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India-Pakistan

CII meets today to discuss triple talaq issue

2018-11-28

They were gonna do it last week, but somebody hollered "Get out! Get out! Get out!" so they all hadda leave. Shariah, you know. [DAWN] In an atte­mpt to stamp out instant div­orce, the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) is set to move towards declaring triple talaq in one go illegal, ineffective and even punishable. The council has been working on the subject since January as many of its members, including chairman Dr Qibla Ayaz, want amendments to relevant laws. The topic is on the agenda of a CII meeting to be held on Tuesday (today). Dr Ayaz has expressed concern on several occasions over pronouncing triple talaq in one go. "Many council members want to impose a penalty on those who pronounce triple talaq, while others are in favour of declaring it null and void as it is in Shia and Ahle Hadith schools of thought," said a CII researcher. Talking to Dawn, CII members said it was their responsibility to make suggestions as per Sharia. The CII has discussed the Indian Supreme Court’s recent ruling against pronouncement of triple talaqat one time, and now it will examine a letter received from the All Indian Moslem Personal Law Board on the issue. The board is against the Supreme Court’s ruling, but acknowledged that the practice of pronouncing three talaq should be discouraged.

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India-Pakistan

Entry of 23 ulema in Pindi banned

2018-09-15

[DAWN] Citing intelligence that objectionable speeches/sermons may lead to law and order situation during Muharram, the local administration has banned the entry of 23 Learned Elders of Islam in the district. Besides, gagging orders have been issued against nine other religious personalities. Meanwhile, ...back at the palazzo, Count Guido had escaped from his bonds and overwhelmed his guard using the bludgeon the faithful Filomena had smuggled to him in the loaf of bread... surveillance of 33 individuals placed on the fourth schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 has been started by a joint task force. However, today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday... two of the fourth schedulers are said to have been settled in Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... The law enforcement agencies have been directed to keep vigilance on the fourth schedulers during Muharram and restrict their movement in addition to monitoring their communications. An individual placed on the watch list of the ATA is bound to inform the concerned police before leaving their hometown and on return. Besides, the suspect is bound to inform the police about the place of their visit and individuals they meet. The directives to ban the entry of 23 Learned Elders of Islam and issue gagging orders against nine others were issued after an intelligence agency informed the Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard 2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers 3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... government that activities of the religious personalities needed to be checked to ensure peace in Muharram. Seven of the nine religious personalities who have been gagged belong to the Deobandi and one each to the Shia and Ahle Hadith schools of thought.

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Bangladesh

‘Mahfuz supplied grenades for Gulshan attack’

2016-09-04

[Dhaka Tribune] Investigators have found that explosives expert Sohel Mahfuz alias Hat-kata Mahfuz, a big shot of the main JMB who later became part of the New JMB, was linked to the July 1 attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery at Gulshan "We have information that Sohel Mahfuz supplied the grenades used by bandidos murderous Moslems in the Gulshan cafe attack," Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit chief Monirul Islam said yesterday. CT unit sources say Mahfuz was a founding member of the JMB, which was formed in 1998 by former Jamaat leader and Ahle Hadith member Shayakh Abdur Rahman and declared banned in 2005. Abdur Rahman and some of his associates were hanged in 2007. Mahfuz has expertise in making bombs. His left hand was blown off in a kaboom, but he can use a firearms with the other hand. He is a relative of Gulshan attack’s operation commander Nurul Islam Marjan. In his student life, Mahfuz was a member of Islami Chhatra Shibir ... the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh... , the radical student wing of Jamaat and later joined the JMB. Hailing from Kushtia, Mahfuz declared himself its chief after the arrest of its second ameer Saidur Rahman in 2010 but it triggered conflict within the group. Later Mahfuz went to Burdwan of India and from there tried to raise a new faction of the JMB with the help of Maulana Abul Kashem, who later became its acting chief. CT unit sources say Mahfuz fled to India and returned home a couple of years ago and started working with the New JMB faction, coordinated by Bangladeshi-born Canadian citizen Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury. He played a key role in supplying arms and bombs for its members. Detectives could not confirm Mahfuz’s position in the outfit. Monirul said Marjan was an important leader of the New JMB and a close aide of Tamim. "More information can be found about the outfit if we can arrest Marjan." He earlier said that they learnt about eight to nine more people who had been behind the Gulshan terror attack.

