The 'university of holy war' - In Pakistan

[Jay]

Its students and principal call it the University of Jihad (Holy War).

Last week the religious seminary of Darul Uloom Haqqania in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province turned out another class of young Pakistanis and Afghans ready to wage holy war against the enemies of their religion.


Among them was 15-year-old Afghan refugee, Javed Ullah.

"I wish to fight the infidels," he said as he left the seminary in Akora Khattak, 50 kilometres (31 miles) east of the provincial capital, Peshawar.

Javed is among 600 students who have completed studies in different fields over the past year.
Wearing white turbans and dress, all the new graduates looked satisfied and seemed to brim with hope for a bright future.

"I want to go back and fight the Americans," Javed said wearing a garland. "I can't wait anymore."

His Pakistani classmates had a similar desire.

"I will dedicate my whole life for jihad. It is compulsory for Muslims. I will kill enemies of Islam," said student Minhaj Uddin.

Mullah Omar's words
The whole convocation was full of slogans in support of Afghanistan's ousted Taleban regime, al-Qaeda's leader Osama Bin Laden and holy war.



Some of the banners adorning the seminary were decorated with pictures of Kalashnikov rifles and tanks.

In their speeches, teachers and religious scholars urged the students to put defending their faith before everything else.

"Being watchmen of your religion, you are naturally the first target of your enemies," said Maulana Sami ul-Haq, the principal of the seminary.

In the past, some Taleban officials, themselves graduates of the institution, have attended these convocations.


TALEBAN ALUMNI
Amir Khan Muttaqi - information and culture minister
Abdul Latif Mansoor - agriculture minister
Maulvi Ahmad Jan - minister of mines and industries
Mullah Jalaludin Haqani - minister of frontier affairs
Maulvi Qalamudin - head of the religious police
Arifullah Arif - deputy foreign minister
Mullah Khairullah Khairkhwa - interior ministry

Even Taleban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar's messages have been read out.


The school's support for the Taleban has been no secret.

The principal previously sent a batch of 2,000 Afghan students back to their homeland to aid the then ruling Taleban in its fight against the warlords of the Northern Alliance.

His words of advice for the Pakistani and Afghan students are now to wage holy war until the "evil force" is defeated.

"In the past, only conspiracies were hatched to end Islam, but now the enemy is in the battlefield challenging us," said Mr Sami.

"Islam, Muslim scholars and religious students were never under such a threat as today."

Such messages emanating from seminaries ring alarm bells in Western countries and among moderates in Pakistan.

The government of President Pervez Musharraf wants to turn the tide and promote liberalism but is finding it difficult to change things with the speed the international community wants.

North-West Frontier Province has many tribal areas that have historically been autonomous, governed by tribal leaders and their own laws.

It is inhabited mostly by the Pashtun, the same ethnic group that dominated the Taleban, and has always been affected directly by events across the long, porous border with Afghanistan.

Some observers say the bad effects of over two decades of war - religious extremism, gun-running and drugs - cannot quickly be removed.

Certainly, the government's efforts to change the curriculum in the religious schools have failed to make any impact so far.

While such efforts go on, fresh batches of volunteers ready to confront what they see as the enemies of their faith continue to graduate.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3155112.stm

[Bill]

Ugh.....no comment lest i insult some of our Pakistani freinds that frequent the board on occasion.

[Julie]

So much for peaceful religions.

[Ray]

And Musharraf states that the madrassa are doing a great social service to Pakistan!:brick

The man is indeed humourous.

[TNP]

:roll

Yeap, thats right, we Pakistanis are evil.
The devils I tell ya! booooooooo!

The Indians on the other hand,
who are so eiger to post all bad news
they can find on Pakistan are the Aryan
race. While we Pakistanis are just crazzzzzzy.
Indians are right when they go all over the net
in all forums and talk crap about Pakistan.
Pakistan really is as bad as they say, you
are right to believe every word they say.
Cuz they are the Aryan race, destined for
supremacy and great things! Their might
will eclipse everyone elses soon!

And Islam is the root of all evil.
Its such a violent religion I tell 'ya.
Beware such evil!!! it will get you while you sleep!
(no need to worry about commies anymore)

And no need to do any research on Islam!
No no no, not you, cuz you should believe
whatever they tell you, dont even think about
using your own mind.

And by the way, dont worry if they remind you that
it was the West (Briton and the US) which have
always supported the Wahabis of Saudi Arabia,
which have infected the entire muslim countries
with their evil thoughts... Dont believe them when
they say that if it wasnt for the West's support
of the Wahabis, Islam would never have been
infected by their disease... cuz anyone who says
that, has to be evil. History lies, dont believe it!
You only have to believe what your mommy tells you.

