Unnecessary controversy: Parliament panel summons interior minister
The parliamentary committee on national security summoned Interior Minister Rehman Malik in the wake of widespread condemnation by religious and political leaders, terming one of his statements ‘loose talk’.
Malik told the participants of a seminar in London on Thursday that all terrorists that Pakistani security agencies arrested had links with the Tableeghi Jamaat centre in Raiwind and they all belonged to religious seminaries.
The parliamentary committee told him to explain his words next week.
The panel, which met on Friday under Senator Raza Rabbani, expressed anger and shock over the statement, and said it associated a “peaceful group with terrorism”.
Separately, top political leaders also criticised Malik for his statement, vowing to defend a respected centre focused on “serving and spreading Islam” against any conspiracy.
The Tableeghi Jamaat has refused to respond to the statement.
A statement by an organisation which represents over 12,000 Deobandi seminaries also condemned Malik for his “irresponsible, unwise and baseless” assertion, saying
the minister should not blame a peaceful organisation to cover up his and agencies’ failures.
The Wafaqul Madaris al Arabia (WMA) said the Tableeghi headquarters, popularly known as the Raiwind Centre, was the “most respectable and undisputed” place in Pakistan, and warned Malik against generating an “unnecessary controversy”.
Top Deobandi leaders, including Maulana Salimullah Khan and Qari Hanif Jallundhri, urged the president and the prime minister to take notice of the statement.
In Islamabad, chief of his own faction of the Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman also condemned the statement, saying it demonstrated the government’s intention to shut down religious seminaries and organisations.
But, Fazl said that he and his party would foil all such controversies. Pakistan Muslim League-Q Chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain also criticised Malik for an ‘irresponsible’ statement, saying if the government takes any action against the Tableeghi Jamaat, every Muslim would rise up in its defence.
In a statement, Shujaat said by calling religious preachers terrorists, Malik had demonstrated his ignorance about people who had devoted their lives serving Islam.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 30th, 2011.
COMMENTS (39)
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As much as I dislike RM, this is the first time during he has spoken the truth. All the politicians know very well the link between Taliban and Tableeghi Jamaat but they don't have guts to speak about it. I am most certain that this recent statement of RM was influenced by ISI who have long complained about this issue. I am sure most of the guys commenting here will have access to 1 or 2 army officers in Pakistan and just try asking them the real face of TJ in the recent suicide and killing of innocent people.
I don't understand this whole concept of preaching within the Muslims. Preaching what? Who gives them the certificate that they are better Muslims than the rest and they can preach what ever they like to anyone they get hands on. To tell the truth, Islam wanted to ease out the humanity from the clutches of barbarism and ignorance to help them lead a comfortable life. We have, on the other hand, let the leadership of Islam slip into the hands of barbarians and the ignorant. And unfortunately we are not ready to listen to any sane voice. For how long will they blackmail the people in the name of Islam. Better we shift to secularism as soon as possible so that we lead a peaceful life as Islam wanted.
@Salam: I couldn't have put it more eloquently.
@Habiba Younis: Aren't you the woman who defended Faraht Hashmi? Where's your objectivity now? Tableegihs are not terrorist. I'm nota terrorist and certainly do not agree with everything they tell you to do but calling them terrorists is nothing but an amatuer and rash analysis devoid of any truth.
@ SALAM Salaam elekum brother wonderfull word u choose may my allah bless you and about those peoples what they know about islam they can not sleep with out drinking wine.
The defenders of the madrassas, including Shujaat Hussain and the Sharifs, should send their children to these seminaries, instead of sending them to London to learn the Queen's tongue or to the US to be enlightened. Politicians kowtow to rightist elements because they are their vote banks and/or are simply afraid of them. Enough of the hyporcrisy about defending the religion. If the politicians are really into defending the faith, why then allow its gross distortion by some groups mostly coming from these same seminaries?
It is very irresponsible of Mr. Rehman Malik to have said this as this will only provoke more hatred in the society. If the aggencies have a proof then they should do their work silently without warning the criminals beforehand.
