CONTROVERSY: Crime in the name of conspiracy

by Mehmal Sarfraz

Conspiracy theory is the only industry in Pakistan that runs round the clock and the production quality as well as product variety are absolutely out of this world

Conspiracy theory is the only industry in Pakistan that runs round the clock and the production quality as well as product variety are absolutely out of this world. The whole school of conspiracy theory reflects a certain mindset, which comes up with half-baked stories based on little or no evidence.

Just like former US President George W Bush had his axis of evil, a lot of Pakistanis have their own axis of evil – India, Israel and the US. If anybody so much as sneezes in the land of the pure, any one of these three countries or all of them are behind it. This is exactly what Mr Ijazul Haq did in his two articles, ‘A criminal conspiracy’ and ‘Punish the Bahawalpur conspirators’ published in this newspaper on September 8 and 9, 2009.

He has not only blamed Pakistan’s own ‘axis of evil’ but he has blamed everyone and his uncle for General Ziaul Haq’s death: Russia, Afghanistan, Al-Zulfiqar, the Pakistani military and many others.

First, let us examine why the Russians may not be responsible for this misadventure. The Soviets had signed the Geneva Accords in Spring 1988 and were engaged in pulling out their troops from Afghanistan. That they were earnest in their commitment was borne out by their scrupulous adherence to the pullout schedule. It would have been nothing but an act of petulance on their part if they were involved in the plane crash. If it is ever proved that the Soviets were involved in this conspiracy, it would greatly affect their credibility. Further, what material evidence can Mr Haq or anyone for that matter adduce to substantiate his allegation? Blaming this on the Soviets takes us away from the real truth.

Al-Zulfiqar too had almost abandoned its operations after the murder of Shahnawaz Bhutto in 1985; so to lay the blame at its doorstep is too far-fetched. Al-Zulfiqar did not have any sympathisers in the Pakistani military and therefore it could not have pulled off such an enormous coup, the logistics as well as actual conduct of which would have required an outlay that was definitely beyond the resources of a hounded and battered outfit like Al-Zulfiqar. Again, the question remains what material evidence can Mr Ijazul Haq show to prove the complicity of Al-Zulfiqar in the crash at Bahawalpur? But then, empirical evidence probably is not what Mr Haq is after. It is fine to spout a few trite albeit patently flimsy statements as long as the same sit well with a heavily indoctrinated public.

Israel would not have gained much from Zia’s death either. After the release of the much-touted book ‘Charlie Wilson’s War’ by George Crile, it is no secret that Israel helped General Zia in the Afghan war. Had Zia remained alive, things might have improved between Israel and Pakistan, much to the chagrin of the Arabs and most Pakistanis, but since the General had no one to answer to, this could have been achieved. Even in General Musharraf’s time, there were backdoor channels working on improving relations between Israel and Pakistan. It was the Lebanon war in 2006 that placed a few spanners in the wheels of these back-channel negotiations.

As for India, killing Zia and Pakistan’s top military brass would have been an open invitation to war. Had India actually been involved, our military would have done everything to prove this to the world and launched a military offensive with international support. Further, Pak-India relations had been rather smooth under Zia as well as Musharraf. It is the political leadership that fails to deliver vis-à-vis relations with India because their decision-making space is severely limited. India would have relished Zia’s longevity rather than cut the chord that held things in balance.

Mr Ijazul Haq has wagged a finger of suspicion at the Americans too for good measure, again without an iota of proof. Some people are of the view that after the end of the Cold War, the world wanted Pakistan to move forward, which meant getting rid of the military dictatorship and bringing in its place a genuine democratic government. It is also said in some quarters that Zia’s pan-Islamic ambitions were not approved of by the US. Twenty years down the road, we Pakistanis know only too well how robust were the democratic governments in the decade that followed Zia’s death. Further, Charlie and his aunt in Pakistan never get tired of blaming the US for abandoning the region after 1989 and thus allowing Islamic jihad to flourish. Strange that the Americans were so naïve as to kill Zia for the imaginary proliferation of jihad and not stir a finger while jihad descended from the mountains of Afghanistan till a brace of planes struck a pair of towers in New York.

When scrutinising the death of General Zia and the top military brass, with the exception of General Beg, one cannot stop wondering whether there was an internal motivation behind this. Who would benefit the most from the elimination of Zia and his entire coterie of military officers? Without local collaboration at the highest echelons of power, this could not have been pulled off. It has been rumoured that General Beg met with resistance from the Corps Commanders in Rawalpindi after Zia’s death, but we have no evidence of this as General Beg completed his tenure without any problems.

The Shafiur Rahman Commission report on the plane crash has never been made public, like so many such sensitive reports in our history.

One would like to ask Ijazul Haq why he never tried to reopen his father’s case when he was in power during Nawaz Sharif’s time or during Musharraf’s regime. Mr Haq is a former federal minister. He failed as a politician when he tried to follow in his father’s footsteps by supporting jihadi elements. Chaudhry Shujaat is on record as saying that it was because of Ijazul Haq that Maulana Aziz of Lal Masjid was given a safe passage.

