This piece was written by CBS News' Farhan Bokhari.
Pakistan's cabinet Wednesday, in a meeting chaired by prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, decided to invite prominent Islamic leaders from the around the world -- notably the imam or prayer leader of the mosque around the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia -- to urge Pakistanis to actively oppose suicide bombings.
The decision not only highlights a growing sense of desperation among Pakistani leaders to build up public support against the Taliban, but also highlights one of the most challenging areas faced by policy makers.
The Kaaba -- a cubical room made of stone, located in Mecca -- is the most sacred shrine for Muslims worldwide. Muslims face the Kaaba from wherever they area while offering their prayers five times a day. Muslims who are able bodied, free of debt and can afford the journey, are obliged to go for the Hajj pilgrimage which takes place around the Kaaba and three other Islamic sites around Mecca.
"We want to show our people that religious opinion does not support suicide attacks," said Naveed Qamar, minister of privatization of the Pakistan government, speaking to CBS New after the cabinet meeting. "Suicide attacks are not permissible in Islam," he said.
Frequent suicide attacks as a tactic used by Taliban militants in Pakistan is just two years old. Pakistan government officials claim suicide attacks as a strategy used by hard-line Muslims, has its roots in Iraq, where the U.S. backed Iraqi regime and western including U.S. troops faced suicide attacks by their opponents.
"Our hope is that with the imam of the Kaaba coming to Pakistan and publicly proclaiming that suicide attacks are not permissible in Islam, the public's opinion is certain to change," said one senior Pakistan government official who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity. "The imam of Kaaba has a great deal of respect among Muslims. His message ought to make a difference."
Western diplomats reacted to the proposal with some skepticism. They argued that those who have already turned to militancy as a tool of resistance against the Pakistan government were not likely to be convinced. However, the hope lies in persuading others including would be suicide bombers to turn back.
"If you are already a militant fight up in the mountains you are not likely to be convinced. You have already decided that laying down your life even in a suicide attack is your ticket to heaven," said one senior western diplomat who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity.
In the past, western and Pakistani intelligence officials have revealed information over Taliban militants recruiting teen-aged boys to be indoctrinated in believing in the legitimacy of carrying suicide attacks. Such indoctrination is believed to have included tutorials where the boys have been told that they would go straight to heaven if they were killed as martyrs in suicide attacks.
Pakistan's cabinet Wednesday, in a meeting chaired by prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, decided to invite prominent Islamic leaders from the around the world -- notably the imam or prayer leader of the mosque around the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia -- to urge Pakistanis to actively oppose suicide bombings.
The decision not only highlights a growing sense of desperation among Pakistani leaders to build up public support against the Taliban, but also highlights one of the most challenging areas faced by policy makers.
The Kaaba -- a cubical room made of stone, located in Mecca -- is the most sacred shrine for Muslims worldwide. Muslims face the Kaaba from wherever they area while offering their prayers five times a day. Muslims who are able bodied, free of debt and can afford the journey, are obliged to go for the Hajj pilgrimage which takes place around the Kaaba and three other Islamic sites around Mecca.
"We want to show our people that religious opinion does not support suicide attacks," said Naveed Qamar, minister of privatization of the Pakistan government, speaking to CBS New after the cabinet meeting. "Suicide attacks are not permissible in Islam," he said.
Frequent suicide attacks as a tactic used by Taliban militants in Pakistan is just two years old. Pakistan government officials claim suicide attacks as a strategy used by hard-line Muslims, has its roots in Iraq, where the U.S. backed Iraqi regime and western including U.S. troops faced suicide attacks by their opponents.
"Our hope is that with the imam of the Kaaba coming to Pakistan and publicly proclaiming that suicide attacks are not permissible in Islam, the public's opinion is certain to change," said one senior Pakistan government official who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity. "The imam of Kaaba has a great deal of respect among Muslims. His message ought to make a difference."
Western diplomats reacted to the proposal with some skepticism. They argued that those who have already turned to militancy as a tool of resistance against the Pakistan government were not likely to be convinced. However, the hope lies in persuading others including would be suicide bombers to turn back.
"If you are already a militant fight up in the mountains you are not likely to be convinced. You have already decided that laying down your life even in a suicide attack is your ticket to heaven," said one senior western diplomat who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity.
In the past, western and Pakistani intelligence officials have revealed information over Taliban militants recruiting teen-aged boys to be indoctrinated in believing in the legitimacy of carrying suicide attacks. Such indoctrination is believed to have included tutorials where the boys have been told that they would go straight to heaven if they were killed as martyrs in suicide attacks.
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The Holy Qur�an - http://www.quran.org.uk
Commentary of Holy Qur'an http://al-islam.org/tahrif_quran/
Du'a - http://www.duas.org
Islam - http://www.al-islam.org
Free Islamic Books -http://www.winislam.com
http://www.islamic-message.net/English/index.htm
Commentary of Holy Qur'an http://al-islam.org/tahrif_quran/
Du'a - http://www.duas.org
Islam - http://www.al-islam.org
Free Islamic Books -http://www.winislam.com
http://www.islamic-message.net/English/index.htm
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