A Tribute to Tashbih Sayyed (1941-2007)
24 May, 2007
I am shocked and saddened to learn the tragic news of Tashbih Sayyed’s passing away in Jihad Watch:
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With great sorrow I must inform you that Tashbih Sayyed, a
courageous foe of the global jihad, has passed After a long career at Pakistan Television, Tashbih's differences with the Zia ul-Haq regime in Pakistan (which gave the Islamization of Pakistan its first great boost) led him to come to the United States, where he founded two newspapers, Pakistan Today and Muslim World Today, and wrote eight books, including Mohammad – A Secularist's View. He appeared in documentaries including Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West. He was the President and founder of The Council for Democracy and Tolerance, an adjunct fellow of the Hudson Institute, and a member of the Jihad Watch Board. Tashbih was insightful, humorous, and above all, fearless in his opposition to the jihad ideology of Islamic supremacism. Despite numerous threats and a relentless barrage of insults and personal attacks, he kept on trying to awaken the world to the magnitude of the threat we face, never trimming his truth-telling to fit current fashion. He was a dear friend, and he will be greatly missed. May his memory be eternal. |
away.I had the fortunate opportunity to meet up with this great fighter against Jihad when I attended the Secular Islam Summit in St Petersburg, Florid last March. A humanist in his core and still recognizing himself as a Muslim, he was a delight to watch when he spoke in forceful – indeed angry voice – despite having a rather coy and quiet nature. When I chatted with him, I requested him to have a look at my on-going book for his comment. He was very forthcoming to encourage me to complete the book and send it to him. As I rush to make the final draft of my book, in a couple of months, he will not be there to read, sadly for me.
I would however remember him as a great soldier of peace and harmony in the world. At this sad moment, my thoughts are with his family and friends. I hope they will cope easily with this tragic loss.
Editors note:
We are truly saddened by the loss of one of our great comrade and prominent contributors to our site. His invaluable contribution has greatly enriched islam-watch.org. We vow to keep Dr Sayyed's undying spirit of fighting the Jihadists alive through islam-watch.
MA Khan
Editor, islam-watch.org