Page 2 of 2 INTERVIEW The Father of the
Taliban Maulana Sami
ul-Haq
give us funds
for running our madrassas and then we will
let them have their audit. Why are they taking
pains when they are not giving us a penny? Only
those who give us financial support have the right
to audit our funds. We have our system of
donations and we do not accept any donations from
the government. I also want to make it clear that
we keep a record of all our donations and funding.
The funding is being registered and we prepare
annual reports and then those reports are printed
along with the names of
the
donors.
IA: Who gives you
the donations for running this big
madrassa?
SH: Common
Muslims. And the majority of the funding comes
from the poorer classes of society. They know that
madrassas are the forts of Islam and the
students in madrassas are the real
guardians of Islam. God's religion is flourishing
in the madrassas. These people cut their
meager domestic budget and give us donations. This
is how they express their love of Allah almighty
and save the integrity of these madrassas.
IA: Is Musharraf validated
in meddling with religious issues considering he
is supposed to be the leader of a secular
government?
SH: He has been
doing all this just to appease the United States
and his other Western masters.
IA: To what extent could a
nuclear Iran pose a potential threat to the
strength of Pakistan?
SH:
Iran is not a threat to Pakistan at all. Iran is
giving the United States a tough time in the
region and seems quite determined to acquire
nuclear power status. Muslims all over the world
are happy about this move because there should be
someone who has the courage to demonstrate the
religious strength to look into the eyes of the
United States. We support Iran. Besides, we would
not allow the Pakistani leadership to toe the US
line in dealing with Iran, as they have done in
the case of Afghanistan.
IA:
There has been speculation that Iran has ambitions
for a "Shi'ite Crescent" in the Middle East. What
is your opinion of this?
SH:
This is US propaganda aimed at dividing the
strength of Muslims. The Shi'ite-Sunni issue has
been created by the United States just to hide its
failure in Iraq and to achieve its goals in the
Middle East. Besides, the United States is also
creating poisonous propaganda against Iran for
intervening in Iraq's affairs just to malign its
position in the world community. It is baseless. I
was in Iran two months ago where I held meetings
with the top Iranian leadership. I urged them to
counter US propaganda and try to satisfy Kurds,
Arabs and Sunnis. I clearly told them that if you
[Iran] need the support of the whole Muslim
ummah [community], then you have to garner
support against the United States, not only from
Shi'ites but also from Sunnis.
IA: What do you think of
Lashkar-e-Jangvi, TNSM and other jihadi outfits in
Pakistan?
SH:
Lashkar-e-Jangvi and similar organizations are the
continuity of the Kashmir problem. These jihadi
forces were patronized by the Pakistani
intelligence agency, the ISI [Inter-Services
Intelligence], with full state support for their
activities in Kashmir. But when Pakistan came
under immense pressure, then this whole drama was
wrapped up and that is why a ban was put on these
jihadi organizations. It is all a dictated policy
from the West.
IA: What do
you think about the latest spate of suicide
bombings in Pakistan?
SH:
This is not a surprise. This new suicide
phenomenon in Pakistan is the direct outcome of
the government's policies, particularly the unjust
military operations in the tribal belt along the
Afghan border. Today, Pakistani forces are at the
highest level of danger and risk due to the flawed
policies of [President] General [Pervez] Musharraf
in the name of fighting the so-called "war on
terror". This is what I had forewarned about in
the past, that if the government did not stop
these unjust military operations, then attacks on
military posts and violence would not be confined
to the tribal areas, but will spread to the rest
of the country. Today, you see that this is
happening.
IA: Do you think
that suicide attacks are fair?
SH: The bombers would not
ask us to confirm whether it is fair or unfair. It
is better you ask this question to the suicide
bombers, whose family members have been killed and
houses have been bombed. They themselves decided
what they had to do. They would not ask any
mullah. But they do think that they will go
straight to paradise.
IA:
Who do you think these bombers are?
SH: They are young and
emotional Muslims. When they see that their
leaders have surrendered to the United States and
its allies, then they do not see any other way out
except for the option of suicide bombing. Among
them are students of modern universities who see
how the Western powers are destroying Muslims
around the world. Suicide bombing is an
international phenomenon now. These young people
do not receive any suicide training or motivation
in a madrassa or a mosque. They watch it on
their TVs - the dead bodies of Muslim brothers.
