On Facebook, Pakistan Cyber Force Promotes Hate And Jihad

Introduction

Pakistan Cyber Force (PCF), a Pakistani nationalist group active on social networking sites, is using its Facebook page to promote antisemitism and hatred of Israel, the U.S., and India.[1] In numerous posts, it describes America as the "United States of Zionism," or USZ, and promotes a jihadi viewpoint.

The PCF Facebook page was first launched in September 2009, but was subsequently removed for some time, presumably for advocating hatred of Jews and the U.S. Once back on line, beginning November 9, 2012, it began republishing its earlier posts. A post on that date states: "They can block our pages but they can never stop us. Nasr MinaAllah Wa Fathun Qareeb [Seek help from Allah and victory is at hand]!" As of this writing, its page has over 11,000 likes; it claims that before it was shut down, its page had over 36,000 likes.

In a blog post on Blogspot linked to a Facebook post, also dated November 9, the PCF blamed "Zionists" for its removal from Facebook, stating: "Pakistan Cyber Force censored again by Zionists." The blog post added: "This is not the first time that Pakistan Cyber Force has been censored. Previously, [a] few of our articles were deleted by Google...."[2]

An April 4, 2011 article in The Tribune Express, a leading Pakistani newspaper, pointed out PCF's involvement in "cyber combat activities."[3]

Like most right-wing groups in Pakistan, the PCF blames the U.S., Israel, and India for all major problems faced by Pakistan today, and justifies Hitler's killing of Jews. A November 15 post states: "The way Zionists have occupied Palestine and are committing genocide of Muslims through terrorism, one can understand by watching them as to why Hitler had them killed. The world would not have seen this day if Hitler had not spared the Zionists."

On its Facebook page, the PCF also draws on anti-U.S. and anti-Israel statements by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to advance its antisemitism campaign.

The organization does not differentiate among Jews, Zionism, Israel, the U.S., or and India, all of which it sees as threats to Pakistan and to the cause of Islamist forces. As far as it is concerned, even the U.S. troops fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan are Zionists.

In Facebook Post, PCF Quotes Pakistani Author Qudratullah Shahab: "If At Any Time Any Fatwa For Jihad Is Issued... Pakistan's Armed Forces And Barehanded Population Will March Towards Israel... Craving Jihad"

On November 25, 2012, the PCF posted on Facebook a page from Shahab Nama, the autobiography of Pakistani writer Qudratullah Shahab, commenting "Every Zionist in the East and the West, and within Pakistan, is hell-bent on attacking and weakening the Pakistan Army." According to the post, some Pakistani nationals are working against Pakistan's national interests, and they are therefore Zionists. The post added that Qudratullah Shahab, a civil servant, wrote that Pakistanis would not hesitate to march towards Israel if a fatwa for jihad against Israel was issued.

According to the post, Qudratullah Shahab had warned: "America's real and basic loyalty is with Israel. And it is also known to all that if at any time any fatwa for jihad is issued in the name of Islam, then Pakistan's armed forces and barehanded population will march towards Israel, without waiting for anyone's order, craving jihad."

In numerous posts on its Facebook page, the PCF paints extremely negative images of the U.S., India, and Israel. It also portrays Zionism as a threat to the cause of Islam and Pakistan.

On November 24, it posted an image (see above) of someone wearing a tee shirt with the following text: "The world stopped Nazism; the world stopped apartheid; the world must stop Zionism." In most of its posts, it writes Israel "Isra-hell."

A December 28 post defines Israel (see below) as follows: "Is-ra-el: noun: Rogue state created by ethnic cleansing; specializes in state terrorism and humanitarian crimes; sponsored by the United States." The post goes on to quote from leftist American intellectual Noam Chomsky and the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy to support its case against the existence of Israel.

In a November 25 post, the PCF accuses Israel of genocide against the Palestinians, quoting Sheikh Khalid Yasin, executive director of the Islamic Teaching Institute, as saying: "Never forget! Palestinians have no army, no navy, [and] no air force. Israel does not even allow Palestine to obtain foreign aid (medicine/clothing, etc). In contrast, America has given Israel weapons of mass destruction... Israel has already used its chemical weapons on Palestinians. This is not a war, this is genocide." The post also calls the U.S. the greatest terrorist.

A December 21 post shows two images of U.S. President Barack Obama captioned "The descendant of Antichrist rules America today." On the first image is written, "We don't negotiate with terrorists," while on the second is written, "because we are terrorists."

Another post includes an image of President Obama with an antisemitic mark on his face.

Driven by zeal for Islamic revivalism, the PCF sees the dismantling of America as essential to the advance of Islam. A November 15 post presents a collage of images (see below) showing a U.S. map, a torn U.S. flag, a U.S. soldier at a crossroads, fire, and a wrecked overturned jeep with Islamic logo of Zarbul Hadeed ("Strike of the Iron") on it, along with swords and the Koran. A caption in Urdu reads: "The dreamer of breaking up Pakistan [i.e. America] – 20 American states begin demand for secession." It continues, "We won the war yesterday, the war is continuing today also; we broke Russia yesterday, and now it is the turn of the U.S." Along with the image, the PCF also sent via Twitter: "Previously it was USSR, now it will be United States of Zionism. #RiseOfIslam #FallOfZionism."

