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Amid vows of revenge, cries of indignation, young men hold funeral prayers for Bin Laden
Nearly 500 men attend gathering organised by the Jamaatud Dawa.
Supporters of the banned Islamic organisation Jamaatud Dawa hold up their hands while shouting anti-American slogans before a symbolic funeral prayer for Osama bin Laden. PHOTO: REUTERS
KARACHI:
“I will go fight jihad too,” said a madrassa student proudly. But when asked how he planned to do this with a ‘scholarly education’, not one in handling arms, he remarked, “I am being given training. I will go.”
Hundreds of young boys and men gathered near the Motamar Al Alam Al Islami office on University Road for the funeral prayers of Osama bin Laden, the killed chief of al Qaeda, on Tuesday. The funeral prayers were organised by Jamaatud Dawa (JuD), and their spokesperson estimated 900 people had attended. However, there appeared to be less than 500. Pride at their slain leader’s death and anger at the United States dominated discussions with those who had offered the funeral prayers. “He was our leader, our guide, our hero,” railed Tayyab Iqbal, who had come to offer prayers, even though he was not a JuD member. “As a Muslim it is our duty to offer prayers for another Muslim,” said another attendee.
Osama bin Laden may have been buried at sea, but in this coastal city, his memory was still fresh.
A crowd of cherubic young children gathered to be interviewed, even as a cleric tried to get them to go back to the madrassa. “I don’t want to see a single madrassa student here!” he yelled. “Why are they making statements?”
The students rattled off a short biography of Osama bin Laden, saying their sources were television channels and ‘videos’ that they had seen.
Mohammad Naeem, 13, had a JuD flag wrapped around his shoulders. “Osama bin Laden was a great commander of Islam who fought many wars against the US,” he stated. “And his biggest feat was 9/11.”
Even though many have expressed scepticism at Osama bin Laden’s killing, the attendees at the funeral prayers believed he had been killed. “The media has previously published reports of his death,” said Abdul Majeed. “I am 85 per cent sure now that he is dead.”
While others said that Bin Laden should not have been buried at sea, Majeed believed that it was an “honour” for him. “On Judgment Day, he will be honoured. His flesh will be pieced together.”
Iqbal disagreed. “He should have been given a grave. This is the right of a Muslim. We do not expect — given the other ‘insults’ of America — that his family will be treated well. They only have God.”
Sovereignty, as always, was discussed at the funeral, by the organisers and the attendees.
“It is shameful if this happened with Pakistani consent,” said Iqbal, “and it is equally shameful if it didn’t and the Americans did this on our territory.”
Speakers at the event — JuD emir Naveed Qamar, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam’s (S) Usman Yaar Khan and Tehrik Ahle Hadees’ Allama Abdul Ghazi — spoke of how Osama’s blood would be manifested (“Osama ka khoon rang laaye ga”). They said this funeral prayers demonstrated that Bin Laden was not orphaned, but had scores of supporters.
As JuD volunteers handed out fruit juice packs, others were there merely to correct journalists. “[The proper word is] shaheed [martyr], not ‘killed’,” piped up a smooth-faced man in the crowd, who looked visibly different from the clerics and madrassa students. Others were told not to sensationalise the funeral prayers.
Fourteen-year-old Abdullah offered his two cents, “These funeral prayers are a slap on America’s face from the JuD.”
He, like many of the other madrassa students, said he planned to partake in the fighting in Kashmir. “Osama has shown us the way. We will go save the honour of our Muslim sisters.” Other teenagers vowed to avenge Osama bin Laden. Mid-conversation, they rushed off to shout “Allah-hu Akbar” [God is great].
Bored policemen had cordoned off the prayer site and there was a sizeable amount of police and Rangers jawans present. However their patience waned at around 7:30 pm, when they started asking the organisers to wrap up. Flags were hurriedly gathered up and the last round of juice boxes distributed to lingering camera crews.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 4th, 2011.
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It is safe to say that all these people are our future suicide bombers and terror recruits, if they aren’t already. And as usual, the government will fail to deal with them, or tackle their roots… incompetent as it is. Recommend
Traitors each and everyone of them. Al Qaeeda in its widely circulated pamphlet attacked the very existence of Pakistan, its constitution and the sanctity of its armed forces. Recommend
Okay,
martyred,we should admit,
but many question are arising out in minds.
Why they insulted his dead body,
he was not shown to general public,as was shown Iraqi leader
and other leaders being executed,
he was thrown in the sea from hundred feet high.
He was Muslim should buried,
his dead body should handed over to her family members.
What infidels had done?
I am very afraid,
government of Pakistan saying nothing on this,
silent,
hours go but no any comment or statement came,
no clarification regarding the incident.
