KARACHI, 16 April 2007 — Hundreds of thousands rallied in Pakistan’s biggest city, Karachi, yesterday to show their opposition to mosque leaders who have launched a Taleban-style anti-vice campaign in Islamabad.
“The people of Islamabad are insecure and under threat due to the activities of these religious terrorists,” said Altaf Hussain, head of the Muttaheda Qaumi Movement, addressing the rally by telephone from London.
Altaf said the extremists in Islamabad’s Lal Masjid or Red Mosque, and adjoining Jamia Hafsa Madrasa were hurting the image of Islam. “Islam is a religion of peace and it does not need Kalashnikovs and sticks,” he told the rally, while a helicopter whirled overhead to provide aerial surveillance and hundreds of police surrounded the venue — the city’s main commercial area.
“People have rejected religious extremism and the massive gathering of people from different schools of thought in this rally testifies to this,” Altaf said.
The MQM leader said people are against mosques and madrasas built on occupied lands. Altaf said that progressive women in the federal capital were being forced to follow rules made by the extremist elements from the Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa and are manhandled and threatened if they resisted.
He called upon scholars to give a fatwa whether madrasas and mosques built on illegally acquired lands were in accordance with Shariah. He also urged them to issue edicts against the Lal Masjid leaders.
People in Pakistan were shocked earlier this month when the prayer leader of the mosque announced that a Shariah court had been set up at Lal Masjid to enforce justice and threatened to retaliate with suicide bombing if the government tried to shut it down.
Lal Masjid’s compound has taken on the appearance of a rebel camp in recent weeks, with young men armed with sticks guarding the entrances. Women, also carrying staves, roam the school’s grounds, and two or three men have been seen with guns, which the mosque leaders say are properly licensed and would be used in case of a government crackdown.
