Anyone Among You [Muslims] Did The Same Thing, Then The Sword Would Make A Decision Between Us'"

"When a Jew, Kaab bin Ashraf, was killed, Jews came to Prophet Muhammad protesting and, they said three things.

"1. We had an agreement between us.

"2. Kaab bin Ashraf did not come against you in the battlefield.

"3. You have killed him by 'Gheela' [trickery] i.e. by deception.

"Then the Prophet of Allah said: 'Kaab bin Ashraf had spoken against us. Had he kept silent like other people of his thinking then we would not have said anything [to him], and if anyone among you did the same thing, then the sword would make a decision between us.'

"Kaab bin Ashraf had not committed blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad; instead he used to write poems about Muslim women to defame them.

"Malala kept speaking nonsense about religion, jihad, and Islamic tradition and culture, and kept proving the Taliban as dreaded beasts ... A Christian NGO nominated her for an award for her services to the infidels. Malala is the flag-bearer of Western education, and we have come out to stop the way of Western education system. As democracy is a hindrance in the way of the Islamic system, the Western education system is also a thorn in the way of Islamic shari'a.

"When Malala came into prominence as the flag-bearer of that [Western] system, she had openly declared that she was a liberal... she was also the propagator of that liberalism. We want to say that whosoever would lead in creating hindrances in the way of an Islamic system, he/she would be eliminated, Allah willing, no matter how much there be opposition, criticism, and objections."

"Boys Of 15-17 Years Of Age Were Shot Dead [In Captivity By Pakistani Army Soldiers] In Swat By Making Them Stand In A Row"; "Where Were The Media People, Hired Maulvis [Clerics], And Intellectual Journalists At That Time?"

"[Note: the writer of the document shifts into first person here] Now I would like to ask as to where was the media... at the time when Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai (may Allah bless him), who belonged to that very Swat and who taught Hadith [sayings and deeds of Prophet Muhammad] at Jamia Binoria Town Karachi, an embodiment of good ethics... was martyred? He was also [like Malala] bare-hand [unarmed]... Why were Mufti Atiqur Rahman, Maulana Mohammad Aslam Sheikhupuri (who was a disabled man), and Sheikh Naseeb Khan martyred? They were also unarmed. Where were these animals, goons, and Satans of the media at that time?

"Boys of 15-17 years of age were shot dead [in captivity by Pakistani Army soldiers] in Swat by making them stand in a row and by asking them to recite Kalima [the words that are also recited before death, that 'there is no God but Allah is and Muhammad is His Prophet']. Where were the media people, hired maulvis [clerics], and intellectual journalists at that time?

"Thousands of Malalas were burnt alive in phosphorus bombs at Lal Masjid [during the 2007 military operation by Pakistan Army in Red Mosque of Islamabad]; they were also unarmed; they were also students; there were girl-children breast-feeding too. They were cut off from gas, water, and electricity, and bombs were dropped on them. Why was there no 'prayer day' observed at that time? The wife of Umar Patak [Indonesian militant captured and handed to Indonesia by Pakistan] was paraded naked in the streets of Abbottabad. Why was this evil media silent then?

"Amal, the wife of Hazrat Sheikh Osama bin Laden, benefactor of the Ummah, was shot at; she was also a woman. Why did the lips of media remain stitched shut at that time? Why is it that no voice is raised regarding the shamefulness and cuckoldry of Pakistani leaders on Aafia Siddiqi, the Ummah's daughter and honor of Pakistan [who is jailed in the U.S. for trying to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan]? Why does the media get dumb on the sale of this bashful daughter of the nation at the hands of the Americans?"

"When You Are Reading These Lines, The Daughter Of The Nation [Aafia Siddiqui] Is Being Searched Totally Naked Because It Is The American Rule To Do Routine Naked Searches Of The [Jailed] People Alleged In The Crime Of Terrorism"; Why Is The Media Silent…?"

"At this time when you are reading these lines, the daughter of the nation [Aafia Siddiqui] is being searched totally naked because it is the American rule to do routine naked searches of the people alleged in the crime of terrorism. Why is the media silent on these things? Why were the media silent when the innocent sisters of Chechnya, including a pregnant woman, were being shot at? On July 5, 2005, when six women and 13 children below ten years of age were martyred at Miranshah [the main town in North Waziristan] in the firing of the defiled army, why did the Satan media close its eyes? The whole infidel world, the media, sold out maulvis, and foolish Muslims who learn their religion through media are shouting about Malala being injured.

"Even Obama and [UN Secretary General] Ban Ki-moon have expressed sympathy. But why were all these not done for the thousands of martyred Malalas of Lal Masjid? Then people listen to it. This could not happen [for them] because they used to recite the Book of Allah [Koran], they read the Hadith [sayings] of Prophet Muhammad…; they used to observe the veil; they used to give the slogan of shari'a and martyrdom; they were against obscenity, while today's so-called Muslims, hired maulvis, and media are the flag bearers of 'progress.' There is no status of Koran and no respect for shari'a in this progress.

"There is no respect for chadar [veil] and chardiwari [boundary/wall behind which women are supposed to spend their lives] in this progress, but girls enjoy the status of a 'show piece' in offices, markets, and for wealthy people. Their work is to 'please' other males and show their 'art' on the screen. O people! This is a war between two faiths about which God has declared: Truth has come and falsehood has vanished [Koran].

"Since it is a war between two faiths, that is why [George W.] Bush had praised eunuch Pervez [Musharraf, the military ruler of Pakistan] on the martyrdom of thousands of Malalas [in the 2007 military operation]; whereas today the killer of thousands of boys and girls, Obama, is expressing sympathy to Malala. Because this is a war between two faiths, that is why the infidel-funded media is taking full advantage of the Malala incident and those journalists, who if asked to recite Darood [peace on Prophet Muhammad]… are busy issuing fatwa [decrees] against the Taliban. And when we get busy in killing them, they start shouting that unarmed people are being killed!

"This is a general declaration for intelligent people

"Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan

"Harkat-e-Islami Uzbekistan

"28 Zeeqadah [11th month of Islamic calendar], 1433 Hijri. [October 16, 2012]"

Endnote:

[1] The News (Pakistan), October 18, 2012.

In a recent article titled "Al-Qaeda's India Focus" first published in The New Indian Express, a leading Indian daily, MEMRI's South Asia Studies Project Director Tufail Ahmad examined Al-Qaeda's emerging strategy on India, especially in the wake of this year's attacks on Muslim minorities in Myanmar and India's Assam state.

Following are excerpts from the article:[1]

"[A Major] Factor Injecting An Element Of India Perspective Into Al-Qaeda's Strategic Thinking Is Its Recruitment Of Pakistani Militants To Top Operational And Organizational Positions"

"In recent years, India has been frequently mentioned in Al-Qaeda's literature, but a September 30 statement by a senior militant in Pakistan indicates that the terror group is evolving its strategy on the Myanmar-Assam region.

"In the statement, Ustad Ahmad Farooq, who was appointed as Al-Qaeda's head of preaching and media department for Pakistan in 2009, warned that the recent killings of Muslims in Myanmar and Assam 'provide impetus for us to hasten our advance towards Delhi.' He noted: 'I warn the Indian government that after Kashmir, Gujarat… you may add Assam to the long list of your evil deeds.'

"Al-Qaeda's emerging thinking on the Myanmar-Assam region is consistent with its new jihadi framework on South Asia. From 2008 onwards, after Al-Qaeda militants were tortured in Pakistani prisons, it produced academic research, arguing that the Pakistan Army is an apostate force and eligible to be annihilated for supporting the United States war on terror. The Pakistan Army has been involved in killing Muslims — Al-Qaeda argued in videos and statements — through the past three centuries: notably as part of Indian units of the British colonial force in 1757 war, against Mughal rulers in 1857 and during British military expeditions to Baghdad and Jerusalem before the second world war; and after 1947, in the 1971 Bangladesh war, in toppling the Taliban regime in 2001 and in the Pakistani tribal region and Balochistan recently.

"To advance its jihadi framework, Al-Qaeda relies on an Islamist interpretation that a Muslim 'assisting infidels even partly' has left Islam and is therefore liable to be killed.

"Another factor injecting an element of India perspective into Al-Qaeda's strategic thinking is its recruitment of Pakistani militants to top operational and organizational positions, for example Ilyas Kashmir and Mansoor Badr, both of whom were killed in U.S. drone strikes. Ustad Farooq, the first Pakistani national to be promoted to a leadership position in Al-Qaeda, has emerged as its sole spokesman on South Asia.

"Early this year, Farman Ali Shinwari, a key militant commander, was appointed as head of Al-Qaeda's Pakistani branch, replacing Mansoor Badr. According to Pakistani author Amir Mir, Shinwari's three brothers were involved in Kashmir jihad during the 1990s. Although Al-Qaeda has been led by Arab fighters, its recruitment of local militants means that the group has a ready historical-jihadi framework on India, where it sees a large presence of disaffected Muslims."

"Following The Killing Of Osama Bin Laden, The U.S. Has Given An Impression That Al-Qaeda Has Been Largely Defeated; However, Ground Realities Are Otherwise"; "The Pakistani Military Operations Have Invariably Avoided Killing Or Capturing Any Top Taliban Commander"

"Following the killing of Osama bin Laden, the U.S. has given an impression that Al-Qaeda has been largely defeated. However, ground realities are otherwise: hordes of Al-Qaeda terrorists can be seen roaming publicly in Somalia, Yemen, Syria, Libya, Iraq and Egypt. The Taliban and Al-Qaeda videos emerging from Afghanistan and Pakistan on jihadi Internet forums reveal a similar pattern: in these videos, militants are not seen hiding in caves and mountains, but they appear in droves and pass through villages led by their commanders.

"In recent months, Afghan soldiers defecting to the Taliban were garlanded at public ceremonies in remote villages where presence of children was visible. Some U.S. analysts have sought to present Mullah Mohammad Omar as leader of the Taliban whose focus is limited to Afghanistan. In reality, all jihadist groups in the Middle East and the Caucasus have offered, like Osama bin Laden did, their bai'yah (oath of allegiance) to Mullah Omar, who is deemed as Emir-ul-Momineen, leader of the faithful, leading the global jihad.

"In Pakistan, there is a worrying pattern in counter insurgency: while several Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants have been killed in U.S. drone strikes, the Pakistani military operations have invariably avoided killing or capturing any top Taliban commander — except for two Taliban spokesmen, Maulvi Omar and Muslim Khan, who were detained. Pakistan does not need to kill thousands of militants to win this war and curb Islamic extremism: it merely needs to kill or arrest the top 25 commanders, including Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, Fazlur Rehman Khalil and Maulana Masood Azhar.

"However, this is unlikely to occur, as the Pakistan Army, once a strong force, is too weak now to confront them. Currently, the Taliban militants are recuperating and strengthening their fighters in the hope of the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan by 2014 and for a new era of jihad to begin."

"Al-Qaeda Is Developing Its Look-East Policy For South And Southeast Asia; Amid A Series Of Indian Intelligence Failures Over The Recent Decades Such As Those Leading To The Kargil War And The 26/11 Mumbai Attacks, India Is Totally Unprepared To Prevent Terrorism On Its Soil"

"In his statement, Ustad Farooq mentioned the issue of Muslim minorities in Thailand, Burma, India and Sri Lanka, and in a bid to recruit Pakistani soldiers to Al-Qaeda's cause, argued that Muslims who had been supporting Pakistan migrated to Assam and Burma due to Pakistani Army's failure to win the 1971 Bangladesh war. The lower ranks of Pakistan Army remain influenced by the jihadi message. Over the past three decades, soldiers recruited into Pakistani Army were influenced by a jihadi culture and into the next three decades they will be moving into decision-making positions in the military.

"Notwithstanding India's unilateral drive to better relations with Pakistan, it is unlikely that the Pakistani military's jihadi impulse will permit democratic forces to assert control in Islamabad. This complicates the scenario in South Asia, as Al-Qaeda's central leadership in Pakistan is known to have worked with and without the support of the jihadi forces in Pakistani military.

"In addition to the India-specific threat, Ustad Farooq also warned Buddhists in Thailand, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. Urging Islamic scholars in Bangladesh 'to step forward and help the oppressed Muslims living in their neighborhood,' he also warned the Burmese government: 'Don't think that the blood of Muslims will continue to flow like this.'

"The September 30 statement is also perhaps the most detailed policy document to emerge from Al-Qaeda's top leadership in Pakistan with regard to South Asia. On the 9/11 anniversary this year, Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri vowed to liberate 'occupied Muslim lands,' including India. In short, Al-Qaeda is developing its look-east policy for South and Southeast Asia. Amid a series of Indian intelligence failures over the recent decades such as those leading to the Kargil War and the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, India is totally unprepared to prevent terrorism on its soil."

* Tufail Ahmad is Director of MEMRI's South Asia Studies Project (www.memri.org/sasp).

Endnote:

[1] Newindianexpress.com (India), October 11, 2012. The original English of the article has been mildly edited for standardization.

In the wake of the anti-U.S. protests and violence across the Islamic world in opposition to the anti-Muhammad movie "The Innocence of Muslims," renowned Indian Islamic scholar Maulana Wahiduddin Khan published an article titled "Blasphemy," in which he notes that Koranic verses do not stipulate punishment for committing an act of blasphemy against the prophet. The author of more than 200 books on Islam, Maulana Wahiduddin Khan is the editor of Al-Risala, an Islamic monthly magazine in Urdu, English, and Hindi. The magazine has published regularly since 1976, when it was first released in Urdu language.

Known for his Gandhian views and advocacy of peaceful means for debating Islamic issues, Maulana Wahiduddin Khan currently lives in New Delhi where he heads the Islamic Centre, a center of research on Islam. Khan is known for his reasoned arguments and an interpretation of Islam based on the Koran and Sunnah (deeds and sayings of Prophet Muhammad).

In the article, he cites verses from the Koran and argues that Prophet Muhammad and his followers are required to adopt a peaceful approach toward cases of blasphemy.

The following are excerpts from the article:[1]

"The Koran Mentions... Words Of Abuse Used By Prophets' Contemporaries But Nowhere Does The Koran Prescribe The Punishment Of Lashes, Or Death, Or Any Such Deterrent Punishment"

"The Koran is the most authentic source of Islam. The Koran clearly states which actions are crimes and specifies what kind of punishments are to be meted out for them. One notable example is what is called 'qazaf.' The following is the verse of the Koran in this regard: 'Those who defame chaste women, but cannot produce four witnesses, shall be given eighty lashes.' (24:4).

"We learn from this verse of the Koran that if a pious woman is defamed without any proof, such a person, in the eyes of the Koran, becomes a criminal who deserves physical punishment by a court of law. When the Koran mentions this crime, it also mentions the specific punishment along with it.

"Now let us look into this matter from another aspect. The Koran states that since ancient times God has sent prophets in succession to every town and every community. It says, moreover, that the contemporaries of all of these prophets adopted the same negative attitude – but with far greater intensity – as has been mentioned in the Koran with regard to chaste women. For instance, the Koran says: 'Alas for human beings! They ridicule every messenger that comes to them.' (36:30)

"There are more than two hundred verses of this nature, which reveal that the contemporaries of the Prophet repeatedly perpetrated the same act which is now called 'abuse of the Prophet' or 'using abusive language about the Prophet.' Prophets down the ages have been mocked and abused by their contemporaries (36:30), some of the epithets cited in the Koran being 'a liar' (40:24), 'possessed' (15:6), 'a fabricator' (16:101), 'a foolish man' (7:66). The Koran mentions these words of abuse used by prophets' contemporaries but nowhere does the Koran prescribe the punishment of lashes, or death, or any such deterrent punishment."

"[Koranic Verses Show] That 'Abuse Of The Prophet' Is Not A Subject Of Punishment, But Is Rather A Subject Of Dawah [Preaching]"…; Koranic Verses "Tell Us About What Approach The Prophet Was Required To Adopt … That People Should Be Addressed By Arguments"

"This clearly shows that 'abuse of the Prophet' is not a subject of punishment, but is rather a subject of dawah [preaching]. That is, one who is guilty of abusing the Prophet should not have corporal punishment meted out to him: he should rather be given sound arguments in order that his mind may be addressed. In other words, peaceful persuasion should be used to reform the person concerned, rather than attempting to kill him.

"There is a verse in the Koran to this effect: 'God knows all that is in their hearts; so ignore what they say, admonish them and speak to them in such terms as will address their minds.' (4:63) This verse means that those who adopt a negative stance towards the Prophet will be judged by God, who knows the innermost recesses of their hearts.

"The responsibility of the Prophet and his followers is to observe the policy of avoidance, and, wishing well, convey the message of God to them in such a manner that their minds might be properly addressed.

"This case is made out in the [Koran's] Chapter entitled Al-Ghashiya: 'Do they never reflect on the camels and how they were created, and on the sky, how it is raised aloft, and on the mountains, how they are firmly set up, and on the earth, how it is spread out? So, exhort them; your task is only to exhort, you are not their keeper. But whoever turns back and denies the truth will be punished by God with the greatest punishment. Certainly, it is to Us that they will return.' (88:17-26)

"These verses of the Koran tell us about what approach the Prophet [Muhammad] was required to adopt. This approach was that people should be addressed by arguments. Attempts should be made to satisfy them rationally as to the veracity of the religion. And notwithstanding any negative reaction on the part of those addressed, this same positive style of dawah (conveying the message of God to people) has to be adhered to. It is not the task of the dayee [preacher] to assume the role of a keeper. So far as punishment and reward are concerned, that is a subject wholly in the domain of God. God will gather together everyone on the Day of Resurrection and then, according to their deeds, will reward or punish them."

"The Koran Makes It Plain That It Is Not The Task Of The Believers To Establish Media Watch Offices And Hunt For Anyone Involved In Acts Of Defamation Of The Prophet, And Then Plan For Their Killing… The Stance Of Present-Day Muslims Goes Totally Against The Teachings Of The Koran"

"Another important aspect of this matter is that at no point in the Koran is it stated that anyone who uses abusive language about the Prophet should be stopped from doing so, and in case he continues to do so he should be awarded severe punishment. On the contrary, the Koran commands the believer not to use abusive language directed against opponents:  'But do not revile those [beings] whom they invoke instead of God, lest they, in their hostility, revile God and out of ignorance.' (6:108)

"This verse of the Koran makes it plain that it is not the task of the believers to establish media watch offices and hunt for anyone involved in acts of defamation of the Prophet, and then plan for their killing, whatever the cost.

"On the contrary, the Koran enjoins believers to sedulously refrain from indulging in such acts as may provoke people to retaliate by abusing Islam and the Prophet. This injunction of the Koran makes it clear that this responsibility devolves upon the believers, rather than that others be held responsible and demands made for them to be punished.

"Looked at from this angle, the stance of present-day Muslims goes totally against the teachings of the Koran. Whenever anyone – in their judgment – commits an act of 'abuse of the Prophet,' in speech or in writing, they instantly get provoked and their response is to start leading processions through the streets, which often turn violent, and then they demand that all those who insult the Prophet be beheaded.

"All those who initiate such provocative processions and demand the killing of supposed 'abusers of the Prophet' are instead themselves the greatest culprits when it comes to abuse of the Prophet. Their violent conduct has resulted in the public being led into believing that Islam is a religion of a pre-civilized era, that it imposes a ban on free thinking, that it is a religion which believes in thought crime, and that it is a religion of violence, etc.

"It is Muslims themselves who are entirely responsible for the formation of this negative image of Islam. Distorting the image of Islam in this way is, indeed, the greatest of all crimes."

Introduction
Persecution Of Christians
Persecution Of Hindus And Sikhs
Persecution Of Ahmadi Muslims
Persecution Of Shi'ite Muslims
Conclusion

Introduction

Close observers of Pakistan have voiced concern that the country is witnessing a gradual genocide of its minorities, the extent of which remains unrecognized by international human rights organizations. In April 2012, Nitin Pai, founder of the New Delhi-based think tank Takshashila Institution, expressed concern over the "systematic" killing of Pakistan's minorities, saying: "[The attacks] are called sectarian violence, gang warfare, ethnic cleansing, kill-and-dump or counter-insurgency. It is perhaps because there are individual names for these crimes that we are missing the possibility that they might amount to a bigger one – genocide."[1] Similar concerns have been raised by others in Pakistan and abroad, particularly by the Shi'ite Hazara community.[2] It should be noted that there have been previous cases of under-reported mass-killings in Pakistan which have been described as genocide, notably the massacre of some three million Bangla-speaking Muslims in 1971 (see image below of a 2007 protest by Pakistani lawyers and journalists, in which prominent journalist Hamid Mir holds a sign apologizing for the 1971 "genocide" of Bangladeshis).[3]

At a December 25, 2007 protest in Islamabad, prominent journalist Hamid Mir holds a sign apologizing for the 1971 massacre of Bangladeshis (fhiredekha.com)

This paper will examine the growing persecution of Pakistan's religious minorities: Christians, Hindus and Sikhs, as well as Ahmadi Muslims and Shi'ite Muslims.[4] In recent years, anyone who is not a Muslim in Pakistani society – or groups of Muslims who are not considered to be Muslim socially and religiously or under Pakistan's law – have been facing a sustained campaign of hate and religious persecution by Islamic groups and individuals, including government officials, legislators, judges, lawyers, police officers and clerics, who interpret law on their own terms and enforce it with the objective of making Pakistan a purer-than-ever Islamic nation. The persecution is manifested in the imprisonment of Christians and Ahmadi Muslims on charges of blasphemy; abduction of Hindu and Christian girls and their forced conversion to Islam; demolition and desecration of houses of worship; denial of food relief to non-Muslim flood victims by both government officials and wealthy philanthropists; denigration of and attacks on Shi'ite Muslims – and the deliberate and systematic killing of members of all these communities. Although not included in discussion here, it should be borne in mind that another significant group of the Pakistani population, the inhabitants of insurgency-affected Baluchistan, is facing persecution from Pakistani state and concern has been expressed (including by Pakistan's Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry) over a large number of Baluchis who have disappeared – widely believed to have been abducted and killed by Pakistani intelligence agencies.[5]

The depth of religious and cultural persecution of religious minorities in Pakistani society is reflected, for example, in the following revealing incident, which took place in the town of Pattoki. A group of Christians who drank tea at a Muslim-owned café were later required to pay both for the tea and for the glasses from which they drank, because these glasses, having been touched by Christians, were now deemed contaminated.[6] Such incidents reflect the long-standing religious and cultural hatred suffered by Pakistan's Christians, Hindus and other minorities, manifested in threats, intimidation and violence, and often in the appropriation of their land and property by powerful local Muslims.

Discrimination against Christians and Hindus is anchored in the Pakistani constitution, which bars them from holding senior posts such as President. In addition, a law from 1974 declares the Ahmadis non-Muslim, and, along with some later laws, forbids them to use Muslim names and symbols, though they identify themselves as Muslims and follow the teachings of the Koran. This 1974 law does not apply to Shi'ite Muslims, but militant Islamist circles and many mainstream Sunnis consider them to be non-Muslims as well, and have called on the authorities to enact legislation excluding them from the fold of Islam.

The pressure on the religious minorities has led many to convert to Islam in order to survive. Such conversions are celebrated (prominent Pakistani journalist Maya Khan, the host of a show on Pakistan's ARY News channel, this year took personal pride in converting a Hindu boy on her live television show during the holy month of Ramadan[7]), and even forced conversions are socially sanctioned rather than denounced. Pakistani officials incite against minorities with impunity. For example, former minister for religious affairs and TV host Dr. Aamir Liaquat Hussain sanctioned the killing of Ahmadi Muslims on television, yet remains employed by Pakistan's influential GEO television channel.[8]

Obviously, not all Pakistanis are involved in the hate campaign and discrimination against the religious minorities, and many would probably oppose these phenomena. But the social climate is such that it is difficult for a large majority to speak out. There is a small group of liberal commentators who, at considerable risk to themselves, constantly articulate a vision of a society based on tolerance, secularism and pluralism. However, their views are mainly confined to three English-language newspapers that play a commendable role in exposing the persecution of religious minorities, namely Daily Times, Dawn and The Express Tribune. Hence, these commentators' influence in shaping public opinion is inconsequential.

 Citing statements of government officials, parliamentary leaders, community members and human rights activists, and other information culled mostly from the Pakistani media, this report analyzes the persisting patterns of persecution against religious minorities in Pakistan in the recent years. Cataloguing different types of attack, it examines how the cultural space for the existence of these minorities is rapidly shrinking in the Islamic nation of Pakistan – a country carved out of India in 1947 on the ground that Muslims and Hindus could not coexist. This concept, known as the Two Nation Theory, has been translated into a Pakistani policy framework known as Nazaria-e-Pakistan (the Ideology of Pakistan), which, over the years, has been responsible for gradually degrading the social status of non-Muslim Pakistani citizens in the country.

The instances of persecution described below are by no means exhaustive, for the dominant Urdu-language Pakistani media often ignores such incidents, especially those occurring in villages and small towns. The under-reporting is due to the social climate in Pakistan, which regards such incidents as understandable or even positive. Another reason is the country's preoccupation with the war on terror.

Persecution Of Christians

In 2012, Pakistan's population was estimated at 190 million, of which Christians and Hindus together constitute roughly five percent.[9] Of this five percent, the number of Hindus may be a little more than that of Christians in Pakistan, though some Christian writers have sought to put the percentage of Christians at nearly 15 percent of the total population.[10]

     As examined below, Pakistani Christians have endured an unending process of religious and social discrimination over the years, with their girls being forced to convert to Islam and married off to Muslim youth without their consent, their lands and properties being occupied by powerful local Muslims, and Christian youth being implicated in alleged cases of blasphemy and shot dead. In recent years, the biggest attack on Pakistani Christians came in July 2009, when seven members of the community were burned alive and dozens of their houses were set afire by an angry mob in the Pakistani town of Gojra over alleged desecration of the Koran.[11]

Pakistani Daily Report: Christian Nurses Poisoned "Because Of Their Faith"; Christian Leader Michael Javed: "[Pakistani] Society Has Become Extremely Intolerant And... [Is] Not Allowing The Minorities To Live In Peace"

In July 2012, nine Christian trainee nurses at the Civil Hospital in Karachi fell ill after drinking tea allegedly poisoned by their Muslim colleagues at their hostel. "They were claimed to have been deliberately poisoned because of their faith," a Pakistani newspaper reported.[12]

Christian leader Michael Javed expressed concern that "the [Pakistani] society has become extremely intolerant and... [is] not allowing the minorities to live in peace."[13] Michael Javed, who is a former legislator, said: "The government has turned a blind eye to the persecution of minorities; our girls are being [forcibly] converted and our churches are being attacked.... A large number of nurses are Christians and are (already) subjected to ill-treatment and prejudice."[14]

William Sadiq, the coordinator of a welfare organization working for minority women, commented on the poisoning of the girls, "It could even be religious targeting."[15] "The Christian leaders also shouted slogans outside the Karachi Press Club against the hospital's administration and the rising religious intolerance [in Pakistani society]," said a media report, quoting one of the affected nurses as saying that a colleague had made the tea after 10 pm and immediately after drinking the tea they fell ill.[16]

The targeting of Christians takes various forms. In July 2012, Pastor Victor Samuel Maseeh of Toba Tek Singh town in Punjab province was kidnapped by men who were wearing police uniform and arrived in a police car, leading to fear and panic among Christians.[17] Maseeh was a pastor at the church of a Christian school and belonged to the Christian Colony, which has a population of 300 Christians. The kidnappers showed a false search warrant allegedly issued by a Lahore judicial magistrate. Similar attacks on Christians are reported by the Pakistani media regularly.

11-Year-Old Christian Girl Arrested Over Blasphemy Charges; Christian Youth Tortured To Death In Prison; Catholic Church Attacked In Sambrial District Of Punjab

A common tactic used by Muslim clerics and the Pakistani land mafia is to accuse members of minority communities of blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad and the Koran, with the objective of seizing their land and property, especially churches. Victims have been known to be tortured and even killed in Pakistani prisons.

In September 2009, 25-year-old Fanish Masih was arrested for desecrating the Koran and later died in prison. District Jail Superintendent Farooq Lodhi said he had hanged himself, but numerous other sources, including senior Pakistani officials, admitted he had been tortured to death. Punjab Minister for Minority Affairs Kamran Michael said: "I have seen the body and there were torture marks on it." Asma Jahangir, then chair of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), held the police authorities responsible. Pakistani Christian leaders Archbishop Lawrence John Saldanha and Peter Jacob expressed concern that Pakistan's blasphemy laws, which allow the death sentence in these cases, were being abused. Following Masih's arrest, some 100 Muslim youths attacked a Catholic church in the Sambrial district of the Punjab province.[18]

Blasphemy cases are regularly brought against Pakistani Christians. In May 2004, Samuel Masih, who was serving a jail sentence under blasphemy charges, was attacked by a police constable inside the prison and later died.[19] In September 2005, a case was filed against Younus aka Jonah in a court outside Lahore for committing blasphemy against a religious congregation of Muslims.[20] In April 2007, a blasphemy case was filed against five Christian brothers in a court in the town of Toba Tek Singh.[21] In Karachi, Qamar David was accused of committing blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad in March 2008 allegedly by sending blasphemous SMS messages to a Muslim.[22] In March 2011, he died in a Pakistani prison.[23] In July 2010, Rashid Emanuel, a 32-year-old pastor, and his brother were arrested on charges of committing blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad and were shot dead inside the court premises in Faisalabad.[24] In July 2011, Christian youth Noel Gulzar was accused of blaspheming the Koran.[25] In one case, Christian youth Manzoor Masih was granted bail in a blasphemy case but was shot dead soon thereafter.[26]

In August 2012, Rimsha Masih, an 11-year-old Christian girl with Down's Syndrome,[27] was arrested for allegedly burning the pages of a booklet used to teach the Koran. The incident happened outside Islamabad, after protesters beat up the girl and her mother.[28] The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), a non-governmental organization, condemned the minor's arrest, adding: "The spread of extremism and the authorities' preference for appeasing charged mobs, rather than taking the correct and lawful course, should make those in power as well as other political forces take serious note. It is deplorable that the country's political leadership refrains from speaking out against extremism and the injustices towards non-Muslims."[29] In 1990-2010, at least 16 court cases of blasphemy against Pakistani Christians were reported by the media.[30]

In another incident in early 2012, blasphemy charges were brought against a Pakistani Christian who gave his name as "Jew Jurian" on an application for a national identity card, with the motive being that anything associated with the word "Jew" is blasphemous.[31]

Media Report: Eight To 10 Christians Being Forced To Convert To Islam Every Month In Sindh And Punjab; Christian Woman Kidnapped Along With Her Four Children, Converted To Islam Within Hours

According to a media report, eight to 10 Christians are being forced to convert to Islam every month in the Sindh and Punjab provinces.[32] For example, in early 2012, Seema Bibi, a Punjabi Christian woman, was kidnapped along with her four children after her husband couldn't repay a loan to a landlord. According to a Pakistani daily, within hours the husband was told that his wife had converted to Islam and wouldn't be coming home.[33] Later, Seema Bibi escaped from her captors.

