| BAMAKO: Mali's Gao Governor Colonel Amadou Baba Toure on Sunday announced an immediate ban on the activities of a group of Pakistani Islamists living in the zone along the border with Algeria. Hundreds of Pakistanis have arrived in Mali as part of a humanitarian aid and education effort, though once on the ground they turn their focus to preaching hard line positions that are not in line with the Muslim practice in the region, said Toure. He said, "We cannot accept that just anyone can come here and preach however they see fit." Though the group has not been formally identified as belonging to any particular sect, they preach an Islam that is "pure and hard," according to a municipal official, and are indoctrinating their disciples into an Islam that does not oppose violence. |