Religious extremism & fundamentalism & radicalism Archive

An insight into Hizb ut-Tahrir’s theological and political agenda: Contributed by: Sajjad Hussain The Hizbu ut-Tahrir’s strategy can be divided into four stages: 1. Ideology 2. Development of a “rigid theological” personality 3. Progression toward a theo-political state 4. March towards the “whole earth” Ideology: The theme and

She embraced Islam, came to Pakistan, only to be killed by Taliban: Belinda Khan, 44, originally from Cardiff UK, was one of eight people killed when car bomb exploded in volatile Swat Valley Here is the story of a British woman (Amina Khan, previously Belinda Gardinal) who embraced Islam two years

Would the PPP workers in Rawalpindi vote for PML-N? – by Ahsan Abbas: سیاسی طالبعلم بمقابلہ سیاسی طالبان ضمنی انتخابات نے سیاسی ماحول کو ایک مرتبہ پھر گرما دِیا ہِے۔ راولپنڈی حلقہ ٥٥ کے ضمنی انتخاب کی مُہم جوئی کا کل آخری دِن تھا۔ پوٹوھار کی خلقِ خُدا جلد ہی اپنے ووٹ

Zaid Hamid’s conspiracy theories — by Ishtiaq Ahmed: Conspiracy theories and theorists Conspiracy theories and their authors become a cause for concern when they begin to hallucinate and can no longer distinguish between their own flights of imagination and the world around them. When they hijack a

A brief history of extremism in Pakistan – by Hassan Amin: Ever since the inception of Pakistan, Extremist Mullahs have always been vying to hijack the State. When I refer to the term ‘Extremist Mullahs’, I draw a line to separate, ‘Islamist Fanatics with a Political Agenda’ from the simple

Secularism vs Islamism – by Iqbal Akhund: In a recent TV debate on this subject, the applause meter would have given the win to Islamism. The debaters, three on each side, faced a small mixed audience — quite a few girls, many wearing hijabs, also young

Zaid Hamid’s Ghazwa-e-Hind Brigade – by Anas Abbas: According to Zion Hamid, Ghazwa-e-Hind is an event supposed to take place on August 14, 2012 at 4:40am in India. See the source: GHAZWA-E-HIND on facebook Please find below the Ghazwa-e- Hind Brigade. Commander Zaid with burger mujahedaas Here are

A new dawn – by Agha Haider Raza: Over the past few days – out-of-public viewing – Pakistan has witnessed a welcoming shift in policy. With the capture of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Mullah Abdul Salam, the trust deficit between the United States and Pakistan or

Pakistan’s Jinnah – by Ayesha Siddiqa: “Some devious elements are tinkering with Jinnah’s person and his narrative” Writes Ayesha Siddiqa in the following article. Some time ago, I had a chance to read veteran columnist Ardeshir Cowasjee’s article ‘Bring back Jinnah’s Pakistan’ in which he

Taliban and science – An interview with Pervez Amirali Hoodbhoy: “Islam and Science Have Parted Ways” Middle East Quarterly Winter 2010, pp. 69-74 Pervez Amirali Hoodbhoy (b. 1950) is one of South Asia’s leading nuclear physicists and perhaps Pakistan’s preeminent intellectual. Bearer of a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute

Dr Aafia’s appeal – By Rafia Zakaria: The explosive mix of appearing to be the obedient Muslim woman clad in burka and a would-be assassin defying the US make Dr Aafia Siddiqui irresistible as a heroine and an icon. But should such defiance be the only

Sexy Islamism – by Khawer Khan: Sexy Islamism |ˈseksē ˈisləˌmizəm; ˈiz-| |ˈseksē ˈɪsləˈmɪzəm| |ˈseksē ˈɪzləˈmɪzəm| noun Like conventional Islamism, Sexy Islamism is a political ideology that holds that Islam is not only a religion but also a political and economic system. In addition to this, Sexy Islamism is also a genre of

