Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 8, No. 3, 2009, Page 26
all of a sudden, discouraged from fighting. These people did not understand this change of
mind, and they felt betrayed by the State that once more was failing the cause.
Both brothers openly supported the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in their sermons at the Mosque.
Abdul Aziz claimed to have had 300 sacred dreams in which Prophet Muhammand (PBUH)
had asked him to impose Sharia and purge society of its evils.
Not surprisingly, these brothers, who felt betrayed by the State, indoctrinated children at
the Mosque‘s attached schools so as to spread their ideas and reconquer the world once
more to their cause. The Jamia Hafsa had the capacity to teach at least 5,000 girls,6 while
the boys‘ school, Jamia Fareedia, was able to have at least 1,300 students. Over the years,
they configured themselves as a force preparing for the day when they would be able to
fight against the government and its allies (the United States).
The leaders of the mosque were further related to militant groups fighting jihad in Kashmir,
such as the Jaish-e Mohammad (JeM, Army of Muhammad), a group known for its practice
of kidnapping children and training them to fight against Indian forces.7 They might have
shared their views and methods for better training children to serve their purposes.
Although normal subjects were taught at school (math, history, geography), the schools
were mainly focused on a militant ideology that had perverted Islam to make it a religion of
hatred, violence, and intolerance. Its version of religion, although some say it is based on
the Deoband school of thought, seems more to be a radical evolution of it, for it is far too
politicized not to be distinguished from its original.8
How the Red Mosque Used Islam to Pursue Political Goals
Having targeted the leader of the country, Musharraf, the brothers threatened to kill him
and taught in their schools nonobedience to the authorities of what they deemed a
corrupted state.9 The President and the then-General of the Armed Forces, Musharraf,
changed policy and decided to side with the United States in the ―War against terror.‖ His
decision resulted in a ban on many affiliated groups,10 as well as a U-turn in the policy of
aiding militants in their different fights. The brothers‘ version of Islam was the only set of
rules. Following the teaching of ―Commanding right and forbidding wrong‖ (an Islamic
tradition called al-amr bi-l-ma‟aruf wa nahi „an al-munkar), girls started raiding the capital,
stick in hand, as a decency brigade. The same way their Taliban allies in the tribal areas had
conquered several of its districts, they thought they could change Islamabad. However,
dressed in black and hiding all but their eyes, they were no representation of tradition, at
least not of that of Pakistan or the region of their origin. Girls from around 6 years to 15
years of age were raiding the town, threatening music shops, or women not dressing like
them or not covering their heads. They occupied a children‘s library, kidnapped women
under the accusation they were running a brothel, or legitimized throwing acid on women‘s
faces if they would not cover themselves, among other activities.
The state‘s weak response made them believe they could succeed. This belief caused them
to increase their demands. They demanded change not only on Islamabad, but also in the
whole country, and they advocated enforcement of Sharia within a short deadline. In
several interviews, the two leaders maintained that the failure of their leaders to implement
an Islamic system in the country, along with their siding with America, was the cause of all
troubles and evils in the country. They asserted that Pakistan was born to be an Islamic
country. The voices of the girls could be heard saying they would fight for an Islamic state
and sacrifice their lives for that cause. When the question of suicide attacks arose, they
would say that they would gain paradise and were proud of being part of a school where
they had been given the chance to follow the right path. It was most shocking to see even a
six-year-old girl advocate suicide, while the girls‘ teacher, the wife of one of the two
brothers called Umme Hassan, tried to make reporters believe that the girls had adopted
these ideas of their free and spontaneous will. Not surprisingly, they were articulating the
all of a sudden, discouraged from fighting. These people did not understand this change of
mind, and they felt betrayed by the State that once more was failing the cause.
Both brothers openly supported the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in their sermons at the Mosque.
Abdul Aziz claimed to have had 300 sacred dreams in which Prophet Muhammand (PBUH)
had asked him to impose Sharia and purge society of its evils.
Not surprisingly, these brothers, who felt betrayed by the State, indoctrinated children at
the Mosque‘s attached schools so as to spread their ideas and reconquer the world once
more to their cause. The Jamia Hafsa had the capacity to teach at least 5,000 girls,6 while
the boys‘ school, Jamia Fareedia, was able to have at least 1,300 students. Over the years,
they configured themselves as a force preparing for the day when they would be able to
fight against the government and its allies (the United States).
The leaders of the mosque were further related to militant groups fighting jihad in Kashmir,
such as the Jaish-e Mohammad (JeM, Army of Muhammad), a group known for its practice
of kidnapping children and training them to fight against Indian forces.7 They might have
shared their views and methods for better training children to serve their purposes.
Although normal subjects were taught at school (math, history, geography), the schools
were mainly focused on a militant ideology that had perverted Islam to make it a religion of
hatred, violence, and intolerance. Its version of religion, although some say it is based on
the Deoband school of thought, seems more to be a radical evolution of it, for it is far too
politicized not to be distinguished from its original.8
How the Red Mosque Used Islam to Pursue Political Goals
Having targeted the leader of the country, Musharraf, the brothers threatened to kill him
and taught in their schools nonobedience to the authorities of what they deemed a
corrupted state.9 The President and the then-General of the Armed Forces, Musharraf,
changed policy and decided to side with the United States in the ―War against terror.‖ His
decision resulted in a ban on many affiliated groups,10 as well as a U-turn in the policy of
aiding militants in their different fights. The brothers‘ version of Islam was the only set of
rules. Following the teaching of ―Commanding right and forbidding wrong‖ (an Islamic
tradition called al-amr bi-l-ma‟aruf wa nahi „an al-munkar), girls started raiding the capital,
stick in hand, as a decency brigade. The same way their Taliban allies in the tribal areas had
conquered several of its districts, they thought they could change Islamabad. However,
dressed in black and hiding all but their eyes, they were no representation of tradition, at
least not of that of Pakistan or the region of their origin. Girls from around 6 years to 15
years of age were raiding the town, threatening music shops, or women not dressing like
them or not covering their heads. They occupied a children‘s library, kidnapped women
under the accusation they were running a brothel, or legitimized throwing acid on women‘s
faces if they would not cover themselves, among other activities.
The state‘s weak response made them believe they could succeed. This belief caused them
to increase their demands. They demanded change not only on Islamabad, but also in the
whole country, and they advocated enforcement of Sharia within a short deadline. In
several interviews, the two leaders maintained that the failure of their leaders to implement
an Islamic system in the country, along with their siding with America, was the cause of all
troubles and evils in the country. They asserted that Pakistan was born to be an Islamic
country. The voices of the girls could be heard saying they would fight for an Islamic state
and sacrifice their lives for that cause. When the question of suicide attacks arose, they
would say that they would gain paradise and were proud of being part of a school where
they had been given the chance to follow the right path. It was most shocking to see even a
six-year-old girl advocate suicide, while the girls‘ teacher, the wife of one of the two
brothers called Umme Hassan, tried to make reporters believe that the girls had adopted
these ideas of their free and spontaneous will. Not surprisingly, they were articulating the
