Adil Najam
As the politics of intrigue and rumor heats up, even more, in Pakistan and after the recent dramatic political events, the news of Pakistan’s most important existential battle - against the extremism of the Taliban and their ilk - seems to have slid off the front pages.
Yet, a news item in The News reminds us that the murderous militants are now setting their eyes towards District Dir, after gaining control of Swat. One got a better glimpse into the mind of one of the key players in the Swat saga, Sufi Mohammed, in an interview given to Daily Times’ Peshawar Bureau Chief Iqbal Khattak. Speaking in Mingora, the 74 year-old father-in-law of militant leader Fazlulah gives many important glimpses into his own thinking and priorities.
Here is the interview published in Daily Times:
You said in a 2005 interview with us that what Al Qaeda and the Taliban are doing in Pakistan is haram. Are Fazlullah’s activities over the last sixteen months also haram?
Sufi Muhammad: Yes, I said that about Al Qaeda, but not about the Taliban. Let me say…that debate on past happenings is disallowed in Islam. A hadith sharif says, what has happened in the past should not be discussed.
But how can we proceed without debating the past?
The hadith sharif says a Muslim should not discuss past happenings because he may not remember all the [details] and, therefore, he may…sin by not speaking the truth.A majority of Swat residents do not think the peace deal recently signed between the TNSM and the NWFP government will last long.
God Almighty does everything; he builds and destroys countries.Residents also doubt whether peace is possible in the presence of armed Taliban.
Everyone keeps weapons. People in Peshawar have weapons with them.You support keeping weapons?
Yes, you can keep weapons with you.Did you ask Fazlullah to surrender weapons after the sharia law deal?
Keeping weapons is halal in Islam.President Zardari said recently that force would be used if the Taliban do not surrender weapons in Swat.
His statement is childish…immature.With sharia law in Swat, there will be a complete ban on music and girls’ education, and people will be forced to grow beards?
There are five subjects — judiciary, politics, economics, education and the executive. The judicial subject will be with us, the rest is beyond our control.The Taliban are kidnapping government officials and killing soldiers, yet you still hold the army responsible for ceasefire violations.
Kidnapping cases are taking place all over the world. The military violated the ceasefire.The military says some of its soldiers were shot dead while bringing water.
No. This is not the case. The soldiers were not killed near any stream.Are soldiers moving freely in Swat after the peace deal?
No. The military cannot move freely unless peace is restored.After peace is restored, will the army leave Swat?
This is Pakistan’s army and Swat is within Pakistan’s borders. I will have no objection if a military cantonment is established here.Locals say innocent people have been killed. Will the aggrieved families be able to get justice?
I have told you already: we will not discuss what has happened in the past. Sharia law does not allow this.If a court summons a key Taliban commander, will he appear before the court?
If Caliph Umar (RA) can appear before a court, then why can’t others?So Fazlullah will also appear in court if summoned?
If he does not… he will be acting against the sharia law.What you did in Malakand in the 1990s and then in Afghanistan in 2001 you called ‘jihad’. Are Fazlullah’s activities over the last 16 months in Swat also jihad?
I do not want to speak on this.What are Fazlullah’s plans after the peace deal?
He will support imposition of sharia law.You have termed democracy ‘infidelity’. But Maulana Sami-ul Haq, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Qazi Hussain Ahmad are taking part in the democratic process.
Democracy is not permissible in sharia law. I will not name [these leaders] but they are taking part in infidelity. I will not offer prayers if one of [these leaders] is leading those prayers.Do you intend to export sharia law to other parts of Pakistan?
If people help me, I will. Otherwise, no.
We should not give any serious consideration to such illiterate mullah’s. Eliminate them by slow and gradual process , you CANNOT eliminate them by force. This deal would surely expose their true face to the people of sawat. But we should show some patience till the people of Sawat turns against him. At the momet he is enjoying full support.
Secondly, Sawat was always a hub of criminals. From murderers to car thief all were in abundance there. We have to understand the tradition and culture of that area before taking anything against this jahil mulla
The poor ta’ziris would never have thought their flawed but (at least in some cases) bona fide intellectual view would be distorted, over the centuries, to this. Yet, if you think about it, “God is on my side” rather than “Am I on God’s side?” is a natural extrapolation of the view where reason is abandoned, to any extent at all. “Am I on God’s side?” is really a religious version of the secular, more universal view, i.e. “Am I being honest to myself?” and “Have I honestly questioned this, my reasons for preferring it, and the consistency of my argument?” Since there can never be irrefutable empirical evidence for religion (unless God were to make a physical appearance?), we can only argue based on reason. You do not need to produce empirical evidence, just a coherent and consistent argument; more consistent than the one attacking or opposing yours. That’s all. Why should a religious argument demand to be above the normal tests of coherence and consistency! Only a bad argument would stoop that low. Ibn Sina said as much. So did the tadbiris and the ta’biris. But they have been an endangered species for some centuries now, from being the majority, indeed the norm, for the first 3 or 4 centuries.