Commenting on Seema Bibi's case and similar incidents of forced conversions, human rights lawyer Amar Lal spoke of the growing discrimination faced by minorities in Pakistan: "It is a conspiracy [aimed at forcing] Hindus and Christians and other minorities to leave Pakistan... As a minority, we feel more and more insecure. It is getting worse day by day."[34] Father Emmanuel Yousaf, head of the Christian interest group National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), said his organization was helping Seema Bibi and a number of other Christians who were forced to leave their homes, adding: "Christian and Hindu girls are targeted more and more... Some of the [Christians protected by the NCJP]... are girls who were forcibly converted, and others... were falsely accused of acting against Islam or abusing the holy Koran."[35]

Forced conversion of Christians is continuing. Some recent incidents of forced conversions of Christian girls include: 28-year-old Tina Barkat was abducted, converted and forcibly married off to a Muslim youth; 17-year-old Samina Ayub was kidnapped, forced to convert and renamed Fatima Bibi in a town near Lahore; 15-year-old Uzma Bibi and 20-year-old Saira Bibi were kidnapped from Lahore and converted to Islam; 14-year-old Sidra Bibi was kidnapped from her home in Sheikhupura district and converted to Islam; 19-year-old Shazia Bibi was forced to convert and marry a Muslim youth in Gujranwala town.[36]

Aasia Bibi, a Christian mother of four, was sentenced to death for allegedly committing blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad (tribune.com.pk)

Liberal Pakistani Governor Shot Dead By Security Guard For Defending Christian Woman Accused Of Blasphemy, Christian Minister Shahbaz Bhatti Shot Dead For Advocating Reforms In Blasphemy laws

On January 4, 2011, Punjab Province Governor Salman Taseer, known for his liberal views, was shot dead by his own bodyguard for advocating reform in Pakistan's blasphemy laws and for supporting Aasia Bibi, a Christian mother of four who was sentenced to death on charges of blasphemy in 2010, and whose husband and children were forced to flee their home in Sheikhupura district.[37] The assassin, Malik Mumtaz Qadri, belonged to Dawat-e-Islami, an organization of Barelvi clerics who espouse an extremely strict interpretation of Islam and advocate killing anyone who blasphemes against the Prophet.[38]

In a statement, 500 Pakistani clerics and religious scholars justified the governors' assassination,[39] and Pakistani lawyers praised Qadri and garlanded him when he was brought in a police van before a court in Islamabad.[40] The assassin's defense team was led by former chief justice of Lahore High Court, retired judge Khwaja Muhammad Sharif.[41] The latter's decision to defend the assassin was seen as an ideological move that frightened every Christian and minority member in Pakistan.

After Salman Taseer's assassination, a court in the town of Multan filed blasphemy charges against Pakistani lawmaker Sherry Rehman for advocating reforms in the blasphemy laws on a television program.[42] Rehman later withdrew her bill calling for reform in these laws. In order to protect her life, the authorities appointed her Pakistan's ambassador to the U.S. Clearly, Pakistan's clerics and other influential figures are creating and nurturing a culture of intolerance that not only leads to violence against minorities but discourages liberal Pakistanis like Salman Taseer and Sherry Rehman from protecting minority rights.

On March 2, 2011, about two months after Salman Taseer's assassination, Pakistan's Minority Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, the only Christian in the federal cabinet, was likewise shot dead for advocating reforms in Pakistan's blasphemy laws. According to a Pakistani daily, the "Punjabi Taliban," a collective name given to Punjab-based Sunni jihadi organizations like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), claimed responsibility for the assassination.[43] It was reported that the assailants left leaflets at the crime scene warning that all others opposing the blasphemy laws would meet a similar fate.

Some suspected that Bhatti was actually assassinated by the Pakistani intelligence, and unidentified Pakistani officials sought to blame India's intelligence agency Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) and the American Blackwater company, now known as XE Services.[44] However, it is widely believed that Bhatti was shot dead for advocating reforms in the blasphemy laws of Pakistan. In an editorial, the Dawn newspaper observed: "Bhatti's killers may have escaped the scene of the crime, but the real culprit is known to all: an extremist mindset that has, with the sponsorship of some institutions of the state [a reference to the Pakistani intelligence], spread far and wide in Pakistani society. The tragic irony of a country created to protect the rights of a minority – Muslims in unified India – turning into a killing field for those standing up for the rights of minorities evokes a deep sense of pathos and helplessness."[45]

Cartoonist: Sabir Nazar, viewpointonline.net

College Chapel Occupied By Land Mafia In Rawalpindi; Pakistani Lawmaker Malik Abrar Ahmed Accused Of Occupying Church Land; Churches Attacked In Various Pakistani Towns

All minorities are seen as vulnerable, and their properties and places of worship are being seized illegally. The city of Rawalpindi has seen several cases of Christian churches and land seized by Muslims. On October 23, 2010, a large number of Christians in Rawalpindi protested the seizing of Gordon College chapel by a land-grabbing mafia that sensed an opportunity in the Christians' vulnerability. At the protest rally, Mubashar Robinson Asghar, chairman of the All Pakistan Christian Action Committee (APCAC), asked the government to expel the illegal occupants immediately. Pakistan's Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, who has been very active in taking up cases that threaten the elected democratic government in the country, was less enthusiastic in addressing the Rawalpindi case. According to a Pakistani media report, APCAC members filed a number of appeals to the Supreme Court in this matter, but no action was taken.[46]

In July 2012, Pakistani lawmaker Malik Abrar Ahmed and revenue officials were allegedly involved in taking over land meant for a church and a Christian hospital. This sparked a demonstration by over 200 Christians in the town, and Akram Waqar Gill of the Joint Christian Action Committee (JCAC) even threatened to commit self-immolation.[47] In 2010, Malik Iftikhar, a legislator of the Punjab provincial assembly, was accused of taking over a church in the city.[48] Generally, the culprits deny their role in such cases.

In August 2012, the Christian community in Peshawar appealed to the provincial government for help "in preventing the illegal takeover of the historic Mission Hospital." The community members led a protest against the construction of a shopping complex on the premises of the hospital. Josemeen Qudus, a member of the Church of Pakistan, who led the protest, noted that, according to the law, the hospital grounds cannot be used for commercial purposes.[49]

There have also been numerous cases of attacks on churches. For example, in January 2004 Islamic extremists exploded a bomb at the Bible Society Trinity Church in Karachi.[50] In early 2006, a church in the town of Sargodha was torched in response to the publication of the Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.[51] In Daska area of Sialkot district, a church was attacked as a result of Muslim-Christian land dispute in early 2006.[52] In May 2007, Christians in Charsadda district received letters warning them they must shut down their churches and convert to Islam, or else leave the district within 10 days.[53] In September 2009, an angry mob torched a church in Sialkot after a Christian boy was accused of desecrating the Koran.[54] In September 2010, Islamic extremists set fire to a church in Shah Latif Town area of Karachi.[55] In March 2011, a mob attempted to demolish the Full Gospel Assembly (FGA) church near Lahore after Christians were accused of desecrating the Koran,[56] and a similar case occurred in April 2011 in the town of Gujranwala.[57] Attacks on churches have continued this year, notably the September 21 torching of a Lutheran church in the town of Mardan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.[58]

Persecution Of Hindus And Sikhs

Cover of Indian Outlook magazine, January 23, 2006.

A few centuries ago, what is now Pakistan was inhabited by Hindus. However, after Pakistan's establishment in 1947, most of the Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India. According to estimates, Hindus now constitute about 2%-2.5% of Pakistan's population and, due to the persecution, many are immigrating to India.[59] Members of the tiny Sikh minority have also faced attacks from Muslims and Islamist extremists. In May 2009, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was born in present-day Pakistan and whose family migrated to India after the Partition in 1947, expressed concern over the growing number of atrocities against Pakistani Sikhs, stating: "Recently, you have heard the atrocities being unleashed on the handful of Sikhs left in Pakistan. The Indian government has requested Pakistan to initiate strong measures to stop such atrocities."[60] Like in the case of Christians, persecution of Hindus and Sikhs takes various forms, with the driving reason being that they are not Muslims.

160-Year-Old Hindu Temple Vandalized In Peshawar; 150-Year-Old Sikh Temple Demolished Overnight In Mardan District

In May 2012, the 160-year-old Guru Gorakhnath temple in Peshawar was desecrated in a targeted attack. Ramesh Lal, a priest at the temple, said: "Vandals smashed a statuette of Lord Shiva to pieces and burned the holy Gita [the sacred Hindu book] as well as several images of our deities." The attack came after the Peshawar High Court ordered to reopen the historical temple, which had been abandoned since Pakistan's establishment. Haroon Sarblal, a Hindu community leader, said that these acts of vandalism and desecration were a deliberate attempt to spark religious tension in Peshawar.[61] In March 2012, a historical Sikh temple – 150-year-old gurdwara of Baba Karam Singh – was destroyed by the land mafia in the town of Mardan in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The Sikh community expressed concern over the targeting of their holy sites.[62]

In September 2009, Islamist extremists set fire to Sikh holy books in a joint Hindu-Sikh temple in the Kashmore district of Sindh province.[63] In July 2011, the Pakistani authorities barred the Sikhs of Lahore from worshipping at a local gurdwara after Muslims claimed it was built on the site of a Muslim saint's tomb.[64] The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan condemned the decision, stating: "The Sikhs... were told by members of... [an] extremist group that the gurdwara was now a mosque and they would no longer be allowed to bring in their musical instruments to observe their religious ceremony."[65]

Hindus Evicted From Their Homes For Drinking Water From Mosque In Karachi

In July 2010, 60 Hindu men, women and children were forced to abandon their homes in Karachi's Memon Goth area and had to take refuge in a cattle pen after a boy from their community drank water from a cooler outside a mosque. According to a Pakistani newspaper, the local Muslims were so enraged by this that they beat up the boy and other members of the Hindu community, and drove them from their homes. [66]

      Meerumal, whose son drank the water from the mosque, described the incident: "All hell broke loose when my son, Dinesh, who looked after chickens in a farm, drank water from a cooler outside a mosque. Upon seeing him do that, the people of the area started beating him up.... Later, around 150 tribesmen attacked us, injuring seven of our people – Samo, Mohan, ... Chanu, Sadu, Heera, and Guddi."[67] One of the injured, Heera, said that another 400 families from the area, located in the vicinity of Malir town, were also being pressured to leave their homes. "Our people are even scared of going out of their houses. We are also putting up with living in the filthy pen because we cannot go home for fear of being killed," Heera said.[68]

Islamic Militants Demand Jizya (Islamic Poll Tax) From Hindus And Sikhs

Islamist militants in the Pakistani tribal region have forced Hindus and Sikhs to pay jizya, the Islamic poll tax imposed on non-Muslims, and have punished those who refused. In 2009, a Taliban representative phoned Dr. Parkas, the leader of the Hindu community in the Batagram district of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (now called Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), and ordered him to collect six million rupees from his community and deliver them to the Taliban.[69] Senior police official Sohail Khalid told a local journalist that threats of this kind have also been received by various non-governmental organizations.

According to a report in the Urdu-language daily Roznama Express, in June 2009 Hindus and Sikhs in the Khyber Agency agreed to pay jizya to Islamist militants led by Mangal Bagh, in return for protection.[70]        Also in 2009, Taliban militants in the Orakzai Agency banished 50 Sikh families from the area for failing to pay jizya. The militants took over their houses and shops and auctioned their valuables.[71] It should be noted here that Taliban and other Islamist militants are merely reinforcing the discrimination that is already prevalent against the minorities in Pakistan. In January 2010, militants abducted two Sikhs in Khyber and Orakzai tribal districts, and beheaded them after their families failed to pay a large ransom.[72]

Pakistani Religious Scholar Says Objectives Of The 19th Century Jihad Against Sikhs Yet To Be Accomplished, Serving Chief Justice Accuses Hindus Of Funding Terrorism And Later Denies

In February 2011, prominent Islamic scholar Maulana Samiul Haq, emir of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-S) party, called for jihad against the Sikh community in Pakistan, arguing that the objectives of the jihad launched by Islamic cleric Syed Ahmed Shaheed against the British rule and the Sikhs in the 19th century have yet to be achieved.[73]

In March 2010, Lahore High Court chief justice Khawaja Muhammad Sharif, known for his Islamist views, accused Pakistan's Hindus of "involvement in funding terrorism" in the country.[74] Hindus in Pakistan_'s lower house of parliament responded by staging a walkout, and were joined by members of the Awami National Party, a secular Pashtun nationalist party. Following this, the Lahore High Court issued a statement saying that Sharif's remarks had been maliciously misreported in the media.[75] Notwithstanding the denial, Justice Sharif's remark is symptomatic of the prejudice against Hindus and other minorities in the Pakistani judiciary.

Hindu Children Denied Food Relief During 2010 Floods By Pakistani Philanthropists And Government Officials; Pakistani NGO: Hindus "Not Allowed" To Drink Water From Fountains At Relief Camps

Members of the Hindu community were among the victims of the 2010 floods in Pakistan. After the floods, some Pakistani officials denied aid to the Hindus, including to children. A Pakistani daily reported that government officials at the Mir Imdad flood relief camp outside Jhirk in the Sindh province refused to provide aid to the children because they were low-caste Hindus. Gulab, a Hindu boy, told a journalist: "Despite the fact that all of our belongings were washed away by the flood, we are not receiving food or any other stuff."[76]

According to media reports, the Hindu flood victims also faced discrimination by local citizens who came to hand out food during the month of Ramadan. [77] A media report noted: "Local philanthropists come to distribute food and other items among people at the camps, except the Dalits [Hindus].... Especially at the time of Iftari [breaking of the day's fast during Ramadan], crowds of local people could be seen giving food, fruit and sweets to the children, but Gulab's kids can only become spectators, not beneficiaries. If the children of the Dalits stand in a queue to get some food, other children identify them and elbow them out."[78]

Govindo, another Hindu at a makeshift shelter, said that the children of the urban Pakistani elite visited the flood relief camps and distributed toys and sweets among the flood-hit children, adding: "But this solidarity is expressed with those who are not [Hindu] Dalits."[79] Gopaldas Bagri, a Dalit from the Kashmore district, said that he approached different organizations engaged in rescue and relief work to ask them to give attention to the Dalit community, adding: "I cannot understand that why, even at this moment, we are being refused and deprived of food."[80]

Some 1,000 Hindu families sheltering at the Sabzi Mandi relief camp in Hyderabad encountered similar discrimination, and some were reportedly expelled from the camp. In a protest march against this discrimination, they condemned the authorities for depriving Hindus of aid and relief facilities, and said that local officials did nothing when Hindus at the camp were threatened by extremist religious groups. [81] According to a media report, the Hindu leaders blamed this discrimination in food distribution on the fact that the government was not willing to accept them as "citizens" of Pakistan.[82]

The non-governmental organization Upgrade Minorities for Integrated Development (UMID or Hope) reported on persecution of low-caste Hindu flood victims in the Badin district. According to its report, Hindu communities such as Kohlis, Bhaggrris, Menghwars, Bheels and Oads were barred from entering relief camps in the district, and even from drinking water from fountains set up outside the camps."[83] In September 2011, an organization sent two truckloads of relief goods intended for 200 Hindu families in the town of Badin in the district. The trucks were looted near the camp. When workers from the local organization informed the police, they were asked to leave."[84]

Hindu Girls Abducted, Drugged And Converted To Islam; Policemen And Islamic Clerics Involved In Abducting And Converting Hindu Girls

An increasing number of Hindu girls in Pakistan are abducted and forced to convert to Islam. Many of them later speak of having converted of their own free will as they are subjected to threats. This pattern of forced conversion and subsequent intimidation is illustrated in the examples below.

In May 2010, cleric Abdul Jabbar, the head of an Islamic seminary in the town of Khanpur, was accused of abducting Radha, a 13-year-old Hindu girl, and converting her to Islam. According to a media report, Jabbar prevented the girl's parents from seeing her, claiming that she had converted to Islam and no longer wanted to see her non-Muslim relatives."[85] Human rights activist Ramesh J. Pal said: "I personally met Abdul Jabbar, but he never met any of our requests. This is a clear case of forced conversion."[86]Radha's brother said: "We only curse ourselves for being so poor and sometimes even for being non-Muslims in a country where religion matters. We are not expecting justice from anyone..."[87]

In September 2009, a Karachi-based engineer kidnapped a Hindu girl named Bano, forcibly converted her to Islam, and arranged her marriage to a Muslim man, Jaffer Abbas. Gulzar, the engineer, was later indicted in a court after the girl's father lodged a police complaint.[88]

All sections of Pakistani society are involved in such acts. In December 2011, a police constable in Karachi was accused of kidnapping Bharati, a 15-year-old Hindu girl, who was later converted and married off to a Muslim youth. Bharati, now Ayesha, told a court in Karachi that she had converted to Islam and married the Muslim man of her free will.[89]

In February 2012, 17-year-old Rinkle Kumari was kidnapped and converted in the town of Mirpur Mathello in Sindh province. A press report stated: "This is not the first case of this nature, as the community has been silently witnessing forcible conversion of their young girls for many months. Though the Pakistan Hindu Council [PHC] does not have the latest figures, they believe that incidents of conversion are higher than reported in the media."[90] Despite being in judicial custody, Rinkle, whose case was widely reported in the media, was not allowed to meet with her parents. Commenting on the case, Mangla Sharma of the PHC said: "It is the same drill every time... A girl is kidnapped and converted at a madrassa [Islamic seminary] and when the family creates an uproar, the kidnappers produce a certificate that shows she has accepted Islam and 'wants' to be a Muslim."[91] In April 2012, the case of Kumari and two other Hindu women was reviewed by Pakistan's Supreme Court. The judge allowed them to decide their own future on the ground that they were adults.[92] In August 2012, Rinkle's family, deeply hurt and in despair, migrated to India.

In October 2011, 15-year-old Poonam Wasu was drugged by some Muslim friends, and woke up a few hours later to find herself a married Muslim woman named Razia. Poonam Wasu said that her two Muslim friends, Saiba and Shazia, gave her tea. "After drinking it, I fell unconscious. I don't remember what happened after that. All I know is that, when I woke up, I was a woman who had accepted Islam and performed a Nikkah [marriage] with my friend's brother... I never thought these two girls would do something like this. Both of them were so nice to me."[93] In August 2012, a teenage Hindu girl, identified by initials MK, was kidnapped, converted to Islam, and married to a man named Ghulam Murtaza Channo.[94] Her father, Riwatt Mal, aka Beebo, and uncle Sanjay Singh reported: "M phoned us today and said that she had married, but we heard the voices of two men and a woman, and doubt that she was being allowed to speak freely.... We'll migrate to India, if M is not recovered. We can't live with this situation now."[95] The teenager appeared in a court five days after her kidnapping along with her Muslim husband.

Early in 2012, Dr. Lata Kumari, a Hindu doctor at the Aga Khan University Hospital, became the fifth woman of her family to be kidnapped and converted to Islam. When her sister Jyoti met her in court, Dr. Lata Kumari whispered that she "needed help" – "the only thing she managed to whisper," according to a Pakistani daily, "before being roughly pushed aside by some clerics who had come to witness the court proceedings."[96]

Human Rights Commission Of Pakistan (HRCP): Every Month, Between 20 and 25 Hindu Girls Are Abducted And Forcibly Converted To Islam; "Apart From Minors, Married Women With Children Are Not Spared Either..."

Speaking at a March 10, 2012 press conference organized by the family members of Hindu converts to Islam, Amarnath Motumel of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) estimated that 20 forced conversions took place every month, saying: "Apart from minors, married women with children are not spared either... Whenever a Hindu girl is converted and her family files a case in court, hundreds of religious zealots take to the streets and use pressure tactics, creating an atmosphere of fear... Many lawyers do not take up the girls' cases at all, and prefer to fight for the other party."[97]

At another press conference, two years earlier in 2010, Amarnath Motumel gave a similar estimate, noting that as many as 20 to 25 Hindu girls are abducted every month and converted forcibly to Islam.[98] He also voiced concern that the word "Hindu" has acquired the meaning of an insult and kind of abuse for the Hindu community in Pakistan.[99] He added: "According to estimates, in Karachi alone, a large number of Hindu girls are being kidnapped on a routine basis... The families of the victims are scared to register cases against the influential perpetrators as death threats are issued to them in case they raise their voice. So, the victims choose to remain silent to save their lives."[100]

At a March 2012 conference of Hindu leaders from the Sindh and Baluchistan provinces, Kalpana Devi, vice president of the Larkana Bar Association, said: "Why is that only Hindu girls fall in love with Muslim men and convert to Islam with full conviction? Why don't we ever hear of a Muslim boy or girl doing the same for the sake of love and perhaps rectitude?... If you have the mettle to take our girls and make them your daughters-in-law, then you should have the nerve to give us the same opportunity... But no, if this happens, the little [Muslim] girl or boy becomes Wajib-ul-Qatl [condemned to be killed under Islamic law], so it is always one-way traffic."[101] The conference participants warned of mass migration from the country if immediate steps were not taken to stop forced conversions.[102] Speaking at the conference, Hindu community leader Hotchand Karmani said that forced conversions were not the only issue, and extortion and kidnappings for ransom, along with cases of forced conversions, constitute the top three crimes committed against Hindus.

There is fear that the kidnapped Hindu girls are also being sold into prostitution. According to a media report, Bherulal Balani, a former legislator, said: "Once the girls are converted, they are then sold to other people or are forced to do illegal and immoral activities."[103]

Pakistani Daily Report: Hindus Converting In Order To "Survive In The [Islamic] Society" Of Pakistan

With the space for coexistence with Muslims shrinking, Hindus are converting to Islam in order to survive in Pakistani society. In May 2010, more than 50 members of the Hindu community converted to Islam in the city of Sialkot. According to a Pakistani daily report, they embraced Islam in order to "survive in the [Islamic] society" of Pakistan.[104]

Mangut Ram, a relative of some of the converts, said that they had converted under pressure from their employers."[105] Ram, who used to work in a shop in Karachi, said he faced similar pressure: "The owner of the shop where I worked said that, after a few months of his employing me, the sales dropped drastically, because people were avoiding purchasing and eating edibles prepared by Hindus... Many people opposed the large presence of Hindu employees at his shop, and my boss felt pressured to change the situation..."[106] Ram said further that some of his relatives had converted to save their land, and because their Muslim neighbors had been mistreating them.[107]

In 2008, more than 270 individuals from 40 Hindu families embraced Islam under the influence of Islamic clerics in Mirpur Khas in the Sindh province. There were no reports of forced conversion, but, according to the media, the Hindus were pressured by their landlords and employers and were promised free dwellings.[108]

Speaking at a meeting of the Senate Committee on Minority Affairs in 2010, Senator Dr. Khatu Mal Jeewan said that the courts in Sindh province were not helping the families of forced conversion victims. He demanded that the Pakistani government protect the minorities and legislate against forced conversion of religious minorities to Islam.[109]

In Karachi, Pakistani Hindus protest against kidnapping of their girls (hinduexistence.wordpress.com)

Pakistani Media Reports: Persecution Forces Pakistani Hindus To Emigrate To India; Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC): "Every Week, At Least 20-25 Families Are Leaving Pakistan... For India"

As a result of growing persecution, many Pakistani Hindus have emigrated to India in recent years. In March 2005, a media report noted that 8,000 Pakistani Hindus had acquired Indian citizenship. "[T]hese Hindus came to India on valid travel papers from Pakistan and refused to [go] back, saying they were subjected to ill treatment on religious grounds."[110] Persecution seems to be particularly serious in Sindh province, especially in the Ghotki, Jacobabad, Shikarpur and Larkana districts. In December 2010, 27 Hindu families from Pakistan's Baluchistan province applied for asylum in India due to fear of kidnappings and killings. According to a report in the Urdu-language Pakistani newspaper Roznama Jasarat, these families said that they had been living in Baluchistan for centuries, but that persecution was forcing them to flee.[111] Similar reports on the migration of Hindus have appeared regularly in Indian newspapers in recent years.

In September 2011, over 300 Hindus in the Jacobabad district took a collective decision to migrate to India due to the continuing attacks against the Hindus in Pakistan. "With tears in their eyes... [they told local Pakistani journalists] that they had taken the decision with a heavy heart due to insecurity and a permanent threat of being kidnapped [for ransom or for the purposed of forced conversion to Islam]."[112] In a report titled "Persecution forces 60 Hindu families to migrate to India," a Pakistani daily reported in August 2012 that 60 Hindu families from Baluchistan and Sindh provinces left for India due to persecution.[113] Some of these families were from Jacobabad. Commenting on this issue, human rights activist Farzana Bari noted that it was very serious and that the religious minorities in Pakistan do not get enough security. "It is not easy to leave your settled life and move somewhere else. They are really afraid and this is a continuous phenomenon," she said.[114]

In November 2011, Journalist Sandhya Jain of The Pioneer reported that 114 Hindus of the Bagri clan were sheltering in Delhi and refusing to return to their homes in Sindh owing to the growing persecution in recent years. The report noted: "Amidst heightened sectarian strife in Pakistan... a small [group] of landless Hindu laborers has reached Delhi in quest of asylum and eventual citizenship. Growing incidents of abduction and forced conversion, especially of minor girls who disappear behind the veil, have instilled deep insecurity in [this] minority community over the years... Marauding tablighi [preaching] groups are fuelling an incandescent intolerance of non-Muslims in society, and hatred for kafirs [infidels] has acquired a chilling vibrancy. Tensions are particularly high in Sindh, Baluchistan and the North-West Frontier Province [now called the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province], where Hindus are increasingly being forced to embrace Islam in order to survive.... T]he intensified activism of the Tablighi Jamaat is making life increasingly hellish for Hindus. There is no sunwai (justice) when Hindu girls are kidnapped, converted, forced into marriage and never seen again. Fear is a constant companion. The ... [Tablighi Jamaat's] jihad ... is menacing and all-pervasive."[115]

In the second week of August 2012, more than 250 Hindus from Baluchistan and Sindh crossed over into India to seek shelter. Speaking to the Indian media, Mukesh Kumar Ahuja, who hails from Baluchistan, commented: "Hindus are in real trouble in Pakistan, and especially in the areas of upper Sindh and Baluchistan. I cannot face all that, so I decided to migrate to India... I had a shop there but closed it about [a] year back. Some people I don't know looted money from my shop so I had to close it. I was always afraid because life is in danger there. It was suffocating, so finally we decided to leave Pakistan forever and move to India after selling our house."[116]

In August 2012, Pakistani daily The News carried a report titled "Is there a mass exodus of Hindus from Sindh?" The report was actually aimed at refuting the claim of mass immigration. However, it quoted Dr. Ramesh Kumar of the Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC), who said: "Every week, at least 20-25 families are leaving Pakistan from interior Sindh for India, as our lives are not protected in this country anymore."[117] He added that law-enforcement agencies in the towns of Larkana, Sukkur, Tharparkar and Jacobabad were cronies of the powerful Sardars and were unable to act against the extortionists and kidnappers in the region, stating: "The ... [heads] of police stations in these areas are more powerful than the IG [Inspector General of the province] because they are appointed politically."[118]

Persecution Of Ahmadi Muslims

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was founded in 1889 by spiritual leader Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908) in the northern Indian town of Qadian. Today the movement has followers in more than 200 countries, and its present-day headquarters is in the United Kingdom.[119] Islamic clerics in Pakistan accuse the Ahmadi Muslims of not believing that the Prophet Muhammad was the last prophet of God. The Ahmadi Muslims themselves respond that they do believe this, but that they also believe that a certain kind of wahi (revelation) from God continues even today, and that their spiritual leader was one of its recipients. 

In 1974, under the influence of fundamentalist forces in Pakistan, the secular government of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto passed a law designating Ahmadi Muslims as non-Muslim. Under this and subsequent legislation, Ahmadi Muslims are forbidden to call their places of worship "mosques" or build them to look like mosques, and are forbidden to use Islamic symbols and names in any manner; and Pakistani citizens or journalists who refer to Ahmadis as "Muslims" can be taken to court.

Moreover, an array of Islamic organizations – collectively known as Khatm-e-Nabuwwat (End-of-Prophecy) groups – have created a cultural atmosphere of intense prejudice against Ahmadi Muslims, leading to numerous cases of discrimination against them and even to a boycott of Ahmadi-owned businesses and companies. Ahmadis Muslims are dismissed as Mirzais (followers of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad) or Qadianis, i.e. after the town of Qadian where the Ahmadiyya movement began. The beliefs of Ahmadi Muslims are pejoratively dismissed as Qadianiat (thinking of Qadian).

As in the case of Christians, Ahmadi Muslims face charges of blasphemy brought against them by the police or by various powerful individuals; many of them are murdered or robbed of their property; and their places of worship are subject to attack. Also, there are demands in Pakistan to bar them from government positions. Perhaps the biggest attack on Ahmadi Muslims in recent years was the May 2010 attack in Lahore, in which Taliban suicide bombers targeted the city's two Ahmadi mosques during the Friday prayers, leaving some 90 people dead and 200 wounded.[120]

Lahore Bar Association Bans Selling Of Juice And Other Goods From Ahmadi Muslim-Owned Firms In Courthouses; Islamic Clerics Investigate And Certify The Faith Of QMobile Owners

Certificate issued by clerics confirming the Muslim faith of QMobile owners (Roznama Ummat, January 14, 2012)

Like other minorities, Ahmadi Muslims face discrimination from all sections of Pakistani society, including the educated elite and government officials. In early 2012, the Lahore Bar Association (LBA), a representative body of lawyers, initiated a ban against selling the Shezan brand of juice, and other goods produced by companies owned by Ahmadi Muslims, in Lahore courthouses. According to a report, the decision was taken on the recommendation of Advocate Ghulam Mustafa Chaudhry, president of the Khatm-e-Nabuwwat Lawyers Forum, one of the numerous "End-of-Prophecy" groups that have sprung up in Pakistan over the years. LBA President Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali said that a team had been formed to enforce the decision, and vowed tough action against those found buying or selling Ahmadi-owned products on court premises."[121]

In early 2012, a furor was sparked in Pakistan when it was discovered that mobile phones manufactured by the local company QMobile do not enable users to write the word "Muhammad" in Urdu or Arabic script. Islamic clerics immediately voiced a suspicion that the company was owned by Ahmadis, that the "Q" in its name stood for "Qadian" (a town associated with Ahmadis), and that it aimed to defame the Prophet. Islamic clerics called for a verification of the faith of QMobile's owners to ensure that they were not Ahmadis. An investigation later revealed that the problem was due to a software glitch and that the company owners were mainstream Muslims. In order to clear its name, the company published an announcement in the Urdu-language Roznama Ummat which said (see the image above): "We apologize to our clients that they experienced difficulty due to a problem in QMobile's software, due to which the name of 'Muhammad,' peace be upon him, could not be written. This issue has been resolved completely... This software problem had no connection to Qadianiat [beliefs of Ahmadi Muslims]. Praise Allah, we are Muslims and have complete faith that Muhammad was the Seal of the Prophets... [We] consider any [later] claimant to prophethood as a false, lying and accursed infidel..."[122]

The announcement was accompanied by a certificate – verifying the faith of QMobile owners – from the Aalami Majlis-e-Tahaffuz-e-Khatm-e-Nabuwwat (International Council for the Defense of the Finality of the Prophethood), an organization of Islamic clerics which has been leading an international campaign against Ahmadi Muslims. The certificate stated: "This is to verify that we have met with the owners of the [the company] and have investigated their beliefs. We have reached the conclusion that [they]... are Muslims and firmly believe that Muhammad... is the last prophet of Allah..."[123]

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority Blocks Ahmadi Website "Because Ahmadis... [A]re Not Allowed To Propagate Their Religious Views Under The Constitution Of Pakistan"

In July 2012, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) blocked access to the official website of the Ahmadiyya community, Alislam.org, operated from outside the country. A PTA official explained that the website was blocked "because Ahmadis... [a]re not allowed to propagate their religious views under the constitution of Pakistan."[124] The move came after the Muttahida Ulema Board (United Board of Islamic Clerics) accused the website of containing blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad. Husain Haqqani, the former Pakistani Ambassador to the United States, commented that the move "reflects religious intolerance and violates constitutional guarantee of religious freedom."[125]

Pakistani Religious Organization's Pamphlet Justifies Killing Of Ahmadis As "Jihad"

The killing of Ahmadi Muslims is justified by many Islamic clerics. A pamphlet issued by All Pakistan Students Khatm-e-Nabuwwat Federation, one of the many End-of Prophecy organizations, the killing of Ahmadi Muslims is termed "jihad." The pamphlet (see the image below) states: "The Qadianiat [beliefs of Ahmadi Muslims] are a deadly poison"; "Oh Muslim brothers, we must recognize these people"; "It is jihad to shoot these people in the market"; "Awaken... and achieve martyrdom by killing them."[126]

This pamphlet is not an isolated case. Similar sentiments are articulated every day in religious gatherings organized by Islamic clerics across Pakistan.

