Media discourse on Deobandi terrorism – 20 May to 14 June 2014
War on the Rocks, 20 May 2014
Who’s killing Pakistan’s Shia and why? – C. Christine Fair
With this victory under their belts, Islamists—particularly led by those associated with the Deobandi interpretative tradition—aimed to have Pakistan’s Shia declared non-Muslim.
As rival Sunni militant groups—most of which were Deobandi—began to mobilize against Shia in Pakistan, Iraq (Saddam Hussain) began resourcing anti-Shia militant organizations.
The largest cluster of militant groups was Deobandi in orientation. Deobandi groups included the Afghan Taliban, anti-Shia groups such as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ)/Sipah-e-Sahaba-e-Pakistan (SSP) (which now go by the name of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ)), and several that were ostensibly fighting the Indians (e.g. Jaish-e-Mohammad). These Deobandi groups share a vast infrastructure of madrassahs and mosques and have overlapping membership with each other and with the Deobandi Islamist political groups, most notably the factions of the Jamiat-e-Ulema-Islam (JUI).
With the terror attacks of 9/11, Pakistan was forced to cooperate with the United States in its war in Afghanistan. The militant groups that were most aggrieved by this were the Deobandi groups, as they had the closest relations with the Afghan Taliban. Moreover, because they often fought with the Taliban in Afghanistan and shared militant training infrastructure with al-Qaeda, they were also most loyal to Osama bin Laden. By late 2001, some Deobandi militants, under a break-away faction of Jaish-e-Mohammad named Jamaat ul Furqan, began targeting the Pakistani state. They believed the Musharraf government had joined the infidel forces in ousting the Taliban and threating al Qaeda. They began a series of suicide attacks against the Pakistan military.
When Hakimullah Mehsood assumed command of the TTP, Pakistan’s sectarian killings became more frequent. Hakimullah had a long history of association with the ASWJ. Under him, the TTP began targeting any sect of Islam that these Deobandi militants considered to be “munafaqeen” (those who spread discord). Not only were Pakistan’s Shia under attack (in addition to Ahmedi and Pakistan’s religious minorities), so were Pakistan’s massive Sunni Sufi population, frequently referred to as Sunni Barelvis. The TTP began openly attacking Sufi shrines.
http://warontherocks.com/2014/05/whos-killing-pakistans-shia-and-why/
Daily Times, 24 May 2014
Religious politesse – by Mansoor Hussain
Just listening to the ‘qawwals’ (devotional singers) like the Sabri brothers or Aziz Mian, and later on most famously Nusrat Fateh, explains the point adequately about how singers and poets personalise their relationship with Allah, the Prophet (PBUH) and other Muslim figures like Hazrat Ali. Of course, those who oppose the ecstatic brand of Sufism, especially members of the Deobandi denominations, among the Muslims were not at all pleased by these ‘panegyrics’.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/opinion/24-May-2014/religious-politesse
Pak Tribune, 29 May 2014
Mehsuds part ways with Fazlullah’s TTP
Since Fazlullah’s elevation to the TTP chief after Hakeemullah Mehsud was killed in a drone strike last year ‘ideological differences’ were seen cropping up between the Panjpiri Deobandi and the mainstream Deobandi groups, a source close to the TTP told.
http://paktribune.com/news/Mehsuds-part-ways-with-Fazlullahs-TTP-269336.html
The Nation, 30 May 2014
Growing fissures within Taliban ranks – Tahir Ali
There are also some issues of sectarian beliefs. According to reports, late Mufti Waliur Rehman and his successor Commander Sajna are diehard followers of the Deobandi school of thought while militants loyal to the slain TTP head Hakimullah Mehsud and Maulana Fazlullah are under the influence of the Panj Pir school of thought – a sub-sect of Deobandis. Since long there was a sort of cold war between the mainstream Deobandi and Panj Pir Deobandi groups. Although Panj Pir is an offshoot of the main Deobandi school of thought, the followers of the former are more rigid than the main Deobandi when it comes to eradicate bidaat (innovation in religion) like ‘visiting shrines’ etc. Maulana Fazlullah and his deputy Sheikh Khalid Haqqani are loyal to the Panj Pir movement. Hence Maulana Fazlullah and his men need to clarify their position as to whether they are Deobandi or Panjpiri. Is there really any tussle between Panj Pir and Deoband?
http://www.nation.com.pk/islamabad/30-May-2014/growing-fissures-within-taliban-ranks
Pakistan Today, 31 May 2014
How Nawaz fared in India – Shahab Jafry
But talking to the Indians is never just as simple as talking to the Indians alone. Nawaz has a tough juggling act ahead of him. His constituency comprises two core groups, industrialists and religious right conservatives, especially the deobandi clergy and its adherents. And while the former are all for opening up to India, the latter groups is staunchly opposed. And there are concerns N might not have the hands to juggle the two.
