Musharraf: I Will Not Allow Extreme Islam

I had no sooner published my previous post about Colonel David Hunt’s assessment that Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf “is not our friend,” titled “Fox Analyst Flays ‘Friend’ Musharraf,” when I came across today’s UK Telegraph article “Musharraf Declares War on Muslim Extremists.” After reading my earlier post and the following excerpts from the Telegraph story, it should be clear which side Musharraf is on in the War on Terror. While he may not be the perfect “friend” Col. Hunt apparently expects, his efforts to battle terrorists within Pakistan are exactly what we need from the leaders of all Muslim nations if Islamic extremism is ever to be defeated. In that light, Musharraf is our imperfect but certainly welcome friend despite Col. Hunt’s low opinion of him. Readers should decide whether these words published in the Telegraph are those of a friend or of an enemy, as Col. Hunt implied, in the War on Terror (Reuters photo courtesy of UK Telegraph):

…In a televised address to the nation, Gen Musharraf said that those inside the mosque and its adjacent madrassa, or Muslim college, were "terrorists" who directly threatened Pakistan's security. They had also tarnished Islam's reputation as a tolerant and peaceful religion.

"What do we as a nation want?" he asked. "What kind of Islam do these people represent? In the garb of Islamic teaching they have been training for terrorism. They prepared the madrassa as a fortress for war and housed other terrorists in there."

Gen Musharraf praised the army for wresting the mosque and its madrassa "from the hands of terrorists" and said: "I will not allow any madrassa to be used for extremism."

Isn’t this precisely what we have longed to hear from every Muslim leader in the world, a call to Muslims from Muslims to reject extremism and fight against those who tarnish Islam’s reputation? Other than allowing direct U.S. military action in Pakistan, which I discussed in more detail in my post earlier today, what more could Col. Hunt and other Musharraf critics hope for out of an embattled but courageous leader of the world’s only Muslim nuclear nation? For critics like Col. Hunt, what’s not to like about a moderate Muslim leader who raids radical mosques, kills barricaded extremist clerics firing upon government forces, and tells a nationwide audience that extremism is not consistent with true Islam and must be destroyed?

Musharraf’s televised address contained the strongest and most specific condemnation of extremism yet heard from a Muslim political figure, but perhaps more important than the condemnation was the call for Pakistani’s to ask themselves what kind of Pakistan and brand of Islam they want to represent, to themselves and the rest of the world.

Pakistan is rapidly careening towards a crossroads in its place in world history. It is a complicated combination of technological scientific achievement on the one hand and radical anti-modernization and religious oppression on the other. Musharraf’s statements and actions, placing his personal safety at continuous risk, clearly establish that he wants to help Pakistan develop into a modern and moderate Islamic nation. America and her allies should help Musharraf in every way possible to help Pakistan purge itself of the scourge of radical Islam rather than criticize him for not doing as much as we think he should within his own nation. If he invites U.S. military support in raiding the northern tribal areas infested with al Qaeda and Taliban operatives, then we should do so with relish. If, however, he continues to request that only Pakistani forces conduct these operations in Pakistan, then we should respect his authority and assist in every other way available.

It may well be crucial for Pakistan’s internal stability in the future that the nation purges its own Islamic extremist elements rather than allowing the U.S. to do so. Such a purge, conducted by Muslims against other Muslims by their own forces would be a clear statement of national purpose and unity in the name of preserving moderate Islam.

President Musharraf is a brave man who needs stalwart and patient friends to stand by him while he attempts to lead Pakistan through a period of nationwide religious introspection on the future direction of Islam in Pakistan. His address to his people, consistent with his continued contributions to the War on Terror, will hopefully silence Col. Hunt’s and other critics’ complaints that Musharraf is not “friend” enough for their liking.

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Musharraf, Pakistan, Red Mosque, Islamic Extremism, Televised Address, Madrassas, Terrorists, War on Extremists, War on Terror, Colonel David Hunt, Moderate Islam

Musharraf Orders to Attack Known Terrorists Ignored by Pakistani Military: Military, Government Officials Too Cozy with Radicals

In a fascinating but ultimately disturbing illustration of the internal struggles facing President Musharraf of Pakistan, adnkronosinternational recently reported a growing rift between Musharraf and the Pakistani military, particularly the Pakistani Air Force. Though noticed by Counterterrorism Blog, this particular incident has received surprisingly little media attention despite its ramifications.

