By Sarmad Qazi
OSAMA bin Laden is most likely alive and in the custody of intelligence agencies in the border areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan, said Pakistani Islamic scholar Maulana Sami ul-Haq, who is often referred to as the “Father of Taliban”.
“I don’t think Osama is on the run anymore or hiding anywhere in the region,” said Maulana ul-Haq.
Haq runs the Dar Uloom Haqqania madrassa (religious school) which produced most of the Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, including their leader, Mullah Omar.
Haq is chancellor of Dar Uloom Haqqani school located in Akhor Khattak. The school, on Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan, is thought to have sent thousands of Mujahideen (fighters) during the Afghan War.
The Maulana challenged this charge. “More people from non-madrassa institutions and from abroad went to fight the Russian invasion, than madrassa students,” he said.
“After the Russian withdrawal, Afghanistan was mired in factional feuds. The Taliban movement gained strength because they filled the vacuum and cleansed the country of warlords, restored order, and eradicated the narcotics trade to unite the country,” he said.
“I think the movement aimed to end the chaos in Afghanistan after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the Taliban was similar to other student-backed movements around the world - save for the violence,” added Maulana ul-Haq, who is also chairman, Standing Committee on Religious Affairs and Minorities Affairs in Pakistan’s Senate (upper house).
“Yes, the Taliban movement was violent and used force to capture much of Afghanistan, but do you think any other way was possible in a country marred by decades of wars,” he asked.
Explaining the role of madrassas and their operations, Maulana ul-Haq said: “A madrassa offers education, clothing, food and accommodation, all for free to its students, regardless of where they come from, and compared to the class-oriented commercial education system that the colonialists left behind in the region, madrassas remain a welfare institution.”
According to the Maulana, madrassas for hundreds of years, had been at the forefront of preserving the religious values and ethics of the Muslims of the region. “In fact if it weren’t up to them, the present-day Muslim countries of the Indian sub-continent might as well have been another Spain,” he said.
Some 5,000 students continue to study at the school, which according to Haq “is purely an education centre, with no active involvement in politics. Terrorism is a far-fetched allegation. We don’t even allow a knife on the premises”.
Madrassas are religious institutions where knowledge is imparted over a period of 12-16 years. Most of the madrassas in Pakistan do not have English or Science on their curriculum.
Ul-Haq did not comment on why his son, Maulana Hamid ul-Haq, went on to become a politician though he claims he is not actively involved in politics.
“They (madrassas) became a point of contention to the West, because of the realisation of the real power of these institutions. They found out that if these (schools) can cause the downfall of one superpower, they might just as well be the cause for another’s. Their presumption, to me, is absolutely right,” said ul-Haq.
Speaking about the Pak-Afghan border, he said: “People should realise that there are hundreds of ways to land in these mountains, but no way out except death.”
When asked about the perceived Talibanisation of his own country (Pakistan), by madrassa students, he said: “There is no such thing as Taliban in Pakistan. You can’t call any Pashtun with family ties in Afghanistan, a Pakistani Taliban. These incidents of suicide bombings are a direct reaction to air strikes on their homes in the border areas.”
When asked if he or his school endorsed suicide bombings, the Maulana said : “We should look into why they (bombers) are ready to do it. If Bush’s war in Iraq and killing of innocent people there is ‘Halal’ then yes, suicide bombings are ‘Halal’ too. And if he (Bush) is against the killings and illegal wars, then we are against suicide bombings as well.”
On why he was denied entry into the EU, as member of a Senate Committee team, Ul-Haq said: “I was told the EU parliament won’t allow me to enter or speak to its members. Anti-western statements made by me were shown to me. The whole delegation had to come back.”
Asked if he did really give those statements, ul-Haq said: “Look, I was addressing a huge election rally, and in the heat of the moment and to impress the voters, I said those things. Which politician does not resort to rhetoric?”
Maulana Sami ul-Haq was part of a Senate Foreign Committee team that visited Doha last week. |