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Bangladesh

Monirul: Main JMB weakening

2016-08-20

[Dhaka Tribune] Al-Qaeda-inspired JMB, an outlawed Lion of Islam group responsible for carrying out series kabooms in 63 districts on this day in 2005, has lost much of its strength in the recent years, detectives say. But, the recently-emerged Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) faction has appeared on the scene as a deadlier Lion of Islam group than the mainstream one, founded in 1998 by Shayakh Abdur Rahman. Law enforcers blame the New JMB members for most of the recent assassination'>assassinations including the Gulshan and Sholakia attacks, while some of the attacks were claimed by another Lion of Islam group Ansarullah Bangla Team. Ansarullah was declared banned in May last year. The New JMB is believed to be inspired by international terrorist group Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... and local Ahle Hadith group. It is operated by eight to ten coordinators under the leadership of a yet unidentified spiritual leader from a northern district, detectives say. Police say they have incarcerated I ain't sayin' nuttin' widdout me mout'piece! around 150 New JMB members in the last two years. The main JMB in June this year issued a statement describing the attacks they have conducted since 1998 and denied having involved in other attacks. It said former majlish-e-sura member Salahuddin alias Salehin alias Sajeeb became their chief after he was snatched from a prison van in February 2014. In another statement released on July 31, the JMB claimed they had no connection with the Gulshan attack when 23 people mostly foreigners were killed in a restaurant on July 1. The previous chief, Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... leader Maulana Saidur Rahman, has been in jail since 2010 while its founder was hanged in 2007 along with several other policymakers including Siddiqur Rahman alias Bangla Bhai. The group was banned on February 23, 2005. After the August 17 blasts carried out in 511 places, the JMB carried out several suicide kabooms killing at least 33 people before its top leaders were arrested in early 2006. The notorious group came to light by establishing a reign of terror in Rajshahi and NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions... re in 2004 by killing and torturing dozens of people, in the name of operations against forces of Evil linked to leftist parties and under the patronisation of some BNP-Jamaat leaders, and the attack on Prof Humayun Azad. Around 160 cases were filed against the JMB leaders and patrons across the country regarding these incidents. But verdicts have been given in only 88 of the cases in the last 11 years. At least 51 cases are still waiting for disposal in different district courts. In the 88 cases, 35 bully boyz were given death penalty, and of them, only six have been executed so far. The other cases are pending with the top court. The courts sentenced 131 bully boyz to life-term imprisonment in these cases. Four out of the 18 cases filed over 33 blasts in Dhaka city on this day in 2005 have been quashed by the courts. According to the Police Headquarters data, police gave final report in 17 out of 160 cases clearing the accused. The number of people sued in the 143 other cases was 242 but charges were pressed against 1,157 people. Investigators say 960 of the accused have been arrested so far. However, ars longa, vita brevis... the number of bully boyz who secured bail could not be known. In the recent years, the main JMB members were responsible for several assassination'>assassinations that include Mohammad Shahidullah at Tanore in Rajshahi on May 6, retired sergeant instructor of Kashimpur jail Rustom Hawlader in Gazipur on April 25, Pir Khijir Khan in Badda area of Dhaka on October 5 last year, popular preacher Sheikh Nurul Islam Faruqi in Dhaka on August 27, 2014, and self-proclaimed Pir Lutfar Rahman, his son and four disciples at Gopibagh in Dhaka on December 21, 2013.

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India-Pakistan

18 hurt in grenade attack on mosque

2016-05-04

[DAWN] PESHAWAR: At least 18 people were maimed when unidentified attackers lobbed a hand grenade at a mosque in the limits of Tehkal cop shoppe late on Sunday. Local people and police officials told Dawn that the incident took place around midnight, when 25 persons were busy in having dinner in the main hall of Baitul Mukaram mosque after attending a sermon in Tehkal Bala area. They said that unidentified attackers threw a hand grenade inside the mosque and also fired shots in the air. Mumtaz Ali, a local resident whose elder brother sustained injuries in the attack, told Dawn that the incident took place at around 11:30pm. He said that they rushed to the mosque after hearing a loud bang and saw that injured were lying on the floor. Mr Ali said that they shifted the injured to the hospital. He said that they also heard shots following the blast. However, some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them... he said that they did not see any attacker. SP Abbas Majeed Marwat told Dawn that it was not an extortion related incident. He said that the mosque belonged to Ahle Hadith sect and their religious gathering was targeted with a hand grenade. The official said that apparently there were at least seven to eight attackers, riding three to four cycle of violences. The assailants managed to escape after the attack, he added. Mr Marwat said that the attackers also fired shots after lobbing the grenade at the mosque as police recovered spent casing of 30 bore and 9mm from the scene. He said that one of the attackers was taken into custody in injured condition. He said that the attacker was probably injured mistakenly by his accomplices. The injured were taken to Khyber Teaching Hospital and Hayatabad Medical Complex. Sources said that the attacker, who sustained head injury, was first shifted to Hayatabad Medical Complex and later taken to CMH.

