Adil Najam
As the mosque formerly known as Lal Masjid was opened for Friday prayers again, things moved back towards mayhem. A major blast - possibly a suicide attack - rocked Islamabad right near the mosque, protesters went wild triggering police response, multiple people have been killed and the attempt to bring the Capital back to normalcy was again scuttled by extremists.
New reports suggest that as many as 12 15 have already died and the number is expected to rise. According to a recent AP report:
Hundreds of religious students clashed with police and occupied Islamabad’s Red Mosque during its reopening Friday, demanding the return of a pro-Taliban cleric two weeks after an army raid to oust Islamic militants from the complex left more than 100 people dead. Pakistani religious students watch as a colleague paints a wall of the Red Mosque in Islamabad.
A large explosion went off in a market area about a quarter-mile from the mosque, and local media reported several people had died. Police say four people were killed and 30 wounded. On a road outside the mosque, protesters threw stones at an armored personnel carrier and dozens of police in riot gear. After the demonstrators disregarded calls to disperse peacefully, police fired tear gas, scattering the crowd. Earlier, security forces stood by as protesters clambered onto the roof of the mosque and daubed red paint on the walls after forcing a government-appointed cleric assigned to lead prayers to retreat.
The protesters demanded the return of the mosque’s pro-Taliban former chief cleric, Abdul Aziz — who is being detained by the government — and shouted slogans against President Gen. Pervez Musharraf. Later, a cleric from a seminary associated with the mosque led the prayers. “Musharraf is a dog! He is worse than a dog! He should resign!” students shouted. Some lingered over the ruins of a neighboring girls’ seminary that was demolished by authorities this week. Militants had used the seminary to resist government forces involved in the siege.
Friday’s reopening was meant to help cool anger over the siege, which triggered a flare-up in militant attacks on security forces across Pakistan. Public skepticism still runs high over the government’s accounting of how many people died in the siege, with many still claiming a large number of children and religious students were among the dead. The government says the overwhelming majority were militants. The mosque’s clerics had used thousands of its students in an aggressive campaign to impose Taliban-style Islamic law in the capital. The campaign, which included kidnapping alleged Chinese prostitutes and threatening suicide attacks to defend the fortified mosque, raised concern about the spread of Islamic extremism in Pakistan.
Militants holed up in the mosque compound for a week before government troops launched their assault on July 10, leaving it pocked with bullet holes and damaged by explosions. At least 102 people were killed in the violence. In an act of defiance to authorities’ repainting of the mosque this week in pale yellow, protesters wrote “Lal Masjid” or “Red Mosque” in large Urdu script on the dome of the mosque. They also hoisted a black flag with two crossed swords — meant to symbolize jihad, or holy war.
The crowd shouted support for the mosque’s former deputy cleric, Abdul Rashid Ghazi, who led the siege until he was shot and killed by security forces after refusing to surrender. Ghazi was the public face of a vigilante, Islamic anti-vice campaign that had challenged the government’s writ in the Pakistani capital. “Ghazi, your blood will lead to a revolution,” the protesters chanted. Police stood by on the street outside the mosque, but did not enter the courtyard where the demonstration was taking place.
Islamabad commissioner Khalid Pervez said police forces did not want to go inside the mosque in case it led to a clash with protesters, but maintained the situation was under control. He said the reaction of Aziz’s supporters was understandable and predicted things would calm down. Over mosque loudspeakers, protesters vowed to “take revenge for the blood of martyrs.” In a speech at the mosque’s main entrance, Liaqat Baloch, deputy leader of a coalition of hard-line religious parties, the Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal, condemned Musharraf as a “killer” and declared there would be an Islamic revolution in Pakistan.
“Maulana Abdul Aziz is still the prayer leader of the mosque. The blood of martyrs will bear fruit. This struggle will reach its destination of an Islamic revolution. Musharraf is a killer of the constitution. He’s a killer of male and female students. The entire world will see him hang,” Baloch said. Pakistan’s Geo television showed scenes of pandemonium inside the mosque, with dozens of young men in traditional Islamic clothing and prayers caps shouting angrily and punching the air with their hands. Officials were pushed and shoved by men in the crowd. One man picked up shoes left outside the mosque door and hurled them at news crews recording the scene.
