Musharraf urges Jihad on terror, Pakistan takes the hard line...AGAIN

Finally, some good news:


It’s about time a leader of a primarily Islamic nation takes a stand on terror. Musharraf of course, has taken the hard line for a few years now, but this is the first time he has made direct comments of this magnitude. Kudos to the Pakistani leader!

Source

“ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- President Pervez Musharraf called on Pakistanis yesterday to join a jihad, or holy war, against preachers of hatred and violence and announced steps to rein in militant Islamic schools and organizations.

In a televised address to the nation after security forces detained nearly 300 militant suspects in a crackdown following the July 7 London bombings, Gen. Musharraf said all Islamic schools, or madrassas, would have to register with authorities by December.

The speech was recorded before yesterday's fresh wave of attacks on the London transit system, which brought Britain expressions of support from around the world.
The Pakistani leader said, "I urge you, my nation, to stand up and wage a jihad against extremism and to stand up against those who spread hatred and chaos in the society."
He also said banned militant groups would not be allowed to reorganize under new names or to raise funds, while keeping unauthorized arms would be strictly prohibited and action would be taken against the distribution of literature designed to spread hatred.

The tough action followed public demands from British Prime Minister Tony Blair for the world's Islamic community to face its responsibility to curb the "evil ideology" behind the London attacks.

However, Gen. Musharraf said Britain also had a lot of work to do to counter terrorism, and that the two countries should not point fingers at each other.
While three of the July 7 London bombers were of Pakistani descent, he said, they were born and brought up in Britain, where extremist Islamist organizations also exist.
"We are together in the fight against terrorism. We need to remain together and fight it together," he said.

Renewed determination to fight terrorism was also voiced by leaders from many other countries after reports of the latest attacks on London.

In Washington, President Bush was briefed on yesterday's explosions and said the terrorists "understand when they kill in cold blood it ends up on our TV screens and they're trying to shake our will. And they're trying to create vacuums in which their ideology can move."



He said all Islamic schools need to register by December. Do know the seriousness of that statement? The leader of a primarily Islamic nation has basically stated that schools of this nature can be part of the extremism problem and will be monitored as a result. That is HUGE.

Now all we need is a few other leaders to do the same. Extremist Muslims can only be controlled by Muslims. Period. And this is the first step.

Sometimes I wonder why they just can't say "We don't like terrorism, and we'll do everything to stop it," or maybe they have to declare jihad on everything. Like a trip to the grocery store is a jihad against hunger, or going to cash your paycheck is a jihad against poverty.

Food for thought.