People of my generation are often called ‘Zia’s children’ because we were born during General Ziaul Haq’s era – the darkest period in the history of Pakistan. Military dictatorship is inherently bad for a country but General Zia proved to be a particularly rotten specimen of military dictator. In his article titled ‘Punish the Bahawalpur conspirators’ (Daily Times, September 9, 2009), Ijazul Haq writes, “…he [Zia] was a benign dictator. He ruled not only Pakistanis but also their hearts and minds. He worked very hard for the betterment of his people.”

On the contrary, General Ziaul Haq was undoubtedly one of the most hated men in Pakistan. He only ruled the ‘hearts and minds’ of those who wreaked havoc with the country’s polity. When Mr Ijazul Haq wrote that “ever since his [Zia's] departure, the country has been in a constant state of crisis”, he should have realised that Zia’s legacy is haunting Pakistan and that is why the country has not been able to get out of the quagmire he left behind even though more than two decades have passed since he died. Pakistan is in this whole mess because of General Zia who stoked sectarianism in Pakistan; who persecuted the Ahmadis to the extent that there was a mass exodus of Ahmadis from Pakistan; who introduced the Blasphemy Law, which to date is misused against the religious minorities; who promulgated the Hudood Ordinance, an outright anti-women legislation. His myopic shot at piety led to the death of the political discourse, cultural diversity and economic potential of this country.

Mehmal Sarfraz is a freelance journalist and Joint Secretary South Asian Women in Media (SAWM). She can be reached at mehmal.s@gmail. com
www.dailytimes.com.pk

Pertemuan Tahunan/Jalsah Salanah Ahmadiyah Malaysia Sukses

Alhamdulillah Jalsah Malaysia ke-22 pada 15-17 Agustus 2009 berlangsung sukses. Diadakan di resort Air Tenang Janda Baik dekat Genting Highland negeri Pahang Malaysia Hadir sekitar 482 peserta dari berbagai negara, belum termasuk peserta lajnah Indonesia yang tidak terdata oleh panitia, pastinya lebih dari 500 orang.
Memecahkan rekord peserta Jalsah Malaysia tahun-tahun sebelumnya. Hadir sekitar 8 orang juga anggota Jemaat dari Port Morysby Mauritius dan khudam-khudam perantau dari Pakistan yang bekerja di Kuala Lumpur, sehingga beberapa ceramah diterjemahkan ke dalam Bahasa Urdhu oleh mubaligh-mubaligh dari Sabah Malaysia.
Peserta merasakan suasana rohani yang begitu mendalam dan enjoi dengan fasilitas yang baik dari resort. Dari hasil bincang-bincang dengan peserta lain tanpa terasa sebagian besar saat mendengarkan ceramah berlinang air mata, bahkan para mubaligh/nara sumber pun menitikkan air mata, bukan hanya anggota biasa.
Jalsah ini juga telah disebut/didoakan oleh Hudhur Al Kamis aba saat pembukaan Jalsah Internasional di Jerman yang waktunya bersamaan, beberapa khudam perantau dari Pakistan mengetahui ada Jalsah di Kuala Lumpur Malaysia dari MTA, sehingga hari ke-2 mereka membanjiri kembali lokasi Jalsah .
Menurut tuan Mln.Ainul Yakin raisut-tabligh Malaysia saat penutupan, ada 2 orang khudam dari Pakistan kerena tidak diberi izin oleh atasannya untuk menghadiri Jalsah tersebut, bersedia dipecat dari pekerjaannya, shingga saat ini telah kehilangan pekerjaannya, mohon didoakan.
Sekali lagi mubarak dan jazakumullah kepda Panitia Jalsah Malaysia ke-22 yang sukses menyelenggarakan acara jalsah yang begitu indah dan tak terlupakan. Amin !

Rafiq Ahmad
Medan

MUI Imbau Pembangunan Masjid Tak Minta Sumbangan di Jalan

Saat ini Islam dan umat Islam sedemikian terpuruknya sehingga mau menghinakan diri dan agamanya dengan menjadi pengemis yang meminta-minta di jalan. Bukankah tangan di atas lebih baik dari tangan di bawah? Bukankah lebih terhormat bila tak mampu membangun masjid yang besar, bangun saja musholla sederhana dengan ‘berdikari’ di dekat rumahnya. Lebih baik terhormat walau sederhana daripada menghina diri sendiri walau megah. Bagaimanakah bangsa ini dpt mandiri bila mayoritas Muslimnya sebagian masih bermental pengemis? Bukankah Bung Karno mengumandangkan ‘Berdikari? Berdiri di atas kaki sndiri…ah sayangnya…

Minggu, 23/08/2009 14:00 WIB
MUI Imbau Pembangunan Masjid Tak Minta Sumbangan di Jalan
Novia Chandra Dewi – detikNews
Jakarta – Peminta sumbangan masjid atau pembangunan pondok

Ceramah Agama Hendaknya Tidak Mengumbar Kebencian

Bila benih-benih kebencian ditanam, kebencian pula yang dituai…

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Ketua Pengurus Besar Nahdlatul Ulama Masdar Farid Mas’udi dapat memahami langkah polisi memantau ceramah keagamaan. Mengingat sekarang ini muncul gejala ceramah agama dipakai untuk mengumbar kebencian kepada pihak lain hanya karena perbedaan pandangan atau keyakinan.

