Tashbih Sayyed (1941–2007) was a Pakistani-American scholar, journalist, and author and was the editor-in-chief of '' Our Times'', '' Pakistan Today'', and '' In Review''. Sayyed worked from 1967 to 1980 for the Pakistan Television Corporation. In 1981, he emigrated to the United States. As a regular columnist for newspapers in the US, Pakistan, Germany and

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, Sayyed wrote about what he perceived as the Islamist threat to the US. In 2004 he was one of the founders of the Center for Islamic Pluralism. He was also founder of the websites ''Muslim World Today'' and ''Pakistan Today'' (not the Pakistani newspaper of the same name). Sayyed is featured in the documentaries, '' Relentless: The Struggle for Peace in Israel'' and '' Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West''.

Life and career

Tashbih Sayyed was born in

in 1941 to a Shiite Muslim family. Following the partition of India and the creation of

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

in 1947, his family left for Pakistan. He started his career in journalism at Pakistan Television in 1967, ultimately becoming the controller and general manager of the station. During his last years at Pakistan Television, Sayyed became the founder of the station's current affairs programming. As a result of his liberal views, however, he came under attack by the Zia ul-Haq regime. He left his position at the station in 1980 and immigrated to the U.S. in 1981. After moving to the United States, he worked as a translator and writer for several years. In later years, Sayyed founded two California-based weekly newspapers, ''Pakistan Today'' (1991) and ''Muslim World Today''. He is the author of eight books, including ''History of the World'', ''Left of the Center'', ''Pakistan – An Unfinished Agenda'', ''Mohammad – A Secularist's View'', ''Foreign Policy of Pakistan'' and ''Shadow Warriors – Afghanistan, Pakistan, Taliban''. He appeared in the documentary ''Relentless: The Struggle for Peace in Israel'' (2003) and in ''Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West'' (2005). He was the founder and president of the Council for Democracy and Tolerance in the United States, an organization established to promote pluralism and respect for democratic values in society. He also served as editor of '' South Asia in Review'', a quarterly journal, and was an adjunct fellow of the

Hudson Institute Hudson Institute is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1961 in Croton-on-Hudson, New York, by futurist Herman Kahn and his colleagues at the RAND Corporation. Kahn ...

in Washington, D.C.. He was a speaker for Benador Associates.

Death

After Sayeed's death in 2007, his daughter Supna succeeded him as editor-in-chief of ''Muslim World Today'' and ''Pakistan Today''.

Views on the Islamist movement

Sayyed criticized Palestinian extremism, saying that "Terrorists not only benefit from wide support through Palestinian society, they embody only too well the deepest hopes of the majority: to destroy the Jewish state". He criticized Arab nations of making the children and grandchildren of Palestinian refugees second-class citizens in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, or the Gulf States, and said that the refugees "cling to the illusion that defeating the Jews will restore their dignity". He said that Arab dictators, the

PLO The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ) is a Palestinian nationalist coalition that is internationally recognized as the official representative of the Palestinian people in both the occupied Palestinian territories and the diaspora. ...

and radical Islamist movements have used the media, mosques and universities to present Jews as unholy intruders, occupiers, murderers, and enemies of Islam. "To create a

Palestinian state Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, collectively known as th ...

before this mindset is changed can only ensure that the new state will be yet another terrorist sponsor.", he argued. He continued by saying that Palestinian "terrorist movements" have successfully connected the Arab-Israeli conflict with the militant Islamists' goal of establishing a global

caliphate A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

Views on Israel

Sayyed regarded Israel highly, and said that Israel is vital for the stability of the region. In an article published in ''Muslim World Today'', describing his visit to Israel, has said that Arabs are protected by Israel's democratic principles, the Muslim Arab citizens of Israel are afforded all the rights and privileges of Israeli citizenship. He noted that Israel is one of the few countries in the Middle East where Arab women can vote. In contrast to the non-Israeli Arab world, Arab women in Israel enjoy the same status as men. Muslim women have the right to vote and to be elected to public office. Muslim women, according to Sayyed, are in fact more liberated in Israel than in any Muslim country. Israeli law prohibits polygamy, child marriage, and the "barbarity" of female sexual mutilation. He concluded by saying "I am convinced that it is true that God created this earth but it is also a fact that only an Israel can keep this earth from dying". He condemned the press that portrays the Israelis as villains, and "chooses to ignore all rules of ethical journalism when it comes to Israel". Sayyed was strongly affiliated with

Zionism Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...

and openly promoted himself as a Muslim Zionist. His close friend was the eminent Israeli journalist Ari Busse. Busse's strong pro-Zionist views were reflected in Sayyed's writings. Busse now runs ''Muslim World Today'' and ''Paktoday.com''.

Bibliography

*''History of the World'' *''Left of the Center'' *''Pakistan – An Unfinished Agenda'' *''Mohammad – A secularist's View'' *''Foreign Policy of Pakistan'' *''Shadow Warriors – Afghanistan, Pakistan, Taliban''
Stop Ahmadinejad Before It's Too Late
, '' Global Politician'', 5 November 2007

References