Karachi Kids

Legislation Introduced!Posted by Evan on July 14th, 2008

Joined by a number of members of Congress, Rep. Michael McCaul has introduced legislation demanding for a full accounting of American children in radical Islamic madrassas in Pakistan.

Here is the text of the new legislation:

110th CONGRESS 

2d SessionH. RES. 1336

Encouraging the United States Secretary of State to work with the Government of Pakistan to secure the return to the United States of all American children being educated in madrassas in Pakistan.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

July 10, 2008

Mr. MCCAUL of Texas (for himself, Mr. GALLEGLY, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. CANTOR, and Mr. SHUSTER) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

Encouraging the United States Secretary of State to work with the Government of Pakistan to secure the return to the United States of all American children being educated in madrassas in Pakistan.

Whereas numerous acts of terrorism can be linked to certain madrassas, or Islamic schools, in Pakistan, as reported by the Chicago Tribune, the Voice of America, the Heritage Foundation, and several other sources;

Whereas Afghanistan’s Taliban movement itself began among students attending radical Pakistani madrassas;

Whereas extremist madrassas begin the radicalization of children as young as five years old;

Whereas radical Pakistani madrassas have been called an `incubator for Jihad’ by Jihad Watch and Eric Ellis of the Bulletin/Newsweek;

Whereas the former Pakistani Government, recognizing the dangers of a new generation of homegrown terrorists, ordered all foreign students in madrassas to return to their homelands;

Whereas hundreds of American children have been sent to Pakistan to study in madrassas and have not returned home;

Whereas American children are being deprived of their right to an impartial formal education, including instruction in math, English, history, and other essential subjects;

Whereas American children in the radical Jamia Binoria madrassa in Karachi, Pakistan, tell of beatings and torture suffered at the hands of their instructors;

Whereas the radical Jamia Binoria madrassa allowed Osama Bin Laden to address its students on the importance of jihad just before the attacks against the United States that occurred on September 11, 2001;

Whereas the radical Jamia Binoria madrassa is, according to Asia Times, the place where Al-Qaeda and the Taliban formed their partnership;

Whereas the recent elections in Pakistan are proof of the Pakistani people’s commitment to true democratic reform;

Whereas the new, democratically elected Government of Pakistan has expressed its willingness to be a responsible and active member of the global community;

Whereas Pakistan has been a committed partner in the global war on terror; and

Whereas it is in the interest of both the Pakistani and United States Governments to continue to work together to combat radical terrorist ideology: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Secretary of State should work with the Government of Pakistan to immediately identify and return to the United States all American children currently being educated in madrassas in Pakistan.

Film Puts Attention on Radical Islamic SchoolsPosted by Evan on July 13th, 2008

The Houston Chronicle reports that the release of the Karachi Kids has “drawn the attention” of law enforcement.  The Chronicle quotes Robert Heible, a former FBI deputy director of counterterrorism as saying the “antennae of the FBI have gone up” in response to Pakistani-Americans returning from training at religious schools in Pakistan where they might be exposed to al-Qaida recruiters. “The FBI would be very interested in all of these people when they return. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the bureau do some mass interviews,” Heible said.

It also quotes Bruce Riedel, a former career intelligence officer whose assignments included responsibility for South Asia, as saying “From al-Qaida’s standpoint, Pakistanis with American nationality are very attractive targets to recruit. They would have American passports that mean when they get to Dulles International Airport (outside Washington, D.C.) or George Bush International Airport (in Houston), they just sail right through.”

An amazing story. 

Legislation IntroducedPosted by Evan on July 13th, 2008

Legislation regarding American children in radical Islamic madrassas has been inreoduced in the House of Representatives, the Houston Chronicle reports.

Rep. Mike McCaul (R-TX) dubbing Pakistan’s radical Islamic madrassas “jihadist seminaries,” proposed a resolution in Congress calling on the State Department to work with Pakistan to ‘immediately identify and return to the United States all American children currently being educated at madrassas in Pakistan.”

“These madrassas are creating a new breed of terrorist,” McCaul wrote colleagues, “American citizens or citizens of countries who have open travel policies with America that can enter our country, work in our businesses, live next door, and teach our children with no questions asked; similar to the London bombers.”

Nine of McCaul’s Republican colleagues in the House from eight states joined him in sponsoring the measure.

