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Osama, Mullah Omar’s teacher willing to aid negotiations
* Shaikhul Hadith Maulana Dr Sher Ali Shah speaks to the media for the first time, denies ever heaving had direct contact with the two leaders
By Fareed Farooqui
KARACHI: Shaikhul Hadith Maulana Dr Sher Ali Shah, who is known worldwide as the teacher of Osama Bin Laden and Tehreek-e-Taliban’s Mullah Omar, has said he would be willing to play a role in negotiations with the two leaders if he were approached by the Government of Pakistan.
Shah said this while talking to the media for the first time at the third annual ‘All Karachi Madrassa Speech Competition’ at Jamia Islamia Clifton late Thursday. Maulana Dr Shah is the head of the Hadith department at Jamia Haqqania, Akora Khattak, NWFP, and has a PhD in the subject. He denied, however, that he ever had any direct contact with bin Laden and Mullah Omar. He also said that he had never taught them. He maintained that Mullah Omar had studied from Kandahar, Afghanistan and bin Laden from Madina.
Dr Shah said that in the past he had aided negotiations with the government of Pakistan and the Taliban of Afghanistan. This role has continued. “A few days ago, two groups of the Pakistan Taliban developed differences and I went to counsel them,” he said. He said to them: “From Matta to Kohat, the people respect the Taliban, and in a way you are the area’s undeclared rulers. The power you have now has been given to you by Allah. You should completely avoid slaughtering humans as it is haram in Islam. Stop destroying national resources and kidnapping government officials. Especially the Shias; do not kill them. If you kill Shias, we affect conditions in Gilgit and the Northern Areas.” Dr Shah lamented, however, that after he returned some people would come in the middle of things and conditions would deteriorate.
Dr Shah has been a teacher to Swat’s Maulvi Fazlullah. He recalled how the young man, as did many other students, wanted to first tackle Afghanistan, then Kashmir and after Kashmir Palestine. They wanted an Islamic system across the world, Dr Shah said, adding that many of them are dead today. “I have many students who are now with Tehreek-e-Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” the elderly Shah said. “And I hope that they will go far for Islam, the nation and country.”
Dr Shah was asked to comment on ‘zulm’ or cruelty of the innocent people who were killed in the fighting on Pakistani soil. He replied that things would never be normal as long as America continued to “interfere in this region”. After 9/11, when America finished off the “exemplary” government of the Taliban in Afghanistan, he went on to say, the Mujahideen who were there from other countries came to Pakistan. They are not lone fighters; they came to Afghanistan young, married there and started their families. When these men came to Pakistan, the people of Waziristan welcomed them according to tradition as refugees, Dr Shah said.
Today, the biggest accusation is that foreigners are involved in terrorism in the tribal areas of Waziristan. Dr Shah refuted this claim by giving an example from Karachi: If foreigners came here and started terrorism, all the people of Karachi would get together to beat the living daylights out of them.
Denouncing the violence, however, Dr Shah pointed to the fact that the Pakistan army, residents of the tribal areas and the foreigners there, are all Muslims. Thus, Muslims are dying in the fighting, he said, adding that this “pleased America”. “Such is the situation that blood is being used to wash away blood,” Dr Shah said. “When actually, water should be used.” Thus, if the government engages in any talks, it should keep its promises, he stressed. If the government brought in Islamic systems to Dir, Swat and other areas, there would be immediate peace, he maintained.
He was asked about Mullah Omar’s Taliban, many of whose members had been his students at some point in time. Dr Shah replied that the Afghan Taliban really loved Pakistan because they have studied at Pakistani madrassas. This was proven when the Taliban came to power, he added, as they were the first Afghan government to support Pakistan internationally.
Dr Shah was asked by journalists to comment on accountability in today’s society. He gave the example of when General (retd) Musharraf took charge, the first thing he said was that he would exact accountability from everyone. But today it has been proven that instead of accountability there has been an increase in looting and plundering. But if this accountability is modeled on the ways of the Khulfa-e-Rashideen there would be true accountability.