Islamists campaigning against Basant: (Photo taken from this excellent blog post) This year, like before, self-righteous individuals and organizations have taken it upon themselves to cleanse and purify Pakistani society of pernicious and Satanic influences of Western and Hindu culture. This movement has

The latest troika of Pakistan: judges, jihadis and generals – by Shoaib Mir: The question, “Why is Iftikhar Chaudhry destroying Pakistan?” is worryingly valid. A short answer could be because he’s not a politician, so the CJP is making a mess of mixing politics, which he doesn’t know, with his so-called constitutionalism.

The Speech of Mr Sri Chandra Chattopadhyay in Opposition to Objectives Resolution, Constitutent Assembly of Pakistan, 12 March 1949: This is a historic speech and a document that posterity will re-examine because of its ever increasing influence on the amalgamation of religion and politics in Pakistan. Seldom has one piece of legislation caused so much trepidation. Here is

Urban middle-class activists of Pakistan: A herd of sheep? – by Nadeem F. Paracha: A herd of sheep? Nadeem F. Paracha Sunday, 14 Feb, 2010 What we have at hand as urban middle-class ‘activists’ are actually figurative sheep: NFP. There have been three major occasions when the Pakistani middle-class has broken away from

Zaid Hamid and strategic depth — by Farhat Taj: FATA continues to be used and abused as a strategic space by the security establishment of Pakistan in violent pursuit of strategic depth in Afghanistan. In short, strategic depth means Pakistan must have a pro-Pakistan government in Afghanistan by

Pakistani Taliban apologists – by Gulmina Bilal Ahmad: It is baffling to note how anyone can support and justify the TTP while at the same time proclaim to be champions of democracy, rule of law, equality before the law and most of all justice. Or do they

From Maududi to Aafia – by Nadeem F. Paracha: She’s being called the “daughter of the nation” who needs to be rescued from the fanged jaws of the Americans. Her name is Dr. Aafia Siddiqui. Pakistani TV channels and drawing-rooms are buzzing with talk of this gallant woman

Deoband and Terrorism: The Ulema, Deoband and the (Many) Talibans By : S Akbar Zaidi Historical scholarship tends to see a continuity in the Ulema of south Asia – from the Deoband seminary in the 19th century down to the Taliban of

The Rise of Religious Fundamentalism in Pakistan – by Hamza Alvi: Thanks: Hamza Alavi Internet Archive Religious fundamentalism has become a powerful and dangerous force in Pakistan, due mainly to the opportunism of successive political leadership that has pandered to it. Militant sectarian religious groups and parties, led by half-educated

The myth of Ghazwa-tul-Hind – by Ale Natiq: Ghazwa-tul-Hind: Pakistani flag hoisted at Red Fort, Delhi, India. This image was created and circulated by the Brasstacks.biz (ISI mouth-piece Zaid Hamid’s organization) team. Religion has quite frequently been used as an excuse for military motives. Talking specifically about

Secularism does not mean atheism or la-deeniat: Here are two excellent articles on this topic. The first one has been written by Anand Krishan in Indonesian context, and the second one by Munno Bhai in Pakistani context. Promoting faith-based secularism Anand Krishna Jakarta – 01/18/2010 When

At Afghan women’s cost – by Sahar Saba: The US attempts to broker a deal with the Taliban have neither surprised nor upset Afghan women. The Afghan woman is not like naive liberals across the world who are deeply frustrated over this US betrayal. The liberals had

This is what young Pakistanis are learning: Activists of the JuD hold aloft weapons during an anti-India protest rally in Lahore on Friday

Meena’s life among the Taliban: Bombs and beatings: Life among the Taliban In Pakistan an account of life with the Taliban has emerged from a 13-year-old girl called Meena, who says her own family tried to turn her into a suicide bomber. Meena told