A pamphlet issued by an "end-of- prophecy" organization calls to kill Ahmadis

Target-Killings Of Ahmadi Muslims Continuing; Ahmadi Muslim Leader: "Ahmadis Are Completely At The Mercy Of Assassins"

An ideological campaign to eliminate Ahmadi Muslims from Pakistan is underway through acts of target killings. During 2001-2005, at least 79 deaths of Ahmadi Muslims were recorded in acts of target killings.[127] In 2012, at least 11 cases were recorded. For example, in May 2012, Tariq Ahmad, an Ahmadi Muslim, was shot dead in Layyah district of Punjab.[128] In July, 2012, Mukarram Naeem Ahmed Gondal (52), leader of Ahmadi community in the Orangi Town area of Karachi and an assistant director in the State Bank of Pakistan, was shot dead.[129] Two other victims this year were Abdul Qudoos Ahmad (43), a respected schoolteacher, who was "tortured to death while in police custody" in the city of Rabwah, the headquarters of the Ahmadi movement in Pakistan,[130] and Aslam Bhatti (34), also a schoolteacher, who was targeted in a drive-by shooting in Karachi. [131] Several other Ahmadis were been attacked but escaped death."[132] These cases are too many to narrate here.

These killings of Ahmadi Muslims illustrate a pattern continuing from previous years. For example, in September 2008, two Ahmadi Muslims – Yousuf in Nawabshah and Abdul Mannan Siddiqi in Mirpur Khas – were shot dead.[133] In Sheikhupura district of the province, Dilawar Hussain, a 42-year-old teacher, was shot dead in October 2011 while teaching a class at a primary school in the village of Dere Golianwala.[134] At Ferozewala in Sheikhupura district, Chaudhry Basheer Ahmed was shot in September 2011.[135] In Muzaffar Colony of Faisalabad city, 55-year-old Naseem Ahmad Butt was shot dead in bed in September 2011 for being an Ahmadi Muslim.[136]

 In addition, there have probably been deaths in small towns and villages that have not been reported in the media. In April 2012, Abdul Quddus, an Ahmadi teacher, was taken into police custody under false charge and tortured to death at Nusratabad in Chiniot district of Punjab province.[137] The deaths in 2012 join numerous previous killings of Ahmadis in recent years. In a letter to human rights organizations, Syed M. Mahmood, an Ahmadi Muslim leader, expressed the community's concern: "Ahmadis are completely at the mercy of assassins who are targeting and killing them with impunity and police and other law-enforcement agencies... [are] doing nothing to thwart their actions."[138]

Teacher Fired, Students Expelled By Schools In Faisalabad District For Being Ahmadi Muslims; College Principal Rusticates 23 Ahmadi Muslim Students

In October 2011, schools in Dharanwali area of the Hafizabad district of the Punjab province expelled 10 students and fired a female teacher for being Ahmadis. Yasir Abbas, the principal at one of the schools, explained: "This is not my decision... the entire village unanimously pressed me to expel all Ahmadis from the school, or else they would forcibly shut the school down."[139] Saleemuddin, a spokesman for the Ahmadi Muslims, explained that the Punjab government had allowed people to register for schools online and made it mandatory for students to disclose their religion.[140]

In June 2008, Professor Dr. Asghar Ali Randhawa, principal of the Punjab Medical College in Faisalabad, suspended 23 Ahmadi students from the college. He did so after some students from an Islamist organization led a campaign against Ahmadi Muslims and put up posters criticizing their faith. [141]

Ahmadi Muslims Targeted For Using Muslim Symbols; Police Remove Koranic Texts From Ahmadi Muslims' Graves; Police Demolish Ahmadi Mosque At Clerics' Urging

Since the law forbids Ahmadis to "act or look" like Muslims, they are targeted by the authorities and by civilians for building houses of worship that look like mosques or for publically displaying various Muslim texts or symbols on their shops and homes, or even on their graves. In July 2012, police in the Pakistani town of Kharian in Punjab province destroyed six minarets of a mosque belonging to Ahmadi Muslims, following a complaint filed by the Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Islam (Movement for the Defense of Islam), an organization of Barelvi clerics who are known for their intolerance of other sects of Islam.

However, the demolition was carried out without a court order. Police officer Raja Zahid described the demolition as a result of an "amicable and peaceful process," while a media report noted: "This is the first time since 1984 that minarets of a place of worship of Ahmadis have been destroyed by the police, though a number of places have been sealed by authorities in the past."[142]

In August 2012, members of an Islamic organization called Aalami Majlis-e-Tahaffuz-e-Khatm-e-Nabuwwat (International Council for the Defense of Finality of Prophethood) took law in their own hands and removed Koranic text and religious words from the shop of an Ahmadi family at Kot Abdul Malik in Sheikhupura district, and in doing so they were helped by the local police.[143] According to a media report, other than Koranic texts, the word "MashAllah" – or Allah willing – was also removed along with the shop owner's father's name "Muhammad Ali" which was inscribed at the gate of their residence next to the shop.[144] Zia, the shop owner, was reported as saying that threats had arriving long before the clerics arrived at his door.

In August 2012, police in a village near Hafizabad in the Punjab province capitulated to the demand of a fundamentalist group and removed Koranic verses and religious texts from Ahmadi Muslims' graves.[145] About 650 Ahmadi Muslims have resided in the village from the days when Pakistan was not even created, according to a media report, which noted that despite opposition from Nasir Javaid, acting Emir of the Hafizabad Ahmadiyya Jamaat, and other Ahmadi Muslim leaders, police officials, instead of the defending the community, decided to remove the texts, thereby defiling the graves.[146] In the same month, members of an Islamist organization removed a Koranic text from the shop of an Ahmadi family in the Sheikhupura district, with the aid of local police,[147] and in Rawalpindi, the police banned Ahmadis from offering the annual Eid-ul-Fitr prayer at their own Ewan-e-Tawheed mosque after some clerics raised objections.[148]

Ahmadi Muslims Implicated In Blasphemy Cases; Ahmadi Mosque Leader Accused Of Blasphemy For "Referring" To Quotes From The Koran And Hadith

The instances of Ahmadi Muslims being implicated in blasphemy cases are part of a pattern. In the Sindh province, an Ahmadi imam and four employees of an Ahmadi women's monthly were accused of blasphemy merely for quoting from the Koran and hadith. In a complaint filed with the police, a preacher in the town of Tando Adam said that any act of "naming and quoting" Allah and the Prophet Muhammad, or referring to the Prophet as "beloved master" by Ahmadis were "blasphemous" and offended the religious sentiment of Muslims.[149]

In November 2004 in Faisalabad, an Ahmadi was sentenced to life imprisonment after a local mosque leader accused him of blasphemy. Blasphemy charges have even been brought against Ahmadi children. In early 2009, several Ahmadi boys aged 12-16 were arrested on charges of blasphemy,[150] and were jailed in the town of Dera Ghazi Khan.[151] In Muzaffargarh district, Abdus Sattar was arrested on charges of committing blasphemy against Allah and Prophet Muhammad in March 2006.[152] Most such accusations are seen by local journalists as completely false, mainly originating from varying reasons of religious prejudice and even from personal enmity.

Addressing Ahmadis, Pakistani Cleric Zahidur Rashidi Cites Prophet Muhammad-Era Practice To Justify The Killing Of False Prophets, Offers Two Options: Repent And Accept Islam, Or Be Killed

In a January 2, 2012 article titled "Qadianis Should Join the Mainstream of Muslims," noted Islamic scholar Maulana Zahidur Rashidi, secretary-general of the Pakistan Shariat Council, wrote of a conference he had attended marking the death of a Muslim youth in a clash with Ahmadi Muslims at Goleki village in Gujarat district. According to the article, Maulana Rashidi called upon Ahmadis to repent their "false" faith propagated by their spiritual leader Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and join the true Islam, stating:

"Addressing them [at that conference], I told them that at the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), four people had claimed to be prophets and had gathered a crowd of their followers; two of them were killed, while the others expressed repentance and accepted Islam. Those who were killed were Musailmah Kazzab and Aswad Unsa, while those who entered into the fold of Islam were Taliha bin Khawilad Asadi (RA) and a woman called Sajjah.

"The two came into the fold of Islam and spent their last days as good Muslims. I call upon the Qadianis to follow the path of Taliha and Sajjah, leaving the path of Musailmah and Aswad Unsa and repenting of their false faith, and come back into mainstream Islam; they will be our Muslim brethren."[153]

Pakistan's Only Nobel Laureate, Abdus Salam, Disregarded Due To His Ahmadi Origins, His Headstone Disfigured After Authorities Ordered To Remove The Word "Muslim" From It

Physicist Abdus Salam (1926-1996), one of the scientists who paved the way to the discovery of the Higgs boson, and Pakistan's only Nobel Prize laureate, is forgotten and dishonored in Pakistan because he was a member of the Ahmadi community. As a Pakistani journalist reported, "The two-room bungalow, the birthplace of Pakistan's only Nobel laureate, today stands empty, testament to the indifference, bigotry and prejudice surrounding the country's greatest scientist."[154]

Dr. Salam left Pakistan for England in 1974 after the passage of the law declaring Ahmadis non-Muslim. After his death in Oxford, his body was brought to Pakistan and buried next to his parents' graves in the town of Rabwah. The epitaph on his grave initially read "First Muslim Nobel Laureate," but later a Pakistani court ordered that the word "Muslim" be removed from the epitaph, leaving the nonsensical description "First Nobel Laureate."

In a 2010 article, Pakistani columnist Masood Hasan commented: "Fourteen years after his death in Oxford, Dr. Salam rests in a modest graveyard near the Chenab River in Punjab, his grave disfigured on the orders of a lowly magistrate who had the word 'Muslim' gouged out of his tombstone. The royal orders were happily complied with. The town of Rabwah, of course, is already 'christened' Chenab Nagar. Maybe they should extend the farce further and call all those who inhabit this perpetually-threatened place 'Chenabis.' A magistrate can 'do the needful,' as the Babus [i.e. bureaucrats] say...

"It has been 31 years since he became our first and only Nobel laureate, and nearly 14 years since his death. The doctrinal differences over faith seem to have far more importance to this country than anything else. We will name no airport, or a road, or build a monument, an institution, initiate a scholarship – no, we will barely tolerate who he was. We are blinded by our bigotry and hatred. Will we seek forgiveness for how we treated one of the great, if not the greatest, sons of Pakistan? No, we won't. Many Pakistanis will continue to deny this unique man, and therein lies our shame, except we have none. We lost it many years ago."[155]

Persecution Of Shi'ite Muslims

Of the 190 million people in Pakistan, Shi'ite Muslims constitute about 20%.[156] The Sunni Muslims believe that Abu Bakr, Omar ibn Khattab, Usman ibn Affan and Ali ibn Abi Talib are the four righteous caliphs who succeeded Prophet Muhammad in that order, with Ali being the last of the four. However, Shi'ite Muslims cite a hadith of Prophet Muhammad in which he reportedly said that Ali ibn Abi Talib, his cousin and son-in-law, would succeed him, and therefore Shi'ite Muslims consider Ali as the first caliph, leading to an entirely different set of successors.

Over the years, some doctrinal differences have become entrenched between the two sects of Islam, with the consequence that a vast number of Sunni Muslims does not consider Shi'ites as Muslims. In August 2012, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life published a global survey of Muslim attitudes and opinion after interviewing 38,000 Muslims face to face in 39 Muslim-dominated countries. The findings (see the graphics below) revealed that only 50 percent of Sunni Muslims in Pakistan, and much more in many more Muslim nations, consider Shi'ites as Muslims.[157]

Pew Global Survey: Only 50% Sunnis In Pakistan Consider Shi'ites Muslim

Pew survey: percentage of Sunnis in Muslim countries who regard Shi'ites as Muslim (pewforum.org)

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other powerful extremist Islamic groups in Pakistan call the Shi'ites infidels. The most venomous attacks on the Shi'ites of Pakistan come from Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), the military wing of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP or Soldiers of the Prophet's Companions). Both the LeJ and the SSP are banned in Pakistan, but they work freely under the banner of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) headed by Maulana Ahmad Ludhianvi.

Murders of Shi'ites have been common in Pakistan for decades, and have recently increased throughout the country. In many cases, extremist militants stop buses at random, order the passengers off, identify the Shi'ites among them by checking their names in their identity cards, and then shoot them. Attacks have increased particularly in the regions of Gilgit Baltistan, Hangu, Parachinar, Dera Ismail Khan, and Baluchistan. In the latter province, it is especially Hazara Shi'ites who are being targeted.

Frequent Headlines In Pakistani Dailies: "At Least 20 Shi'ites Pulled Off Bus, Shot Dead..."; "Kohistan Sectarian Attack: 18 Shot Dead After Being Pulled Out Of Four Buses"; "Mastung: Pilgrims Pulled Out Of Bus And Killed, 26 Souls Dead, Three People Going To Pick Up Bodies Also Killed"

Examples of such attacks on Shi'ite Muslims are numerous. In the morning of August 16, 2012 – two days after Pakistan's Independence Day – at least 20 Shi'ite Muslims were pulled from buses, their identity cards were checked to ascertain that they were Shi'ites, and then they were shot dead. The incident happened at Babusar Top in Mansehra district in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, 100 miles north of Islamabad.[158] The bus was travelling between Rawalpindi and Gilgit, the capital of the northern Gilgit Baltistan province. A media report, titled "At Least 20 Shi'ites Pulled Off Bus, Shot Dead in Northern Pakistan," quoted police official Shafiq Gul as saying that the armed men "stopped three vehicles, searched them and picked up people in three batches of five, six and nine and shot them dead. They were all Shi'ites."[159]

This attack was not the first of its kind. Early this year – on February 28, 2012 – armed men ambushed four Gilgit-bound buses in the Harban Nala area of Kohistan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, ordered the passengers off the buses, checked their identity cards to verify that 18 of them were Shi'ite Muslims and shot them dead. According to a report titled "Kohistan Sectarian Attack: 18 Shot Dead After Being Pulled Out Of Four Buses," Ahmad Marwat – who identified himself as a spokesman of the Sunni militant group Jundallah which is part of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) stable of militant organizations – claimed responsibility for the attack.[160]

On April 3, 2012, a mob of Sunni Muslims – who were led by Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat and LeJ members – pulled out passengers from Gilgit-bound buses in the town of Chilas and shot dead at least nine of them after identifying them as Shi'ite Muslims.[161] On the same day, a rally was organized by Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat in the town of Gilgit which turned violent and led to 20 deaths.[162] On September 20, 2011, at least 26 Shi'ite Muslims were pulled from a bus in the Mastung district of Baluchistan province, and were shot dead after their religious identity was verified; afterwards, a Lashkar-e-Jhangvi spokesman accepted responsibility for the attack, according to a report titled "Mastung: Pilgrims Pulled Out Of Bus And Killed, 26 Souls Dead, Three People Going To Pick Up Bodies Also Killed" in the Urdu-language daily Roznama Jang.[163] Numerous such attacks against Shi'ite Muslims have taken place in recent decades in Pakistan and even in 2012 appear unstoppable.

 In reporting on these attacks, the Pakistani media rarely states explicitly that the victims were Shi'ite. Instead it describes the attacks as "sectarian," a more neutral and general term the use of which removes culpability of the Sunni militant groups. These attacks on Shi'ites are ongoing and systematic, and most of them are carried out by Sunni Muslim organizations ideologically affiliated with Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat, aka LeJ/SSP, which are feeder organizations for Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Pakistani Daily Report: "Ethnic Cleansing of Hazaras [Shi'ite Muslims] Going On In Systematic Manner"; Pakistani Daily Editorial: "The Targeting Of ... [Shi'ite Muslims] Is Usually Accompanied By Some Form Of Official Collusion"

In Bamiyan, Hazara youths protest killing of their community members (hazaranewspakistan.wordpress.com)

Many of the Shi'ites being targeted, especially in Baluchistan, belong to the Hazara ethnic minority. Protests against the anti-Hazara violence have been held in Afghanistan, Australia, the United Kingdom and many other parts of the world. In a June 2012 report titled "Ethnic Cleansing of Hazaras Going On in Systematic Manner," a Pakistani paper observed: "Every month around 50-60 members of the Hazara community are either gunned down or killed in bomb blasts, mostly within the precincts of Quetta city [the capital of Baluchistan province].... During the last five years, as many as 50,000 Hazaras have left Baluchistan; a majority of them have managed to take shelter in other countries, and nearly 300 lost their lives as their boats capsized. Meanwhile, some have fled to Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

"Hazara Democratic Party (HDP) President Abdul Khaliq Hazara... claimed that a systematic... ethnic cleansing of Hazaras... is [going] on, and has dramatically intensified since 2008. 'We don't see a light at the end of the tunnel, as on the one hand we are losing our dear ones while on the other, the state and its institutions have failed to fulfil their constitutional obligations and have virtually turned their back on us."[164]

A sample of attacks on Shi'ite Muslims during recent months is given here to illustrate the campaign of targeted attacks in Pakistani streets, as recorded by a Shi'ite interest website.[165] On August 16, three Shi'ite Muslims were killed in a targeted firing in Quetta. On August 9, a religious program at an imambargah (a Shi'ite religious place) was attacked in Lasbela district of Baluchistan. On July 29, a Shi'ite Muslim was kidnapped by LeJ militants from Hazarganji area of Quetta, and a day earlier another Shi'ite Muslim was killed in the city. On July 28, a man named Qadir Bakhsh was shot dead in Jaffarabad district. On July 26, another Shi'ite Muslim was killed in a targeted firing in Quetta. On July 24, a school official was shot dead because he was a Shi'ite. On July 12, a Shi'ite Muslim was shot dead in Quetta. Not all killings are reported. One report put the number of Shi'ite Hazaras killed during a 19-day period in May 2012 at 39.[166] These attacks show a pattern of targeted killing of Shi'ite Muslims in various parts of Baluchistan, where the Pakistani military has been able to crush the secular Baluchi insurgency for independence but is widely seen as unable or unwilling to tackle the killings of Shi'ite Hazaras.

However, the targeted killing of Shi'ite Muslims is not limited to Baluchistan. These attacks are occurring in every region of Pakistan. Some of recent attacks on Shi'ite Muslims are given here, as recorded by a Shi'ite interest website.[167] In the town of Chakwal in Punjab province, an imambargah was attacked by extremists on June 17. In the city of Karachi in Sindh province, a Shi'ite youth was shot dead in the Kharadar area on June 24. In Lahore in Punjab, a Shi'ite Muslim was shot dead at his doorstep on June 23. In Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a Shi'ite girl died in an attack on an imambargah in Gulbahar police station district on July 24. In Kurram Agency, Taliban militants attacked the Shi'ite residential area of Bilash Khail on July 17. In Sargodha district of Punjab, two brothers were beheaded for converting to Shi'ite faith on July 11. In Abbottabad, a religious procession of Shi'ite Muslims was banned by Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP/LeJ) on June 15. In the town of Hangu in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, two Shi'ite Muslims were tortured to death on June 9. In the town of Dera Ismail Khan, extremists fired on Shi'ite Muslims on June 28. In the town of Bhakkar in Punjab, shops owned by Shi'ite Muslims were attacked by Sunni mobs who were shouting anti-Shi'ite slogans on June 11. These attacks are motivated by a deep-seated ideological prejudice against Shi'ite Muslims, which means that there are no geographical factors and they are occurring in every part of Pakistan.

Following the August 16, 2012 killing of 20 Shi'ite Muslims in the Mansehra district, a liberal Pakistani newspaper summed the situation in an editorial titled "Another Sectarian Massacre," observing:[168] "The menace of sectarianism, with Shias [i.e. Shi'ites] usually being targeted, is often delinked from the militancy that is plaguing the country. Treating both as separate issues is unwise, as many of the attacks on Shias are carried out by the same groups that are at war with the country and, even if the perpetrators are different, they share the same hateful ideology. More so, the unending violence and the state's inability to tackle it in a meaningful way only emboldens these terrorist outfits, who then feel free to attack with even further impunity...

"The targeting of Shias is usually accompanied by some form of official collusion. Curfews imposed in Gilgit tend to affect the Shia community the most and they are often even stopped from offering Friday prayers at mosques. In Baluchistan, the Hazara Shias are now so fearful of the systemic elimination of their community by groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba [LeT] that they are choosing to leave the province and even the country that they have called home for generations...."

The Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) Video Series: "The Shi'ite is a Nasl [Race/Offspring] of Jews; the Sipah-e-Sahaba Calls the Shi'ite a Bigger Infidel Than the Jew"

The hatred against the Shi'ites is fanned by Sunni Muslim clerics who preach prejudice and violence against them. In March 2012, the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) published a research paper, authored by this writer, explaining how the Sunni Muslim groups in Pakistan are using online social networking tools such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and their own dedicated websites to foster a culture of ideological hatred against Shi'ite Muslims. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) is the lead organization spearheading the violent campaign against Shi'ite Muslims in Pakistan.

Excerpts from the MEMRI research paper are given below to explain how the leading Sunni Muslim organizations, which are surviving with open support from the government of Punjab province, are enforcing hatred against Shi'ite Muslims:[169]

"On its Internet discussion forum ahlesunnatforum.com, the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi has posted a series of six videos, answering the question: Why was the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) established? A collage of images, texts and audio-video statements of Islamic clerics from various schools of Sunni Islam declares that the group draws its ideological roots from all key Sunni sects, stating: 'The Deobandi, the Barelvi, [and] the Ahle Hadith are united on the question of the honor of the Sahaba [the Companions of Prophet Muhammad].' The images given below from the first video illustrate the ideological declarations made by the SSP.

"The video declares that the Shi'ite Muslims are worse than the Jews, with the Urdu text as excerpted in the above image reading: 'The Shi'ite is a nasl [race/offspring] of the Jews. The Sipah-e-Sahaba calls the Shi'ite a bigger infidel than the Jew.'

"In the image above from the video, a cleric holds a Koran on his head and declares: 'The Koran is on my head [i.e. I swear] that the Shi'ite is a kafir [infidel].' Another Urdu text on the video declares: 'Muslims, keep the Shi'ite far from your offices and factories. To give jobs to these infidels is enmity against Islam.'

"The above footage shows anti-Taliban Pakistani cleric Tahirul Qadri of the Barelvi school of Sunni Islam, with the Urdu text stating: 'One who does not consider a Shi'ite is himself an infidel.' Another text under the image of Tahirul Qadri, who dismisses the literature of Shi'ite Muslims in the accompanying video statement as false and without authentic sources, states: 'The Shi'ite and the Sunni can never be brothers. The Shi'ite is the biggest infidel of all.'

"In an image on the video, an Urdu text accuses Shi'ite Muslims of killing Saddam Hussein of Iraq, stating: 'Saddam being hanged under the watch of the Shi'ite.' The video produces a series of statements of Shi'ite clerics, accusing them of allegedly uttering abuse against the companions of Prophet Muhammad.

"The video also reproduces a clip of Haq Nawaz Jhangvi, the SSP founder, addressing a crowd while the Urdu text (see above) clarifies his speech: 'There is a fatwa [Islamic decree] by Maulana Ahmed Raza Barelvi [the founder of the Barelvi school of Sunni Islam] stating that the Shi'ite is a kafir [infidel] and anyone who doubts this is also a kafir.'

"The second part of the video series contains a clip of Maulana Ziaur Rehman Farooqi, a late Islamic cleric associated with the SSP, in which he delivers a fiery speech against Shi'ite Muslims in order to defend the honor of the Companions. In the same video, Maulana Asif Ashraf Jalali, a Barelvi cleric, equates the Shi'ites with Jews. It also cites Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani, an 11th-12th century Persian Islamic scholar followed widely by Sunni Muslims, quoting the Prophet Muhammad as saying: 'In the last days, there would be a nation (Shi'ites) which will curse my companions and will find faults. You should not strike up friendship with them. Do not eat alongside them. Do not marry them. If someone is sick among them, do not ask about them. If someone dies from among them, do not offer the funeral prayer.... May Allah's curses be on them.'

"A third video of the series teaches the LeJ followers that the Shi'ites can be identified by the following surnames (see the Urdu text in image above): 'Jafri, Alvi, Zaidi, Hussein, Naqvi, Raza, Abidi, Abbas, Shah, Hassan.' The video also clarifies at one point that 2,700 members of the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan had been killed up to 2010, that is, in allegedly revenge killings by Shi'ite militants.

"In the fourth, fifth and sixth videos of the series, which are published on YouTube, a number of Islamic clerics associated with the SSP are shown delivering speeches on various points of beliefs associated with Shi'ite Muslims. In the fifth video, an Urdu text again dismisses the Shi'ites as Jews, stating: 'They are the nasl [race/offspring] of Jews and merely use the name of Hazrat Ali [the Islamic caliph].

"The sixth and last video of the series shows clips of speeches by various militant clerics associated with the SSP. Addressing a crowd, Maulana Aurangzeb Farooqi, a youth leader of SSP, defends Saudi Arabia for its pro-Sunni leadership and castigates the Shi'ite Iran, stating: 'Iran is behind all the conspiracies hatched against all Islamic countries and the Companions [of the Prophet Muhammad].' 

"One of the final images in the video reads (see the above Urdu text): 'Muslims of the entire world, if you want to escape the evil of this Shi'ite infidel, then support the Sipah-e-Sahaba. Deoband[i], Barelvi, Ahle Hadith, or anyone can be a leader of Sipah-e-Sahaba."

Conclusion

In all spheres of Pakistani society – including the administrative, military, police and judicial branches of government – minorities are experiencing discrimination, social avoidance, and hate crimes. This is a result of an interpretation of Islam that has been favored in Pakistan since its creation in 1947, an interpretation aimed at making Pakistan a nation of "true" Muslims only. This interpretation is reflected in the actions of local officials and in government policies, for example in the 1974 law that declares Ahmadis non-Muslim.

Where this interpretation fails at the level of government policymaking, it is still reflected in villages and city streets, leading to acts of discrimination, hate and violence. Almost all influential Islamic organizations in Pakistan approve this interpretation of Islam, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and its parent organization Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan (JI), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), Sunni Tehreek (ST), and various Khatm-e-Nabuwwat groups.

Cartoonist: Sabir Nazar, viewpointonline.net.

Pakistani Columnist Dr. Mohammad Taqi: "The Sanitized Discourse And Muted Response To... [The Killings] Is Similar To What Happened In Nazi Germany"; "Present-Day Nazis In Pakistan Have Succeeded In Coercing Or Co-opting A Vast Majority Of Their Countrymen"

The growing attacks on all minorities in Pakistan are causing serious concern among liberal Pakistani thinkers. In an August 2012 article, Raza Rumi, director of policy and programs at the Islamabad-based think tank Jinnah Institute, spoke of the killing of Shi'ites in terms of "a genocide [that is] unfolding before us."[170]

Leading Pakistani columnist Dr. Mohammad Taqi condemned the "muted response" to the growing massacres of minorities, observing: "The sanitized discourse and muted response to... [the killings of minorities] is similar to what happened in Nazi Germany. It seems that the present-day Nazis in Pakistan have succeeded in coercing or co-opting a vast majority of their countrymen into backing them. More vicious than the massacre at the Babusar Top [where Shi'ite Muslims were plucked out of buses and shot dead] was the muffled response of the Pakistani political leaders, rightwing intelligentsia and the military leadership...."[171]

Pakistani Journalist Amir Matin: "20% Of Pakistanis – The 15%... Deobandis Plus 5% Of Ahle Hadith [Who Represent The Dominant Version Of Sunni Islam In Pakistan] – Strictly Consider The Remaining 80% As Kafir, Even Willing To Subject Them To Death And Destruction"

In a recent article titled "Who Gets To Be A Muslim In Pakistan?" Murtaza Haider, a liberal academic and columnist, noted: "If Muhammad Ali Jinnah [the founder of Pakistan who belonged to a sect of Shi'ite Islam] were alive today, only half of Pakistan would consider him a Muslim. The ethnic, sectarian, and tribal fault lines have reached such depths that the nation once founded to be the homeland of Muslims is now bickering over who gets to be called a Muslim."[172]

      This question as to who is a true Muslim in Pakistan also affected Muhammad Ali Jinnah even after his death. When the founder of Pakistan died, Sunni clerics did not allow his "official" funeral to be led by a Shi'ite cleric. A Pakistani website observes that when Muhammad Ali Jinnah and his sister Fatimah Jinnah died, they "were given private Shi'ite burial rituals initially before the State [of Pakistan] they created swung into motion and [by ensuring a Sunni funeral] made a sectarian issue of their burials. Jinnah's state funeral was not allowed to be led by a Shi'ite cleric. That was a formal declaration that Pakistan is a Sunni State."[173]

In an article in July 2010, Pakistani journalist Amir Mir commented on how the search for a true Muslim is dividing the country into various sects, observing: "In a way, a minority of Pakistan's population has taken to declaring the rest as kafir [infidel].... Most agree on the following composition of Pakistan's population: 60% Barelvis, 15% Deobandis, 15% Shi'ites, 5% Ahle Hadith, and the remaining 5% constituting Ahmadis, Ismailis, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Parsis, etc. This means that 20% of Pakistanis – the 15% who are Deobandis plus 5% of Ahle Hadith [who represent the dominant version of Sunni Islam and enjoy the support of the Pakistani state] – strictly consider the remaining 80% as kafir, even willing to subject them to death and destruction."[174]

* Tufail Ahmad is Director of MEMRI's South Asia Studies Project (www.memri.org/sasp).

