'Unanimous' fatwa issued against Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa leaders

Islamabad: Fifty clerics of the religious party Jamaat Ahle-Sunnat have unanimously issued a "fatwa" against the extremist administration of Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa, declaring their actions to be un-Islamic.

"The actions, so far, taken by Maulana Abdul Aziz and his deputy Abdul Rashid Ghazi have no justification according to religious teachings and are purely un- Islamic," the fatwa added.

"The militant clerics had used the mosque for unlawful and immoral activities, which are completely forbidden by Islam as the seminaries are not meant for stockpiling weapons to be used against the law enforcement agencies," it said.

It also said that that both the extremist brothers' un- Islamic actions were disguised as religious and led to Pakistan being looked down upon across the world.

"Their actions did and still are the cause of earning a bad name for our religion and country. Islam rejects using force while preaching and it is the religion of peace and harmony," it concluded.

The government has rejected the demand of some religious scholars who had sought a safe passage for besieged cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi and his accompanied militants, in an attempt to resolve the issue.

"These terrorists have taken a number of male and female students as hostages and are accused of killing security personnel and can't be given a safe passage, and will have to face justice," Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Ijazul Haq told the religious scholars.

Qari Hanif Jalandhri, secretary general of the Association of Religious Seminaries in Pakistan and MMA parliamentarian Maulana Taqi Usmani, had urged the government to let the Lal Masjid brigade go in order to save the lives of hostages.