Pakistan's Khwariji Mullahs Part two Maulana Hafiz Saeed by Ahmad Imran

Maulana Hafiz Muhammad Saeed was born on 10 March, 1950, Sargodha (Punjab) and is an active chief of an organization by the name of Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) operating out of Pakistan. The UN and the international community including the USA, the European Union, the UK, Australia, Russia and India have banned Jamaat-udDawah accusing it of being a terrorist organization. Maulana Hafiz Muhammad Saeeds family roots are embedded in Shimla in India. [1] Education and Employment Maulana Hafiz Muhammad Saeed did his matriculation in 1966, FA in 1968, and while a laudatory profile of him,states him having earned a Bachelor's degree in 1970 from the university of Punjab but the field of study remains unknown. He received his first Master's degree again in 1972 and yet another Master's in 1974 also from the same institution, except what was the particular theses about in either of the two degrees,also remains a mystery . Hafiz Saeed finds gainful employment as a teacher at the University of Engineering and Technology but what he teaches there also remains a mystery. Allegedly the University of Engneering and Technology sends him to Saudi Arabia for further studies in Arabic at the King Saud University. However, it is here, that Hafiz Saeed rubs shoulders with the likes of Wahabi ideologue as Ibn Baaz, and Ibn Saalih Al-Uthaymeen [2]. Saeed has admitted to meeting Osama Bin Laden in Saudi Arabia [3]. Research work by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed includes theses on Aijaz-ulQuraan, Life of Abu Hurairah (RA) and Hudood. As a Wahabi ideologue, he has written countless articles on the subject of politics, religion and Islamic Jurisprudence. He also wrote Tafseer Surah Tawbah and Tafseer Surah Yousuf. In 1987, he laid foundation of Markaz-e-Dawa getting full support from Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadees. Later on, this movement turned into Lashkar-e-Tayyaba in 1990 [4]. Saeed can also boast of being a former member of the Pakistan's Council on Islamic Ideology. Like Hamas and Hizballah, Hafiz Saeed is involved in charity and welfarfe work to seek local traction by heading welfare and and charity organizations as Jamat ud Dawah ( Party of Proselytization) and Flah-e-Insaniat Foundation ( Humanity Welfare Foundation).

Terrorism Accusations & Imprisonment In the last month of 2000, India enlisted Hafiz Muhammad Saeed for being involved in armed attacks on Red Fort, Delhi. In 2001, India accused Hafiz Muhammad Saeed of being involved in attack on Lok Sabha and he had to be imprisoned until March 31, 2002. On May15, 2002, he was placed under house arrest until October 31, 2002. On July 11, 2006, another allegation of train bombings in Mumbai forced Pakistan government to place Hafiz Muhammad Saeed under house arrest until August 9, 2006. Lahore High Court released Hafiz Muhammad Saeed on October 17, 2006. After Mumbai bombings, India involved the United Nations Security Council in declaring Jamaat-ud-Dawah and its leadership as Al-Qaeda affiliate terrorist organization. The United Nations declared this Islamic organization as the front of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba [5]. As a result Hafiz Muhammad Saeed was again placed under under house arrest in December 2008 (although declared as unconstitutional containment later by Lahore High Court) until June 2009. In October 2009, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed was not only released by Lahore High Court but the court also discharged all the cases filed against him letting Hafiz Muhammad Saeed continue his activities in Pakistan without any restriction. One of the judges presiding over the case Justice Khosa remarked, "In the name of terrorism we cannot brutalize the law [6]. For a comprehensive assessment of terrorism charges against the man and his organization along with its affiliates, please see Terrorism Source at the end of the article. Clash of Islamists Saeed's rubbing shoulders with Wahabi ideologues has already been highlighted, but what makes him different would be his Qutbi proclivities in governance, making him

