MLM: "A Profile of Lashkar-e-Taiba’s RevanchIst Ideologue: Abdul Rahman Makki"

Known for his Saudi Salafist links, idolization of Osama bin Laden and for keeping close liaisons with Mullah Omar and other Taliban leaders in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, Abdur Rahman Makki is one of the founding members of Markaz Dawa-wal-Irshad (MDI). MDI is the parent body of Pakistan based terrorist-linked charity Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD) and its militant wing, the deadly

Lashkar-e-Taiba. [1] A former Saudi University teacher and an acknowledged revanchist, Makki is notorious for his incendiary anti-U.S. and anti-India speeches and his overt justifications of fidayeen (suicide) missions. [2]

In mid-December 2008, Pakistani agencies sealed the Qudasia Mosque, the headquarters of JuD in Chauburji Square and nearly 18 offices throughout Punjab province. Some 25 members of the organization, including Abdul Rahman Makki, were detained briefly. Under its Rewards for Justice Program, the United States has offered a $2 million reward for any information on Makki’s whereabouts that will lead to his arrest or ultimate conviction. The program also announced a reward of $10 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of JuD’s chief Hafiz Saeed. In early November 2010, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Hafiz Abdul Rahman Makki and other Pakistan Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad leaders. He was listed as a Specially Designated National under Executive Order 13224. The United Nations has also pressured Pakistan to crack down on and detain JuD/LeT leaders, particularly those who had involvement in the Mumbai bombings.

After September 11th

In the post-9/11 period, Makki spearheaded the anti-U.S. campaign in Pakistan under the banner of the umbrella group Pakistan-Afghanistan Defense Council (PADC),

immediately following the start of the U.S.-led War on Terror. The PADC, previously the Afghanistan Defense Council, met in Lahore in November 2011 under the leadership of Makki to discuss their response to the U.S. campaign. The PADC declared that Pakistan “could be saved only through jihad and not by toeing the line of the United States, which was planning to take over Pakistan colluding with India and the Northern Alliance [Afghanistan].” Makki has claimed that the United States and its allies have been “frightened by the Jihadi spirit of the Afghans and were bent upon eliminating the symbol of Jihad throughout the Islamic world.” There were also reports that Makki had established a proxy group, Jamia al-Dirasat al-Islamia trust, solely channelling funds. It is a co-educational academic institution in Karachi, largely used for hosting events of the Defense of Pakistan Council (DPC) and JuD (Economic Times, February 5, 2010; The Express Tribune [Karachi], June 22, 2011).

For Complete Profile, See "A  Profile of Lashkar-e-Taiba’s RevanchIst Ideologue: Abdul  Rahman Makki",  Militant Leadership Monitor (Jamestwon Foundation), Vol 3, Issue 5, MAY, 2012.