McCaul also asked the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Homeland Security Committee to convene hearings on the potential threat. The committee chairmen have yet to respond.

“I will continue with this investigation to see how many more Americans are over there, how many have come back and where they are now,” McCaul said.

Media Appearances: Geraldo on Sunday & Neil Boortz on MondayPosted by Evan on July 12th, 2008

Imran is scheduled to be on the Geraldo show on Fox this Sunday.

He is also scheduled to talk about what he saw behind the walls of the madrassa on Monday on the Neil Boortz radio program.

We are optimistic that CNN will take an in depth look at the film and the implications of American children being recruited to radical Islamic madrassa.

Call for Congressional Hearings Regarding American Children in Pakistani MadrassasPosted by Evan on July 11th, 2008

Recognizing that the story of the Khan brothers is just the tip of the iceberg, Rep. Michael McCaul has asked for congressional hearings to determine just how many American children are currently in madrassas in Pakistan.

In a letter to House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman and Ranking Member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, McCaul writes “I would like to address one specific issue that has come to my attention.  Madrassas in Pakistan have come under intense international scrutiny for their anti-Western sentiment and links to terrorism since 9/11, and since the London subway bombings three years ago today, July 7, 2005.  Three of the four suicide bombers who carried out the London plot were British nationals of Pakistani descent.  Two attended madrassas in Pakistan.  The Binoria madrassa is known to recruit Americans most aggressively.  It prominently displays a banner supporting the Taliban.  And it is documented that Osama bin Laden spoke to students at Binoria before the 9/11 attacks.

 While these religious schools purport to serve a purpose and educate Islamic children, great concern has grown over the increasing number of “political” madrassas.  They mass-produce extremists with a political agenda, including a narrow view of society and no tolerance of Western culture.  They radicalize Muslims and are seminaries for jihad.  As a result, President Musharref and the newly elected civilian government have both stated the need to register and reform the Madrassa’s in Pakistan, and to remove any foreign students and return them to their home countries.  Despite this pledge there has been little follow up by either the United States or Pakistani governments to address the issue.  While in Pakistan I raised the issue with President Musharref who reiterated the importance of achieving this goal. 

In the meantime we have precious little information about the status and number of Americans who are in these Madrassa’s.  I am sure we can all agree that a radically trained terrorist with an American passport is a considerable security threat to this country.  I intend to introduce a resolution on the issue which I hope you will support and cosponsor.  I would also like to request a hearing on the issue so that the House Foreign Affairs Committee can properly investigate the depth of this problem, and to find out what plans the administration has to address it.

Statement of Imran Raza Regarding Release of American Children From Pakistani MadrassaPosted by Evan on July 10th, 2008

(Atlanta, GA) - Imran Raza, the director and executive producer of the documentary “Karachi Kids” who discovered up to 80 American children in a madrassa in Pakistan released the following statement regarding the return of two American children to Atlanta:

I am grateful for the safe return of the two American children from Atlanta from a Taliban- backed madrassa but the mullah claims to have up to 78 more in his institution. The headmaster comes to the United States once a year and personally recruits American children to enroll in his madrassa.

The remaining 78 children must be returned to the United States. This pipeline to jihad must be closed.

Let me be clear - these children do not learn math, or science, or liberal arts.  They learn one thing - they memorize over the course of seven years every verse of the Koran coupled with the radical interpretation of their teachers.

This is just the first step in integrating these children back to American society.  I am proud we did our part so we could say ‘Welcome Home.”

It is imperative that Members of Congress and the State Department undertake an accounting of just how many Americans are in the other 20,000 madrassas in Pakistan.  Hundreds remain behind.

The Karachi Kids is a documentary about American children in the Jamia Binoria madrassa in Karachi Pakistan.  A trailer of the film is available at www.karachikids.com.

Two American Children Escorted from Madrassa by American Consulate in Karachi for Flight to NYCPosted by Evan on July 10th, 2008

“Karachi Kids” Documentary Spurs Action

(July 10 — Atlanta, GA) - Two American children were escorted by the American consulate officers in Karachi, Pakistan Tuesday night Pakistan time and boarded a flight to Dubai, UAE and then boarded a direct flight to NYC, Noor Elahi Khan and Mahboob Elahi Khan are expected to arrive in Atlanta on a Delta flight this afternoon at 4:30 PM.

The two brothers have been in a Pakistani madrassa for four years and are the focus of a newly released documentary entitled “The Karachi Kids”.

