Lal masjid survivors story

[dabong1]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6907141.stm

'I hoped to be a glorious martyr'



I was not in contact with my family. The last time I contacted them, I told them that the army would not start an operation.

They asked me to come back home, but I said that I would never come back as I wished to be martyred. My brother said that he would force me to return, but I told him that he could be beaten up if he came near the seminary...


"It was better to die than be buried under the debris"

A girl who came with us was taken home forcibly. She was crying and told the teacher that she didn't want to go back. The teacher asked her to go back with her parents.

We felt sorry for her as we came here with the passion of jihad [holy war] and to preach Islam, and now because there was a problem the girls had gone back. We did not appreciate the parents behaviour.

The teacher said that no one was being stopped from going home, and she asked parents to go and find their children to take them home. Very few girls left because they were afraid - those who left were either minors or they were forced to leave by their parents...

We were shocked that they cut off the electricity and also cut off the water and gas supply. What could we do? We were only praying to God to show them the right path.

Not enough explosives


They were throwing lots tear gas shells. We were continually cleaning our eyes with water. Glass windows were breaking, doors were breaking. We couldn't sleep, sometimes one would sleep for an hour, or half an hour, the others would stay awake. That way we managed...


We wanted to carry out suicide attacks. We didn't have enough ammunition to fight face to face. We had a small number of arms with which our mujahideen brothers were fighting.

We asked the teacher to provide us with arms necessary for suicide attacks. She said that we didn't have sufficient explosives. Yes, we had a passion and we were willing to go to all lengths...

After the evening prayer we found out that Maulana Aziz - the chief cleric - had been arrested while he was trying to flee wearing a burka. We were told that he'd been called to speak to the prime minister.

When we asked our teacher why Maulana Aziz had left in a burka she said that the prime minister advised him to do so. She said that he had been told to come out in disguise so that he wouldn't be killed...

We thought that they only wanted to arrest Maulana Aziz, but at night when the firing started we realised that they had other intentions...

On Thursday night [5 July], they attacked the kitchen and we were forced to survive on leaves and honey. They set fire to our room so we shifted to the next room. Police sprinkled petrol everywhere outside.

When we woke up on Saturday [7 July] our teacher told us that they had found lots of honey from the Red Mosque area. We made juice out of it and our brother brought leaves for us. All of us were without food from the day before so we ate leaves and honey juice...

Korans burning

We had been told by our teacher that they had put explosives in the building and that we shouldn't die in this manner, but that we should come outside to face the bullets or even surrender. It was better to come out rather than die under the debris...


The mosque's school suffered the most battle damage

We came outside with our hands raised and saw that the doors were closed and they were on the roof. There was no way to leave. We told them that we had surrendered and they should not shoot at us. A policeman showed us the way out and finally, we were taken outside...

They took us to another room and gave us food. We were crying a lot because Korans were burning inside the Red Mosque which was on fire.

We pleaded with them to let us take the Koran. We were very sad to see them being burnt in front of our own eyes. At sunset we were told that we were going to be sent home, and at night, we left the area...

After meeting my father, I was overcome by grief as I had hoped to be a martyr and come back alive.

Now they've attacked the Red Mosque and Jamia Hafsa [the seminary attached to it], I hope the whole country will have Red Mosques. I will work for jihad, and open a madrassa and train people for jihad.

 

[kvLin]

'I hoped to be a glorious martyr'


"It was better to die than be buried under the debris" ...

We had been told by our teacher that they had put explosives in the building and that we shouldn't die in this manner, but that we should come outside to face the bullets or even surrender. It was better to come out rather than die under the debris...

There was no way to leave. We told them that we had surrendered and they should not shoot at us...

After meeting my father, I was overcome by grief as I had hoped to be a martyr and come back alive.

good explanation, and that's why he's home alive, beside the government's real intention instead of killing students.
to be a glorious martyr, did he have to bomb himself in sinless crowd?

When we asked our teacher why Maulana Aziz had left in a burka she said that the prime minister advised him to do so. She said that he had been told to come out in disguise so that he wouldn't be killed...

I thought Maulana Aziz would laugh at death.

 

[Keysersoze]

I would have thought schools increased intelligence........appears they made some people dumber. They should take these nitwits and lock them up until they rot.

 

[roadrunner]

We were shocked that they cut off the electricity and also cut off the water and gas supply.

