BOB WOOLMER & TABLIGHI JAMAAT -INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM MONITOR: PAPER NO.210 By B.Raman Paper no. 2184
27.03.2007 http://saag.org/%5Cpapers22%5Cpaper2184.html (To be read in continuation of my article of September 15,1999, titled "DAGESTAN: FOCUS ON PAKISTAN'S TABLIGHI JAMAAT" available at http://www.saag.org/papers/paper80.html) Did Pakistani cricket coach Bob Woolmer's criticism of the growing influence of the Tablighi Jamaat (TJ) of Pakistan, a jihadi organisation, on many players of the Pakistani cricket team contribute to his brutal murder after Pakistan lost to Ireland in the current World Cup Cricket Tournament in the West Indies? 2. Coinciding with the inauguration of the tournament, Amir Mir, the well-known Pakistani columnist, had written a disturbing article on the growing influence of the TJ on many members of the Pakistani cricket team and its negative impact on the performance of the team in recent years. His article did not receive the attention it deserved. The text of it is available in the "Post" of March 16,2007. Its salient points are as under: . Pakistani cricketeers have never pursued their religious beliefs as devoutly as they do nowadays. This religiousity has come about because a clutch of players---Inzimam (the captain), Mushtaq Ahmed (the bowling coach), Mohammad Yousaf, Saqlain Mushtaq, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, and Yasser Hameed--- have become members of the TJ. They participate in public gatherings organised by the TJ to preach Islam and stress the virtue of an authentic Islamic lifestyle. . The TJ has invaded the dressing room of the Pakistani cricket team. They (the clerics of the TJ) can be seen praying with the players and reciting the Holy Koran for the team's success. As TJ membership makes it obligatory for a member to preach, most of the TJ cricketeers---especially Inzimam---often undertake preaching tours across Pakistan . Inzimam's penchant to mix religion with cricket has already sparked accusations that he favours TJ players over those considered secular. The non-TJ group in the team is led by Vice-Captain Younas Khan and includes Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif, Danish Kaneria, Imran Nazir and Abdul Razzaq. . Though Inzimam is said to detest Shoaib for his indisciplined ways, some in the team feel the real reason is because Shoaib drinks Scotch and likes the night clubs. . During the Pakistan team's tours abroad, one room in the hotel in which the players stay is declared a prayer room where the TJ players would pray and discuss religious issues.Naeem Butt, a former TV personality, is now an active member of the TJ. He usually accompanies the team on its tours abroad and stays in the same hotel at his own expense. He would organise interactive sessions between the TJ players and office-bearers of the TJ branch in the host country. . The conspicuous Islamisation of the Pakistani cricket team recently prompted Gen. Pervez Musharraf to advise the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board , Dr.Naseem Ashraf, to ask the players to strike a balance between religion and cricket.Ashraf told Inzimam not to exercise pressure on non-TJ players to pray. Inzimam denied doing so. . Among the Islamists active in the Pakistani cricketing world is Maulana Tariq Jameel, who, like Inzimam is a Multani. He is also a close associate of Maulana Abdul Wahab, the Amir of the Pakistani branch of the TJ.Maulana Jameel began to target the Pakistani cricket team after he had succeeded in persuading batsman Saeed Anwar to join the TJ. Inzimam was converted next. Thereafter, religion became a badge the Pakistani cricketeers were willing to wear publicly. . Bob Woolmer recently admitted that religiously has helped foster unity among the players, but added: " There is the odd problem. You have to train the players with less intensity during Ramadan or do it at a time of the day when they have more strength." 3. Other sources, however, say that Woolmer attributed the decline in the performance of the Pakistani cricket team in recent years to the growing influence of the TJ on some of the players, including the Captain, and their consequent indifference to training.They believed that they could win by praying. When the TJ preachers were there in the hotel during tours,Inzimam and other TJ players used to ignore Woolmer and did not heed his instructions. He reportedly felt that their loyalty was more to the TJ preachers than to him. It is said that this often became a contentious issue between Inzimam and the coach. 4. These sources also say that Inzimam, who is otherwise a likable and mild-mannered person, used to turn mad with fury when anybody criticised Islam or the TJ. 5. Former Pakistan Cricket Board chief Shahryar Khan has been quoted as telling Sportsweek on BBC Radio Five Live after the murder of Woolmer as follows: ""Bob told me about six months ago that he was very frustrated because the team was always at prayer at lunchtime, tea and after play.He was not able to get through to them on cricketing issues. He felt frustrated about that and asked me what to do. "I said 'Please Bob, you're an outsider and foreigner so do not interfere with anything religiously-inclined because it will be counter-productive'. Three months later Bob came to see me and said my advice was invaluable because he found that the players praying together led to better team spirit. In the final analysis Bob was supportive of the fact that the team bonded on religious and cricketing lines as a basis for the team's performance. Bob did not interfere with religion and he respected the fact they wanted to play together. But he was worried that it would affect his ability to interact with the team. The training schedules were not really interfered with by the prayers which only took about four or five minutes. It was the fact he could not get through to the team at intervals in matches. Eventually he learned to live with it because it led to unity."Shahryar also revealed Woolmer never had full control of the national side with skipper Inzimam-ul-Haq "the unquestioned leader". "There was always a question mark regarding Bob taking total control of the team in every sense.There was resistance from Inzimam and perhaps successful resistance. Inzimam was the leader, the unquestioned leader of the team. They (the players) all fell into place around him and were totally supportive of Inzimam. Bob found it difficult sometimes." 6. It would be useful for the Jamaican Police to enquire whether any TJ cleric from Pakistan had accompanied the team, if so, his role, whether the TJ has a branch in the West Indies, whether its local leaders used to visit the hotel, whether Woolmer raised the issue of the negative influence of the TJ on the performance of the players against Ireland and whether it led to any quarrel with Inzimam and other members of the TJ group in the team. The TJ group in the team should be an important focus of the investigation. FAIR USE NOTICE: All original content and/or articles and graphics in this message are copyrighted, unless specifically noted otherwise. All rights to these copyrighted items are reserved. Articles and graphics have been placed within for educational and discussion purposes only, in compliance with "Fair Use" criteria established in Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976. The principle of "Fair Use" was established as law by Section 107 of The Copyright Act of 1976. 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