So gather around, and listen to the beats
of the war drums. Go on now, close your minds
off. Shoo away all reason. Gather behind the
war drums and march on to kill all evil and
raise the flag of righteousness upon this world.
And always remember: Only you are right, and
everyone else is evil and wrong!!!!

[Blackclaw]

Originally posted by TNP
:roll

Yeap, thats right, we Pakistanis are evil.
The devils I tell ya! booooooooo!

I don't think most of us believe that, but the madrassas do worry us. It seems every year they produce another class of young men who have no practical skills but a fanatical belief system that does not tolerate dissent. Their only future seems to be bringing misery to others and their own death.

[TNP]

Originally posted by Blackclaw
I don't think most of us believe that, but the madrassas do worry us. It seems every year they produce another class of young men who have no practical skills but a fanatical belief system that does not tolerate dissent. Their only future seems to be bringing misery to others and their own death.

And the 60% of the American population,
which is evelangical christian, does not
put us in a place of comfort either.

Nor does the fact that if it wasn't for American
support of the Saudis, we wouldnt be in this
position in the first place.

10 % of Pakistani soceity has been infected by the
virus of the wahabis, which America helped perpetuate.
You are indirectly, but still responsible.

So you have no right to tell us that you are "worried" !
You think we are happy that this university exists!!! ?
Maybe you should stop lecturing us and bomb your
centuries old friends the Saudis! Who are infecting
the entire muslim world with their crap, with a
blanket of American protection!

[Ironduke]

Originally posted by TNP
And the 60% of the American population,
which is evelangical christian, does not
put us in a place of comfort either.

The Evangelical proportion of the US population is far smaller than that. Roman Catholics and mainstream Protestants account for about 75% of the US population.

Catholic 50,873,000 24.5%
Baptist 33,830,000 16.3%
Methodist/Wesleyan 14,150,000 6.8%
Lutheran 9,580,000 4.6%
Presbyterian 5,596,000 2.7%
Pentecostal/Charismatic 4,407,000 2.1%
Episcopalian/Anglican 3,451,000 1.7%
Judaism 3,137,000 21.3%
Latter-day Saints/Mormon 2,697,000 1.3%
Churches of Christ 12,593,000 1.2%
Congregational/United Church of Christ 1,378,000 0.7%
Jehovah's Witnesses 1,331,000 0.6%
Assemblies of God 1,106,000 0.5%

[TNP]

Originally posted by ironman420
The Evangelical proportion of the US population is far smaller than that. Roman Catholics and mainstream Protestants account for about 75% of the US population.

Catholic 50,873,000 24.5%
Baptist 33,830,000 16.3%
Methodist/Wesleyan 14,150,000 6.8%
Lutheran 9,580,000 4.6%
Presbyterian 5,596,000 2.7%
Pentecostal/Charismatic 4,407,000 2.1%
Episcopalian/Anglican 3,451,000 1.7%
Judaism 3,137,000 21.3%
Latter-day Saints/Mormon 2,697,000 1.3%
Churches of Christ 12,593,000 1.2%
Congregational/United Church of Christ 1,378,000 0.7%
Jehovah's Witnesses 1,331,000 0.6%
Assemblies of God 1,106,000 0.5%

24.5%..

thats still double the size of the mullahs in Pakistan.
More then double in fact.

[Ray]

Wahhabis are members of a puritanical reform movement begun by the conservative Syrian jurist Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (1703-92). Ibn Abd al-Wahhab was faithful to the Koran, the supreme body of Islamic law, and to the Hadith (or Sunna), a second body of Islamic law comprising the actions and utterances attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam. He rejected, however, all innovations and also the principle of consensus (Ijma) of the Muslim community on any text of Islamic writ and on customs compatible with the Koran or Hadith.
The ascetic life and stern preaching of ibn Abd al-Wahhab extended the influence of the Wahhabis, who rejected all luxury, dancing, gambling, music, and the use of tobacco. Wahhabism spread rapidly as a nationalist religious movement, gaining ascendancy throughout Arabia. Wahhabi warriors successfully attacked and purged the Islamic shrine at Karbala' and the cities of Riyadh, Mecca, and Medina in the early years of the 19th century before they were defeated by the armies of the Turkish sultan Mahmud II, after a campaign ending in 1818. The number of Wahhabis today probably exceeds 8 million, but they are confined almost entirely to the Arabian Peninsula, in Saudi Arabia.

***********************************************

Owing to the perceived onslaught on Islam by the world the majority of the Muslims are being afflicted by a persecution complex. While all Moslems are definitely not followers of the Wahhabi sect, there is a distinct move towards more rigid interpretation of Islam. This is but an axiomatic psychological reaction for self preservation and maybe a rebellion against perceived injustice on them as an entity.
That Saudi Arabia is the fountainhead of radicals and Wahhabis there is no doubt. It is an excellent development that the US has convinced the Saudi Kings to take the matter of fundamentalists in hand and cleanse their society.

