Ibrahim Hooper, call your office. Retired Pakistani General Muhammad Nasir Akhtar seems to think that jihad has something to do with hot warfare. Now where could he have gotten such an idea?
Hmmm. Maybe from reading the Qur'an and studying the Sunnah?
"'Our religion says to fight for jihad,'" from Rediff.com, with thanks to the Constantinopolitan Irredentist:
Lieutenant General Muhammad Nasir Akhtar (retd) served in the Pakistan army for 36 years and took part in two wars against India....While upbeat about the peace process in an interview to Managing Editor (National Affairs) Sheela Bhatt, General Akhtar proudly proclaims that the Pakistan army is a Muslim army fighting for jihad.
[...]
The Pakistan army is considered hawkish and is believed to be highly Islamised.
All armies are hawkish, otherwise we can't survive.
When you talk of the Islamisation of the Pakistan army you must realise that we are Muslims. Right? We have lived with Indians before. A large section migrated to Pakistan from India. Now all of us are religious Muslims, but we are not fundamentalists.
We are practicing Muslims. Our army is the most modern army. But we are Muslims and our religion says to fight for jihad.
All over the world the armies fight with religion in their minds. Christians do. Yes, we are a Muslim army. There is no denying that fact. It has always been Islamised.
All armies have religion on their minds. When an Indian Muslim soldier fights against us he too has his motherland and his religion on his mind as an Iraqi would have when fighting against a Kuwaiti. When Pakistanis fight they fight for Pakistan and also for Islam.
Our religion says to fight for jihad.
When you accept that you are fighting for religion, you are targeting Hindus. There is a kind of malice.
Why do you say that? Haven't Muslims ruled the subcontinent for 800 years? Haven't Hindus and Muslims lived together? Haven't you fought the First War of Independence against the British in 1857? You are always fighting for a cause.
Jihad is one of the important factors when you fight. It is a greater motivation.
What are the differences between the Indian and Pakistani armies?
The Indian Army is very professional and hardworking. Basically, the Indian Army is predominantly a Hindu army and the Pakistan army is a Muslim army. The fundamental difference is in the religious approach.
During the wars with Pakistan, the Indian Army was fighting for the nation, not for a religion.
Pakistanis also fight for the motherland. It is not a religious war between us. It is a war for Kashmir. But when you are fighting, religion does play a predominant role. You have to motivate the troops. And the troops can only be motivated through religion....
Iraq had a troubled history. I will not be surprised if Iraq is spilt into three small principalities. Basra for the Shias, the Baghdad triangle for the Sunnis and Kurdistan for the Kurds.
Hmmmm. Interesting idea, General.
Like I said about 3 years ago, attack Pakistan, not Iraq, they are the nexus of all those Islamo-crazy murderbots! Who helped the Taliban, has nukes, finances guerrilla war against India, Packeystan!
The Pakistanis are nothing if not ruthlessly pragmatic. Their flip-flopping on their Taliban stepchild and cynical use of their relationship with the US is truly brilliant. I like his idea of splitting up Iraq. The best part is, the US has to do nothing, in fact less than nothing. Just leave.
And the troops can only be motivated through religion....
The Koran is a book of War...Islam is the Enemy...Soon the World will understand that.
O.T.
This is quite interesting - Shi'ite ranting against the Sunnis:
http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD121606
BTW, note this little piece of racism in it:
So "black face" is an insult among Muslims in the Middle East. One learns something every day.
Catherine, here is one for ya. Was it for jihad or because they lost their money at the one eyed bandits?
http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/0727sr-heist0727Z8.html
One learns something every day ... but not from the BBC or CNN. It's necessary to throw the net a little wider.
Meanwhile the portentous and pudgy John Simpson is "answering your questions" on "the Middle East crisis" and opining that:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/5216708.stm
Nice to know that Simpson, unlike "the bloggers", does not interpret matters from "the perspective of [his] own views and prejudices". His view is, apparently, perspectiveless: he must be God.
Clearly General Muhammad Nasir Akhstar (ret'd.) of Pakistan does not understand Islam.
There are any number of people in this country, and in Europe, eager to set him straight. There is George Bush, and Condoleeza Rice, who are very familiar with the peaceful essence of the wonderful religion of Islam. There is Tony Blair. In France, there is Olivier Roy, adviser to the government on Muslim matters.
There is John Esposito, whose book "Holy War, Unholy Terror" shows just how minor and inconsequential the idea of Jihad as a war against the Infidels to promote Islam so that "Islam dominates and is not to be dominated" really is. There is Karen Armstrong, a widely-read author of a book on Islam.
But my favorite -- the title alone is worth the price of admission -- is the book by the Boy Wonder and thrusting young academic and curio (Yeshiva bocher studies Islam, wins favor of Roy Mottahedeh, gets tenure at NYU Law School), Noah Feldman.
Its title?
"After Jihad."
When Pakistanis fight they fight for Pakistan and also for Islam.
Whore-hey! Shut this general up in Pakistan before someone gets the idea that he's serious or something!
