Radical Islamabad mosque grooming suicide bombers, report says

Apr 23, 2007, 10:07 GMT

Islamabad - Islamic students associated with a radical mosque in the Pakistani capital Islamabad have been indoctrinated and trained to mount suicide attacks, a ruling coalition party claimed in a report released Monday.

A large arsenal of unused weapons from Kalashnikov assault rifles to rocket-propelled grenades has also been amassed at the Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, and two affiliated madrassa religious schools, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) said after 'unbiased research.'

'They also think that in case of their martyrdom in suicidal attacks they will be welcomed by houris (virgins) with garlands in their hands and they will have entry into the heaven without accountability,' the party's report said.

Independent witnesses have testified to the presence of automatic weapons on the premises, while members of a terrorist group with a history of bombings have also joined the mosque's protectors, according to press reports.

The MQM, which rules Pakistan's largest city of Karachi and forms the central government with the Pakistan Muslim League, this month held a rally of around 100,000 people against violent enforcement of self-defined Islamic laws by the madrassa students in Islamabad.

Tensions have risen steadily since January when authorities in the capital began to demolish mosques they said were illegally located on state land and obstructing infrastructure projects.

Hundreds of female students occupied a public library in protest while male madrassa students launched a 'morality campaign' in the city, detaining alleged prostitutes and harassing CD and DVD store owners and women drivers for obscene and 'un-Islamic' behaviour.

The report claimed that the hardliners claim to have 7,000 members but when their force increased to 70,000 'they will dismiss President Pervez Musharraf, occupy the rule of the country and impose their Sharia (Islamic law).'

The Red Mosque and its seminaries are governed by two brothers, Abdul Aziz and Abdul Rashid Ghazi, who are thought to be using the female students as human shields to evade any official attempt to end the illegal occupation of land.

If action were taken against them, the mosque administration planned to kill a few women and children and accuse the government of oppression with a view to justifying suicide attacks, the report alleged.

Musharraf said recently that he would not use force against the mosque and madrassa pupils, preferring a dialogue with the 'errant people.'

Misinterpretation of Islam by a minority that sought to forcefully impose its views on society was threatening Pakistan's stability, said the president, who promotes a policy of 'enlightened moderation' for the Muslim country.

Meanwhile, Pakistani media have reported that leaders and members of the banned Jaish-e-Mohammad jihadi organization, which is accused of mounting terrorist attacks in Indian-controlled Kashmir and other parts of India, arrived at the mosque to defend it against any aggression by security forces.