Extremist ideologies and groups in Islam and Terrorism

[Badlun]

Even if less than 1% of all Muslims are salafi still it makes no difference to me. In Islam we do not judge merely by number of followers and adherants. For Muslims the criterion is Quran, sunnah and the pious predecessors.

It means Islam is a total failure as after 1400 years of existence the only true Muslims are 1%?

[BarakzaiAbdali]

Gone are the days when wars were fought on religious issues and there were two camps based on religion like Mulsims and Non Muslims. Now a days the wars are fought on geo strategic, economic, political and security issues. Differences amongst nations are also based on these lines not on religious lines. Many Muslim nations are enemies amongst themselves and the same is true for non Muslims.

Salafis are equally opposed by Muslims and Non Muslims because they are a threat to humanity. Salafis will be not more than 1 to 5% of Muslim population so it means only this little number of Muslims are on the right and the rest mislead and gone astray?

This is an inaccurate statement even Darwinistically. Religion is one of many memes that actually underlie these competitive scenarios we call wars. The statements on the record of various generals in the recent decades and Mr. Bush himself point away from your assessments. Glenn Greenwald successfully debated this point against Bill Maher regarding just how much religion underlies the current set of conflicts and how the demarcation continues to be Christianity and Judaism versus Islam to some degree. He give a great example of a particular general commenting on Iraq.

Once again nuances are important. For instance, the Pew and Maryland data show its not about everyone marching lock stock and barell with the salafists, but rather - whether the Muslim body politic (encompassing Shiite, sunni, salafist, takfiri, sufi, atheist former Muslim etc) agrees with particulars that drive the salafist movement into the political sphere. Unfortunately for your cause, majorities find political common ground with some of the salafist's political views on imperial tactics.

In such a setting, the salafists being 1 to 5% means nothing, rather it is more important to assess the views of the salafists and see what the data shows about how those views reverberate throughout the rest of the Muslim world.

Now, if your argument is about tactics used by salafists, then the 5% quantity makes some difference.

For that matter a sizable chunk (far greater than 5% and well into the 40s) of Americans believe in creationism... about 10% of Americans might actually understand and endorse fully Richard Dawkin's views on religion, creationism, and evolution - if we had to go by popularity contests then we would say Mr. Dawkins would be fighting a losing battle. But to do that would not make sense.

Also, the bell curve is a concept that underlies human intelligence and some natural phenomena right? If you have 100 test takers, the possibility exists that all 100 will get perfect scores, but more often they fall along a bell curve distribution. Are we to say the top 5% are failures?

This is my point with your contentions - they are driven not by the world as it is... but rather the world as you envision it should be and must be. That will inevitably lead to impractical assessments and, if used to make stereotypical judgments result in catastrophic choices for harmonizing various movements to becoming a functional whole.

[Shamlawar Khurasani]

It means Islam is a total failure as after 1400 years of existence the only true Muslims are 1%?

No it means you are a total failure for being a kaafir.

[Badlun]

@Bengal tiger

It means extremism is also growing in Bangladesh where a Nobel laureate is also not safe

Bangladesh government's religious body targets Nobel winner Yunus

Bangladesh government's religious body targets Nobel winner Yunus - DAWN.COM

[Badlun]

Chinese paper says Islamists seek to ban TV, singing



BEIJING: Islamists in China's far western region of Xinjiang are seeking to ban television, singing and other forms of entertainment, a newspaper said on Friday, adding that “religious extremism” was a disaster facing the area.
China has stepped up its rhetoric against what it says is a threat the country faces from Islamist militants since an incident last month in which a vehicle ploughed into tourists on the edge of Beijing's Tiananmen Square, killing the three peoplein the car and two bystanders.


China called the crash an attack carried out by people plotting holy war, and has reacted angrily to suggestions that it was because of frustration and anger over government repression of the region's Muslims.
In a front-page piece in the official Xinjiang Daily, Yusufujiang Maimaiti, the head of the region's employment bureau, said “forces” were furthering their “evil aims” by seeking to foist extremist beliefs on the region's Muslims.
“Religious extremist forces ... don't allow people to sing or dance, they incite them to disobey the government, to not use marriage certificates and I.D. cards.



They prevent them from watching television, films, and listening to the teachings of patriotic religious leaders,” he wrote.
He did not identify the extremists but said they were”distorting and falsifying” religious doctrine with a creed of opposing anyone who was different from them culturally or religiously.


