Headlines:
- Jihad is an Obligation on the Islamic State, which Leads the Ummah in Liberating its Occupied Lands
- US-India Nexus Against Pakistan- The Cat is Out of the Bag Yet again
- Why Confirm or Deny US Accusations of Terrorism, when it is the Biggest Terrorist and Supporter of Terrorism?
Jihad is an Obligation on the Islamic State, which Leads the Ummah in Liberating its Occupied Lands
On 6 October 2017, the Federal Interior Minister, Ahsan Iqbal, said in the National Assembly that “only the state can declare Jihad.” He said that dangerous Fatwas (edicts) had been posted on social media platforms against the government for making changes in the clause about Khatm-i-Nabuwwat. He further said that, “We must take strict action against elements that indulge in such activities under the cyber-crime laws.”
After 9/11, the rulers of Pakistan and the rest of the Muslim world have been to convince the Muslims that the declaration of Jihad can only be done by the state and no non-state actor had the right to declare Jihad. This stance seems very odd when we look in recent history. Since the 1980’s rulers of the Muslim world, including Pakistan, strongly supported Jihadi groups, when America needed to stop the advance of Soviet Russia in Afghanistan. So the era in between 1980 to 9/11 was an era of supporting Jihadi groups but after 9/11, US requirements changed radically. When America invaded Afghanistan and ended the Afghan Talban regime, Jihad began against the American occupation forces and Muslims living in the tribal areas of the Pak-Afghan border actively participated in it. This scenario became a challenge for American agents in the political and military leadership of Pakistan, as to how to stop tribal Muslims from participating in Jihad against their master, America. It was a challenge because previously they themselves encouraged the spreading of the concept of Jihad, declaring that USSR is a Kafir state, which has occupied a Muslim country and so fighting against it is Jihad. So, by this determination, fighting against America is also Jihad. Yet, despite this, the traitorous rulers tried to stop the tribal Muslims from fighting against America. As their new stance was not backed by any Islamic evidence, they realized that in order to cover their treachery, they needed some semblance of Islamic justification. This is why they have started saying that no non-state entity can declare Jihad except a state.
Jihad is an obligation on the Islamic State plays a leading role in order to fulfill this obligation effectively and in the best possible manner. In the presence of an Islamic State, no non-state entity needs to declare Jihad, because the Islamic State leads the Ummah in this responsibility. Allah (swt) said,
وَمَا لَكُمْ لَا تُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَالْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَالنِّسَاءِ وَالْوِلْدَانِ الَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا أَخْرِجْنَا مِنْ هَٰذِهِ الْقَرْيَةِ الظَّالِمِ أَهْلُهَا وَاجْعَلْ لَنَا مِنْ لَدُنْكَ وَلِيًّا وَاجْعَلْ لَنَا مِنْ لَدُنْكَ نَصِيرًا
“And what is [the matter] with you that you fight not in the cause of Allah and [for] the oppressed among men, women, and children who say, “Our Lord, take us out of this city of oppressive people and appoint for us from Yourself an ally and appoint for us from Yourself a supporter?”
(Surah An-Nisaa: 4:75)
So, we Muslims must ask the rulers, when are you going to declare Dawah and Jihad as the foundation of the foreign policy? When are you going to declare Jihad to liberate occupied Kashmir, Palestine and Afghanistan? When are you going to declare Jihad to liberate the Rohingya Muslims from the oppression of the butcher Myanmar army? And why does the regime not object to non-state actors fulfilling other responsibilities that the state neglects, such as building masajid, hospitals, schools, orphan houses and blood banks? And if the current state is not fulfilling its responsibility to Jihad, is it not going to compel the Muslims to establish the Khilafah (Caliphate) on the Method of the Prophethood, so that all the obligations are implemented as they should be?
US-India Nexus Against Pakistan- The Cat is Out of the Bag Yet again
On 3rd October 2017, Secretary Defense, General Mattis told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee during a Congressional hearing: “…the One Belt One Road also goes through disputed territory, and I think, that in itself shows the vulnerability of trying to establish that sort of a dictate,” This was an open announcement of the US-India Nexus against Pakistan whereby US has publicly and openly put her weight behind India’s point of view.
This was met with the weakest of responses from the spineless leadership of Pakistan. Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria responded to a query, saying, “The CPEC is a development and connectivity project for the betterment of the people in the region and beyond. The international community should focus on human rights violations and heinous crimes committed by Indian occupation forces in Indian occupied Kashmir.” The government completely ignored how the US has openly agreed with Indian stance on this issue and didn’t have the courage to even ask for explanation from US let alone take strong stance with practical actions.