However i have no doubt that terrorists go to the Raiwind, but there are also good people going there, praticing peacefully.And People please, get rid of this misconception that everyone having a beard, is a terrorist.. ! I m sure Raiwind is a good place as my many friends have been there, and i have seen nothing wrong with them... though i must add that more you get to know islam and teachings of Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. the more responsible you are for spreading the right around yourself, and it starts with making yourself an example... I m afraid this doesnt happen much, we all think badly of these religious gatherings and people when we see a long bearded muslim committing the same old sins...
stop talking ... spend some time with them and analyse your own self Allah Hum sub ka Haydat da Ameen
A lot of the above comments show the ignorance and misconceptions of our people, as most ridiculing the TJ have obviously never have been involved with it. I've had the opportunity of going to Raiwind, the only thing that you will hear on the loudspeaker is that its our duty to bring people close to Islam, not by force, as the TJ relies on word of mouth ONLY. It never publishes banners, advertisements, pamphlets, never incites hate against anyone as its a completely apolitical group. Discussion on Current situation, political matters, state matters are strictly prohibited by TJ. No one is forced to become a part of TJ, nor does it collect donations. Needless to say, the annual TJ ijtema in Pakistan is the largest gathering in the country with over 1.5 million people, and the Bangladesh ijtema is the biggest gathering in the world after Hajj,
The Tj cannot be banned practically anyway, as it relies on word of mouth, and is entirely self run by the individuals involved, the missions that are sent are entirely self funded by the people participating.
The current Raiwind chief has also ridiculed the Taliban, which many of you would not know, for their believe in the power of guns. Everybody is free to visit Raiwind anytime and take a look at what goes on there. Absence of TJ will lead to even a greater number of people adopting extremist, jihadi mindset which believes in the power of guns and hate.
RM trying to preempt USA Policy on Pakistan and its requirement to shift the war from Afghanistan to Pakistan. Bellicose comments of RM do nothing for restoring faith in the Government.
So, now lets ban 70 million TJ people in over 150 countries ! Beyong belief and ridiculous. At the heart of TJ is peace and striving for salvation. Whilst the western neocons would love to attach and create links between the TJ and the so called terrorists, the reality is far from it. There is no evidence that the TJ act as a recruiting arm for Islamic militant organizations.
The movement primarily aims at Islamic spiritual reformation by working at the grass roots level, reaching out to Muslims across all social and economic spectra to bring them closer to the practices of the Prophet Muhammad, Peace be upon Him.
Tabligh Jamaat maintains a non-affiliating stature in matters of politics and fiqh (jurisprudence) so as to eschew the controversies that would otherwise accompany such affiliations. Although, TJ emerged out of the Deobandi sub-school in the Hanafi fiqh, no particular interpretation of Islam has been endorsed since the beginning of movement. Tabligh Jamaat has largely avoided electronic media and has emphasized a personal communication for proselytizing.
Tablighi Jamaat defines its objective with reference to the concept of Dawah which literally means 'to call' and connotes to an invitation to act. In religious context, it implies to a call towards prayer which may also refer to a 'mission' if used in reference with religious prophets and people who were assigned such mission. TJ interprets Dawah as enjoining good and forbidding evil and defines its objective within the framework of two particular Qur'anic verses which refer to this mission.Those two verses are:
Who is better in speech than one who calls (men) to Allah, works righteousness, and says, "I am of those who bow in Islam"? —Qur'an, sura 41 (Fussilat), ayah 33 Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: They are the ones to attain felicity. —Qur'an sura 3 (Al-i-Imran), ayah 104
Tabligh Jamaat encourages everyone to fulfill the Islamic requirement of da'wa even if the person falls short of strong religious intellect. This was different from the other Islamic movements which were mainly ulama-led and extended their leadership roles to the religious erudites. Tabligh Jamaat also negated the prevailing idea that the highest standards of Islamic scholarship and ethical standards were pre-requisites for proselytizing; and promoted da'wa as a mechanism of self-reform.
