Jamia Hafsa - Controversy

Controversy

In April 2007, Maulana Abdul Aziz (Hifzulllah) announced that a Qazi court composed of ten Lal Masjid Muftis (judges) would henceforth enforce sharia law over the area under its control, and threatened suicide attacks by his followers in the country in the event of a government intervention against the madrassa.

Wafaq ul Madaris (Governing Body of Seminaries) suspended Jamia Hafsa's membership after pressure from the Government, according to Islamic scholars. Wafaq ul Madaris was later forced by the government to cancel their registration. The majority ulema of Pakistan viewed cleric Qari Hanif Jalandhri as an agent of the government due to his support of Ijaz-ul-Haq.

Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa students raided a Chinese massage center in Sector F-8/3 and took hostage five Chinese nationals, including three women and two men, Two vehicles full of armed seminary students raided the massage center, abducted staff and brought them to the mosque. The Jamia Hafsa administration alleged that a brothel was being run under the garb of a massage center. The Lal Masjid clerics could not be contacted as they had switched off their mobile phones. Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) officials reached the seminary and were trying to secure the release of the abducted Chinese through dialogue. Earlier, the students had abducted the alleged brothel owner and released her after a couple of days. They had also abducted and later released two police personnel.

In May 2007, baton-wielding students from a mosque associated with the movement took four Pakistan police as hostages, demanding the release of ten associates who had been arrested by intelligence officers. This kind of controversy finally led to the siege of the Jamia Hafsa and Lal Masjid started on July 3, 2007.