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India-Pakistan

Religious parties to mull over anti-govt drive

2016-03-09

[DAWN] Perturbed at Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard 2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers 3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... Women Protection Law and execution of Mumtaz Qadri, religious forces are assembling at Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... headquarters here next week to mull over launching a joint anti-government drive. Markazi Jamaat Ahle Hadith President Prof Sajid Mir says the meeting will be held on March 15. MJAH is an ally of the ruling PML-N. "The meeting will discuss a big movement aimed at protection of religious values of the country," Mir says. He says the liberal forces have targeted family system of Islam through the women protection law but he vows to thwart the move. He says the law lacks backing of any religious force as not a single religious party has approved of it. To combine their forces against the law, he says, leadership of all religious parties is going to meet at Mansoora on March 15 to discuss various options of holding protest.

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India-Pakistan

Seminaries' empty accounts perplex govt agencies

2016-01-02

[DAWN] LAHORE: Hardly any 'substantial' bank transaction has been detected in the case of about 200 seminaries in Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard 2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers 3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... which are being monitored for terror-financing, forcing the authorities concerned to try and trace any other channels of money transfer that they may have used. Officials involved in the monitoring of suspected seminaries told Dawn on Thursday that the seminaries maintained accounts with very small amounts -- of a few thousand rupees -- fuelling long-held suspicions that they had employed other channels of funding -- such as hawala or hundi in their own name or that of an associate -- or they were being run on direct cash collections. "Joint investigation teams have completed verification of bank transactions of the suspected seminaries. They will now record statements of the administration of seminaries about the channels they are receiving money from to run their affairs," an official said. A joint team comprising officials of the Counter-Terrorism Department, Fed­eral Investigation Agency, Special Branch of the Punjab Police, the National Counter-Terrorism Autho­rity, the Punjab Home Department and a number of intelligence agencies had prepared a list of seminaries suspected to have been receiving terror financing or funding from illegal channels. "The Sherlocks have prepared a list (of suspected seminaries) on the basis of any of its student found involved in terror or suspicious activities. Finding out that the seminaries had carried out no substantial bank transactions could indicate that they are avoiding the legal channel to keep the source of funding secret," the official said. The seminaries, he said, belonged to all leading schools of thought -- Deobandi, Barelvi, Ahle Hadith and Shia. The official said that the investigation of seminaries' bank accounts had set a 'clear direction' for Sherlocks to unearth the truth about channels of their funding and bring them under financial regulation. Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, Mianwali, Khushab, Layyah, Rajanpur Multan, Lodhran, Bahawal­pur, Bahawalnagar, Vehari, Bhakkar and Jhang districts -- all in southern Punjab -- have around 100 suspected seminaries while the other 100 are in the rest of the province. On the other hand, the government has recently established the National Terrorists Financing Investi­gation Cell to lay hand on the 'controllers and financiers of terrorism'. The State Bank, FIA, the Federal Board of Revenue and intelligence agencies are jointly working under this cell to track financial transactions between 'national and international banking systems'. The SBP is reported to have frozen Rs1 billion in 126 accounts of banned groups and Rs250 million has been detected transferred here through hundi and hawala since the launch of the National Action Plan after the Taliban attack on Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. 's Army Public School.

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India-Pakistan

Saudi minister seeks support of religious parties

2015-04-15

[DAWN] The Saudi Minister for Religious Affairs, Sheikh Saleh bin Abdul Aziz, on Monday remained busy soliciting the support of religious parties in his country's conflict with Yemen's Houthi ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews ... rebels. The Saudi minister had arrived in Islamabad on Sunday on a previously unannounced trip amid growing doubts in Riyadh and among its allies about Islamabad's support for the offensive against Houthis after a parliamentary resolution called for observing neutrality in the conflict. Sheikh Saleh's only engagement with government functionaries on Monday was a meeting with his Pak counterpart, Sardar Mohammad Yusuf, who later hosted a reception in his honour. But for most of the day, the Saudi minister interacted with holy men from Wafaqul Madaris Al-Arabia and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty ... . The meetings coincided with statements by some religious parties that they could send fighters to Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... if the government refused to send troops in support of the Saudi-led operation against Houthis. There has also been an upsurge in activities by the religious parties for moulding public opinion in favour of the Saudi action and the need for Pakistain to support it. Jamaat Ahle Hadith held a conference on Saturday and before that Jamaat-ud-Dawa ...the front organization of Lashkar-e-Taiba... brought out a rally calling for Pakistain's participation in the war against Houthis. In his meetings, the Saudi religious minister has been saying that Riyadh remains confident that Pakistain will support it. Sheikh Saleh's visit was preceded by a trip by Saudi Chief Adviser on Religious Affairs Dr Abdul Aziz. A source disclosed that there had been a sudden increase in the number of visitors to Pakistain over the past fortnight.