The Pak Army swines. Water and gas and then to top it all off they cut off your electricity Terrible. Let's hope the UN hears about this sadistic act committed by those big bad men in green on innocent people who would not hurt a mosquito.

What could we do? We were only praying to God to show them the right path.

Such innocence.

Not enough explosives

That's a good one. Else no doubts you'd have been a willing martyr if Aunty Aziz had only bought enough explosives. No doubt!

 

[niaz]

This proves that all the Lal Masjid mob were suicidal maniacs. The madrassas are creating zombies who care nothing for any one else and want to die for what they are brainwashed into believing is Islam.

I have heard the interviews also. It is strange that not a single student thought that he/she had done anything wrong including killing of the security personnel.

With schools like these, we dont need India to destroy us. Idiotic Pakistanis will destroy the State from within, believing that they are doing Allah's work.

When will our nation wake up and realize that these people are not pious muslims but a 'Fitna' and a menace to the society as well as to the State. In fact they are the greatest enemy of Pakistan. Their aim is to make the entire muslim world into an imaginary utopian state living in the 7th/8th century world.

When I hear scholars of Dr Israrul Haq calibre and stalwart politicians such as Nawaz Sharif saying on TV that govt has killed innocent students, in my dismay I have started believing that Pakistanis donot deserve Pakistan. State will not survive if these peopel win. It would be a collection of petty Mullah cum Warlords controlling small areas of a lawless land such as in Somalia or in Afgahnistan. May be that is what Nawaz Sharif would prefer than see Musharraf remain power.

 

[Bull]

This proves that all the Lal Masjid mob were suicidal maniacs. The madrassas are creating zombies who care nothing for any one else and want to die for what they are brainwashed into believing is Islam.

I have heard the interviews also. It is strange that not a single student thought that he/she had done anything wrong including killing of the security personnel.

With schools like these, we dont need India to destroy us. Idiotic Pakistanis will destroy the State from within, believing that they are doing Allah's work.

When will our nation wake up and realize that these people are not pious muslims but a 'Fitna' and a menace to the society as well as to the State. In fact they are the greatest enemy of Pakistan. Their aim is to make the entire muslim world into an imaginary utopian state living in the 7th/8th century world.

When I hear scholars of Dr Israrul Haq calibre and stalwart politicians such as Nawaz Sharif saying on TV that govt has killed innocent students, in my dismay I have started believing that Pakistanis donot deserve Pakistan. State will not survive if these peopel win. It would be a collection of petty Mullah cum Warlords controlling small areas of a lawless land such as in Somalia or in Afgahnistan. May be that is what Nawaz Sharif would prefer than see Musharraf remain power.

Strong words.

 

[Scorpius]

Well that article should prove to everyone that the only viable course of option was to raid the mosque. This is the kind of nonsense these extremists teach our kids, they need to be wiped out.

 

[Scorpius]

This proves that all the Lal Masjid mob were suicidal maniacs. The madrassas are creating zombies who care nothing for any one else and want to die for what they are brainwashed into believing is Islam.

I have heard the interviews also. It is strange that not a single student thought that he/she had done anything wrong including killing of the security personnel.

With schools like these, we dont need India to destroy us. Idiotic Pakistanis will destroy the State from within, believing that they are doing Allah's work.

When will our nation wake up and realize that these people are not pious muslims but a 'Fitna' and a menace to the society as well as to the State. In fact they are the greatest enemy of Pakistan. Their aim is to make the entire muslim world into an imaginary utopian state living in the 7th/8th century world.

When I hear scholars of Dr Israrul Haq calibre and stalwart politicians such as Nawaz Sharif saying on TV that govt has killed innocent students, in my dismay I have started believing that Pakistanis donot deserve Pakistan. State will not survive if these peopel win. It would be a collection of petty Mullah cum Warlords controlling small areas of a lawless land such as in Somalia or in Afgahnistan. May be that is what Nawaz Sharif would prefer than see Musharraf remain power.

I've had similar thoughts recently, if most Pakistanis want these kind of nutters in power then then the whole idea of the Pakistani nation is thrown into question. Makes me quite sad sometimes when you look at some peoples mentality's . I don't think most Pakistanis want that though. Still the number of people who make excuses for them and blame Musharraf for every bad thing that happens in Pakistan is quite high and they are quite vocal.