Pakistani Daily: Taliban Militants Planning Attacks On Rawalpindi Prison And International Airport In Islamabad

At least 16 militants of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are planning to carry out attacks in the cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi in the next two weeks, according to a Pakistani newspaper report. Following are excerpts from the report:[1]

"The report – circulated by the National Crisis Management Cell (NCMC) at the interior ministry and shared with all provincial home departments, provincial and federal police departments and the federal capital's commissioner office – said that Adiala Jail [in Rawalpindi] is likely to be the main target of the assailants who  intend to free their accomplices in a prison break.

"Additionally, the terrorists, all highly trained and reported to be currently residing in [the town of] Attock, are expected to simultaneously target government installations and attempt kidnapping some high-profile people in the twin cities.

"Another intelligence report, circulated amongst law enforcement agencies (LEAs) by NCMC, reveals that another group of terrorists is planning to target Pearl Continental Hotel, Rawalpindi along with Chaklala Airbase [in Islamabad] and the Benazir Bhutto International Airport, Islamabad.

"Similarly, specific information received through various intelligence sources suggests that the Anisur Rehman alias Pir Farooq, a commander of TTP, has planned a series of targeted attacks on Pakistan Army posts along the Pak-Afghan border area....

"A highly sensitive report reveals that two Afghanistan-based TTP Swat commanders namely Shakar and Kuffar Kush along with 50 militants have left Kunar province [of Afghanistan] to mount terror attacks in Dir [district of Pakistan]. The militants are reported to have departed Kunar on August 13 and are headed towards Binashahi in Dir....

"The NCMC has also circulated another report indicating that Chinese diplomats and engineers, working in Pakistan on several development projects, are a prime target of TTP commander Aziz Mehsud...."

Report: Taliban Planning To Kidnap American Citizens And Serving Pakistani Military Officers To Augment Funds

Pakistani intelligence has warned that at a meeting presided over by TTP commander Qari Shafiullah Moavia, the Taliban have decided to launch terrorist activities in major Pakistani cities of Islamabad, Lahore, Multan, Peshawar and Bannu, according to a media report. Following are excerpts from the report:[2]

"[T]he TTP plans on kidnapping serving and retired officers and American citizens to collect finances, as well as to negotiate the release of their accomplices in jails or in the custody of intelligence agencies.

"The report has been forwarded to all provincial home departments, provincial police chiefs, provincial heads of other law enforcement agencies, Islamabad chief commissioner and the Islamabad police chief by the National Crisis Management Cell (NCMC) of the interior ministry….

"Qari Moavia has assigned the task to Nauman Moavia. The meeting also devised a strategy for terrorist activities for a period of two months…. The TTP also allowed its leaders and activists to rob banks and jewelry shops in order to gather funds for the purchase of transport, arms and ammunition.

"After receiving the intelligence report, the NCMC directed law enforcement agencies to adopt possible security arrangements and ensure fool-proof security to avoid any untoward incident. Furthermore, security has been put on high alert across the country…."

Intelligence Reports: TTP Planning Attack On Central Jail In Faisalabad To Free Taliban Fighters

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is planning an attack on the Central Jail Faisalabad to free several TTP militants imprisoned there, according to a Pakistani media report. Following are excerpts from the report:[3]

"Intelligence reports, circulated to the Punjab Home Department, office of Inspector General Police and Inspector General of Prisons Punjab, have warned that terrorists belonging to the TTP (Tariq Afridi group) plan to abduct Superintendent Central Jail Faisalabad Tariq Mahmood Khan Babar in order to carry out the jailbreak plan….

"Inspector General of Prisons (IGP) Punjab Mian Farooq Nazeer confirmed the reports and assured that foolproof security measures were being put in place to foil any terrorist bid to secure release of their accomplices.

"In order to ensure security at prisons and in light of the successful Bannu jailbreak earlier in the year, the Punjab Home Department has requested the ministry of interior to ensure deployment of [paramilitary force] Rangers at all 9 central jails.

"Additionally, IG police has revealed that Punjab government has allocated … 200 million [Pakistani Rupees] for installation of jammers at central jails in the province. Three central jails are expected to have operational jammers by the end of the month [August 2012] to cope with emerging threats in the province.

"Similarly, in an attempt to equip jail staff to deal with terrorist threats, the first batch of 100 jail staffers will be joining Elite Commando Training Course on September 1, 2012….

"However, in light of the immediate security concerns, jail authorities have conducted thorough search operations in jails and recovered 2,000 mobile phones from prisoners. In this regard, 65 jailers have been suspended for demonstrating negligence in performing their duties.

"Currently, more than 300 high-profile terrorists are incarcerated at 9 central jails in the province, amounting to 90 percent of all high-profile prisoners imprisoned across the country…."

Report: TTP Readies "Suicide Bombers Squad" In Case Of Military Operation In North Waziristan

Following the recent rapprochement between the U.S. and Pakistan, it appears that the Pakistan Army is planning to launch an anti-Taliban military operation sometime in September 2012 in North Waziristan, a stronghold of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters. However, on August 20, 2012, the TTP warned the Pakistani military that it has set up a 'suicide bombers squad' to hit troops if an offensive is launched in North Waziristan, according to a Pakistani media report. Following are excerpts from the report:[4]

"In an email message sent to media, TTP... said it had received 'an exclusive intelligence report' about the offensive in North Waziristan from its 'sources' in army headquarters.

"TTP spokesman Ihsanullah Ehsan outlined details about the regiments and units and the possible commander for the campaign, [which was] said to be launched on August 26 for one month.

"'TTP has also prepared itself for resistance, we have set up a suicide bombers squad to welcome (the) army. We will defeat our enemy, whom is defending secular, un-Islamic system of Pakistan by punching them back hard InshaAllah (God willing),' Ihsan said....

Pakistani officials later denied any agreement with Washington for a joint operation in North Waziristan, and said 'routine' actions on each side of the border 'should not be mistaken for 'joint operations'...."

TTP Spokesman Warns Imran Khan Against March To Waziristan, Says Khan Is Infidel Because He Participates In Electoral Process

Imran Khan, the cricketer-turned-politician, has attracted the support of rightwing forces in Pakistan for his strong opposition to the U.S.-led war on terror. Sensing that the Pakistani Army is set to launch a military operation in North Waziristan, Khan has announced that his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party will launch a peace march to Waziristan on October 6, 2012. 

However, the TTP sees such a peace march as an obstacle to its military strategy, although Imran Khan remains the most popular Pakistani leader among the Islamist forces in the country. Earlier on August 8, 2012, the TTP had warned Imran Khan against such a peace march to Waziristan to protest against the U.S. drone attacks.  Following are excerpts from the report:[5]

"[TTP Spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan] said they would attack [Imran] Khan because he calls himself a 'liberal,' a term usually reserved by them for a person lacking religious belief.

"The threat comes as a surprise since not only Khan and TTP share their opposition to drone strikes in the region, but the former, one would argue, has demonstrated his religiosity publicly, praying in front of the crowd at his rallies.

"Khan too has maintained that he is a liberal and a practicing Muslim. Some of his critics have nicknamed him 'Taliban Khan' because of his views and ties with conservative religious parties, who could help him attract right-wing voters in the upcoming general elections.

"Ihsan reiterated ... that the TTP did not want Khan's help in opposing drone attacks. 'We will not accept help or sympathy from any infidel,' said Ahsan, referring to Khan. 'We can fight on our own with the help of God,' he said, as, ironically, drones flew overhead....

"Ihsan added that the Taliban considered anyone who participates in elections, even Islamist parties, as infidels and will target them. 'The election process is part of a secular system,' said Ahsan. 'We want an Islamic system and will create hurdles to secularism'....

"[A] journalist was taken to where Ihsan was hiding ... [at] a compound in the Shawal area that housed several dozen Taliban fighters armed to the teeth with AK-47s, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and anti-aircraft guns...."

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has released video footage of the recent beheading of 12 Pakistani soldiers, justifying their killing and vowing to continue wage jihad until shari'a law is enforced in Pakistan.

The 9:10-minute video, titled "Ghazwat-ul-Hind" (Battle of India), was released by the TTP's Umar Media and sent to local journalists by TTP's Malakand chapter spokesman Sirajuddin. The Malakand Taliban, loyal to hardline cleric Maulana Fazlullah, are hiding in Kunar province of Afghanistan and from there carry out sporadic attacks on Pakistani military checkposts and allied tribal militias in Bajaur Agency, Dir Upper and Dir Lower districts of Pakistan.

Pakistani military officials have confirmed that 15 Pakistani soldiers went missing during the recent fighting in Bajaur Agency. However, the Pakistani Army has yet to officially confirm that the slain soldiers showed in the TTP video are soldiers.

The footage shows the heads of the slain soldiers, which are placed in a line in the ground. An unidentified Taliban commander, wearing traditional tribal dress and turban and flanked by several other militants, some of whom are masked and at least one of whom is wielding a large axe – a sign of terror – justifies the beheading of soldiers.[1]

TTP Emir Hakimullah Mehsud Reiterates Jihad Until Islamic Shari'a Rule Is Enforced In Pakistan

The commander says: "Praise be to Allah Almighty that the Mujahideen in Salarzai, Bajaur Agency, have managed to kill several of the apostate soldiers…. Many of them were killed by bullets, several of them as you see have been beheaded. You see 12 heads here and more heads are on the way."

The commander adds: "They included SSG [elite Special Services Group unit of Pakistan Army] and regular army personnel. They belong to Swat and other areas. These arrogant and conceited soldiers were advancing towards our positions but Allah fell them into the Mujahideen hands who killed them." 

The video also shows national identity cards, cell phones, Pakistani currency, photographs, flashlights, camouflage-patterned helmets and other items that belonged to the slain soldiers placed on a sheet near the severed heads on the ground.

At the beginning, the video also shows a recorded statement of TTP chief Hakimullah Mehsud, who reiterates his pledge to continue jihad against the Pakistani military and rulers until they are defeated and shari'a law is enforced in Pakistan.

Speaking in Pashtu, Mehsud says that the soldiers had been killed to avenge "brutalities" carried out by the Pakistani troops. The video also shows scenes of torture of Taliban prisoners in Pakistani jails in order to justify the Taliban's act of beheading soldiers.

TTP Commentator: "Your Jihad Is To Please Your Satan Master And Our Jihad Is Just To Get The Blessing Of Allah"

A TTP commentator speaks in the background saying: "I warn the government, military and secret spy agencies that this war between the righteous and the falsehood will continue 'til the Day of Judgment. And virtue will triumph at last. This is a war of ideology and history is witness that such a war has always been won by the people of ideology. You will be tired as you look and beg for [ceasefire]. But with Allah's blessings our determinations are still gaining strength."

The commentator says: "We are searching for death. We consider martyrdom as a teaching of the prophets and inheritance of sahabas [companions of Prophet Muhammad]. You flee from death. You know for which purpose you are dying and we know for what objective we render sacrifices."

"Your jihad is to please your Satan master and our jihad is just to get the blessing of Allah. Our jihad will continue till you accept the Law of God [Islamic shari'a] or we send you to hell.

"Apart from it, I urge mothers, sisters and relatives of army soldiers, police personnel, Lashkar [anti-Taliban] volunteers not to let them kill your dear ones [i.e. Taliban fighters] just for… the consolidation of the so-called democratic, Pharaonic, and British law at the cost of Islamic and Koranic law of shari'a. Respect the blessing of Allah and bring out them from life of slavery; else wait for the wrath of Allah. God willing! You will get it [the wrath of Allah] on our hands or in another shape….

"Don't head to lies and false propaganda of the Western-controlled media. Be determined and steadfast. Soon you will get good news which will heal your wounded heart…. Get ready to sacrifice your lives and properties for the enforcement of shari'a….

"I warn the personnel of army, secret agencies, supporters of the so-called democracy …  whether they sport a beard or not, to change their direction [of life] and part ways with this infidel system [of governance in Pakistan]. Unite on one platform to defend the real ideology of Pakistan for which the Mujahideen render sacrifices in the shape of martyrdom, injuries, imprisonment, else face the wrath of God.

"I appeal to the Mujahideen, the Taliban, the Fidayeen [suicide bombers], Muhajirs and ansars [foreign and local militants respectively] particularly scholars and even common people to raise against the enemy of Islam [i.e. Pakistani rulers and army] and defeat them. They are now on the run. The time is ripe, it is a chance, destroy them to get the blessing of Allah…."

Sirajuddin Haqqani is the top operational commander of the Taliban's Haqqani Network, which was founded by his father, Jalaluddin Haqqani. In an interview that appeared in the July 2012 issue of Morchal ("Bunker"), the Pashtu-language magazine of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban's umbrella organization), he denied Western reports that his network is separate from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

The following are excerpts from the interview:

"We Follow The Emir-ul-Momineen [Mullah Mohammad Omar]... This Is Enough To Assure The World That Our Organizational Affairs Are Completely Controlled By The Islamic Emirate"

Question: "Kindly introduce yourself to the readers of Morchal."

Sirajuddin Haqqani: "My name is Sirajuddin Haqqani; and I am the son of Maulvi Jalaluddin Haqqani. I am known as Khalifa [Caliph] among the Mujahideen. I am the governor of Khost province as per the order of Emir-ul-Momineen [Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar]."

Question: "Could you inform us on the health of the distinguished flag-bearer of jihad against imperialism, Maulvi Jalaluddin Haqqani."

Sirajuddin Haqqani: "Compared to the past, he is in good health. However, weakness in old age is a natural phenomenon. We urge the ummah [Muslim nation] to pray for his good health."

Question: "I first met Jalaluddin Haqqani in Darul Haqqania in Pakistan during the jihad against the Russians: a handsome tall man, wearing white clothes and a jihadi [camouflage] jacket with a high turban and a pistol hanging from his shoulder. He was representing the Afghan jihad in a victorious manner. He always delivered emotional speeches..."

Sirajuddin Haqqani: "We always consult him on key issues pertaining to the ongoing jihad. In the light of his experience, all his advice benefits the Islamic Emirate and the jihad. He is physically weak, but his resolve is as strong as iron. This is evident from the fact that, in the current sensitive period, some sincere friends arranged for him to receive medical treatment abroad, but he firmly declined, because it would keep him away from the jihadi consultations and the battlefield…"

Question: "...The poisonous reports of Western propaganda claim that [the Haqqani Network] is a separate network, independent [from the Islamic Emirate]... Can you assure the Western world that [the network] is an integral part of the Islamic Emirate?"

Sirajuddin Haqqani: "...The stance of Islamic Emirate never changes, and we follow the Emir-ul-Momineen [Mullah Mohammad Omar] in the framework of Islam, without seeking status or material gain. This is enough to assure the world that our organizational affairs are completely controlled and run by the Islamic Emirate."

It Is Thanks To The Complete Sincerity Of Mullah Omar That The Islamic Emirate Has So Many Recruits

Questions: "How effective are the blind drone attacks on which the aggressors rely? Are you able to shoot the drones down?"

Sirajuddin Haqqani: "...The blind attacks of unmanned aircraft are ineffective..."

Question: "As evident from the pictures, many martyrdom-seekers have assembled in your training centers. How do you recruit so many?"

Sirajuddin Haqqani: "Sincerity and piety are the keys to all success... The Islamic Emirate sis founded upon sincerity and piety, so each and every member of the Muslim ummah has full confidence in every department of the Islamic Emirate. It is due to the complete sincerity of Emir-ul-Momineen [Mullah Omar] that all the departments of the Islamic Emirate, including the recruitment [department], are fully operational."

Question: "You recently launched a heavy attack on the U.S. base in Sara Bagh [camp Salerno in Khost]. Even the Americans later admitted that 123 foreign soldiers were killed and wounded. Does your information match these figures, and what tactics were used by the bombers to enter the base?"

Sirajuddin Haqqani: "According to our precise information, 70 people were killed, 43 were fatally wounded and 100 suffered light injuries in the suicide bomb attack on the kitchen in the first part [of the operation]. However, we do not have information about the damages caused in the second stage. You can see details about the tactics in the second Badari video [released by Taliban a few weeks ago]."

I Thank The Taliban For Their Unending Sacrifices And Support Them In Every Way

Question: "Do you intend to launch such teeth-breaking attacks in the future?"

Sirajuddin Haqqani: "Yes, why not? They are not our friends."

Question: "How do you regard the Al-Farooq operation, which was launched this year?"

Sirajuddin Haqqani: "...Allah willing, a large number of regions of Afghanistan will be freed from the clutches of the foreign aggressors as a result of these operations."

Question: "Briefly tell us how much damage was inflicted on the enemy since the launching of the spring Al-Farooq offensive."

Sirajuddin Haqqani: "As we are busy [fighting] on the battlefield, it is your duty to count these attacks."

Question: "You must remember many experiences of jihad. Could you briefly recount an interesting experience for the readers of Morchal?"

Sirajuddin Haqqani: "I have experienced many incidents in 10 years of continuous jihad, but, unfortunately, I cannot recount any of them, due to a shortage of time."

Question: "Morchal reflects the voice of the mujahideen. Its workers wage jihad through their pens. What is your view of the magazine?"

Sirajuddin Haqqani: "The mujahideen are pleased with the sincere workers of Morchal..."

Question: "... What is your massage to them and the Afghan nation?"

Sirajuddin Haqqani: "...The Islamic Emirate advises all the brothers to practice piety, patience, brotherhood and sacrifice. My message to the Muslim nation of Afghanistan is to thank the Taliban for their unending sacrifices and support them in every way."

Pakistani nuclear facilities in the town of Dera Ghazi Khan have been cordoned off following telephone intercepts that suicide bombers of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are on the way to launch attacks, according to a Pakistani media report. Following are excerpts from the report:

Intercepted Phone Call: "Three To Four Vehicles Carrying [Taliban] Suicide Bombers Are About To Enter DG Khan And Can Strike The Nuclear Facilities At Any Time"

"Following 'serious' security threats from the homegrown Taliban, the Army and Punjab police have deployed heavy forces at one of Pakistan's largest nuclear facilities, in Dera Ghazi Khan (DG Khan)....

"Besides the deployment inside and around the nuclear installation, three divisions [of Pakistan Army] in South Punjab have also been asked to launch a crackdown against banned outfits.... 'DG Khan houses one of the largest nuclear facilities in the country and has faced the first-ever serious security threat from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP),' said a high ranking military officer currently serving at the installation.

"According to an official who works at the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, a key military and civilian fuel cycle site is located 40 kilometers from DG Khan. The site comprises uranium milling and mining operations, and a uranium hexaflouride conversion plant.... Sources in the military and Punjab Police, on condition of anonymity, told The Express Tribune that the nature of threat at the nuclear installation is 'serious,' with an 80% chance of occurrence.

"The Inter-Services Intelligence [ISI of Pakistani military] reportedly intercepted a telephone call from the TTP, wherein they were said to have been finalizing their strategy for attacks on nuclear installations in DG Khan, sources said.

"Three to four vehicles carrying suicide bombers are about to enter DG Khan and can strike the nuclear facilities at any time, the caller concluded according to sources. Sources said that, according to precedents, threats intercepted via phone calls often materialized in the next 72 hours. Direct threats via phone or letters often do not materialize, the sources added."

Senior Police Official Chaudhry Saleem: "The TTP Started To Send Threats To The [DG Khan Nuclear] Installation After The Attacks On Kamra Air Base [On August 16]"

"DG Khan District Police Officer Chaudhry Saleem confirmed the threat ... and said that DG Khan Police has received instructions from the military officer in charge at the nuclear installation to beef up security around the facility as much as possible. The TTP started to send threats to the installation [at DG Khan] after the attacks on Kamra air base [on August 16, two days after Pakistan's Independence Day], Saleem said, adding that the police has established six new pickets around the nuclear installations and deployed heavy forces over the last 24 hours.

"Sources said that a heavy contingent of military from the Multan cantonment has also reached the site and beefed up the inner cordon of the security. Military has also been deployed near the border with Baluchistan....

"Well-placed sources in law enforcement agencies said that when the TTP attacked Kamra air base, they announced that they would take revenge for killing of their South Punjab head Abdul Ghaffar Qaisrani by also attacking nuclear installations in DG Khan.

"Sources said the DG Khan Police killed Qaisrani in an encounter in the first week of August, along with eight of his companions, almost clearing his network in the area. The police were able to trace Qaisrani after they interrogated Adnan Khosa, who attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore [in 2009] along with Qaisrani, sources said, adding that Khosa is currently imprisoned in DG Khan. Qaisrani's elimination caused a major loss to the TTP in South Punjab, and the militant outfit vowed to take revenge....

"According to local politicians, the DG Khan nuclear site and adjacent areas had previously been a target of ground attacks by Baluchi insurgents [who are fighting for independence of Baluchistan from Pakistan], but not the TTP. TTP's threat, therefore, is alarming for the region, they added. Officials in the counter-terrorism department, however, said there are around a dozen pockets in South Punjab, particularly near the border areas of DG Khan, where TTP is increasing its clout."

Introduction
I. Pakistani Cyber Armies Using Social Media
a) Use Of Facebook By Pak Cyber Pyrates
b) Use Of Facebook And Twitter By Pakistan Cyber Army
c) Use Of Facebook And Twitter By Pakistan Cyber Force
d) Use Of YouTube By Muslim Liberation Army And Others
e) Yemtv.com – Behind The Ethnic Exodus From Indian Cities?
II. Major Attacks On Indian Websites By Pakistani Hackers
III. War Between Pakistani And Indian Hacker Groups
IV. Use Of Social Media To Cause Ethnic Conflicts In India

Introduction

In recent years, a number of Pakistani hacker groups have come to the notice of the Indian government for their continuing attacks on Indian websites, and, most recently, for their role in using social media networks to trigger a mass exodus from major Indian cities by people of northeastern Indian ethnic origin. India has expressed concern that the use of social networking websites by Pakistani groups could trigger ethnic conflicts in India. This paper will examine some key Pakistani cyber groups and the nature of their anti-India activities in recent years, revealing also how their motives are underpinned by antisemitism and by a sense of global Islamism.

Three key Pakistani cyber groups have attracted the attention of Indian security agencies: the Pakistan Cyber Army (PCA), the Pak Cyber Pyrates (PCP), and the Muslim Liberation Army (MLA). All three are active against India, with some of their members based also in Saudi Arabia, the U.S., and Europe. Of the three, the PCA and PCP are the leading group of Pakistani hackers and have spearheaded a series of attacks on the websites of Indian security and intelligence agencies, businesses, airlines and political groups. These groups have also hacked websites based in different countries, notably Australia, Israel, the U.S., Denmark, and South Africa.

The PCA joined the social networking site Facebook on December 21, 2009 and opened an account on the micro-blogging site Twitter this year. In a report that estimated the membership of Pakistan Cyber Army at 500, one hacker group notes the following about PCA: "A distinctly politically motivated group whose focus is Pakistani nationalism and freedom for the Kasmirians [sic] and the Palestinians. They are arch-enemies of the Indian Cyber Army and spend most of their time in open conflict with this group. They should also be consid[e]red distinctly anti-Israel."[1] The group also has a blog site, which has not been active this year.[2] In 2011, its blog published links to videos about hacker-related news stories, a message on the hacking and defacing of 226 Indian websites by Pakistani hackers, and the like.[3] The group's YouTube accounts were apparently shut down due to complaints, though a number of its videos have been reposted on YouTube on various individual accounts.

After the PCA, the Pak Cyber Pyrates (PCP) is perhaps the second most active group of Pakistani hackers, launching hundreds of anti-India attacks and defacing websites – most recently, the Indian Railways websites in August 2012. The PCP hacks a range of websites, both Indian and those it deems anti-Islam. According to its Facebook page, which was created on April 26, 2011, the PCP was founded in February 2010.[4] It has a robust presence on Facebook, posting numerous links and messages related to hacking of websites and other subjects of interest to a nationalist Pakistani audience.

A third group that has recently caught the attention of Indian officials is the Muslim Liberation Army (MLA). The PCP and MLA are alleged to have spawned the recent mass exodus of the people of India's northeastern ethnic origin from major Indian metropolises. This exodus of ethnically distinct people began unexpectedly in August 2012 after Pakistani cyber groups circulated hate messages and doctored images through social media, including mobile phone networks, in response to a conflict between Muslims and ethnic Bodos in India's northeastern Assam state. In August 2012, an account was created on Facebook by someone claiming to be MLA.[5] Other Pakistani groups hacking Indian websites include Pakistan Cyber Force (CPF), Pakistan Cyber Hackers (PCH) and Pakistan Hackers Club (PHC). Of these three, the PCF seems to be an active ideological group promoting Antisemitism and a right-wing Pakistani Islamist narrative which sees the U.S., India and Israel/Zionists as responsible for all of Pakistan's problems in recent years.

Following the exodus of northeasterners from major Indian cities, Indian investigators found that the PCP and MLA were "circulating doctored hate messages of Assam violence through social media."[6] According to an Indian media report, "[o]f about 100 government websites defaced by the hackers recently, the name of professional hackers, Pak Cyber Pyrates, had prominently surfaced in the investigations carried out by the intelligence agencies.... The hackers had also claimed credit through Facebook and their dedicated website.... Other than these... three other sites, including Jamaat-e-Islami and Yemtv.com, have come under the surveillance of a detailed probe the agencies are carrying out... to get to the bottom of organized conspiracy to unleash unrest through provocative videos, text and text messages after the clash between Muslims and Bodos in Assam."

I. Pakistani Cyber Armies Using Social Media

a) Use Of Facebook By Pak Cyber Pyrates

After joining Facebook on April 26, 2011, the Pak Cyber Pyrates (PCP) posted its first two messages on May 4 that year, both of them reports about two websites taken down by its hackers.[7] On May 8, it announced the launch of its official website, which has been up and down intermittently. A reading of its Facebook wall shows that the group has apparently hacked and defaced websites in India, Israel, the U.S., Canada, Belgium and Denmark.

In a June 6, 2012 post, the PCP identified its four owners – Cyb3r0ck3r, No Swear aka Alam De Pcp, Xxx_Death_xxX aka Ghulam Ainab, and Penetrat0r aka Penetrator Gama – along with eight official members – Cyb3r0ck3r, No Swear aka Alam De Pcp, Xxx_Death_xxX aka Ghulam Ainab, Penetrat0r Gama aka Penetrat0r, U_!!v!!_N, Cool Boy Haxor, Mast3r M!nd, Gujjar HaxoR – and five junior members – D3vil 3y3, M khan Pcp, HaxoR Pcp, Striker007, Khan HaxoR. During the course of the year, it has been extremely active in hacking websites.

From April through December 2011, the PCP posted messages regarding the hacking of Indian and other websites, inserting congratulatory messages to "all Muslim and Paki[stani] hackers" in its Facebook posts, reporting the restoration of Pakistani websites defaced by rival hackers, a July 9 message reporting hackings of 500 Facebook accounts, an August 8 message about an Israeli server taken down by a hacker using the handle Cyb3r0ck3r, announcing on August 27 its recruitment drive for hackers, offering a tutorial on September 5 how to hack Facebook accounts, and so on. Of the major Pakistani hacker groups, the PCP seems to be reporting an unending series of successes in hacking Indian websites.

The PCP also posted a series of messages of right-wing Islamist interest, publishing audios of verses from the Koran, hacking websites that the group deems anti-Islam, and the like. On October 10, 2011, the PCP hacked the Denmark-based website razorsoftware.net for allegedly publishing anti-Islam content (see the above image). In an October 9, 2011 post, the PCP outlined its association with Islamic causes such as Kashmir and Palestine: "It is brought... [to] your kind notice that we do not hack personal email or Cc Accounts. Please do not try to contact us for hacking Facebook account or email account or Cc as we are against hacking someone's account for one's benefit or favor! We only try to hack for [a] cause! May be Kashmir cause, Gaza cause, USA cause, ban of hijab cause, or for security reminders!" On November 9, its posts stated: "Free Palestine, Free Kashmir."

Throughout 2012, the PCP continued to publish hundreds of posts, revealing the names of various websites hacked by it, most of them Indian or those deemed anti-Islam. On January 28, 2012, it announced the restoration of an Eastern Europe-based website, muslim-media.org, which had likely been defaced by a rival group of hackers. On February 9, it took down a pornographic website, also reporting two days later the hacking of more than 1,000 Indian websites. On March 5, it reported the hacking of 800 websites as part of Operation Free Palestine.[8] On March 10, it reported that the PCP had hacked the website of the Israel Defense Force (IDF) and in another message sought the help of its supporters to spam the IDF website. In May, it reported the hacking the website of the International Police Association.

In a June 13 message to Indian hackers, the PCP pleaded with them not to "abuse" Islam. On July 2, the group was urged by Harvard-educated Sohaan Abbasi to attack Burmese interests, noting: "When I read a post and [did a] little Googling, I came to know that it's true 20,000 Muslims have been killed in Burma, and we Pakistanis are quite [sic] yet. Why we are? Are we not Muslims? I request... Pakistani hackers to start their mission against Myanmar, so that we can prove, we are Muslims and we will fight against Muslim conspiracies!"[9]

b) Use Of Facebook And Twitter By Pakistan Cyber Army

A number of groups are active on social networking site Facebook under the title "Pakistan Cyber Army." However, one of these Facebook pages appears to be the PCA's most authentic Facebook wall.[10] A study of its activities on Facebook from December 2009 through August 2012 reveals that this page is used mostly by its followers and hackers to share messages – unlike other Facebook pages, where the main account holder posts most of the messages.

It appears that the Pakistan Cyber Army (PCA) began with the main objective of targeting Indian websites. On December 21, 2009, when the PCA began publishing messages on Facebook, the first post was about how it had hacked the website of the Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), India's largest state-run gas company. On the same day, it posted a YouTube video, which has now been removed. Sometime in April 2012, the PCA announced the launch of its official website, CyberArmy.com.pk, in a YouTube video.[11]

During 2010, its followers posted messages lauding the PCA; requesting that they be taught hacking; urging the group to contact them directly through inbox, sometimes urgently; and requesting details about how to apply to become members of the group. On May 18, 2010, the PCA posted a message saying "we are ready.... [for a] counter-attack tonight [probably against an Indian target]." An examination of the nature of the Facebook names used by the PCA followers indicates that they are primarily hackers with Islamist and antisemitic undertones, e.g. Anonymous INDO PAK TRooPS, Infected Green, Access Denied, Fuhrer Myth, InnOcent Hacker, etc.

Some of the PCA followers conveyed messages that they had hacked Indian websites; some reported how Indian cyber groups had hacked Kashmiri/Pakistani interest websites, while others simply wished the group the best of luck, and the like. Some followers urged it to block pornographic websites in the Islamic nation of Pakistan. On December 4, 2010, InnOcent Hacker reported the hacking of a number of Indian government websites. In a message dated December 5, 2010, Access Denied wrote: "Congratulation to PCA as 270 Indian websites hacked. PCA Zindabad [Long Live]. It is around this time – in December 2010 – that one sees a war of attacks and counter attacks emerging between Pakistani and Indian hackers."

