FEATURE - Pakistani jihadi videos thrive on execution scenes

The buyers thronging his stall on the sidelines of a late-night rally in the Pakistani capital belonged to a crowd organised by a sectarian Sunni Muslim group.

"This is the latest video of the beheadings," he told his customers, as they pored over titles including "Slaughter of Americans in Iraq", "Slaughter of Traitors in Afghanistan" and "Taliban Celebrations".

In Pakistan, compelled to join a U.S.-led global war on terrorism after al Qaeda's Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the United States, anger has risen over what many see as an attempt by the West to suppress Muslims around the world.

But that is only part of the story. Pakistan is also locked in a long struggle with its own demons, particularly sectarian violence that has killed thousands.

Three weeks ago, a suicide bomber killed at least 57 people at a prayer meeting in Karachi celebrating the birth of the Prophet Mohammad.

At the other end of the country, in the Waziristan tribal area bordering Afghanistan, the toll from weeks of fighting between security forces and pro-Taliban and al Qaeda tribesmen pushed towards 300.

The video seller didn't have the latest action from the conflict on the Afghan border, but he had something just as gruesome.

"This one is about the activities of mujahideen in Waziristan and Afghanistan," the seller said.

Dated in December, and supposedly shot in Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan, it had footage of hangings ordered by influential militant clerics.

The bodies of the hanged men, described as criminals and bandits, were then dragged through the streets by pick-up trucks, in a grisly demonstration of rough justice in an area where the civil administration has, according to tribesmen, collapsed.

"The commentary in them makes no bones about who is producing them -- they are Pakistani Talibs," said Samina Ahmed, the Islamabad-based director of the International Crisis Group's South Asia project.

For less than a dollar apiece, some VCDs glorify the exploits of al Qaeda and Taliban fighters, promise 72 heavenly virgins for prospective suicide bombers and prescribe beheadings for informers.

There are also training films on how to run a guerrilla war, based on Islamist militants fighting the Russian army in Chechnya.

Messages in the films put Presidents George W. Bush, Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan and Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan at the top of a hit list for would-be assassins in a war against what are described as the American "crusader forces".

Musharraf has banned several militant organisations since 2002, and just last year he launched yet another campaign against groups stirring sectarian violence between Pakistan's majority Sunni Muslims and minority Shi'ites.

But some, such as Sipah-e-Sahaba (Soldiers of Companions of the Prophet), keep bouncing back, although they seem to be getting less space to put their message across. The group organised the recent late-night rally in Islamabad but under another name.

Irfan Ali runs an Islamic bookshop in Karachi and says Musharraf's policies since Sept. 11, 2001, have definitely been bad for business.

"The fact is our business was doing very well when we were selling jihadi literature," Ali lamented. "Now our sales have come down drastically."

The owner of another bookshop in Karachi said such material could always be arranged for trusted customers.

"Jihadi literature, cassettes and VCDs are still available but you will not find it openly. This business has gone underground. It is only sold to known acquaintances or reliable people," he said.

That said, it is not too hard to find the leader of one of the most feared militant groups in Pakistan. His message of radical Islam can be heard outside a number of well-known mosques.

Maulana Masood Azhar, head of Jaish-i-Mohammad, has kept a low profile for some time because of pressure from Pakistan's security apparatus, according to some analysts.

But outside Islamabad's Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, his voice blares out from speakers from among the stalls selling perfumes, skull caps, religious texts, cassettes and videos after Friday prayers.

"Curse on the face of the Americans ... Mullah Omar and Osama are the light of our eyes. Whoever tries to steal this light, we will rob them of their peace," Azhar shouts.

Not all Pakistani preachers of militant jihad are such shadowy figures. Some are members of the National Assembly, representatives of Islamist parties that form the largest opposition block.

Maulana Mairaj-ud-Din, a legislator from South Waziristan, is captured on a video titled "Ghadaran", or Traitors, inciting tribesmen to take up arms for the cause.

October 1, 2003 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -

We are pleased to announce that the Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity and Brother Cloud’s commentary “Things Hard to Be Understood: A Handbook of Biblical Difficulties” are now available for the Swordsearcher electronic Bible program.

The Encyclopedia and difficult passages commentary are available for Swordsearcher version 4.2 and above. (The Way of Life books require a CD-ROM installation of Swordsearcher; they will not work with the free download from the Swordsearcher web site.)