[TNP]

Originally posted by Ray
Wahhabis are members of a puritanical reform movement begun by the conservative Syrian jurist Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (1703-92). Ibn Abd al-Wahhab was faithful to the Koran, the supreme body of Islamic law, and to the Hadith (or Sunna), a second body of Islamic law comprising the actions and utterances attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam. He rejected, however, all innovations and also the principle of consensus (Ijma) of the Muslim community on any text of Islamic writ and on customs compatible with the Koran or Hadith.
The ascetic life and stern preaching of ibn Abd al-Wahhab extended the influence of the Wahhabis, who rejected all luxury, dancing, gambling, music, and the use of tobacco. Wahhabism spread rapidly as a nationalist religious movement, gaining ascendancy throughout Arabia. Wahhabi warriors successfully attacked and purged the Islamic shrine at Karbala' and the cities of Riyadh, Mecca, and Medina in the early years of the 19th century before they were defeated by the armies of the Turkish sultan Mahmud II, after a campaign ending in 1818. The number of Wahhabis today probably exceeds 8 million, but they are confined almost entirely to the Arabian Peninsula, in Saudi Arabia.

***********************************************

Owing to the perceived onslaught on Islam by the world the majority of the Muslims are being afflicted by a persecution complex. While all Moslems are definitely not followers of the Wahhabi sect, there is a distinct move towards more rigid interpretation of Islam. This is but an axiomatic psychological reaction for self preservation and maybe a rebellion against perceived injustice on them as an entity.
That Saudi Arabia is the fountainhead of radicals and Wahhabis there is no doubt. It is an excellent development that the US has convinced the Saudi Kings to take the matter of fundamentalists in hand and cleanse their society.

Half right.

#1 Wahab was an idiot.
He was not following the Quran,
he made the Hadith more important
then the Quran itself. And that is why
his insane message was lashed out
against by every muslim scholar of the time.

Even his own familly condemned his views as insane


#2 When Wahab hooked up with Saud,
they were approached by the British, who
supported them against the Ottoman Empire.
And it was with their help that they survived.
And once the Oil was found, Western protection
to the now "Saudi" Arabia has become permanant.

#3 In conclusion, it was the west which helped
the Sauds against the Muslims. It was the west
which has been giving them protection.

And now, these same people who have been giving
them protection are blaming muslims and Islam for
all the acts for which the Wahabs, and the west is
itself responsible.

[Blackclaw]

Originally posted by TNP
And the 60% of the American population,
which is evelangical christian, does not
put us in a place of comfort either.

But they are not walking out of their religious universties gushing about how excited they are at the prospect of taking up arms and waging religious war either.

Originally posted by TNP
So you have no right to tell us that you are "worried" !
You think we are happy that this university exists!!! ?
Maybe you should stop lecturing us and bomb your
centuries old friends the Saudis! Who are infecting
the entire muslim world with their crap, with a
blanket of American protection!

I'm certainly no fan of the Saudis. If you wish to argue that the US support of the Saudis is wrong, I won't disagree. But these schools exist within Pakistani borders. The US did not force Pakistan to accept them. Pakistan made that mistake all on their own and it should take action to remove them at once.

[Ironduke]

Originally posted by TNP
24.5%..

thats still double the size of the mullahs in Pakistan.
More then double in fact.

24.5% is the number of Catholics.

[TNP]

(First of all,
the chart that Ironman
posted, which one of those
are evalangical? The Pat Robertson
types which even appear from time
to time on CNN. Which ones are they?)



second of all,

But they are not walking out of their religious universties gushing about how excited they are at the prospect of taking up arms and waging religious war either.

Do you know what evelangicals believe?
Do you have any idea how crazy their
version of faith is? If you think they are
any less crazy then those mullahs, then you
would be wrong.

Yes, they are less militant, because they
are not living on the front lines. So they
support client states like Israel for their
militancy. Same thing.

I'm certainly no fan of the Saudis. If you wish to argue that the US support of the Saudis is wrong, I won't disagree. But these schools exist within Pakistani borders. The US did not force Pakistan to accept them. Pakistan made that mistake all on their own and it should take action to remove them at once.

Correction, these schools exist in the USofA aswell.
You think America is free of these lunatics?

Hell, where did the 9/11 hijackers study?
Pakistan... or was it Germany? (guess which one)

And who has helped these madmen perpetuate their
craziness? Thats right, your beloved USA.

So dont lecture us about taking action.

People who live in glass houses, shouldnt throw stones.
We are doing what we can, while the US is still helping
the Saudis.

We should be starting threads exposing the American
hand in perpetuating this crap.

[Ironduke]

Originally posted by TNP
(First of all,
the chart that Ironman
posted, which one of those
are evalangical? The Pat Robertson
types which even appear from time
to time on CNN. Which ones are they?)[/i]

Pentecostal/Charismatics