Faithful call for restoration of Maulana Abdul Aziz as Khateeb of Lal Masjid

Friday July 27, 2007 (1618 PST)

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ISLAMABAD: The faithful have refused to offer Jumma prayers under newly appointed Khateeb Lal Masjid and pushed him out of the mosque.

The faithful voiced noisy protests against appointment of new Khateeb Maulana Ashfaq and this led to delay in Jumma prayers. Later, Qari Attiq ur Rehman, a teacher of Jamia Hafsa led the jumma prayers.

The faithful in large number started streaming into Lal Masjid when the government allowed them to offer Jumma prayer. They entered into mosque through  walk through gate. The faithful had come from Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sheikhupura, Sargodha and Jhang. A majority of them were the pupils of Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi and Maulana Abdul Aziz. They took into their possession mike and pulpit and started chanting slogans, Al Jehad, Al-Jehad.

Maulana Ashfaq Ahmad, newly appointed Khateeb was brought into the mosque amid tight security. As soon he sat on the pulpit to deliver discourse, the faithful refused to listen to him and he was pushed out of pulpit

The security personnel took him out of the mosque and later he was shifted to his home. Some students captured the roof top of Masjid and hoisted black flags . They inscribed the name of Lal Masjid on its walls and painted the walls of the mosque with red color. Earlier the walls were painted with off white color. Meanwhile Liaqat Baloch, Mian Aslam and Hanif Abbasi, MMA legislators entered into the mosque. The students and faithful also raised slogans against them.

The police and security forces stood at a distance. Some people went upto the debris of Lal Masjid , took out the veils of girl students, pages of Holy Quran and luggage from wreckage and started kissing them amid flooding tears. People burst into tears by remembering Maulana Abdul Aziz and Ghazi Abdul Rashid.

The faithful demanded of the government to bring back Maulana Abdul Aziz to lead jumma prayers but the administration refused to accept this demand.

Siraj ul Haq, leader of Jamaat-e-Islami led Jumma prayer separately outside Lal Masjid.

The faithful  through a resolution in Jumma prayers demanded of the government to  release Maulana Abdul Aziz and  restore  him as Khateeb of Lal Masjid. No one else will be accepted as Khateeb.

The resolution also said that Jamia Hafsa be reconstructed immediately and if it is not done so, the faithful and students will start constructing the  seminary.