Amir Hamza (Lashkar-e-Taiba)

Amir Hamza
Born	(1959-05-10) 10 May 1959 (age 65) Sheikhupura, Punjab, Pakistan
Nationality	Pakistani
Other names	Maulana Ameer Hamza
Occupation	Islamic fundamendalist
Known for	Co-founding Lashkar-e-Taiba

Amir Hamza (born 10 May 1959) is the nom de guerre of a veteran of the Afghan mujahideen and one of the founders of the Islamic militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba.^[1][2] Described as "a fiery speaker and a prolific writer," he is also considered to be "the top LeT ideologue."^[3]

The United States Treasury classifies Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) as a terrorist group. They have specifically listed Amir Hamza as a terrorist who they argue should be the target of international sanctions. LeT infiltrates fighters into the portion of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir.^[1] Hamza is believed to sit on its Central Committee. He is said to have negotiated for the release of other leaders, and to have led LeT's campaigns for charitable donations, and to have been the founding editor of LeT's official publication.^[4]

In 2002 Hamza published Qafila Da'wat aur Shahadat (Caravan of Proselytizing and Martydom).^[5]

Books

The head of LeT's publications division and the editor of many of its periodicals (like the monthly magazine Mujallah ad-Dawah), he's the author of the following books, among others:^[6][7]

• Toor-e-Khan Se Koh-e-Qaaf Tak—Roos Ke Taaqub Mein (From Torkhum to the Caucasus—Hotly Pursuing Russia)
• Shahrah-e-Bahisht (The Road to Paradise)
• Afghanistan Ki Chuttiyo Par—Qafla Dawat o Jihad (On the Mountain Tops of Afghanistan—The Caravans of Call and Jihad).
• Mainey Bible Se Pucha Qur’an Kyun Jaley ? (I Asked the Bible Why the Qurans were Set Alight)
• Hindu Ka Hamdard (Hindu's Well Wisher)
• Kashmiri Aurat Aur Amrika (Kashmiri Woman and America)
• Khomeini Aur Kamal Ataturk Kay Iran Aur Turkey Mein Main Ney Kiya Dekha (What Did I See in Khomeini and Kemal Atatürk's Iran and Turkey?)
• Mazhabi Wa Siyasi Bavay (Religious and Political Leaders)
• Rawayyee Meray Hazoor Kay (My Prophet's Behaviour)
• Seerat Kay Suchay Moti (Real Pearls of the Prophet's Character)

References

1. "Treasury Designates Lashkar-E Tayyiba Leadership: Actions Target Eight Individuals Responsible for Military, Communication, and Financial Operations". Washington DC: United States Treasury. 30 August 2012. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2016. As of 2011, Amir Hamza, a member of LET's central advisory committee, actively maintained LET's relationships with other groups under the direction of LET emir Hafiz Muhammad Saeed. Hamza has led an LET-associated charity and, as of 2010, was also an officer and member of an LET university trust that was led by Saeed.
2. Imtiaz, Huma (30 August 2012). "US designates eight Lashkar-e-Taiba leaders as terrorists, places sanctions". The Express Tribune. Archived from the original on 12 March 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
3. Arif Jamal, "Analyzing the Role of the Top LeT Ideologue: A Profile of Amir Hamza" in Militant Leadership Monitor, Volume III, Issue 6 (June 2012), p. 6
4. Kamran Khan; Kenneth J. Cooper (7 March 1999). "Muslim Militants Threaten American Lives". Washington Post Foreign Service. Karachi. p. A21. Archived from the original on 13 September 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2019. 'We received donations from certain Arab individuals, but they don't want their names to be announced,' said Amir Hamza, editor of the group's monthly publication. 'The brutal bombings don't kill the spirit of these great people.'
5. Humeira Iqtidar (2011). "Secularizing Islamists". University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226384689. Archived from the original on 30 January 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
6. Christine Fair, In Their Own Words: Understanding Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Oxford University Press, 2018, p. 93
7. Samina Yasmin, Jihad and Dawah: Evolving Narratives of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jamat Ud Dawah, Oxford University Press (2017), pp. 270-271