Tell CNN to print what he meant to say, not what he actually said; Gawd man, this loose cannon could stir up the wrath of billions Christians around the world and start a clash between cultures for heaven's sake!
Take any big terror operation: 9/11 (http://experts.about.com/e/a/ah/Ahmed_Omar_Saeed_Sheikh.htm For more on this, read 'Terror on Board', by U B Ghat, Sanjive Sharma (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0333934768/sr=1-1/qid=1154032315/ref=sr_1_1/103-6096532-0148611?ie=UTF8&s=books)
, 7/11, 11/7 and Pakistan is involved. And Dubya takes Pakistan, the mother of Taleban, an 'ally' against terror. If that is not shooting one's own foot, what is?
Catherine
India's president has no real power - it's the Prime Minister. The reason that India is drenched in dhimmitude is because the more Left leaning alliance, supported by Marxists from outside, is running the country. They have 3 more years to go before the next election.
The alternative Right wing Hindu led alternative would be a coalition of Hindutva and semi-dhimmi parties. While they may be better, even if elected, they won't be leaders on this issue - the recognition of Jihad has to start in the West, and gain currency, and then one will see India on-board.
What a pity U.S and Coalition didn't invade PAKISTAN and SAUDI ARABIA-'CAUSE WITH THESE COUNTRIES AS ALLIES YOU DON'T NEED ENEMIES...
Western politians are crazy to keep funding the very Muslim countries WHO ARE PLOTTING THEIR DOWNFALL.
Only thing agree with General is Iraq will certainly split into 3 parts. The Iraq Invasion has been a disaster and complete waste of Infidel lives-not to mention billions of dollars and equipment.
"The only thing to do is keep on trying to get it as right and as honest and as objective as possible, and hope that the large number of people who are honest and objective themselves will appreciate it."
-- from a posting above, quoting John Simpson of the BBC World Service
For more on John Simpson, google "Jihad Watch" and "Posted by Hugh" and "John Simpson"'
Here's a 5-year old clip to watch, in order to summarize Pakistan's worldwide accomplishments to date:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SbssOdruPQ
Remember, as per the videoclip, the phone number to call is 461-2423 if you have not yet received your 72 virgins. Operators are standing by.
This business of Pakistan fighting both for "Pakistan and for Islam" was the constant refrain when the army of West Pakistan attempted to crush the inhabitants of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in 1970-1971. Those who fought for Bangladeshi independence were, on the whole, the those least likely to fall for the idea, promulgated by the Pakistani army, that Pakistan represented Islam and those who fought against it were fighting against Islam. The local fanatical Muslims in Bangladesh, the razakars, helped massacre both Hindus and those Muslims who continued to fight, ultimately successfully, for the independence of East Pakistan.
Far more important for Infidels today than what goes on in either Iraq or Afghanistan, both essentially trivial, is to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons (and Bush must be prepared to attack before his term ends, and someone else, possibly taking the tack of appeasement -- and if such a person is elected, it will be due to Bush's folly of insisting on remaining in Iraq -- assumes office), and to make sure that Pakistan does not acquire any more nuclear weapons. That may require turning on it, ending all weapons deliveries, stopping all aid of any kind, cutting off American and other Western markets to Pakistani goods, and otherwise destroying or attempting to inflict great damage on Pakistan in every way, until it agrees not to proceed with its weapons plans. Pakistan is a Muslim state run by generals who are devout Muslims and who nurtured and supported the Taliban, who support terrorism against India, and who, save for their minimum effort against Bin Laden, all designed to win more and more aid and military equipment from the Americans, and to turn away whatever wrath the Americans may have felt about Pakistan's involvement with the Taliban, and hence with Al Qaeda, are part not of the "war on terror" but supporters of terror, and more importantly, of any and all the instruments of Jihad.
Pakistan is an enemy, not a friend, and not an ally, not of the United States, not of any Infidel country. That has to be kept constantly in mind.
Those that pakistan is killing and claiming to be the taleban are actually Balochees.
http://freebaloch.blogspot.com/
http://www.balochvoice.com/
http://www.balochunity.org/
Pakistan is the normative example of our worst case scenario. Pakistan is Moslem. Fasten your seat belts, but when the real fighting starts, Pakistan will be, indeed must be, a primary defense response target.
Regardless of the complaints of nearby states about the collateral radioactivity involved in such a defense response, the Moslems must be held to account. They're uncontrolled otherwise, and uncontrolled Moslems guarantees certain disaster to freedom.
Pakistan was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, when providence handed over to it a mosqueful of Cash Cows: Osama, Omar, Al-Qaeda and Taliban.
No way Pakistan is going to let these bounties disappear quickly into the garbage bin of history. It would be insane for it to make that happen. "There's gold in them thar Afghan hills".
Dunk,
You surprise me with your knowledge of this area. Past as well as the present. How come, buddy ?
As a member of the Christian community I have to admit that while fighting in VietNam it was not Billy Graham that I was thinking of ... more like Angie Dickinson.
from our friend
"There's gold in them thar Afghan hills".
There may be a little gold, there sure is opium.
From its birth, this country named Pakistan has given the world nothing good.