In Speeches, Article, and Letter, Lashkar-e-Taiba Founder and Jamaatud Dawa Chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed Warns India: 'One Mumbai [is] Not Enough'; 'Jihad is the Only Option Left, As India Will Never Let Go of Kashmir'; 'Islam is a Religion of Peace and Security, Jihad in the Path of Allah is an Important Part Of It'

"The Mumbai Attacks – Our Stand" –Roznama Khabrain

"[India] Calls Itself the World's Greatest Democracy... But What Democracy Keeps Millions Under Hindu Servitude for Over 60 Years?"

"The attacks on Mumbai, India's economic capital and the heart of monetary and cultural activities, on November 26, 2008, took place a year ago today. India is mourning the incident by holding different activities, and special reports are being published in electronic and print media.

"On the other hand, in our beloved country Pakistan, a storm of propaganda is being launched against Jamaatud Dawa. It is deplorable that the the Indian government is showing its anti-Islam attitude and traditional bias by blaming the attacks on Nariman House and hotels like Taj Palace and Oberoi Trident in Mumbai on Jamaatud Dawa, and unleashing baseless propaganda against me.

"India is a big country with a population of over one billion, and considers itself the standard bearer of peace and secularism. But that country continues to have the largest numbers of secessionist movements. No country in the world treats its minority communities, including its Muslims and Christians, as badly as India does. It calls itself the world's greatest democracy, but what kind of democracy… keeps millions under Hindu servitude for over 60 years? Thousands of Muslims are martyred in the name of so-called secularism; mosques are demolished; Christian religious houses are burned to ashes; and the [students] who don't raise the slogans of 'Vande Mataram' [the Indian national song] in schools and colleges are takenout of school. Thousands of Muslims were killed in [2002] anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat. Hindu extremist organizations like Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Abhinav Bharat, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, and others are constantly unleashing new atrocities against Muslims, Christians, and other minority communities.

"After the Mumbai attacks, India should have focused on its internal issues, and tried to find out the reasons behind the militancy inside its own country. But without any solid proof, India tried to kill many birds with one stone... The officials in charge in the Indian government held Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jamaatud Dawa responsible for these attacks…

"After obtaining full assurance of U.S. cooperation, India went to the UN Security Council and was successful in enforcing a ban on Jamaatud Dawa. After the ban was passed, U.S. officials, as viceroy [for Pakistan], began visiting Pakistan, and as a result Pakistani rulers, on the auspicious occasion of Eid al-Azha, decided to sacrifice Jamaatud Dawa, a public welfare organization that is countrywide, including in… [Pakistani] Kashmir. They began a countrywide crackdown against it. Several leaders, including myself, were put under house arrest, and the Jamatuud Dawa offices, hospitals, dispensaries, and schools, as well as mosques and madrassas, were sealed.

"The organization, which was until yesterday presented as one making sacrifices for the defense of Islam and Pakistan, is today being presented before the world as criminal. This act by the government is extremely disappointing and shocking for the whole Pakistani nation – especially for those helpless and deserving people to whom Jamaatud Dawa used to give 5,000-8,000 Pakistani Rupees per month. The doctors, engineers, teachers, technicians, and activists who were providing their services on stipends in various Jamaatud Dawa public welfare and educational projects were hit hard by the unreasonable ban on the organization."

"By Linking Jamaatud Dawa and Me with the Mumbai Attacks, the Indian Government Successfully Pressured... Pakistani Rulers Via the U.S. – But It Could Not Prove Its Allegations Against Us in Any Independent Court"

"Using its media as a war weapon, the Indian government carried on comprehensive propaganda against Jamaatud Dawa. By linking Jamaatud Dawa and me with the Mumbai attacks, the Indian government was successful to some extent in pressuring Pakistani rulers via the U.S. – but it could not prove its allegations against us in any independent court in the world.

"Reacting to the Indian demand after the Mumbai attacks, the Pakistani government arrested [Lashkar-e-Taiba commander and Saeed's aide] Zakiur Rahman Lakhwi, along with many other Pakistani figures; their trial is being conducted by special anti-terrorism courts, and the government is pleading against them in a solid way. However, as far as allegations against me are concerned, the Pakistani government has many times accepted the fact that so far none of the dossiers [of evidence] given to Pakistan contain any proof that can be sustained in court [regarding] the involvement of Emir of Jamaatud Dawa in the Mumbai attacks in any way.

