Radical Islamism & Jihad Monday, 17 May 2010 Mawdudi: The Godfather of Islamism and Jihadism In his book Al-Jihad fil-Islam (Jihad in Islam) he (Maulana Mawdudi) explains his interpretation of Jihad: "It must now be obvious that the objective of the "Islamic jihad" is to eliminate the rule of an un-Islamic system, and establish in its place an Islamic system of state rule. Islam does not intend to confine his rule to a single state or a handful of countries. The aim of Islam is to bring about a universal revolution. Although in the initial stages, it is incumbent upon members of the party of Islam to carry out a revolution in the state system of the countries to which they belong; their ultimate objective is none other than world revolution. (Jihad Fi Sabillilah: Jihad in Islam by Sayyid Abul Ala Mawdudi "– Chapter 3, Pg 10) In another book he says: Human relations are so integrated that no state can have complete freedom of action under its principles unless the same principles are not in force in a neighbouring country. Therefore, a, 'Muslim Party' will not be content with the establishment of Islam in just one area alone –both for its own safety and for general reform. It should try and expand in all directions. On one hand it will spread its ideology; on the other it will invite people of all nations to accept its creed, for salvation lies only therein. If this Islamic state has power and resources it will fight and destroy non-Islamic governments and establish Islamic states in their place. (Maulana Mawdudi, Haqiqat-i-Jihad, Pg 64, Taj Company Ltd, Lahore, Pakistan 1964) -- Raziq 11 Comments More... Islam and Politics Jinnah's Pakistan is dead, but has it also been buried forever? The Objectives Resolution, legislation which would never have been permitted by the founder of this country, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, came into being in March 1949, a mere six months after his death when his loyal lieutenants succumbed to the pressures of the religious right which sought to impose its will on a country, the formation of which it had either opposed or stood by silently while the Muslim League struggled. It negated all that Jinnah had stood for, if we are to take as our guideline his famed address to the constituent assembly of Aug 11, 1947, when he declared that faith, caste or creed were to be put aside and all were to be equal citizens of one country, and, most importantly, that religion was not the business of the state. The most ominous words spoken that March day when the resolution was passed by the constituent assembly were spoken by Hindu citizen of Pakistan, Sri Chattopadhyay, who represented 25 per cent of the then East Pakistan population. "I do not consider myself as a member of the minority community. I consider myself as one of seven crores of Pakistanis. Let me retain that privilege. I sadly remind myself of the great words of the Quaid-i-Azam that in state affairs the Hindu will cease to be a Hindu; the Muslim shall cease to be a Muslim. But alas, so soon after his demise what you do is that you virtually declare a state religion." ... Those who followed either exhibited little will to stem the rot or were hand in glove with the forces of darkness, the enemies of tolerance. Jinnah's Pakistan has virtually ceased to exist, but there are still some who hope it has not yet been interred for ever. -- Ardeshir Cowasjee More... Islamic Ideology Zakat Board and Muslim Economic and Educational Problems When it comes to mobilizing internal resources, it is necessary to point out one significant difference between Dalits and Muslims. Dalits have hardly much internal resource to mobilize. They have been underdogs right from the beginning of history. Even then Ambedkar, from pre-independence days, worked hard to establish some educational institutions to educate them so that they could benefit from reservations in government jobs. Thus Ambedkar did it single handedly for lack of other leaders. The Muslim situation has been very different in a way. All Muslims were never underdogs. Various Muslim dynasties ruled over India for more than 800 years and created a feudal class with considerable land holdings. These dynastic rulers as well as the feudal class (Zamindars) donated from their resources and created Wakf properties which, in terms of today's ruling prices, are huge running into thousands of crores. – Asghar Ali Engineer More... Current affairs Towards Reducing Trust Deficit Of late, Pakistan has whipped up domestic sentiment against India on the water issue. It will certainly bring it up in any dialogue with us. Here, it is important to acknowledge that Mr. Qureshi has publicly admitted that the water woes of Pakistan are a consequence of its own mismanagement of its resources and that India is not to blame. If Pakistan has specific complaints, it should be encouraged to raise them within the framework of the Indus Waters Treaty. However irrational, Pakistanis are not suicidal; they know that the IWT is much more