In regards to my rejoinder, I wonder what the chances of it being a self-fulfilling prophecy are? I feel the timing of this news is impeccable:
Seminaries plan ‘Islamic revolution’
By Inamullah Khattak (DAWN)
ISLAMABAD, April 2: Two religious seminaries, Jamia Faridia and Jamia Hafsa, are adamant to enforce “Shariat” in Islamabad and across the country and said they will announce their movement in the Lal Masjid on Friday.
They warned the government of serious consequences if it tried to create hurdles in implementing the “Islamic law”.
“We will start our Islamic revolution in Islamabad on Friday by launching a crackdown on CDs, DVDs and other secular activities in the G-6 sector. The exercise will be extended to the NWFP and other areas at later stages. We have full support of madressahs in various cities,” Jamia Faridia and Jamia Hafsa in-charge Maulana Abdul Aziz told Dawn on Monday.
“Ten thousand students of the two seminaries are ready to sacrifice their lives for Shariat and we are determined to enforce the Islamic law in Islamabad in order to make it example for people,” said Maulana Aziz, elder brother of Ghazi Abdul Rashid.
He claimed that thousands of people and government officials in Islamabad had lauded the recent raid on a brothel which, he said, was the first successful step of the movement.“I have received a letter from a policewoman alleging that she was exploited by a senior police officer,” he said. “The woman has already informed President Gen Pervez Musharraf and the Islamabad Inspector General of Police about sexual harassment of policewomen by senior officials,” he added.
Answering a question, Maulana Aziz said they would not stop enforcing Shariat even if the government withdrew its decision to demolish mosques in the federal capital. “There were only six Taliban who enforced the Islamic law in Afghanistan and we are 10,000. Then, how can’t we enforce Shariah at least in Islamabad.”
Asked what the funding source of the two seminaries and the Lal Masjid was, Maulana Aziz said: “Whenever we are short of essential items we close our eyes and demand the goods from Allah. Within a few minutes, we find the desired things in our kitchens.”
He said he was supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan and South and North Waziristan and conceded that students of his seminary had joined the Taliban but on their own.
“No doubt, our students are joining jihadis because we are teaching them jihad but we have not pressurised them to fight, rather they are doing it by their own,” he said.
Meanwhile, a man, whose daughter is a student of Jamia Hafsa, told Dawn that he did not want her daughter to take part in enforcing Shariat by force.
“I have brought my child from Charsadda here to learn about Islam and not to fight.”
I propose that 100 000 of us should march to annihilate these bearded monkeys. As if by pretending not to have CD shops etc. we will become better muslims. Or is by having one mosque on top of the other going to make us more pious. Time to slice away the fat from the meat has come.
“Ten thousand students of the two seminaries are ready to sacrifice their lives for Shariat …”
Perhaps they should hurry up and sacrifice their lives. What are they waiting for? Good riddance.
My friend from Islamabad emailed a video of Jamia Hafsa and it was frightening. I was however not surprised - consider this; Musharaf is in hot seat, army is launching fireworks with Abdali and Badar (with emphasis of nuclear capable) missiles and finally with temperature rising, military has used another trump card by unleashing these theo-thugs.
Perfect timing but it will fizzle out. It must be countered but the problem is that these guys are most organized anachists..
Ghafoor I’m sure you weren’t referring to this kind of revolution in your rejoinder. What the women of Jamia Hafsa have done is taken the law in their own hands and tried to enforce their own interpretation of what is right and wrong.
Jamia Hafsa’s is not a revolution against the government. This is a revolution against the people of Pakistan who might not fall within their defination of piousness. I don’t support state enforced religion, so then why would I support Jamia Hafsa enforced religion? This is just not on!
“No matter how great the task or how long it would take to be achieved, change can be brought about and the masses can be moved. They are waiting for us and if we do not heed their call, I fear they will start something without us.
A revolution is coming, I can assure you of that because it is inevitable. Pakistan has never really had a revolution and I’m pretty sure she’s screaming for one at the moment.”
Hakim, you are quite right. I was not referring to or supporting this kind of revolution in my rejoinder. However, after mentioning that a revolution was at hand, it seems coincidental and unfortunate that a few days later, the wrong or misguided among the masses decide to start one.
Apart from starting a revolution, notice how Maulana Aziz mentions another keyword in his statement to DAWN:
“Ten thousand students of the two seminaries are ready to SACRIFICE their lives…”
I received another email from Islamabad - in this case it identified the mother of Taliban mess as the Lal Masjid - that has its own web site - all hateful sermons, allegiance to Talibans and jehad are on the site alongwith several glorious photos:
http://www.lalmasjid.org/
Enjoy your visit.
The magnitude of this mess suggests that it could not have been possible without support from power brokers…
I’m not sure whether to be amused or alarmed. If we were to consider the horrific possibility of thier success, it will be very short lived and will result in all of us being daisycuttered by the Americans. What a wonderful way of spreading what is supposed to be a ‘peaceful’ religion.
I received an email this morning. It appears there is a group “Civil Society” in Islamabad which plans to hold counter demonstrations …
By the way, there is an interesting photograph in Daily Times of talibs on top of Lal Masjid practicing Dung Fung Ko.
