KARACHI, Pakistan — Accusing civil society of promoting “the infidels'”
so-called “hidden” agenda of liberalism and secularism, Pakistan’s diehard
fundamentalist religious parties, who staunchly advocate export of Islamic
revolution worldwide, are increasingly targeting human rights and women’s
rights groups here.
Maulana Fazlur Rahman, chief of one of the most radical Islamic parties
in south Asia, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, told WorldNetDaily, “We are only
against those NGOs [nongovernmental organizations] who are working to
promote Jewish and white Anglo-Saxon ideals. The U.S. and Europe are backing
their anti-Islamic activities.”
The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, a staunch ally of the Taliban regime that
controls 90 percent of war-tattered Afghanistan, conceded there was nothing
in the literature of the NGOs that could hold them culpable of anti-Islamic
activities, but said in the same breath, “The environment they are creating
would be disastrous for Pakistan. In the name of freedom and equality, they
are promoting obscenity.”
Rahman charged, “Such proponents of civil society had turned the
Christians into a majority in southern Sudan. They were the ones who fanned
the flames of conflict in East Timor and spawned the mass conversions of
Muslims into Christianity in Eastern Bangladesh. The NGOs capitalize on the
poverty and abject illiteracy of Muslim people.”
The leader said Western-funded NGOs were instigating the youth to rebel
against Islam and that Pakistan’s army chief and chief executive, Gen.
Pervez Musharraf, in a meeting with him had promised to establish an
investigation commission to probe the activities of the suspected NGOs.
The newest offensive has led to a wave of concern among the NGOs.
“There is no justification for calling for our blood. What NGOs are doing
is to serve the people. Probably, the orthodox elements want to turn back
the wheel of history. They are afraid of historical development. They regard
NGOs as symbols of development, and that’s why we are their target,”
Afrasiab Khattak, chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan told
WorldNetDaily from Peshawar, over 700 kilometers from here.
Khattak felt it was “ridiculous” for the fundamentalists to say the NGOs
have a hidden agenda.
“The civil society stands for completing the unfinished agenda of the
freedom struggle — that is, empowerment of the downtrodden people and the
oppressed minorities,” he said.
Khattak said the civil society was ready for a democratic debate with the
orthodox sections of the society, “but their fascistic rhetoric would hardly
help any debate. I fear their wordy duels and actions would lead to social
and political chaos.” The Human Rights Commission chief dismissed the
allegation that Western money was pouring into the NGOs, saying that
whatever funding the civil society was getting was as per international law.
The fundamentalist parties had been angered over NGO activism and
international campaigning to strike down the discriminatory laws against the
non-Muslims, including the anti-blasphemy and anti-Ahmadi laws, the Zina and
Hudood (fornication) ordinance, the Qisas and Diyat (blood money) ordinance
and the Qanoon-i-Shahadat (law of evidence).
According to the anti-blasphemy law, anyone can be sentenced to death for
allegedly committing an act that, in the view of orthodox clergy, insulted
Muslim prophet Muhammad. The anti-Ahmadi laws have denied the minority
Muslim sect of Qadianis, who do not believe in the finality of prophethood,
the freedom of conscience to practice their faith.
The fornication ordinance renders extramarital, consenting adult sex
between a man and woman a crime against the state, punishable by stoning to
death. Rights activists say the ordinance not only denies Pakistan’s
citizens the right to private, consensual relationships, but also adds salt
to injury by making no distinction between a rape victim and a woman
partnered in consensual adult sex. That is, a raped woman is equated to the
woman who is “guilty” of having had consensual sex.
Though no one has been stoned to death under this law, nevertheless the
provision does exist and can be applied — bolstering the near-slave status
of women. In Pakistan’s tribal areas of the North West Frontier Province,
bordering Afghanistan, people have been stoned to death, although not under
the fornication ordinance. Nevertheless, rights activists fear the tribals
may have been emboldened by the dreaded fornication ordinance to carry out
the stoning act.
The blood money ordinance states that compensation for a non-Muslim is to
be half that of a Muslim, while the law of evidence makes the evidence of
two women equal to that of a single male.
The NGOs fear that continuance of these laws may lead to the
“Talibanization of Pakistan” — a medieval form of governance reminiscent of
the Dark Ages.
But Rahman reiterates his support of the Taliban. His edict last year
that Muslims the world over would be justified to kill American citizens
anywhere if the U.S. attacked Afghanistan to capture Osama bin Laden made
international headlines.
When reminded of that edict, Rahman said, “U.S. warplanes were ready at
their air bases in Tajikistan and a U.S. naval flotilla was present in the
waters off the Balochistan port of Gwadur. The U.S. design is to annihilate
the military and political installations of the Emirate of Afghanistan on
the ruse of capturing Bin Laden. There is no logic in the U.S. desire to use
force to capture or kill Bin Laden. There are forums available as per
international laws [to bring Bin Laden to justice].”
Interestingly, the military-led government in Pakistan had initially set
a liberal agenda and was planning to strike down the most controversial
items in the draconian anti-blasphemy law. The army regime had also proposed
returning to the system of a joint electorate, since Pakistan’s system of
separate electorates had virtually isolated Christians, Hindus, Parsis and
Qadianis from the political mainstream.
One of the most essential actions the government was planning was to
survey and check the workings of the religious seminaries to close down
those that literally had turned into centers of terrorism-related activity,
called jihad by the fundamentalist parties. The government was also
proposing to change the syllabi of the seminaries to bring them in line with
modern education, but may now abandon the plans. Rahman said he had informed
Musharraf that the syllabi were already in tune with the demands of the
modern day.
Said Rahman, “The general said he had been kept ignorant, and I told him
this was deliberately done by the anti-Islam and pro-Western bureaucracy.”
Outcry from the fundamentalist parties, who though politically
marginalized have tens of thousands of Taliban-style cadres armed to the
teeth, forced the government to backtrack.
“The government has buckled down to the pressures from the orthodox
elements on amending the anti-blasphemy law, modernizing the seminaries’
syllabi, and going for joint electorate. This has encouraged the
fundamentalists, and now they are calling for our blood,” says Zohra Yusuf,
former secretary general of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.
“The NGOs speak out for the rights of the minorities and women’s
liberation. This runs into the conservative agenda. … We lobby against
honor killings of women, but the religious right never condemns it, but
rather condones it,” she said.
After the army coup in October last year, Musharraf had tried to portray
a liberal image of Pakistan and was pictured in the international media
holding two Pekingese dogs. He had also publicized his belief in the secular
ideas of Kamal Ataturk Pasha, founder of modern Turkey. A fundamentalist
uproar, however, has left Musharraf muted about his progressive ideas.
Ahmar Mustikhan is a contributing reporter to WorldNetDaily.