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Bangladesh

Comments made against atheists and sects are hateful and should be resisted

2014-04-23

[Dhaka Tribune] The extraordinary demand made by Hefazat Secretary General Junaid Babunagari, that followers of minority Islamic sects such as Ahmadiyya and Ahle Hadith should be banned, and that atheists should not be allowed to live in Bangladesh, cannot be allowed to go unchallenged. We are confident most Bangladeshis, regardless of their faith and background, value the spirit and letter of Bangladesh as a free country which constitutionally guarantees freedoms of belief and religion. Moreover, many devout Moslems would disagree with such calls on the Koranic basis that there should be no compulsion in religion. As a religious body, his organization may be expected by its followers to disagree with or even dislike contrary religious opinions. However the comments made against atheists, non-Moslems, and Moslems of sects, with which the Hefazat does not agree, are hateful rhetoric which should be resisted. There is no justification for the state to ban minority sects of any faith. The Hefazat leader's accompanying remark that Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and people from other religions can still live in the country should not be taken as any form of moderation. By using blood--curdling language to describe and threaten non-believers and those with whom he disagrees, he opens the door to discrimination and persecution. All people, whatever their beliefs, or lack of them, deserve equal protection under the law. There is no room in Bangladesh for the state to discriminate between citizens on the basis of their religious beliefs or practices.

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India-Pakistan

'No shariah through suicide attacks, no peace through airstrikes'

2014-01-25

[DAWN] Taking a slightly different position from their traditional view point, Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... (JI) chief Syed Munawar Hassan ... The funny-looking leader-for-life of the Pak Jamaat-e-Islami. He joined the National Students Federation (NSF), a lefty student body, and was elected its President in 1959. He came into contact with the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT) Pakistan and studied the writings of Mawlana Syed Abul Ala Maududi, The Great Apostasizer. As a result, he joined IJT in 1960 and soon he was elected as President of its University of Karachi Unit and member of the Central Executive Council. He was Assistant Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistain in 1992-93, and became Secretary General in 1993. After years of holding Qazi's camel he was named Amir when the old man stepped down in 2009... Friday said that neither bombings (Arclight airstrikes) can help restore peace nor suicide kabooms could pave way for the enforcement of Islamic Shariah. Addressing the congregation of Friday prayers at Mansoora mosque -- the JI headquarters -- he said that religious forces, especially Deobandi holy mans should step forward and pave way for dialogue to save the country and also to prevent the emergence of a wrong image of Islam. The JI chief alleged that the Pakistain Moslem League-Nawaz (PML-N) did not hold peace talks with Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) upon pressure asserted by the United States. Defending the Pak Taliban's ideology, he said the notion that Taliban do not comply with law and constitution was propaganda that was being spread for some 'special purpose'. "The government was fulfilling a longstanding wish of the US by destroying North Wazoo." Hasan said if the religious forces did not rise at this moment, they would be driven to a blind alley and would have no way out. He claimed the religious parties had played a key role in framing the 1973 constitution, and it was their duty at this juncture to protect the country and the constitution. "A charge sheet has been issued against the religious parties and they would have to answer that." The JI chief said that enemies had always used the differences between the Islamic sects and schools of thought as a weapon. "The need of the hour is that the Ulema (holy men) of Deobandi school of thought sit down with the Shias, the Ahle Hadith, and Ahle Sunnah to evolve an effective strategy to counter the current campaign against Islam." Therefore, he added, it was the duty of the religious forces to go ahead with the talks with the Taliban. "Since a majority of the Taliban belongs to the Deobandi school of thought, it was for the Deobandi Ulema to take up this responsibility," he said.

