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India-Pakistan
Lal Masjid’s khateeb removed, Maulana Aziz’s entry banned for three months
2019-06-27
[DAWN] The capital administration has removed the khateeb of Lal Masjid
...literally the Red Mosque, located in Islamabad and frequented by all sorts of high govt officials. The proprietors, Ghazi Abdul Rasheed and Maulana Abdul Aziz Ghazi, unleashed their Islamic storm troopers on the city, shutting down whorehouses and beating people up who weren't devout enough. The Musharraf govt put an end to the nonsense by besieging the place. Abdul Aziz Ghazi was nabbed while he was trying to escape dressed up like a girl. BBC reported that the corpse count at 173, but other claims, usually hysterical, say there were up to 1000 titzup. Among their number was Abdul Rashid Ghazi. Everyone then said tut-tut and what a nice guy he had been...
and imposed a three-month ban on the entry of former khateeb Maulana Abdul Aziz
...nutball holy man who runs the Lal Masjid in the heart of Pakistain's capital. After instigating a rebellion against the state in 2007, he was caught trying to sneak away dressed in a burka. He rejects democracy as un-Islamic, which it probably is...
in the mosque.

The decision was taken after a meeting between Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat and Ulema, including Mufti Raees Ayubi from Azad Kashmire and Qazi Nisar from Gilgit-Baltistan.

Former administration of Jamia Hafsa
... the Islamic nunnery maintained by Lal Masjid....
, including Maulana Abdul Aziz’s wife Umme Hassam, along with 80 students came to Lal Masjid after a plot allotted to the seminary was cancelled.

They started living in eight rooms on the premises of the mosque adjacent to the weekly bazaar and commenced educational activities, said officials. The DC requested the Ulema at the meeting held on Monday to play their role in getting the rooms vacated.

The Ulema played the role of mediators between the capital administration and the former administration of the mosque.

It was decided that teachers and students of Jamia Hafsa would continue their educational activities in Lal Masjid for three months. During this period, the capital administration would resolve the issue of the cancellation of a plot allotted to Jamia Hafsa so that they could be shifted there.

When contacted, officers of the capital administration neither confirmed nor denied the development saying so far no notification had been issued.

However,
if you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning...
an official confirmed to Dawn that the khateeb of the mosque had been transferred on his own request.

After the development, the capital administration and police reopened the Masjid Road which had been closed a few days ago.

Ehtesham Ahmed, a close associate of the former Lal Masjid administration, told Dawn that Khateeb Amir Siddiqui had been suspended by the Auqaf department after Monday’s meeting. Ulema from Kashmire and Gilgit played their role in getting the issue resolved, he added.

"Now 10 Muftis from Lal Masjid’s Darul Ifta will be leading prayers till the appointment of a new khateeb after three months," he said.

During the meeting, he added, it was also agreed that Maulana Aziz would not enter the mosque for three months.

The issue related to the cancellation of the plot allotted to Jamia Hafsa was also discussed, Mr Ahmed said. It was decided that the students and teachers of the madressah would continue their educational activities in Lal Masjid but no more students would be enrolled there.

The capital administration also agreed that it would make efforts to get a plot arranged from the civic agency for the students.

Maulana Aziz remained khateeb of Lal Masjid from 1998 to 2004. He was arrested during the Lal Masjid operation in 2007.

Later, Maulana Abdul Ghaffar was appointed as the khateeb and Amir Siddiqui the naib khateeb on temporary basis.

In 2009, Maulana Ghaffar left the mosque after the release of Maulana Aziz and the latter started leading prayers in Lal Masjid till 2014 when a ban was imposed on him.

Amir Siddiqui then led prayers and three months ago was appointed the mosque’s khateeb.

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India-Pakistan
Fresh threat from Lal Masjid: 'Accept demands or face consequences'
2008-08-16
Lal Masjid clerics on Friday threatened that the government would be responsible for any untoward incident if it did not release Maulana Abdul Aziz and resolve all problems related to the mosque before Ramazan.

They issued this fresh threat during a protest after midday prayer. Seminary students and other protesters shouted slogans against the US and President Pervez Muharraf. Police ringed the venue to counter violence.

Maulana Amir Siddique, deputy chief cleric of Lal Masjid, threatened that the mosque students would get Aziz released by themselves if the government failed to do so before Ramazan.

"The government should fulfill our demands, otherwise it will be responsible for any untoward incident," he said.

He said Lal Masjid clerics had stopped tent classes at the site of demolished Jamia Hafsa as a goodwill gesture, adding the government should reconstruct the seminary and start dialogue with the clerics to resolve all issues.

"They (seminarians) would start reconstruction of Jamia Hafsa by themselves if government don't do it," he said, also demanding reopening of Jamia Fareedia.

Delivering Friday sermon, Maulana Abdul Ghaffar, the chief cleric, said Musharraf should be held accountable. "People will not forgive the government if it gives Musharraf a safe passage," he said.

He claimed that Musharraf had confessed to selling Pakistanis to the US in his book so he should be put to trial. He went on to demand registration of murder cases against Musharraf for those killed in military operations against Lal Masjid clerics and militants in tribal areas. He condemned the arrest and prosecution of Dr Aafia Siddique in the US.

Ghaffar called for a halt to the ongoing military operation in Bajaur and Swat.
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India-Pakistan
Fire Lal Masjid clerics if they cause trouble, says SC
2007-10-19
A two-member SC bench on Thursday directed the government to cancel the appointments of the temporary clerics of Lal Masjid if they or the mosque’s old administration created any disturbance.

On October 2, the SC ordered the opening of Lal Masjid and endorsed government-proposed Maulana Abdul Ghaffar as temporary cleric and Maualana Abdul Aziz’s nephew Maulana Aamer Siddique as Ghaffar’s deputy. Siddique was appointed on an undertaking that he would not create any disturbance in the mosque’s affairs.

The bench said that permanent clerics would not be appointed until the appointment dispute was settled permanently. It ordered the government to compensate the legal heirs of all those killed during the operation against the mosque. The court directed Jamia Fareedia to offer its facilities to the students if the government failed to provide them with an opportunity to continue their studies by October 30. It said Umme Hassan, the wife of Maulana Aziz, would be the principal of the girls madrassa.
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Afghanistan/South Asia
Dispute between seminary teachers leads to violence
2005-02-07
KARACHI: Violence erupted in Mubina Town on Sunday when two groups of students of a religious school fought with each other following a dispute between their two teachers. The police said Maulana Abdul Ghaffar and Maulana Umer, teachers of Madrassa Arabia Islami, had a dispute over some matter that resulted in a fight between their followers. Students pelted vehicles with stones, burnt tyres and blocked traffic. Firing in the air was also reported. The police arrested Maulana Ghaffar and another man. The police registered the case and are investigating.
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