A brief, and incomplete, historical context to Zaid Hamidism – by Khawer A. Khan: First published on Khawer’s blog Here are some important events that we need to use to understand Hamidism. This is a work in progress. Im sharing it for feedback. 1903: “Protocols of the Elders of Zion”, a known forgery,

What is it to be a ‘true’ Pakistani? — by Zaair Hussain: The new Pakistani In a country where a Senator has stood before the House and declared, with a gall that must surely have blotted out the sun, that the respectable tradition of burying women alive should not be unduly

Amendments for a secular constitution — by Babar Ayaz: Many analysts and rightist politicians scoff at the idea of a secular state. They have failed to understand that mixing of religion with politics has brought us today to the most violent juncture of our history. It gives enough

Mesmerization of Pakistani politics – by Agha Haider Raza: Politics in Pakistan mesmerize me. Not only does one enjoy the daily dose of rhetoric that is spewed from the mouths of our beloved politicians, but the one track mind of those in and out of government baffles the mind.

List of Taliban’s atrocities and crimes in Afghanistan: Those who insist on distinction between the TTP and Afghan Taliban should (be forced to) read this: LUBP Editor’s note: Lately, apologists of the Takfiri Deobandi Taliban (i.e., members and supporters of PTI, Jamaat-e-Islami, PML-N, Sipah-e-Sahaba (ASWJ-LeJ), JUI-F, JUI-S,

Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Islam and non-violence — by Ishtiaq Ahmed: Abdul Ghaffar Khan was a man of peace. He approached Islam in the hope of finding a complementary message to Gandhi’s interpretation of Hinduism as Ram Raj and ahimsa (non-violence) and he found it

Making sense of the distorted history of Muslims in India – by Nadeem Paracha: “Why do many Pakistanis spend more time celebrating Islamic history of regions outside India (especially Arabian), the ummah, and seem to show more concern in what is happening to their brethren in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan and Kashmir.” Writes Nadeem

The Roots of Articles 62 & 63: Extracts from Husain Haqqani’s Article Islamist Parties and Democracy Source: Journal of Democracy, July 2008, Volume 19, Number 3 More substantively, however, the potential or actual force of the Islamist legacy is bound up with the question of the

Asma Jahangir vs Justice Ramday – by Khalid Wasti: ذہنی عدم بلوغت اور منافقت ۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔ افسوس کہ من حیث القوم ہم ابھی تک بالغ نظر کہلانے کے حقدار نہیں ہیں ۔ ہماری ذہنی سطح اس حد سے اوپر تو اٹھ ہی نہیں رہی کہ جو شخص سپریم کورٹ

The La La Land Internal Jihad Movement of Pakistan – by Nadeem Paracha: The La La Land Internal Jihad Movement of Pakistan (also called LLIMP) is a hybrid vegetable/fruit that is becoming popular among middle-class health food fanatics. The medical benefits of LLIMP have been known since ancient times. The Neanderthals are

Situation of Minorities in Pakistan – by Junaid Qaiser: After the tragic events of 9/11, Pakistani establishment finally had to set aside its traditional ideological hangovers, and instead raised a different slogan, “Pakistan First”. It was a matter of coercion or choice one can’t say with a degree

Anti-women Islamofascist mullahs win again!: Senate defers bill on women’s rights at workplace Wednesday, January 20, 2010 By Muhammad Anis ISLAMABAD: The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2009, which was moved in the Senate on Tuesday, was deferred as senators from Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and the

Khuda zameen se gaya nahin – A must watch: I know I am very late. Wanted to write this post for quite some time but was distracted by other urgent and non-urgent businesses. Yet, it is never too late. Here is my recommendation for a must watch TV

Amb. Haqqani – Lobbying for “Transformation” – by Anas Muhammad: On January 15, 2009, Ambassador Husain Haqqani, was a special guest to a gathering at the Nixon Center, which discussed the US-Paksitan relations. This is one of the many forums Honorable Ambassador has addressed, since being appointed at his