They entered into a independent state,
violating the country’s sovereignty,military operation was done
without any prior permission and gone leaving behind rubbish of the house..
This tragic incident invite us all to think what happened really,
which elements played crucial role,
I believe never can be done,pre-planed was arranged.
Come on,
search the state actors,who played act,
because,as US secretary state said,may Pakistani know where is Osama
in Pakistan.
Now keep in mind,
many option is going to open in this connection
in this country.Recommend
Injustice always create problems.Recommend
Two sides of EVIL COIN
One Side : America
Other Side : Al-Qaida + ++++++
Read the article :
http://www.lariatnews.com/opinion/osama-the-price-we-pay-for-revenge-is-a-steep-one-1.2558651
Have courage to say the right thing, do the right thing .If you cannot do a right thing better don’t do a wrong thing. Recommend
Do you know change is expected ,
i am not hopeful,Recommend
Read this one also there are other kind of extremists in the world who are not Muslim
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-faith/post/for-bin-laden-seek-justice-let-go-of-revenge/2011/05/03/AFb3NqfF_blog.htmlRecommend
He was a prime target,
so,,,,,,,,,,,,targeted,without cooperation??
no with cooperation,that is admitted fact.Recommend
American said we are thankful for the cooperation
extended Pakistan in obtaining the prime target.Recommend
Juice boxes were a great detail…somehow, it makes the whole affair seem like preschool!Recommend
the drones should have wiped these barbarians off also who have held our whole society hostage to their medieval,misogynistic,homophobic,savage religious ideology.how could osama have been hiding so near a military base in an area crawling with intelligence people & no one of ours caught him?? when will our society stop supporting & providing cover to these religious barbarians.
these people want to make our society into a society where women are treated worse than animals,where the majazi khudas treat their wives like their personal property,where people are forced to follow a religion by threats & intimidation because they know that if they leave this religion they will be declared apostates & have their heads chopped off like goats & cows.
it’s time we stopped supporting terrorists inspired by religion.Recommend
@sultan
i totally agree with you, why Americans did not let his family members to perform his funeral activities like others. that was shameful act done by americans, i think another cycle start after his death, lets see what happens, Recommend
bloody heretics ..they are idiots.. they dont represent pak… they are a minorityRecommend
Why pray I may ask was a banned organization allowed to hold this shameful proceeding and why on earth are they not rotting away in jail Recommend
Throw all these ignorants in jail. They are the reason behind our sufferings! Recommend
Hypocrites and traitors. They are a threat to Pakistan, to every enlightened living soul of Pakistan. Heretics and fundamentalists, nothing else. These are future suicide bombers as rightly pointed out above. They should be arrested and treated accordingly. Shouting slogans of ‘Jihad’ and wanting to bring down America with stones is down-right idiotic.Recommend
I thought you weren’t suppose to dump garbage in sea.Recommend
Can someone do us a big favour as a nation and gather all these bearded maniacs at one place and then take them to Osama’s floating grave,put them all in a weighted bag and throw them deep in the sea,next to their ‘great’ leader….
The only thing i’ll feel pity for,will be their ignorence and nothing :)Recommend
Does Pakistan have the guts to take on the mob like this. Or will it look otherway as usual.Recommend
I guess these Jamat u Dawa terrorists should be dumped in the sea too. They will for sure enjoy their reunion with their “heroic” daddy. Recommend
@ tightdhoti and like-minded people out there
Well Osama is dead and gone…..hypothesis and theories will continue to be aired and written for months to come…Let them do it
Meanwhile, the real patriotic Pakistanis should put their heads together and discuss what’s best for their country….if people continue to live in a state of denial and let the space be taken over by the mullah brigade….then all i can say is Pakistan ka Khuda Hafiz,
For heaven’s sake reclaim your country….
you guys may find it wierd coming as it is from an Indian……but i really want a strong and stable pakistan as I dont want to go on looking over my shoulder all the time as I alongwith billions of my countrymen fight poverty,hunger, corruption and other issues….
God bless ordinary Pakistanis
peace
joy
IndiaRecommend
Get them well paying jobs. If they were busy and making a good living, i bet half of them wouldnt want to give it up. Idle minds make the most noise!Recommend
This is not a good news for any sane man out there. Rehman Malik and Asif Zardari if have tiniest care for this land, please take that famous “notice” and send these wannabe Jihadis to hell before they take lives of many of us! Recommend
yep like others have said… gather these ignorant fools and lock them away or better yet leave them in the middle of the sea with their hero OBL.Recommend
Unemployment, lack of modern education, lack of motivation, conspiracy theories which propagates that ‘Islam is in danger’ and crazy Jihadi organizations. Mix all these together and you get a bunch of these lunatics. Recommend