Taliban use Islamic Shariah to defend Malala attack
Female peace activists carry photographs of gunshot victim Malala Yousafzai during a protest rally against her assassination attempt, in Peshawar on October 10, 2012.—AFP Photo
PESHAWAR: The banned militant organisation Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which claimed responsibility of shooting 14-year-old peace activist Malala Yousafzai in the head, issued a statement Wednesday, using Islamic Shariah to defend the attack.
In the statement sent out by TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan from an undisclosed location, the banned outfit said that although they do not believe in attacking women, “whom so ever leads a campaign against Islam and Shariah is ordered to be killed by Shariah.”
The assassination attempt on the life of the young National Peace Award winner has drawn widespread condemnation from the government, political parties and civil society groups, terming it a bid to silent voice for peace and education.
The statement says that it is “not just allowed … but obligatory in Islam” to kill such a person involved “in leading a campaign against Shariah and (who) tries to involve whole community in such campaign, and that personality becomes a symbol of anti-Shariah campaign.”
Malala had won international recognition for highlighting Taliban atrocities in Swat with a blog for the BBC three years ago, when the Islamist militants burned girls’ schools and terrorised the valley.
Her struggle resonated with tens of thousands of girls who were being denied an education by the militants across northwest Pakistan, where the government has been fighting the local Taliban since 2007.
The Taliban statement further challenges – with Quranic and religious references – condemnation of the assassination attempt on the tender-aged girl, adding that it is a clear command of Shariah that any female playing a role in “war against mujahideen” should be killed.
“If anyone argues that she was female, and then we can see the incident of killing of wife by a blind companion of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) because she used to say demeaning words for the Prophet and the Prophet praised that act,” it argues equating the TTP act with that of a the prophet’s companion.
The statement goes on to defend the attack with a reference from the time of Hazrat Khizar, a revered figure in Islamic history who was described as a righteous servant of God and endowed with the qualities of unmatched wisdom and mystic power.
“If anyone argues about her young age, then the story of Hazrat Khizar in the Quran (states that) while traveling with Prophet Musa (AS), (he) killed a child. Arguing about the reason of his killing, he said that the parents of this child were pious and in the future he (the child) would cause a bad name for them,” adds the statement.
Malala Yousufzai, who was also nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize by advocacy group KidsRights Foundation in 2011, had raised her voice against the militants’ ban on and threats against education for women in Swat.
The Taliban spokesman defends the education-ban in the statement, saying: “Tehrik-i-Taliban’s crime wasn’t that they banned education for girls. Instead, our crime was that we tried to bring education system for both boys and girls under Shariah. We are against co-education and secular education system, and Shariah orders us to be against it.”
The statement further defends the assassination attempt, blaming the media for spreading “propaganda against Taliban mujahideen with their poisonous tongues.”
“If anyone thinks that Malala was targeted because of education, that is absolutely wrong, and propaganda of media. Malala was targeted because of her pioneer role in preaching secularism and so called enlightened moderation. And whomsoever will commit so in future too will be targeted again by TTP,” it adds.
Zahir Shah Sherazi contributed to reporting for this article.
TTP stop comparing your actions with Hazrat Khizar or any other pilars of Islam. You cannot be an advocate for Islam if you provide interpretation of a Quran Surah completely out of context to further your personal agendas.
Shariah never allows killing of innocent. It is a childish defense.
Many agencies r working behind such situation v should go 2 depth f this incidents wh occur n sawat with our innocent child ………………..
What a shame! After this inhuman act, no law, not even Sharia justifies shooting an innocent girl, whose only crime is that she wants to be educated! So much righteousness is a product of misguided people, who take law into their own hands and call it in the name of religion!
First I would like to say Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is a terrorist and a militant group who are not Muslims and not defending the Islam I believe in and our great prophet PBUP have taught us and guided us. They are Savage rodents who need to be pesticides for good. I believe none of so called protector of Sharia even know about Sharia or even studied about Sharia law, I don’t see any Islamic Scholars or people who have dedicate their life to study and educate Islam in TTP. These TTP are low life free loaders who are being financed by someone who want to prove Islam is a violent religion. I am not a scholar in Islam but I can say Islam or our prophet PBUP don’t teach us to murder children’s and women regardless of anyone following sharia law or not. I was taught if one have to spread Islam, has to done by example and love and peace. I was told to love your neighbors, brothers and sisters not to kill them because of their opinion. They need to be stopped otherwise world will believe in there version of Islam not what God and prophet taught us. My Prayers and sympathy goes to Malala and her Family. God give her quick recovery and doomed these TTP animals.
For the first time in my life, I lost hope in Pakistan, its Military and Leadership. Will the civilized world, UN or someone help this country and come to the rescue of the 160 million victims from this Shiateens,
so according to these people and if everyone in the world were to be muslims then my sister will not be educated ?and I won’t have a wife who can teach my son ? and my mom would not know how to read or write ???????
They are illetrate, narrow minded predators who are roaming wild. None of them have even opened the Holy Quran and have tried to understand its meaning. Their leaders are afraid of losing the power if their sub ordinates are educated. So neither they let their women study nor they study themselves.
Well said.
A barbarism act done and supported by TTP.
Talibans are trying to proof that guns are stronger than pens.QURAN AND HADITH are full of examples of pardons and forgiveness,but taliban gave two unconfirmed reasons to kill an innocent girls ,and the muslims are ready to accept and justify there barbaric act.I would say go after them before they declare all of us kafir.They are the enemy of ISLAM,they are showing the world that muslims are tolally intolerant.They are against girl education ,they are against co-education,they are against every type of education.When our PROPHET(PBUH)said acquire knowledge even if you have to go to CHINA he definitely didnt mean to aquire islamic studies,because he himself(PBUB) was the one and only source of islamic knowledge,and also no mention of any diffrentiation between man and women.