Meanwhile, Mohammed Ijaz ul-Haq, Pakistan's religious affairs minister, Musharraf hand picked man, says he's never heard of this group. After stating the Knighting of Rushdie justifies suicide attacks, he back tracks and will instead visit Britain to counsel Muslim clerics on religious tolerance.
Musharraf is his own man. He has given Bush little more than lip service. And Bush has no choice but to help him cover up his own behavior and obvious intentions. Musharraf is no ally. The only effective action he took was to round up Jihadis who were trying to assassinate him.
Al Jazeera
A group of Pakistani clerics led by a pro-Taliban hardliner have said it would bestow a title upon al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in response to Britain's decision to grant knighthood to Salman Rushdie.
Allama Tahir Ashrafi, head of the Pakistan Ulema Council, said on Thursday that the group would give bin Laden the title "Saifullah" - which means "Sword of God" - for "serving Muslims by waging jihad against infidels". "If Britain can give a knighthood to Rushdie, we too have the right to make awards to our leaders and heroes," Ashrafi said. He said that while he was not in contact with bin Laden, the reward would reach the fugitive al-Qaeda chief "at an appropriate time". Ashrafi, who has campaigned for the release of jailed Islamic fighters, said his group represented over 3,000 clerics.
However, Mohammed Ijaz ul-Haq, Pakistan's religious affairs minister, said he was not familiar with it.
Ul-Haq has stirred tensions by suggesting the knighthood could justify suicide attacks and undermine Pakistan's effort against terrorism. On Thursday, he said he would travel to Britain soon to meet with Muslim clerics and promote interfaith harmony.
No comments:
Post a Comment