Adil Najam
Mohamed Ali Jinnah, it seems, was not a “real freedom fighter” and he did “nothing for Islam.” (On Jinnah, see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here).
So says the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI). And by what logic does Maulana Fazlur Rehman and his party come to this conclusion? According to the party spokesman: “Jinnah was not imprisoned during the independence struggle. That is why he did nothing worth remembering.”
I am left rather speechless. So, here is the news item from Daily Times (February 9, 2007) that reports on the matter:
The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) will celebrate 2007 by paying tribute to the heroes who played an important role in the independence of Pakistan ignoring Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and his companions, JUI officials told Daily Times on Thursday. They said that the party would hold conventions in Peshawar and other cities of the NWFP in March to highlight the services of “real freedom fighters”
“The decision to this effect was taken at the meeting of the JUI executive council in Lahore a couple of days ago. National Assembly Opposition Leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman presided over the meeting,” they added. JUI information secretary Maulana Amjad Khan said that Jinnah and his companions would not be commemorated because they had not done anything for Islam. “Jinnah was not imprisoned during the independence struggle. That is why he did nothing worth remembering,” Khan added.
He said the JUI would remember only those leaders who had sacrificed their lives for the creation of Pakistan or who had been imprisoned by the British Raj. JUI leader Qari Nazir Ahmed said the party would remember Hussain Maulana Ahmed Madni, Maulana Qasim Nanotri, Maulana Ubaid Ullah Sindhi, Maulana Mehmoodul Hassan, Syed Ahmed Shaheed, Shah Ismael Shaheed, Mauala Rasheed Ahmed and other leaders, who had rendered great sacrifices for the creation of Pakistan. “Maulana Qasim Nanotri established the Madrasa Darul Uloom Deoband. The institute produced a large number of freedom fighters,” Qari Nazir added. He said a schedule for conventions in the Punjab had not been decided yet. JUI Lahore chapter ameer Maulana Muhibun Nabi said the party would also arrange programmes in Lahore in this connection.
Interesting, by the way, that it seems that to be a “real freedom fighter” you have ‘Maulana’ prefixed before your name or a ‘Shaheed’ as a suffix.
Note: My thank to Watandost for alerting me to this rewriting of history.
IF EVERYBODY IS PUT IN THE JAIL, WHO IS GOING TO WORK?
JAIL IS FOR THE CRIMINALS LIKE THESE MULLAHS AND SO CALLED MAULANA’S.
JUI MUST COMMEMORATE ONLY THE PEOPLE WHO ARE CRIMINALS LIKE THEM.
SHAME ON YOU JUI.
These people use Islam as a political tool…plain and simple….its because of these ignorant “leaders” that Pakistan cant progress
Maybe Fazal doesn’t consider him a freedom fighter because Jinnah’s politics was not based on MMA’s “Dharna politics”. Jinnah was not an armed person like Bakht Khan ,Bhagat Singh or Mangal Panday who were early freedom fighters of anti-British raj movement but it doesn’t mean he wasn’t a freedom fighter. He used his brain and skills as WMD[weaopons of Mass destruction] to destroy dirty political plans of Hindus and British.
Yeh thread bhee kissi mad house say kum nahin, perhaps more so than the one at ‘Daak-khana Chowk’
I must say that if ppl are so bent on fighting, then they should arrange a boxing or wrestling match. At least that would really give full opportunity to hit each other.
poora maza to aaey larnay ka.
Initially I had wished to contribute my two bits to the substantive message of this Post.
Following the trend of the discussion and upon reflection, I have decided to hold my piece.
SILENCE IS GOLDEN.
To quote Ghalib:
………………………………………………..
KUCH NA SAMJHEY KHUDA KAREY KOIEE