DESCRIPTION OF SWORDSEARCHER

SwordSearcher - Powerful Bible study application, featuring numerous resources and unique features - far more than just an electronic concordance. Resources include several commentaries, dictionaries, maps, illustrations, and topical guides. Features powerful searching and many useful time-saving tools. Supports user-created content. Pop-up verse references allow instant examination of cross-references in resource material. Pop-up Strong’s definitions immediately show Strong’s Lexicon definitions over King James Bible Strong’s Links. The Topic Guide allows quick indexing of all dictionaries, topic guides, etc, on a particular topic or verse. “Deep Referencing” links all relevant material to verses, alleviating the need to guess at relevant dictionary or topical entries. SwordSearcher has a host of features and resources for improving your Bible study. It is a Bible concordance and so much more. Over 1 million cross-references combined. 14 Bible texts, 8 dictionaries and encyclopedias, 14 commentaries, 4 topical Bible guides, 4 other books, and over 360 maps, charts, and illustrations.

Key Features

-- “Deep Referencing” links verses to every resource available. Not only are commentaries tied to verses, but now other books are too - topical references, dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc., are all accessible directly from the verses they reference. No more searching for topics or dictionary headings that might be relevant to the passage you are reading - SwordSearcher puts it all a click away.

-- The Topic Guide is the fastest way to see what every resource has to say about a particular topic or verse. Want to study Aaron? Tell the Topic Guide, and it will show you entries in every resource available. Want to know everything said about John 3:16? Just type the verse reference into the Topic Guide, or right-click the verse in your Bible display - and it will show you every reference from every resource that mentions it.

-- Instantaneous Bible Searches immediately show you every verse resulting from your search parameters. Full context reading on any verse is just one click away. Search the KJV for Strong’s numbers/links too.

-- Pop-up verse text means you are not forced to move your Bible reader to a new verse just to read a cross-reference. Just hold your mouse over a reference to a verse, and it is displayed immediately. Move your mouse away, and it’s gone. Click on the reference to read the entire context.

-- Pop-up Strong’s definitions - just hold your mouse over a Strong’s Lexicon link in the KJV with Strong’s Links to see the definition. Click for further examination.

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-- Simple Interface. It’s amazing that a simple interface is the best way to access a myriad of functions, and SwordSearcher is built on this design philosophy. You won’t get lost in a deluge of opening windows here.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE WAY OF LIFE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE BIBLE & CHRISTIANITY

This Bible Encyclopedia contains over 6,000 entries and over 7,000 cross-references. Twenty-five years of research have gone into this one-of-a-kind reference tool. It is the only Bible dictionary/ encyclopedia that is written by a Fundamental Baptist and based strictly upon the King James Bible. It is a complete dictionary of biblical terminology and also features many other areas of research not often covered in Bible reference volumes. Subjects include Bible versions, Denominations, Cults, Christian Movements, Typology, the Church, Social Issues and Practical Christian Living, Bible Prophecy, and Old English Terminology. The Christian will be helped and fortified in his faith through this Bible Encyclopedia. This work does not correct the Authorized Version of the Bible, nor does it undermine the fundamental Baptist’s doctrines and practices as many study tools do. The 4th edition (June 2002) contains roughly 1,000 new entries and additions to existing entries. Many preachers have told us that apart from Strong’s Concordance, the Way of Life Bible Encyclopedia is their favorite study tool. A missionary told us that if he could save only one study book out of his library, it would be our Encyclopedia. An evangelist in South Dakota wrote: “If I were going to the mission field and could carry only three books, they would be the Strong’s concordance, a hymnal, and the Way of Life Bible Encyclopedia.” Missionary author Jack Moorman says: “The encyclopedia is excellent. The entries show a ‘distilled spirituality.’“

DESCRIPTION OF “THINGS HARD TO BE UNDERSTOOD”

This volume deals with a variety of biblical difficulties. Find the answer to the seeming contradictions in the Bible. Meet the challenge of false teachers who misuse biblical passages to prove their doctrine. Find out the meaning of difficult passages. Be confirmed in your confidence in the inerrancy and perfection of the Scriptures. Learn the meaning of difficult expressions such as “the unpardonable sin.” It contains no criticism of the English Authorized Version. One of the things which sets this volume apart from others written on this topic is its practical nature and the fact that it is written from a fundamentalist, Bible-believing Baptist viewpoint. We desire to help protect God’s people from the false teachers who abound in these last days. They raise nagging questions and doubts by misusing passages of Scripture to “prove” their specious doctrines. Examples of passages considered in this context are verses misused by Seventh-day Adventists to support their doctrines of soul sleep and annihilation, verses misused by the Roman Catholic Church to support its doctrines of Mary and the Papacy and purgatory, verses used by ecumenists to justify their unscriptural goals, verses used to support infant baptism and baptismal regeneration, and verses misused by those who deny the doctrine of eternal security. Jerry Huffman, editor of Calvary Contender, testified: “You don’t have to agree with everything to greatly benefit from this helpful book.” 3rd edition, September 2001. 329 pages

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