PCF In Facebook Post On Pakistan's Anti-Polio Vaccination Campaign As Zionist Agenda: "We Exposed The Zionist Eugenics Agenda Of Mass Vaccination And Deliberate Injection Of Deadly Diseases"

While the PCF considers the Afghan Taliban to be working in defense of Pakistan by launching attacks against the U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, it sees the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants fighting against the Pakistan Army as anti-national and considers their jihad is unjustified. On December 9, the group posted on its Facebook page an image of a U.S. tank attacked by the Afghan Taliban, commenting: "The U.S. tank has been set ablaze by the Afghan mujahideen, and all six Zionist soldiers have been killed, and the rest have fled."

Another November 15 post showed an image of a cracked road with the caption: "The dent resulting from an [IED] attack by Afghan mujahideen... on the other side are the dogs of the TTP [i.e. the Pakistani Taliban] who have no time left after blowing up mosques and schools and killing children." It adds that the TTP are "USZ/India-backed terrorists."

A November 22 post called the Afghan Taliban militants the "real mujahid" and accused the TTP militants of working as agents of the CIA and RAW, the Indian intelligence agency.

A November 25 post cites an Urdu daily report stating that five Pakistani children had died from vaccination, to support the group's warning to Pakistanis about the Zionist agenda in Pakistan's anti-polio vaccination program. The post reads: "The Pakistan Cyber Force was mocked and ridiculed when we exposed the Zionist Eugenics agenda of mass vaccination and deliberate injection of deadly diseases in the most innocent – the New Born Babies. Now even the worst critics have been silenced!"

Urging Pakistanis to boycott products of various companies, the group claims that the companies are owned by Jews, or support Israel, and that the money paid to them by Muslims is used to make bombs for use against Muslims. In a November 19 post, it asked people to boycott Lays potato chips, calling them "another Zionist-backed product." One post features an ad for Coca Cola, adapted to criticize the family pictured in it for enjoying a Coke; the altered caption captions states: "We are very happy today because we have supported Israel in their attempts to martyr Palestinians by buying Coca Cola."

The PCF accuses Pakistani television channels of advancing the so-called Zionist agenda in Pakistan. In several posts, it terms Pakistan's immensely popular GEO TV channel the "Zionist channel," calling it "Jew TV." It blames Pakistani television channels for promoting shamelessness and nudity, accusing them of strengthening Western influences in Pakistani society.

In a November 17 post, it urges Pakistanis to "break the slavery chain of the Zionist media" in Pakistan. In one of its posts in Urdu, it said in reference to the country's electronic and print media: "We are the mules of the Jews... we will show nude dance and music... because we are from the race of Satan; our mission is to destroy Pakistan and Pakistani Army; this task has been assigned to us by our antichrist father [the U.S.]."

Depicting leading Pakistani figures such as former Ambassador to the U.S. Husain Haqqani, former parliamentarian Farahnaz Ispahani, and leading Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir as agents of Zionists, it accuses them of advancing the Western agenda in Pakistan.

In numerous posts, it portrays India as an ally of the Zionist forces, posting images accusing Indian security forces of massacring Kashmiri Muslims. Following the border clashes in Kashmir in January 2013, it posted messages of right-wing Pakistani analyst Zaid Hamid, who advocates a narrative of Ghazwa-e-Hind (Battle of India), allegedly a dream of Prophet Muhammad prophesying that the Muslim armies will rise from India to meet with the forces of Jesus in present-day Israel to establish global Islamic rule. According to a January 16 post, Hamid says: "Pakistani nation – wake up. Hindu Zionists are planning a war when we are weakest within... Let the Hindu Zionists come. We have been waiting for Ghazwa-e-Hind for centuries."

Anti-Israel, Anti-U.S., Anti-India Images On PCF Facebook Page

Clockwise from upper left: Israeli killing Palestinian Christ, President Obama the Israeli, and Jewish vampire sucking Palestinian child's blood.

PCF calls for boycotting Western companies that "support apartheid Israel" – McDonalds, Coca Cola, Nestle, Starbucks, L'Oreal, etc.

A Pakistani member of the Jinnah Force, named for Pakistan's founder M. A. Jinnah, steps on Indian flag.

This post states that Lays potato chips contain pork, which is forbidden to Muslims; pigs are considered unclean.

This post lauds Al-Qaeda terrorists in Algeria for demanding the release of Dr. Aafia Siddiqi, imprisoned in the U.S. for attempting to kill U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan, in exchange for Western prisoners.

The destruction of the U.S.. The text, in Urdu, notes: "The dreamer of breaking up Pakistan [i.e. America] – 20 American states begin demand for secession."

The Amn Ki Asha peace initiative launched jointly by Pakistani and Indian media, as a betrayal of Pakistan.

* Dr. Mirza A. B. Baig is a Senior Analyst at MEMRI's South Asia Studies Project (www.memri.org/sasp)