This makes him into an apologist of the terrorists and some may even count him as one of them because it is positions such as he has taken that keeps encouraging this group of misled ‘mullahs’ into committing such bloodbaths again and again with impunity. Indeed, he represents a mindset that needs to be tackled urgently before the cancer eats into the vitals of our nationhood. The registration of a First Information Report against him is also more than justified. And it was indeed reassuring to see almost the entire political spectrum represented at the protest rally against Maulana Aziz.
The Lal Masjid has a history of its own. It was being managed by the Maulana and his brother Abdul Rashid Ghazi since January 2006. They also ran the adjacent Jamia Hafsa madrassa. The brothers advocated the imposition of Sharia in the country. During the following year and a half, the 5,000-strong, fully armed dwellers of the mosque were openly calling for the overthrow of the government. After all attempts to resolve the matter peacefully had failed, the army stormed the mosque on July 11, 2007. The operation caused 154 deaths and 50 militants were captured. The military operation prompted pro-Taliban rebels to break the 10-month old peace accord with the government and take up arms once again and since then, terror attacks by these militants, self-styled as the TTP, on civilians and armed forces, have taken a toll of more than 50,000 people, including at least about 10,000 troops.
What, however, was never explained by those who ought to know what was going on, at least in the country’s capital, especially how it was possible for 5,000 persons, many of whom were foreigners, to disappear into the mosque without the knowledge of the state apparatus and various departments whose job it is to deal with such elements and whose offices are located in the capital too, not too far from the Lal Masjid itself.
The military operation currently going on in North Waziristan is expected to tame the TTP to a great extent. Also, the lifting of the moratorium on hanging is likely to serve as an effective deterrent. What, however, is needed to be undertaken with all the earnestness at our command is a campaign designed to change the polluted mindset of those who draw their inspiration from a distorted version of religion. This is an uphill task. To start with, we should revisit our school and college syllabus, especially our history and social studies books and those who sow the seeds of hatred, promote fanaticism, sectarianism, bigotry and intolerance. All hate materials should be proscribed urgently. All madrassas should be brought under the direct control of the provincial education ministries and all foreign sources of funding of these madrassas should be stopped forthwith and at the same time all militant and sectarian organisations, especially the Punjabi Taliban, should be uprooted immediately. Next, we should try to retrain our teachers to make them understand the damage that they cause to the young minds by imbibing them with a distorted version of religion. The same goes for the civil servants, the police, the armed forces, the judiciary, the lawyers and the media. In order for all these institutions to get rid of the mindset that has contaminated the minds of a good number of their members, civil society and the political parties must keep building continuous pressure from public platforms on these institutions.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 21st, 2014.
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COMMENTS (8)
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@Milind, check his twitter account. he finally did condemn them by name on december 16
As I write this, I can hear some barely educated maulvi drone away not too far from where I live. He has been spreading his pearls of wisdom for the past two hours, annoying me and countless others, when we are entitled to a relaxed, quiet Sunday evening. It's time we end this nonsense obscurantism that had Been allowed to spread and take over every facet of our life and being, like a virus. Please end this mosque culture that has led to nothing but using religion as a garb. Religion is between man and the creator, let's take it back to that simplicity. We do not need this show and tell, and what it has brought us to is ample proof of that.
Questions: How did the two brothers manage to get control of the mosque that was built by Ayub Khan, they say, and managed by the State of Pakistan?
Why was he allowed to return to his position of power after he ran off in a burqa'?
What is the source of their wealth that they can afford to run the mosque and the madrasa?
What about IK, who to my knowledge hasn't condemned the Taliban for the Peshwar carnage?
Whenever there is an agenda which needs to be completed then certain horrific incidents such as the Peshawar attacks are portrayed continuously in the media at the behest of the establishment. However, when other ghastly crimes of rape, murder, honour killings, collateral damage (i.e. innocent victims of military operations),extra judicial killings/disappearances then why is there no protest and widespread coverage by the media? Just wondering?
I can never be an apologist for the terrorists/criminals, nor can I be an apologist for the establishment. All killing is condemned!
Hope my comment is posted.....
This editorial is written in a rather mild language. But the message is clear. Terrorism in any form or garb is unacceptable. Be it ideology, or misogyny or least of all religion. The intentions of those who try to have the best of both the worlds must be exposed, and quickly condemned. And, without delay, they must be neutralized.
Not apologist. An ardent supporter.
Please arrest this Abdul Aziz.