While the terrorists of Fitna al-Khawarij had stepped up their terrorism against the state and society of Pakistan from the beginning of year-2022, in recent months they have started a movement to stop acquisition of knowledge in various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhaw (KP).
In this regard, schools are being blown, teachers are targeted and students are frightened through an organized campaigning. In last few days, a school teacher was killed while en-route to his school in Karabagh, AzamWarsak, South Waziristan Lower while he was on his way to his school. Similarly, a religious cleric, MaulanaSanaullah was shot dead in the same locality. Fidayan-i-Islam, a branch of Fitna al-Khawarij, has been found involved in both incidents.
Earlier, this terrorist group blasted a school using explosive material in the same area. While openly calling themselves as the “Fidayan-e-Islam” this group also distributed pamphlets; warning students and teachers not to attend schools. This is almost the same philosophy, Afghan Taliban are enforcing in entire Afghanistan for female. Fitna al-Khawarijis using this strategy to ban education for both male and female. The campaign of Fitna al-Khawarij and its terrorism is anti-thesis to Islamic teaching: Holy Quran and Sunnah. The Holy Qur’an emphasized on the significance of the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge.
In the very first revelation of the Holy Qur’an, Allah Almighty called for the acquisition of knowledge; “Read in the name of your Lord Who created, created man from a clinging form. Read! Your Lord is the Most Generous, who taught by means of the pen; taught man what he did not know”. This ordain of Allah Almighty is for everyone; male and female. This is further explained in the Hadith of Holy Prophet (PBUH) which says; “Seeking knowledge is binding/fard for all Muslims.” (Sunan-e Ibn-e Maaja, 224). This Hadith further explained that, seeking of the knowledge is a binding for all the Muslims; irrespective of the gender; male and female.
In yet another Hadith, it is said that, “If anyone travels on the road in search of knowledge, Allah will cause him to travel on one of the roads of Paradise”. (Al-Jami al-Sahih, 4, 2074, 2699). Why acquisition of the knowledge is significant is stressed in another Verse of the Holy Quran; “Can they who know and they who do not know be deemed equal?” In summary, Allah almighty and His Prophet (PBUH) emphasized all Muslims (indeed entire human beings) to seek knowledge and spread it everyone. Fitna al-Khawarij and its off-shoots like Fidayan-e-Islam are campaigning against the Ordain of Allah Almighty and His Prophet (PBUH). How these terrorist outfits can claim to be Muslims and take cover of Islam while violating the Islamic teachings.
The teachings of Islam are all about peace, respect and love for the human beings which come through acquisition of knowledge. Fitna al-Khawarij and its splinter groups are openly violating this which indeed is a violation Allah Almighty. This all is not happening in isolation rather, it is part of a greater international agenda and a conspiracy against Islam and Muslims. Since Pakistan is an ideological state with a very strong and professional Military and the only Muslim nuclear state, therefore, the focus of this entire campaign is the state and society of Pakistan. In the same background towards the beginning of 21st century, some regional and international powers developed a narrative against Islam and Muslims. They created a linkage between terrorism and Muslims for their vested interests, a totally misconstrued, biased, and illogical strategy to defame Muslims and Islam.
Fitna al-Khawarij; Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was chosen to perform this anti-Islam and anti-Pakistan dirty job. Founded in 2007 as an umbrella organization of all terrorist organizations which were operating against Pakistan prior to Red Mosques incident, Fitna al-Khawarij (TTP) has killed thousands of men and officers of security forces and general public all over Pakistan. There are four prominent features of this terrorist organization: a) it uses Islam as its philosophy and ideology to attract and conceal its evil designs and the hidden motives, b) it is brutal and inhuman in its actions and behaviour which goes against the ideology of Islam, c) it is heavily funded from across the frontiers with strong control of regional and international spying networks and d) it is totally against the state, society and constitution of Pakistan. The terrorists of this banned organization undertake their terrorist acts while using highly sophisticated weaponry and war munitions. This means that they are being used as tool against Islam, Muslims and Pakistan by anti-Islam and anti-Pakistan forces. Since 2021, Fitna al-Khawarijhas an intimate support of Interim Afghan Taliban Government, that allows them use of Afghan soil as well as facilitate them during border crossings to Pakistan. Indeed, all activities of Fitna al-Khawarijare anti-Islam and anti-Pakistan; they have killed Muslims while offering prayers and other religious obligations. Alongside the terrorism against security forces and national installations, Fitna al-Khawarij has started terrorizing the education system of Pakistan. Blowing the schools, targeting teachers, religious scholars and terrifying the students are new strategies of Fitna al-Khawarij. This is a clear denial of Islamic teaching, revealing the reality of Fitna al-Khawarij that, it is anti-Islam. As a nation, let’s stand against those who terrorize the educational system of Pakistan. Whereas the security forces of Pakistan are combating the Fitna al-Khawarij in physical and security domain, the intellectual and student communities must deny the space for such terrorist outfits.
— The writer is Professor of Politics and IR at International Islamic University, Islamabad.
