More than 100 faculty, staff, students and members of the Muslim community from Duke and the Triangle gathered Thursday for the official opening of a Muslim Life center at Duke.
For Duke's Muslim Chaplain Abdullah Antepli, the gray clapboard house at 406 Swift Ave. represents "one of the most happy, joyous moments of my life ... a dream come true."
Duke University law student Mazen Alhroob led the Islamic call to prayer, or adhan. Then, following a brief reading from the Koran, several Duke officials spoke to the crowd about the significance of the occasion.
Both President Richard Brodhead and Duke Chapel Dean Sam Wells said a strong Muslim community on campus was essential for bringing out the best of Duke.
"We are ambitious and we want to be the best we can be," Wells said. "We can't be the best without each other."
Fatemah Ahmad, a senior at Duke and co-president of the Muslim Students Association, expressed gratitude at the university's commitment to and support for the campus Muslim community. She and Antepli emphasized the center is open and welcoming to everyone.
"The easiest way to show you what we mean to do with this space is for you to come in and participate -- hang out, drink tea, read books, or study," she said. "The light is always on and a pot of tea is always brewing."
Rference by:http://islamonline.com/news/articles/
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Pakistan Targets Taliban Swat Leadership
ISLAMABAD – With local Taliban fighters in troubled Swat putting up a tough fight, the Pakistani army is targeting their top leadership, especially their commander Maulana Maulvi Fazlullah, to break their nerve. "Our main focus is to neutralize the Taliban leadership, including Fazlullah, who have been commanding militant groups in different parts of Swat, Boner and Dir districts," a senior army official involved in the ongoing military operations told IslamOnline on Tuesday, May 12, requesting anonymity.
Commandos from the army’s elite Special Services Group (SSG) were airlifted to Peochar, the stronghold of Fazlullah and his Tehrik-e-Taliban Swat (TTS) some 60 kilometers from Mingora, the capital of Swat.
"We have concrete information that he is commanding the militants from Peochar," said the army official.
Reference by:http://islamonline.com/news/articles/
IslamOnline in Swat (Special Folder)
"Commandos have been airlifted to Peochar via army helicopters and are trying to flush him out." Maulana Fazlullah, locally known as Maulana Radio because of his FM radio station, has been leading a two-year uprising that has devastated the area.
His TTS is a break-away faction of the non-violent Tehrik Nifaz-e-Shari’ah Mohammadi (TNSM) led by Maulana Sufi Mohammad, his father-in-law.
Other key Taliban commanders targeted by the army commandos are Muslim Khan, Mufti Shahid, Maulana Khalil, Ibn-e-Ameen, Maulana Shah Dauran and Qari Jabbar.
"They will also be targeted in order to break the nerves of militants, who have been putting a tough resistance in respective areas," said the army official.
"The army leadership is sure that if six to eight main Taliban leaders are neutralized - either captured or killed - a majority of militants will either surrenders or run away."
The army has been conducting a punishing offensive against militants in Malakand division, a conglomerate of eight districts including Swat, Dir and Boner.
The military said last week that around 12,000-15,000 security forces were operating against 4,000 well-armed Taliban fighters.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik claims that around 700 militants have been killed so far.
Tough Task
The army official declines to give a timeframe for the end of the ongoing operations. "In these kinds of operations, no deadline can be given. It may last for weeks, or months, but we will try our level best to accomplish the task as soon as possible," he said.
"That is why we are trying to neutralize their leadership to bring the ongoing operation to an end as soon as possible.
But defense and security analysts believe that liquidating the local Taliban leadership is not a walk in the park.
"This will be a very difficult task," Major General rtd Jamshed Ayaz, a senior defense and security analyst, told IOL.
"These types of people do not sit at one place. They camouflage themselves among the masses and use them as human shield. It is very hard to differentiate them."
Ayaz, who was commissioned in the army in 1965 and served in various capacities till 2001, believes intelligence can make the task much easier.
"Therefore, I emphasize on intelligence, both human and technical. The most difficult step in this process will be their precise location," he explains.
"If the army, with the help of an active intelligence, succeeds to locate them, then the task will turn out to easier."
The expert agrees that finishing off the main Taliban leaders will be a turning point.
"This is a uniformed formula that if the leadership is eliminated, the nerves of the troops are broken. That is especially true in the case of such militias who do not act as a regular force."
He contends that with such militias, personalities are very important as they keep their followers attached and united thanks to their personal charisma.
"But once these personalities are de-motivated or eliminated, their followers’ nerves are shattered, and they do not stay united and firm.
"The elimination of leadership will be disastrous for them."
Commandos from the army’s elite Special Services Group (SSG) were airlifted to Peochar, the stronghold of Fazlullah and his Tehrik-e-Taliban Swat (TTS) some 60 kilometers from Mingora, the capital of Swat.
"We have concrete information that he is commanding the militants from Peochar," said the army official.
Reference by:http://islamonline.com/news/articles/
IslamOnline in Swat (Special Folder)
"Commandos have been airlifted to Peochar via army helicopters and are trying to flush him out." Maulana Fazlullah, locally known as Maulana Radio because of his FM radio station, has been leading a two-year uprising that has devastated the area.
His TTS is a break-away faction of the non-violent Tehrik Nifaz-e-Shari’ah Mohammadi (TNSM) led by Maulana Sufi Mohammad, his father-in-law.
Other key Taliban commanders targeted by the army commandos are Muslim Khan, Mufti Shahid, Maulana Khalil, Ibn-e-Ameen, Maulana Shah Dauran and Qari Jabbar.
"They will also be targeted in order to break the nerves of militants, who have been putting a tough resistance in respective areas," said the army official.
"The army leadership is sure that if six to eight main Taliban leaders are neutralized - either captured or killed - a majority of militants will either surrenders or run away."
The army has been conducting a punishing offensive against militants in Malakand division, a conglomerate of eight districts including Swat, Dir and Boner.
The military said last week that around 12,000-15,000 security forces were operating against 4,000 well-armed Taliban fighters.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik claims that around 700 militants have been killed so far.
Tough Task
The army official declines to give a timeframe for the end of the ongoing operations. "In these kinds of operations, no deadline can be given. It may last for weeks, or months, but we will try our level best to accomplish the task as soon as possible," he said.
"That is why we are trying to neutralize their leadership to bring the ongoing operation to an end as soon as possible.
But defense and security analysts believe that liquidating the local Taliban leadership is not a walk in the park.
"This will be a very difficult task," Major General rtd Jamshed Ayaz, a senior defense and security analyst, told IOL.
"These types of people do not sit at one place. They camouflage themselves among the masses and use them as human shield. It is very hard to differentiate them."
Ayaz, who was commissioned in the army in 1965 and served in various capacities till 2001, believes intelligence can make the task much easier.
"Therefore, I emphasize on intelligence, both human and technical. The most difficult step in this process will be their precise location," he explains.
"If the army, with the help of an active intelligence, succeeds to locate them, then the task will turn out to easier."
The expert agrees that finishing off the main Taliban leaders will be a turning point.
"This is a uniformed formula that if the leadership is eliminated, the nerves of the troops are broken. That is especially true in the case of such militias who do not act as a regular force."
He contends that with such militias, personalities are very important as they keep their followers attached and united thanks to their personal charisma.
"But once these personalities are de-motivated or eliminated, their followers’ nerves are shattered, and they do not stay united and firm.
"The elimination of leadership will be disastrous for them."
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