Abdul Aziz (Pakistani cleric)

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Abdul Aziz Ghazi
Maulana Abdul Aziz Cleric.jpg
2nd Chancellor of Faridia University
Assumed office
1998
Preceded byMaulana Muhammad Abdullah
Personal
Born (1963-01-10) January 10, 1963 (age 58)
Basti-Abdullah, Pakistan
ReligionSunni Islam
Children1
Parents
RelationsAbdul Rashid Ghazi (brother)

Abdul Aziz Ghazi (Urdu: محمد عبد العزيز‎) is a Pakistani cleric and khateeb (sermon giver) at Lal Masjid in Islamabad, which was the site of a siege in 2007 with the Pakistani army. He is also the current Chancellor of Jamia Hafsa and Jamia Faridia, Aziz was released from custody by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 2009 and acquitted in 2013.

Early life[]

He is an ethnic Baloch, descending from the Sadwani clan of the Mazari tribe, in the town of Rojhan in Rajanpur, the border district of Punjab province of Pakistan. He studied for few years in a public school, and was later sent to Karachi to study in a religious seminary. He graduated from Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia, a Madrassah in Karachi, where he studied the customary Dars-i Nizami, which is taught at the most elementary level of religious education in Pakistan.[1]

He first came to Islamabad as a six-year-old boy from his home town in Balochistan, when his father was appointed khateeb of Lal Masjid in 1966. Aziz himself was later appointeded at The Mujaddiya Mosque in F8 Islamabad as its Imam, he would regularly visit his father at the Red Mosque and travel with him to Faridia University.[2]

Father's Assassination[]

On October 17, 1998, Aziz's father who had a routine every day whereby he would walk to his seminary Faridia University in Sector E-7 Of Islamabad for giving lectures, and return by car at noon. As he got out of the car,  Abdul Aziz approached him and spoke to him, when suddenly a man standing in front of the mosque's door walked towards him and pulled out a gun and fired until the magazine was empty, badly injuring Maulana Abdullah. Afterwards, he fired at Abdul Aziz, who barely escaped death. The assassin escaped with the help of an accomplice waiting outside in a car. Maulana Abdullah died of his injuries on the way to the hospital[3]

Lal Masjid[]

Following his Father's Assassination, Aziz was appointed Cleric of Lal Masjid and succeeded his father as the Chancellor of Faridia University and Jamia Hafsa.[4]

He closely followed the supreme leader of the Taliban, Mullah Omar, and typically resisted being photographed.[5]

He also warned the government of attacks in the case of a violent police operation launched against the seminary. "If the government fails to eradicate all these moral evils from the society within the specified period of one month the students of the seminary would themselves take actions against all the people involved in such activities," said Abdul Aziz while addressing Friday Prayer congregation at Lal Masjid.[6]

Final Showdown[]

Main article: Siege of Lal Masjid

The Lal Masjid brigade came to public notice when they kidnapped women (who they accused of being prostitutes) from Islamabad's residential areas and then later kidnapped several police officers.[citation needed] The brigade increased their activities and took to the crime of kidnapping Chinese workers from massage centres. This particular event created international pressure on Pakistan, especially from the Chinese government.[citation needed]

On 3 July 2007, the standoff with the government ended in bloody gun battles in which some publications claim that more than 1,000 Students were killed and scores wounded.[7] The official death toll is much lower, at fewer than 300.[8]

on 4 July 2007 at 8.05, Aziz was arrested while leaving the complex disguised in a burqa. The reason for his cross-dressing escape was later revealed to be that he was called 'by a senior official of an intelligence agency with whom he has been in touch for a long time' (Aziz admitted that he and his brother Ghazi had done this many times before when they were declared wanted by the government). Since this man could not enter into the mosque to meet him, he asked Maulana Aziz to come down to Aabpara police station, situated on a walking distance from the mosque and asked him to wear a burqa to avoid identification.[9]

Release[]

Aziz was released on 16 April 2009 by the Supreme Court of Pakistan as he awaited trial on Alleged charges of murder, incitement, and kidnapping. He was greeted by throngs of supporters.[10] Since then he has been working as an imam in the Red Mosque again and runs many Seminaries including Faridia University and Jamia Hafsa[11]

Since 2001, 27 different cases have been filed unsuccessfully against him.[12][13]

Bibliography[]

Books by Aziz[]

  • Islami nizam ka mujawwiza khaka (Proposed Blueprint Of Islamic System)[14]
  • Allah ki azeem naimat (The Great Blessings Of God)[15]

References[]

  1. ^ Lal Masjid : A Brief History.
  2. ^ "Lal Masjid: a history". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  3. ^ Lal Masjid : A Brief History.
  4. ^ "Crimson tide". The Express Tribune. 15 August 2010. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  5. ^ Islam, Benazir Shah,Nazar-ul. "Meeting Pakistan's Maulana Mohammad Abdul Aziz". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  6. ^ Farooq, Umer (7 April 2007). "Religious Cleric Threatens Suicide Attacks". OhmyNews International. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  7. ^ Walsh, Declan (4 July 2007). "Red Mosque leader attempts to flee in burka". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  8. ^ "Pakistan counts costs of bloody end to mosque siege". Reuters. 10 July 2007. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  9. ^ Asia Times
  10. ^ Walsh, Declan (17 April 2009). "Red Mosque siege leader walks free to hero's welcome". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
  11. ^ Asad, Malik (8 February 2013). "Lal Masjid cleric's interview in burqa still a mystery". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  12. ^ "یوم مزدور". Nawaiwaqt (in Urdu). 1 May 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  13. ^ Asad, Malik (24 September 2013). "Lal Masjid cleric acquitted in all cases". Dawn News. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  14. ^ Zafar Imran, "The Religious Godfather of the Punjabi Taliban: Maulana Abdul Aziz Ghazi", in Militant Leadership Monitor - Jamestown, Volume I, Issue 5 (27 May 2010), p. 5
  15. ^ "Pakistan Hausbesuch beim Hassprediger". FAZ.NET (in German). 21 August 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2021.

External links[]

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