The only objective of Tabligh Jamaat, overtly stated in most sermons, is that Muslims adopt and invite for the Islamic lifestyle, exemplified by Muhammad, in its perfection. They encourage Muslims to spend time out of their daily routine in the tablighi activities so that the rest of routine could be harmonized with Islamic lifestyle. They insist that the best way of learning is teaching and encouraging others.
In essence maybe Pakistan is still surviving because of the good work of the TJ. Lets get back to basics. Lets improve our being. Lets learn something new about our beautiful religion. Lets join the TJ, even for 3 days! Truly humbling experience.
agree with R. Malik here. and oh look at PML-Q trying to score political points here-disgusting!
@DR SA KHAN: Exactly the sort of mentality Pakistan needs to flush out! You're a case in point.
@Khan, the government can't control any thing, you want them to control the seminaries, how about nationalizing all schools, colleges, universities so that every thing is under government control. It is because of these seminaries that we have some true form of islam present, otherwise like other previous religions, islam would have gone too.
That is the face of true Islam, Patience, Non-violent but committed and persistent. Look at the statement from the "spokesman" of Tableeghi Jamaat MashALLAH. I love them and ask for Divine help and security for them from ALLAH(SWT).
Tableeghi Jamaat and BBC
and for all other vitriolic creatures who are spreading their venom on this forum here is once again a bad news because this new Muslim brother is also going to join Tableeghi Jamaa't very soon inshaALLAH like Hashim Amla and Mohammed Yousuf.
Wayne Parnell
@Dr SA KHAN: You are one of the many sick minded Pakistanis.You think that every Mirza is a marzai. My name is Ahmed what about calling me Ahmadi.and oh you are a doctor.In my country even doctors sound stupid..strange!!
Iqbal died 3 years before the Lahore Resolution and 9 years before independence. Only 4 percent population of Pakistan understood Urdu, so you can estimate how many would have been inspired by Iqbal. And i think you have no idea about Cabinet Mission Plan
GUYS, there is a difference between a Seminary and Missionary. They mean very different in ENGLISH language. Tableeghi Jamaat is missionary organization does not run seminaries. And generally they are criticized by the Seminary running religious/political parties for being “Anti- Jihad” because they do not agree with their version of Jihad.
RM as u have lost credibility therefore no one will accept this real truth. Allah raaiwind main Islam ka bol bala karay. Ameeen
America is happy to see nonsense religion organisations working but are afraid of true preachers of Islam.
@Usman: Kindly update your knowledge. Tableegi jamaat has nothing to do with deoband or ahal-e-hadith institutions. They are just missionaries. They are also criticized by hardliners because raiwind people do not morally support any kind of Jahad in present circumstances. Possibly Rehman Malik also needs to update his information because Raiwind people have been reaching throughout the world and no one has pointed out the finger on them like Malik has done. Rehman Malik is possibly the worst Interior Minister of the country so far. He just wants to hide his failures and weaknesses behind these baseless statements.
Dr. SA KHAN and Zahid Qureshi -- take back your distasteful comments and flush it down the toilet. Your comments provoke hatred amongst Pakistanis. Pakistan is a place for muslims and non-muslims alike. Who are you to judge anything? Secondly, both the Quaid and Allama Iqbal were great men - Quaid's determination alongwith the determination of others (his helpers) gave us the gift in the shape of Pakistan. Next time you plan to post comments laced with hatred and disrespect -- think again and most educated Pakistanis don't think like you do.
Rehman Malik and the hatemongers , I beleive, never ever been to Raiwind congregation . Had those people been "terrorists " Mr.Malik wouldnt have been loitering around with a big mouth .
It is ,undoubtedly ,one of the most serene and peaceful gatherings for a noble cause ,which the commentators above would never know as they are much busy to win the world over by their pigmy thoughts , sitting infront of a notebook or an andriod tablet .
A very biggggggg Sigh !!!!!!
@Zahid Qureshi: and others who think that Jinnah was a secular.
It is a total misconception that Jinnah was a secular. Unfortunately we have been made to believe in this myth, especially as in edited form some of his statements are quoted again and again. And the statements which give the insight to his true thinking have become alien.