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India-Pakistan

Police collecting details of seminaries, students in Islamabad

2014-01-23

[DAWN] The special branch of Islamabad police has started collecting details of students, teachers and administrators of seminaries, police said on Tuesday. Police teams are collecting all necessary particulars from the seminaries keeping in view the prevailing security situation. Besides, the same practice is also being carried out in guest houses and hotels in the city. Particulars of all students will be compiled and updated at regular intervals. The seminary administrations have been directed by the police not to allow any unknown person to stay on their premises. The special police teams would continue checking the premises from time to time. The particulars of all those visiting guest houses, hotels, motels and inns would be obtained and field officers would compile all the relevant details about them. The Islamabad police have warned of strict action as per law if anyone staying in the hotels and seminaries was found involved in unlawful practices. According to the last survey conducted about two years ago, there were 685 mosques and 40 imambargahs along with 305 seminaries in the capital city. Out of the total, 89 seminaries were operated by Barelvi school of thought, 199 by Deobandis, 10 by Ahle Hadith and seven by Shia community. There were 843 teachers and 29,380 students hailing from Islamabad, tribal areas, AJK, KPK and southern Punjab.

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India-Pakistan

The Madrassa Networks Of Sindh

2013-07-14

[FridayTimes] Thousands of new religious schools that opened in urban Sindh after 9/11 are a cause of concern for the provincial government In a recent survey carried out by the Sindh Home Ministry, there are 12,545 madrassas in the province, of which 2,161 are sectarian and dangerous. About 74 percent of these religious schools are in Urban Sindh (Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... , Hyderabad and Sukkur). At least 8,191 out of them opened after 9/11. About 67 percent of the madrassas in the province are owned by people who do not have a Sindh domicile. According to the survey, 6,191 of the madrassas belong to the Deobandi school of thought, 2,811 are Barevli, 412 follow the Ahle Hadith doctrine and 512 belonged to the Shia fiqh. The most alarming aspect of the study is that the areas with the highest concentration of madrassas are the focal points of sectarianism. One example of that is Karachi's central district that has more than 813 madrassas. More than 74 percent of all sectarian motivated killings in Karachi are carried out in this district. Mufti Taimoor Afridi owns the Jamia Islamia madrassa in North Karachi, with 381 students mostly from the tribal areas. "These children would have joined the Taliban if they weren't studying here," he said. "We are teaching and feeding them. The money comes from local donors." Mufti Taimoor Afridi recently bought a new 4x4 Vigo worth Rs 3.2 million. Inside the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat ...which is the false nose and plastic mustache of the murderous banned extremist group Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain, whatcha might call the political wing of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi... 's headquarters in Karachi, party head Aurangzeb Farooqi says his group's madrassas do not promote sectarian rivalry. "We have hundreds of madrassas with thousands of students, and we do not teach sectarianism." The population of madrassa students in Sindh according to the Home Ministry survey is estimated at up to 120,000 to 150,000. "We have seen cases in the past where we recovered children chained in a madrassa named Madrassa al Arabia al Uloom," said Mohammad Rameez Khan, an official of the Sindh Home Ministry. "The parents enrolled the children but the madrassa administration chained them so they wouldn't run-away." In 2005, Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad promulgated the Societies Registration (Sindh Amendment) Ordinance, under which no seminary can be set up or run in the province without being registered. A new section 21 was included in the 1860 law, with four clauses, that also made it compulsory for all seminaries to submit annual reports of their performance, their expenses and receipts, and audits of their accounts. The law also prohibited teaching or publishing "any literature which promotes militancy or spreads sectarianism or religious hatred". But the madrassa networks remain a major cause of concern for the Sindh government. "A majority of sectarian forces of Evil use these madrassa networks not just to hide but to recruit, pick and even train," said senior police officer Chaudhry Aslam, who heads the CID. But any reform of law enforcement moves could backfire if madrassa owners are not taken on board, analysts say. "The biggest problem is enforcement," said Sharfuddin Memon, former home minister and CPLC chief. "We should also take stern action against hate literature and enforce laws to regulate these seminaries." "There are over 600 madrassas in Sindh which are red flagged and termed dangerous," said a source in the Sindh Home Ministry. But analysts say it is hard to prove how a specific religious curriculum promotes hatred, violence and prejudice towards various sects within Islam and non-Musselmens, especially when the entire state and private school curriculum is designed to promote, inculcate and incite the spirit of jihad and hatred among children as young as five. There are also concerns about the future about the thousands of students who enroll in these religious schools. "What will these children do after graduation?" asks Mufti Naeem of Jamia Binoria, one of the largest seminaries in Sindh. "There has to be vocational training and some sort of accommodation to these madrassa students or there would be issues at all levels."

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