Darwaish
In another dramatic development last night, dozens of armed Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa students stormed into a Chinese Beauty Parlor (massage centere) and kidnapped 9 people including 6 women and 3 men. All people are apparently of Chinese nationality. The incident occurred late Friday night.
According to Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa students, a brothel was being run under the name of massage centre and they have held Chinese men and women hostage for ‘Islah’.
I was watching Geo News just a few minutes ago and Chinese Government has strongly condemned this incident and demanded an appropriate action. Daily Times reports:
Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa students raided a Chinese massage centre in Sector F-8/3 and took hostage five Chinese nationals, including three women and two men, on late Saturday night in Islamabad, Geo television reported. According to the channel, two vehicles full of armed seminary students raided the massage centre, abducted the staff and brought them to the mosque. Geo reported Jamia Hafsa administration as alleging that a brothel was being run under the garb the massage centre. The Lal Masjid clerics could not be contacted as they had switched off their mobile phones. Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) officials reached the seminary and were trying to secure the release of the abducted Chinese through dialogue, it reported. Earlier, the students had abducted an alleged brothel owner and released her after a couple of days. They had also abducted and later released two police personnel.
This is another very serious act after holding policemen hostage for several weeks. I am really worried about this new trend of kidnappings. This is becoming ‘I don’t like you so I am going to kidnap you, beat the hell out of you and fix you (Islah)’. I wonder what is next? If government tries to settle this matter by force, the results could be a bloody clash and loss of life. Surely, this time a serious action will be taken.
I agree with the argument that brothels exist everywhere in today’s Pakistan. But is this the right way to do Islah? If our security and law enforcing agencies do their job properly, such incidents can never happen. Just blaming students of Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa is no good. The failure and inability of State of Pakistan to act when most needed, is equally responsible for this embarrassing situation and making us all look like a nation of extremists (both ends), illiterate ignorants and a bunch of fools.
What is Government of Pakistan is going to do? Why can’t we have a permanent solution to this embarrassment? Tough question.
we are enlightened moderate nation
:)
Kruman if I take your statment valid then the entire Illegal state which is called Islamabad today should be destroyed first because this place has buildings like Parliments, President and PM house who spreaded more fasad in Pakistan than any other place. So come out of your home my friend and burn these places so that one takes you seriously.
those who are happy with brothels and similar places should allow to make arrangments so that these places should be established there. Those liberal and so called women rights loving women are worried about such places SHOULD allow their husbands nad sons to visit these places frequently then I will ask them how SECURE these women feel.
On a side note, 32 people killed yesterday in Northern areas by American planes and 45 died in Karachi due to heavy rain and here we are whining about chinese ladies. what a nation we are! :S
Reluctant E.–
really, did Shaukat Aziz say that? I knew there was something I found creepy about that guy. He strikes me as “slick”, same as Bill Clinton.
anyway you hit on the root of the problem, which is really that there are three Pakistans–first, a highly Westernized elite Pakistan that does what it wants, including pursuing a lot of affairs and immoral activities. They will never go to jail no matter how much “zeena” they commit. I have even been propositioned quite directly in opulent drawing rooms by other women’s husbands in Clifton and Islamabad. These people don’t care about anything.
On the other hand you have the working class Pakistanis, they have to try to improve themselves with all the power being held by the group above, if they want to rise above poverty they have to play their game. For them are the whippings and the jail sentences under the hudood ordinances. They are totally repressed and not just sexually. Let’s face it, the masajid does do some things for them. They resent the upper class drinking and carousing in their nice compounds and can you blame them? So to them the niqabi sisters nailing some Chinese ladies of pleasure and a few of their clients as well is a wonderful development.
The third group is the educated expats and the middle class who are partly living off some remittances from abroad. I think these people make up the bulk of ATP readership–correct me if I’m wrong. They have seen the world and they know how sick all this is, but feel powerless to stop it.
Let’s not overlook the class tensions that are driving some of these confrontations. I think it’s not enough to just say “mullahs are evil”. It’s going to end up being a choice between mullahs and the worst aspects of the West because the country is socially divided along the lines, not because such a choice is inevitable.
Will the third goup garner enough clout to show Pakistan another way? Is there enough time for that? Will the elite ever allow it? These are the questions we should be asking……
Salamalikum,
I agree with what Atif and axiomatic have said, but I want to make a different point here. I put part of the blame on the kibaar/big ulema of Pakistan. Why haven’t they gone to Abdul Aziz and advise him and reprimand him and tell him to be in accordance with Islam. Just suspending membership of his madrasa from wafaqul madaaris is not enough. Maybe they have gone to him; then, I don’t put blame on them.
I have mentioned this before when the previous Lal masjid issue came up here that there is a complete ijema of scholars of Islam that awam/people cannot take implementation/enforcement of shariat in their own hands. And, you can look at history and this is proven. For example, why did all four imams, from Abu Hanifa to Ahmed ibn Hanbal, die in jail or due to torture in jail but never asked their followers to raid the city, the government, enforce the shariat themselves? And, believe me they had the type of following that we can’t imagine today.
I know it seems difficult to come to terms with this point, but if Allah taala has imposed a government on a Muslim society that wants nothing to do with shariat then the most we can do is raise our voices in non-fitna (non violent) way and to educate ourselves, learn from the ulema, know the Quran/tafseer, hadith, fiqh, etc. Change the society from within instead of enforcing a law here and there.
As the hadith says, Islam is the middle path. And, by middle path I’m not talking about today’s push for “moderation”. For example, Islam doesn’t say no death penalty for adultery. On the other hand, it also doesn’t say that if you find two people in the act of adultery, just go ahead and kill them. No, Islam takes the middle path instead: It says bring four witnesses/prove it to a judge and then if proven the judge will pass the penalty of death. And, if accusation is not proven, the accuser gets punished with lashes (qazaf).
Now, where in shariat does it say to go ahead and kidnap people on your own based on suspicion or some inside information? Where is the process of going to a qazi/judge? If one says there is no system like today, then be patient and educate the society and leave rest to Allah. And, this is not my opinion. One can verify this with any knowledgeable scholar.
Just look at what Lal masjid has done: It has allowed people who don’t want much of shariat anyways to accuse the ulema of immoral activities, make fun of shaar (signs) of shariat, etc. Correcting a fitna in a non-Islamic way will have no barakat from Allah and will result in greater fitna and hurt Islam. The evidence is in front of you all to see!
I say, yes support Islam but don’t support actions that aren’t part of this religion even if they are being carried out for Islam. I don’t question the intentions of Lal masjid and Jamia hafsa women but their lack of knowledge is evident and their actions reflect that. Allahu alam
Hmmmm… Masjid Hafsa vs the oldest profession in the world…I wonder who’ll win?