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The MEMRI Daily: September 14, 2010

The following is research published today from MEMRI’s Special Dispatch Series, the MEMRI TV Project, and the Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor Project. *Special Dispatch Series Special Dispatch No. 3228—Urdu-Pashtu Media Project After Lynching of Two Brothers in Sialkot Town, Commentators in Pakistan Examine the Growing Talibanization of Pakistani Society On August 15, a day after Pakistan's Independence Day, two teenage brothers were accused of robbery by a mob that brutally lynched them to death and hung their bodies upside down while nearly a dozen policemen watched. The killings took place in full public view on the main Daska Road near Doburji Malhiyaan, on the outskirts of the eastern Pakistani town of Sialkot. The two brothers were identified as Hafiz Mohammad Mughees Sajjad (18 years old) and Mohammad Muneeb Sajjad (15 years old). The videos of their killings are available on the internet (warning: the videos are extremely gruesome and difficult to watch). Initial media reports mentioned that two alleged robbers were lynched to death, while for the next few days police and government officials took no action. However, as Pakistani television networks began reporting the case, Waqar Ahmad Chauhan, the District Police Officer of Sialkot, ordered the suspension of 14 policemen, including two senior officers. The telecast of some of the edited videos of the killings have caused public outrage in Pakistan, leading to protests and demands for the execution of those responsible for the two brothers' killings. The Supreme Court of Pakistan, acting on its own following the television media reports, ordered an inquiry into the killings. The inquiry, headed by Justice (retired) Kazim Malik, concluded that the two brothers were not robbers or hardened criminals; not a single case of robbery was ever reported against them, as alleged initially. At least 18 people, including senior police officer Rana Ilyas and other policemen, are now in custody. The Supreme Court also ordered that Waris Ali, a fugitive assistant sub-inspector of police, be arrested by September 7. Some of the reasons for public outrage are also the fact that the killings were carried out in Ramadan, a holy month in Islamic calendar; and at a time when Pakistan is struggling to cope with the country's worst floods in 30 years, which have left 20 million people displaced; and also the fact that one of the brothers, Hafiz Mohammad Mughees Sajjad was a hafiz, i.e. someone who has memorized the Koran by heart. While violence and killings is not unknown in Pakistan, the brutal manner in which the two brothers were killed has caused anger and outrage among the people, and reflection about the overall state of affairs in Pakistan. Below is an editorial followed by two articles written by Pakistani commentators in Pakistani dailies, reflecting on the Sialkot killings. In an editorial, titled "Living in Sadistic Times," the Lahore-based newspaper Daily Times described the killings as "barbarity," "torture," "brutal," "extra-judicial," "horrendous," "animalistic," and so on. Rasul Bakhsh Rais, who is a Professor of Political Science at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), noted that the Sialkot killings reflect the "emerging pattern" of violence in Pakistani society. Rais's article, titled "An Executioner's Society," was published in The Express Tribune newspaper. Abbas Zaidi, a socio-linguist, wrote an article titled "Talibanization of the Heart," in the Lahore-based Daily Times, arguing that such barbarism is rooted in Pakistan's recent history. To read in full, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/4601.htm. Special Dispatch No. 3229—Urdu-Pashtu Media Project/Women's Topics Concerns over Revivalist Islamic Teachings by Pakistan's Al Huda Network of Schools for Elite Women The Al Huda International Welfare Foundation, an Islamic charity registered with the Pakistani government, has emerged in recent years at the forefront of teaching Islam to Pakistani women, especially those from the higher echelons of Pakistani society. According to the charity's website, its main objectives are: to promote purely Islamic values and thinking on sound knowledge and research, free from bias and sectarianism; and to work for the welfare of society's lower classes. The charity was founded in 1994 by Dr. Farhat Naseem Hashmi, who received an MA in Arabic from the University of Punjab, Lahore, in 1980, and later obtained a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies with specialization in Hadith Sciences (i.e. sayings and deeds of Prophet Muhammad), from the University of Glasgow, United Kingdom. Latest reports indicate that Dr. Hashmi is now based in Canada, and from there offers online courses in Islamic teachings to Muslim women based in the U.S. and Canada via paltalk.com and inspeak.com. In the years after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, there has been a movement of the educated Pakistani elite toward