Lal Masjid deputy cleric likely to face the chop

Naib Khateeb at Lal Masjid believed to be in the process of being expelled from his post as penalty for visiting Iran,

LAHORE: Maulana Aamer Siddique, the second-in-command (Naib Khateeb) at the Red Mosque (Lal Masjid) in Islamabad, is believed to be in the process of being expelled from his post in the coming days as a penalty for visiting Iran, sources familiar with the matter told The Express Tribune.

Siddique has now been receiving death threats while being labeled a “Shia-sympathiser”, The Express Tribune learnt. Maulana Abdul Aziz (chief cleric of the Red Mosque), whose brother Maulana Abdul Rasheed Ghazi, was killed in the operation against Red Mosque militants named “Operation Silence” in July, 2007 is believed to be behind the decision for his removal.

Siddique’s visit to Iran was brought to the forefront by Aziz during his Friday sermon, saying that the visit had hurt the sentiments of the community. In a fiery speech, Aziz allegedly invoked JUI (F) activists, students of the madrassas and activists of the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), all groups belonging to the Deobandi School of Islamic theology.

Consequently, Siddique is now all set to be expelled from his existing responsibilities and a formal announcement is likely to be made by Aziz shortly, sources further revealed. Aziz and his wife Umme Hassan, the woman said to be the brains behind the Red Mosque burqa brigade, expressed serious reservations about Aamer’s visit and have asked him to join an Imambargah instead, sources added. The couple refused to meet Siddique and snubbed him when he finally had an opportunity to clarify his position, labeling him an outsider.

Siddique assumed the responsibility of Naib Khateeb on May 17, 2009, replacing Ghazi Abdul Rashid after his death and was also one of the main activists who played a pivotal role in Aziz’s release.

The cleric was part of a ten-member delegation who visited Iran on the invitation of the Iranian Shia council where he is said to have visited the grave (mausoleum) of Ayatollah Khomeini, an act that has deeply enraged his elders. Talking to The Express Tribune, Siddique said he visited Iran on the invitation of the Iranian Shia council along with nine other members, adding that he had been receiving death threats and believed his life to be in danger.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 11^th, 2011.