To establish the context, last week terrorist bombings were carried out in Peshawar and Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital city. Two Pakistani Taliban leaders, Ghazi Abdul Rasheed and Maulana Abdul Aziz, determined by Pakistani Intelligence to be responsible for the bombings, subsequently took shelter in the compound housing Islamabad’s largest radical madrassa. Thus within the capital city, two known terrorist leaders were hiding in plain sight. Musharraf has been provoked significantly in recent years by Rasheed and Aziz. For example, in 2004 Rasheed and Aziz issued a religious decree, signed by 500 Pakistani “Islamic scholars”, against Pakistani military personnel battling with Al Qaeda in South Waziristan. The decree, which included a refusal to allow Muslim burials in Muslim cemeteries for Pakistani soldiers killed in South Waziristan, resulted in a large number of Pakistani forces refusing to fight Al Qaeda in that region.

In 2005, following the London subway bombings, Musharraf attempted to reign in the radical madrassas in Pakistan, as British investigators determined that the perpetrators of those bombings had been radicalized in the very madrassas challenging Musharraf's anti-terror efforts. Washington and London have since demanded Rasheed and Aziz be arrested, and Pakistani security obtained warrants for both clerics, who cannot leave the Islamabad madrassa for fear of being taken into custody.

Incensed by last weeks attacks, particularly the strike in the capital city, Musharraf weighed his military options and according to a US military intelligence source consulted by Counterterrorism Blog, ordered the Pakistani Army to attack the madrassa and capture or kill Rasheed and Aziz. The Pakistani Army reportedly refused because such an assault would be met with massive resistance from students of the radical clerics. Musharraf this week ordered the Pakistani Air Force to conduct surgical air strikes against the Islamabad madrassa harboring Rasheed and Aziz., but the Air Force refused. As a useful comparison, an equivalent would be a scenario in which terrorists detonated a bomb in Washington, DC, and those responsible for ordering the bombing were hiding in a known location in Washington protected by thousands of loyal radical religious students, many heavily armed, who support the terrorists. President Bush orders the US Army to attack the building and capture or kill the terrorists and the US Army refuses. President Bush then orders a surgical air strike against the building, and the US Air Force refuses. What would be the reason for the refusal? In Pakistan’s case, it was because the military forces have close ties to the radical groups of the same religion to which the soldiers and pilots belong.

According to adnkronosinternational, while meeting with senior Pakistani officials, Musharraf stated the following regarding Rasheed and Aziz, "I don’t want them in federal capital. If you are unable to arrest them…shoot them." Considering the number of assassination attempts Musharraf has survived, mainly from Al Qaeda and Pakistani Taliban followers, the air strike order is understandable. To tolerate the presence of known terrorists responsible for bombings within the capital city would further weaken Musharraf's already tenuous control of his own government. Musharraf’s air strike order was reportedly met with the following reaction:

Those attending reportedly disagreed categorically with the idea of an air strike in the capital city, and pointed out that the students of the influential clerics have already staged a powerful protest in the past few days against the demolition of two mosques in Islamabad and they are a force to be reckoned with.

In essence, the Pakistani Air Force refused the order out of fear of reprisal and protest from radical Islamic students in the capital city. Musharraf appears to be in political peril, unable even to strike or arrest terrorists who bomb Islamabad and take shelter in a nearby building. More ominously, his military commanders are largely operating independently, shaping the intensity, or lack thereof, of Pakistani efforts in the War on Terror. In a previous post I discussed at length the issue of Pakistan’s half-hearted investigations and arrests of known terrorists within that country. Considering the level of control the radical Islamists are exerting over the government and military of Pakistan, the question of how long Musharraf can continue to function as president becomes of grave concern, particularly to the future of neighboring Afghanistan. Emboldened by the political emasculation of Musharraf and operating with virtually no fear of opposition, Talibani and Al Qaeda leaders will likely increase internal pressure on President Karzai.

Counterterrorism Blog crystallized into one sentence the troubling concern this incident raises, “if Musharraf is unable to order an air strike in his own capital city, how can he control his nuclear arsenal?”

What President Bush considers a staunch ally in the War on Terror is impotent to eradicate or even suppress radical Islam within is borders. If the War on Terror can only be won through internal reform of Islam itself, Pakistan provides cause for pessimism that reform is desired or even possible in one of Islam’s largest nations.


Technorati Search Tags: Islamabad Bombing Pakistani Air Force Ghazi Abdul Rasheed Maulana Abdul Aziz Radical Madrassas Islamic Terrorists London Subway Bombings Pakistani military Musharraf Al Qaeda Islamic Extremist