a text book example of a political-Islamist in the fashion of the Ikhwan-ul-Muslimeen. A Salafi cleric by the name of Yahya an-Najmee critiques him for being an adherent of Tawheed al Haakimiyyah in the following manner, "The Qur'an has made clear that Allaah is only one deity, to Him belongs worship. To give the right of Haakimiyyah to other than Allaah means taking him as a lord (rabb) and deity (ilah). Today, in Muslim countries, the choices have been given to the parliaments..." [7] The Salafi critiques the Qutbi on the literal or mere semantics of allegedly declaring earthly sovereignty away from God (SWT). It must be understood here that in Islam Allah (SWT) is deemed as the ultimate Sovereign in the universe primarily because the creator is not dependent on any other entity for existence. In governance the Qur'an and Islamic law has primacy for the ruled while allowing the right to life, worship, property and livelihood for non-Muslim minorities. In earthly governance there exist different notions of sovereignty in Islam [8]. Even the Ahl-e-Hadees rank and file have been disowning the likes of JuD organization run by Saeed. Needless to say it takes an alleged liberal media outlet [9] to protect the reputations of ordinary Ahle-e-Hadees. What the same pseudo-liberal outfit fail to understand, is that they are white washing the ideologues of a movement while denouncing its militants. The analogy would be to defend an opera visiting Nazi while denouncing Nazi street thugs. Pakistani alleged liberals have fallen victim to the false premise that only jihadis and taqfiris or militants are Khwarijis. Clash of Muslims and Islamists. The politico-Islamists (Ikhwanist) can be critiqued for demanding total and complete loyalty to singularity of governance (literal translation of the word Tawheed al Haakimiyyah) making them the true totalitarians that they are, in their efforts to take

credibility away from traditional ulema and usurping the role for themselves thus binding the community in religious matters similar to functions of the Imperium Romanum Sacrum (The Holy Roman Empire). What is sacred and /or profane is to be deciphered by members of a Parliament, also referred to as Majlis-e-Shura in the post colonial period of the Borader Middle East. The members of this Majlis may not be trained as scholars of Islam in the classical method but will effectively marginalize the ulema and the social marketplace's meritocracy driven approach in matters of religious dogma. The Ikhwanist ( Political-Islamist) therefore must be resisted by Muslims at all costs. The notion of a singular unqualified obfuscationist political structure mandating dogma is repugnant and symptomatic of the existence of tyranny. Saeed, US and the West. Hafiz Saeed is a great fan of the British Conservatives for their simplistic lifestyles, if not acknowledging their elitist educations and great wealth [10]. Saeed probably would have remained an obscure mullah blamed for fantastical terrorists acts like Mumbai, had it not been for the US government's remarkable move, similar to the Iranian leader Khomeini's move on Salman Rushdie, of placing $10 million bounty leading to the arrest of Saeed. Saeed is supposed to have calmly replied, We are not hiding in caves for bounties to be set on finding us. [11] However, the the story got played out differently in Pakistan. It had to do with the Pakistan banning Ahle Sunna Wal Jamaat ( ASWJ) , a designation that is used by a collective jurisprudence of Sunni Islam. Terrorist outfits morph and constantly evolve under global scrutiny, thus a derivative and affiliate of JuD , the Sipah-e-Sahaba had conveniently started calling itself Ahle Sunna Wal Jamma. [12] As as result of US action tremendous sympathy was generated for

Saeed as people stepped up to defend the designation of the majoritarian sect in Islam. Thus, inadvertently the US helped Saeed embed himself , his organization and its affiliates by skillful use of marketing genius into the hearts and minds of Pakistani people who were already furious over the drone attacks and the US military misadventures that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in the Salala incident. [13] While Western powers, India and the rest of the global media make allegations of Saeed's guilt in the Mumbai massacres and Inter-Services Intelligence's (ISI) complicity, the actions of the US defy rationality in their refusal to prosecute two former director generals of the ISI. [14] Of particular note, is the language used which refers to US giving immunity to the directors. The US is not the United Nations, nor is it international law yet, thus the move only translates to the US refusal to do so. If the US wanted to show its commitment towards terrorism, it could prosecute the Pakistanis even in absentia like Italy indicted CIA agents over rendition. [15] No matter how one looks at it, the US looks bad, meaning either the US and media are falsely implicating Pakistan or there is some sinister reason the US will not allow the prosecution. Needlessly to say, Pakistanis were elated but the families of the victims and Indian hawks were livid. Pakistan is awash with US spookes and other contractors. If the US can find AlQaeda needles in the tribal haystack, then why put up a $10 million bounty on a public personality living openly in a major city? If the US can kill the members of the funeral procession of an Anti-Tehreek Taliban Pakistan like Qari Zainuddin in a smaller town like Dera Ismail Khan then the US can certianly target Hafiz Saeed in Lahore. [16] The Rise of Pakistani Ikhwan-ul-Muslimeen Religious obfuscation is common to all Islamists, and Hafiz Saeed picked up

