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.