- Title: PAKISTAN: PAKISTAN CLERICS ISSUE A "FATWA" SAYING WANA OPERATION AGAINST ISLAM
- Date: 25th March 2004
- Summary: (W8)ISLAMABAD (MARCH 25, 2004) (REUTERS-ACCESS ALL) 1. SLV OF CLERICS SEATED 0.04 2. MCU CLERIC WRITING ON BLACKBOARD, IN ARABIC 0.10 3. SLV CLERICS SEATED 0.16 4. MCU OF CLERIC SIGNING FATWA (RELIGIOUS DECREE) 0.22 5. SLV OF CLERICS SEATED 0.28 6. LV/MCU SENIOR CLERIC TALKING (2 SHOTS) 0.42 7. SLV OF CLERICS LISTENING 0.47 8. SV CLERIC TALKING 0.53 9. MCU (English) ABDUL RASHEED GHAZI, PROMINENT LOCAL CLERIC, SAYING: "In fact a decree has been issued from the Red Mosque according to which the operation in Wana is against the Shariah, against the Islamic Law." 1.35 10. SV PEOPLE LISTNING 1.41 11. MCU CLERIC TALKING 1.48 12. SLV PEOPLE LISTENING 1.54 13. LV OF CLERICS' MEETING 2.00 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 9th April 2004 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN
- Country: Pakistan
- Reuters ID: LVA4VFDLMOWO1MRJR0Q1C5UDUWF0
- Story Text: Pakistan clerics issue a "fatwa" saying Wana
Operation against Islam.
A group of 70 Pakistani Islamic cleric have issued a
decree saying the operation in Wana was "un-Islamic,
unlawfull and unethical and it should be stopped at once."
The operation, involving 5,000 troops, is the biggest
battle Pakistan has ever waged in its semi-autonomous
tribal area, as part of a push to sweep foreign militants
from the border region and catch al Qaeda chief Osama bin
Laden.
Pakistan's army says it has surrounded hundreds of
Pakistani tribal fighters and their foreign militant
allies, perhaps including Uzbek and Chechen militant
leaders.
But many of the conservative, fiercely independent
tribal people, who have sheltered foreign Muslim fighters
since the war against the Soviets in Afghanistan in the
1980s, oppose the government offensive.
Religious leaders have also opposed the operation on
religious grounds.
"In fact a decree has been issued from the Red Mosque
according to which the operation in Wana is against the
Shariah, against the Islamic Law," said Abdul Rasheed
Ghazi, a prominent cleric of Islamabad, adding:
"And we have condemned those who are being used, our
Pak army - they are very important people (but) they are
being used for others' war; I mean the Americans' war. This
is not a war of our own, its America's war and they
(Pakistan army) are being used for it. Our Pak army is
being used for it, which is against our Pakistani law as
well as against Shariah."
Scores of soldiers, militants and civilians have been
killed since the battle erupted early last week as security
forces hunted al Qaeda suspects and their tribal allies.
The "fatwa" says those soldiers who were killed in the
operation had died "as infidels."
"Only those who killed in resistance against this
operation are martyrs and the government officials who were
killed in the operation are not martyrs," says the "fatwa".
"Even their funerals are not legitimate under the
Islamic law."
Clerics said the decree was issued in response to a
number of questions received by the Mosque from common
people.
The "fatwa" asks security officials to refuse to obey
orders ofthe government and not fight against their own people.
Elders have tried for three days to persuade the tribal
fighters to surrender, hand over the foreign militants and
release the 14 soldiers and officials thought to have been
captured at the start of the clashes.
But even as the elders were trying to end the fighting
in the wild South Waziristan tribal area on the Afghan
border, militants appeared to be stepping up attacks
elsewhere in an effort to divert government forces.
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