The collapse of secular government in Pakistan continues apace; the jihadist cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz, imprisoned for his role in the uprising and siege at the Red Mosque, was freed on Thursday by that nation’s Supreme Court.
At CNN we read:
Addressing Friday prayers in the battle-scarred mosque, Aziz said he was willing to see more blood spilled for his cause.
“My only son was killed for this great mission of Islam,” he told a capacity crowd at the mosque. “If I had 100 sons, I would ask them to die for Islam.”
Aziz was arrested after the Pakistani government laid siege to the mosque in July 2007 to crack down on its efforts to promote Taliban-style sharia law. He was seized while trying to sneak away disguised with a women’s burqa.
He was held under house arrest until Pakistan’s Supreme Court allowed his release late Thursday. It was the latest in a series of concessions by the government of President Asif Ali Zardari to Islamist militants.
I doubt this man has 100 sons, but for however many he has got, I hope he gets his wish. Story here.
- Radical Cheek
- Shades Of Night Descending
- The Widening Gyre
- Things Fall Apart
7 Comments
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20090416/wl_mcclatchy/3214054
Thanks, JK.
This is easily the direst problem in all of foreign affairs. A nuclear-armed Taliban is a fearsome prospect, and may soon be a reality.
See also this analysis at The Captain’s Journal.
Whoever contributed this sentence, “…Control over the North West Frontier Province and Federally Administered Tribal Areas has allowed the Taliban and al Qaeda to merge ideologies…,” had his/her stuff packed seabag tight.
I consider.
Why thanks for the kind words JK. I try to pack well. And thanks to Malcolm for the props.
I do my doggonedest Herschel. Good analysis. Hope the weather is fine in North Carolina.
Lousy here in northern Arkansas. Might have a spot of rain. Hopefully no typhoons, nor tornados.
“Thin, thick, thick, thin.”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30299557/