"After four months of continuous hearings in our house arrest cases, the Lahore High court in its historic judgment, explicitly wrote that neither Hafiz Saeed nor any of the Jamaatud Dawa members had any connection with the Mumbai attacks, and that the cases against them were the results of foreign pressure.

"The way India and the U.S. take on propaganda against Jamaatud Dawa, the common man is forced to think why there is a hue and cry only about Jamaatud Dawa and me [Saeed]. The answer is that India is involved in terrorist activities in Pakistan, and now every Pakistani child says it, but I have been saying for several years that India, through its consulates in Afghanistan, is training its agents and pushing them into Pakistan; they are involved in the bombings and disruptive activities in the cities of Baluchistan, North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Punjab province."

"Our Religion Does Not Allow Us to Sit in Silence... While Incidents of Genocide Against Muslims Continue"

"Now, at last, Pakistani government officials have come to accept the fact that there is clear proof of Indian interference in Pakistan. My crime is that I show our citizens the real face of India, and expose its policies of sweet lips and hidden daggers. Jamaatud Dawa has raised its voice on all fronts against Indian intrigues, whether they are in the name of holding talks on the Kashmir issue or of strengthening the Indian armed forces' position in 'occupied' Kashmir.

"We have never accepted any pressure in raising the issues in favor of victimized Muslims, be it the demolition of the Babri mosque [in 1992 by Hindu extremists in India] or any other religious places, or the incidents of burning Muslims alive in Gujarat and Maharashtra. Our religion does not allow us to sit in silence as a matter of expediency while incidents of genocide against Muslims continue.

"It has long been India's cherished desire to restrict Jamaatud Dawa's activity and to put its leadership behind bars, by pressuring Pakistan so that India can carry on with the genocide of the Kashmiri people, with damming Pakistani rivers [that flow into Pakistan], and instigate separatist struggles in Sindh, NWFP and Baluchistan by sending its agents into Pakistan via Afghanistan. India… does not want me or my organization's voice to interfere.

"India took full advantage of the Pakistani rulers' cowardly policies in the garb of negotiations, and built dams on Pakistani rivers. In this instance, we organized peasant meetings, conferences, and seminars in every corner of Pakistan, and exposed India's designs. India was aggrieved with Jamaatud Dawa's role in this.

"This is why India considers me and my organization its biggest hurdle in achieving its nefarious designs, and that is why it is continuing with all sorts of allegations against us without any proof."

"Jamaatud Dawa… Wages No Armed Campaign Within [Pakistan]; Jamaatud Dawa was the First to Condemn... Armed Activities, Including Suicide Attacks Within the Country"

"I must mention at this juncture that some Pakistani intellectuals and journalists, who disagree with my thoughts, have a negative opinion of me and my organization. I cannot stop their thoughts, but I can say with all due respect that Jamaatud Dawa is an organization which from its very inception has promoted its ideal – that it wages no armed campaign within the country [in Pakistan], and that it cannot be proven that Jamaatud Dawa or its activists have ever tried to disrupt the peace or law-and-order in the country, or have been involved in any negative activities.

"Jamaatud Dawa was the first to condemn all sorts of armed activities, including suicide attacks within the country. We consider such activities harmful for Islam and Pakistan. Islam is a religion of peace and security, and jihad in the path of Allah is an important part of it, and it has its own distinguished obligations; it does not say to kill people at any place indiscriminately. Islam does not allow explosions and attacks on public places.

"Being an active member of society, Jamaatud Dawa has always carried out its duties in this respect. And this is why Hindus and Christians in Karachi and inside Sindh province held rallies, especially against last year's UN ban on Jamaatud Dawa. This has been Jamaatud Dawa's distinction – it has served humanity regardless of religion and community, because Islam teaches us to do so.

"It is to be noted here that the UN Security Council has so far banned several welfare and jihadi organizations of various Muslim countries, but that Jamaatud Dawa is the only organization that has challenged the ban on it in the UN Security Council. We have submitted our case for delisting. We have been contacted by the Security Council, and after that, the European Union. We have made it clear that we have no links with Al-Qaeda or the Taliban – but I'm sorry to say that Pakistan did not help us in this regard, and that the case of our delisting is still pending.