An example is his Broadcast speechfrom Dacca Radio Pakistan on 28th March 1948..."Pakistan is the embodiment of the unity of the Muslims nation and so it must remain. That unity as true Muslims, must jealously guard and preserve.If we begin to thin of ourselves as Bengalis,Punjabis, Sindhis,etc, first and Muslims And Pakistanis on incidentially , then PAkistan is bound to disintegrate" Another example is while addressing a Tribal Jirga in Peshawar on 17th April 1948....."Whatever I have done , I did it as a servant of Islam.........We Musalmans believe in one God, one Book...thr Holy Quran - and one Prophet. So we must stand united as one Nation".
I have stated a fact that as the mumber of mullahs increasion the moral values and terrorism sitution is gettin worse. I have been asking this question that 313 Muslim men has changed the world, however we have millions of these "dedicated" Muslim men in Pakistan and the country is going down the -----. I am not relating them directly or drawing any conclusion but with this many Muslims how come the Pakistan is on a constant downward spiral? I am not making a judgegement for any of you, simply asking some logical answers. Please point out where I am wrong? As far as Iqbal being more responsible for Pakistan than Quaid, it is a cruel joke. Iqbal's poetry is still recited by shcool children in India. Saare jehan se achha hindustan humara. He never used the word Pakistan which was coined by C. Rehmat. Iqbal may be a great poet but he was a paid Sir of UK. In fact while he was talking about "Shaheen and heights" he was asking the English masters to increase his monthly Wazifa! Quaid was never on English or anybody's payrol.
@Usman: With all due respect: Why is that even after having the 2nd largest gathering after Hajj in Raiwind the crime, corruption, dishonesty is on the rise?
Tableeghis live in Isolation. Why so......why isn't it that they tableegh about raising voice over wrong things in office, why dont they do Taleem in their college, university or office and highlighht the corruption, lack of justice etc in their work places. Because they are at peace doing their 3 days and forty days etc. They wont point out to the wrong done by their fellow tableeghi never....So much corruption, dishonesty etc in scoiety and we have these tableeghis everywhere, but they wont do anything..
Tableeghis are deceiving themselves and others as well. Having gone to a three day or forty day tableegh. Giving Taleem in Masjid and we think yes we are now good Muslim. Yes, most if not all tableeghis do have that thought at the back of their mind. .....so then, we do not care how to behave in society. our tableeghi imperialism makes us accept only those who are inline with our believes. We still see wrong things going around us and we do not use our hands or tongues to stop it as long as my tableeghi jamaat is spreading.....
@Mirza: You never fail to disappoint me. Muhammad Ali Jinnah was secular and didn't represent the sentiments of the majority of Muslims who were the driving force for creation of Pakistan. If you want to know who represented the true sentiments of Muslims of India then he is Allama Muhammad Iqbal and his poetry.
@Mirza: this is probably the most absurd argument ive heard all day....you are trying to imply that their increasing numbers are driving corruption etc? can you prove that?
Since when calling a spade a spade is crime? Malik my be wrong in many things but he is right on the target on this one! Most liberals would agree that on one hand the number of these religious people is increasing and on the other the corruption, violance, terrorisism and injustices against women and minorities is increasing. If these religious rightwingers were right then their increasing numbers should have made the country a better place and not the worse. In Quaid's Paksitan there were no such people and there was no terrorism.
The right wing parties like Muslim League Q and Muslim League N will always support the breeding grounds of terrorism.
Rarely a spade is called a spade by our leaders. Let us learn to face the truth.
Just when I thought RM was ' loosing it ' he goes and redeems himself and speaks the truth.
Rather than just shutting down a seminary -- how about tossing the hate promoters in jail. It's the teachers that are the problem - not the building.
A US official in a cable sent to the State Department stated that “financial support estimated at nearly 100 million USD annually was making its way to Deobandi and Ahl-i-Hadith clerics in south Punjab from organisations in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates ostensibly with the direct support of those governments