Amir Hamza (Lashkar-e-Taiba)

Amir Hamza
Personal details
Born	(1959-05-10) 10 May 1959 (age 66) Sheikhupura, Punjab, Pakistan
Political party	Milli Muslim League
Occupation	Theologist, alim and author [1] [2]
Known for	Founding member of Lashkar-e-Taiba
Military service
Allegiance	Lashkar-e-Taiba [3] Afghan mujahideen (1979–1992)
Battles/wars	Soviet-Afghan war Kashmir conflict Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir

Amir Hamza (born 10 May 1959) is a founding leader of the Islamist, Salaji jihadist militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba based in Pakistan.He is regarded as its second most important leader, after Hafiz Saeed. ^{[4] [5] [6]} Hamza was designated as a terrorist by the United States Treasury. ^[4]

Described as "a fiery speaker and a prolific writer," he is also considered to be "the top LeT ideologue." ^[6] 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 Majallah al-Daawa. ^{[7] [8]}

In 2002 Hamza published Qafila Da'wat aur Shahadat (Caravan of Proselytizing and Martydom). ^[9]

In 2018, Hamza formed the Jaish-e-Manqafa as a fund-raising front for the LeT, due to a ban on the Jamat-ud-Dawa and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (other LeT fronts) by the Pakistani government, and continues to openly solicit for funds under that name in Pakistan. ^[10]

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: ^{[11] [12]}

• 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)
  • Fair, C. Christine, and Safina Ustaad, "Highway to Heaven by Amir Hamza", The Literature of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba: Deadly Lines of Control (translation, Oxford University Press, 2023)
• 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. Christine Fair, In Their Own Words: Understanding Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Oxford University Press, 2018, p. 93
2. Samina Yasmin, Jihad and Dawah: Evolving Narratives of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jamat Ud Dawah, Oxford University Press (2017), pp. 270-271
3. "Lashkar-e-Taiba Splits Over Fund Crunch, Maulana Amir Hamza Forms New Group Jaish-e-Manqafa" . Retrieved 12 March 2018.
4. "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.
5. 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.
6. 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
7. 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.'
8. Yasmin, Samina (2017), Jihad and Dawah: Evolving Narratives of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jamat Ud Dawah, London: Hurst, pp. 51–52, ISBN   9781849047104
9. Humeira Iqtidar (2011). "Secularizing Islamists". University of Chicago Press. ISBN   9780226384689. Archived from the original on 30 January 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
10. "Lashkar-e-Taiba Splits Over Fund Crunch, Maulana Amir Hamza Forms New Group Jaish-e-Manqafa". India.com .
11. Christine Fair, In Their Own Words: Understanding Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Oxford University Press, 2018, p. 93
12. Samina Yasmin, Jihad and Dawah: Evolving Narratives of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jamat Ud Dawah, Oxford University Press (2017), pp. 270-271