"What the U.S. says, in one point in the Kerry-Lugar Bill, against the Markaz-e-Taiba of Muridke [Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters near Lahore] is nothing but part of its propaganda. Markaz-e-Taiba in Muridke is running under the supervision of the Punjab government, and it was not a no-go area earlier either. Journalists coming to Pakistan from all over the world have visited that area, but the Western media, which is serving particular interests, is continuing with its propaganda against this Markaz.

"My reason for writing this piece is to make it clear that the negative propaganda against Jamaatud Dawa must be stopped. The organization should be allowed to work openly on its public welfare projects. We are not an underground organization. Our past and present is before all.

"Despite these facts, the propaganda against us continues, and this is beyond my understanding. I don't expect it from others, but I expect, at least, that the Pakistani media to support us against this high-handedness against a large-scale Pakistani public welfare organization, and in bringing out the truth before the world."

Letter to Journalist Hamid Mir, The News

"The [Pakistani] Government Arrested Various Leaders who Endorse Jihad in Kashmir... For the Sole Purpose of Pleasing India"

On the first anniversary of the Mumbai attacks, Saeed wrote a long letter to senior Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir, who is considered close to the military-led establishment. In his letter, he sympathized with the families of all those who lost their lives in the Mumbai attacks. The letter was published by the leading Pakistani daily The News.

Noting that his group does not favor suicide attacks in Pakistan, he wrote: "Islam is a religion of peace, and jihad for the sake of Allah is a vital pillar of Islam, yet there are certain specified rules for carrying out jihad, which does not include indiscriminate killing of everyone everywhere."

Following is the letter, as published in the Pakistani daily The News, in the original English:[5]

"Dear Mr. Hamid Mir,

"As'salaam'u Alaikum wa Rahmat Allaah

"I hope you are doing well. It has been almost a year since the Mumbai attacks took place. I am writing to you because I would like to offer some thoughts in this regard.

"As I have just mentioned, in a few days a whole year will have passed since the November 26, 2008 attacks in Mumbai, India. Hundreds of families were affected by these attacks, and these families must certainly be in a state of mourning on the anniversary of the attacks.

"Yet, if a few hundred families were affected by these attacks in India, at least 5,000 families in Pakistan have also had to endure momentous suffering. This is because India placed the entire blame of the Mumbai attacks on the Jamaatud Dawa, and on me, without any proof at all, and succeeded in having UN sanctions imposed upon us, with the active collaboration of the United States.

"The sanctions resulted in a crackdown on the Jamaatud Dawa, and all of the organization's humanitarian and educational projects were shut down, while I, along with a number of my colleagues, was put under preventive detention.

"The prime victims of these unreasonable and unmerited sanctions have been those underprivileged families whom the Jamaatud Dawa had been supporting with contributions of 5,000-8,000 [Pakistani] rupees a month. Apart from these severely affected families, scores of other individuals who had been working for the Jamaatud Dawa's humanitarian projects on a monthly remuneration basis, such as doctors, engineers, technicians, teachers, as well as hundreds of volunteers, have been very adversely affected by these unfair sanctions.

"I am indeed extremely saddened at the loss of innocent lives in the Mumbai attacks, and I fully sympathize with the families of those who lost their lives, but it remains a fact that India has deceitfully associated me with these attacks. Although India succeeded in associating the Jamaatud Dawa and me with these attacks in the media, yet it has been unable to prove these allegations in any free and independent court of the world.

"At the conclusion of the hearings challenging the detention of my colleagues and me, the Lahore High Court noted in its historical judgment that it had found no evidence linking the Jamaatud Dawa, Hafiz Saeed, or Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi [now under arrest in Pakistan] with the Mumbai attacks. The truth is that the government arrested various leaders who endorse Jihad in Kashmir, for the sole purpose of pleasing India. These leaders are now enduring in-camera hearings in the Anti-Terrorism Court merely because they support the right of self-determination of the Kashmiri people. Almost a whole year has passed since these arrests, yet none of these leaders has been indicted to date.