“Religious extremism is the biggest disaster facing the development and long-term peace and stability of Xinjiang,” he added. “Our battle against extremism is undeniable and unavoidable.” Many of Xinjiang's Turkic-speaking, Muslim people chafe at restrictions on their culture, language and religion, though the government insists it grants them broad freedoms.
Xinjiang has been the scene of numerous incidents of unrestin recent years, which Beijing blames on the separatist East Turkestan Islamic Movement, even as many experts and rights groups cast doubt on its existence as a cohesive group.


Uighurs have traditionally followed a moderate form of Islam, but many have begun adopting practices more commonly seen in Saudi Arabia or Pakistan, such as full-face veils for women,as China has intensified a security crackdown in recent years.


“(The extremists) are inciting people to reject modern and traditional dress, and constantly changing tactics to compel the people with their extremist thoughts,” said Maimaiti.


Many rights groups say China has long overplayed the threat posed though to justify its tough controls in Xinjiang, which lies strategically on the borders of Central Asia, India and Pakistan.


Chinese paper says Islamists seek to ban TV, singing - DAWN.COM

[randolph85]

nevermind the fact that millions of these han chinese atheist chinks have been imported into Muslim west china. these chinese have lost their culture already in han chinese strongholds, they have been indoctrinated by western culture. they see muslims who haven't given in to western social norms as a threat. people talk about the western-sino divide but the fact is that these civilizations are both atheist and capitalistic, which is why they are both getting rich off each other today.

[Badlun]

Religious outfits flex muscles for LG polls in Punjab

MULTAN: The political environment is turning into a hotbed of extremism in the province as religious outfits have established a sophisticated network and gained reasonable influence to participate in the local government elections.

Political analysts say that religious outfits have a strong vote bank and their influence cannot be ruled out in Jhang, Muzaffargarh and Dera Ghazi Khan. They opine that small union councils under new delimitation will benefit these splinter groups.

Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat provincial secretary general Engineer Ashfaq Ahmed told The News that the ASWJ had convened its general council meeting on December 15 to take part in the local government elections. “We have a strong vote bank in Jhang, Muzaffargarh, Dera Ghazi Khan and other areas and will play a decisive role in the coming local government elections at all levels,” he claimed.

A look into the past three elections reveals 40-45 percent growth in the vote bank of ‘extremists’ in South Punjab (Seraiki belt) where education and health infrastructure is in a shambles. The religious groups, which became weak during the Musharraf rule, have flourished during the PML-N government in Punjab from 2008-2013. A 65 percent increase has been observed in the candidates belonging to religious outfits in 2013 as compared to the 2002 elections when just 34 ‘extremists’ had contested.

The situation went worse for ‘extremists’ as only 13 candidates were fielded by religious outfits in 2008. The number of candidates increased in 2013 when 93 ‘extremists’ contested for South Punjab’s 49 NA seats.

“The outfits’ politics in the Seraiki belt is increasing because religious parties and groups espouse militancy to promote their interests. They want to defend themselves through violence,” says Syed Hassan Raza Bukhari, a Seraiki nationalist. “Islamist hardliners tried their best to capture the entire South Punjab, but failed and received warm response from four South Punjab districts - Jhang, Khanewal, Layyah and Dera Ghazi Khan.”

Mehmood Nizami from Taunsa Sharif, a senior political worker, is of view that Dera Ghazi Khan is unique for having a strong network of seminaries in addition to country’s largest nuclear facility site. “The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had threatened to attack the nuclear facility last year, but failed due to foolproof security there.”

According to the Interior Ministry reports, the South Punjab districts have been actively involved in the recruitment of militants. The ministry has listed over 1,700 suspects having links with militants and terrorist groups. Of them, about 700 belong to the said four districts.

Analysts are of the view that lack of infrastructure and civic facilities provide outfits chances to promote extremism at the grass-roots level. “The basic amenities, including clean drinking water, gas and electricity, are still a dream in these neglected areas. Talibanisation is now a threat to democracy in the Seraiki belt,” opines Mian Mansoor, a nationalist. He called for promoting the ideology of saints to thwart extremism. According to the ECP statistics, gradual but unabated increase has been witnessed in the extremists’ vote in four districts as compared to the past elections.

JHANG: The census shows only 5.7 percent people use natural gas for cooking, while only 9.61 percent housing units have access to clean water. The overall literacy rate stands at 37.1 percent, which needs special measures to promote education. The district population stands at 2,834,545 persons, according to the 1998 census, while the female education trends are discouraging because the literacy rate among the female stands at 21.43 percent.

Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat chief Maulana Muhammad Ahmed Ludhianvi, who heads the largest anti-Shia platform, contested from NA-89 and secured 71,598 votes in the 2013 polls as compared to 45,216 votes in the 2008 elections.

The ratio of received votes shows a massive increase in the extremists’ vote in five years. The JI candidate Abdul Jabbar Khan received only 1,144 votes. The ASWJ candidate Maulana Muhammad Asif Muavia Sial contested from NA-90 and secured 37,794 votes in the 2013 elections as compared to the 2008 polls when Maulana Zahid Anwar of the banned outfit Sipah-e-Sahaba had bagged only 4,545 votes from the same constituency. JI’s Maulana Irshad Mund received only 338 votes.

Jhang is the birthplace of al-Qaeda affiliated Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, which is now operating under the name of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Al-Almi.The ASWJ having its central office in Jhang is considered a political front of the banned LeJ and it leads an unabated religious vendetta across the country, especially in Balochistan.

KHANEWAL: In Khanewal, Abdul Khaliq Rehmani of JUI-S and MDM contested from NA-156 and bagged 13,598 votes. The JUI-F candidate Abdul Majeed Anwar received only 1,193 votes. The district proves to be a key recruitment place to the militant groups. Dr Usman, who masterminded the October 10, 2010 attack on the Pakistan Army’s General Headquarters (GHQ) as well as several other suicide attacks, was a native of Kabirwala. Punjab TTP former chief Qari Asmatullah Muavia and master trainer of suicide bombers also belongs to Kabirwala. Similarly, persons attacked the Inter-Services Intelligence Headquarters in Lahore also belonged to Khanewal.

DERA GHAZI KHAN: The JUI-F candidate Mir Badshah Khan Qaisrani contested from NA-171 and received 37,961 votes in 2013 against 35,124 votes bagged in 2008 on the PML-N ticket. The JUI-F has increased its vote bank to 2,837 in a couple of five years. Hafiz Abdul Karim is running a big network of seminaries belonging to the Ahle Hadith school of thought in the city. He contested from NA-172 on the PML-N ticket and secured 49,230 votes. He had received 40,460 votes in 2008.

Meanwhile, the district has an organised network of mosques and seminaries belonging to Deobandi and Ahle Hadith sects. The Jamaatud Dawa and Al-Khidmat Foundation have been running charity organizations to recruit Jihadis.

Khangarh is also considered the second most violent area after Jhang when it comes to sectarian conflict. It is said that both Sunnis and Shias are dominant in the tehsil, so sectarian violence is common, especially in the presence of banned outfits.

A senior security official says militants’ political fronts must be stopped from operations, even under changed titles or party names, which have become a frequent practice around the country. He stressed the need to enact laws and devise a strategy to stop militants’ political fronts. Experts say the situation needs special measures not only to stop militancy but also check terrorist organisations’ political fronts taking part in mainstream politics.

LAYYAH: In Layyah, the Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Ch Asghar Ali Gujjar contested from NA-182 and received 43,242 votes in 2013. No candidate belonging to a religious party had fielded his nomination from the constituency in 2008.

On the other hand, the Shiite parties - Pakistan Shiite Political Party led by Syed Nau Bahar Shah, Tehrik-e-Islami Pakistan led by Allama Syed Sajid Ali Naqvi and Majlis Wahadatul Muslimeen Pakistan (MWM) led by Muhammad Amin Shaheedi - are registered with the ECP.

According to the ECP, only MWM issued party tickets to candidates in the 2013 elections from six NA constituencies in Punjab, but the only three candidates could contest from Islamabad, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh and Rajanpur districts.

The MWM candidates received highest votes from Bhakkar by securing 10,344 votes. The MWM issued tickets to eight candidates for the Punjab Assembly seats. However, only five candidates contested across the province, bagging the highest 8,645 votes from Jhang.

Analysts say the Shiite sect remained aloof from electoral politics largely because of their votes divided into the PPP, PML-N and MQM. The Islami Tehrik Pakistan, an offshoot of Tehrik Nifaz-e-Fiqa Jafferia/Tehrik Jafferia, is an old party which tried to participate in the general elections several times, but could not win a single seat.

Religious outfits flex muscles for LG polls in Punjab - thenews.com.pk

[Badlun]

Al Qaeda more dangerous than ever

WASHINGTON: More than two and a half years after US commandos shot dead Al Qaeda figurehead Osama bin Laden, the global extremist network is more dangerous than ever, American experts and counterterrorism officials warned this week.


