Winds of War: Who’s Really Creating Foot Soldiers in the War on Terror?

From The Gathering Storm

Since the release of the report from the National Intelligence Estimate stating that the Iraq War is creating terrorists, the opposition has used it as a reason for withdrawing from Iraq and a general rebuttal to the Bush administration’s approach to fighting terrorism.

The first mistake made by the opposition and to a large extent, the Bush administration itself, is the inability to see that the non-Muslim world is fighting a war with an ideology – not individuals. This ideology is creating the enemy foot soldiers and they are being created silently but relentlessly is Muslim and non-Muslim countries.

So, just who is creating the foot soldiers in the war on terror? Whose promoting the very ideology that produces these anti-western individuals who are then prime fodder fro radicalization? Here’s one example from a recent article in Time Magazine entitled “No Dates, No Dancing”.

At Punjab University in Lahore, musical concerts are banned, and men and women are segregated in the dining halls. Many female students attend class wearing headscarves that cover everything but their eyes. This fall, when the university's administrators tried to introduce a program in musicology and performing arts, the campus erupted in protest. "Pakistan is an Islamic country, and our institutions must reflect that," says Umair Idrees, a master's degree student and secretary-general of Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (I.J.T.), the biggest student group on campus. "The formation of these departments is an attack on Islam and a betrayal of Pakistan. They should not be part of the university curriculum."

You would think that this sort of fundamentalist ideology is being programmed into the young college students by the administration or faculty. Wrong.

What's most striking about that climate of conservatism is that it is being driven not by faculty or administrators or government officials but by students. At Punjab U., I.J.T. is the most powerful force on campus, shaping not just the mores of student life but also larger debates over curriculum, course syllabuses, faculty selection and even degree programs. Nationwide, the group has more than 20,000 members and 40,000 affiliates active at nearly all of Pakistan's 50 public universities.

That's quite a breeding ground. And if you don’t follow the party line?

Students who defy I.J.T.'s strict moral code risk private reprimands, public denouncements and, in some cases, even physical violence.

You see where this is going. Disagree with our ideology then be prepared to face violent consequences. And you can bet your burka that any curriculum that is believed to be counter to the teachings of Mohammed will never see the light of day in Pakistan. This does not bode well for our ‘ally’.

In a country where most politicians cut their teeth as student activists, the rise of groups like I.J.T. provides clues to Pakistan's political future. Although the country is officially aligned with the U.S. in fighting terrorism, it is beset by an internal struggle between moderate citizens and the fundamentalists who aim to turn the country into an Islamic state. As the hard-line demands intensify, President Pervez Musharraf has backed away from some policies sought by the Bush Administration, such as cracking down on radical religious schools, known as madrasahs, and curbing Pakistani support for the fundamentalist Taliban across the border in Afghanistan.

A wolf in sheep’s clothing?

Political organizations have been banned from schools since 1992, when violent clashes between the student wings of rival political parties led to the deaths of dozens of students. But by outlawing political activity, the government opened the door to religious organizations such as I.J.T., which acts as an advocacy group that serves as a liaison between students and administration. Founded in 1947, I.J.T. has hundreds of thousands of alumni who provide the group with organizational and financial support, with the goal of "training the young generation according to Islam so they can play a role in Pakistan's social and political life," Idrees says.

And a training curriculum for future terrorists who will gladly die for their ideology.

A visit to Punjab University reveals what that means in practice. About 2,400 of the university's 24,000 students belong to I.J.T. Members are expected to live morally and to abide by the Koran's injunction to spread good and suppress evil. For many, that involves adopting an austere lifestyle. Members meet for regular study sessions and must attend all-night prayer meetings at least once a month. Outside the classroom, complete segregation of the genders is strictly observed. When asked, many members are critical of the U.S. and its policies toward the Muslim world; although the group has no ties to terrorism, it's likely that some members sympathize with al-Qaeda.

‘Nuff said.