"Meanwhile, India has handed over several dossiers, supposedly containing evidence against me, to the Pakistani government – yet the Pakistani government has itself admitted that these dossiers do not contain any evidence against me."

"My Real ‘Crime' is That I Vociferously and Comprehensively Highlight the Kashmir Issue; Kashmir is Pakistan's Jugular Vein and We Can Never Close Our Eyes to It"

"The Indian media has made it a perpetual issue of propaganda that several dossiers have been handed over to the Pakistani government by India – yet Pakistan refuses to move against Hafiz Saeed. As I have stated earlier, the truth is that these dossiers do not contain any evidence against me. Then what is the purpose of this entire hullabaloo, one might ask.

"The fact is that India desires to suppress the Kashmir issue, which is the real dynamic behind all this Indian propaganda. My real 'crime' is that I vociferously and comprehensively highlight the Kashmir issue. Kashmir is Pakistan's jugular vein, and we can never close our eyes to it. India is extremely averse to our stance regarding Kashmir; and instead of resolving the issue, it resorts to unleashing propaganda in order to cover up the matter.

"The Pakistani media should counter the Indian propaganda by projecting the Kashmir problem as an existent issue. Indian promises on the United Nations forum of holding a plebiscite in Kashmir are on record, and no one can refuse to acknowledge their existence.

"Then why has India been consistently sidestepping the UN resolution on the Kashmir issue for the past 60 years? We must press India for a clarification of the delay instead of adopting a defensive stance, for it is India which always either delays the resolution of this critical issue through inconclusive negotiations, spurious calls for friendship, or in fake negotiations in the name of confidence-building measures, and sometimes by just bluntly refusing to negotiate on the matter. If any negotiations do take place, India makes sure that there is no mention of the Kashmir issue. If the Kashmir issue is ever mentioned at all, India promptly associates it with terrorism."

"India has Slaughtered More Than 100,000 Thousand Muslims in Kashmir; This Crime Must Be Exposed"

"It must be inquired of India that if it is sincere about the Kashmir issue then why is it terrified of negotiations on this matter, and why does it not allow this matter to be resolved? It is precisely because of India's duplicity and hypocrisy that China too, is exasperated with India's attitude, while India's relations with its other neighbors, Bangladesh, Nepal, etc., too are not very praiseworthy either and usually remain strained.

"What needs to be done under these circumstances, therefore, is for our government and media to expose India's duplicitous posture. It is a paradox that our friend, China, is issuing separate visas [stapled in the passport] to Kashmiris, while we pursue an apologetic and defensive policy. India has slaughtered more than a hundred thousand Muslims in Kashmir. This crime must be exposed."

"India is the Real Sponsor of All the Acts of Terror and Carnage in Pakistan; My Crime is That I Reveal India's Real Face to the People of Pakistan"

"Another reason for India's personal vendetta against myself, accompanied with all the usual racket, is evident in what every Pakistani man, woman, and child is saying these days, and which I have claimed for several years now; that India is the real sponsor of all the acts of terror and carnage in Pakistan.

"My crime is that I reveal India's real face to the people of Pakistan and I expose its two-faced policy of overtly appearing all smiles and geniality, while it conceals a dagger in its sleeve, waiting to stab one in the back at the first opportunity. India cannot stand my existence for another reason too, and that is that I speak about the rights of Muslims of the whole subcontinent [including those in India]. Moreover, I do not stay silent when Muslims are slaughtered in [Indian states of] Gujarat and Maharashtra.

"Not only my Deen [religion], but, in fact, no law in the entire world forbids me from raising my voice at the massacre of innocent Muslims in India, or anywhere else in the world for that matter. It is also noteworthy that my parents had migrated from India when Pakistan gained independence and, hence, apart from the ties of Islamic brotherhood, I also have a geographical association with the Muslims of India. We lost many of our loved ones during the migration to Pakistan and, therefore, have a much clearer and comprehensive understanding of the difficulties and problems faced by Muslims in India.

"India's double-faced policy is also evident from the fact that it had been constructing dams on rivers flowing into Pakistan, while it overtly negotiated confidence-building measures. My organization exposed this Indian conspiracy in every corner of Pakistan. India, therefore, considers my organization and me the biggest obstacles in its path of nefarious designs against Pakistan and that is why it incessantly points the finger at me without providing any tangible evidence.

