This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/655

From Cricketeer to Cult Leader - Pro Taliban ex playboy Imran Khan incites deadly riots-demands US government apology

May 29, 2005

MIM: Not Just another Jihadi face:

Imran Khan -From Cricketeer/playboy to Populist/ Cult Leader

New York, May 16 :

"...It was former Pakistan cricket captain-turned-politician Imran Khan who highlighted the Newsweek magazine's report about the alleged desecration of the Quran which led to anti-US rioting in Afghanistan killing 15 people, the weekly reported.

"The spark was apparently lit at a press conference held on Friday, May 6, by Imran Khan, a Pakistani cricket legend and strident critic of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. Brandishing a copy of that week's Newsweek (dated May 9), Khan read a report that US interrogators at Guantánamo prison had placed the Quran on toilet seats and even flushed one," the weekly said in its latest issue.

The report came even as The International Herald Tribune reported that "Newsweek magazine said today that it might have erred in reporting that American interrogators at the Guantánamo Bay naval base in Cuba might have desecrated detainees' copies of the Quran".

The latest story in the weekly quoted the former cricketer as saying: "This is what the US is doing...desecrating the Quran."

"His remarks, as well as the outraged comments of Muslim clerics and Pakistani government officials, were picked up on local radio and played throughout neighbouring Afghanistan. Radical Islamic foes of the US-friendly regime of Hamid Karzai quickly exploited local discontent with a poor economy and the continued presence of US forces, and riots began breaking out last week," Newsweek said.

The magazine explained the circumstances that led to its assertions about the alleged desecration of the Islamic holy book at the Guantanamo prison..." http://news.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=82274&cat=World


PTI Demands UN Human Rights Commission to Investigate Alleged Desecration of the Holy Quran

Islamabad (May 17, 2005)
http://insaf.org.pk/press/2003Jan/press_release_2005may17.htm

Commenting on the latest Newsweek story that blames Imran Khan for triggering the on-going political firestorm raging in the Islamic world against the alleged desecration of the Holy Quran, Akbar S. Babar, Central Information Secretary of the party said in a statement that the Newsweek story only acted as ?catalyst? to release the bottled up feelings of the Muslims. Instead of rethinking the entire strategy of war on terror that has unleashed bloodshed and unprecedented violation of human rights on a massive scale, the entire focus has been turned on finger pointing related to the Newsweek story.


Babar stated that the Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has consistently raised the issue of human rights violations under the on going ?war on terror.? Imran Khan raised the alleged desecration of the Holy Quran as he is convinced that it is our duty to protect our faith and that of other people. He said the Newsweek report must be looked at in conjunction with other independent reports corroborating the use of inhuman and indefensible means of torturing inmates. The latest front-page story of a Guantanamo bay inmate recently released and currently kept in detention in Rawalpindi jail further corroborates the alleged despicable ways in which inmates at Guantanamo Bay have been tortured and humiliated by the US Army. According to the news item the inmate ?gave a horrifying account of his ordeal? and stated that he had ?seen desecration of the Holy Quran by security officials at the Guantanamo Bay, not once but many a time.? Babar stated that the alleged humiliation of prisoners for their religious
beliefs shows the depth of degradation and moral decay and reminds us of the
dark ages when people were persecuted for their religious beliefs. He demanded that the UN Human Rights Commission should independently investigate the allegations of the desecration of the Holy Quran and torture of inmates at Guantanamo bay.

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http://insaf.org.pk/press/2003Jan/press_release_2005may17.htm

PTI Urge Islamic World to Unite Against Holy Quran Desecration

Islamabad (May 19, 2005)
http://insaf.org.pk/press/2003Jan/press_release_2005may19.htm

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has demanded an unconditional apology from the US government for the desecration of the Holy Quran by US Army at Guantanamo Bay and urged the Islamic World to unite themselves against the continuous acts to insult faith and feelings of Muslims including the desecration of Holy Quran.

