Quake aid gives radical Islam a stage

The long-bearded doctor won't reveal his name or where he's from, but he's certain his camp has the best medical facilities in town.

His organization, Jamat-ud-Dawa (The Society of the Call), was once suspected of ties to terrorist groups on the Indian side of Kashmir, but today it's a lauded front-runner in the dispensation of earthquake relief aid. And unlike some donors and nongovernmental organizations, it seems to have no sense of fatigue.

"The camps will close, but we will remain," the doctor says. "We will establish dispensaries in each and every area, in every village."

Radical Islamist groups like his have become an indispensable part of the relief effort following the devastating Oct. 8, 2005, earthquake. Their efforts are greeted with hearty gratitude by survivors and local officials alike. But this newfound prestige has some analysts worried that the extremism of Jamat-ud-Dawa and other groups will only spread, shrinking the space for tolerant thought.

In nearby Balakot, Nasir Uddin is proud of the largess bestowed by his organization, Al-Rasheed Trust, which is blacklisted by the US State Department for its alleged ties to Al Qaeda. Mr. Uddin says the group's popularity has grown so much that its tents are overflowing with donated food items.

"We are working only for the will of the almighty Allah," he says, revealing behind a tent door more than a hundred children attending daily Islamic instruction.

"Being a government official, I have no help from any [nongovernmental organization or international nongovernmental organization]. If someone from Jamat-ud-Dawa offers their help, why should I resist? A hungry person needs bread," says an official in Muzaffarabad, who asked not to be named. Many, including President Pervez Musharraf, have shared in this sense of gratitude, winning radical groups unprecedented praise from Kashmir to Islamabad.

There is hope that groups like Jamat-ud-Dawa, having seen the benefits of relief work, are trading the mantle of militancy for social work. Others say this might be a sign that Jamat-ud-Dawa is following the lead of Palestinian Hamas, saying it wants eventually to pursue more mainstream political ambitions.

"The earthquake suddenly gave them a new opportunity to serve the people. They realize that militancy and violence have no future," argues Ershad Mahmud, a specialist on Kashmir at the Institute for Policy Studies in Islamabad.

Pakistan officially cracked down on extremist groups after 9/11, when it sided with the US in its war on terror. Groups like Jamat-ud-Dawa, once allegedly supported by the state in Kashmir, were banned, but many adopted new names. The government also allowed the social welfare wings of some groups to continue operating, allowing them to thrive in the gray areas furnished by state policy.

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