Taliban under fire from Pakistan’s faithful

[Spring Onion]

Taliban under fire from Pakistan’s faithful
Sunday, 15 Nov, 2009


RAIWIND: Inayatullah Khan sits on a dusty rug and prepares to pray at Pakistan's biggest religious gathering of 400,000 Muslims, cursing the Taliban for their ‘unholy crusade’ against humanity.

Khan travelled all the way from the tribal region of South Waziristan to take part in the four-day event, one of the world's largest Islamic meetings, in Raiwind on the outskirts of Pakistan's cultural capital Lahore.

A resident of Kanigurram, a former Taliban hub that the military says it has captured during its ongoing five-week offensive in the northwest, Khan, 50, accused the Taliban of straying from the path of God and butchering Muslims.

‘They call those who refuse to follow their brand of Islam infidels, not knowing they are inviting the wrath of Allah the almighty by killing Muslims, which I call an unholy crusade,’ Khan said.

A Muslim whose faith is important enough to make an arduous three-day journey and sleep in a tent for four days, Khan invited the Taliban ‘to join us in spreading Islam's eternal message of love, affection and peace.’

The Tablighi Ijtema is an annual feature, founded by religious scholars more than five decades ago and focused exclusively on preaching Islam.

The Thursday-Sunday gathering in Raiwind, near the estate of opposition leader Nawaz Sharif, is being held under tight security due to the campaign of attacks that have swept the country killing more than 2,500 people in two years.

Contingents of police guard the single-carriage road, lined by eucalyptus trees, that links Raiwind with downtown Lahore.

Spread over 150 acres of land with a huge parking space made available for thousands of buses and vehicles, the venue looks like a big tented village where pilgrims sleep, say prayers and eat together.

‘Despite having to sleep under tents in cold and inhospitable weather, there is no let-up in our resolve to make this country a cradle of peace, a country free of suicide attacks and explosions,’ Khan said.

Hundreds of camps and sub-camps set up on the dusty ground accommodate people from cities across Pakistan.

Stalls sell cooked food, raw chicken and meat, vegetables and fruit, even electrical appliances and batteries for mobile phones at a subsidised rate.
A mixture of aromatic Pakistani dishes ranging from as little as 10 to 20 rupees gives the religious gathering a festival feel.

Faced with near-daily attacks, concentrated most heavily in the northwest, many mourn the mounting civilian toll from bombings, often targeting market places, but lace their comments with pervasive anti-American fears.

‘Our hearts bleed for the hundreds of innocent people who have lost their lives... and our security officials who are being killed by the Taliban,’ said Mohammad Farooq, from northwest town Tank, where some of the tens of thousands displaced by fighting in South Waziristan have sought shelter.

‘The Taliban are enemies of Islam and humanity[/QUOTE] and advance only an American and Indian agenda -- to destabilise Pakistan,’ said Farhan Hamad Khan, who had come from Dera Ismail Khan, where many other refugees are also living.

When the prayer leader gave the call to prayer, people rushed towards hundreds of temporary washrooms to make their ablutions.

As Mohammad Azhar, an Islamabad-based chartered accountant waited his turn, he remembered how Pakistan's ‘icon of democracy,’ former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated in a gun and suicide attack in 2007.

‘Her killers still roam around scot-free,’ said the bearded Azhar. ‘No religion, including Islam, allows the killing of humans.’

‘We need to hold gatherings like this one and inculcate in our people a true spirit of Islam, which is a code of life for all of us and not the kind of Islam that Taliban want to introduce.’The prayer leader in his Friday sermon addressed the same issue.

‘A stern punishment awaits all those who refuse to follow commandments of Allah the almighty,’ he said into a pin-drop silence among the avid masses.

DAWN.COM | Pakistan | Taliban under fire from Pakistan?s faithful

 

[waraich66]

Riawind gathering is third largest gathering of muslim all over world after Haj and Tungi TJ Ijtema Bangladesh, for better management Tableegi Ijtama divided into two phases, total gathering is more then 1 million .

TJ is working from last 79 years all over the world , their prime objective is to provide oppurtunity for muslims to learn , practice and deliver six fundamentals of islam Qalma,Namaz,Ilim/Zakir,Ikram - e -muslim,Dawat Tableeg.

 

[EjazR]

Well its important to reiterate that most of the quotes highlighted here are basically the common people saying it, not from the scholars actually making speeches. Still they will go a long way in de-legitimizing extremists groups and promoting the importance of self improvement
It is well known that they never make direct political statements let alone in such big gatherings.