“This is a very serious dilemma for Nawaz”, said Dr Rizvi. “Since both supporters and those who oppose this move comprise his own constituency, this may be the case of him posturing loudly but moving slowly”.
http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2014/05/31/comment/how-nawaz-fared-in-india/
ABNA, 31 May 2014
Anti-Shiite Mass murderer LeJ Chief Malik Ishaq acquitted by Anti-Terrorist Court
Terrorist Malik Ishaq is a Pakistani militant leader involved in sectarian violence against the Shia community in Pakistan. In 1996, Ishaq, along with terrorist Akram Lahori a.k.a. Muhammad Ajmal and terrorist Riaz Basra was a founder of the Deobandi Sunni militant organization Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.
http://www.abna.ir/english/service/centeral-asia-subcontinent/archive/2014/05/31/612486/story.html
Middle East Forum, 2 June 2014
Captive in Afghanistan: Bowe Bergdahl, Yvonne Ridley, and Me – by Phyllis Chesler
In any event, the book to read about The Taliban is Mark Silinsky’s The Taliban: Afghanistan’s Most Lethal Insurgents. Just published in 2014, it is the best, clearest, most factual, and least biased of the books I have read so far. It is also the most frightening, detailing their reign of “totalitarian” terror, included massacres, mini-genocides, a maliciousness beyond measure, very creatively sadistic tortures, and private “houses of horror.” Silinsky writes:
Beyond their malice, the Taliban were totalitarian. Bin Laden and the Arabs and other international fighters fused the Islamism of Qutb and Azzam with the Deobandi philosophy of the Afghan elites. All human activity was to be channeled towards replicating the time of their Prophet. In this spirit, music, dancing, kite flying, and chess playing were all banned.
http://www.meforum.org/3855/captive-in-afghanistan-bowe-bergdahl-yvonne
The News, 4 June 2014
Fighting extremism – Farooq Tariq
In Pakistan the main tool for the growth of Islamic religious fundamentalism is the madressah. According to conservative estimates, there are approximately 20,000 madressahs (USCIRF 2011). There are five main types, which are divided along sectarian and political lines: Deobandi, Barelvi, Shia, Ale-Hadith/Salafi (a minority sect which is close to Wahabism) and Jamaat-e-Islami. Eighty-two percent of those belonging to Deobandi madressahs view the Taliban as their model.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-9-253950-Fighting-extremism
Eurasia Review – 6 June 2014
Strategic challenges facing PM Modi – Bhaskar Roy
Although Sunnis and Shias have generally refrained from serious clashes in India, the growing Deobandi-Wahabi influence can destabilize the situation by the involvement of external forces. This will be a destructive development, encouraging Islamic terrorism which Pakistan will be sure to exploit.
http://www.eurasiareview.com/06062014-strategic-challenges-facing-prime-minister-modi-analysis/
http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2014/06/strategic-challenges-facing-prime.html
The Telegraph, 6 June 2014
While we turn a blind eye to Islamists, our children suffer – Charles Moore
Did it (Ofsted) investigate whether teachers recruited by some of these schools were members of hardline Deobandi mosques, or on the board of governors of other Muslim-dominated schools?
Andover, 9 June 2014
Schools to promote ‘British values’ – comment by Welshmen
Wahhabism/ Deobandi Radical Islam taught in schools, British Muslims have to remove this from their Religious Teachings to live in peace with the West….
Mohammedism and Islamic faith, or more correctly in this post-Ottoman world of British supported Saudi Arabian divide and rule Wahhabi dictatorship, today incorrectly referred to as Islam, but better known as Wahhabism, is a simple faith based solely on hate, greed and fear.
All people who live under the influence of Saudi Arabian Wahhabi teaching live a life of hate, they hate everything that is not Wahhabi. Music, dance and art are loathed, derided and belittled, even pre-1923 Muslim art, architecture and Sufi thinking is attacked.
Salafists (correctly translated as “ancestors”) are really modern romantics that hypocritically teach that they live as their ancestors did at the time of Mohammed, their knowledge of those days is inaccurate, warped and incorrect. They use this misconception, however, to live out their “hate”,they destroy, murder or rape anything they hate.
The ancient Muslim blood **** that defines the fundamental evil that is the Muslim corruption of Judaic thinking is manifest in “jihad” hate, killing for the sake of killing, being the Muslim living God of death, we have witness this in the beheading of Christians in Syria: hate fuelled blood ****, demonic, inspired by devil-worship.
Greed is the great motivator, Muslim sloth and greed knows no bounds, they want and use everything for their sole pleasure, Salafists of course use mobile phones, Kalashnikovs and cars just like Mohammed did, this proves of course, that Salafists are true ancestors. Salafists are hypocrites.
Hypocrisy is greed, they want everything just as all Muslims do, they want all the power, all the wealth and all government control because they **** after it, they will speak any lie to get it, lies are approved by Koranic teaching if it is for the glory of their God of hate and greed, mostly Muslims live in fear and their greatest passion is that everyone fears them.