During 2011 and 2012, the Facebook page of Pakistan Cyber Army has been buzzing with the activities and messages posted by its followers, with occasional counter-responses posted by its Indian rivals. This page works more like a networking group. On May 7, 2011, a Rome-based Indonesian youth posted a message to PCA saying that both Pakistani and Indonesian hackers share the same purpose against U.S., Malaysian and Israeli websites.[12] In a January 14, 2012 post, one follower urged the PCA to attack "Zionist" websites allegedly for their anti-Islam campaigns, stating: "The Zionists and other haters have a campaign running across the Internet against Muslims. I always wanted to ignore it and not be a part of it. But, some pages are literally getting on my nerves these days. Please do something to have [th]em blocked because this entices extremism. I say this because I will be highly honored to kill the SOBs who author these pages. Please do something."

@PCArmyOfficial

The Pakistan Cyber Army opened a Twitter account this year, using @PCArmyOfficial as its handle and posting its first tweet on January 29, 2012. A study of its tweets indicates that the group posts various types of nationalistic and religious messages, and news stories related to the hacker community. It posts messages about Internet security-related issues, developments related to IT and phone companies such as Microsoft and Apple.

It also provides links to video games and movies uploaded on the Internet. Some of its tweets this year included: a Pakistani hacker named "Sizzling Soul" hacking and defacing more than 70 websites (August 26); Indian Kolhapur server hacked by Pakistani hacker "Hitcher" (August 25); members of PCA "ShehZada" and "Neo HaXoR" hacking more than 100 Indian websites (August 8); news about an upcoming hackers' conference in New Delhi (July 27), and so on.

Notwithstanding the highly nationalistic Pakistani hackers' general dislike for everything Indian, it appears that the group – or some of its administrators – likes Bollywood movies, as is generally expected of a Pakistani audience. It has posted tweets with links to movies, software related news, mobile phone games, and so on. Compared to its Facebook wall, the group's Twitter account is relatively less active.

c) Use Of Facebook And Twitter By Pakistan Cyber Force

Of all the Pakistani cyber groups, the Pakistan Cyber Force (PCF) has a strong political and ideological orientation, and, like most right-wing Islamist groups in Pakistan, it blames the United States, Israel and India for all major problems confronting Pakistan today.[13] It doesn't appear that it is a hacker group. The PCF expresses open support for the Pakistani military's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for its crushing of the underground Baluchi rebels who are fighting for independence of Baluchistan from Pakistan. It also expresses open support for Zaid Hamid, a Pakistani security analyst known for creating a vast amount of videos which articulate a narrative blaming the United States and NATO, Zionists and Israel, the Hindus and India for almost all of Pakistan's problems.

According to a Facebook post, the PCF was established in September 2010 and opened an account on Facebook on December 26, 2010. During 2011 and 2012, the Pakistan Cyber Force posted a number of messages, promoting antisemitism and describing the Taliban militants as "USZ/India-backed terrorists" with the initials USZ standing for the United States of Zionism. Its messages lauded the victory of Islamist parties in the Arab world, especially the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. A December 3, 2011 post noted: "A Pakistan Army delegation cancelled its scheduled visit to the United States of Zionism" in the wake of the killing of Pakistani soldiers in a NATO strike. A post the next day read: "USZ aircraft arrived in Pakistan... for its nationals vacating Shamsi airbase" in Baluchistan. A December 6, 2011 post published an antisemitic image of Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik (see the above image). The group's Facebook posts are laced with overt antisemitism throughout.

In its Facebook posts, the PCF lauds the Taliban fighting against the U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan and disparages the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants fighting against Pakistan Army. On December 5, it posted a Taliban message celebrating the militants' successes in Afghanistan as part of the Taliban's summer "Al-Badr" operation. In a post dated December 12, 2011, it criticized Pakistani politician Imran Khan, saying that his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party expressed the view that it was "comfortable" with the idea of working "with USZ" – meaning the United States of Zionism. A December 15 post expressed glee that the U.S. troops in Afghanistan were experiencing food shortages due to Pakistan closing the NATO supplies through its territory.

A review of its Facebook posts during 2012 reveals a similar pattern of ideological messages against the U.S., Israel and India. The group posts numerous links to its own blogs, YouTube videos and other websites, and publishes numerous antisemitic cartoons. In April 2012, a series of its message accused the Pakistan-based South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) and its members of links to Research & Analysis Wing (RAW), the external intelligence agency of India. Its posts especially targeted Beena Sarwar and Marvi Sirmed, the Pakistani writers who advocate peace with India. A post dated April 8 said: "Let's destroy secularism from Islamic Republic of Pakistan..." An April 15 post described the Pakistani Taliban militants as "Indo-American TTP terrorists." During 2012, it also posted ideological messages criticizing the media silence on the killing of Muslims in Burma and the U.S. role in Yemen and Syria. Its messages celebrated the Afghan Taliban, disparaged the Pakistani Taliban whom it viewed as the agents of Israel, America and India, ridiculed liberal Pakistani writers and democracy, promoted Antisemitism and a global Islamist viewpoint, and lauded the Pakistani military.

@PCF_Official

On its Twitter page, the Pakistan Cyber Force (PCF) posted message similar to those on its Facebook wall. Using its Twitter handle @PCF_Official, the group began posting numerous messages and links to different websites from February 20, 2011 onwards. Its very first post said the Pakistani military's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has accused the Pakistani media of "anti-Islam propaganda." Its initial posts covered a range of subjects: the Muslim Brotherhood issuing a fatwa against Moammar Gaddafi of Libya (23 February), a Koranic verse warning against cloning, a post describing UK Prime Minister David Cameron as a "terrorist," a post lauding the ISI for arresting an American in Peshawar, Pakistani Army and ISI asking the U.S. to stop drone attacks on Taliban hideouts in Pakistani border region, a March 1 post raising the question "Am I a Muslim or a Momin [True Muslim]", linking to a blog arguing that 400 pro-India and pro-Israeli CIA agents operating in Pakistan, and so on.

During 2011, its tweets carried messages regarding Pakistan's refusal to sign the UN's Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty (March 4), describing a Koranic verse as the weapon of mass destruction (March 4), the role of the USZ [United States of Zionism] in Middle East revolutions (March 6), accusing the U.S.'s HAARP science program of causing a tsunami in Japan (March 19), linking to a blog forecasting an imminent Western economic collapse, Pakistan replacing the "USZ" with China as its principal arms supplier, accusing India of stealing waters from Pakistani rivers, describing Sindhi nationalist group Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSMM) as a subversive group, declaring U.S. President Barack Obama as "Zionist jester" for announcing the killing of Osama bin Laden (May 2), quoting a CIA official as saying that "Obama Recruits Al-Qaeda" (June 1), reporting Pakistan's arrest of CIA agents, and the like.

Some of its tweets through 2011 included: Pakistani soldiers "martyred by CIA-backed [Taliban] terrorists" (August 27), accusing the CIA of leaking dengue virus in Pakistan, Kashmiris killed by Indian troops, warning that "Pakistani atheists and agnostics' propaganda" is at peak (September 28), accusing CIA of causing sectarian conflicts in Pakistan, militant commander Gulbuddin Hekmatyar reportedly stating that the "USZ" is responsible for Pakistan's all problems (October 7), alleging that Pakistan Muslim League (MPL-N) party has Zionist links (October 15), and the like. A June 3, 2012 dated post accused India, Israel, Qatar, America, NATO and some UN "crooks" of supporting the Baluchi rebel camps in Pakistan's Baluchistan province. During 2012, it tweets carried similar messages, which were informed by antisemitism, global Islamism, and an extreme right-wing Pakistani nationalism.

d) Use Of YouTube By Muslim Liberation Army And Others

Like other hacker groups, some Pakistani groups are using YouTube for conveying their messages. The Pakistan Cyber Army (PCA), the Pak Cyber Pyrates (PCP) and the Muslim Liberation Army (MLA) have their videos posted on YouTube, though it appears that on occasions some videos have also been removed.

The PCP has published several YouTube videos offering hacking tutorials. In May 2011, it published a series of two YouTube video tutorials on how to hack websites.[14] In September 2011, a YouTube video of PCP offered detailed tutorial on how to hack WordPress, a major blogging site.[15] Using the YouTube handle "sadprincessinsadland," the Pak Cyber Pyrates posted at least 13 videos in 2011.[16] "No Swear," a hacker associated with the PCP, offered another tutorial on how to hack into Facebook accounts.[17]

In recent years, the Muslim Liberation Army has launched numerous attacks on Indian and Western websites in revenge for attacks on symbols of Islam. In a YouTube video, the MLA reported attacks on hundreds of Western and Indian websites, including on the website of the Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University of India, stating: "We hacked to raise the awareness about illegal occupation of India in Kashmir. We will never surrender."[18] In a March 2012, the Muslim Liberation Army identified itself by the following handles used by its members: XtReMiSt, KillerMind Haxor, Jerry Hassan, Syed Zaadaa, HyP3r-Boy Zarb-E-Momin, fAchO, Radical Assassin.[19] Of these, XtReMiSt appears to be the lead hacker.

In September 2011, the MLA claimed to have hacked at least 21 websites of various churches in the United States in protest against the "Burn Koran Day" organized by some U.S.-based groups.[20] In August 2012, it attracted the attention of Indian intelligence agencies in the wake of the mass exodus of the people of India's northeastern ethnic origin from Indian metropolises.

Numerous videos have been posted by these three groups on YouTube, some of which are technical and teach how to hack while others carry their political messages. In March 2012, the Pak Cyber Pyrates posted a video on YouTube to announce that following the hacking of Israeli Defense Forces website, it hacked 16 international defense forums of different countries as part of Operation Freedom Palestine.[21] Some YouTube videos based on television news clips posted by anonymous readers are about how the Pakistan Cyber Army hacked into Indian websites in response to the hacking of Pakistani websites.[22]

Hundreds of videos can be found on YouTube posted by various cyber armies and hacker groups, including by Pakistan Cyber Force (PCF), Pakistan Hackers Club (PHC), Pakistan Cyber Army (PCA), the Pak Cyber Pyrates (PCP) and the Muslim Liberation Army (MLA), among others.

e) Yemtv.com – Behind The Ethnic Exodus From Indian Cities?

One of the groups identified by Indian officials as having released doctored videos to cause mass ethnic exodus from Indian cities is Yemtv.com. Its "About Us" page notes: "Wisdom, It is said is not reflected in the simple exercise of compiling and quoting facts and figures; rather wisdom is very much about how facts align and combine. We believe that history is rural in base and urban in form. So, life is all about responding to the proximity environment, about changing native reactions."[23] On its "Advertise" contact page, the website's promoters observe: "Revenue generation is not our intent, we simply intend to facilitate the surfers."[24] On blogspot.com, the group's administrator uses the identity "MiNd FrEak" to post blogs, revealing an intent to engage in psychological warfare on the Internet.[25]

Those who run the website do not appear to be ordinary geeks. They are for sure well-educated individuals who must have read New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman's celebrated book on Internet-spawned globalization The World Is Flat, as they note on Yemtv.com's "About Us" page: "With the .com boom, the world has gone flat, and the flattening tools have made techno-economic paradigm shifts."[26] The page further states: "We being instinctive computer professionals have made an advance in the field of providing information and keeping people informed about the happenings in the multiple spheres of activities in the world. Our website is not only the source of inspiration for those who intend to ride their economic destinies in the existing flat world. We would even pre-empt in the field of journalism by providing people with the most up-to-dated analyses of the affairs that influence our day-to-day lives."[27]

Although Yemtv.com does not disclose its address and contact details, a review of the group's tweets on Twitter reveals that it is a group based in Pakistan.[28] The Twitter page itself does not publish anything controversial and most of the time it posts weblinks to Pakistani media reports, especially those from television channels. One of the few India-related post seems to be an August 29 tweet about the Supreme Court of India upholding a death sentence for Ajmal Kasab, the lone Pakistani terrorist who was caught alive, out of the 10 who launched the Mumbai terror attacks of November 26, 2008.

The promoters of Yemtv.com – which is not merely a video site as it also publishes web reports – have a definite Islamist agenda. A review of posts on their Facebook wall reveals that they view developments in Pakistan from an Islamist perspective.[29] On March 20, 2012, it posted an Urdu text graphic, which read: "When [Zulfiqar Ali] Bhutto was hanged, he was called a martyr. When Benazir Bhutto, Murtaza Bhutto and Salman Taseer were shot dead, they were declared martyrs. When Shahnawaz [Bhutto] was poisoned, he became a martyr. Thanks that Nimrod and Pharaoh were not members of the [ruling secular] Pakistan People's Party." A number of images and graphics published on its Facebook wall articulate a right-wing Pakistani nationalist perspective.

As per its domain registration details (see the above image), the Yemtv.com website was created on November 25, 2011, roughly eight months before the mass exodus of Indians of northeastern ethnic origin from the major metropolises of India.[30] One of its videos promoted by the group, both on Yemtv.com and YouTube, is on the massacre of Muslims in Myanmar, and contains a collage of gruesome images along with a sad song in Urdu.

II. Major Attacks On Indian Websites By Pakistani Hackers

Some of the major Indian websites hacked recently by Pakistanis included those of police departments, lawmakers, railways, telecommunications companies, and political groups. In August 2010, the personal website of Indian lawmaker and liquor baron Vijay Mallya was attacked by Pakistani hackers.[31] The hackers also defaced the website of Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines. His spokesperson said: "Dr. Mallya's website www.mallyainparliament.com has been hacked and the Pakistani flag has been placed with a dire message from an organization known as the Pakistan Cyber Army."[32]

In December 2010, the website of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the federal investigating agency of India, was hacked by Pakistani cyber warriors. According to an Indian media report, "The hackers... made a mockery of the country's cyber security by infiltrating into the CBI website, supposed to be one of the most secure websites. The CBI is connected to the command center of world police organization – Interpol – 24x7."[33] The Pakistan Cyber Army, which carried out the attack, left a message warning the rival hackers' group Indian Cyber Army not to attack Pakistani websites.

In October 2011, the website of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of India's eastern state of West Bengal was hacked by Pakistanis who used a U.S.-based proxy server to carry out the attack. An Indian government official remarked: "The hacking was done by little-known organization Muslim Liberation Army... from Lahore and the proxy server was traced to America."[34] The hackers left a political message on the CID website: "This institutionalized impunity with which the killing of civilians by military and police forces in Jammu and Kashmir continues should be a source of shame for India which propagates to be a democracy."[35] The MLA also hacked 256 Indian websites in October 2011 and details of all of these websites were posted on paksoldiers.com.[36]

In December 2011, the official website of Sonia Gandhi, the most powerful Indian leader and chief of the country's ruling Congress party, was defaced with a pornographic message.[37] Congress party spokesman Tom Vadakhan said the website was closed once the hacking was detected while an Indian media report noted that "The pornographic text included a reference to a Pakistan-based email address...."[38] In 2011, the website of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), the country's major telecommunications firm, was hacked for the second time by the Pakistan Cyber Army. The hackers gained "access to over 10,000 users' information, which included names, e-mail addresses, phone numbers and location details...."[39] Some of the hacker identities identified in this attack included: Team_H4tr!ck, x-c0p, nginx-adm1n, enc0der, k3rnel and sm0ky.[40]

In 2012, the Pakistan Cyber Army, the Muslim Liberation Army and the Pak Cyber Pyrates have continued to launch attacks on Indian websites. In March 2012, the MLA hacked websites of 46 Indian educational institutions.[41] That month, it also hacked seven websites run by an Indian software firm, including pixelinfosoft.in.[42] In August 2012, the Pak Cyber Pyrates hacked into an inactive website of India's Southern Railways, replacing the website's home page with a message denouncing India's role in Kashmir valley.[43]

In August 2012, the website of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parish (ABVP), the student wing of India's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, was hacked by Pakistan Cyber Army. Umesh Dutt of ABVP noted: "From last many years Pakistan is trying to create disturbance in India by its anti-national activities. We are seeing the consequences of terrorism, infiltration, smuggling of drugs and arms by Pakistan. Pakistani agencies are... [involved] in hacking different Indian websites from last few days. Our website was hacked for the second time by 'Pakistan Cyber Army.'"[44]

There are many more types of software piracy and cyber attacks on Indian websites, including by Indian groups which are protesting India's censorship of the Internet and by Chinese groups trying to hack into Indian military websites. In July 2012, Nikhil Pable, 29, was arrested from his home in Mumbai by Indian police at the request of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on charges of software piracy.[45] From the Indian government's viewpoint, the biggest concern has been the Pakistan Cyber Army (PCA). It seems that India has identified that some of the PCA members are based in the U.S. and Europe. In April 2011, the Indian government identified three Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, with the two of them originating from Seattle and Pennsylvania in the U.S. and the third one in Daugavpils, Latvia in northern Europe.[46]

III. War Between Pakistani And Indian Hacker Groups

Pakistani Groups "Hacked More Than 3,500 Websites... When India Was Celebrating Its Independence Day"; "Indian Hackers Also Hacked... 10,000 Websites And Servers Of Pakistan And Bangladesh"

In a recent article tracing the history of cyber war between Pakistan and India, Pakistani peace activist Aqsa Garsein observed: "The cyber war between India and Pakistan started in May 1998 [the year of tit-for-tat nuclear testings by the two countries], when Pakistani hackers attacked Bhabha Atomic Research Center's website to somehow proclaim their technological supremacy. In November 2010, a group called 'The Indian Cyber Army' defaced a number of important Pakistani national websites, including that of the Pakistan Army in their efforts to avenge the Mumbai attacks [of November 26, 2008]. And throughout the year these geniuses continue to hack websites in the name of national pride."[47]

Over the past two years, Pakistani and Indian hackers have launched numerous attacks and counter attacks on the websites of governments, private companies and political firms in each other's countries. While India is not known to have sponsored hacker groups, there are Hindu right-wing Internet forums that stoke the cyber warfare with Pakistani groups. In August 2012, an Indian media report examined the recent cyber war between the rival groups of hackers, stating:[48]

"Groups of Pak Cyber Army and Pak Cyber Pyrates includes members named as Shadow008, Anon C[O]P, CFR Robot Pirates Team and others claiming to have hacked more than 3,500 websites of India on the day when India was celebrating its Independence Day [August 15, 2012]. Some of the Indian websites hacked by Pak[istani] hackers include emailservers.in, pinemedia.in/cfr.html, filmparivar.com and others.

"Similarly, Indian hackers also hacked and defaced about 10,000 websites and servers of Pakistan and Bangladesh. Hackers of both India and Pakistan had been active to hack each other's websites and are busy defacing each other's websites and upload their message.

"The United Indian hackers ... [state], 'We are Indian Hackers, it was not supposed to happen all the sudden this way, but hey who knew? We belong to India. We are one blood! We have one cause. Stop breaching Indian servers, you we bet, the whole Pakistan, Bangladesh, or whosoever breaches Indian security will have to pay a big time that will be permanent, and irreversible.'

"Some Pakistan[i] websites, including voiceofmuslim.com, pastebin.com/fBEyRsPA, pastebin.com/xYgzpQhX, pakilibas.com, arab-zone.net/mirror/180325/pakpropertylinks.com, snawonline.com and others, were hacked by Indian hackers."

Report In Pakistani Daily: "The Indian Cyber Warfare Apparatus Has Been Allowed A Free Run To Bludgeon Pakistan As Well As Islam"

In an August 28, 2012 article titled "Indo-Pakistan cyber war: Reality check," the right-wing Pakistani daily The Nation identified some Indian cyber groups, observing:[49]

"[W]e would like to expose the contours of a persistent anti-Pakistan and anti-Islam cyber war that has been waged by Indian groups ... to demonize and belittle Pakistan in every way possible. While being fully cognizant of the fact that it is only the resilience of the people that has let Pakistan float through its socio-economic and security challenges during the last one decade, the country at present presents an ideal target for cyber warfare and information operations. With help from some Pakistani intellectuals in print and electronic media as well as a policy of appeasement adopted by successive Pakistani governments, the Indian cyber warfare apparatus has been allowed a free run to bludgeon Pakistan as well as Islam.

"The paucity of space for discussion here restricts us from doing a postmortem of the Indian cyber war against Pakistan. However, [a] few glimpses of one forum, BharatRakshak.com (which in our opinion is the vanguard organization of Pakistan- and Islam-specific cyber war apparatus), could be an eye opener for many. Bharat Rakshak (BR) is a Pakistan-hate forum with viewership running into millions. We wish the Aman Ki Asha group [which promotes friendship with India] to have an open discussion with this forum, which would make it realize that peripheral, social and media exchanges for peace do not stand any chance of mitigating the hate being created by this one forum only. So, they may be wasting a lot of time of a lot of people across the great divide.

"Bharat Rakshak has a clearly articulated offensive and defensive strategy in place, and an admirable ability to pick anything from Pakistani or international media to demonize Pakistan. An interesting thread currently run by BR is 'A mirror on Pakistan in their own words, by Pakistanis.' A section of Pakistani newspapers, TV anchors and intellectuals, who adopt an unnecessarily harsh critical approach to practices associated with Islam, are the most sought out and quoted in this thread. Pakistan is satirically named as Terrorist Islamic Republic of Pakistan (TIRP).

"Demonizing Islam as well as the Indian Muslims: Hate material runs into millions of comments and views insulting our beloved Prophet Muhammad... as well as Muslim akabireen [elders of Islam] and leadership. General themes include Islam bashing, Bangladeshi bashing, portraying Pakistanis as illiterate and ridiculing the sectarian divisions within Islam. An example of a disturbing way of expressing everything associated with Pakistan is that Pak-China friendship has been displayed by an insulting photograph, a monkey (Pakistan) riding a pig (China). Pakistan's ISI [the Inter-Services Intelligence of Pakistani military] has a special forum for discussion and is one of the prime targets of the BR." 

According to a cyber security website, a total of 2,414 Indian websites were hacked during the month of July 2012 alone.[50] As per the findings of India Risk Survey 2012, published consulting firm Pinkerton, around 9,000 Indian websites were hacked during the past five years and the cyber crime rate in India has gone up by 50 percent in the past year.[51] The same report also revealed that India is a victim of cross-border hacking, mainly from Pakistan, China, Bangladesh and Nepal.[52] An Indian website argued in August 2012 that in the cyber war between India and Pakistan, the Indian side is weaker, adding: "Pakistan-based hackers are completely funded by its intelligence and unlike their counterparts in India they are fully protected. There has been a lot of intelligence regarding Pakistan groups using the social media and other websites to create panic."[53]

IV. Use Of Social Media To Cause Ethnic Conflicts In India

Following conflicts between Muslims and ethnic Bodos in India's northeastern state of Assam this year, Indian officials were shocked with the sudden exodus of the people of northeastern ethnic origin from major Indian cities, especially Chennai and Bangalore, as well as by some migration from Hyderabad, Goa and Pune during August 2012. Other than the exodus, some incidents of mob violence were also witnessed in the Indian cities of Lucknow, Allahabad and Mumbai against the northeasterners. In Bangalore, the Silicon Valley of India, people of the northeastern ethnic origin were beaten up by some youth. The most serious issue was in Bangalore, from where a large number of northeasterners left by the thousands daily, forcing the government to organize a flag march by paramilitary forces to instill trust among the people.

However, the Indian government quickly traced the cause of the exodus of the northeasterners to doctored videos and mass text messages sent via mobile phones regarding the killings of Muslims in Assam and Myanmar (formerly Burma). In both places, Muslims were attacked and forced to become refugees by this year's summer ethnic clashes. Speaking on August 19, R. K. Singh, the top federal official of the Indian home ministry, said that a bulk of the incendiary videos and horrific clips of atrocities allegedly committed against Muslims in Assam and Burma were uploaded on various blogs in Pakistan in a bid to incite Indian Muslims, and noted: "Technical investigation has established that a bulk of the incendiary images was first uploaded on blogs in Pakistan.... As many as 110 websites were involved in spreading the doctored clips. We have blocked 76 of them, and are in the process of getting others deactivated."[54]

With Indian newspapers carrying headlines of the northeasterners leaving Indian cities, the federal government was in panic. However, soon the Department of Telecom, the federal telecommunications regulator, directed the "Internet service providers to block around 300 web pages, including blogposts, news articles of mainstream media outlets, YouTube videos, Facebook pages and Twitter accounts."[55] Some webpages of extremist Hindu groups were also shut down in order to control the panic and mass exodus. The Indian government temporarily imposed a ban on bulk text messages and MMs messages, which was lifted on August 30.[56] In Pune city, near Mumbai, the cyber crime branch of the city police arrested four youths for circulating inflammatory text messages via mobile phones.[57]

Asked by television journalist Sagarika Ghose if the doctored videos and text messages originated from Pakistan or from inside India, noted Indian cyber law expert Pavan Duggal commented: "[The Indian] Government says it's Pakistan; it must be saying on some credible evidence. We haven't seen it; so can't really comment. But the Indian internal element cannot be ruled out. It was the misuse of media and mobile network specifically."[58]

The recent exodus of the northeasterners from major Indian cities triggered through the use of electronic and Internet media and the growing attacks from Pakistani hackers on Indian websites have caused a first-of-its kind alarm in India, and concerns are being expressed about whether hostile groups could trigger ethnic conflicts in the country through the use of websites and social networking tools such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

* Tufail Ahmad is Director of MEMRI's South Asia Studies Project (www.memri.org/sasp)

A leading Pakistani newspaper reports on how printing presses in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, are printing jihadi magazines for the Taliban.[1]

In a report titled "Taliban jihad literature: What's Read in Afghanistan Is Printed in Pakistan," the newspaper reported that hundreds of printing presses in Peshawar and Lahore are engaged in the business of printing jihadi literature.

Following are excerpts from the report:

Endnote:

In an interview with The Express Tribune in Pakistan,[1] Maulvi Rahmatullah, the Afghan Taliban's Head of Jihadi Affairs for Afghanistan's southern province of Ghazni, assesses the Taliban's activities in the province and explains how a U.S. attempt to form an anti-Taliban militia failed.

The interview was published by Mahnama Shariat, which is an Urdu-language monthly magazine published by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban's shadow government). Only four issues of the magazine have been published as of July 2012.

According to a note accompanying the interview, Maulvi Rahmatullah hails from Ghazni, the capital of Ghazni province, and has extensive experience in jihadi activities. Previously, he has held the command of a jihadi front in Ghazni province and has been advisor to the Islamic Emirate on affairs in Ghazni province.

Following are excerpts from the interview:

"Mujahideen Are Present And Their Organized Efforts Are Continuing In 14 Out Of 17 Districts... [Of Ghazni Province] – Except For The Districts Of Nawur, Malistan, And The Headquarters Of Jaghori"

Ghazi Mahmood is greeted by Taliban commanders

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban's shadow government in the country) has released a video interview of an Afghan National Army (ANA) solder who defected to the Taliban after killing allegedly 12 U.S. soldiers.[1] Several children, as young as 6 years of age, are seen on the video shouting slogans lauding the defecting soldier.

The soldier, who has been identified as Ghazi Mahmood, is claimed to have killed 12 American soldiers at an outpost in Ghaziabad district of Afghanistan's restive Kunar province on May 11, 2012. An attack did take place on U.S. soldiers in Ghaziabad but the number of casualties, as claimed by the Taliban, appears to be exaggerated. The video was published by the Culture Commission of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, and was posted on various websites such as YouTube and Archive.org; it was linked to from the official Urdu-language website of the Islamic Emirate on August 8, 2012. The interview is conducted in Pashtu, with some parts in Dari. Two more defectors from the Afghan Army are shown on the video, along with other militants.

The video begins with Verse 39 from Surah Al-Anfal of the Koran: "And fight them until there is no more Fitna (mischief and polytheism) and the religion will all be of Allah Alone [in the whole of the world]." Quoting another verse from the Koran, the 30:47 minute-long video says: "Fight against them so that Allah will punish them by your hands and disgrace them and give you victory over them and heal the breasts of believing people."

Jihadi Song: "I'm A Soldier Of Islam; I Offer My Life And Property For Jihad"

Six-year-old shouts slogans lauding Ghazi Mahmood

The video, titled "The Conqueror of Ghaziabad," shows the ANA defector leading a procession of armed militants, along with the Taliban's shadow governor for the district Maulvi Abdul Jalal, amidst the slogans "Allah is Greatest," "Long Live Islamic Emirate," and "Long live Mullah Muhammad Omar."

Showing foreign and Afghan troops pointing guns at an Afghan coming out of his house, the video says the anti-Afghan, anti-Islam, and anti-human crimes by the occupation American troops and rulers of the puppet Afghan regime forced the 18-year-old Mahmood to set aside his fear and turn his weapon on a group of U.S. officers at Dangam outpost in Ghaziabad district on May 11, 2012, killing them all, and also "sent others to the hell one by one."

The video, quoting the ANA defector, says that 12 American troops were killed and several more wounded in the attack. Taliban militants, some of them masked and wearing traditional Afghan dress and Pakools (head covers or caps) could be seen offering garlands, hugging, and shaking hands with the smiling ANA defector who, according to the video, worked in the Afghan Army for only four months before joining the Taliban. while a man could be heard singing a song, "I'm a soldier of Islam; I offer my life and property for Jihad."

Afghan Army Defector: "First, I Shot Dead Three U.S. Commanders Who Came To The Base And Were Busy Holding Consultations"

Ghazi Mahmood

The video appears to have been shot in a village somewhere in a mountainous area of eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan, as houses built of rock and lush green tall hills can be seen in the background. Children as young as six to 14 years of age, carrying white Taliban flag and shouting "Long Live Islam, Long Live Mullah Muhammad Omar" are seen giving a warm welcome to the ANA defector upon his arrival to the village.

The ANA defector, wearing a camouflage uniform and flanked by the Taliban shadow governor for Ghaziabad and another militant commander, replied to questions asked by a man who cannot be seen in the video.

Questioner: "What is your name, educational qualification, and area name [of origin]?"

ANA defector: "My name is Mahmood. I hail from Greshk district of Helmand province, and studied in the 3rd grade at a madrassa [seminary]."

Questioner: "It is said that you mounted a direct armed attack on aggressors in Ghaziabad district recently. Would you like to share with us details of when and where you mounted the attack?"

ANA defector: "I conducted the attack on Friday, May 11, 2012, at Dangam base, Ghaziabad district."

Questioner: "Kindly tell us how many U.S. troops you killed in the attack?"

ANA defector: "First, I shot dead three U.S. commanders who came to the base and were busy holding consultations; then I started finding and shooting people who came towards me. Approximately 12 people were killed and wounded."

Questioner: "What kind of weapon were you carrying, and did the Americans respond to your fire or not?"

ANA defector: "I was carrying this M-16 rifle, [the man picks up a rifle lying in his lap]. An infidel also responded to my fire but I shot him dead."

Afghan Army Defector: "They Are The Enemy Of Our Religion, [They] Occupied Our Soil And Committed Cruelties Against Us; Allah Has Said In His Koran To Fight And Kill Them"

Children shown with Taliban flags in the video

Questioner: "What led you to attack on the aggressors?"

ANA defector: "They are the enemy of our religion, [they] occupied our soil and committed cruelties against us. Allah has said in his Koran to fight and kill them."

Questioner: Tell us the story of how you managed to escape successfully after the attack, and if anyone tried to capture you.

ANA defector: "No one made any attempt to detain me, as they were all either dead or wounded. I comfortably came out of the base and joined the mujahideen."

Questioner: "Are there any other people like you in the ANA ranks who desire to turn their weapons on foreign forces and teach them a lesson?"

