A Pakistani Muslim cleric has said that polio vaccinations are un-Islamic. And such “extremist” clerics are not just in Pakistan: in Nigeria, a Muslim cleric was arrested for playing a role in sparking the murders of polio workers. These murders are driven by Islamic supremacist conspiracy paranoia. But to speak clearly about this would be “Islamophobic,” so Jibran Ahmad in his Reuters report here identifies the murderers only as “militants” who have been egged on by “religious leaders” who oppose the polio vaccine — Christian Scientists, no doubt.
“Militant ambush kills 12 of polio workers escort in Pakistan,” by Jibran Ahmad for Reuters, March 1 (thanks to all who sent this in):
PESHAWAR, Pakistan March 1 (Reuters) – Militants killed 12 members of the security escort for a polio vaccination team in northwest Pakistan on Saturday, detonating a roadside bomb before opening fire on their convoy, according to officials.
The attack lasted an hour and when rescuers approached the scene the gunmen also attacked them, according to Khan Faraz, an official in the Jamrud area of Khyber, a rugged tribal region bordering Afghanistan.
Around a dozen wounded were taken to hospital, but others died on the road waiting for help to arrive, he said.
Another official, Assistant Political Agent Jehangir Azam, said all the casualties were members of the levies or Khasadar, both locally recruited government-backed militias. They were providing security for the health workers.
Polio vaccination teams are frequently attacked, as are government security forces. A spokeswoman for UNICEF said it was unclear who was the target on this occasion.
Some religious leaders have denounced the multi-billion dollar vaccination campaign as a cover for spying or a plot to secretly sterilise Muslim children….