PTI leaders Amir Kiani, Asad Ansari, Sardar Azhar Tariq Khan, Zahid Hussain Kazmi, Col. (r) Yunus Ali Raza and Faisal Pirzada in a joint press conference on Thursday urged all segments of society, media, civil society organizations, political parties of irrespective of their political leanings to protest against these barbaric acts, as we are duty bound to protect and respect our faith as well as that of other people. They said Islam today is under increasing attack in the name of the ?war on terror.?

PTI leaders stated that the Newsweek report must be looked at in conjunction with other independent reports corroborating the use of inhuman and indefensible means of torturing inmates. The latest front-page story of a Guantanamo bay inmate recently released and currently kept in detention in Rawalpindi Adiala jail further corroborates the alleged despicable ways in which inmates at Guantanamo Bay have been tortured and humiliated by the US Army. According to the news item the inmate ?gave a horrifying account of his ordeal? and stated that he had ?seen desecration of the Holy Quran by security officials at the Guantanamo Bay, not once but many a time.? The Islamic World must analyze the reasons and causes of such acts to review their policies and formulate a comprehensive strategy based on wishes and aspirations of Muslim masses.

The PTI leaders condemned the extreme physical and emotional torture of inmates and termed it as a gross violation of all international human rights standards. By humiliating prisoners for their religious beliefs shows the depth of the degradation and moral decay and reminds us of the dark ages when people were persecuted for their religious beliefs. Such acts would only breed anger, hatred, and more violence against the US and completely run counter to the stated goals of the war on terror.





Arshad Malik
Press Secretary
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PTI Demands UN Human Rights Commission to Investigate Alleged Desecration of the Holy Quran

Islamabad (May 17, 2005)

Commenting on the latest Newsweek story that blames Imran Khan for triggering the on-going political firestorm raging in the Islamic world against the alleged desecration of the Holy Quran, Akbar S. Babar, Central Information Secretary of the party said in a statement that the Newsweek story only acted as ?catalyst? to release the bottled up feelings of the Muslims. Instead of rethinking the entire strategy of war on terror that has unleashed bloodshed and unprecedented violation of human rights on a massive scale, the entire focus has been turned on finger pointing related to the Newsweek story.


Babar stated that the Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has consistently raised the issue of human rights violations under the on going ?war on terror.? Imran Khan raised the alleged desecration of the Holy Quran as he is convinced that it is our duty to protect our faith and that of other people. He said the Newsweek report must be looked at in conjunction with other independent reports corroborating the use of inhuman and indefensible means of torturing inmates. The latest front-page story of a Guantanamo bay inmate recently released and currently kept in detention in Rawalpindi jail further corroborates the alleged despicable ways in which inmates at Guantanamo Bay have been tortured and humiliated by the US Army. According to the news item the inmate ?gave a horrifying account of his ordeal? and stated that he had ?seen desecration of the Holy Quran by security officials at the Guantanamo Bay, not once but many a time.? Babar stated that the alleged humiliation of prisoners for their religious
beliefs shows the depth of degradation and moral decay and reminds us of the
dark ages when people were persecuted for their religious beliefs. He demanded that the UN Human Rights Commission should independently investigate the allegations of the desecration of the Holy Quran and torture of inmates at Guantanamo bay.


Babar stated that the PTI stance on terrorism is clear. The PTI is convinced that terrorism is an age-old phenomenon and cannot be eliminated by a rampaging conventional army, no matter how powerful. It can only be contained by a strategy of building democratic societies and addressing the root causes of conflict. He said the present allies in the war on terror in the Islamic world have an extremely poor human rights record. The nexus between the US and tyrants such as the Uzbek President Karimov under whose orders a massacre is being hushed up only undermines the credibility of the stated goals of the ?war on terror.? As long as the US is not prepared to accept and co-exist with democratic regimes in the Islamic world that may or may not support US policies as wholeheartedly as dictators do to remain in power, the resentment against the US in the Islamic world would only grow. The PTI leader stated that it is ironic that in the backdrop of incessant reports about gross violations of human rights by occupying US forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, a US Congressional panel recently demanded blacklisting of Pakistan for ?violating religious freedom.?




Arshad Malik
Press Secretary

This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/655