ANA defector: "Yes, there are friends who used to hold consultations with me. They must wage jihad against the infidels and join us."

Questioner: "At the end, what is your message to the aggressors, the paid [by America] Kabul administration, ANA soldiers, and youths?"

ANA defector: "My first message is to the infidels to leave our soil, as we do not accept them. We will conduct jihad against them and kill them. Our message to the ANA soldiers is to wage jihad or quit the army, otherwise they will fall prey to the mujahideen."

Taliban Shadow Governor For Ghaziabad: "The Mujahideen Led By Mullah Muhammad Omar Have Been Fighting The Jews, The Christians, And The Enemies Of Islam In Afghanistan For Nearly 11 Years"

Taliban shadow governor Maulvi Abdul Jalal sits with Ghazi Mahmood

Earlier, Maulvi Abdul Jalal, the Taliban's shadow governor for Ghaziabad district, who was sitting to the left of the ANA defector, also briefly spoke in the video, and replied to a question from the unseen questioner. Commander Jalal said: "The mujahideen, led by Mullah Muhammad Omar, have been fighting the Jews, the Christians, and the enemies of Islam in Afghanistan for nearly 11 years."

"I advise soldiers of Afghan National Army and police that, like this young man, teach a lesson to the Jews. Such operations create mistrust in the ranks of the Jews and they will be forced to leave Afghanistan and Muslim countries. Allah willing, a pure Islamic system will soon be restored to this soil," said the soft-spoken Taliban commander dressed in blue clothing, and holding an AK-47 rifle.

To a question about how the defecting Afghan soldier Mahmood spends his time with the militants after his defection, Commander Jalal pointed towards Mahmood and said: "The Ghazi [conqueror] you can see is very satisfied and happy. I asked him if he wants to meet the elders, go to his house or anywhere, we will help him reach there."

Quoting the ANA defector, Commander Jalal says that the defector has chosen Ghaziabad district for jihad, and wants to continue jihad with them until attaining martyrdom. Showing foreign troops running toward a compound, the video says that NATO and the Americans had hoped to tighten their grip on Afghans through force, money, and politics, and remove hatred in the hearts of Afghans against the foreigners, but their thinking was wrong.

Taliban Commander GiftsA Gun To Khan Mohammad, Another ANA Defector, And Says To Go Kill Americans With It

Ghazi Khan Muhammad, another defecting soldier, garlanded by the Taliban

A narration on the video says that by spending billions of dollars, the foreign forces can not even create an atmosphere of trust in their own trained Afghan army that they will not be attacked from behind. "We request Allah Almighty to give full reward to the conqueror of Ghaziabad who killed and wounded a dozen Americans with his courageous blow. Thousands times praise to the Afghan [mother's] milk he drank. We also expect such successful attacks from the lions who are awaiting such time and opportunity in the enemy ranks," the video says, while a background song plays: "We will never be defeated; we are firm on our resolve."

The video also shows three more ANA defectors including Khan Muhammad who, according to the video, shot dead three drunk ANA soldiers, including an officer, and wounded another on June 17, 2012 at a post in Sarkani district of Kunar province before defecting to the Taliban.

The militants can be seen hugging and laying garlands upon the Dari-speaking Khan Muhammad, who hails from Afghanistan's northern Takhar province. Gifting a traditional Afghan turban, 50,000 Pakistani Rupees, and an M-16 rifle, an unidentified militant commander tells the defector: "This is Americans' gun; kill Americans with it." Later, the ANA defector poses for the camera, along with militants carrying sophisticated weapons. Khan Muhammad says: "I am happy to join the Taliban militants."

Afghan Soldier Who Killed Australian Soldiers Appears On The Video, Another Defecting Afghan Soldier Hejratullah Shafiq Garlanded On The Video

Muhammad Rozi, who killed Australian soldiers, also appears on the video

Muhammad Rozi, son of Muhammad Usman, another non-Pashtun Afghan Army soldier hailing from Takhar province, can also be seen speaking in the video. His interview has previously been published by the Taliban in an earlier video. The video says that Muhammad Rozi killed 12 Australian troops in Uruzgan province on November 9, 2011. Muhammad Rozi says: "The foreigners came here to destroy the religion of Muslims, not to serve Afghanistan." At the end, another defector, Hejratullah Shafiq, can be seen being garlanded by the militants.

In recent months, several Taliban commanders and Islamic clerics in Pakistan have called for a boycott of the U.N. polio vaccination program, declaring it a Western conspiracy and calling for jihad against polio eradication teams.

On August 2, 2012, the UN was forced to suspend its polio vaccination drive in Karachi following a spate of shootings. In July, Dr. Dedo David, a UN doctor from Ghana, was shot dead in Karachi even though he was travelling in an unmarked car.[1] A few days later, a Pakistani community worker working on the vaccination drive was also shot dead.

Pakistan, along with Afghanistan and Nigeria, is a polio endemic country. In 2011, 198 polio cases were reported in Pakistan, the highest for any country that year, and up from 144 in 2010.[2] Nevertheless, Hafiz Gul Bahadur and Maulvi Nazir Ahmad – two leading Pakistani Taliban commanders based in Waziristan – called for boycotting the polio vaccination campaign in Pakistan this year. The number of polio cases in Pakistan this year is expected to decline, but new cases are also being reported.

On August 2, the day the UN announced the suspension of the vaccination drive in Karachi, a Pakistani daily reported four cases of polio from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, stating: "Subsequent to the last polio case from Quetta [in Baluchistan province], where two-year-old Mehrama ended up disabled for life because of her uncle's unfounded belief about the polio vaccine being a U.S. conspiracy against Muslims, another constantly refusing family from Mardan… now has a crippled six-month-old daughter, Sulaim, who has been established as a polio case among three other cases confirmed on [August 1]."[3]

Ayub Rose, a health worker in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, summed up the reasons for parents' refusal to get their children vaccinated: "Over 100 refusals are recorded in Mohid Banda [area] during every single round of National Immunization Days..."[4] Explaining how local mosque leaders create prejudice against polio vaccination, Rose added: "We have visited… [the local cleric's] mosque innumerable times to favorably influence his opinion, but have not been able to achieve the desired results as yet. When we talk to him in person, he says he will neither favor nor oppose polio vaccinations. However, when we visit the field, families who refuse polio drops attribute their rigidity to the teachings of the religious leader."[5]

The following is a roundup of translations and reports on the issue:

Taliban Commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur: "Because Of The Day-And-Night Flight Of Drone Aircraft, Nearly Every Waziristani Has Become Mentally Ill... Which Is More Dangerous Than Polio"

In June 2012, Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a leading Taliban commander, ordered a ban on administering polio drops to children in the area until the U.S. drone attacks stop. A one-page pamphlet in Urdu (see above image) was issued to journalists in Miranshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan, by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on June 16. The pamphlet described Hafiz Gul Bahadur as the servant of the Mujahideen.

Following is the translation of the pamphlet:

"Hafiz Gul Bahadur, the Servant of the Shura-e-Mujahideen North Waziristan, in consultation with the Shura has decided that there will be ban on administering polio drops until the series of [U.S.] drone attacks is stopped.

"What is the benefit of the goodwill of such benefactors [Americans] who on the one hand are spending billions of Rupees [Pakistani currency] on the eradication of polio while polio infects just a few among the hundreds of thousands of people?

"On the other hand, the same benefactor (America), in connivance with its slave (Pakistan), is carrying out countless drone attacks, as a result of which hundreds of our innocent Waziristani have been martyred, including women, children and the elderly.

"Because of the day-and-night flights of drone aircraft, nearly every Waziristani has become mentally ill, or is becoming so – which is more dangerous than polio. Furthermore, there is strong possibility that [someone is] spying against the mujahideen for America in the garb of polio vaccination campaigns. And Dr. Shakeel Afridi is a living example of that [for carrying out a vaccination campaign in Abbottabad to track the presence of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden].

"Therefore, a ban is being declared on administering polio drops to children, effective today [June 16, 2012]. In the event of a violation of the decree, a right of complaint will not be available if they [parents] suffer any loss.

"From: Shura North Waziristan"

Taliban Commander Maulvi Nazir Ahmed: By Funding The Pakistan Polio Vaccine Campaign, The U.S. "Intends To Serve Its Vested Interest"

In late June 2012, Maulvi Nazir Ahmed, a leading Taliban commander in the tribal district of South Waziristan, banned the polio vaccination campaign. Like Hafiz Gul Bahadur, Maulvi Nazir Ahmed is seen as a pro-government militant with a working relationship with the Pakistani military.

According to a June 26 report in Pakistani daily The News, Maulvi Nazir Ahmad moved to ban the vaccination campaign in protest against the U.S. drone attacks, and asked the local government officials stay away from the immunization drive.

The report added: "The Taliban, led by Maulvi Nazir [Ahmed] circulated leaflets in Wana, the headquarters of South Waziristan, announcing the ban on polio immunization in the militancy-torn tribal region….

"If the local Taliban continued to ban the immunization, the government will not be able to vaccinate 241,000 children, including 161,000 in North Waziristan and 80,000 in South Waziristan, during the three-day anti-polio campaign, scheduled to commence July 17.

"Several reasons are considered to be behind the unsatisfactory performance of polio [vaccination] teams, among them a poor law and order situation, threats from militants, corruption and lack of interest of the authorities concerned, and failure to check the work of vaccinators.

"In the leaflet, the Taliban said that the U.S., by funding the polio vaccination campaign in Pakistan intended to serve its vested interest. It said they did not expect any good from the U.S. after the CIA recruited a Pakistani doctor, Shakeel Afridi, to track down Osama bin Laden and his family members in Abbottabad by running a fake anti-polio campaign."

Pakistani Daily: Over 200 Tribal Elders And Islamic Scholars "Endorse Taliban Ban On Polio Vaccination"

In a July 18 report, titled "North Waziristan tribes endorse Taliban ban on polio vaccination," the Pakistani website tribune.com.pk reported July 18 on a meeting of tribesmen held in the town of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan:

"Tribesmen endorsed a Taliban ban on polio vaccinations Wednesday [July 18], closing the door to the prospect of any child being vaccinated in North Waziristan as part of a nationwide campaign.

"[Local government officials]... had pinned their last hopes of inoculating children in the northwestern district on talks with tribesmen, which were successively delayed until Wednesday, the last day of the nationwide campaign.

"'Polio vaccination will be banned until drone attacks are stopped,' tribal elder Qadir Khan told a gathering of more than 200 elders and Islamic scholars in Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan. 'Drones martyr so many children, while polio afflicts one or two out of hundreds of thousands,' said tribal elder Maamoor Khan.

"North Waziristan ... [local government official] Siraj Ahmed Khan said he had sought to convince the tribesmen to accept the vaccinations for the disease, which leaves children crippled for life. 'Polio is rampant in tribal areas and government desires to prevent its spread,' Khan told the meeting."

Pakistani Daily Report: "Cleric Declares Jihad Against Polio Campaign"

In June 20102, a cleric in the town of Muzaffargarh in Punjab province described the polio vaccination campaign as un-Islamic, and called for jihad against the health workers visiting the area. The Pakistani Express Tribune daily wrote, in a report titled "Cleric declares jihad against polio campaign:"

"A cleric [Maulvi Ibrahim Chisti] in Muzaffargarh declared the polio campaign 'un-Islamic' and announced at the local mosque that jihad should be carried out against the visiting polio vaccination team.

"According to details, the local polio team entered Muzaffargarh's rural Khan Pur Bagga Sher area and asked local families to cooperate with the campaign.

"When the local cleric, Maulvi Ibrahim Chisti found out about the campaign, he immediately went to the biggest mosque in the area and declared that polio drops are 'poison' and against Islam. He added that if the polio team forced anybody to participate in the vaccination campaign, then jihad was 'the only option.'

"As a result, the polio team returned to Muzaffargarh city without carrying out immunization… A police inquiry was ordered, after which a raid was carried out in the cleric's area. However, Chisti had already escaped by the time the police arrived.

"Residents added that the cleric had tried to convince them that the polio campaign was a 'Western conspiracy' to render the population impotent…."

Pakistani Daily: Tribal Elders Say No To Polio Drive Unless Government Provides Electricity, Claim: "If Our Children Die From The Scorching Heat And Mosquito Bites, So What If They Die Of Polio?"

According to another report in The Express Tribune daily, dated June 16, the tribal elders of North Waziristan issued a call for the boycott of the polio vaccination program in the district until the Pakistani government provided them electricity.

At a grand jirga (meeting) in mid-June 2012, elders from the sub-tribes of Asad Khel, Dhur Dhanee, Muskee and Dosalee deliberated on the unavailability of electricity supply.

According to the report, Malik Mashal Khan, a tribal elder, said: "The government is least bothered to look into the matter despite repeated requests and protests [against unavailability of electricity]. Thus, we have no other option, but to refuse the vaccination of our children."

Malik Mashal Khan added: "If our children die from the scorching heat and mosquito bites, so what if they die of polio? We will continue the boycott until the government fulfils our demand. We are betrayed with false promises of the government and the officials are doing nothing in practical."

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has recently issued several threats to carry out attacks and assassinations. In addition to promising attacks if NATO supplies continue to pass through Pakistani tribal regions, it has threatened members of the secular Awami National Party (ANP) with death unless they quit the party. To this end, TTP chief Hakimullah Mehsud has distributed funds to key commanders to finance attacks in Pakistan's Punjab province.

The TTP threats were outlined in media reports over the past week, excerpts from which are given below.[1]

Endnote:

Anti-Taliban fighters in Afghanistan

Introduction

Over the summer of 2012, southern and eastern provinces of Afghanistan have witnessed an increase in and intensification of small-scale anti-Taliban uprisings. The uprisings began in the southern province of Ghazni and expanded into areas of the southern and eastern provinces of Paktia and Laghman. Similar uprisings have also been reported in the eastern provinces of Kunar and Nuristan. In addition to these armed uprisings, anti-Taliban youth protests have also been staged in several other provinces, e.g. Badakhshan, Faryab and Ghor.

These uprisings differ from those staged by anti-Taliban militias, formed in recent years by the U.S. and Afghan governments. Such government-backed militias have failed to register gains against the Taliban, due to corruption and militant infiltration of the ranks of the Afghan security forces. The fresh waves of anti-Taliban uprisings appear to have begun without the Afghan government's support, though in some areas, local police are siding with the uprisings.

While the uprisings appear to be the result of popular anger against the Taliban's decision to close schools and hospitals, it is also possible that some local elders – who have joined the uprisings – are seeking to assert their traditional authority, in view of the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan slated for 2014. Some former Afghan leaders, who fought against the Soviets in the 1980s and are now sensing a new opportunity to claim a stake in power, might also be behind these uprisings.

Ghazni Province – The Center Of Anti-Taliban Uprisings

Wali Mohammad, leader of uprisings in Andar district

In Ghazni province, where the anti-Taliban movement has been strongest, uprisings first broke out against in Andar district, where local residents began resisting the Taliban's closure of schools in the summer of 2012. In late-May 2012, villagers killed 11 Taliban militants and captured 15 other militants following a public uprising against the Taliban.[1] Andar district chief Sher Khan Yousafzai noted that there were clashes between residents and militants in the Painda Mohammad and Ibrahimkhel areas, where residents had previously warned the Taliban against continuing their activities, including closing schools.[2]

Haibat Khan, a local tribal elder in Andar, said the people would not allow anyone to close schools and create unrest in the area. Abdul Jamay Jamay, a member of the Ghazni provincial council, said that people were discontent with the Taliban and had started to oppose the militants.[3] Wali Mohammad, who was the first to take up arms against the Taliban in Andar, vowed: "I will lead the public uprising until we get the freedom [from the Taliban]."[4] Although several tribesmen and elders died in the initial days of the ensuing fight against the Taliban, the uprising continued to expand. Later, the uprising spread into the districts of Deh Yak and Maqur.

In early June 2012, people in the province's Deh Yak district took up arms against the Taliban in anger against the forced closure of schools. According to a June 3 report on the Afghan website pajhwok.com, Ghazni Governor Musa Khan Akbarzada said that the infuriated people of Deh Yak district had risen up in arms against the Taliban militants, demanding that the schools reopen immediately.[5] "In order to deal with the current situation, I call upon all Afghans to stand up and be counted. This is the best way to salvation and prosperity," the governor said, adding that the public uprising would not only benefit the two districts, it would also help improve security in other parts of the country.[6]

Mohammadullah, a resident of the Walangiz area of Deh Yak, confirmed the armed struggle against the Taliban in the two districts, adding that the people want immediate access to health and education facilities.[7] "On May 30, residents clashed with the [Taliban] fighters in our area. This morning, [July 30], a similar fight erupted in the village."[8] Another resident, Khan Wali, said: "We believed the firefight was between rebels and security forces... Later, we came to know that people in the area were fighting against the insurgents.... The government has been raising empty slogans about bringing security to Deh Yak. You will see how residents stabilize their area."[9]

On the night of July 31, nine Taliban militants were killed and two militants captured during a public uprising in the Maqur district of Ghazni province. Amanullah, a leader of the uprising, told a local journalist that the fighting had started two days prior in the Koh Band, Babnamgul, and Sang Yased areas after the militants closed schools and killed innocent people.[10] Security Chief of Maqur District Zarawar Zahid said that several villages of the district were cleared of Taliban militants on July 29 in a campaign launched by the villagers, and added that the residents had emulated the "freedom fighters" in Andar district.[11] The security chief also noted, though without revealing details, that local residents in other districts of Ghazni province were likewise due to start campaigning against the Taliban.

The key cause behind most of the uprisings appears to be the Taliban's move to close schools and hospitals. "The local residents fighting the Taliban militants said the education facilities were closed for their children by militants, which forced them to pick arms against them," according to an Afghan media report.[12] The dispute between the Taliban and the Andar tribe first arose when the Taliban closed down all government schools for teaching subjects they deemed to conflict with Islamic teachings and for preaching Christianity, demanding that a syllabus of their choice be taught at these schools.[13]

Those fighting in the uprisings are united under the banner of the National Uprising Movement, which began without government support. In Ghazni province, the anti-Taliban fighters are united under the leadership of Lutfullah Kamran.

Uprising Leader Lutfullah Kamran: "Schools, Our Clinic, Our Roads, Our Hospitals, Our Markets – Everything Was Closed [By The Taliban]"; "The Only Choice We Had Was To Start An Uprising"

Uprising leader Engineer Lutfullah Kamran (right)

A June 26 report carried by Al-Jazeera noted: "They look like Taliban fighters, but they are Afghans fighting the Taliban. They call themselves the National Uprising Movement. It started three months ago, and [the leader of the uprising] Engineer Lutfullah Kamran said the Taliban were preventing progress for the Pashtun people." The report cited Lutfullah Kamran himself as saying: "'Schools, our clinics, our roads, our hospitals, our markets – everything was closed. We feel like we are slaves. No one cares about us, not the government, not the Taliban. The only choice we had was to start an uprising.'

"[There are four] villages under the control of the National Uprising fighters. They say at first there were only a few fighters. There are now several hundred spread over four villages. They say the people here support them. [As one fighter said]: 'I'm happy to give up my life and my wealth for them.'

"The commander [Lutfullah Kamran] says the Taliban have them surrounded, and the fighting is intensifying. This week [i.e. the third week of June 2012], the Taliban burnt a local home... [A village woman] says she begged the Taliban to search the house [to check] that no one was home, but the Taliban doused it with fuel and set it on fire. She burned her feet trying to rescue the Koran, but could not save it.

"The men originally tried to fight with the Taliban against the Americans, if the Taliban would reopen schools, the clinic, the market... The Taliban refused, saying surrender or fight. The villagers' decision was swift [in favor of fighting against the Taliban]."[14]

Tribal Elder Juma Gul: "One Of My Sons Became A Martyr; I Have Brought Four More To Fight, And I Will Keep Fighting Until We Are All Dead"

According to the Al-Jazeera report, tribal elder Juma Gul commented on the motivation behind the uprising by saying: "'One of my sons became a martyr. I have brought four more to fight and I will keep fighting until we are all dead.'"

It went on to say: "The commander [Lutfullah Kamran] calls the Taliban on his radio. He can hear them, but there's no response. The Taliban say they want to avoid bloodshed and have appointed a delegation to negotiate with the [uprising] movement. [The Taliban say the] Taliban fighters who burned the home are being punished... Former Taliban members are among the new group, and [the Taliban] claim the group is supported by the Afghan government and the U.S. embassy. [Lutfullah] Kamran says this is not true [and] that he would fight the Americans, but his first priority is securing his people's future."[15]

The report again quoted Lutfullah Kamran as saying: "'There was a time when seven to eight thousand students graduated a year; now, only two to three hundred students are graduating a year [because of the lawlessness caused by the Taliban]. That's why we are fighting them – to save the next generation.'"

Describing the anti-Taliban fighters, the report noted: "The weapons and the motorcycle transport give them the appearance of the Taliban, but these Afghans have decided they must fight for the rights the Taliban and the government has failed to give them."[16]

Tribal Elder: "The Taliban Are Insulting Our Elders, They Are Killing Our Elders, And We Decided To End This"

In July 2012, tribesmen began organizing themselves to fight against the Taliban in the eastern province of Laghman. On July 18, nearly 200 tribesmen held a meeting in the town of Alishing to chalk out a strategy against the Taliban.[17] At the meeting, tribal elder Ghulam Rasoul was quoted as saying: "We're fed up with the Taliban and their brutal aggressions against our people... We're standing up against them and will not allow them to oppress our people and kill our people."[18]

Sarhadi Zwak, a spokesman for the Laghman provincial government, told a journalist that the uprising in Alishing was "the latest in a series of similar moves across the province."[19] The uprising leaders have since pushed back the Taliban, and several schools which were closed by the militants have been reopened.

According to a media report, tribal elder Noor Zaman remarked: "The Taliban are insulting our elders, they are killing our elders, and we decided to end this. Today, we have gathered to tell the Taliban that they are no longer welcome in our village. If they try to enter our village again, we will kill them."[20]

Anti-Taliban uprisings were also reported in the province's Daulat Shah and Badpakh districts. Laghman Governor Muhammad Iqbal Azizi noted in a statement that residents in the Alishing and Daulat Shah districts had refused to submit to a group of outside militants who told them that killing supporters of the Afghan government was justified.[21] One of the reasons behind the anti-Taliban uprising in Laghman province was the destruction of electricity poles. According to a report by the Afghan website pajhwok.com, five Taliban militants who were plotting to blow up electricity poles were killed by residents in the Badpakh district of the province early July.[22] The militants were led by Taliban commander Ibrahim, a Pakistani national.

In southern Paktia province, the anti-Taliban revolt began after members of the Andar tribe living there rose up against the local Taliban, in an expression of solidarity with their brethren in the Andar district of Ghazni province.[23] Several other districts of the province have also witnessed anti-Taliban uprisings.

In the Mirzaka district of Paktia, tribal elders rose up after the Taliban kidnapped seven men. Tribal elder Zabit Mangal said: "We decided we were not going to let the Taliban get away with bad activities in our area. We fought with our own rifles and our own resources... The government didn't give us a single round [of ammunition]."[24] According to a report, Ainullah Khan, a school principal, organized 500 students to fight against the Taliban attempts to shut down the schools in the Barkali area of Waigal district.[25]

In the western province of Ghor, residents also stood up to the Taliban militants. According to a report, families residing in the province's Pasavand district prepared 500 young volunteers to help the government fight the militants.[26] In eastern Kunar province, more than 300 men in the villages of Chinar and Petaw, residents of Marawara district, joined the National Uprising Movement to fight against the Taliban in late July 2012,[27] while students and teachers in eastern Nuristan province have defied death threats to stage public protest against the Taliban's closure of schools.[28]

Conclusion

Commenting on the anti-Taliban uprisings, a mid-level Taliban source in Pakistan told the French news agency AFP: "Taliban fighters used to control most of the provinces, but now they are losing ground in areas like Helmand, Kunduz, and, more recently, Kandahar, Zabul, and Ghazni. They lost ground to tribal militias because they don't let people access basic services, especially school[s]."[29] Waliullah Rahmani, executive director of the Kabul Center for Strategic Studies, said: "These (uprisings) are real, and they (have been) motivated by the insurgents' bad behavior in the past 10 years... I hope this movement can grow, because it offers a good alternative and solution for providing stability in Afghanistan."[30]

While the anti-Taliban uprisings may be small in scale, the Taliban have yet to evolve a strategy to combat them. Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban's umbrella organization) has sought to blame the Afghan-government-supported militias for the public uprising.[31]

On their part, the Taliban too have expanded their operations against Afghan and NATO troops, hoping to capitalize on the political situation emanating from the planned U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014. It is as yet too early to say whether the anti-Taliban uprisings could evolve into a major political and military factor in Afghanistan and what impact they may have on the political outcome in the country.

* Tufail Ahmad is Director of MEMRI's South Asia Studies Project (www.memri.org/sasp)

Endnotes:

[1] Pajhwok.com (Afghanistan), May 26, 2012.

[2] Pajhwok.com (Afghanistan), May 26, 2012.

[3] Pajhwok.com (Afghanistan), May 26, 2012.

[4] Pajhwok.com (Afghanistan), July 10, 2012.

[5] Pajhwok.com (Afghanistan), June 3, 2012.

[6] Pajhwok.com (Afghanistan), June 3, 2012.

[7] Pajhwok.com (Afghanistan), June 3, 2012.

[8] Pajhwok.com (Afghanistan), June 3, 2012.

[9] Pajhwok.com (Afghanistan), June 3, 2012.

[10] Outlookafghanistan.net (Afghanistan), August 1, 2012.

[11] Khaama.com (Afghanistan), July 30, 2012.

[12] Khaama.com (Afghanistan), July 30, 2012.

[13] The News (Pakistan), July 25, 2012.

[14] Aljazeera.net (Qatar), June 26, 2012.

[15] Aljazeera.net (Qatar), June 26, 2012.

[16] Aljazeera.net (Qatar), June 26, 2012.

[17] Dawn.com (Pakistan), July 20, 2012.

[18] Dawn.com (Pakistan), July 20, 2012.

[19] Dawn.com (Pakistan), July 20, 2012.

[20] Dawn.com (Pakistan), July 20, 2012.

[21] The News (Pakistan), July 25, 2012.

[22] Pajhwok.com (Afghanistan), July 2, 2012.

[23] The News (Pakistan), July 25, 2012.

[24] Usatoday.com (U.S.), August 5, 2012.

[25] Usatoday.com (U.S.), August 5, 2012.

[26] Centralasiaonline.com, July 6, 2012.

[27] Centralasiaonline.com, July 27, 2012.

[28] Tolonews.com (Afghanistan), July 9, 2012.

[29] Dawn.com (Pakistan), July 20, 2012.

[30] Usatoday.com (U.S.), August 5, 2012.

[31] Pajhwok.com (Afghanistan), June 30, 2012.

Fugitive Hizb-e-Islami Chief Gulbuddin Hekmatyar

In recent years, officials from Hizb-e-Islami, the second largest terrorist group in Afghanistan after the Taliban, have held talks with Afghan and U.S. officials over a peaceful solution of the Afghan conflict. Provided below are excerpts from an interview by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Hizb-e-Islami's fugitive chief in Afghanistan.^[1]

The interview was published by dailyshahadat.com, a Pashtu-language website that is aligned with Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan, which also operates as a political party in Kabul. Hekmatyar is believed to be hiding somewhere in Pakistan, and several leaders of his party are based in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

In the interview, Hekmatyar, former prime minister of Afghanistan, outlines his group's position on the conflict underway in Afghanistan and the recently signed Afghan-U.S. strategic pact, which permits U.S. troops to remain in Afghanistan beyond 2014. The fugitive militant commander notes that the pact contravenes Islamic principles, noting that Koranic injunctions make it clear that a Muslim who supports infidels is considered to have removed himself from the Islamic faith.

"[The Afghan-U.S. Strategic Agreement] Emphasizes [The Continuation Of] War In Afghanistan And The Region, And The Continuation Of Afghanistan's Occupation"

Question: "When and under what conditions will Hizb-e-Islami resume talks with the Afghan government, considering that it has suspended the dialogue and not ended it?"

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar: "Our basic condition for talks with the Kabul government is the complete withdrawal of foreign forces and the holding of free and fair elections after the independence of the country [is attained]. Before the last round of negotiations, we received a message from the opposite side [i.e. the Afghan government] that they were in agreement over the basic points of Hizb-e-Islami's proposal. The Hizb-e-Islami delegation visited Kabul after receiving the message. [Afghan President] Mr. [Hamid] Karzai told the delegation that they were in agreement with the entire proposal, apart from article five, which concerns the present parliament.

"We wanted to strike this article and send them an amended draft proposal, however, in the interim, a number of U.S. officials told the media that Washington wanted some of their forces to remain in Afghanistan beyond 2014. They also urged Canada and Australia to do the same [with their troops]. At the same time, [U.S. President Barack] Obama paid a secret visit to Kabul and got Mr. Karzai to sign their chosen [version] of the [Afghan-U.S.] strategic agreement in the darkness of night. The document very clearly hinted that the U.S. military presence [in Afghanistan] would continue after 2014. The details have been left to another agreement [regarding the stationing of U.S. troops in Afghanistan after 2014], which will be signed in the future. This [U.S.-]imposed document emphasizes [the continuation of] war in Afghanistan and the region, and the continuation of Afghanistan's occupation.

"The signature of the document with the U.S. quashed the importance and [even the very] possibility of continuing the talks. Unless the withdrawal of all occupation forces is guaranteed, we will not be satisfied with any agreement with the opposite party [i.e. the government]. We consider continuing the talks with the Kabul government and the Americans to be futile.

"Obama's secret visit to Kabul and his signature of the strategic agreement in the darkness of night showed that [the Kabul government] has not yet learnt its lesson from past experiences. The signing of the deal was like an interrogator forcing a repeatedly intimidated inmate to wake up in the middle of the night, putting a false confession before him, and forcing him to sign it. Indeed, the same happened to Mr. Karzai in Aarg [the presidential palace]."

"[The Afghan-U.S. Agreement] Is Against Islamic Principles"; "There Is A Clear Koranic Dictate That... Those Who Consider The Enemy Of Islam And The Muslims To Be A God, And Support Them Overtly Or Covertly... Are [Considered] Removed From The Religion [Of Islam]"

Question: "The U.S.-Afghanistan strategic cooperation agreement was endorsed by a majority in the Wolesi Jirga [the lower house of the Afghan parliament]. How do you view it?"

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar: "It is an agreement against the independence, sovereignty, and national integrity of Afghanistan. It is an agreement to continue the war in Afghanistan and the region, the war started by George Bush against Islam and the Muslims, by giving calling it the war on terror. This deal is similar to the agreements signed by puppet regimes with aggressors. It is against Islamic principles and values and is completely banned.

"There is a clear Koranic dictate and a consensus decision among scholars and ulema [Islamic clerics] that those who consider the enemy of Islam and the Muslims to be a god – and support them overtly or covertly, have a joint defense agreement with them, and agree to their control – are [considered] removed from the religion [of Islam]. The noble Koran calls such a man kafir [infidel], cruel, and a hypocrite. His claim to be faithful is bootless and not to be trusted...

