Maulana Abdul Rashid’s letter to the media.

Below is a verbatim translation:

By the time you read this, perhaps we would all have been martyred.

Maulana Abdul Rashid’s letter to the media.

Lahore: (Express News) Lal Masjid’s Deputy Maulana Abdul Rasheed Ghazi has said that people are still holding out inside Jamia Hafsa of their own free will, and they are not being stopped to leave by force. This assertion has been made in his letter titled "From Lal Masjid" addressed to the media. This letter is given below. The views, claims expressed here do not necessarily represent those of this publication. However it is being published as it may be of interest to our readers.

"It is likely by the time this is published, we the besieged of the Lal Masjid may have achieved the high status of ’Shahadat’. Nearly 15,000 security troops with their hordes of tanks will have conquered the innocent male and female students of Jamia Hafsa.

Though at this time, the Lal Masjid is presenting the scenario of Karbala. The scattered bodies of the martyrs, the moans of the wounded,the demolished minarets and walls of the mosque, all are bearing testimony to the fact that the sacrifice of 600,000* people has been obtained for repeating the same demand.

However in this entire scenario, the Khateeb of Lal Masjid and founder of the movement of male and female students, Maulana Abdul Aziz’s unexpected arrest and his later TV interview would have brought disappointment to the Islam loving people.The common man who is not aware of facts is being persuaded by a section of media to believe without facts that Maulana Abdul Aziz adopted the course of fleeing from fear of death and abandoned his companions and students.

T%he people without analytical skills do not contemplate upon if Maulana Abdul Aziz really ran towards life out of fear of death, why did he leave his son, daughter, mother and wife behind? Then why don’t I, his younger brother, his other companions and male/female students, do not opt for surrender?

I feel that at this time, instead of my convincing the opponents, it is more important to assuage the broken hearts of our sympathisers in telling them that Maulana Abdul Aziz has been victim of a deep conspiracy. Though at this time the circumstances of his arrest are clouded in mystery,the facts will become known in time.

We know very well that Maulana Abdul Aziz is on the path of Jihad and Shahadat, but only one thing can be said against him, that he depended on some people during very tough times, which was a mistake,and now he will have to pay for that mistake. The truth is that Maulana Abdul Aziz neither ran from death nor tried to escape, but had written a Death Will and taken the burial bath and had left to find a ray of hope to save the others’ lives, which became the cause of all of this fiction. In any event, to bring out the truth and to make it clear is the task of time, and I’m sure time will do that.

I will just say that Maulana Abdul Aziz and his companions started this movement for the Will of Allah and the implementation of the Islamic system.The amendment in Hadood’Allah, demolition of mosques,encouragement of obscenity and nudity,self-serving interpretations of Islamic beliefs,army attacks on anyone who voices Jihad,herding of Muslims and handing them over to Kuffar,and propagation of secularism were just not acceptable to us. This is why the decision was made to launch a decisive movement to implement Islam.

I also want to make it clear that during the operation, no male/female student has been detained against their will in Jamia Hafsa. The only people here are of their own accord whose life has been changed through Maulana Abdul Aziz’s teachings.

I also want to make it clear that we want a system of Justice as in Islam. We want Sharia’h laws in the courts. We want poor people to get justice and livelihood. The system of adulteration,bribery,cruelty,obscenity,nepotism must end. For all this to happen, the establishment of an Islamic system is essential.This is not only Allah’s command but also a requirement of the Constitution of Pakistan.

After having rejected worldly gains and recognizing the rigors of our path, we have consciously chosen the afterlife over the worldly life. The aims of the male/female students with me is extremely high,and it will not be wrong for me to say that not be wrong if I say, that it raises my spirits in seeing their sentiments.

I ask, what is their crime? Is the punishment for picking up some wrong-doers for the purpose of reform, the blowing up by explosives of uncounted innocent souls? The people who talk about the Writ of the State,how do they trample Allah’s Writ beneath their feet? The people who during the past 5 days have riddled the students of Qura’an and Hadees with bullets,they are indeed ruthless.

At this time, some channels of the media have displayed partiality. We leave this matter to Allah as well.

In the end,as my death wish,I will repeat to the people associated with the Islamic movements that our movement was initiated for virtuous objectives. We stand by our demand for implementation of the Islamic system. We are satisfied that we took the path of sincerity,loyalty, and sacrifice. We consider laying down our lives for the Islamic System as a blessing. We have faith in the benevolence of Allah that our blood will become the dawn of revolution.

People sometimes called us puppets of the agencies, and sometimes lunatics. Today, the rain of fire on us bears proof that we are only fighting in the path of Allah.

No doubt, it is a fact that the people of truth will suffer great hardships. If our Ameer Hazrat Hussain was martyred in the same helplessness, so we are too the followers of the same caravan. God willing, Islamic revolution will become the destiny of this country.

(Inshallah)"