* Shaikhul Hadith Maulana Dr Sher Ali Shah speaks to the media for the first time, denies ever heaving had direct contact with the two leadersBy Fareed Farooqui
KARACHI: Shaikhul Hadith Maulana Dr Sher Ali Shah, who is known worldwide as the teacher of Osama Bin Laden and Tehreek-e-Taliban’s Mullah Omar, has said he would be willing to play a role in negotiations with the two leaders if he were approached by the Government of Pakistan.
Shah said this while talking to the media for the first time at the third annual ‘All Karachi Madrassa Speech Competition’ at Jamia Islamia Clifton late Thursday. Maulana Dr Shah is the head of the Hadith department at Jamia Haqqania, Akora Khattak, NWFP, and has a PhD in the subject. He denied, however, that he ever had any direct contact with bin Laden and Mullah Omar. He also said that he had never taught them. He maintained that Mullah Omar had studied from Kandahar, Afghanistan and bin Laden from Madina.
Dr Shah said that in the past he had aided negotiations with the government of Pakistan and the Taliban of Afghanistan. This role has continued. “A few days ago, two groups of the Pakistan Taliban developed differences and I went to counsel them,” he said. He said to them: “From Matta to Kohat, the people respect the Taliban, and in a way you are the area’s undeclared rulers. The power you have now has been given to you by Allah. You should completely avoid slaughtering humans as it is haram in Islam. Stop destroying national resources and kidnapping government officials. Especially the Shias; do not kill them. If you kill Shias, we affect conditions in Gilgit and the Northern Areas.” Dr Shah lamented, however, that after he returned some people would come in the middle of things and conditions would deteriorate.
Dr Shah has been a teacher to Swat’s Maulvi Fazlullah. He recalled how the young man, as did many other students, wanted to first tackle Afghanistan, then Kashmir and after Kashmir Palestine. They wanted an Islamic system across the world, Dr Shah said, adding that many of them are dead today. “I have many students who are now with Tehreek-e-Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” the elderly Shah said. “And I hope that they will go far for Islam, the nation and country.”
Dr Shah was asked to comment on ‘zulm’ or cruelty of the innocent people who were killed in the fighting on Pakistani soil. He replied that things would never be normal as long as America continued to “interfere in this region”. After 9/11, when America finished off the “exemplary” government of the Taliban in Afghanistan, he went on to say, the Mujahideen who were there from other countries came to Pakistan. They are not lone fighters; they came to Afghanistan young, married there and started their families. When these men came to Pakistan, the people of Waziristan welcomed them according to tradition as refugees, Dr Shah said.
Today, the biggest accusation is that foreigners are involved in terrorism in the tribal areas of Waziristan. Dr Shah refuted this claim by giving an example from Karachi: If foreigners came here and started terrorism, all the people of Karachi would get together to beat the living daylights out of them.
Denouncing the violence, however, Dr Shah pointed to the fact that the Pakistan army, residents of the tribal areas and the foreigners there, are all Muslims. Thus, Muslims are dying in the fighting, he said, adding that this “pleased America”. “Such is the situation that blood is being used to wash away blood,” Dr Shah said. “When actually, water should be used.” Thus, if the government engages in any talks, it should keep its promises, he stressed. If the government brought in Islamic systems to Dir, Swat and other areas, there would be immediate peace, he maintained.
He was asked about Mullah Omar’s Taliban, many of whose members had been his students at some point in time. Dr Shah replied that the Afghan Taliban really loved Pakistan because they have studied at Pakistani madrassas. This was proven when the Taliban came to power, he added, as they were the first Afghan government to support Pakistan internationally.
Dr Shah was asked by journalists to comment on accountability in today’s society. He gave the example of when General (retd) Musharraf took charge, the first thing he said was that he would exact accountability from everyone. But today it has been proven that instead of accountability there has been an increase in looting and plundering. But if this accountability is modeled on the ways of the Khulfa-e-Rashideen there would be true accountability.
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