"Those who supported this agreement sold out their faith. Those who have even a slightest faith and honor will not support such a document of slavery and insult."

"There Was No Mention Of The [U.S.] Military Staying Beyond 2014 In... [The Afghan-U.S. Strategic Pact] That Was Presented To The Parliament"

Question: "If the [Afghan] parliament is considered to be pro-U.S., then the question arises [how] the majority of MPs, [who] are former members of Hizb-e-Islami [have abandoned the organization in favor of the U.S]...?"

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar: "All in all, this system lacks legality and trustworthiness. It is a system imposed [on us] by 150,000 occupation troops. An American advisor is the real head of every department [of the Afghan government]. Its real president is [outgoing] U.S. Ambassador [Ryan] Crocker and, General John Allen is its defense minister, while its parliament was chosen by the UN Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA). It does not even represent 15% of the nation. According to the decision of the special [election] tribunal, at least a quarter of the members entered the parliament fraudulently. Any decision by this system has no legal status.

"As to the question that about 50% members of parliament [being] ex-members of Hizb-e-Islami, I must say that there was no mention of the [U.S.] military staying beyond 2014 in the document [i.e. the Afghan-U.S. strategic pact] presented to the parliament. This portion of the agreement had been moved to another document. The Americans wanted to get the agreement endorsed in the parliament in an atmosphere of ambiguity and in haste, and to interpret it later on according to their will.

"On the other hand, you know well that only those who are committed to the principles, goals, and guidelines of Hizb-e-Islami are considered its members. Those who violate the principles and guidelines of Hizb-e-Islami cannot be members. An individual partnering with aggressors, accepting their domination, and supporting a document which legalizes continued occupation can be neither a Muslim or a member of any Islamic party.

"Any agreement that guarantees the presence of foreign forces, calls the Western imperialist war a war against terrorism, and views as legal the occupation of the country by foreign hands is an agreement that is banned in the eyes of Muslim Afghans. In the eyes of all our independence-seeking Afghans, the presence of foreign military forces, even if in limited number or for a short period, no matter by what name or on what pretext, means the occupation of the country. Such presence is against our national integrity and independence and an act against the religious values and trust of the Afghans. No Muslim Afghan, other than the dishonorable and slaves, will agree to [the Afghan-U.S. strategic pact].

"I want to make it clear that the continued American military presence can mean nothing but the continuation of their occupation. Afghans have no option or choice but to continue jihad and resistance, and to further intensify and expand it."

"The West, Especially The U.S., Is Trying To Further Disintegrate The Islamic Countries"; "Sometime Ago, Sudan Was Disintegrated, And Plans Are Being Made For The Disintegration Of Iraq, Libya, And Pakistan"; "They Also Worked Greatly On The Disintegration Of Afghanistan"

Question: "What is your basic condition for returning to the negotiating table? It is said that the Afghan government has accepted most of the points of the National Rescue Agreement [a 15-point peace plan developed by Hizb-e-Islami and submitted to the Karzai government]." 

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar: "Our first condition vis-à-vis the Kabul government is that the Americans give it the reins of power, as the incumbent government [of Hamid Karzai] is powerless and controlled by others. It is powerless to take decisions on key issues. It says whatever the Americas order and permit it to say.

"We have two basic conditions for negotiations with the opposition: first of all, the complete withdrawal of foreign forces and the holding of free and fair elections after independence. Talks can only be held when these two conditions are agreed to. However, our proposal for a permanent solution to the crisis is identical to what has been pointed out in the National Rescue Agreement. Some officials of the Kabul government and some political groups are agreeing to it, but the Americans do not allow them to announce this."

Question: "Some groups are demanding a federal system [of government] in Afghanistan. They enjoy the support of some members of U.S. Congress and have held two separate meetings. Kabul-based Hizb-e-Islami also organized a massive gathering in the north against them. What is your stand on federalism and the National Front, led by Ahmad Zia Masud [brother of the late Ahmad Shah Masud]?"

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar: "The West, especially the U.S., is trying to further disintegrate Muslim countries. The string of disintegration started with the dismantling of the Islamic caliphate during the Crusade wars, and [is aimed at] dividing it into small towns and similarly sized countries. Sometime ago, Sudan was disintegrated, and plans are being made for the disintegration of Iraq, Libya, and Pakistan.

"They also worked a lot on the disintegration of Afghanistan. They recruited some figures to sell out the country, who are working on the political front to disintegrate [the country]. Some are doing propaganda work and some are engaged in military tasks. The Western-sponsored media has been tasked with manufacturing ethnic and linguistic prejudice, pitching non-Pashtuns against Pashtuns. They assembled the Northern Alliance militia [which fought against the Taliban] into the security forces of Afghanistan, and replaced their Ak-47s with M-16s and their Russian boots with American boots, and dressed them in U.S. uniforms. They want to make them fight against Pashtuns and to pave the way for the disintegration [of Afghanistan].

"The U.S. ambassador to India disclosed that disintegration of Afghanistan was in the interest of the U.S. A Congress team assembled the hated figures of the Northern Alliance and presented the confusing demand of introducing a federal system in the country. The meeting [of the U.S. Congress team] in Jowzjan [province of Afghanistan] was organized on American instructions. The meeting had two basic points: the Americans will not make haste to withdraw, and the U.S.-Afghanistan strategic agreement is in the Afghans' interest."

"Iran's Past Policies Showed That It Cannot Afford A Pashtun And Sunni Government In Afghanistan; Rather, It Wanted Shi'ite Groups To Receive Undue Privileges; This Was The Reason For Its Alliance With The Russians And Communists And For Its Overt And Covert Cooperation With The Americans"

Question: "NATO and the U.S. will pull out [of Afghanistan] in 2014, and elections will be held the same year. As an opposition group, Hizb-e-Islami has massive influence in the political field. What is your plan? If the National Rescue Agreement is accepted, do you see any possibility of joining the Karzai-led government, in which members of Hizb-e-Islami are already playing a key role?"

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar: "In our view, holding elections amidst the occupation and under the wings of NATO aircraft is illegal. The elections are aimed at legalizing the occupation and depicting the puppet government as a democratic and elected government. We have no intention of taking part in such elections. We are ready to take part in polls, to help bring an end to the fighting, and to restore peace if the foreign forces pull out completely."

Question: "Iran’s interference in Afghanistan has increased. [Birth and anniversary] days of their leaders are openly observed in Afghanistan, while they are also facilitating some media and other organizations. They are treating Afghan refugees inhumanely. In your view, how much sympathy does Iran have for Afghanistan?"

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar: "During the past two decades, Iran failed to adopt policies on Afghanistan that might be expected from a neighbor. During one decade, it coordinated policies with Moscow, played a vital role in the formation of the Northern Alliance [to fight against the Taliban before 2001], and financially facilitated it.

"In the next [decade], it joined hands with Washington and helped NATO to occupy Afghanistan, and asked pro-Iran groups [in Afghanistan] to act as Americans' ground force. Their treatment of Afghan refugees [in Iran] is worse than anything meted out to any refugee by any country of the world.

"Iran’s past politics showed that it cannot not afford a Pashtun and Sunni government in Afghanistan; rather, it wanted Shi'ite groups to receive undue privileges. This was the reason for its alliance with the Russians and communists [during the 1980s] and for its overt and covert cooperation to Americans [after 2001]."

"As A Result Of The Instability In Afghanistan, The Kashmir War Will Soon Shift To Waziristan And Baluchistan"; "Believe Me, NATO Would Never Have Occupied Afghanistan, Nor Could It Have Stayed Here, Had Pakistan Not Supported It"

Question: "U.S.-Pakistan relations have worsened recently. Though the basis of the strained relations is the interest of Islamabad [in its disputes with the U.S., which led to the closure of NATO supply routes through Pakistan], its effects on the Afghanistan war are very clear. How sincere is Pakistan vis-à-vis Afghanistan, considering that Pakistan has always been accused of fuelling instability in Afghanistan?"

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar:  "Instability in Afghanistan does not benefit Pakistan; rather it damages Pakistan in all aspects. As a result of the instability in Afghanistan, the Kashmir war will soon shift to Waziristan and Baluchistan.

"In fact, the U.S. created all these problems for Pakistan. The U.S. inflicts more loss on its friends than on its enemies. The U.S. has very bad intentions towards Pakistan, despite the fact that Islamabad supported the U.S. more than any other country.

"The importance of Pakistan’s cooperation with NATO can be judged from the fact that Pakistan's closure of the NATO supply [routes] forced Washington to bow before their old rival [Russia, to secure an alternate route for NATO supplies to reach Afghanistan via Russia and Uzbekistan]. The U.S. defense secretary announced that [the U.S.] was suffering an additional loss of $100 million a month [after Pakistan blocked the supply routes]. Believe me, NATO would never have occupied Afghanistan, nor could it have stayed here, had Pakistan not supported it."

Maulana Fazlur Rehman is a leading religious figure

In Pakistan, where Islamic clerics routinely promote Antisemitism, leading Pakistani politician and prominent religious leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman recently accused Israel of deploying Israeli soldiers in support of Indian security forces in Kashmir.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman is the head of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) party. His remark on Kashmir came in an official statement marking the Kashmir Martyrs' Day – July 13, 2012. Rehman is the head of Pakistan's Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Affairs.

In another Antisemitic video that appeared on YouTube in June 2012, Pakistani cleric Pirzada Muhammad Raza Saqib Mustafai argued that world peace will be established only when all the Jews are wiped out from the earth.

In the video entitled "Yahodi Islam Kay Aur Aman Kay Asal Dushman Hain" (Jews Are the Real Enemy of Islam and Peace), Muhammad Raza Saqib Mustafai states: "And all the troubles that exist around the world are because of the Jews. When the Jews are wiped out, then the world would be purified and the sun of peace would begin to rise on the entire world." His speech is part of the Fikr-e-Iman (Concern for Faith) series of lectures.

Mustafai is a leading cleric belonging to the Barelvi School of Sunni Islam and is also the founder of Idarat-ul-Mustafa Pakistan, which is described as a spiritual movement for the enforcement of Islamic shari'a in the country. He is a cleric at the Markazi Jamia Masjid Gulzar-e-Madinah, Gujranwala, Pakistan.

Head Of Parliamentary Committee Maulana Fazlur Rehman: ''The U.S. And Israeli Military Personnel Are Assisting Over 800,000 Indian Soldiers Posted In Indian Kashmir"

"[Maulana Fazlur Rehman's] remarks came on 'Kashmir Martyrs Day,' a day observed by Kashmiris to commemorate the sacrifices made in 1931 by the 21 Kashmiris who lost their lives in a revolt against the Dogra Kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir.

"'Recently, Israel has inducted more armed personnel in Kashmir who have arrived under the guise of tourists,' alleged Rehman in an official statement. He further revealed that the Indian forces are being abetted directly by U.S. and Israeli military, 'The U.S. and Israeli military personnel are assisting over 800,000 Indian soldiers posted in Indian Kashmir.'

"Rehman has admonished India for allowing the involvement of foreign military in Indian Kashmir. He underscored that the U.S. and Israeli military, along with the Indian Army are violating human rights in Indian Kashmir."[1]

The official website of the National Assembly (the lower house of the Pakistani parliament) also carried the statement from Maulana Fazlur Rehman, stating:

"The Chairman Kashmir Committee said that India was using all tactics and means to crush the movement of Kashmiris. The U.S. and Israeli military personnel are also assisting over eight hundred thousand Indian soldiers posted in the Occupied Kashmir.

"Recently, Israel has inducted more armed personnel in Kashmir in the guise of tourists. However, whatsoever India may do, she can't keep the Kashmiris slaves for a long time and she will have to give them freedom; because history is witness to the fact that a nation, who is determined to clinch freedom, can't be kept in bondage for an unlimited period of time."[2]

Pakistani Cleric Muhammad Raza Saqib Mustafai: "When The Last Jew Will Be Killed From This World, Then Peace Would Be Established In The World"

Following are excerpts from the speech of Pirzada Muhammad Raza Saqib Mustafai: [3]

"And a time is about to come when Allah would bestow such a success on Islam that there would not be a single Jew left on the face of the earth. Hazrat Eisa [Jesus] would come; the warriors of Imam Mahdi [according to Islamic traditions he is the last Imam] would march into the battlefield; the pig would be killed and the symbol of cross would be broken.

"And it has been described in the books of Hadith [sayings of Prophet Muhammad] that Allah would provide such aid to the followers of Islam that if a Jew would be hiding behind a tree branch or a stone, then that stone would call out for the Muslim mujahid [to come] towards it and would tell him that a Jew is hiding behind me.

"And when the last Jew will be killed from this world, then peace would be established in the world – so much so that snakes would roam among people but would not bite. Wolves and goats would drink water from the same quayside and goats would not have any fear from wolves. It is the guarantee of world peace when the last Jew is slain. As long as there are Jews in this world, peace cannot be established in the whole world.

"Muslims are being called terrorists, as the cause of the destruction of world peace; but it is not the reality; Muslims are fighting the war of their survival. Muslims are not terrorists; they are the lovers of peace and preachers of peace. And all the troubles that exist around the world are because of the Jews. When the Jews are wiped out, then the world would be purified and the sun of peace would begin to rise on the entire world."

Pakistani Taliban commander Maulana Fazlullah

Maulana Fazlullah, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander believed to be hiding in eastern Afghanistan, has threatened fresh attacks in Pakistan to target anybody who supports the United States and promotes American interests in the region.

Fazlullah was the Emir of TTP for Swat-Malakand region in Pakistan before he fled to Afghanistan in 2009 following a Pakistani military operation. In recent months, Fazlullah's fighters have launched attacks in the Pakistani border region and have kidnapped and beheaded Pakistani soldiers.

Recently, the TTP, the parent body of Taliban commanders led by Hakimullah Mehsud, reiterated that the TTP's main objective remains the enforcement of Islamic shari'a in Pakistan.

The Taliban's threats come amid continuing militant attacks in northwestern Pakistan. Some of the recent Taliban attacks include: the June 24 kidnapping and beheading of Pakistani soldiers; the July 15 attack by burqa-clad suicide bombers on a police station in the town of Bannu, and others

Meanwhile, tensions are resurfacing between the Hakimullah Mehsud and Maulvi Nazir groups of the TTP, following the recent killing of Wali Muhammad Wazir, the brother of Nek Muhammad Wazir, who was killed in a U.S. drone attack in 2004.

Sirajuddin Ahmad, Spokesman For Maulana Fazlullah: "We Ask Our Pakistani Brothers To Stop Becoming Tools In The Hands Of Pakistani Security Agencies"

According to a July 23, 2012 report in the Pakistani daily The News, Sirajuddin Ahmad, a spokesman for Maulana Fazlullah, warned: "We want to make it clear that our jihad is against the United States and its allies. We ask our Pakistani brothers to stop becoming tools in the hands of Pakistani security agencies or else they would continue to suffer losses at our hands."[1]

Sirajuddin Ahmad, who is believed to operating from the mountainous Kunar and Nuristan provinces of Afghanistan, added: "We have planned fresh attacks to target anyone safeguarding U.S. interests. We appeal to our army, police, bureaucrats, politicians and religious leaders and also media people to refrain from supporting the U.S. interests or else we would be compelled to target them."

Speaking by phone from an unknown location in Afghanistan, the Taliban spokesman also appealed to the people in Malakand region "not to become tools in the hands of Pakistani security forces by raising lashkars [militias] against the Taliban" to avoid harm at the hands of the militants.

According to the report, he claimed responsibility for the July 21 killing of four members of anti-Taliban militia, saying that the Taliban had asked the people of Dooga Darra area in Upper Dir district not to resist the Taliban but they paid no heed.

Fazlullah-Led Taliban Return Bodies Of 17 Pakistani Soldiers Following Talks

According to a July 13 report in The News daily, recently more than a dozen Pakistani soldiers were kidnapped and beheaded by the Taliban fighters led by Maulana Fazlullah group of the TTP.

Following the beheading of Pakistani soldiers, a delegation of tribal elders from the Upper Dir district in northwest Pakistan held ten rounds of negotiations with the Taliban militants in Kunar province. After the talks, the Taliban handed over bodies of 17 soldiers and one civilian who were killed in a cross-border attack on June 24, 2012 in the Sunai Darra area of Upper Dir.

It was unclear whether the Pakistani government released Taliban prisoners in exchange for the bodies. The TTP militants had earlier demanded release of 20 of their men held in different prisons in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

TTP Spokesman: "After Implementation Of Shari'a, Relations With America Will End As Well, As Islam Prohibits Us From Making Kuffar [Infidels] Our Friends"

Meanwhile, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has reiterated the enforcement of Islamic shari'a rule in Pakistan is its "first and last demand."

According to a July 12 report in The News daily, Ihsanullah Ihsan, the main spokesman of the TTP, said in an email to Pakistani journalists that the end to cooperation with the U.S. is one of the TTP's demands but "its first and last demand" is the implementation of Islamic shari'a in Pakistan.

Reiterating the TTP's demand that Pakistan cease any kind of cooperation with the United States, Ihsan added: "It is included in our demands, but our first and last demand is implementation of shari'a law in Pakistan instead of secular and democratic laws.  After implementation of shari'a, relations with America will end as well, as Islam prohibits us from making kuffar [infidels] our friends and the Koran clearly guides us about this."

Pakistani Daily Report: Due To Tensions Between Hakimullah Mehsud And Maulvi Nazir Groups, "The New Fragile Alliance Of Pakistani Taliban, Shura Muraqba… Will Be At Stake"

Meanwhile, the Shura Muraqba – a new alliance of Taliban commanders formed at the behest of Taliban leader Mullah Omar in February 2012 – seems to breaking up following the recent killing of Wali Muhammad Wazir by Taliban fighters believed to be loyal to Maulvi Nazir group of the TTP.

According to a July 23 report in The Express Tribune daily, Maulvi Nazir, who is known as a pro-government militant commander among the Pakistani Taliban, feared that Wali Muhammad Wazir was gaining in strengthen. Following are excerpts from the report:

"Tension gripped South Waziristan Agency when Hakimullah Mehsud-led Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) threatened to attack the Wana-based Maulvi Nazir group to avenge last week’s murder of Wali Muhammad Wazir.

"Wali was a younger brother of Nek Muhammad Wazir, the militant commander who had unleashed Talibanization in Pakistan before he died in the first-ever drone attack in the country in 2004. Wali Muhammad’s henchmen took control of the area to hunt down the murderers, but nobody has been identified thus far. Approximately 200 men are associated with his group, and most are non-local.

"If fighting breaks out between the TTP and Maulvi Nazir group the new fragile alliance of Pakistani Taliban, Shura Muraqba, which was formed this February after years of infighting, will be at stake.

"According to earlier reports, top leaders of the Haqqani Network — a deadly Afghan Taliban group based in North Waziristan — had mediated between the Pakistani Taliban for the formation of Shura Muraqba. And now as the alliance is under threat, the Haqqanis are once again trying to defuse the situation through their influence on both groups, said locals in the Waziristan region.

"Local Wazir tribesmen had forced Wali Muhammad [Wazir], former host of the foreign militants in South Waziristan, and his diehard loyalists into exile. He returned home only a few months ago as a result of negotiation with current Taliban commander Maulvi Nazir.

"Associates on both sides … [said] that Wali returned to Wana in South Waziristan after Shura Muraqba was formed this February."

Hakimullah Mehsud Group Loyalist: "Maulvi Nazir… Ordered The Killing Of Wali Muhammad [Wazir] Because Of His Rising Influence In The Area"

"It was in early 2008 when Maulvi Nazir, a commander of around 3,000 Wazir militants based in and around Wana and thought to be close to Pakistani security agencies, drove some six to seven dozen Uzbek fighters out of his areas in an armed campaign against them.

"Baitullah Mehsud, the then TTP chief who was also killed in a drone strike in 2008, vowed revenge and later a suicide bomber allegedly sent by Hakimullah struck inside a seminary in Wana belonging to one of Nazir’s closest associates, killing him and scores of others.

"Locals fear the same kind of bloodletting in and around Wana that had followed the expulsion of Uzbek militants from the region in 2008.

"One of TTP’s associates, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the group had suspicions that Maulvi Nazir had ordered the killing of Wali Muhammad because of his rising influence in the area.

"On the other hand, Maulvi’s group blamed the TTP for bringing Uzbek and Tajik militants back to the area, saying Wali Muhammad was protecting them."

A copy of the fatwa

In a new fatwa, the Ittehad-e-Ulema Afghanistan (the Alliance of Islamic Clerics in Afghanistan), has ruled that Western-funded schools and mosques in Afghanistan are in violation of Islamic injunctions, as Islam forbids receiving salaries and funds from infidels.

The fatwa – excerpts of which were published by the Afghan Islamic Press, the Pashtu-language Pakistani daily Wrazpanra Wahdat, and The Frontier Post newspaper – was published in Pashtu and signed by clerics from different provinces of Afghanistan. Chief among them was Sheikh Abdullah Zakiri, a religious scholar from the Zakir area of Afghanistan's Kandahar province who played a role in the Afghan jihad against the USSR during the 1980s.

Following is the text of the fatwa:[1]

"Afghanistan Is Under The Occupation Of Global Infidels, And Jihad Against Them Is Farz [Obligatory On All Muslims]"

"Fatwa:

"July 7, 2012

"Ittehad-e-Ulama Afghanistan

"A meeting of the Ittehad-e-Ulema Afghanistan was held, chaired by Sheikh Abdullah Zakiri, to discuss the key topics and problems being faced by the Afghans, as mentioned below:

"a) The process of education in Afghanistan under the shadow of U.S.

"b) The unarmed army of infidels, i.e. companies and NGOs.

"c) The center of unbelief and vulgarity, i.e. cable and [satellite] dish [TV], and internet.

1."Education under the Shadow of the Present Tyrant, America:

"The real base of the so-called superpower, the U.S., is an insolent battle against Allah and His religion, and breating this spirit into the innocent [Afghan] nation, especially students. The current process of unbelief and apostasy is a recognized and undeniable process.

"In accordance with their ability, all Muslims are duty-bound to clearly and seriously combat this unbelief. Afghanistan is under the occupation of global infidels, and jihad against them is farz [obligatory]. They are torching the Koran and are publishing books of unbelief; calling the Holy Prophet [Muhammad] bad names; setting up churches; and openly preaching Christianity.

"These global infidels are running and implementing their plans of inculcating the denial of the belief in the Hereafter to students in these schools. In several places, they are conducting such acts which are tantamount to denial. There are 8 million people (5 million male and 3 million female) currently under their training in Afghanistan.

"The new generation of Afghanistan will soon become the followers of America's infidel religion [i.e. Christianity]. Sending children to the schools of such infidels is clearly haram [forbidden], and [is tantamount to the] murder of... [Afghan] children..."

"The Destruction Of Afghanistan’s Wealth And Faith Has Continued For The Last 11 Years [Since The 2001 U.S. Invasion]"

"Before the Russian invasion, a large group of Afghan students consisted of Khalqian and Parchmaian [supporters of Khalq and Parcham parties], who adopted belief in communism, and paved the way for Russian interference and the murder of 1.4 million Afghans [during the ensuing war in the 1980s]. The other group is Afghan Millatian (Afghan nationalists)... who were trained by the Americans and Hindus [i.e. by India]. They provided the pretext for invasion to the Americans and Hindus.

"Now, Kabul looks like Washington or Delhi. The destruction of Afghanistan’s wealth and faith has continued for the last 11 years [since the 2001 U.S. invasion].

"The third group is the Maoists... etc., who adopted the Chinese religion and are waiting for their turn in the future.

"The fourth group is the jihadi leaders [who fought against the Soviets during the 1980s, and who are generally supportive of the Afghan government] and the followers of mysticism. They were in control of Afghanistan after Russia suffered defeat. They indulged in factional fighting, defaming jihad, and mysticism, and provided the American with a pretext for occupation.

"Today, all of these groups have joined the ranks of the infidel aggressors, discharging their duty to eliminate Islam and Afghanistan. They grew off the wealth of poverty-stricken Afghanistan, but brought unbelief, killing, embezzlement, dishonour, and destruction to Afghanistan. Afghanistan has been burning in the flames ignited by them for the last 35 years."

"NGOs Are The Infidels' Unarmed Army, And Occupy The Beliefs And Morals Of Muslims Through Money And Fraud"

"Ittehad-e-Ulema Afghanistan is not against schools that are not opposed to Islamic beliefs, that are teaching an Islamic syllabus as per the mujahideen's announcement, that are not salaried by U.S. organizations; that also provide a jihadi education to protect their sacred religion of Islam and the country; and that are run by Muslims...

"We consider it mandatory [to maintain such Islamic schools]... In this regard, verse No. 60 of Surah Al-Anfal is a good reference: 'Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power...' [Koran 8:60]

"The Muslim ummah has abandoned long ago its duty; that is why it is under the control of the infidels... We are opposed to schools that have un-Islamic syllabus, receive salaries from U.S. agencies, and are under their control. We consider it necessary to fight them...

"The salaries being received by the people of Afghanistan from U.S. organizations is haram by any name, as it would mean that we agree to occupation by infidels and their law. The weak Muslim is one who has hatred for an infidel, but is a non-believer in his heart [i.e. not a true Muslim]. It is the lowest stage of faith.

"2. Non-governmental organizations are the infidels' unarmed army, and occupy the beliefs and morals of Muslims through money, fraud, and solicitations. They are the infidels' spies. The ulema of Hindustan [India] issued a fatwa against the NGOs 131 years ago...

"3. Cable and [satellite] dish [TV], and the unbridled internet system of London and American society are the mother of all evils. They publish vulgarity and the infidels' morals before the whole world. When the Muslims watch these vulgarities, their faith is destroyed... It is compulsory for the Muslim nation of Afghanistan to pull their offspring out of theses infidel organizations and surrender them to the Islamic organizations, so that they can be [properly] educated.

"It is mandatory for the mujahideen to combat these un-Islamic acts, i.e. U.S. schools, NGOs, cable, [satellite] dish [TV], etc. in accordance with their ability. Those who promote the aforementioned vulgarities and support it are creating disturbance on earth, and they should be punished according to the law of Islam."

"The Fatwa Was Endorsed By Ulema From Different Provinces Of Afghanistan, Including Kandahar, Zabul, Ghazni, Jowzjan, Badghis..."

Signatories of the fatwa

"The fatwa was endorsed by ulema from different provinces of Afghanistan, including Kandahar, Zabul, Ghazni, Jowzjan, Badghis, Ghor, Uruzgan, Mazar, Paktika, Maidan Shahr, Helmand, Farah, Herat, etc.

"[The signatories are:] Sheikh Abdullah Zakiri, Sheikh-ul-Hadith Maulana Habibullah Sahib Haqqani, Sheikh ul Hadith Mufti Abdul Raziq, Sheikh-ul-Hadith Maulvi Hamdullah, Sheikh-ul-Hadith Mufti Rahmatullah, Sheikh-ul-Hadith Maulana Noor Muhammad, Sheikh-ul-Hadith Maulana Muhammad Idrees, Sheikh-ul-Hadith Maulvi Abdul Samad, Sheikh-ul-Hadith Maulana Ahmad, Sheikh-ul-Hadith Maulvi Ahmad Sahib Rabbani, Sheikh-ul-Hadith Maulana Sharafuddin Pashin, Maulvi Abdul Qayum Sahib, Qari Azizullah, Maulvi Abdul Baseer Ghori, Maulvi Rashed Herati, Mufti Muhammad Ibrahim, Maulvi Nasrullah, Maulvi Hazrat Muhammad, Maulvi Gul Muhammad, Maulvi Mahmood, Qazi Nazar Muhammad, Maulvi Abdul Salam Saalami, Maulvi Saeed Baran Agha, Commandeer Ghayasuddin, Qari Muhammad Wali, Al-Haj Gulabuddin Akhundzada, Qazi Muhammad Wazir, Maulvi Ubaidullah, Maulvi Abdul Khaliq, Maulvi Abdul Samad, Qari Mulla Abdul Bari, Maulvi Abdul Baseer, Maulvi Abdul Bari, Maulvi Muhammad Ishaq, Maulvi Karamullah Mateen, Maulvi Noorul Hadi, Maulvi Yaar Muhammad Ahmadi, Maulvi Abdul Rahman Akhundzada, Maulvi Muhammad Sarwar, Maulvi Muhammad Omar Jan Akhundzada, Maulvi Rahmatullah, Maulvi Haibatullah, Maulvi Asadullah, Maulvi Ihsanullah Akhundzada, Maulvi Ubaidullah Faiz, Maulvi Abdul Haleem Ahmadi, Maulvi Abdul Baqi, Maulvi Mohibullah Akhundzada, Maulvi Bakht Muhammad, Maulvi Shah Muhammad, Maulvi Abdul Ghaffar, Maulvi Waliullah, Maulvi Abdul Malik and Maulvi Abdul Salam, chief of the Ulema of Chaman."

A copy of the pamphlet

Idara Pasban-e-Shariat ("The Guardians of Shari'a Institute"), an off-shoot of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has issued a pamphlet opposing the reopening of the NATO supply route through Pakistan and declaring that the militant attacks on Pakistani army personnel and government institutions are legitimate. The two-page pamphlet, which is written in Urdu on plain paper, was distributed by masked men, armed with sophisticated weapons, in the streets and mosques of Miramshah Bazaar, in North Waziristan agency, on Tuesday, July 10, 2012.

Not much is known about the leadership of Idara Pasban-e-Shariat, but it is believed by local journalists that the group owes allegiance to TTP. The pamphlet criticized the political and military leadership of Pakistan for striking a deal with the U.S., saying that the leadership had betrayed the nation by restoring the NATO supply routes. According to a report in the newspaper Dawn, the group urged the ulema (Islamic scholars) in Waziristan to use their Friday sermons to speak out against and raise awareness of this "big crime."

Following is a translation of the pamphlet:                                  

Note to media and government: For a full copy of the pamphlet, send an email with the title of the report in the subject line to media@memri.org. Please include your name, title, and organization in your email. 

Koranic Verse: "And Those Who Side With These (Yahud-o-Nasara) [Jews And Christians] Become A Part Of Them"

Source: Dawn (Pakistan), July 11, 2012.

Interestingly, the magazine does not attempt to hide the names or contact information of the individuals behind it, such as its owner, editor-in-chief, editorial board, translators, and contributors. The magazine also publishes its subscription rates,[1] as well as bank account numbers, presumably to be used for depositing subscription fees.

Following is a list of some of the names and contact information appearing in the magazine. Owner and editor-in-chief: Osman Akyildiz; editorial consultant: Abdurrahman Koç; editorial board: Ahmed Turâb, Feridun Dînçer, Abdurrahman Koç, and Osman Akyildiz. Contact information: +902164958881, íslamdunyasídergísí@gmail.com. Address: Ahmediye Mah. Gündoğdu Cad. No: P.K: 34660 Üsküdar/İSTANBUL.

The one year subscription rate for the bi-monthly magazine is listed as 35 TL within Turkey, 35 euros for Europe, and $50 elsewhere. Online subscription: www.kureselkitap.com. Turkish bank account: Albaraka Türk Üsküdar Şubesi, account number 01019136-1, Branch ID 35, IBAN No: TR17 0020 3000 0101 9136 0000 01. European bank account: Albaraka Türk Üsküdar Şubesi, account number 01019136-2, Branch ID 35, IBAN No: TR87 0020 3000 0101 9136 0000 02, Swift No: BTFHTRIS.

