An Interview with Sufi Muhammad from the Daily Times of Pakistan (May 4)

Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM, English: Movement for the Enforcement of Islamic Law) is a Pakistani militant group whose objective is to enforce Sharia law in the country. The rebel group took over much of Swat in 2007.


Monday, May 04, 2009


Being photographed, video taped is un-Islamic: TNSM chief

* Sufi Muhammad says democracy, communism, socialism, fascism are un-Islamic systems of governance
* Says jihad is only obligatory when infidels seek to eliminate sharia
* Women can only come out of their houses to perform Haj

Daily Times Monitor

LAHORE: It is un-Islamic for anyone to be photographed, Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) chief Sufi Muhammad has said.Talking to a private TV channel, he said any duplicated image of a person, whether a “still picture or video” was un-Islamic.

Referring to the various systems of governance, he said democracy, communism, socialism and fascism were all un-Islamic.

He also said there was no need for a constitution in the country in the presence of the Quran and Sunnah, adding these were the “biggest laws” available to humanity.

Focusing on democracy, he said it was un-Islamic, as infidels invented it. “I would not offer prayer behind anyone who would seek to justify democracy,” he said, adding this was why he had refused to offer prayers behind Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazlur Rehman.

“How can people who believe in democracy be expected to enforce the ideals of sharia,” he said.

He said the struggle for Kashmir was to obtain land where Muslims could move about freely rather than seeking the implementation of shariat.

Obligatory jihad: Sufi Muhammad said the sharia system of governance not currently in force anywhere in the world, not even Saudi Arabia or Iran. “Only the Taliban had enforced sharia when they were in power in Afghanistan,” he added. He said he had gone to Afghanistan to conduct jihad, and not to cater to Mullah Omar or Osama Bin Laden.

“Jihad was obligatory at the time because the US wanted to end sharia in Afghanistan,” he added. He said Muslims could not wage jihad until the enforcement of sharia, adding jihad becomes obligatory on Muslims only after infidels attempt to eliminate the sharia system of governance.

To a question on his organisation’s members picking up the sword in the past and killing people, he said he was opposed to such actions.

“They took these actions without informing me and after I came to know of them, I prevented them from doing so,” he added.

Not allowed: On the status of women in a Taliban-run society, he said women were not allowed to come out of their house for any reason other than to perform Haj. However, he added, a female patient was allowed to visit a male doctor to seek a cure for her ailments.

Separately, Sufi Muhammad told another channel the TNSM wanted the implementation of sharia in Malakand Division. He said the qazis appointed by the NWFP government for the Darul Qaza were judges and their appointments had “not been in accordance with Islam”.

He said the 1973 Constitution was an Islamic document but had not been implemented properly. He said the rules framed by the government for the Darul Qaza were unacceptable, adding the NWFP government had not consulted him prior to their establishment.