generous to them than to India and they would not want to renegotiate it. The people of India are not against talking to Pakistan. Indeed, nearly all political parties support dialogue. What they do not favour is India going into the talks with its eyes shut. What they do not approve of is profession of good neighbourliness unaccompanied by matching action, and repetition of the usual mantras of not allowing Pakistan's territory for terrorism against India. They are also not convinced that asking for American intervention is the right or dignified thing to do; it gives an image of an India that is not self-confident. -- Chinmaya R. Gharekhan More... Islamic World News Taipei: Muslim migrant workers from Indonesia demand religious rights India: 'Government's work answer to fatwas', says Minister ISI cell in NWFP targeting Indians in Kabul Private US spy network still on in Pakistan, Afghanistan: Report Deoband mufti fears fatwa trap Insurance law does not exempt Muslims India: Home Ministry Steps In To Aid Offloaded Cleric   Compensate the cleric: editorial in Mail Today Celebrity in Valley, UPSC topper to get 24x7 security Indian Penal code embodies tenets of Islam, Hinduism: Gujarat HC First Muslim woman British minister accused of betraying her religion Pakistanis want British MP to remove terror stigma Manhattan madness and Muslims Darfur clash kills 57 officers, rebels: police At least 30 militants dead in Afghanistan, NATO raids Pro-Taliban militants kidnap 60 in Pak Karachi safe haven of Taliban US spy ring at work in Pakistan, Afghanistan Maldives offers relocation to two Guantanamo men Brazil's President Lula in Iran for key nuclear talks Saudi women's rights groups hail photo Spanish judge who indicted bin Laden suspended Write 'Meri Jaati Hindustani' in 2011 caste based census For Car Bomb Suspect, a Long Path to Times Square Pak aware 'terrorism not helping anyone': Afghan official Meet the 'rock'n'roll jihadist'! Egyptian Christians claim author defamed religion Turki Al-Faisal calls on Obama to push for Middle East settlement New school tries to revive music in Afghanistan Fifteen suspected militants killed in Orakzai Rape victim confesses to killing baby Women empowerment powerful instrument against discrimination Couple sell daughter to save son's life France's Kouchner denies Iran 'spy-deal' Sudan military occupies Darfur rebel stronghold Compiled by Asit Kumar Photo: Protest by Indonesian worker against forcing three Muslim workers from Indonesia to eat pork More... The War within Islam An Open Letter To The Fatwa-Mongers of Deoband From A Muslim Lady I sometimes wonder how religious scholars from other communities, such as Hindus Christians, Buddhists, and Sikhs, interact with the common folk among their co-religionists. Frankly, sometimes I really envy them. Non-Muslim women can freely ask questions to their priests, gurus and so on and discuss religious matters with them. I simply cannot, for the life of me, fathom why Muslim women cannot have a healthy and positive dialogue with the ulema. Is it because of some deep-rooted fear on both sides? Is it because of a totally unwarranted hierarchy that seems to prevail between the ulema and the common folk, paralleling that between medieval kings and their subjects? I don't need to explain who the 'kings' and the 'subjects' here are, for surely you will understand.  During my travels, if I do happen to visit an Islamic seminary I would be delighted to meet you and discuss all these issues. I promise to come properly dressed, and along with my mahram (my husband) Inshallah. But, for heaven's sake, don't whisk me off into the women's quarters or banish me to a corner. And please do not claim that my voice, too, must be 'veiled'—which is what some of you insist in the fatwas you have issued. I have experienced that enough, and, quite frankly, am not willing to take it any longer. My dialogue is with you. I am your sister after all, and when I die I know that for my maghfirat duas will be held in your madrasas for the peace of my soul. Till I live, please allow me to let my soul to talk freely with yours. -- Nigar Ataulla 3 Comments More... Islamic Ideology Tablighi Jama'at creates fertile ground for Islamist movements to take root This paper seeks to argue that contrary to what TJ leaders and activists insist, the movement does indeed have a political vision, and is, through the various political roles that it plays, deeply engaged in questions of power, legitimacy and authority which are the very stuff of politics. While it is true that the movement's immediate focus has been on the reform of the individual rather than the capture of state power, this does not mean that the TJ has nothing at all to do with politics, for this is to take a very narrow and restrictive view of the political. If we shift our attention from the affairs of the state alone and see politics in more comprehensive terms, as the dynamics of power in society as a whole, the notion that anything can be apolitical in a