"Alas! It is unfortunate that our government continues to pursue a meek and self-protective foreign policy vis-a-vis India instead of defending Jamaat-ud-Dawa and me. Pakistan's government dreams of friendship with an enemy, though its dream will never be realized."

"Jamaatud Dawa is an Organization Which has Promoted This Ideology Ever Since its Inception, That Any Type of Armed Activities within Pakistan are Not Right"

"Kindly allow me to also mention here that under sway of incessant Indian propaganda some Pakistani intellectuals and journalists too hold a negative opinion of my organization and me. Although such individuals are few in number, yet I would like to say with all due respect to these individuals that the Jamaatud Dawa is an organization which has promoted this ideology ever since its inception, that any type of armed activities within Pakistan are not right.

"Alhamdulillah [All praise be to Allah], it is precisely because of this policy that no evidence has ever been presented against the Jamaatud Dawa that it was ever involved in any negative activities, or had ever attempted to disrupt peace in Pakistan."

"Islam is a Religion of Peace, and Jihad for the Sake of Allah is a Vital Pillar of Islam – Yet There are Certain Specified Rules for Carrying Out Jihad"

"The Jamaatud Dawa has always been the first to condemn any armed activity within Pakistan, including suicide attacks. We consider such activities damaging to the image of Islam and Pakistan. Islam is a religion of peace and jihad for the sake of Allah is a vital pillar of Islam, yet there are certain specified rules for carrying out jihad, which does not include indiscriminate killing of everyone everywhere.

"Islam does not condone random blasts at public places, nor does it endorse the killing of every non-Muslim that one comes across. We do not believe in killing and slaughter in non-Muslim countries too, and we believe that it is the responsibility of Muslims to protect the life and property of non-Muslims in Muslim countries."

"Raising of the Sword is Only Permissible Against Those Non-Muslims Who Arm Themselves to the Teeth and Invade Muslim Lands and People"

"Raising of the sword is only permissible against those non-Muslims who arm themselves to the teeth and invade Muslim lands and people. It is because of this ideology of the Jamaatud Dawa that Hindus and Christians from Karachi and interior Sindh took out protest rallies in support of the Jamaatud Dawa when UN Security Council imposed sanctions upon the Jamaatud Dawa last year. It has been a hallmark of Jamaatud Dawa's humanitarian services that it has always served people in need without any discrimination on ethnic or religious basis whatsoever. We did so because that is what Islam had taught us to do.

"It deserves mention here that the UN Security Council has imposed sanctions on several public welfare and jihadi organizations of member Muslim nations, yet the Jamaatud Dawa is the only organization, which formally challenged these sanctions at the Security Council. We prepared and submitted a formal request for de-listing in accordance with the rules of the UNSC, and the UNSC, as well as the European Union contacted us for further clarifications. Our case is still pending at the UNSC. There is a fundamental flaw in the basis on which the UNSC has imposed the sanctions and we firmly believe that sooner or later that day will come when the international community will accept our just point of view and position.

"Whatever has been said against the Markaz-e-Taiba, Muridke, [i.e. Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters in the town of Muridke near Lahore] in the Kerry-Lugar Bill is also mere propaganda. Markaz-e-Taiba, Muridke, is an educational and public welfare complex where, apart from the educational institutions for boys and girls, an excellent hospital also exists. Nor has it ever been a no-go area [where security forces cannot enter] in the past. Journalists from every corner of the world have toured and surveyed it, yet western media, with its agenda of promoting certain interests and objectives, continues to spew propaganda regarding this educational complex.

"The object of writing these lines is to call for an end to negative propaganda against Jamaatud Dawa and to allow it to fully resume its humanitarian and public welfare projects. Perpetual negative propaganda against us, despite our evident past and our open present is beyond our comprehension. We obviously do not expect anything from others, but we do believe we have a right to expect that the Pakistani media will support us against the innumerable injustices committed against Pakistan's major humanitarian relief organization and will cooperate with us in presenting the truth to the international community.

"Was'salaam.

"Sincerely,

"Hafiz Muhammad Saeed

"Emir, Jamaatud Dawah Pakistan"

Endnotes:

[1] www.economictimes.com (India), February 24, 2010.