Islamabad faces suicide bomb call

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frigidmagi
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#1 Islamabad faces suicide bomb call

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BBC
The head of a radical mosque in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, has threatened to use suicide bomb attacks against the government.
Maulana Abdul Aziz made his defiant call to thousands of followers during Friday prayers.

The government is facing calls to clamp down on the activites of students in two madrassas attached to the mosque.

If the government does take action, "our last resort will be suicide bombings", Mr Aziz declared.

He also demanded that the government close down Islamabad's video shops and brothels within one month.

The Taleban-style activity of Mr Aziz's followers in the capital has caused outrage among human rights activists.

Last week female students from a madrassa that is part of Mr Aziz's Lal Masjid (red mosque) complex abducted a woman they accused of running a brothel, holding her captive for two days.

Some of the students are also staging an armed occupation of a children's library in the capital.

The government says it hopes to resolve its differences by peaceful means.

'Last resort'

"If the government says it will launch an operation against us as a last resort, our last resort will be suicide bombings," Mr Aziz told his supporters.


Supporters of Maulana Aziz burn videos and CDs


Islamabad's radical madrassa

"What is our way?" he asked them, the Associated Press news agency reports.

The students called back, "Jihad, jihad (holy war)".

"I give a deadline of one month to the government to close brothels and video shops," Mr Aziz said.

"If the government fails we will take action."

Outside the mosque, a group of supporters set fire to a pile of videos and CDs.

Mr Aziz also said he had set up a Sharia law court at the mosque, made up of 10 clerics.

'Bigoted forces'

On Thursday hundreds of human rights activists staged a protest calling for action against activities of the two madrassas - one for men, one for women - attached to the mosque.


Human rights protesters denounce 'Mr Aziz's supporters

They said the madrassa students were "harassing and terrorising ordinary citizens of Pakistan in the name of Islam".

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and a dozen non-governmental organisations urged people to "rise against these extremist religious bigoted forces and secure the future of the present and future generations".

The mosque has long been a problem for the capital city administration and Pakistan's President, General Pervez Musharraf.

It has often criticised his policies in the "war on terror" and called for Islamic law to be enforced in Pakistan.
What is interesting about this is that the women of the school have taken the leding role. Usually "purifing" society of eval influences is a man's game in Islam, a role that generally holds true in most other cultures as well. I wonder if this is due to manpower strain (alot of male extremist Islamist have hie themselves north to fight NATO forces in Afghan) or a werid case of femenism run amuk?

Generally mainline feminist (so we're discussing the radical nutjobs here) tend towards pacifism in my experience, although most of them make allowences for self defense.
"it takes two sides to end a war but only one to start one. And those who do not have swords may still die upon them." Tolken
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