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Politics : Idea Of The Day -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: IQBAL LATIF who wrote (42008)	12/21/2001 4:42:02 PM
From: IQBAL LATIF	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 50167

Moin lashes out at Taliban-Says Pakistan to be a tolerant society (This was the speech that Moin made and paid the price in less than 24 hours...his brother was murdered in cold blood) By Zabe Azkar Hussain & Asadullah KARACHI: In the wake of the war against terrorism and the emerging world scenario, the Jang Group organised a two-day international seminar titled "Terrorism: A New Challenge to the World of Islam", which started on Thursday. Interior Minister Lt-Gen (retd) Moinuddin Haider was the chief guest at the seminar, which was attended among others by Arab, Egyptian and Syrian envoys to Pakistan and Muslim scholars from around the globe. In a passionate yet well-worded speech, Moin deliberated on Jihad and threw ample light on why Pakistan became a part of the US coalition in the war against terrorism. "Taliban's 'extremist viewpoint of Islam' could not triumph, and their narrow concept of Islam was both misguided and misguiding," observed Moin who made it clear that Taliban's was not a pure Islamic vision of the world as Islam has never promoted violence, it has a culture of tolerance and protects all human rights. He said that this government had tried its best to convince the Taliban to value and respect the opinion of the international community, but the Taliban were not ready to review their strategy on any issue. He said that he had personally tried to convince the Taliban leaders to see reason on the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas and later brought the issue of international terrorism with them. Moin fielded the questions fired at him with remarkable ease and showed great forbearance while facing severe criticism on the role played by Musharraf's government in "combating international terrorism", and also glorification from other quarters for "rising to the occasion". With the bonhomie of a seasoned bureaucrat, he ruled out all apprehensions about the country's future, saying: "Pakistan has not run out of its fortune and a tolerant society must be its fate." With optimism that the steps being taken against "sectarianism, extremism, and terrorism" would culminate in an enlightened society, he pointed out that two extremist groups had been banned by the government and an impetus in the recovery drive against the possession of illegal arms was on the cards. The activities of other extremist groups were being monitored and a liberal policy regarding Madaris was also in the offing and would be implemented soon, he added. Referring to the young men dispatched to Afghanistan, the interior minister reminded the audience of their fate without spelling out the harsh truth. Instead, he stated that these men were sent despite the official policy of the government. He said that the Taliban sympathisers had unfairly motivated them under the concept of Jihad. "Now that they have faced great disappointment, they remain unconcerned about the fate of those they motivated to go for the holy war," he added. He lauded the Jang Group for holding the seminar saying that such events would lead to a better understanding of serious national and international issues by bringing them into focus of the teachings of Islam. He strongly condemned terrorism in any form and said that such attacks never benefitted anyone. Questioning the validity of recognising Mulla Omar as Ameer-ul-Momineen, he asked whether Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia would accept Mulla Omar as their Ameer when they have got their own. Muslim countries should come closer and forge unity among themselves as the Organisation of Islamic countries (OIC) et al have failed to raise and redress the many problems facing the Muslim Ummah, mainly for lacking dynamism and being a non-potential force, he said. "The G-8 countries, mainly comprising European states, meet regularly and take major decisions for the benefit of their member states which are implemented without any delay. This is an effective way to deal with international problems," he said. Moin stressed on the formation of a powerful Islamic media which could effectively highlight problems of the Muslims globally. He said that the required technical ability and prerequisite financial resources were there to move ahead in this regard. Mere reliance on western media, whether print or electronic, would never project vital issues facing the Muslim Ummah, he added. Commenting on the viewpoint of a speaker that the army should have a permanent role in the National Security Council since the political leadership generally created a mess, he said that efforts should be made to make this society truly tolerant, democratic and liberal. Once this goal was achieved, the question of a particular role for the army would become irrelevant, he opined. Commenting on speeches made by prominent scholars viz, Dr Hafeez Malik, Professor of Political Science, Villanova University USA, Prof Dr Anis Ahmed, Dean of Social Sciences, University of Pakistan and Dr Riffat Hassan, Professor of Humanities, University of Louisville USA, he said that the government was committed to making this society liberal and enlightened. Javed Jabbar, former federal minister and advisor to the chief executive, who moderated the seminar, pinpointed that economic and social injustice and other factors also played an important part in the promotion of terrorism and that such problems must be addressed at both state and international levels. He criticised the "one-sided interpretation of religious injunctions" and noted that Ijtihad is a fundamental principle in Islam as a religion for humanity. A video message from British Prime Minister Tony Blair was played on the occasion. The message appreciated the government's bold decision to join the international community in its war against international terrorism. Blair said: "Good Day to you. I'm delighted to say these few words to you in support of this conference on terrorism. And I'd like to begin if I may by paying tribute to the leadership of President Musharraf and of Pakistan in the recent fight against international terrorism centred in Afghanistan. I know it has been difficult and hard for you, but I am sure that the sight of so many people joyful at the overthrow of the Taliban regime is a useful reminder of why this war was much more than simply about bringing to account those responsible for the September 11 atrocity. It was also about bringing justice to people in Afghanistan."