Wahabi theological credentials to appear religious, but it is his political leanings that make him a true Political-Islamist. There are serious allegations being made against Hafiz Saeed and his organization and the alleged affiliates with whom he may have individual or organizational contacts. The author finds it difficult to believe that Saeed may have enough organizational, strategic and tactical acumen to pull off something like Mumbai Terror attack. Saeed's contacts with ISI are widely known, but what is not known as to why would ISI help Saeed perpetrate fantastical terror attacks when Pakistan as a nation state received no tangible benefits but global infamy. If the terror accusations are to be believed then the United Sates' inability or unwillingness to place sanctions against Pakistan are mind boggling. Saeeds less than feather weight theological credentials and his Ikhwanist political leanings make Saeed the Chief Political-Islamist Of Pakistan, who may some day want to lead Pakistan in an occultist Ikhwanist path similar to Morsi of Egypt as long as he enjoys the client status of the Inter-Services Intelligence. The Political-Islamist (Ikhwanists) in Pakistan maybe having a tough time gaining local political traction since unlike hardcore secular regimes of the Arab world, Pakistan remained fairly more religious and the Islamists were allowed to compete in local politics with less than spectacular results. The oppression leashed against the Ikhwan-ulMuslimeen (Political-Islamist) gave them time to organize underground, gain public sympathy and unfortunately now define the post Arab Spring status quo, something it is hoped never happens in Pakistan. Hafiz Saeed has shown a willingness to vote for Imran Khan [17]who in return has acquiesced upon condemning Saeed. [18] Imran Khan has previously been allied to fringe right of center parties but is now running a popular movement in Pakistan. There are worries that the clean cut somewhat well spoken image

of Imran Khan maybe a confluence of Islamism in itself. Imran Khan may become the face of the defacto Ikhwan-ul-Muslimeen party in Pakistan while the Hafiz Saeed will be the behind the scenes chief religious ideologue. Both Saeed and Imran Khan need to be approached with caution and their engagement in the socio-political life of Pakistan must be thoroughly scrutinized.

[1] http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\04\07\story_7-42012_pg7_13 [2] http://www.salafievents.com/biographies/shaykh-muhammad-ibnsaalih-al-uthaymeen-622 [3] http://pakistan.shafaqna.com/islam-world/item/275-osama-zawahriand-i-had-same-teacher-hafiz-saeed.html [4] http://www.pakistanileaders.com.pk/profile/Hafiz_Muhammad_Saeed [5] http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/12/un_declares_jamaatud .php [6] http://archives.dawn.com/archives/41977 [7] http://www.takfiris.com/takfir/print.cfm?deruz [8] http://muslim-academy.com/islam-and-sovereignty-of-allah/ [9] http://criticalppp.com/archives/73466 [10] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2173500/Why-terroristHafiz-Saeed-admires-David-Cameron-Boris-Johnson.html

[11]http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405270230402350457732 0811915728378.htm [12] http://dawn.com/2012/03/10/government-bans-ahle-sunnat-waljamaat-claims-report/ [13] http://tribune.com.pk/story/297979/nato-jets-attack-checkpost-onpak-afghan-border/ [14] http://tribune.com.pk/story/481746/expressing-concern-indiadisappointed-over-isis-immunity-in-us-civil-suit/ [15] http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/world/europe/05italy.html [16] http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jun/24/us-missile-strikepakistan [17] http://www.siasat.pk/forum/showthread.php?126888-Hafiz-Saeedthinks-his-Jamat-will-vote-for-Imran-Khan [18] http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2012/04/15/comment/columns/ption-hafiz-saeed/ Terror Glossary http://www.terrorism.com/2012/04/03/wanted-by-us-for-10-million-hafiz-saeedmastermind-of-mumbai-attack/ http://www.nctc.gov/site/profiles/saeed.html http://blog.heritage.org/2012/11/21/indias-execution-of-mumbai-attacker-is-reminder-ofpakistani-foot-dragging/ http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/lashkar.htm http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R41307.pdf http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2009_hr/mumbai.pdf