“I have been working for months to secure their exit from the Madrassa and from Pakistan,” said Imran Raza, writer, director and executive producer of the Karachi Kids documentary.  “This is great news, but we need to get the other American children out of there, now.  There are nearly 80 other Americans currently at this Jamia Binoria madrassa — that teaches Deobandism — the religion of the Taliban.  Our government, and the Pakistani government, has more work to do to get the other American children out of there.”

Raza discovered the two children from Atlanta while filming a documentary about madrassas.  He returned to the madrassa three times in four years to film their transformation in the hands of the radical mullahs. Children in the documentary film “The Karachi Kids” describe beatings and human rights violations for those who reject the radical teachings of their Taliban masters.  Children from California and Georgia are interviewed in the film from inside the madrassa and discuss coming back to the United States to spread extremism within our borders.

The trailer of the documentary can be seen at www.KarachiKids.com.

The headmaster of the Binoria madrassa personally recruits American children to his institution during Ramadan, and says on camera that: “We work on altering the mindset of the students we are training, so when they return to their home countries, their mindset is such that they will work on altering the minds of others.  That is why I’m appealing to you that at least 1000 to 2000 boys come to us so we can train them and they will go back to their home countries and do the work and make people understand.”  The headmaster of the Binoria madrassa also states that he has already graduated 100 American children from his madrassa.

100 Madrassa Graduates in USA?Posted by Evan on July 9th, 2008

The Daily Times in Pakistan reports US Vice Counsul General Karen Waltz-Davis visited the radical Binoria madrassa where up to 80 Americans currently study the Koran.  The most interesting point of the article is that Davis “appreciated that 100 students from the university are working in America.”

Madrassas Protest ReformPosted by Evan on July 6th, 2008

The Pakistan government’s effort to reform radical madrassas have been met by a storm of protest from . . . radical madrassas.  The PTI is reporting that thousands of madrassa students and mullahs gathered in Islamabad in a protest organized by extremist groups:

“They assembled on a street near the mosque for a conference organised by hardline religious groups. TV channels reported that leaders of banned extremist groups like Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan and Jaish-e-Mohammed also attended the event.

Several clerics made hard hitting speeches criticising the arrest of former Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz as well as the government’s plans for reforming madrassas. The seminary students chanted slogans like “Allah-o-Akbar” (God is great).

Clerics said the conference was organised to pay respect to those who died when the army stormed the mosque in the heart of Islamabad after a siege in July last year. Participants demanded the release of Abdul Aziz, the reopening of Jamia Faridia madrassa and rebuilding of Jamia Hafsa madrassa in line with an order issued by the Supreme Court.

Both the madrassas are affiliated to Lal Masjid. Jamia Faridia was closed after the military operation while Jamia Hafsa was razed. Abdul Aziz was arrested at the conclusion of the operation while his brother Abdul Rashid Ghazi was shot dead. Over 100 people were killed in the operation.”

Interior Ministry Memo Reveals Americans in Karachi Kids Documentary are “Blacklisted” by PakistanPosted by Evan on June 29th, 2008

The International Herald Tribune reported June 28 that Pakistan will deport 8 foreign students studying in the Jamia Binuria madrassa.

Two of the students who are to be deported are Americans and are the focus of the Karachi Kids documentary, which films their transformation from American teenagers fighting to leave the Jamia Binuria madrassa, into students who have willingly converted to fundamentalist doctrine taught at the Jamia Binuria.

This document reveals the two Americans, Noor Elahi Khan and Mahboob Elahi Khan, have been blacklisted by the government of Pakistan, and can never legally return to the country.

Pakistan is to be commended for its courage to expell these students, as well as the six others studying at the Jamia Binuria madrassa.

The estimated 500 foreign students at all the Pakistani Madrassa should also be expelled and deported from Pakistan — including the 75 to 80 American children at the Jamia Binuria madrassa.

Noor and Mahboob under go a process of indoctrination, captured on film by the Karachi Kids documentary.

It is soul wrenching and saddening to watch.

Karachi Kids shows why it is essential that the two key elements of Pakistan law be upheld and enforced that can be used to deport these foreign students.  First, that all foreign students who have overstayed their visa be forced return to their native country, and secondly, that the edict against foreigners studying in Pakistani madrassas be enforced.

This document may be the start of that process — one which will make the world a much safer place.