Adil Najam
The news is developing by the moment. But the bottom-line is clear. The security forces have taken control of the Lal Masjid from militants after a severe gun-battle. But the story is far from over.
It will continue to unfold. There are too many unanswered questions. They will certainly be asked and discussed threadbare; here at ATP and elsewhere. But the real story of tomorrow remains the same as the real story of yesterday. Can a society that is so deeply divided against itself learn the lessons of tolerance? This question will continue to haunt us well into the future, in multiple shapes, in multiple forms, in multiple contexts.
This is a question that we at ATP have confronted from our very beginning and will continue to confront. But now is not the time to ponder on this. Even though what has happened had become inevitable over the last many days, I am too heartbroken to be able to do so.
Right now I can think only of Muzammil Shah (photo, from Associated Press, above). This photo was taken as he waited for his son who was inside the Lal Masjid. I do not know whether his son was there voluntarily, or as hostage. But I do know what the look of Muzammil Shah’s face means. The more important question is whether his son came out alive or not. I pray that he did.
Analysts - me included - will discuss what happened at length. They will try to understand the meaning of all this. What does this mean for Pakistan politics? What does this mean for Gen. Musharraf’s future? What does this mean for Islam? For Democracy? Does the fault lie with Abdul Rashid Ghazi and his militant supporters for creating a situation that could only end this way? Why did he not surrender? Is the blood of everyone who died not on his head for his stubboness and arrogance? Or, maybe, it is the government that is to blame because it did not act earlier? Act differently? Waited just a few days more for a negotiated solution?
Right now all these questions seem really petty and small. This is not the time for scoring cheap political points. This is not the time for spin.
Moreover, there are too many questions to ask. To answer. The head hurts as you think of them. But the heart hurts even more as you look at the face of Muzammil Shah.
Maybe the only really important question is the one that you can read between his wrinkles: “Why? Oh God, why? Why must things happen this way?”
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Adnan. Hamid Karzai is just showing us the mirror. We are still on same path. We still think these taliban and millitant are some one else problem.
One day when Afghan war will end, these ppl will bite us back with full force of their jaws. What do you think. Will these ppl will go away into blues or will they strike back. They will even target MMA leaders in near future you bet.
I am quite flabbergasted to read the views submitted on this page. Most of these are vehemently against the Mullahs as if they were not homo sapiens. Some friends have passed utmost derogatory remarks about Mullahs as well as affairs at the Madressahs. I do not at all support their biased opinions . They are simply trying to derogate their own religion and its teachings under the cover of Mullas. If some mullahs are evil this does not go to prove that all mullahs are evil. This also doesnt prove that if a mullah is wrong the teachings of our religion are also wrong. I say lets not follow the mullah but only th e teachings of our religion, Islam. I’m sure if you tried to follow its teachings
you will surely be termed as a ‘radical’ and end up the same way the lal masjid guys did. Pakistan which was gained as a separate homeland for muslims has lost its meaning and all that we were taught in our schools was bull sh** . The two-nation theory has decomposed into rubbish. Pakistan and its constitution are fake, its governing body is fake, people are fake. With so much ‘fakeness’ around I believe whatever the lal mosque folks did was obviously justified…….the use of indiscriminate brutal force by the govt was utterly wrong. Why then talk about mullahs ,,,,,,dont follow them, hate them, exterminate them but dont shun your own religion and its teachings. The holy Quran is for every muslim , why dont you read it yourself and act. Blaming others is so easy
but it’s not possible for you to see your own nose !
Musharraf’s Foreign Militants
Disgusting!