right-wing Islamic groups. During this period, a network of Al Huda schools emerged in various Pakistani towns, offering Islamic teachings to women. According to the Al Huda website, the group offers a range of diploma and post-diploma courses, e.g. Taleem-ul-Islam – one and one-and-half year diploma in Islamic teachings for women and girls; Taleem-ul-Quran – one year diploma in both English and Urdu for girls; post-diploma 'Advance Course' in the in-depth knowledge of the Koran and deeds of the prophet; and a number of evening, summer and crash courses. These schools have become popular among the rich class of Pakistan in recent years. However, there are now concerns that the Al Huda network of schools promotes an Islamist version of Islam that isolates its students in their religious practices from mainstream Pakistani society. Recently, prominent Pakistani journalist Khaled Ahmed, who is also the Director of South Asia Free Media Association, reviewed a book on the workings of Al-Huda schools. The book, "Transforming Faith: The Story of Al Huda and Islamic Revivalism among Urban Pakistani Women" (Syracuse University Press 2009), is authored by Sadaf Ahmad, an assistant professor at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) in Lahore. In his review article, titled "Daughters of Al Huda," Khaled Ahmed argued that suicide bombers are produced in isolation from society, of the kind Al Huda schools are promoting in Pakistan. Ahmed cited the book as saying that Al Huda's followers reject photography, all festivals, and birthday celebrations, including the birthday of the Prophet. His article was followed by another article, "Al Huda – an Insider's View" by Habiba Younis, a former Al Huda student. Younis, who is beginning her education at the International Islamic University of Islamabad, rejected some points in Khaled Ahmed's article but argued that Al Huda is not an "inspiration to instill enlightenment or rationality in society." Excerpts from both the articles are given below: To read in full, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/4602.htm. *From the MEMRI TV Project http://www.memritv.org MEMRI TV Clip No. 2607 - PA Minister of Religious Endowments Mahmoud Habbash Casts Doubt on Whether Muslims Carried Out 9/11 Following is an excerpt from an interview with PA Minister of Religious Endowments Mahmoud Habbash, which aired on Palestinian Authority TV on September 6, 2010. To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2607.htm. MEMRI TV Clip No. 2606 - Hamas Leader Mahmoud Al-Zahhar: Our Enterprise Extends Far Beyond Palestine - to the Entire World Following are excerpts from a speech delivered by Hamas Leader Mahmoud Al-Zahhar, which aired on Al-Aqsa TV on September 5, 2010. To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2606.htm. MEMRI TV Clip No. 2603 - Lebanese Islamic Judge Sheik Zakariya Ghandour: The Only Religion the Jews Understand is "a Weapon or Rod Landing on Their Heads" Following are excerpts from an interview with Lebanese Islamic judge Sheik Zakariya Ghandour, which aired on Al-Quds TV on August 12, 2010. To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2603.htm. MEMRI TV Clip No. 2602 - Lebanese Shiite Scholar Muhammad Hasan Al-Amin Calls for Separation of Religion and State, and Says: "Our Future Lies with Europe" Following are excerpts from an interview with Lebanese Shiite scholar Muhammad Hasan Al-Amin, which aired on Al-Arabiya TV on August 12, 2010. To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2602.htm. *From the MEMRI Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor Projecthttp://www.memrijttm.org/ Report: Al-Qaeda Spokesman Sulaiman Abu Ghaith Released in Prisoner Swap with Iran According to a report in the Kuwaiti Al-Ra'i newspaper, the senior Al-Qaeda leader Sulaiman Abu Ghaith has left Iran and has joined up with the organization in Afghanistan. His release is said to have been part of a multi-stage prisoner exchange between Iran and Al-Qaeda. To read in full, visit http://www.memrijttm.org/content/en/blog_personal.htm?id=3790&param=GJN. Call for Reaction to "Mecca" Discotheque in Spain and Proposed Citizenship Law in France: Join the Jihad and Mujahideen On September 7, 2010, a jihadist web forum posted a call to Muslims living in Christian countries, as well as those living in the Islamic Maghreb [North Africa], to awaken from their deep sleep, prepare for battle for the sake of Islam, and follow the footsteps of their [mujahideen] brothers in Chechnya, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia. To read in full, visit http://www.memrijttm.org/content/en/blog_personal.htm?id=3787&param=GJN. Recently Released From Prison, Bin Laden’s Driver Arrested Again on His Way to Afghanistan According to a September 9, 2010 report in the Kuwaiti daily Al-Jarida, Egypt detained Bin Laden’s driver, Sufian Bin Qumu (aka Abu Sufian), while attempting to cross the Libyan border into Egypt. To read in full, visit http://www.memrijttm.org/content/en/blog_personal.htm?id=3788&param=GJN. 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