Jamaat -ud-Dawa, a front organization for Lashkar-e-Taiba
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Islamabad, Dec 14, IRNA
Pakistan-Militants
Jamaat-ud-Dawa, is a front organization for the terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which is blamed by India for the attacks in Mumbai.
The Pakistani government has banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa, arrested its top leaders, sealed its offices throughout the country, frozen its bank accounts and banned its publications after the United Nations blacklisted the organization for being a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba, an al-Qaeda-linked extremist group involved in the Mumbai attacks.
Jamaat-ud-Dawah was launched in Pakistan in 1985. Previously called Markaz Dawa wal Irshad, the organization changed its name after the US declared Lashkar-e-Taiba to be a terrorist organization.
The organization runs hundreds of Islamic schools and health clinics.
The amir (leader) of JuD is Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, who was an Islamic studies professor and the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba. He was accused of inciting riots in Pakistan in 2006. Hafiz Mohammed Saeed has now been placed under house arrest.
Before his arrest Saeed said that the move was an attempt to target religious groups, and that his organization would fight the decision in Pakistani and international courts, challenging Indian and US officials to produce evidence against it.
JuD runs a weekly newspaper named Ghazwa, three monthly magazines among which two are Majalla Tud Dawaa and Zarb e Taiba and a fortnightly magazine for children named Roza Tul Itfal.
JuD's website holds an English section which presents itself as a relief organization, while the Urdu section of the same website holds negative articles concerning India, United States and Western World.
On December 7, 2008, under pressure from US, Pakistani army launched an operation against LeT and Jamaat-ud-Dawa and raided a markaz (center) of the JuD at Shawai Nullah, near Muzaffarabad capital of Azad Kashmir.
On December 11, 2008 the United Nations Security Council imposed sanctions on JuD, declaring it a global terrorist group. But, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, the chief of JuD declared that his group will challenge the sanctions imposed on it in all forums.
Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, the chief of JuD says that Jamaat-ud-Dawa is a movement that aims to spread the true teachings of Islam, and to establish a pure and peaceful society by building the character of individuals according to those teachings.
He says that it is necessary to improve not only the belief of an individual but also his or her deeds and actions, only then an individual can become a truly good citizen.
Lashkar-e-Taiba on the other hand is one of the largest and most active militant organizations in South Asia and its members have carried out major attacks in the region and its objective is to introduce an Islamic state in South Asia.
Lashkar-e-Taiba received backing in the 1980s by the CIA in order to fight against the Soviet Union-backed government of Afghanistan.
However, the CIA ceased its support after the Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan.
Primary area of operations of the Lashkar-e-Taiba's militant activities is the Kashmir Valley; the outfit is also active in the Jammu region besides having undertaken sporadic attacks in other parts of India.
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