A individual's loyalty should be to his state not a foreign ideology, religion is given too much power in our culture it has never been questioned. It's always been accepted as the truth and to question it is seen as blasphemous, Pakistan and other muslim nations are at the stage European nations were at hundreds of years ago. They eventually got out of it for the better although many millions had to die for it, I hope the muslim world's path to freedom and prosperity is not so bloody but everyday that hope dims a bit.

 

[intruder]

This proves that all the Lal Masjid mob were suicidal maniacs. The madrassas are creating zombies who care nothing for any one else and want to die for what they are brainwashed into believing is Islam.

I have heard the interviews also. It is strange that not a single student thought that he/she had done anything wrong including killing of the security personnel.

With schools like these, we dont need India to destroy us. Idiotic Pakistanis will destroy the State from within, believing that they are doing Allah's work.

When will our nation wake up and realize that these people are not pious muslims but a 'Fitna' and a menace to the society as well as to the State. In fact they are the greatest enemy of Pakistan. Their aim is to make the entire muslim world into an imaginary utopian state living in the 7th/8th century world.

When I hear scholars of Dr Israrul Haq calibre and stalwart politicians such as Nawaz Sharif saying on TV that govt has killed innocent students, in my dismay I have started believing that Pakistanis donot deserve Pakistan. State will not survive if these peopel win. It would be a collection of petty Mullah cum Warlords controlling small areas of a lawless land such as in Somalia or in Afgahnistan. May be that is what Nawaz Sharif would prefer than see Musharraf remain power.

Things can change for better is attitude change to Pakistan first Religion second rather than Religion first Pakistan last ...

 

[Always Neutral]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6907141.stm

'I hoped to be a glorious martyr' .

Can't believe to save this guys life the CO and the Two IC of the SSG gave up their lives and not to mention several Rangers and SSG men got wounded. The SSG should have used that unidentified sleeping agent which the Spetnatz used to end the moscow siege.

Regards

 

[irfan1173]

AoA Niaz sahab
Its always a pleasure to read your post. I fully agree that what the govt did was correct but wont blame all this on madrassas. These people were not brain washed in couple of months but over a period of decade or more. There were doing what the govt wanted them to do in the name of strategic depth in afghanistan or Kashmir. So the question is why blame them alone? It may be easy for the generals to do a U turn but for somebody who has been brainwashed since a kid how do you justify the U turn?
My take is all that happened with the knowledge and permission of the people in command so the buck stops with them. I would luv to be proved wrong and want to hear your take on this.

 

[niaz]

AoA Niaz sahab
Its always a pleasure to read your post. I fully agree that what the govt did was correct but wont blame all this on madrassas. These people were not brain washed in couple of months but over a period of decade or more. There were doing what the govt wanted them to do in the name of strategic depth in afghanistan or Kashmir. So the question is why blame them alone? It may be easy for the generals to do a U turn but for somebody who has been brainwashed since a kid how do you justify the U turn?
My take is all that happened with the knowledge and permission of the people in command so the buck stops with them. I would luv to be proved wrong and want to hear your take on this.

You are correct. This is the result of a generation of bigotry in the name of Islam.
Pakistan was a liberal country until Bhutto; under siege from the Mullah due to alleged election rigging in 1975; enforced Islamic laws. I remember sitting in Karachi Gynkhana with the late Sattoo Quraishi ( brother of Omar Quraishi- the cricket commentator) when Sattoo, being a heavy drinker, made a joke that he was changing his name to Sattoo Masih from today; this being the only way that he will be able buy alcohalic drinks from now on.

Even though drinks were freely available in hotels and clubs; actual number of people who drank was 1 to 2% at the most. Islamization simply meant that price of Red Label tripled over night and Rickshaw/Taxi drivers who used to drink "Thurrah" started drinking illegal alcohal and many died drinking poisonous spurious liquor manufactured in unhygienic conditions.
This neither reduced nor increased use of alcohal, it only gave a tool to the police to extort more money from the Joe public and create a facade of Islam.

Then comes in Zia, Iran revolution and the Afghan war. This started the slow Talibanization process. There is no doubt that ex ISI chiefs such as Hamid Gul strongly sympathise with the cause of Taliban and there must be some staff of the ISI and other agencies who support the extremist elements. Without such covert support it would have been impossible for the Lal Masjid thugs to amass Kalashinkovs and even gas masks.

My lament and despondence is not on account of diehard Islamists. It is because educated Islamic scholars, the federation of Islamic Madarassahs ( Wafaq ul Madaris), Urdu press reporters and columnists, TV interviewers and even respectable anchor man such as Dr Shahid Masood and Hamid Mir, find it very difficult to condemn out and out defiance of the State by Lal Mosque brothers; they barely manage to say that we support their demands we disagree with their methodology. This clearly shows where their real sympathies lie.