This statement from Mattis is in addition to the other similar hostile statements exchanged between the two countries recently. The US alleged ISI’s links with militants and Pakistan’s foreign minister Khawaja Asif made so-called tough statements in response. All of this is creating an atmosphere where Pakistan’s government is feigning an anti-US posture and making a show of shifting loyalties from US to China and Russia. It is interesting to note that in recent times multiple US allies are following this phenomenon of having cordial relations with Russia and China; Turkey and Saudi Arabia are two such examples. In Pakistan’s case, this anti-US posture is to help the government to lure the mujahedeen in Afghanistan so that they can be trapped the dangerous web of talks. This is evident as nothing substantial is changing on the ground when it comes to the activities of US Embassy, meeting between US officials and Pakistan’s civil and military leadership, the co-ordination between Pakistan and the US-built Afghan government and so on. Furthermore, this strategy of changing loyalties to other powers like China and Russia is entrenched in accepting the International Law, enforced by UN through its Security Council, as the basis of International Relations where a nation, in order to secure its interests, is bound to ally with one of the super powers. The interests of that nation are bound to be governed by the interest of the super power she is allied with. This is more so when a nation’s international relations have no ideological basis hence can easily be swayed by the super power resulting into subservience.
Islam doesn’t allow Muslims to be subservient to non-Muslim powers. Allah (swt) says:
وَلَن يَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ سَبِيلًا
“And never will Allah give the disbelievers over the believers a way [to overcome them]”
(Surah An-Nisaa 4:141)
Furthermore, Islam’s vision is to make the Islamic Ideology dominant over all other Ideologies for Allah (swt) said,
هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَىٰ وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ
“It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the Deen of truth to manifest it over all other ways of life.”
(Surah at-Tawba 9:33)
Instead of looking for strength in alliances with the enemies of Islam, we must act to unite Muslims in to one strong Khilafah that is the only real option to secure security and honor.
Why Confirm or Deny US Accusations of Terrorism, when it is the Biggest Terrorist and Supporter of Terrorism?
Pakistan’s current military and political leaderships showed their weakness by enforcing the US standards for who is good and who is evil. It is not for leadership to confirm or deny the accusations of the belligerent enemy, for within the confirmation and denial is giving credibility to the standards of the enemy and elevating it to a position that it does not deserve. Foreign Minister, Khawaja Asif, said on 9 October, “We have offered American authorities to visit Pakistan with evidence of Haqqani network’s safe havens in the country. If they find any activity [of Haqqanis] in the targeted areas, our troops along with the US would destroy them once and for all.” He added that that army chief General, Qamar Javed Bajwa, had made the same offer to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani during his Kabul visit earlier. This offer comes after Trump accused Pakistan of harboring “terrorists”, which India itself underlined. And this offer comes even after the US has used such accusations as a prelude to attacking other nations, such as the false accusations against Iraq before its occupation.
The Islamic leadership would expose the US standard of terrorism and its own double standards. Is it no terrorism when the US forces invaded and occupied Afghanistan and Iraq? Is it not supporting terrorism when the US allies with the Jewish State and the Hindu State, both of which is it occupation? And how is it terrorism when Muslims raise arms to end occupation?
The weak stance of Bajwa and Asif confirms there monumental neglect of the Ummah, they cause her immense distress, even though RasulAllah ﷺ said,
«اَللَّهُمَّ مَنْ وَلِيَ مِنْ أَمْرِ أُمَّتِي شَيْئًا, فَشَقَّ عَلَيْهِ, فَاشْقُقْ عَلَيْهِ»
“O Allah, cause distress to him who has any charge over my people and causes them distress.” [Muslim]
We must turn asides from them as they have turned away from us and fully embrace the project for the Khilafah on the Method of the Prophethood. Only then will we have a leadership which will end US colonialism and terrorism all over the Muslim World. Only then will our armed forces will be finally mobilized by a Khaeefah Rashid who loves the Ummah as they do, to liberate those who have been oppressed and terrorized by the US crusaders for so long. Allah (swt) said,
وَمَا لَكُمْ لَا تُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَالْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَالنِّسَاءِ وَالْوِلْدَانِ الَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا أَخْرِجْنَا مِنْ هَٰذِهِ الْقَرْيَةِ الظَّالِمِ أَهْلُهَا وَاجْعَلْ لَنَا مِنْ لَدُنْكَ وَلِيًّا وَاجْعَلْ لَنَا مِنْ لَدُنْكَ نَصِيرًا
“And what is [the matter] with you that you fight not in the cause of Allah and [for] the oppressed among men, women, and children who say, “Our Lord, take us out of this city of oppressive people and appoint for us from Yourself an ally and appoint for us from Yourself a supporter?”
(Surah An-Nisa: 4:75)