Maulana Ashfaq Ahmed, a senior cleric from another mosque in the city who was assigned by the government to lead the prayers, was quickly escorted from the complex, as protesters waved angry gestures at him. Wahajat Aziz, a government worker who was among the protesters, said officials were too hasty in reopening the mosque. “They brought an imam that people had opposed in the past,” he said. “This created tension in the environment. People’s emotions have not cooled down yet.” Security was tightened in Islamabad ahead of the mosque’s reopening, with extra police taking up posts around the city and airport-style metal detectors put in place at the mosque entrance used to screen worshipers for weapons.
Pictures from BBC.
@ Wajahat
I read the story and can but only regret the sad state of affairs prevailing in that tribal area. The problem among our Muslims is that instead of following the injunction of the holy Quran which says :to them their religion to me mine: they start taunting and abusing other sects and try to dominate and crush them even on minor differences, such as how to do ablutions, how to stand, sit and place arms during namaz; how women should veil ; whether to conduct certain rituals or not; etc etc A true Sufi is not supposed to indulge in such futile questions and when and if he does he’s not a Sufi at all.
Upon reading the life histories of the great Sufis , you will note that they taught and spread Islam in most hostile territories which were predominantly non-muslims. A true Sufi sets an example to others by his conduct, his personal
character and teachings of love and peace…not retaliation or revenge. Let us hope some good person-a True Sufi–will emerge from somewhere and do something to appease the unfortunate divisions and animosity between different sects of Islam to bring love and peace to this world.
Aqil, while my statement might have sounded over the top, think about it for a second from the Iraq war perspective. First of all, my take on the war is obviously that it should never have taken place and it was and is a huge mistake. But in order to wage the war, America went to the UN, got even her harshest opponents to sign off on a new resolution, only when Iraq did not follow the resolution did they actually attack. Yes, they could have given Iraq more time, but they were not obliged to under the resolution.
Secondly, every violation that has come to light during the Iraq war (Abu Gharib, soldier abuse etc) has been brought to light by American sources, either the soldiers themselves or the press; thereby providing a chanel for the checks and balances. The officers and soldiers responsible or neglegent in those cases have been fired or are serving time in US jails.
Thirdly, the defence minister, the head of CIA, the attorney general have all been let go; the war president is a lame duck president enjoying the lowest popularity rating in the history of this country, his party is out of power and it’s only a matter of time before the White House goes democratic. The war is widely seen by Americans as one of the biggest mistakes in the history of America. Now if you want a Nazi type trial, well that’s going to be hard to do because it’s hard to prove malicious intent but trust me, there are talks of that too in the public arena.
@ Mazhar Butt,
As for your appeal to “let some Sufis tackle the problem”, here is something that happened last year in, yes where else it could be, NWFP.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4852132.stm
Do you think these terrorist neo-Kharijites, would give away “preaching rights” and “territorial control” without any violence?
……But not THAT sufism which Mr. PMA simply exposed by writing in a post:the ’sufism’ that involves halwa making, praying in shrines, dancing, music, qawalli, dhammal, shaking heads, looking like ‘malang’, etc.,,,,,,,,,,
Oh, no, not at all! Halwa etc are things of the past now.
Modern sufis prefer to take chocolates and fudge ice cream like us ! Seems you are mixing up ‘hippies”with the ‘’sufis” ! Be serious, Adnan Siddiqui ! lol
The worst part is that as of now I have no idea how I can help. I dont know.
Islam in non-muslim countries is basically due to the influence of Sufism alone. It teaches love and peace. I think those who think otherwise are ignorant of the great service these sufis have done in spreading Islam all over the world
But not THAT sufism which Mr. PMA simply exposed by writing in a post:
“the ’sufism’ that involves halwa making, praying in shrines, dancing, music, qawalli, dhammal, shaking heads, looking like ‘malang’, etc.
here again,,,,,,,,,
I forgot to end my earlier comment with the appeal to the public at large and the government to let some Sufis tackle the problem in the capital city to eradicate ‘extremism” and ‘intolerance” which seems to have become the hallmark of both the confronting parties. I am sure the sufis teachings will do better in saving the situation rather than use of violence by one faction and the use of brutal force against them by the other.
A great lot of conversions to Islam in non-muslim countries is basically due to the influence of Sufism alone. It teaches love and peace. I think those who think otherwise are ignorant of the great service these sufis have done in spreading Islam all over the world. If you see Islam blooming as far as the South and Far East , China, Central Asia, Europe, Russia, America and where not- it’s all due to the teachings of the great Sufis. Wild nations such as the Mongols, the Huns and idol-worshippers of India,,, all owe their conversion to Islam due to these sufis alone and to undermine their position, as has been attempted by some people such as iqbal, have proved nothing more than a self-opinionated burlesque quite away from reality and truth.