Ankara Representative: Ömer Belül, +90 533 272 02 94. Printing House: Dergah Ofset +90 212 489 33 33.

In addition to İslam Dünyasi, a July 8 post on the Al-Fida' jihadi forum announced the opening of a new Turkish jihadi website, jihadmin.com, which it said was established for the purpose of reviving the duty of jihad for the sake of Allah among Turkish Muslim men. The website says it offers content in Turkish, English, Arabic, and Russian; however, as of this writing, only the Turkish portion of the website is active. Content includes links to download İslam Dünyasi, as well as propaganda videos from Al-Qaeda. Jihadmin is not the first Turkish jihadi website to be promoted on a top Al-Qaeda forum. Earlier this year, another Turkish jihadi forum, cihad.biz, was launched,[2] though it went offline shortly thereafter and has remained inactive since.

Another example of the growing trend of pandering jihad to the Turkish-speaking world is the July 12, 2012, release of a Turkish subtitled version of the 2011 mega-production by Al-Qaeda's media company, Al-Sahab, which called upon Muslims to carry out lone-wolf and cyber attacks against Western targets.[3]

Promotional banner for Turkish subtitled version of Al-Qaeda's 2011 production

The following report is a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM).

Pakistani passport issued to Zabiuddin Ansari under the name of Riyasat Ali

On June 21, 2012, Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari – aka Abu Jundal, aka Abu Hamza – suspected as a key member of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) team that planned and handled the Mumbai terror attacks of November 26-28, 2008, was arrested by Indian security officials upon arriving from Riyadh at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport. He was brought before a court in Delhi the same day, but his arrest was revealed a few days afterwards. Ansari, who hails from the Beed district of Maharashtra of which Mumbai is the state capital, was heard speaking Hindi during the three days of the attacks.

In addition to Ansari, there are three other key individuals being detained in connection with the Mumbai attacks: David Headley, a Pakistani-American who changed his name in order to carry out reconnaissance missions of targets in India, is being held in a U.S. prison; Ajmal Kasab, the only terrorist caught alive by the Indian authorities at the time of the attacks; and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, a key LeT commander, who was arrested by the Pakistan authorities following the attacks.

Below are excerpts from media reports providing details on Pakistan's involvement in the Mumbai terror attacks, as revealed by Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari.

LeT's Training Camps Operational In Shewai Nullah, Pakistani Kashmir; Ughi, Mansehra

"[Zabiuddin Ansari] identified the location of the November 26 control room in Qaidabad, Karachi, as well as the Lashkar-e-Taiba's main terror training camp at Shewai Nullah, in Muzaffarabad [the capital of Pakistani Kashmir]. Trained at Ughi camp in Mansehra [in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan], he told Indian interrogators that Lashkar terror training was alive and kicking in Pakistan.

"[Ansari] met LeT chief Hafiz Muhammed Saeed at Majid Qadsia, Chauburji, in Lahore, soon after he fled India to Pakistan via Bangladesh in 2006. He told interrogators about his meeting with LeT's chief operational commander, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, in August 2009 at the Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, and that Lakhvi holds a daily durbar [meeting] at the high security facility, where he meets nearly 15 to 20 people every day.

"While... [Ansari] claimed he had gone to meet Lakhvi to give him sweets, after [the latter] married the daughter of a civil contractor in Muzaffarabad in March 2009, sleuths suspect Lakhvi had passed on instructions to... [Ansari] for a future attack at the meeting. [That Ansari] was high up in the Lashkar hierarchy is evident [from the fact that] Lakhvi's meeting was fixed by his personal aide Abu Bakr soon after... [Ansari] placed a request."[1]

Paragliding At LeT Training Camp In Muzaffarabad, Pakistani Kashmir

"[Ansari admitted] that LeT is imparting paragliding training to its recruits at its camp in Muzaffarabad, in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir... [Ansari] also confessed [to] using [the] social networking site Facebook to hunt for recruits for his terror mission[s in] Saudi Arabia and India, using nine accounts and email IDs. He had reportedly opened one of the Facebook accounts in his real name, Zabiuddin Ansari, which caught the eye of investigating agencies.

"He also said that paragliding has been made a part of the training curriculum of LeT cadres. The police are verifying whether Jundal himself has received paragliding training. Officials haven't ruled it out completely, as Jundal himself was in charge of training the November 26 terrorists..."[2]

LeT Has A Dedicated Internet Team; "Pakistan Army [Officials Teach] Use Of Weapons, Like AK Series Rifles, Hand Grenades, Rockets... Anti-Tank Mines"       

"[Ansari] has told his interrogators that LeT operatives are trained in 'internet activities,' and [that] the outfit has a dedicated band of 'trained and educated' boys who look after the entire gamut of online activities – like sending emails, maintaining websites, and using different servers in a way to show the IP addresses in the U.S. and other western countries. Indian agencies were aware of these facts through intelligence sources and interrogation of small-time operatives, but this has been corroborated now...

"LeT... had professionals who took classes in the use of software and internet, besides people from ISI [the Pakistani military's Inter-Services Intelligence] and [the] Pakistan army who taught use of weapons, like AK series rifles, hand grenades, rockets, pistols, mortars, anti-tank mines, anti-personnel mines, anti-aircraft guns, remote control devices, explosive devices, and sophisticated communication systems.

"[An intelligence official in New Delhi said:] 'The new recruits, several of them well educated, join these training programs for several days. Their day starts early in the morning with religious prayers, listening to lectures, exercising, studying about weapons and how to make IEDs, and, later, they are asked to use them. If the trainers find that a particular recruit is not concentrating, he is removed from the training program.".[3]

"Two Serving Pakistani ISI Officers, Major Iqbal And Major Sameer Ali, Regularly Attended LeT Meetings In Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir Between 2007 And 2008, When The [Mumbai] Attacks Were Planned"

"[Ansari] revealed that two serving Pakistani ISI officers, Major Iqbal and Major Sameer Ali, regularly attended LeT meetings in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir between 2007 and 2008, when the [Mumbai] attacks were planned...

"Ansari revealed that LeT bosses Hafiz Saeed and Zakir-ur-Rehman Lakhvi had planned the attack... He also said that Lakhvi and LeT operational commander Muzammil were present in the control room which monitored the attack from Karachi... 'The handlers panicked after Ajmal Amir Kasab's capture [during the three-day attacks on Mumbai]. However, the overall mood in the control room was jubilant because the terrorists had succeeded in prolonging the battle with the Indian security agencies for three days,' Ansari reportedly told interrogators.

"Ansari trained the 10 attackers to pretend to be Indians. He taught them to converse in Hindi, provided them numbers of media houses and gave them tips on how to interact with the media and misguide them.

"A trained electrician, Ansari was soft-spoken and rarely raised his voice, till he came in contact with activists of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) in 2005 in [the Indian town of] Aurangabad."[4]

"ISI Operative Major Sameer Ali Visited The Karachi Control Room [Used In] The November 26 Attacks"; Mumbai Attackers Were Trained At Baitul Mujahideen In Muzaffarabad

"Suspected ISI operative Major Sameer Ali visited the Karachi control room [used in] the November 26 attacks when the mayhem engulfed Mumbai, and gave several instructions to LeT 'commander' Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi. This was stated by Syed Zabiuddin Ansari... Pakistani-American LeT operative David Headley, too, had given information about Major Sameer's role in the November 26 attacks.

"Another suspected ISI officer, Sajid Mir, who was also involved in the Mumbai attacks and [in a] conspiracy to carry out other terror acts in India, helped Ajmal Kasab and nine other terrorists involved in the November 26 strikes to get training in Baitul Mujahideen ['House of Mujahideen,' a training camp in Muzaffarabad]. Mir was a key motivator and organizer of the country's worst terrorist attack, which claimed 166 lives, Jundal told interrogators.

"When the Mumbai attack was over, Major Sameer told all those present in the control room to disperse and go underground... While [Ansari]... went back to Baitul Mujahideen, Lakhvi stayed at a protected house with his three wives.

"Following international pressure, a few weeks after November 26, sleuths of Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency [FIA] raided the control room [in the Quaidabad area of Karachi] and destroyed it... Months later, when FIA raided the Baitul Mujahideen camp [in Muzaffarabad], they arrested Lakhvi there. [Ansari]... said he, along with another LeT terrorist, Abu Qahfa, had managed to escape from the terror camp through a rear gate."[5]

Indian-Born Saudi National Mahmoud Ahmed Bahaziq A Key LeT Financier

"A key element in the interrogation of Zabiuddin Ansari... has been to figure out the shadowy figures who actively finance LeT's ... operations. And it has once again brought back the focus on a 68-year-old Indian-born Saudi Arabia[n] national, Mahmoud Mohammad Ahmed Bahaziq.

"[Ansari] is also being questioned about the role of Asad Khan, alias Abu Sufiyan; Siddique Bin Osman, alias Rafeeq, alias Abu Hanzala; and Farhatullah Ghori, alias Abu Sufiyan – who reside in Saudi Arabia and are key LeT operatives who provide shelter to wanted terrorists, and also play an important role in financing the terrorist outfit.

"[A]part from funding LeT, Bahaziq also plays a key role in providing a safe haven to wanted terrorists, who on many occasions use Saudi Arabia as a transit point. The charge sheet filed in the Mumbai November 26 terrorist attack lists Bahaziq as a senior financier of LeT, and names him as a prominent figure in the terrorist organization, along with Haji Mohammed Ashraf – the chief of LeT's finances. Born in Hyderabad, Bahaziq went on to procure a passport [from] Saudi Arabia, and has been actively financing LeT since the 1980s. How he [obtained] Saudi nationality is still a mystery... The Indian-born Saudi national has been [crucial] to LeT's establishment and activities, and was a popular visitor to the... LeT center in Muridke, Pakistan [near Lahore]."[6]

Ansari Had Been Living In Saudi Arabia On A Pakistani Passport Issued Under The Pseudonym Riyasat Ali

"[Ansari] has named ISI officers Major Samir Ali and Colonel Hamza as Pakistan's state actors who were directly involved in the terror attack on Mumbai. While Major Samir Ali oversaw the November 26 operation from LeT's control room in Karachi, Colonel Hamza arranged for Jundal's escape to Saudi Arabia in April-May 2011."[7] 

"[Ansari] had been living in Saudi Arabia on a Pakistani passport issued under a pseudonym. The passport purportedly used by Ansari was issued in the name of Riyasat Ali on January 28, 2009, showing him as a resident of Sheikhupura in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It mentions his father's name as Khushi Mohammad and has a validity up to January 27, 2014. The passport, however, bears Ansari's photograph.

"The... passport had a valid Saudi Arabian visa. [Ansari]... visited Saudi Arabia twice using the same passport, once in 2010 and then in 2011 after which he stayed there for about seven months before he was picked up in Riyadh by the local intelligence agencies on a tip-off by their Indian counterparts. It is alleged that Ansari was in Saudi Arabia to recruit people for the outfit, and had managed to indoctrinate a few persons. However, it [has] not [been] confirmed [whether] any of them [underwent] terror training...

"On the basis of said passport, Pakistani officials tried to [place] Ansari [in] custody, stating that he was a Pakistani national. However, Indian authorities were successful in securing his deportation after they got his DNA samples matched with those of his father, a resident of Beed, Maharashtra, following a clandestine operation."

LeT Operational Head Muzammil Butt Orchestrated 2000 Massacre Of Sikhs In Indian Kashmir, During Then U.S. President Bill Clinton's Visit To New Delhi

"For years, the [Indian] army was blamed for the [2000] Chhattisinghpora massacre [in Indian Kashmir]. But... it [has] now [been revealed that] the bloodbath was orchestrated by Lashkar's operational head, Muzammil Butt. [Ansari]... has told interrogators that it was Muzammil, then operating in Kashmir, who, along with a dozen men in army fatigues, went to the village in Kashmir's Anantnag district on March 25, 2000, and killed 35 Sikhs. The aim was to create communal tension in the valley on the eve of then U.S. president Bill Clinton's visit to India, and also malign the Indian army... [Ansari's] interrogation revealed that Muzammil, along with his associates, drew all the men of the village out of their homes and asked them to gather near the village gurdwara [Sikh place of worship]. The Lashkar men then shot 35 Sikhs in cold blood... 

"According to [Indian police] sources, Muzammil, whom Home Minister P. Chidambaram recently said had replaced Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi as LeT's operational head [in Pakistan], was responsible for several more killings in the valley, and this was something he admitted to several of his LeT colleagues. Jundal [i.e. Ansari] was known to be close to Muzammil, who was part of the Karachi-based control room that directed the November 26 attacks..."[8]

Prior To His Arrest, Ansari Was Plotting A New Terror Attack And Recruiting Terrorists For LeT

"LeT may be plotting another strike against India, Syed Zabiuddin Ansari... is said to have told interrogators during initial questioning. [Ansari]... had shifted his base to Saudi Arabia and, at his handlers' behest, was engaged in 'talent spotting' [by] phone for the new plot... [He] had also been assigned the task of providing legal aid to the Lashkar and Indian Mujahideen terrorists arrested in India.

"LeT is busy creating new modules because of a crackdown in Pakistan. A [police] team probing the September 19, 2010 Jama Masjid attack [in Delhi]... had found that Indian Mujahideen [IM] boss Ahmad Zarar Siddi Bappa, alias Shahrukh, used to make frequent calls to Saudi Arabia... The [Indian police] sources claimed that... [Ansari] and Lashkar's direct link with IM and the Jama Masjid attack was 'proved' by the fact that he was a friend of Mohammad Adil, alias Ajmal, a Pakistani national arrested by the special cell in November 2011, along with 12 IM members from a Meer Vihar factory [in Delhi]. 

"Adil, who had fired on Taiwanese tourists in the Jama Masjid attack, was sent to India by Jundal to help Shahrukh. Delhi Police had got a non-bailable warrant issued against Jundal after they raided IM's Meer Vihar factory last year...  [Ansari] knows the Bhatkal brothers – Riyaz and Iqbal, bosses of IM based in Karachi – very well. He claims that the Bhatkal brothers used to come to joint meetings of Lashkar and IM..."[9]

Uprising fighters

In some areas of southern and eastern Afghanistan, a small-scale uprising against the Taliban has been emerging since the beginning of the summer. The anti-Taliban uprising is a response to the Taliban's closure of schools and hospitals.

In a report from eastern Afghanistan, Al-Jazeera TV reported that elders of four villages decided in May 2012 to fight against the Taliban after the militants burned a home and in response to the closure of schools and clinics. The anti-Taliban fighters are united under the banner of the National Uprising Movement.

According to an Afghan website, another report from southern Ghazni province indicates that at least three districts have seen anti-Taliban uprisings after schools were closed due to militant threats. These districts include Andar and Deh Yak.

Following is the transcript of the Al-Jazeera report:[1]

Uprising Leader Lutfullah Kamran: "Schools, Our Clinic, Our Roads, Our Hospitals, Our Markets, Everything Was Closed [By Taliban]"; "The Only Choice We Had Was To Start An Uprising"

Uprising leader Engineer Lutfullah Kamran (right)

"They look like Taliban fighters, but they are Afghans fighting the Taliban. They call themselves the National Uprising Movement, it started three months ago, and [the leader of the uprising] Engineer Lutfullah Kamran said the Taliban was preventing progress for the Pashtun people.

Lutfullah Kamran: "'Schools, our clinics, our roads, our hospitals, our markets, everything was closed. We feel like we are slaves. No one cares about us; not the government, not the Taliban. The only choice we had was to start an uprising.'

"[There are four] villages under the control of the National Uprising fighters. They say at first there were only a few fighters. There are now several hundred spread over four villages. They say the people here support them. [An old man says]: 'I'm happy to give up my life and my wealth for them.'

"The commander [Lutfullah Kamran] says the Taliban have them surrounded and the fighting is intensifying. This week [in third week of June 2012] the Taliban burnt a local home…. [A village woman] says she begged the Taliban to search the house [to check] that no one was home, but the Taliban doused it with fuel and set it on fire. She burned her feet trying to rescue the Koran but could not save it.

"The men originally tried to fight with the Taliban against the Americans, if the Taliban would reopen schools, the clinic, the market…. The Taliban refused, saying surrender or fight. The villagers' decision was swift [in favor of fighting against the Taliban]."

Tribal Elder Juma Gul: "One Of My Sons Became A Martyr; I Have Brought Four More To Fight And I Will Keep Fighting Until We Are All Dead"

Tribal elder Juma Gul: "'One of my sons became a martyr. I have brought four more to fight and I will keep fighting until we are all dead.'

"The commander [Lutfullah Kamran] calls the Taliban on his radio. He can hear them, but there's no response. The Taliban say they want to avoid bloodshed and have appointed a delegation to negotiate with the [uprising] movement. [The Taliban say that the] Taliban fighters who burned the home are being punished….

"Former Taliban members are among the new group, and claims the group is supported by the Afghan government and the U.S. Embassy. [Lutfullah] Kamran says that is not true. That he would fight the Americans, but his first priority is securing his people's future."

Lutfullah Kamran: "'There was a time when seven to eight thousand students graduated a year, now only two to three hundred students are graduating a year [because of the lawlessness caused by the Taliban]. That's why we are fighting them, to save the next generation.'

"The weapons and the motorcycle transport give them the appearance of the Taliban, but these Afghans have decided they must fight for the rights the Taliban and the government has failed to give them."

Afghan Website: Uprising Against Taliban Spreads In Ghazni Province

In Afghanistan's southern Ghazni province, residents in some districts have risen up against the Taliban in protest of the militant attacks on schools and lawlessness. According to a report on the Afghan website pajhwok.com, the anti-Taliban uprising has spread from Andar to the district of Deh Yak in the province.[2] 

An Afghan official in Ghazni city, speaking in the first week of June 2012, said that several tribal elders have died in the popular uprising against the Taliban militants in the Taliban-infested Andar district, where schools have been closed after threats from the militants.

Ghazni Governor Musa Khan Akbarzada said that in the morning of June 2 the infuriated people of Deh Yak district also took up arms against the Taliban militants, demanding that the schools reopen immediately.

The governor said, "In order to deal with the current situation, I call upon all Afghans to stand up and be counted. This is the best way to salvation and prosperity…. The public uprising would not only benefit the two districts, it would also help improve security in other parts of the country."

Mohammadullah, a resident of the Walangiz area of Deh Yak, also confirmed the armed struggle against the Taliban in the two districts. The people want immediate access to health and education facilities, he said, adding that the locals would not allow anyone to foment trouble. "On May 30, residents clashed with the fighters in our area. This morning, a similar fight erupted in the village," he said.

Another resident, Khan Wali, said the fire exchange lasted two hours. "We believed the firefight was between rebels and security forces…Later, we came to know that area people were fighting against the insurgents." He said, "The government has been raising empty slogans about bringing security to Deh Yak. You will see how residents stabilize their area."

Endnotes:

Given below are translations of a report and an interview of former Pakistan Army Chief General Mirza Aslam Beg published in the Urdu-language Pakistani daily Roznama Ummat, accusing the United States and the Pentagon of working on a comprehensive anti-Islam project.

The report, titled "The Obnoxious Plan Against the Islamic World Was Prepared 24 Years Ago," was published on May 13, 2012 by Roznama Ummat and former Pakistan Army Chief General Mirza Aslam Beg's interview, titled "The Rulers of the Islamic World will have to Wake Up Now," was published on May 14, 2012 in the same daily. Roznama Ummat represents the orthodox, pro-Taliban, pro-jihad Muslim opinion in Pakistan.

Also quoted in the report is Lt.-General (retired) Hamid Gul, the former chief of the Pakistani military's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Gul is currently the head of Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC of the Defense of Pakistan Council), a coalition of religious parties and banned militant organizations. The DPC was established by Professor Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, the founder of the Pakistani jihadist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is blamed for the November 26, 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

Following are excerpts from the May 13, 2012 report:[1]

"The Work On The Mental Preparation And Training Against Islam In Institutions Like Homeland Security, Metropolitan Police, FBI, And Others Was Started Just After 9/11"

"The obnoxious plan against the Islamic world was prepared 24 years ago. The Pentagon had approved it in 1988. The education in the U.S. military institutions is part of [a plan aimed at] doing away with 150 million Arab Muslims and [launching an] attack on Mecca and Medina; films on the subject of Muslim genocide are also being shown at the police and FBI training centers – a special report.

"The education and practical training for war against Islam and nuclear attacks on Mecca and Medina are not only part of American Army [training] but also of the training of all security institutions in accordance with the U.S. war strategy; and this process has not started today, but has been continuing since 1988. General [Martin] Dempsey has not suspended it but has postponed it because it has not been powerful on the curricula level.

"[Roznama] Ummat has come to know through its sources and some documents that the preparations for a terrible war against Islam are not only there in the American military, but are also continuing in all the [U.S.] security institutions. According to reports, the U.S. plan for the genocide of Muslims is not new and it has also not been kept in extreme secrecy. The plan that has been continuing since 1988 was not only formally approved by the Pentagon but it was initiated with the signatures [sic] of the then President [Ronald Reagan].

"However, the work on the mental preparation and training against Islam in institutions like Homeland Security, Metropolitan Police, FBI, and others was started just after 9/11, and for that [purpose], special organizations and think tanks were established in the U.S. in which, interestingly, the people of Israel with dual citizenship were essential. Sources have claimed that the Pentagon, the U.S. Defense [Department], the White House and the CIA have been associated with this [plan] since 1988 and now the Pentagon is trying to dissociate itself from it after the details are out."

"At… The Next Stage [Of The Strategy] (Allah Forbid) Islam Would Be Obliterated From The World By Destroying The Harmain [The Holy Mosques of Mecca And Medina]"

"According to a source in Islamabad which have continuous links with the Americans on various issues, General Dempsey has not suspended this program [of teaching U.S. soldiers about Islam] altogether; but his objection was that the syllabus for the army training program was not strong [enough] and it is ridiculous to a certain extent. Therefore, after this objection, the U.S. and Israeli think tanks are discussing the latest syllabus and teaching methodology for this program while it is still being followed in other institutions.

"The central idea behind it is that the seemingly innocuous Muslims in the American mainstream are as dangerous as the jihadis and unless their links with the Koran, Kaaba [the Holy Mosque in Mecca] and Medina are broken, they will not be acceptable to the U.S. and Israel. An intellectual associated with a prominent American think tank told [Roznama] Ummat that the issue of how the Muslims' relations to the Koran and Shariah can be cut off is a matter of continuous debate at American think tanks.

"According to that intellectual, the continuing campaign for the desecration of the Koran and blasphemy against the Prophet [Muhammad] is not different from the U.S. war strategy; rather, it is a psychological weapon which has been initiated in response to the research by these think tanks so that Muslims [would get used to] the continuous desecration of the Koran and [acts of] blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad. And at its next stage (Allah forbid) Islam would be obliterated from the world by destroying the Harmain [the holy mosques of Mecca and Medina]."

Lt.-General Hamid Gul: "I Said From Day One That It Is A Crusade War; Americans Are Fighting It As A Religious War"; "Americans Have Become Fanatic Against Islam And Are Not Ready To Tolerate [The Existence Of] Even Our Koran, Kaaba And Medina"

"And now when the U.S. Pentagon has accepted that it does have a Muslim-genocide plan, a military [affairs] intellectual and head of Difa-e-Pakistan General Hamid Gul [former chief of the Pakistani military's Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI], speaking to Ummat, stated:

"'I said from day one that it is a Crusade war. Americans are fighting it as a religious war but our viewpoint was not taken seriously. The Muslims who were considering it as a reaction to a Muslim action should now take cognizance of how the Americans have become fanatic against Islam and are not ready to tolerate [the existence of] even our Koran, Kaaba and Medina.

"'I understand that after the U.S. confirmation, there remains no justification that Muslim countries should remain silent. All the Muslim countries should protest against it by calling the U.S. ambassadors in their countries. And Pakistan is the worst victim country of this war; [so] it should convene an OIC [Organization of Islamic Conference] summit to take notice of it and talk to the U.S. in strong words.

"'This is our right. We should speak out on it. It is like suicide if we remained silent when they are denying our existence itself. And those who are American supporters, it is better for them that they should go to the U.S. now.'"

Former Pakistan Army Chief: "Unorganized Muslim Military Powers [i.e. Militant Organizations Like Al-Qaeda] Have Shattered The U.S.'s Claim That The 21st Century Would Be Its Century And That Its World Order Would Be In Vogue"

Following are the excerpts from General Mirza Aslam Beg's interview:[2]

Question: "Why is there so much hatred against the Islamic world in the U.S. that ideas to target Muslims' sacred places are being nourished?"

Mirza Aslam Beg: "When the USSR was defeated by Afghanistan and was disintegrated, the U.S. declared itself the sole superpower. To maintain its hegemony over the whole world, it was necessary [for it] to declare a target. The U.S. chose the Islamic world for this; after that it started a campaign against the Islamic countries. At first, to suppress the Iranian revolution, it got Iran attacked by Iraq.

"Israel was given all sorts of military and economic power to maintain superiority over the Arab world. The same jihadi forces, whose campaign had forced the Russian defeat and devastation, were attacked by the U.S., [which used] the 9/11 incident a pretext. This was an attempt to suppress the Islamic world on ideological and practical levels; and the U.S. still longs for it.

"In addition to this, to inculcate hatred among its troops against Islamic world and Muslims, ... [the U.S.] prepared such a syllabus [for training the troops] in which Muslims were declared terrorists and it was said that Khana-e-Kaaba [the Holy Mosque in Mecca] and Masjid-e-Nabawi [the Holy Mosque in Medina] are sacred place of Muslims from where they get spiritual power; and these sacred places are of great importance to 'terrorists.'

"God forbid, it's like the beginning of a mental preparation to attack Khana-e-Kaaba and Masjid-e-Nabawi, which the U.S. has initiated. But at this juncture, I would like to say this that the unorganized Muslim military powers [i.e. militant organizations such as the Taliban and Al-Qaeda] have shattered the U.S.'s claim that the 21st century would be its century and that its world order would be in vogue. And, by the Grace of Allah, this miracle has occurred due to the auspiciousness of jihad. What happened to Russia is now happening with the U.S. The warring power of Israel, laced with all kinds of [military] fittings, had to face disgrace in Lebanon. The U.S. was disgraced in Iraq. These are the miracles that are happening before us.

"In this condition, Americans are in great tumult and trouble and now they are casting their eyes on our sacred places [i.e. the holy mosques in Mecca and Medina]. In World War II, the U.S. and its Allies had been victorious against a proper and organized army. Now there is no organized military power or force before them. Despite that, the U.S. is facing the worst kind of defeat [in Afghanistan] which they cannot swallow. That is why ... [the U.S.] has started planning against the ideological basis of Islam [by targeting the holy mosques]."

"The Rulers Of The Islamic World Will Have To Wake Up Now; They Have To Think Over The U.S. Educational Curriculum [Targeting Muslims], Which Is Being Taught To The American Soldiers"

Question: "Despite this American mentality, why do most of the Islamic countries want to have close relations with the U.S.?"

Mirza Aslam Beg: "Most of the rulers in the Muslim countries are afraid of their bad deeds and find their safety in being close to the U.S., which is a big mistake. Whatever the U.S. did with Afghanistan, its retribution is being faced by us [Pakistan] or Iran.

"If the Islamic world doesn't get into its senses even at this juncture, then, God forbid, Muslims might face great afflictions. The rulers of Islamic world will have to wake up now. They have to think over the U.S. educational curriculum, which is being taught to the American soldiers."

In a recent article written after his tour of Jammu & Kashmir, leading Indian cleric Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani lamented that along with the return of peace to the Kashmir valley, apostasy is returning too, fostered by Christian missionaries. The state of Jammu & Kashmir was torn by decades of Pakistan-backed terrorism that began around the year 1989.

In his article titled "Who Knew That Apostasy Would Also Come Along?" Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, who belongs to the Deobandi school of Sunni Islam, blamed Christian missionaries for taking advantage of the instable period in Kashmir's recent history to convert Muslims to Christianity, apostasy being conversion of Muslims to other faiths.

Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani also accused Ahmadi Muslims of distorting Islamic beliefs. Ahmadi Muslims are followers of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community founded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani in late 19th century in the northern Indian town of Qadian. Ahmadi Muslims are accused by Islamic clerics of not believing that Prophet Muhammad was the last prophet. They are pejoratively described as Qadianis and their beliefs and practices are dismissed as Qadianiat.

In the article in the Urdu-language daily Roznama Inquilab which is published from Mumbai and several other Indian cities, Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani dubbed Ahmadi Muslims and Christians as fitna (mischief) out to cause rifts – in alliance with Jews and Hindus – in the Muslim Ummah. "Christians and the Qadianis are hell bent on looting the faith of your brethren in your neighborhood and you have no knowledge of it," he writes. Following are excerpts from his article:[1]

"Thank Allah That Peace Is Being Restored In The State [Of Kashmir]"; "With All These Good Tidings… Apostasy Is Silently Percolating In The Muslim Society Like Cancer"

"As a Muslim, one feels happier while coming to this state [of Jammu & Kashmir] because it is the only state in India where Muslims are in a majority, and this is the only state where Urdu is the state language. The impact of Muslim culture and civilization is also very conspicuous here; there are mosques at every step; there are mausoleums of the pious slaves of Allah; the rate of growing beards is also higher here in comparison to other areas; during the five prayer times the sound for Azan [call for prayer] is heard from all sides; trade and businesses are in the hands of Muslims and the economy of the Muslims residing in the cities is also good; and Muslims have their hold on the business and trade, especially after Jagmohan [former Governor of Jammu & Kashmir whose policies are blamed for exacerbating the Kashmir situation] unleashed a reign of terror there which resulted in growing hatred among the Muslim youths for India and … [as a result of which] Pandits [upper caste Hindus in Kashmir] took flight from there.

"Thank Allah that peace is being restored in the state; life is coming towards normalcy; educational and economic activities have been restored; Kashmiris are showing their caliber [by succeeding] in the highest level of national test of civil services; with all these good tidings the thing of great worry is also coming to fore that apostasy is silently percolating in the Muslim society like cancer.

"On the one hand, there is the fitna of Qadianiat [beliefs and practices of Ahmadi Muslims]. This is a very old fitna. A close friend of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani [founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community] was Hakim Nuruddin, who was very rational and logical person; and he was also the personal doctor of the anti-Muslim [Hindu] ruler Maharaja of Kashmir…. The fact is that… [Hakim Nuruddin] is the one who planted the evil tree of Qadianiat for the first time in Kashmir and propagated his religion by taking advantage of people's ignorance – so much so that a fake tomb of Jesus Christ was also discovered there.

"The reality [of the tomb] was unearthed by [prominent cleric] Allama Syed Anwar Shah Kashmiri who said that the epitaph of the tomb read that this is the tomb of a messenger of Allah's Prophet Masih ibn Maryam [Jesus the son of Mary]. But Qadianis, at first, deleted the first word 'messenger' and said that this is the tomb of Allah's Prophet Hazrat Isa [Jesus the son of Mary himself]