 

[nightrider_saulat]

but why only deobandis follows talighi ijtimah(religious gathering) why not barelvis too
i think only deobandis can bring these taliban back on their islamic track....thy must be tell that they are actually killing their own muslim brothers and sisters
instead of killing american crusaders

 

[Aslan]

Well its important to reiterate that most of the quotes highlighted here are basically the common people saying it, not from the scholars actually making speeches. Still they will go a long way in de-legitimizing extremists groups and promoting the importance of self improvement
It is well known that they never make direct political statements let alone in such big gatherings.

And it is the common man who has changed the course of history and not the politicians and the religious leaders. If the common man is tired of these freaks, no matter how much the mula tries they are not going to force any thing.
And of course your point that this will go a long way to de-legitimize the freaks.

 

[EjazR]

^^^Its not deobandi specific and thats a misconception. Mazhab and masaail discussion are kept away just like any political discussions and are virtually "banned" so to speak. As Fundamentalist mentioned, the main topics revolve around non-controversial issues and target personal improvement.

Its basically an open group where any Muslim can become a part and I personally know of Barelwis who initially were skeptical but once they came to these gatherings found nothing objectionable.

 

[Comet]

but why only deobandis follows talighi ijtimah(religious gathering) why not barelvis too
i think only deobandis can bring these taliban back on their islamic track....thy must be tell that they are actually killing their own muslim brothers and sisters
instead of killing american crusaders

I think barelvis have there own gathering. Different from this one. No doubt this one is the biggest and can bring change!

 

[EjazR]

And it is the common man who has changed the course of history and not the politicians and the religious leaders. If the common man is tired of these freaks, no matter how much the mula tries they are not going to force any thing.
And of course your point that this will go a long way to de-legitimize the freaks.

I think you missed what I was saying. In private capacities, many of these ulema have expressed dis-satisfaction and been against the Taliban style govt. in Afghanistan even back in the 90s for their extremist stance on things. But when it comes to these public gatherings politics are a no no although they may generally talk about extremism and the situation at hand.

 

[DaRk WaVe]

^^^^^
For Example Nawaz Sharif, JuI(F) & Qazi Hussain

I ve not seen Ganja condemning even a single attack, He's always interested in Constitutional package, Democrazy, Sugar Mills, 58-2B & 17th amendment, Moron Hypocrite

 

[Spring Onion]

I think you missed what I was saying. In private capacities, many of these ulema have expressed dis-satisfaction and been against the Taliban style govt. in Afghanistan even back in the 90s for their extremist stance on things. But when it comes to these public gatherings politics are a no no although they may generally talk about extremism and the situation at hand.

Ejaz i think and have noticed that common man was driven by these TTP kinds of terrorists in the name of more religion more than the speeches or stance of these scholars.

hence the encouraging thing which has happend is that now common man in Pakistan hates these terrorists and hates their agenda of using the name of religion. And thats what i am soooo happy about it and i feel we are going to be successful in the long run.

 

[EjazR]

agreed Jana, the problem is the use of Islam and religion for political purposes and translating that into extreme religious nationalism. This has to be eradicated and its common and can happen to any religion or ethnic group.

 

[Spring Onion]

agreed Jana, the problem is the use of Islam and religion for political purposes and translating that into extreme religious nationalism. This has to be eradicated and its common and can happen to any religion or ethnic group.

I feel its more misinterpretation for own vested interests. Other than that i dont see anything bad with religiouse people in politics.

 

[EjazR]

Oh no there is nothing wrong with religious people in politics. In fact, they would be more honest if they were truly religious. The problem is for political parties who want vote only in the name of Islam and advocate only religion based nationalism. So ideally a religious person in PPP, MQM e.t.c. is better than JI or JUI because they actually have a socio-economic deology for development unlike these other parties whose primary platform is "nifaze-shariat"

 

[waraich66]

^^^^^
For Example Nawaz Sharif, JuI(F) & Qazi Hussain

I ve not seen Ganja condemning even a single attack, He's always interested in Constitutional package, Democrazy, Sugar Mills, 58-2B & 17th amendment, Moron Hypocrite

You forget one name tahira syed

 

[Spring Onion]

Oh no there is nothing wrong with religious people in politics. In fact, they would be more honest if they were truly religious. The problem is for political parties who want vote only in the name of Islam and advocate only religion based nationalism. So ideally a religious person in PPP, MQM e.t.c. is better than JI or JUI because they actually have a socio-polito ideology for development unlike these other parties whose primary platform is "nifaze-shariat"

Those parties already lost.

And i tell you as JI and JUI has more to do with my province then i tell you we here do not vote for them for their religiouse ideology but here in NWFP when we realise that the ruling party was not fullfiling its promises regarding development and relief to common man then we turn to other party in a hope that this time they might do the right.