South Asia News
Radical cleric's supporters retake Red Mosque in Pakistan (1st Lead)
Jul 27, 2007, 9:55 GMT
Islamabad - Hard-line supporters of a detained radical cleric on Friday took over the pro-Taliban Red Mosque - the scene of a deadly assault earlier in the month when government troops stormed the compound to battle against armed militants inside.
The mosque in the capital Islamabad was reopened to the public three weeks after violent clashes erupted there between security forces and Islamic militants on July 3, which climaxed with the July 10-11 commando assault that left scores of people dead.
Islamists in the mosque's main hall turned the Friday mid-day prayers into an angry protest demonstration as soon as a cleric began to make the call to prayer at around 12:35 pm.
Some protesters flew Islamic flags after climbing onto the rooftop of the mosque that donned a new look with freshly plastered exterior, painted in a paler shade of white to replace red from which the mosque drew its name.
They also started to repaint the mosque in its original colour while one of them inscribed 'Lal Masjid (Red Mosque)' on its front face, as authorities had installed a roadside signboard identifying it as Central Mosque G-6, the code name of the neighbourhood.
Chanting slogans of jihad, they refused to offer the prayers led by a government-appointed cleric who replaced Lal Masjid's chief administrator, Maulana Abdul Aziz. The new cleric, Mohammad Ashfaq, was led out of the mosque safely.
The protesters and other worshippers were allowed entry into the mosque after being frisked by police, who had cordoned off all access points leading to the Lal Masjid.
But police retreated after the protest began.
Security was on high alert in Islamabad with intelligence reports of possible suicide bombings by militants.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in attacks on security forces since the mosque siege, with extremists calling to avenge the deaths of 'innocent sisters, brothers and sons.'
The government said some 75 militants were killed in the raid, in which the security forces also suffered about a dozen casualties. But the full extent of the casualties has not been able to be confirmed by independent sources.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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Older Talkback
page: 1
And I have just come to realize that They are not big ulgy men... You know why?? Because I looked under their robes...They are women.... boy do they stink like funky something else's.
HELppppppppppppppppp
I never knew that women had full beards....
Helpppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp!
No wonder they are VIRGINS..........Just look at them........
HELP please O don't want to be here!!!!!!!!!!!
Lal Masjid's chief administrator, Maulana Abdul Aziz.Has admitted to authorizes that he prefers high heels and women’s panties as opposed to Islamic traditional garb> This realization occurred when he tried to sneak out of the surrounded red mosque dressed as a women. He said in a recent interview that it is not an easy balance being a hard line Islamic Cleric by day and a dainty cross dresser by night. The high heels are two sizes too small. But One must endure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good one, Men in dresses, shame job, what an embaressment to man kind.
I think you'll find that these rag heads like their virgins to be little boys bums and not evil girls.
And by the amount of these spankers going to Hell there carn't be too many little boys left.
What a bunch of brain washed losers to really believe that they get to root 72 virgins when they die.
Allahbaba lied to you's and you got sucked in a beauty fools.
Pakistan Goverment are fools to let this even continue beyond one day...I bet 90% of them lie'in Muslim are the ones that took the money to go home..and are back acting like typical Islamic Idiots.
go in remove them...on their own two feets or in a bodybag..give them 5 mins to anwser...then bulldoze that Islamic Whore House and build something worthful for the people and not for some Cross-Dressing Islamic Fag to preach the sins of allah.
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Hello my name is Abdullah MehsudJul 27th, 2007 - 10:04:25
And I am speaking to you all from Muslim hell.. Brothers there are no virgins here. Just a lot of men (big ugly ones) with no right arms. No toilet paper either...
Just thought that you should all know.
good bye from Abdullah Mehsud.
Where are the virgins??????
Why did my mullah lie???????
Helpppppppppppppppppp
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