[aricbcool]

Originally Posted by Airbornelawyer

Truncated, as I am swamped.

Thanks for taking the time to post today, AL. Much appreciated.

Originally Posted by Airbornelawyer

Southwestern Asia And The Middle East

• NEO-TALIBAN RENEW FATWA ORDERING DEATH OF SUPPORTERS OF U.S. IN AFGHANISTAN...
  Qari Mohammad Yusof, purporting to speak on behalf of the neo-Taliban, said in a telephone interview on 13 December that a new fatwa in the "form of a pamphlet and a poster" has been issued on the present situation of Afghanistan, the Peshawar-based Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) reported. According to Mohammad Yusof, "a few days ago, about 100 religious scholars" discussed the current affairs of Afghanistan and based on Islamic texts, they decided that U.S. forces came to Afghanistan "not at the invitation of Afghans," but rather "they invaded" the country as "an aggressor." As such, Mohammad Yusof told AIP that "jihad against the Americans has become a duty." The fatwa orders the Afghans to have "no sympathy for infidels" and to avoid cooperating with them. Moreover, the fatwa instructs that "anyone who supports them [U.S. forces] morally or materially should be killed." The fatwa warns Afghan government employees to quit their jobs and that "anyone who has a father working for the Americans should cut their relations with them and treat them as an enemy." The neo-Taliban have issued similar fatwas in the past, starting with one in early 2003 which was issued in the name of the former leader of the Taliban regime, Mullah Mohammad Omar.

I remember seeing a documentary on the "neo-taliban" a while back. IIRC, the big supporter back in 02-03 was the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), based out of Pakistan. Northwestern Pakistan, to be specific, used to have a large concentration of MMA/Taliban Supporters. While the Taliban is probably still using NW Pakistan/NE Afghanistan as a haven (speculation on my part), the MMA seems to be in trouble. I found two articles on the MMA. Below are segments from each. The first is about who the MMA is, from globalsecurity.org. The second is from wikipedia, and details their present troubles.

from: http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...kistan/mma.htm (beware of popups)

Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (moo ta HEE da MAJ lees eh AH mal), the United Action Front, is an alliance initially headed by Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani, leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan – the political representative of the Barelvi school of Sunni Muslims.

Its leaders are strongly opposed to the US-led anti-terrorism campaign in neighboring Afghanistan that ousted the Taleban(sic) from power. The group believed Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf had become a tool of US foreign policy. The MMA campaigned on promises to enforce Sharia law and in support of the withdrawal of US forces based in Pakistan in the campaign against international terrorism.

The religious alliance won an absolute majority in October 2001 regional elections. The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal now rules the North West Frontier Province and Baluchistan. On November 25, 2002 the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal formed the government in the NWFP, after the alliance’s huge success in the province, at both the provincial and national level. In June 2002 the parliament in North-West Frontier Province approved legislation to make Sharia -- or Islamic teachings -- the governing law in the region. Since taking control of the province, the ruling Islamic alliance banned music on public transport, medical examinations of women by male doctors, male coaches for women athletes and male journalists from covering women's sports.

Taliban fighters are recruited and trained in Pakistan's tribal areas of Baluchistan and North-West Frontier Province where the central government has little influence. In the 2002 general elections, both provinces voted overwhelmingly for Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, an alliance of religious parties openly critical of US-Pakistan cooperation.

The MMA has the most direct appeal of all the parties. Prior to August 2002, it venomously attacked the Musharraf government for having betrayed the Taliban and sided with the US in its supposed ‘war against Islam’. They reject any change to the Kashmir policy and have emerged as the only outright supporter of the Kashmir ‘jihad’. They attack the presence of the American troops and agencies on Pakistani soil and speak in favour of the militant groups banned by the Musharraf government. Leaders under the MMA umbrella have issued fatwas of death on Americans and have denied the 9/11 attack by Osama bin Laden. The four parties are opposed to the present fiscal system and want it Islamised together with a complete enforcement of ‘shariah’. All of them are pathologically opposed to America as a world power and its ‘handmaiden’, the IMF, and want Pakistan’s foreign policy turned around. At the verbal level, MMA is closest to the minds of the Pakistani people.

On 11 December 2003 the president of the MMA Maulana Noorani, an eminent cleric and political leader passed away, aged 78. Politicians from different political parties paid tribute to the services of the late Maulana Noorani. The death was seen as a significant setback to the MMA.

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muttahida_Majlis-e-Amal

The MMA has not made any significant improvements in the provinces it has ruled since 2002. The NWFP and Baluchistan are 2 of the poorest and backward provinces of Pakistan, due to a lack of natural resources,poor governance and other economic factors. Widespread unemployment is currently rife. While the MMA have improved conditions slightly, no significant improvements in the quality of life in the provinces has changed. The MMA did not do very well in local government elections in 2005 and unless they can change their track record before general elections in 2007, they might lose power.

Supporters of the MMA regard it as an "Islamic" political party which does everything "Islamically" and is the only party/coalition worthy of ruling Pakistan. Opposers of the MMA regard it as poor politicians who make up for their deficiencies by going everywhere in an Islamic guise. Opposers also dispute the idea that the MMA is "Islamic" or that everything it does is "Islamic". They reject the idea that clerics have special status and are able to implement Islam on the people, and that "Islamic laws" are divine rather than man-made.