political world strikes one as simply absurd. As Imtiaz Ahmad notes of the TJ, 'Even staying aloof from party politics or even such personal acts as growing a beard or donning a veil are themselves powerful political acts, political statements that have their own political implications' And, as Mumtaz Ahmad remarks, individual choices to remain aloof from direct involvement in party politics, when added together, have their own share of political consequences because, 'For religion and for politics, whether the original choice is neutrality or activism the result is equally political'. In this sense, then, the TJ can hardly be said to be apolitical at all. As this paper argues, individuals associated with the TJ have been playing major political roles in various contexts. Further, the movement's activities have their own share of broader political implications, which have not received the critical attention by writers on the movement which they deserve. In other words, the TJ does indeed have a long-term political vision of its own, which must be seen as distinct from its immediate objective of the reform of individual believers, exhorting them to become 'true' Muslims and strictly abide by the commandments of Islam in their personal lives. -- Yoginder Sikand 2 Comments More... Islamic World News Javed Akhtar gets death threat for criticising Deoband fatwa against working women Opting for insurance un-Islamic: Darul Uloom Deoband Stop frequent fatwas: Clerics to Deoband Muslim bodies plan campaign against fatwa 25 killed in double bomb attack at football match in Iraq Iranian Activist Wins Award for Advancing Liberty 'A cop said my beard got me here     Filmmakers in Indonesia Share Women's Stories about Life under Islamic Law Indonesian militants 'planned to kill Barack Obama' Delhi serial blasts: Chargesheet filed against 2 suspects Militants regrouping in PoK to cross over to India Anti-Islamic sentiments surface in wake of restrictions on veils Burqa debate stokes passion in N. Africa French Burqa ban could face legal challenge Same-gotra marriage legal, court had ruled 65 years ago Sohrabuddin case: Fearing for life, Prajapati wrote thrice to judge LeTs Gulf network far wider: Intel agencies Campaign against Eid diktat Digvijay blasts Hindutva hardliners LeT's Gulf arm funded 26/11, Bangalore blasts? This woman wages a lone battle against khaps Next big terrorist attack on US will be postmarked 'Pakistan': CIA analyst Spanish judge who indicted Osama, Pinochet suspended Shahzad used hawala system to fund terror plot 3 Pakistanis held in US for giving money to Shahzad Pak woman to marry fiancé on death row Days before Mecca Masjid anniversary, masked bikers fire at Hyderabad picket, kill constable Pakistani Taliban a terrorist organisation: Holder Progress made on Iran sanctions: US Qaeda Vows Blood-Soaked Days Ahead Pak detainee admits he aided NY bomber Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan says 'America will burn' Sri Lanka seeks increase in Haj pilgrim quota Israeli Soldiers Continue To Use Children As Human Shields Keep `outsiders' out of J&K census: Separatists           Compiled by Asit Kumar Photo: Lyricist and Rajya Sabha member Javed Akhtar 1 Comments More... Radical Islamism & Jihad Faisal, Pak and Islamist Rage The Pakistani state and its ruling elites are unfortunately anchored in "political" and " ideological" Islam from the day the Objectives Resolution was constitutionalised in the 1980s. This state has been characterised by a civil- military imbalance that has fed upon the country by spawning non- state Islamic " warriors". These monsters have now turned upon their creators. But the state doesn't know if it is a Pakistani state (a national concept) or an Islamic state (a global concept) and how to deal with them. This identity confusion and global rage has bottled up in the minds and breasts of at least three generations of young brainwashed Pakistanis regardless of class. That is why, all other things being equal, a young Pakistani at home or abroad is more likely to be seduced by " global Islamist" outrage against imperialist and " state- terrorist" America than a young Muslim originating from India or Africa or South East Asia.--Najam Sethi 1 Comments More... Current affairs Daunting task ahead for Krishna, Qureshi Bridging the trust deficit — the task handed down to Foreign Ministers S.M. Krishna and S.M. Qureshi by their Prime Ministers is indeed a daunting if not an impossible one... Interestingly the groups they are fighting today were once equally divided. Broadly put, these groups can be categorised as the Taliban (Afghan and Pakistani, including TTP — Tehrik e-Taliban-Pakistan), the Punjabi Taliban (comprising the Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Jhangavi and the Sipah-i-Sahiba) and the Kashmiri Jihadis (Hizbul Mujahideen, Harkat-ul Ansar, etc.). In the past decades they have differed on ideology (Deobandi vs. Ahl-e-Hadith), and on targets (anti-India vs. anti-U.S. vs. anti-Shi'a). But