Interesting choice by this government official, wouldn't you say? I guess there's a power vacuum in the Taliban because Omar hasn't been seen officially since 2001. Watch this video and you'll hear a BBC interview of Omar in which he predicts the destruction of America. In the following article you'll read about Obama taking on Omar's role. In addition, I have added a 1998 article about the "Islamization Initiative" in Pakistan. As you read it, ask yourself if that same Islamic Initiative is underway within the halls of American government (as has been happening in Europe), albeit, more subtly here.
The Nation (Pakistan)
September 2, 2010
ISLAMABAD – In a development that could be duly termed as one and only of its kind, an incumbent Government’s Minister has urged US President Barrack Obama to offer Eid prayers at Ground Zero Mosque and become “Ameer-ul-Momineen” of Muslim Ummah.
Minister of State for Industries and former member Pakistan Ideological Council Ayatullah Durrani called TheNation on Wednesday to register his demand made to President Obama.
Read more . . .
[Ed. In the next article, note the text in red.]
Recongifuration of the South Asian Polities
By Udayakumar
Chow.com
August 31, 1998
Priminister Nawaz Sharif has introduced a constitutional amendment to create a new Islamic order in Pakistan and to establish a whole legal system based on the Quran. In an uncharacteristic haste, the measure has been carried through a Standing Committee on Law and Parliamentary Affairs of the National Assembly despite opposition from major political parties and minority communities.
In the "true Islamic welfare state" Mr. Sharif envisages, all laws would be based exclusively on the Quran as well as the Sunnat, the sayings of Prophet Mohammed. The federal government will be "obliged" to enforce prayers five times a day, collect an annual tithings, and "to prescribe what is right and to forbid what is wrong." Mr. Sharif has said that he "can no more sit idle following rampant incidents of terrorism, lawlessness, injustice, corruption and mismanagement" and has declared that the time has come to take action.
Mr. Sharif's sudden realization of responsibility and new-found faith in "Islam" is obviously an effort to placate the restive fundamentalist elements in Pakistan, undermine his political opponents' programs, and to safeguard his own hold on political power. For instance, the right-wing Jamaat-i-Islami has recently accused Mr. Sharif of rampant corruption and economic mismanagement. Joining hands with the opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the National Awami Party, an erstwhile ally of Mr. Sharif, the Jamaat has attacked the government for its mishandling of the economic crisis following the nuclear tests.
Many Islamic fundamentalist outfits and organizations have demonstrated against the government all over the country protesting against the recent US attack on Afghanistan and Sudan, and the alleged role of the Sharif government in it. In fact, Lashkar-i-Tayyaba, a pro-Taliban militant Islamic in Pakistan, has even declared 'jihad' against the US in retaliation for the air strikes on Afghanistan and Sudan. The group has criticized Mr. Sharif that he has failed to take a clear position on the strikes, and demanded that Pakistan cut off its diplomatic ties with Washington D.C.
So, if the going gets tough, the tough go "Islamizing." The Arains, small farmers and tenants of the Punjab, are said to have utilized "Islam" in emerging socially and economically prominent in independent Pakistan. General Zia ul-Haq, an Arain, did exactly that to retain his power. Now comes Mr. Sharif, another Punjabi, so keen on making Pakistan a welfare state and uprooting all kinds of evils from the Pakistani society. There is also some speculation in Pakistan that Mr. Sharif wants to transform himself into "Amir-ul-Momineen" (leader of Muslims) a title used by the Taliban chief, Mullah Omar.
Human rights activists, opposition politicians and constitutional experts have rightly criticized that Mr. Sharif is abusing Islam to strengthen his own authority. Asma Jehangir, a leading human rights activist in Pakistan, has put it tersely: "In the name of Islam, Nawaz Sharif is trying to perpetuate a fascist rule." Although Sharif has assured the minority communities, who make up almost 5 percent of the country's 140 million, and women that the new Islamic laws would not infringe on their rights, their situation would be rather precarious.
The so-called "Islamisation Initiative" is taking Pakistan as a hostage jeopardizing the federal framework, democratic principles, and the interests of women, and minorities. The greater danger, however, is the possible Talibanization of Pakistan and the contamination of much of South Asia with this 'madmen disease.' Consider some of the findings of Physicians for Human Rights in their recent report entitled "The Taliban's War on Women". Talibans who believe in a strict version of "Islamic law" ordered in June the closing of more than 100 privately funded schools and projects at which thousands of girls and young women received training which would help them support themselves and their families. Afghan women cannot go out without being covered from head to toe or without a male chaperon. Windows in houses and buildings in public view have to be painted over if there are women present in those buildings. Ironically enough, Taliban's cruel discriminatory policies that have an adverse impact on the health, well-being, and economic survival of women are carried out in the name of Islam that rose to defend, among other things, the interests of women of that time.
Deccan Herald, a reputed newspaper in India, reports that Syet Mahamoodullah, a Taliban official, made a statement at a seminar held in Karachi that the Taliban "will extend support to Kashmiris" which however will be "only in jihad and not in the political arena." He is said to have contended that jihad, being a continuous process against anti-Islamic forces, could not stop at a certain point of time and space within or beyond one's border. In the meantime, the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Dr. Farooq Abdullah has appealed to the people of his state to be ready to face the Taliban threat. The chief minister's statement made recently at the State Assembly has come at a time when Indian security forces are locked in a heavy fighting against militant groups that include native Hizbul Mujahideen, and foreign militants such as Laskr-e-Tauba and Tehrikul Mujahideen (Harkatul Ansar).
The drift toward Islamic conservatism and religious fanaticism in Pakistan and Afghanistan will be savored by their 'Hindu,' 'Buddhist,' and 'Islamic' counterparts in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The so-called "islamisation Initiative" and the spreading Talibanization will surely lease a new life to the religious orthodoxies and other backward elements in the entire region. The ongoing reconfiguration of the South Asian polities with religious fanaticism, political conservatism, and nuclear arsenal is rather spine-chilling.
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