Ta’ziris’ Islam is not about earnestly following your strongest convictions until you are honestly convinced otherwise. A continuous evolution of ideas and religious thought through innovative adaptation and renewal through constant self-examination. This is all about bigotry, religiosity and religious chauvinism. While the former may eventually lead to something akin to salvation, the latter can only lead to an ever more exclusive group claiming monopoly over ‘the truth’, power and the right to life.
Fast-forward from Al Ghazali and Ibn Taimiya… and the ta’ziri school came to be perverted by Abdul Wahab to give the House of Saud docile subjects (apolitical Islam, devoid of mysticism or even spirituality, mere brutally mechanical ritual). Then through European colonisation and rising nationalism came Political Islam - a response to the ‘threat’ of nationalism from the likes of Maududi and Syed Kutb. The sponsors of the Afghan ‘Jihad’ in the 1980’s had to use the discourse of political Islam to spawn militant Islam. Zia grabbed the idea with both hands. The state gave sectarian militants free reign. Through the 1990’s we sponsored militancy through the likes of LeT. We now have top ‘ulema’ in Pakistan who say ‘Allah did not discriminate between zina-bil-jabr (rape) and zina-bil-raza (extra-marital sex)’! Reason has been abandoned so completely that the same ‘ulema’ were saying that ‘the security forces dead and those dying fighting for nifaz-e-sharia, with weapons in Lal Masjid, were both shaheed’! By the way, the ta’ziri school has no choice but to demand that a muslim changing his/her mind about Islam must be killed (after being given the option to fall back in line, or emigrate)!! So much for intellectual honesty! Or honesty of any kind at all! Through Bin Laden and Al-Zwahiri, ta’ziri school of thought has arrived at its latest, predictable perversion – “Only I know what God says, and what He means by it. Those who disagree, talk to my gun”.
Actually, I think he is a a good politician. Great argument for not discussing past crimes. And keep answers simple. God help Pakistan.
By that way, glad you guys are finally on Facebook. Helps one keep up with new posts here.
If we cannot discuss the past then there is no capacity for discussing legal precedents or history, or even last week’s football match. Burn your family photos lest they tempt you to sin!
And the examples of the Prophet (peace be upon him) are all from centuries long past so if we cannot disuss the past we may not discuss any hadith.
May Allah protect us all from so-called “leaders” who glorify ignorance and violence.
The link to the interview is broken. Here is the right link
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009 3\19\story_19-3-2009_pg3_4
@Drone
Swat is no longer practically speaking part of Pakistan, so Sufi Mohammed, Fazlullah and Nek Mohammed all succeeded in their murderous and separatist agendas.
The problem isn’t America, its our internal terrorists and those who are blind to our internal terrorists, like you.
@Sameer
Maybe India should educate its citizens better about its neighborhood so that you don’t have to be so surprised about facts of life.
I do not agree with most of what Sufi Mohammed says but I think Sufi Mohammed is one of the reasons the insurgency in Swat did not become a separatist movement. Since the martyrdom of Nek Muhammad in 2004 it has been the tradition of the American moles of the establishment to use peace-making only to buy time until America has assassinated the other party to the peace pact. This should stop. Anyone who has the slightest regard for Pakistan should know that if Sufi Mohammed is harmed, the generation-next Taliban of Maulana Fazlullah will have no hesitation in joining hands with the enemy. That India has infiltrated the Taliban ranks is well-known given the number of uncircumcised ‘Taliban’ corpses found after battles.
America makes no secret of its desire to dismember Pakistan. The Balochistan separatist movement which was little-known apart from the “governments in exile” in Israel and UK and the occasional bombings in Kohlu and even the Baltistan secessionists are being supported championed as the new causes of freedom, liberation, democracy, whatever else US/UK Bull crap you want to call excuses for attacking Muslim countries. Liberating those parts of Pakistan is as high on the Zionist agenda as Darfur, Kurdistan etc.
Is it not a coincidence therefore that John Solecki the American head of the UNHCR remains kidnapped, faces execution deadlines unless the Pakistan government meets the demands of the kidnappers. And then when the deadline passes without Mr Solecki being beheaded, the kidnappers take instructions from London and Washington and renew the deadlines? Has Mr Solecki actually been kidnapped? Or has he been given paid leave from his day-time CIA job?
This mock ‘kidnapping’ should be investigated, never mind if John Solecki lives or dies as should the rest of the facts behind the Baloch separatist by failed feudal leaders who tried the same with the help of the Soviets in the ’70’s.
And now, enters the Obama administration, keen to bomb Balochistan with drones. We all know now why Mr Solecki is being kept alive despite the passage of numerous deadlines…
I am impressed with the comments written by Pakistanis. I used to take all pakis as jihadis or jahils or living in a fool’s land. You guys are humans too and like to live a peaceful life for the betterment of your families and the society as a whole. If you educate your fellow beings in a broader platform that will help your neighbour and rest of the world.