In the ARY 'Insight' Khawaja Rafique of PML ( N) didnot utter a word against the Lal Masjid mob but blamed government saying that it was the evil designs of Musharraf. When asked what proof do you have, he got annoyed and said why you ask this from me ask the people who shed so much blood. This is not limited to opposition. I read in yesterdays Dawn ( 24/7/07)


Quote


Operation to demolish Jamia Hafsa begins




By Syed Irfan Raza

ISLAMABAD, July 23: Demolition of the bullet-riddled building of Jamia Hafsa started on Monday amid tight security, a senior government official said. On the first day, about 30 per cent of Jamia Hafsa building and residences of Maulanas Abdul Aziz and Abdul Rashid Ghazi were razed.

The operation will continue till Wednesday during which the entire building of the seminary will be bulldozed.

“We have hired heavy earth moving machines and bulldozers for the operation in which over 200 workers are taking part,” Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Kamran Lashari told Dawn.

Meanwhile, a source said the operation was being conducted jointly by the CDA, local police, Punjab police and Rangers under the supervision of military authorities.

It refreshed memories of the eight-day operation carried out by the army against Lal Masjid militants which claimed the lives of 102 people, including 11 security officials. The area around Lal Masjid was again cordoned off and heavy contingents of security forces were deployed there.

Residents of G-6 sector, who live in the eastern and western sides of the mosque, faced great trouble during the first day of the operation as all streets on both sides were blocked with barricades. Personnel of Islamabad and Punjab police and Rangers were seen standing at the corner of all streets leading to Lal Masjid.

The area in the vicinity of Lal Masjid was in the grip of tension and fear and the situation became worse when an unclaimed black bag was found at a petrol pump located in the area.

Workers and other people at the fuel filling station left the site and stood away from it. Police and bomb disposal squad were called but before their arrival a worker of a car washing station at the petrol pump showed courage and opened the bag.

A laptop computer and a car registration book were found in it. The car registration book was in the name of a person named Inamul Haq.

Police also found his mobile telephone number on the registration book and called him to Aabpara police station to collect the bag.

The Lal Masjid administration reportedly kept on constructing illegal structures and rooms in the mosque complex for the last many years but it accelerated the construction work during the tenure of the present regime.

Another CDA official said the mosque administration had encroached upon 7,500 sq yards (16 kanals) of land for the construction of Jamia Hafsa.

He said Lal Masjid administration had also encroached three plots allocated for women library, the author’s corner and a gymnasium.

The establishment of women library was a project of the education ministry and it had been provided an alternative plot for the library.

The CDA had served many notices on the mosque administration and sometimes anti-encroachment operations were planned in the past but all such actions against the mosque were prevented by the people in power, the sources said.

The construction of Jamia Hafsa’s four-storey building was completed in 2003 and during its construction, the CDA tried their best to stop it but a federal minister interfered and stopped action against the seminary, they said.

Unquote.

It is obvious that the Federal Minister in question is Ijazul Haq and IMO people in power refers to Ch. Shujaat. You see that when such people support land grab by the Islamic Mafia ( out and out illegal activity) what is to be expected of the rest of society ??

Only way forward is to regularize the syllabus of all madarassa's without exception. There should be regular inspection of all mosques and seminaries to ensure that no seditious or anti state activities are taking place. Would this happen?? Religious ministry headed by Ijaz ul Haq cant even get them to register let alone agree to inspection.

Now you can undesrtand that why I fear for the Pakistan State. The society is being torn from within. Many educated people and the: people who matter cannot see that Talibization is gnawing away the fabric of the State f Pakistan. Each time someone criticizes the mullahs, they shout that you are following US commands. Tackling extremism is a must for Pakistan's survival.:angry

 

[kvLin]

"Musharraf killing students", though he obviously wants otherwise.

"People in Lal Masjid would die for Islam" , though they actually did great harm to the country.

the two above are ruffians' ultimate WMD against Musharraf, when there are western reporters acting as launcher. so, Lal Masjid didn't need enough bombs when it was under siege, ruffians could also be literary and they know where to draw the line.

Being picky and fussy on way of death, the student (story teller) is not even a qualified candidate if he really wants to be a martyr, instead, he has shown how brainwash could ever work inside his school.