They see that Muslims are being killed in various
part of the world. When they see these atrocities,
they go their own way. If the international
community wants to put an end to this kind of
activity, it is high time for them to ponder
solutions to issues like Palestine, Iraq and
Kashmir.
IA: Besides your
madrassa role, how do you see your role as
a politician in the political field?
SH: My role is very clear as
a madrassa teacher as it is as a
politician. I want a true Islamic system in
Pakistan. That is my simple goal. The current
Pakistani system of governance was introduced by
the British Raj, which means we are still enslaved
by that colonial legacy. Our economy, education
and judicial system stem from the same
exploitative British rule. I want to introduce
real sharia, which was implemented by the four
caliphs of Islam.
IA: Will
you support Musharraf in the upcoming presidential
elections?
SH: We have not
yet decided about the upcoming elections. But I
think they will be a fraud and a futile exercise
in the name of democracy. Elections are part of
democracy, but here they have become a fraud. In
my 37-year career as a politician, I have seen a
particular group of politicians from a particular
group of families ruling this country. They have
made their own dynasties. Since the creation of
Pakistan [1947], they have just been replacing one
another, with no big change in policies. I am in
favor of a bloodless revolution, which would
completely overhaul the existing system. I just
wonder, how can a democracy flourish in the shadow
of a military uniform? The present one is a shame
of a democracy.
IA: Do you
think that with his support for the "war on
terror", Musharraf's popularity has increased or
decreased at home?
SH:
Absolutely decreased. First, look at the declining
popularity of President [George W] Bush in his own
country. So, how can Musharraf be popular for his
role in the so-called "war on terror"? The reports
about his increasing popularity are just rubbish.
IA: Will Musharraf be able
to maintain control over Pakistan?
SH: Well, people are not
happy with what he is doing here in Pakistan. The
overwhelming majority of the masses are opposing
his policies, particularly the much talked about
"enlightened moderation". After bringing changes
to the Hudood laws [which were aimed at
implementing sharia law], now his government might
soon amend the blasphemy laws. But he does not
understand that the Pakistani people will
sacrifice their lives on the issue of blasphemy.
All these actions demonstrate his unpopularity
among the masses.
IA: Is an
Islamic revolution a possibility in Pakistan's
future?
SH: Anything is
possible. But the most important thing to keep in
mind is that the motive behind the creation of
Pakistan was the establishment of an Islamic state
for the Muslims of India. Establishment of sharia
is the logical conclusion of Pakistan's creation.
IA: How do see yourself and
your role in the next 10 years, and how can you
contribute to the peaceful revolution you
mentioned earlier?
SH: I'll
see how events unfold in the future. However, I'm
optimistic that after 10 years, the whole Muslim
ummah will have awakened from its deep
slumber; Pakistan is no exception. I think that
the vast majority of Pakistanis will not tolerate
what is going on here as silent spectators. Here
is also a lesson for the United States: to learn
from what happened to the former superpower the
USSR.
It should address the problems of
the world in a positive way and address the sense
of deprivation being created in the people of this
region and especially in the Muslim ummah.
Things have drastically changed. With the way they
[the United States and its Western allies] inflict
cruelties and damages on the Muslim ummah,
there will be a strong response. Now, the Muslims
have awakened. It is time for the United States to
act responsibly. Otherwise, there will be
tit-for-tat attacks.
IA: Do
you think that the suicide bombing phenomenon is a
kind of awakening?
SH: Look,
if you kick a sleeping man, he will not only wake
but will also resist. So, yes, suicide bombing is
an awakening. Tell me, where did the concept of
suicide bombing in Pakistan come from? We had not
heard about any suicide bombings in the more than
two decades of the Afghan conflict. But this is a
new and unbeatable discovery which some Muslim
youth have found as an answer to the cruelties and
damages being inflicted on the Muslim
ummah.
IA: Can
Western governments have a healthy relationship
with Pakistan through foreign aid or development
work?
SH: The first step is
sovereignty and respect, and only then can foreign
aid work. Until the United States and the West
respect the sovereignty of Muslim countries and
stop their aggression and atrocities, nothing will
work.
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