Never under estimate Wahhabi/ Deobandi Muslims. they make Adolf Hitler’s Nazis look like Sunday School teachers, all our Westminster politicians seem to want Wahhabi Islam in the UK! there are hundreds of verses in the Koran that encourage believers to kill, hate, discriminate, exact revenge and torture women, “A book that promotes violence should not be circulating in a free and democratic society.
In the last 10 years, all terrorist attacks have been promoted by Islamic jihad as contained in the Koran, “Over 100 places in the Koran mention the phrases such as ‘go to war’ or ‘kill all the infidels until everyone is submitted to Allah., and the Koran requires Muslims to continue to fight jihad until it has captured the Western world, its freedoms and its religion at any cost.
Reproduction is the key to control of Islam, whether Sufi, Deobandi (Pakistani) or Saudi Arabian Wahhabism, their creed, is based on that of the bully: bullying by numbers,prison is useless, fines have no effect, political indoctrination is like a fleas’ bite compared to mind control Wahhabi style, stop them coming here and ban Wahhabism/ Deobandi Imams from our Country and encourage those all ready here to leave ASAP….before you all start with the name calling look for your selves, your either British or Muslim, you can be both only civilly, but to Muslims, Islam always comes first….not Country….
Dawn, 11 June 2014
With militants in disarray, is it time for action? – Ismail Khan
On the northern tip of this geographical divide is the entire lot of anti-government militant groups: Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (Bajaur), TTP (Mohmand), TTP (Swat), TTP (Orakzai) and TTP (FR Peshawar).
Ideologically, the so-called pro-peace groups have made an effort to move away from their more radical former brothers in faith to embrace a more near-encompassing approach, signalling their aversion to bombing of shrines and targeting of mashaikhs.
This is in sharp contrast to the militants in the northern flank of the tribal region who have been bombing shrines and targeting religious figures from other sects. The division, analysts say, is along the Punjpeeri and Deobandi schools of thought. The Deobandis are holding sway in the south, the Punjapeeris in the north.
In ideological terms, say the analysts, it is more akin to the raging debate between Al Qaeda and the Islamic state in Iraq and the Levant, each accusing the other of deviating from the principles of Jihad.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1111958/with-militants-in-disarray-is-it-time-for-action
Times of India, 11 June 2014
Deoband may block Centre’s ‘madrassa modernization’ – Mohammed Wajihuddin
Leading Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband may stonewall the Narendra Modi-led NDA government’s proposed plan to revamp madrassa education.
Deoband, which has been at the forefront of the countrywide campaign against madrassa modernization, has sought clarification on the Centre’s ‘National Madrassa Modernisation Programme’, which was referred to in President Pranab Mukherjee’s speech to Parliament
The Tablet, 13 June 2014
Political correctness is denying British Muslim children their freedom – Dr Jenny Taylo
Much of this is Deobandi Islam, which originated in Deoband in Uttar Pradesh where the Taliban imams trained. Another significant strand is Jamaat-i-Islami – whose UK manifesto leaked out in the 1980s – committed to “arresting integration” and to the ideal of “changing society into an Islamic society”. Much of it is Tablighi Jamaat – another Indian-origin sect who according to the progressive Muslim Institute disorientate, brainwash and bully their adherents into medieval garb and burqas and ban social contact with non-Muslims. Most mosques in the UK that are not Barelwi – a more moderate strain taught in almost half of Britain’s mosques – adhere to the latter’s training methods.
News Click 14 June 2014
Did We Learn Any Lesson from Karachi Airport Fiasco? – Fahm Zaman
But let us rewind to 6th November 2012. Rangers raided Ashraf ul Madaris (an outfit running a number of madrassas identified with Deobandi-Takfiri militants: Newsclick), less then a kilometer from ASF camp. According to the rumor mills, on an inside tip, Rangers came looking for a ‘high value militant’ of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from Swat visiting Maulana Hakim Akhtar. However, during the ensuing exchange of fire, and commotion, the militant slipped away.
Less then 36 hours later a powerful bomb ripped through the Rangers compound in North Nazimabad. Naeem Bokhari group of Lashkar-e-Jhungvi swiftly claimed responsibility for that attack. LeJ is known for its close contacts with Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, TTP and Al Qaeda; Ashraf ul Madaris alone has more the 22 establishments in Sindh.
Attackers of Karachi Airport may have been killed but the actual planners remain at large, possibly still functioning at Karachi Airport. May be we should ask ourselves, is it possible to abandon the notion of bad and good, when it comes to militants and their sympathizers?
http://newsclick.in/international/did-we-learn-any-lesson-karachi-airport-fiasco
And again as long as there is no one coming, release the handbrake.
Keep things moving, keep things changing, keep
changing yourself. Thhe episode ends with the clan sayinng grace praying for Sadie’s driving,
and John Luke and Emily’s purity.