today, each of them has found ways of linking to each other and up to the larger Sala'fi grid of Al-Qaeda — in terms of training, funding and logistics. Yet the U.S. continues to focus on the Taliban, India on the Kashmiri groups and the LeT, while Pakistan, a state that was the puppet master to these groups is finding itself strangled by the very strings it once wielded — fighting the Pakistani Taliban, but not the Afghan Taliban, and refusing to act in a concerted manner against the Punjabi Taliban... Unless New Delhi and Islamabad are able to find some common ground on terror, their trust deficit cannot be overcome. In the larger context, they along with Washington will each be left holding two sides of a terror triangle; missing pieces of the deadly puzzle that holds all our futures hostage. -- Suhasini Haidar More... Debate Living Together Separately: Ghettoization Of Indian Muslims It is common knowledge that during the last two decades, Muslim families have faced enormous difficulties in renting houses and flats in developed residential areas, which are obviously Hindu-dominated areas, as Hindu landlords tend to shun Muslim tenants even if they belong to the same social class and enjoy equal or better footing in society. In Bombay, for instance, a large majority of housing societies openly refuse membership to Muslims. In other cities, too, it is difficult for a Muslim to get an apartment in a housing society. Landlords and housing societies may not openly say no to Muslims but adopt various subterfuges. If a well-known Muslim cine artist in Bombay finds it difficult to rent a house from a Hindu landlord, the plight of the common Muslim as well as the gravity of the situation can be estimated. --Ather Farouqui 2 Comments More... Islamic Ideology Wrongs From The "Right" Bukhari The Hadith Collection by "Imam" Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Ismail Bukhari is considered by Mullahs and their blind followers as the most authentic book on earth after the Quran. Let's examine it. .... Please know that an outstanding scholar of Islam, Ubaidullah Sindhi concedes, "I cannot teach Bukhari Hadith to any youngster, or to a non-Muslim because of shame." (Preface to his Tafseer, Ilham-ur-Rahman). Let's explore why he said this … The Messenger (S) used to visit all nine of his wives every night. [Vol 3 Pg 52 Book of Nikah, #34].  On the other hand, Bukhari repeatedly narrates that the Prophet used to stand at prayers all night, so much so that his feet used to swell.  The Messenger (S) used to have intercourse with all of his wives in one hour of the day and night (without taking a bath) and these (wives) were eleven. The narrator tries to pre-empt an objection by stating that he had the (sexual) power of 30 men. [Vol 1 Pg 189, Book of Bath #266]. The Mullah mind has so terribly affected our masses that even derogatory statements such as this become praiseworthy. The exalted Prophet was a perfect guide to humanity. He was not a man of unbridled desire. The women who lived in his household were primarily there for shelter. Only a contemptuous mind can perceive the Mothers of Believers as objects of pleasure for the Prophet. Bukhari highlights the above Hadith by putting a special heading:  "To have sex with many women with only one bath.." That stifles any apologetic defences of this Hadith by the Mullahs. The Prophet said that the best man amongst his followers is the one who has the greatest number of wives. [Vol 3:52 Book of Nikah #62]. Many Mullahs offer an apology here that the Prophet (S) is referring to himself. Well, that only compounds the insult. There have been 'Muslim' kings who had harems of hundreds of women. The Quran (49:13) tells us that the best person is the one who is best in conduct. ... Ayesha said to the Prophet, "Won't you rather graze your camel onto a tree whose leaves have not yet been grazed?" 'Arwa bin Zubair said that Ayesha meant she was the only virgin the Prophet had married. [Vol 3 Book of Nikah Pg 55 #71] The Prophet disapproved of his companion Jabir's plan to marry a widow and asked, "Why did you not marry a virgin so that you played with her and she played with you?" [Same Volume, same page]. The Prophet (S) was extremely compassionate to widows and divorced women.  --- Dr. Shabbir Ahmed 12 Comments More... The War within Islam Palestine: The Perilous Strife Within For the first time in the six-decade-long resistance to Israeli occupation, the Palestinians are no longer sure who the enemy is. Adding to the confusion are the Jihadi Salafis. The Hamas has brutally put down attempts by the Jihadi Salafi groups in Gaza to challenge its rule and lead the resistance into unchartered territory. But the larger implications of a possible descent into al-Qaeda style, uncontrollable violence does not bode well for the resistance. The fight against Israel and the demand for an independent Palestinian nation have supporters around the world. If the resistance falls into the hands of groups deriving inspiration from al-Qaeda, this support is likely to evaporate. And with that, the isolation of the Palestinians will be complete. -- K.S. Dakshina Murthy 2 Comments More... Muslims and Islamophobia Growing Islamophobia: Do We Muslims Too Owe Some Responsibility? And What Can We Do About It? Editor, NewAgeIslam.com, Sultan Shahin's oral statement to the current Thirteenth session of UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 16 March, 2010: I would like to confine myself to reflecting on the problems of religious minorities, particularly Muslim minorities who are facing xenophobia and related forms of intolerance today in an atmosphere of widespread Islamophobia. We Muslims are also complaining of an attempt to encourage Islamophobia. The French ban on veils and Swiss ban on minarets has further vitiated the atmosphere. We do not know for sure how much of this is deliberate as a sort of anti-Islam crusade as we Muslims allege and how much is a paranoid reaction to growing radicalism, extremism and exclusivism in Islamic societies. But I find a note of introspection on the part of us Muslims and Muslim governments completely missing in the continuing debate. I intend to do precisely that today. While we Muslims demand, and rightly so, the freedom to freely practise and propagate our religion in the non-Muslim majority countries, we do not seem to worry about the plight of religious minorities living in Muslim-majority lands. Contribution of Petrodollar Islam That Muslim societies in general have radicalised over the last decades cannot be denied. This has been a direct result of tens of billions of petrodollars having been spent in promoting a rigid, obscurantist, desiccated version of Islam, shorn of all its beauty and bounty. Preachers of what I can only call "petrodollar Islam" have gone around the world asking Muslims to develop a separate identity that distinguishes them not only in the practice of Islamic prayer rituals but also looks and apparel. The phenomenal rise in Muslim women wearing hijab and an assortment of veils or men growing what is called an Islamic beard is no accident. Discrimination against religious minorities in Muslim-majority countries has grown. Anti-blasphemy laws, for instance, have been routinely used to harass and commit acts of violence against religious minorities. The Report of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Asma Jahangir, mentioned the case of Christians and the minority Muslim sect of Ahmadis who are continually harassed on baseless allegations of blasphemy in Pakistan despite the government's stated commitment to fulfil its international obligations. -- Sultan Shahin 117 Comments More... Interfaith Dialogue Aarti after azaan "Puja and namaz go side by side in our homes,'' says Chand Bhai. "You may say we are both Hindu and Muslim." The pradhan of Kharkheri, he says that while he and his wife solemnized their wedding after saat pheras around the holy fire, daughter Shakina had a nikaah. "The matter of faith is left to individuals,'' quips Nainu Khan, a retired soldier. "Whether one goes to the mosque or visits the temple is his or her decision. Most of us can recite the aayats of Koran as fluently as the Hanuman Chalisa. We celebrate Holi and Diwali as fervently as we observe Ramzan and Eid.'' Interestingly, no one knows how this came to be, or when. These practices, they say, have been followed by their ancestors down the ages and they intend to keep them alive. There are just three rituals of Islam that the Cheeta-Meharats have to compulsorily follow - sunnat (circumcision), dafan (burial) and eating halal meat. "These practices are a must for all members of the community, the rest is left to individual discretion," says Rustam Cheeta, a representative of the Cheeta-Meharat Mahasabha. -- Akhilesh Kumar Singh Photo: TOGETHER IN PRAYER: Puja or namaaz, the choice is left to the individual More... Letters to the Editor Mr. Sultan Shahin, Please Shut Down Your Dirty Website, Grow A Beard And Join A Madrasa Mr. Sultan Shahin,   If you are a Muslim, then Assalamu Alaikum,   I am double Post graduate of Science and MBA from Maharashtra. Recently I read about you and your website in a local newspaper. I am ashamed about myself that I visited your website. It's very sad that to please someone you say that some verses of Quran were meant only for the time of the Prophet and are not meant for today (May Allah forgive me). Are you real Muslim or some anti-Muslim forces are supporting you to misguide others? You also please non-Muslims by saying that these people will also enter into Allah's Heaven. Here only I came to know your level. Please shut down your web site and join any madrasa to learn Islam. And keep Beard on your face if you are Muslim, because it is Practice (Sunnat) of my Prophet Muhammad Swallallahu alaihi wa sallam. Please Do Not Misguide Real Muslims by your dirty Website................. Irfan Ahmad 21 Comments More...

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Asadullah Syed