memri
March 1, 2010 Special Dispatch No. 2836

In Speeches and Meetings in Pakistani Towns, Clerics and Jamaat-e-Islami Leaders Justify Martyrdom, Say: Jihad in the Path of Allah is the Only Way for Islam's Domination Over the World; 'There are 486 Verses in the Koran that are Called Jihadi Verses'; 'An Islamic Living is Incomplete Without the Craving for Jihad'

March 1, 2010
Pakistan | Special Dispatch No. 2836

During recent meetings and speeches in different Pakistani towns, several Pakistani clerics have justified the concept of martyrdom in Islam. These religious leaders include Maulana Talha Al-Saif, Jamaat-e-Islami chief Syed Munawwar Hasan and Afshan Navid, who is a leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami's women's wing.

The statements of Maulana Talha Al-Saif were reported by the Urdu-language weekly newspaper Haftroza Al-Qalam.[1] The Urdu weekly owes its allegiance to the Al-Qaeda-linked Sunni militant organization Jaish-e-Muhammad, which is led by Maulana Masood Azhar, a militant commander who was released by India in exchange for the passengers of Indian aircraft hijacked from Kathmandu to Kandahar in Afghanistan in 1999.

As Jaish-e-Muhammad is outlawed in Pakistan, many of the writers in Haftroza Al-Qalam do not identify themselves, sometimes writing under pen names. The report in the weekly magazine does not mention details about Maulana Talha Al-Saif. His speeches were delivered to mark the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, which was officially marked across Pakistan on February 27, 2010.

The statements of Syed Munawwar Hasan and Afshan Navid, who lauded the martyrdom of a Karachi-based militant in Indian Kashmir, were published by the Urdu-language daily Roznama Jasarat.[2] The newspaper owes its allegiance to the Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan.

Following are excerpts from the two reports:

Maulana Talha Al-Saif: "The Number Of Muslims Was Limited To A Few Hundred When Jihad Had Not Been Permitted; After Jihad Was Permitted The Number [Rose to]... the Figure Of 100,000"


Maulana Talha Al-Saif, a Pakistani cleric connected with the Al-Qaeda-linked Sunni jihadist organization Jaish-e-Muhammad, has said that jihad in the path of Allah is the only way to restore Islam's domination over the world, according to a report in the Urdu-language Pakistani weekly newspaper Haftroza Al-Qalam.

Delivering speeches during religious meetings in connection with the birthday of Prophet Muhammad in the Pakistani towns of Okara, Mehrabpur, Basirpur, and Sukkur, Al-Saif said: "Islam did not come to the world to be a weak and subjugated religion; rather the objective of Islam's coming is only and only to surmount, which is only possible through jihad... The means to this domination is jihad in the path of Allah."

The militant cleric added: "Jihad is the key duty in Islam and is the pious Sunnah [deed to be followed] of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, which will continue till the Day of Judgment]."

Al-Saif criticized Pakistani religious leaders for arguing that Islam did not spread by the power of sword, saying: "The world is being told today that Islam spread by moral actions, but it is not disclosed what morality is. The Prophet [Muhammad], peace be upon him, described his sword as his morality. The Prophet's sword had a big role in the spread and propagation of religion [Islam]."

The cleric pointed out that before jihad was permitted, the number of Muslims was merely in the hundreds.

He said: "The comparison of life spent by the holy Prophet in Mecca and Medina shows that the number of Muslims was limited to a few hundred when jihad had not been permitted. However, after jihad was permitted the number of the faithful crossed the figure of 100,000..."

"Only that technique of Islamic Dawa [preaching] can be called the technique of the Prophet which is backed by the strength of sword and longing for battle," he said, lamenting that "this great aspect of the Prophet's life" is being presented before the world in a distorted form.

Some of the meetings where Maulana Talha Al-Saif spoke were also attended by various Pakistani clerics. Among those who spoke at these meetings were Maulana Ataullah of Sukkur, Qari Liaqat and Maulana Muhammad Murad.

