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| India-Pakistan |
| Leaders of Major Islamist Groups in Pakistan |
| 2003-07-01 |
| The link above contains a brief look at the major Islamists active in Pakistan. The bios are mostly small or incomplete, but it still represents a nice collection of the Turbans belonging to one of te following categories: 1)The leaders of the established political formations: These leaders are the public face of Islamist politics in Pakistan. Most of them came to prominence in the early years of General Zia’s reign when they were accorded state support. Today they claim to represent a sizeable portion of the Pakistan’s religiously minded population. 2)The leaders of the Tanzeems: Islamist organizations (Tanzeems) tend to be somewhat removed from the mainstream polity. Unlike the political parties the Tanzeems are dedicated to achievement of a specific goal. These are a somewhat camera shy lot and their personal histories are equally elusive. 3)The spiritual leaders: These persons represent the leaders of the major spiritual movements in Pakistani Islam. Their influence is difficult to characterize however given Pakistan’s emphasis on Islamist piety, there is little to undermine their influence. 4)The Military Islamists: These represent serving and retired military officers who do not seem to shy from associating with Islamist political groups. |
| Posted by:Paul Moloney |