http://www.frontierpost.com.pk/articles.asp?id=6&date1=12/30/2001
opinion
Ban religious
fanaticism
M Zaman Malik
Updated on
12/30/2001 12:40:09 PM
Islam
has always played a significant role in Pakistan’s polity and
society, serving as a symbolic unifying element and providing the
parameters for public policy debates.
Pakistan has also had long experience with Islamist
movements playing an active role in public life.
The JI predates Pakistan’s independence, by over
five years.
JUI threatened to harm Pakistan if the government
allowed itself to become a member of the world coalition against
ben Laden.
Talibanization in Pakistan involved narrowing
access to public space for women, especially through honour
killings, forced veiling and restrictions on their movement and
activities, all of which fitted the ideology of the so-called
Islamist groups of Taliban in Afghanistan.
Like the ‘Arab Afghans’ who returned from the Jihad
of the 1980s to challenge their governments in the Middle East,
the Pakistani Taliban wished to apply the lessons they had learnt
on the battlefields of Afghanistan to Pakistan.
JI and JUI along with some other minor groups
considered them as foot soldiers in a crusade to change Pakistan.
Islam was adopted as a mere smokescreen and all
united together, the way they had never done in the past, to
capture Islamabad.
None of them played any role in national electoral
politics, but they became increasingly powerful through terrorist
activities, particularly in border areas of Balochistan, FATA, and
the NWFP.
These Islamists had a foundation of armed and
militant combat veterans to lead their challenge.
In his book “From Jinnah to Zia”, Chief Justice of
the Federal Court of Pakistan, Justice Munir explained at length
his experiences as to how hard he tried to extract the definition
of a “Muslim” from the Islamists and how miserably he failed to
have it from any one of them.
He was charged by the Government of Pakistan with
the responsibility of finding out as to why the anti-Ahmedi riots
had enveloped Lahore in 1953.
JI led others against the Ahmedis.
Martial Law was imposed in Lahore as a result, for
the first time in Pakistan, thanks to their militant mentality
against all others.
In fact they never offered prayers together behind
one Imam.
Even today, they violently oppose each other on the
definition of a Muslim.
They term all others, except themselves, as Kafirs.
Every one of them believes in his own kind of
Islam.
Strange therefore, that they become one against any
government in Pakistan, whenever they feel that they might be able
to capture the seat of government in Islamabad.
Obviously, greed and lust for power drove them
together or united them and not the kind of Islam they preached to
introduce.
According to Hadith “Sahih Bukhari”, Chapter 269,
the definition of a Muslim as explained by the Holy Prophet (PBUH),
is: “Jis ne hamari tarha namaz parhi - hamari tarha Qibla ka rukh
kiya aur hamare zabiha ko khaya, woh Mussalman hai.” Translation:
The one who offers prayers as we do, turns his face towards Qibla
(Khana-e-Kahbah), eats the meat (having slaughtered it in the name
of God), as we do, is a Mussalman - Muslim.
So very clear and simple! Addressing the Holy
Prophet of Islam (PBUH), Allah Almighty said: “O People of the
Scripture! Come to an agreement between us and you: That we shall
ascribe no partner unto Him and that none of us shall take others
for lords beside Allah.
And if they run away, then say: Bear witness that
we are they who have surrendered (unto Him)” (Surah Al-Imrn: 64).
Again, in Surah Al-Anam: 159: “As for those who
split up religion and became divided into sects, thou hast no
concern at all with them.
Surely, their affair is with Allah, then shall He
inform them of what they used to do.” In spite of all the very
clear exhortations, the Islamists still ignored the elaborate and
amply clear guidance laid down in the Holy Quran.
Whosoever spreads hatred and sectarianism is not a
Muslim.
In fact, in the guise of Islam, they indulged in
everything un-Islamic, twisted the teachings of Islam and
presented an Islam of their own ugly imaginations that existed
before the dawn of Islam in Saudi Arabia; for personal ends.
Our forefathers were all good Muslims, despite the
domination of the West for centuries over us.
We never got converted, though we were badly pulled
down to no position by Britain who had conquered India from the
Muslims.
These misguided people should rather have gone to
the West and established themselves there, instead of misleading
us with their wrong interpretation of Islam, of their own make.
In the West, instead of endearing Islam to people,
they made it look like a dreadful phenomenon.
This is so very staggering! The Afghan refuges in
Pakistan altered the ethnic balance, disrupted the local economy,
harmed the ecology through deforestation and overgrazing of
animals, ruptured the already flimsy social fabric of this
economically devastated country, that it was to become after
January 1977 elections, followed by the “Movement for Nizam-e-Mustafa”.
What a hoax? They were all in all, to introduce
that Nizam; then why did they not? They must be tried for
deceiving the nation.
During Gen Zia’s regime, a large number of senior
officers became Birlas overnight.
Beard and pious looks were the hallmark of sound
professionalism.
Many Napoleons even tried, later on, to take over
the government with the help of the foot soldiers of the
Islamist’s factories, but thank God they failed.
A number of up-right and professionally sound and
dedicated officers were superceded or sent home with disgrace.
The level of discipline slid down to grave lowest
limits, because of the infiltration of the “Foot Soldiers”, over a
period of time.
Pakistan faced a daunting spectacle.
The twin influences of a leaky weapons pipeline and
a burgeoning narcotics economy combined with many traditional
factors intensified.
It created a cult of violence and lawlessness and
was dubbed in Pakistan as “Kalashnikov culture”.
Widespread smuggling entrenched itself, Karachi was
plunged into urban warfare and made the centre of weapons from
Afghanistan.
Ethnic altercations, conflicts, abductions,
daylight heinous crime became the order of the day.
Afghan refugees turned Karachi into a battlefield
that was organized by the smugglers and several Sindhi bandit
gangs.
Ethnic killings turned Karachi into real hell on
earth.
The border areas of NWFP were dominated by
Talibanization.
The Frontier Post reported on September 7, 1999;
under the heading ‘Talibanisation of Chitral’: “It is feared that
in the case of failure or success of the Taliban movement in
Afghanistan, their next destination would be Chitral.
Hundreds of religious students from Chitral and
Northern Areas are fighting along with the Taliban.
They have been trained to enforced Shariah in
Chitral and the Northern Areas.” Afghanistan is a brotherly and
friendly Muslim country.
Pakistan has always been keeping the welfare of
Afghans close to heart and cooperated with every government that
established itself in Kabul.
Pakistan stands for cooperation in its era of
reconstruction and rebuilding that is to commence in Afghanistan
shortly.
Pakistan has suffered an unforgettably gruesome
experience during the last about twenty five years.
To avert future tragedies, right from early school
days students should continue to be made progressively
aware/conscious of the horrific consequences stemming from
religious fanaticism.
All political parties with an electoral mandate
should incorporate in the Constitution of Pakistan: A.
What is the definition of a Muslim.
B.
Straitjacket role of various institutions
particularly the civil bureaucracy and the armed forces.
C.
Religious fanaticism should be banned.
Pakistanis must be taken out of the Stone Age
mentality that left deep marks on the minds of young ones,
reminding them of the days of the banditry of the Kalashnikov
culture.
