Pakistan to expel outside students

CNN International ^ | July 30, 2005 | Kasra Naji

[summer]

Musharraf says he is serious about cracking down on Islamic militancy.

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistan's President Gen. Pervez Musharraf says as part of his crackdown on Islamic extremism in religious schools, or madrasas, foreign students will be thrown out of the country.

"Madrasa Ordinance will require all foreigners, even those with dual nationality, to be removed," he said during a two-hour question-and-answer session with international journalists in Rawalpindi.

He said the ordinance, which will be issued in a few days, will also require all madrasas to be registered by the end of the year.

"Mosques would not be allowed to be used for extremism or incitement to hatred," he said.

Musharraf has come under international spotlight in recent weeks after it emerged that at least two of the London bombers had visited Pakistan in recent months and may have stayed at a madrasa in the country.

[summer]

France is cracking down, too: France ejects 12 Islamic 'preachers of hate'

[summer]

FYI.

[CarrotAndStick]

The ones from inside are troublemakers anyway. Won't change the situation much. Nothing to see here.

[summer]

I don't know about that. The UK bombers were reported to be "outside" students hanging out in Pakistan before they bombed London commuters.

[summer]

And, I think it is helpful when the message gets out that these people are NOT welcome.

[summer]

Plus, terrorists love to use the "foreign student" cover for travel purposes. I think Pakistan is right to now do this. I just hope they actually do it!

[AZLiberty]

Mixed blessing. In the long run, fewer terrorists. In the short term, more potential terrorists back in their own countries. We need to keep track of them as they return.

[downtoliberalism]

Musharraf says he is serious about cracking down on Islamic militancy.
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Maybe W should take some notes.

[blam]

"FYI."

They ought to just get Charles Bronson to double-tap these animals in the dead of night...those in France too.

[nevergore]

Dude...I think Charles Bronson is dead.....

NeverGore :^)

[EQAndyBuzz]

Maybe they can do this in Patterson NJ and downtown Brooklyn.

[AndyJackson]

Maybe W should take some notes.

Just where exactly do you think the pressure on Pakistan is coming from?

[Saberwielder]

Too little too late. Many people enter Pakistan with fake documents thanks to Islamists in the Pakistani embassies abroad. 9/11 investigation showed that many of the suspects were able to get into Pakistan without visas or passports being stamped.

What is needed is for the terror factories to be shut down. Otherwise Musharraf is likely to expel a few foreing looking guys and claim victory.

The war on terror is not over until Pakistan's jihadist madrassas are ALL closed permanently.

[downtoliberalism]

I am sure that Pakistan is receiving pressure from the US. Do you believe that this was our idea of removing outside students from Pakistan? I don't know where you draw that conclusion from. Certainly not from our daily actions here in the US. You are delusional if you believe that our President is the cause of Pakistan removing these people.

[nevergore]

As a side note...I spent a great deal of time in Pakistan...Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Lahore. Another engineer I was with (who was a Pakistani) took me to the Al Fasil Mosque in Islamabad which is billed as the largest mosque in Central Asia and architecturally the largest freestanding dome in the world. A very beautiful building. I wasn't allowed inside the building since I'm not Muslim (Roman Catholic) but I wandered the grounds for a while.

This Mosque was built completely with Saudi money as is the numerous Wahhabi Madrases throughout the country of Pakistan. Wahabi is a very radical militant form of Islam that the Saudi's export all over the world. They target Third World countries without a public school infrastructure as a offer to provide a educational basis for poor areas. Most countries accept their generous offer not realizing that their ultimate goal is to undermine all governments to eventually set up a multinational Islamic Caliph.

This has placed governments like Musaraff's in a tenuous position, they need to kick out the radical element that run the Madras's without fomenting further unrest within their country. A very delicate balancing act.

NeverGore :^)

[Saberwielder]

Those who keep doing balancing acts fall down hard sooner or later, just as those who walk the middle of the road become roadkill. 4 years is enough time for the dance, now its time for real action.

[nevergore]

Cute saying but without substance.....

Musareff has taken longer than I would like but he doesn't have a solidified military dictatorship. He has been weeding out both Military and ISI member's that are radical or radical leaning but an all out attack on the radical fundamentalists and his government would fall. This would leave the Islamics in charge of a nuclear powered nation.

There is such thing as stratergy....(delibertly misspelled)

NeverGore :^)

[Straight Vermonter]

If he follows up on this it will be one of the more significant events thus far in the WOT.

[Straight Vermonter]

The students from within Pakistan tend to be more concern with local issues like Kashmir. The outside students are far more dangerous to the west as they go back to their home countries and wait to strike.

[Saberwielder]

I'm afraid you may have bad memory, at least when it comes to Musharraf's 200 previous "crackdowns" all of which turned out to be catch and release programs with a few beards put on show for Western journalists with an Al Qaeda #3 added for style points.

The way things are going ,it may take a few more attacks traced back to Pakistan before the whole world applies pressure on Pakistanis at the same time. Until then we are going to see this dance in the name of crackdown.