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April 9, 2007

Pakistan: Rebel Mosque Issues Fatwa Against Woman Minister

Ealier we described the activities of the madrassas connected with the Lal Masjid or Red Mosque in Islamabad.

On Friday the cleric in charge of the Red Mosque, Abdul Aziz, opened his own sharia court at the mosque, in blatant defiance of the laws of Pakistan. He told 2,000 fanatical supporters after Friday's juma prayers: "I announce the setting up of a Sharia court from today. I hereby declare the start of Islamic law from this mosque."

The mosque will have 10 muftis, Aziz announced. He said that if anyone from the government tried to storm the mosque, then he would issue orders for suicide attacks: "If this is the government's last option, then our last option can be suicide attacks. We have tens of thousands of people who can shake the government with 'fidayeen' attacks."

The Pakistan Daily Times and Agence France Presse report that already the fanatics at the Lal Masjid have singled out their first victim. In line with Abdul Aziz' knack for garnering maximum publicity, the target is a woman minister of the Pakistan government.

The minister is Nilofar Bakhtiar, the nation's tourism minister (pictured). She fell foul of the fanatics at the Lal Masjid by being depicted in several newspapers "hugging" a paragliding instructor in Paris, after she took part in an exercise.

According to Abdul Rashid Ghazi, the brother of Abdul Aziz: "The muftis (judges) issued a decree against Tourism Minister Nilofar Bakhtiar when their attention was drawn towards some pictures in which she appeared in an obscene and objectionable manner with paraglider pilots in Paris. They have called on the government to punish and sack her from the cabinet."

The paragliding took place as part of a fundraising event in support of the victims and relatives of the October 8, 2005 earthquake, in which 73,000 people died. Ms Bakhtiar said she had done nothing to be ashamed about.

Deputy information minister Tariq Azeem said that he would prefer to negotiate with the law-breaking mosque, stating: "Use of force will be the last option". The government has been criticized for not applying the law to the mosque and its two associated madrassas. In January, women and men from the complex invaded the only children's library in Islamabad, and have occupied it ever since. They have threatened suicide bombings if they are interfered with.

The "fatwa" against Nilofar Bakhtiar claimed she committed an un-Islamic act, and the judges called upon verses from the Koran and the Hadith stressing the importance of women wearing the veil. The fatwa additionally stated: "Islam enjoins Muslim women to avoid leaving their homes unnecessarily."

I am currently compiling a Special Report on the developments within the mosque/madrassa complex.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at April 9, 2007 12:08 PM

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Posted by: infidel59 at April 9, 2007 7:21 PM

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