”Menjaga keamanan masyarakat adalah kewajiban utama negara yang dipikulkan kepada polisi, sementara menebar kebencian sama sakali bukan kewajiban agamawan mana pun, bahkan itu merupakan penistaan spirit agama itu sendiri,” ujarnya kepada Kompas, Sabtu (22/8).

Masdar mengatakan, para pengkhotbah yang istikamah menyuarakan pesan sejati agama yang lurus, yakni keluhuran budi, kebaikan, dan kedamaian bagi semua, pasti tidak ada yang terkurangi hak-haknya dengan langkah polisi tersebut. ”Jika yang bersangkutan adalah pengkhotbah Muslim, seharusnya ingat pesan Nabi Muhammad SAW bahwa seorang Muslim adalah mereka yang bisa mengendalikan mulut dan tangannya dari hal-hal yang mengusik kedamaian orang lain,” ujarnya.

Sementara itu, juru bicara Fraksi Partai Keadilan Sejahtera DPR, Mutammimul Ula, menyatakan, pengawasan terhadap ceramah keagamaan dan kegiatan dakwah berpotensi menimbulkan ketegangan.

”Ini berpotensi menjadi sumber ketegangan baru antara umat Islam dan pemerintah,” ujar anggota Komisi I DPR ini.

”Kita jangan menjadi negara polisionil sebab hal itu sama bahayanya dengan negara militer,” katanya kepada Antara.

Menurut Mutammimul, dengan langkah polisi itu, umat Islam dalam posisi sebagai pihak yang dicurigai. Ia mengungkapkan istilah yang diangkat dalam kaitan kebijakan itu, misalnya dakwah provokatif dan melanggar hukum. ”Itu semua kan bisa menjadi pasal karet dan politis,” tandasnya.

Alasan kedua, lanjut Mutammimul, polisi hendaknya jangan panik dalam menghadapi aksi teroris yang seseungguhnya terbatas itu. ”Artinya, untuk menghadapi para teroris yang terbatas itu, jangan mengakibatkan polisi harus mengawasi umat yang mayoritas. Hal ini kan memerlukan energi besar,” katanya.

Ia mengingatkan, polisi sebetulnya tak hanya bertugas memberantas teroris, tetapi juga memiliki tugas-tugas memberantas kejahatan lain. ”Seperti memberantas penyalahgunaan narkoba dan lain-lain yang mengakibatkan kerusakan masyarakat yang sangat besar,” ujarnya.

Bela Ahmadiyah demi UUD 1945

JAKARTA (SuaraMedia) Mantan Presiden RI Abdurrahman Wahid secara terang-terangan membela keberadaan Ahmadiyah. Pria yang akrab dipanggil Gus Dur itu mengatasnamakan tindakannya demi melindungi kebebasan agama yang dijamin UUD 1945. “Jika Indonesia tidak lagi melindungi kebebasan beragama, maka negara kita ibarat memiliki UUD 1945 tetapi tidak mempunyai gigi dan negara kita tidak mempunyai dasar sama sekali,” ujar Gus Dur dalam talkshow dengan tema Islam Indonesia, Pemilu, dan Perubahan yang diselenggarakan Wahid Institute dan Gatara di Balai Pertemuan Perpustakaan Nasional, Jakarta, Selasa (16/3/2009).. Karena itu, Gus Dur secara eksplisit menyatakan dukungan kepada kelompok Ahmadiyah. “Saya melindungi Ahmadiyah, karena itu menjadi kekuatan UUD 1945,” ungkapnya. Di sisi lain, mantan Ketua Umum PB Nahdatul Ulama itu menyesalkan tindakan kekerasan yang acapkali dilakukan kelompok-kelompok islam fundamentalis. Padahal secara hukum, tindakan semacam itu jelas dilarang. “Seperti FPI yang didirikan oleh dua jenderal TNI AD dan dua jenderal Kepolisian,” ungkapnya. 17-04-09 (okz) http://www.suaramedia.com

Kisah Seorang Afro-American Masuk Islam

Bashir Afzal adalah Presiden/ketua Jama’at Muslim Ahmadiyyah New York, Amerika Serikat selama 30 tahun dan juga Zaim Majlis Ansharullah North NJ selama sepuluh tahun. Saudara kita Bashir Afzal meninggal pada tanggal 18 Juli 1993 pada usia 91 tahun. Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi roji’un. Di bawah ini adalah kisah pengalamannya masuk ke dalam Islam lewat Jamaah Ahmadiyah. Beliau adalah seorang Afro-Amerika (seorang Amerika keturunan Afrika)

Buku-BUku Kuno Islam tersimpan di Amerika

Selasa, 17/03/2009 14:42 WIB Cetak |  Kirim

Departemen Perpustakaan untuk buku-buku langka di Universitas Princeton, AS ternyata menyimpan ribuan manuskrip Islam yang ditulis dalam bahasa Arab, Persia, Turki Ustmani dan bahasa-bahasa lainnya dari berbagai negara Muslim di dunia.