Following is the message:
*Islamabad
*
Dear Friends,
The position in Islamabad is extremely sensitive at the moment as
we, members of the Civil Society, go for our protest demonstration at *3pm today (April 5) at Aabpara Chowk *which is in the close vicinity of the Lal Masjid / Hafsa HQ’s. (some of you know the venue well) The government is still not responding to all the extreme steps being taken by the students of this highly volatile seminary who have taken over the children’s library by force,are raiding video shops in G/6 (Aabpara)and threatening the owners, and recently took the law into their own hands by kidnapping three women and
a child accusing them of running a brothel. (Btw- according to the law of the land there is capital punishment for kidnapping!)
Their latest warning from the ‘fundos’ to the govt. is to impose ‘Shariah’ in the country within 7 days or they will take ‘extreme’ measures! These posters are plastered all over the city.The 7000 plus female students of Hafsa and their male supporters (talibs) are armed and ready to lay down their lives for their extremist mode of Islam. The moderate and progressive forces must respond to this bid of a hostile take-over of our country and Islam.
Sharing their website for your information. *Those of you in Islamabad today…plz join us at the Aabpara Chowk at 3pm today.
**Remember us today…we all need your support.
*In solidarity,
The woman kidnapped is “Auntie” Shameem, 65, owner of a very “famous” brothel in G-6. She’s notorious for her exploitation of young women, and countless young students have come forward to try and expose her for forcing them into prostitution. According to The News, there was an arrest warrant against her four years ago as well. When the policemen went to arrest her, however, she beat them up. The policeman then launched and FIR against her as well and she was called to court, but as she enjoys patronage from high places, she got out of it with a “benefit of doubt”. The Principal of Jamia Hafsa claims to have taken action only when she was approached by a college student who was exploited by “Auntie” Shameem. This student tried to launch and FIR, but was red taped. After which, she approached Jamia Hafsa. Apparently, initially four young women went to “Auntie” Shameem’s place and put three conditions infront of her. Either she give herself up to the police, or she give herself up to the Shariah court. Or she should make a public apology and repent.
“Auntie” Shameem then proceeded to insult the women and tried to beat them up. The women called back up from their cell phone, and transported “Auntie”, her “daughter” and her “daughter-in-law” to the Jamia Hafsa. The child was included because she was six months old and couldn’t be left alone without her mother {who was the “daughter-in-law”}.
Even though I don’t agree with all the stands being taken by the Jamia Hafsa, I’m really not against this particular episode. There are 25 brothels in G-6 alone. And they’re frequented by all our top brass. People who do complain are quickly shut up. Neighbours are scraed of them. In our country, is there any other way?
Yes, they took the law into their own hands. But who defines the law in our country? Yes, it is basically wrong. But if the law itself is powerless against people like auntie shameem, will we just let things go on as they are?
And no, before the guns turn towards me, I don’t support either Jamat’s translation of “Islam”. My post was just an explanation of one episode.
Ok, something very interesting: You know when Jamia Hafsa’s students surrounded the children library? Our police refused to go near these purdah-daar women. And they’re smart. See, we have a number of women who take to the streets on one issue or the other. They face batons and imprisonment too, and not many care about it. But if the police manhandle these purdah-daar women, and the veil of one of them so much as slips off, we’ll have an uproar. The Jamiah’s are smart in using these women as guards now
Have you people seen the photographs? They show hundreds of women in black cloaks with huge batons in their hands. It’s a fantastic sight 
From Meenah’s post I gather aunty Shameem is a brown belt holder eager to beatup anyone in her way including police. But alas, could not win against the black belt karate champions of Jamia Hafsa..
There are certainly many problems in Pakistan stemming from lack of law enforcement. Let us hope that as soon as some political stability returns to the country emphasis will be placed on building and strengthening of institutions.
Prioritising nation-building:
1. Law and Order
2. Law and Order
3. Law and Order
4. Education
and so on…
Without law and order we are nowhere. It is the the job of LEA’s (Law Enforcemen Agencies) to make sure people do not break the law or take it in their own hands. ‘Aunty Shameem’s’ coterie broke the law and then Jamia Hafsa took it upon themselves to rectify the problem. Both were wrong. But the real problem were the LEA’s who failed to do their job.
I disagree with Meenah that the law is powerless against these women. The LEA’s have been powered by the law to take action against such activities. Meenah’s justification of this act comes closest to civil disobedience. What the Jamia Hafsa women are doing is not a case of civil disobedience, it is a case of breakin the law. Civil disobedience only comes into play where a law is seen as illegitimate or immoral and it is disobeyed deliberately, openly and peaceully. That is not that case here. The law is in place and it is only that our LEA’s are failing to act upon it. Two wrongs don’t make a right and we should ensure that we don’t let law and order slip down the priority list. Moral values of a society are important and laws, for the most part reflecting upon these morals, are their to ensure that the moral values are enforced.
I am glad that the ‘Civil Society’ held a demonstration. That is the best way of making the LEA’s realise that they are failing to do their job.
Before the incidence of occupation of the chidren library by jamia hafsa female students,there was a Police raid on this honourable Islamic studies institution.Police manhandled the women in the Madressah as a reaction of which as well as the demolition of mosques in Islamabad,the renowned Ulema took this bold step.Their intention was to stop the authorities from doing such immoral activities which also provide a source for the annoyance of Allah almighty.It is nothing but a delusion of Enlightened moderation and human rights if one puts aside Allah’s rules and regulations utilizing one’s defective wisdom, as an ultimate result of which there will be nothing but complete darkness in all the fields of life as evident in Eaurope and America.There is no family system and many other moral values in those “Enlightened” societies.In the present situation it’s a duty upon all of us to help honourable ulema to fulfill their sacred mission with peace and calm.
May Allah give us courage to follow his rules and regulations