According to the Haftroza Al-Qalam report, which was filed by its own correspondent, Maulana Ataullah told one of the meetings that the youth who laid down their lives in the mountains of Afghanistan, deserts of Iraq, and jungles of Kashmir are the spiritual children of Taliban chief Mullah Muhammad Omar, Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar, Islamic conquerors Sultan Mehmood Ghaznavi and Ahmad Shah Abdali (who invaded India).

Jamaat-e-Islami Chief Syed Munawwar Hasan Justifies Martyrdom Mission, Says: "The Concept of Death in the Construction of Human Life, and Thinking about the Life Hereafter and Faith in Meeting with Allah is the Path to Escape Sins"

Image courtesy: sananews.com.pk

On February 25, 2010, Syed Munawwar Hasan, the Emir of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, met with the relatives of a Pakistani militant commander who was recently killed in India's Jammu & Kashmir state, according to a report in the Urdu-language newspaper Roznama Jasarat.

Hasan's meeting with the relatives of Muhammad Iqbal (aka Abu Bakar), a district commander of militant organization Hizbul Mujahideen in Jammu & Kashmir, took place at their house in Karachi. The Jamaat-e-Islami leader was accompanied by Muhammad Hussain Mehnati, the Emir of Jamaat-e-Islami for the Karachi city, and several other religious leaders, including Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, Farooq Naimatullah, Muhammad Muslim, Mon'am Zafar, and Naseem Siddiqui.

Muhammad Iqbal fought against the Indian troops in Jammu & Kashmir state for the past nine years. He was killed during a gun battle in the Kashmir valley on February 19, 2010.

At the meeting, the Jamaat-e-Islami Emir told Iqbal's relatives: "The faith in the existence of Hereafter is very clearly one of the basic beliefs of Islam. The concept of death in the construction of human life, thinking about the life Hereafter and faith in meeting with Allah is the path to escape sins and to adopt piousness.''

Hasan described Muhammad Iqbal as a "martyr'' and offered prayers for him, noting that "Prophet Muhammad spent 10 years of his life in Medina, during which he himself participated in several battles and sent his companions to participate in several others.''

Accusing the United States of defaming jihad in modern times, Hasan pointed out: "There 486 verses in the Koran that are called jihadi verses. The Muslim Ummah today is caught in crises. Muslims are being seen as soft targets. In order to defame jihad, America is describing it as terrorism. But people everywhere have expressed their tremendous love for Prophet Muhammad by raising the flag of jihad.''

"Whether they are Hizbullah of Lebanon, Hamas of Palestine, or the Hizbul Mujahideen of the occupied Kashmir, they all have the same objective... Prayer is a confirmed practice from the Prophet, as is jihad. Jihad has been underway in Kashmir for the past 22 years,'' he noted.

The Jamaat-e-Islami chief added: "For America, only those are praiseworthy who become its slave. But the slaves of Muhammad, peace be upon him. will never accept the slavery of the United States... By offering his martyrdom, Muhammad Iqbal has conveyed a message to us that the death of a martyr is worth being proud of. Muhammad Iqbal found a pious life and embraced martyrdom.''

Afshan Navid, the leader of Jamaat-e-Islami's Women's Wing: "The Conception of an Islamic Living is Incomplete without the Craving for Jihad and Longing for martyrdom; The Fact is That the Story of Muslims' Rise in the World is Attached with Jihad''

According to the same report in the Roznama Jasarat, Afshan Navid, a leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami's women's wing for the Sindh province of which Karachi is the capital, also met with the mother and sisters of Muhammad Iqbal, telling them:

"The conception of an Islamic living is incomplete without the craving for jihad and longing for martyrdom. Achieving the status of martyrdom is a great pious act. The fact is that the story of Muslims' rise in the world is attached with jihad.''

The Jamaat-e-Islami's female leader congratulated the mother and sisters of Muhammad Iqbal and offered prayer for him to get a high place [in the heaven].''

Endnotes:

[1] Haftroza Al-Qalam (Pakistan) Vol. No. 05, Issue No. 237, February 26-March 4, 2010.

[2] Roznama Jasarat (Pakistan), February 26, 2010.

Share this Report: