Pakistani religious leader: NGOs working Zionist agenda

JOHN MOORE/AFP A couple of years ago, the charity Médecins sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) pulled its workers out of Afghanistan. The unsolved murder of several staff members was the ostensible trigger for the withdrawal, but MSF made clear that it was uneasy about the blurred lines between humanitarian and military operations in the country ...

By , a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies.
604254_taliban_NWFP_05.jpg
604254_taliban_NWFP_05.jpg

JOHN MOORE/AFP

JOHN MOORE/AFP

A couple of years ago, the charity Médecins sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) pulled its workers out of Afghanistan. The unsolved murder of several staff members was the ostensible trigger for the withdrawal, but MSF made clear that it was uneasy about the blurred lines between humanitarian and military operations in the country (something I wrote about during a reporting trip to Afghanistan.) I’ve always been skeptical of the claim that NGOs can somehow preserve their neutrality in what is in many ways a fight about basic values. After all, working with, educating, or recognizing the equality of women is enough to make you an enemy in the eyes of many Islamic extremists. The Sunday Telegraph ran a chilling piece on Pakistan this weekend which made the point neatly. It describes the Talibanization of parts of that country:

A decree issued last week by Mufti Khalid Shah, a religious leader, said: “All these NGOs are working on the agenda of Zionists; it is a duty of every Muslim to destroy their offices, attack their vehicles and to kill its members.”

I don’t know exactly what “neutrality” in this kind of environment would mean, but I’m pretty sure we don’t want any part of it.

David Bosco is a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. He is the author of The Poseidon Project: The Struggle to Govern the World’s Oceans. Twitter: @multilateralist

Read More On Central Asia | Pakistan

More from Foreign Policy

The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.
The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.

America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose

Global war is neither a theoretical contingency nor the fever dream of hawks and militarists.

A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.
A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.

The West’s Incoherent Critique of Israel’s Gaza Strategy

The reality of fighting Hamas in Gaza makes this war terrible one way or another.

Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.
Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.

Biden Owns the Israel-Palestine Conflict Now

In tying Washington to Israel’s war in Gaza, the U.S. president now shares responsibility for the broader conflict’s fate.

U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.
U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.

Taiwan’s Room to Maneuver Shrinks as Biden and Xi Meet

As the latest crisis in the straits wraps up, Taipei is on the back foot.