Thanks notably to a flood of recruits flowing to join Al Qaeda-linked jihadist forces fighting in Syria’s civil war, the group is back on its feet, and securing territory from which it could once more threaten Europe and the United States.


Bin Laden’s former lieutenants in Al Qaeda’s historic leadership have been killed by US Special Forces or in drone strikes, or else are isolated and on the run in the tribal badlands on the Afghan-Pakistan border.
But armed groups in Syria, Somalia, Yemen, Libya and West Africa have flocked to his banner and Al Qaeda is rebuilding its influence and recruiting fighters across the region.


“Their leadership has been hit very hard, but this brand is still growing.
And it’s growing from an increased number of safe havens,” said retired US Marine Corps general James Mattis.


Between 2010 and earlier this year, Mattis led US Central Command, in charge of prosecuting Washington’s long war against extremists in the Middle East, Southwest Asia and the Horn of Africa.


Now he has hung up his uniform, but admits the war is far from over, warning: “The congratulations that we heard two years ago on the demise of Al Qaeda were premature and are now discredited.” Speaking at the Jamestown Foundation’s annual conference on terrorism in Washington, Mattis said: “Al Qaeda is resilient, they adapted. We have to think strategically before we act, not only act tactically.” Bin Laden’s death in May 2011 triggered a wave of optimism that the United States and its allies might have broken the back of the jihadist threat, but today officials here are under no illusions.


Since the audacious commando strike that took out Al Qaeda’s apparently largely symbolic chieftain, the black banner of his movement has been raised more widely than ever.


Militants inspired by or linked to Bin Laden’s brand of armed jihad have sacked a US consulate in Libya and stormed a shopping mall in Kenya.
Attacks are on the rise once again in Iraq, Al Qaeda has reportedly begun operating in Egypt’s Sinai desert and violent extremist groups are now the most powerful elements in the rebel coalition fighting in the Syrian civil war.
Bruce Hoffman, director of the Centre for Peace and Security Studies at Georgetown University, told the Jamestown conference that collapsing states in the Middle East were opening up space for extremists.
“The oxygen that Al Qaeda depends on is access to sanctuaries and safe haven. And unfortunately over the past two years it gained greater access to more ungoverned spaces,” he said.


“The success of the attack in Nairobi and earlier in Mumbai suggests that this groups have now within their capacity the ability to fulfil one of Bin Laden’s last commands or operational desires, which was to stage Mumbai-style attacks in Europe.” For the experts gathered in Washington, Syria’s civil war — which has attracted Islamist volunteers from Muslim communities in Europe as well as Arab countries — has worked greatly to Al Qaeda’s advantage.


“The Al Qaeda affiliated groups have created an alliance which disposes of 45,000 guerrilla fighters across the country,” said David Kilcullen, a renowned counterinsurgency expert who has advised US forces in the field.
“It’s a very significant number, almost twice as many as we see in terms of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan,” he said. “We’re seeing a recovery on all fronts for Al Qaeda.” For Bruce Riedel, a three-decade CIA veteran who now works for the Brookings Institution, Al Qaeda’s resurgence is proof that it has managed to ride out and ultimately profit from the revolts that have roiled the Middle East and North Africa.


“Al Qaeda’s narrative was challenged in 2011 by the Arab Spring. Peaceful demonstrations succeeded in toppling dictators. Al Qaeda’s narrative was at risk. Terror had not produced change, Twitter had,” Riedel said.
“But today, everything is different. Al Qaeda’s narrative is validated in 2013, most notably in Egypt. The counterrevolution has succeeded, the army has overthrown the elected government. “For those who want to join Al Qaeda’s movement, events in Cairo, in Damascus have validated what they long said: Jihad is the only solution to the problem of change in the Muslim world today.”—AFP



Al Qaeda more dangerous than ever - DAWN.COM

[Badlun]

bad days for Ikhwans

Muslim Brotherhood chief, 682 others sentenced to death in Egypt

http://www.dawn.com/news/1102830/muslim-brotherhood-chief-682-others-sentenced-to-death-in-egypt

[Zubr-Zubr]

Muslim Brotherhood chief, 682 others sentenced to death in Egypt

http://www.dawn.com/news/1102830/mus...death-in-egypt

The field marshal As-Sisi is a large problem of Egypt and all Middle East.

[Zubr-Zubr]

As-Sisi is a terrorist. He conducts the genocide of the Egyptian people.