Faisal Malik Akram took four people as hostages at the Texas synagogue, which was finally termed as an act of terror by Joe Biden. In light of this incident, a counterterrorism expert affiliated with the American Enterprise Institute said Pakistan has once again emerged as a terror-sponsoring country, which poses serious threat to national security of the foreign nations, including the United States.
According to Indian newspaper the Hindustan Times, Faisal Malik Akram was a member of Tablighi Jamaat and had travelled abroad for activities related to the organization.
Akram’s father is a well-known member of the Muslim community in London. His family has political links through Malik Irfan, a Councillor linked to the British Labor Party.
According to media reports, Akram had previously served as the head of the Rondell street Islamic Centre in London, also known as Reza Masjid [Reza Mosque]. The mosque mainly attracts Muslims of Pakistani origin. He also prayed at the Eldorado Mosque, where largely the congregation is Gujarati Muslims.
A vocal supporter of radical Islam, sharia and jihad, Akram has also participated in demonstrations supporting pro-Palestine agenda and Guantanamo Bay prisoner rallies. He has been a diehard supporter of Palestinian Arab terrorist activities as well as notorious activities of Hamas.
Members of his family as well as the Pakistani Muslim community in Britain are actively participating in anti-Semite propaganda and Jew hatred. Members of the Pakistani Muslim community as well as Tablighi Jamaat portray Israel as an “evil nation” while they also brand Jews and Zionists as “apes, pigs” and “enemies of Allah”.
According to media reports, Faisal Malik Akram sought the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist and also known as ‘Lady Al Qaeda’ serving a more than 80-years sentence in the United States. The conviction of Siddiqui in 2010 had sparked outrage in Pakistan. Later, the Pakistani Senate had passed a resolution in 2018, calling her “Daughter of the Nation” and urged the government to take “concrete steps” for her repatriation.
While the news of Siddiqui's arrest passed with little notice in the US, her conviction led to widespread demonstrations in Pakistan and to demands that Pakistani authorities suspend the delivery of supplies for the war effort in Afghanistan.
“Siddiqui isn't well known in the US, but in Pakistan, she's a big name - many views her as an innocent victim. Also, at a point, Islamic State (ISIS) had demanded that she be released in exchange for ISIS captives”, Michael Kugelman, the deputy director of the Asia program at Washington's Wilson Center, wrote on Twitter.
Following the latest incident of Faisal Malik Akram and his connections with Tablighi Jamaat, counterterrorism experts are raising the demand for an immediate ban on the activities of this dangerous jihadist vessel. They also are calling upon the Indian authorities to immediately impose ban on activities of Tablighi Jamaat and evict the so-called headquarters of this dangerous group from New Delhi, India.
Faisal Malik Akram was not a lone wolf terrorist. He was one of the wolves in a pack that wants to destroy the West.
Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is an anti-Jihadist journalist, columnist, author & peace activist, Editor & Publisher of the Weekly Blitz www.weeklyblitz.net. He was awarded the PEN USA Freedom to Write Award 2005; AJC Moral Courage Award 2006, Key to the Englewood City, NJ, USA [Highest Honor] 2007; Monaco Media Award, 2007.Follow him on Twitter @salah_shoaib