Qadir sahab, who isn’t brainwashed? I have literally got engaged hundreds of yanks online in past 5 years who always demonstrated ignorance about Islam and EVEN about their own religions(christianity,judaism). The core issue with those yanks was that they learnt about everything from propaganda channels like FOX,CNN,CNBC etc who always projected one-sided point of view. The reason I mentioned yanks because they are considered part of advanced society which is equipped with all technologies and facilities.
hamid karzai is right, we feeded Him who later become pain in neck for us. According to one ISI official, karzai was a CHAI WALA at ISI HQ :-)
What do we know for fact: A bunch of Mullahs ran an operation from a mosque whereby people from the mosque deliver vigilante type of street justice by abducting people on the pretext that they doing illegal stuff.In turn the Mullahs Guarantee the followers heaven for their deeds.
Funnily, even though women in general are not considered or treated with equality, they are used to hijack a library and then brandish arms and threaten shop owners..
The Mullahs that called for an Islamic state and jehad illegally accumulate arms and ammunition in the mosque where there are many women and children.Thus making it an unsafe environment for the women and children.
So does islam allow you to do the following:
1) Abduct people on the basis of assumption
2) Terrorize any other human being or make it unsafe for them?
3) Convict anyone without solid grounds? Islam is probably the only religion that gives you the right whereby you are truly innocent until proven guilty. Accusations alone are punishable.So how was the vigilante justice islamic?
3) In which “ghazwa” were women sent out to fight the war?
4) Did Khalid bin waleed , Omar bin khattab, or anyone of them ever leave the sides of there comrades in a veil?
5) HOw can anyone guarantee you jannat? Isn’t that God’s job? in other words are you trying to play god?
So if much of what the mullahs did does not have any precedence is it islamic?
On the other hand, we have an illegal martial law that has professed to further the cause of the people, by having a weak and ineffective “democratically” elected parliament, and openly threatening Judicial system that had already been castrated by the PCO.
The military has alot of good people in it, but unfortunately , the militar-ized econo-political conglomerate of the Pakistan armed forces also has little , if at all any credibility left.I am not sure whether they are a political party that is armed. An army that is political. Or an economic monster like a white elephant, that is both
We, Pakistanis, are not only witnesses to a tragedy we are all an accomplice to what has happened. We are the guilty party as well as the victims. We have failed our ideals and all that is left is a dying hope for change…
CJ, Well I think the snake you are talking about is a danger to Karachi and can be controlled in future. The snake I am taking about is not mullahs or MMA.
Snake is OBL and his fellows Taliban who are fighting iraq and phalistine fight on pakistani soil. This snake can turn Pakistan into Iraq. Second it is matter of time. I think mush because of his uniform don’t have political will to “silence” this snake. But I am sure BB will do the job. If not then USA will cross border and will do job by itself and that will be even more costly.
We simply can not co-exist wil OBL fellows and their Taliban.
Well reaction to lal masjid killings in NWFP (80 security personal dead in last 3 days) reminds me of Hamid Karzai.
He said “Pakistan is feeding a snake which can bite Pakistan too”.
We thought that this sanke will not bite us but Afghanistan but we were wrong.
I think on one hand we need to court moderate religious elements and try to listen their complain. On other hands we should finish Waziristan show once for all. I dont think it is problem of “fire-power”. It is issue of political will. The peace accord is not simply working.
The Mullah preaches JIHAD and understands nothing of Islam or Jihad - it brainwashs a little kid to go forward and become a shaheed whilst the mullah sits in a lap of luxury.
Why are people not screaming about the deaths the mullahs have been responsible for - not only in lal masjid but also those who were sent to fight the americans and the afghans? where are they - maybe because they think the mullah knows islam?
What Islam does this mullah preach that instills hate, fear, calling everyone kafirs and learning to kill in the name of Allah SWT?
What Islam does this Mullah preach that says that the Last Prophet Muhammad PBUH told him to kill and fight and cause fitna!?
Yet the Mullah is defended and supported and encouraged - this is a battle not just for the soul of the Pakistan but the cause of Islam - we must defend our religion and use all available means to expose and fight the fitna of mullahism - a mullahism that never belonged in Islam in the first place!
I think this is a Jihad - The Mullah causes division and hate within muslims and the nation and we must engage in this Jihad against Mullahism
Pakistan Zindabad!