The demolition of Madni Masjid in Islamabad on Saturday night sparked outrage among the Deoband clergy across the Pakistan.
Islamabad’s Capital Development Authority (CDA) demolished the seminary and the mosque on Friday and Saturday nights. The CDA then within hours cleared the debris and planted saplings on the site. The administration claimed the mosque was built on green belt. It has already issued demolition notices to administration of 50 other mosques in the federal capital. The government move “is part of its vision to preserve the federal capital’s greenbelts.”
But it has to bow before the powerful Deoband clergy, mostly represented by Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F).
Background:
The government side claims the demolition was mutually agreed between the government and Madni Masjid management in January. Both sides agreed to relocate the mosque and adjoining seminary (owned by Deoband school of thought) from Murree Road to a newly constructed purpose-built facility in Margalla Town. After agreement, the CDA constructed a modern mosque and madrassa in the area, costing it over Rs 40 million. The mosque’s management also shifted the students to the new facility, reports say.
But the Madressah teachers and students staged strong protest demonstration on Sunday and Monday after they learned about the demolition of the mosque on Saturday. Deoband scholars and leaders across the country issued strong condemnation messages.
Reaction:
JUI-F led the powerful protest campaign against Madni Masjid demolition. Party’s Secretary General Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri and JUI-F Islamabad chapter Emir Mufti Owais Aziz along with other scholars visited the site. Wafaqul Madaris al-Arabia head Mufti Taqi Usmani, Central Ulema Ulema Council Chairman Zahid Mahmood Qasimi and other issued strong reaction over government move. Madressah students and teachers offered prayer at the demolition site. They also uprooted the saplings planted by the CDA. Students and clerics chanted slogans against the government, specifically blaming Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi for the demolition. Some social media posts attempted to give the issue a sectarian color, citing Naqvi’s Shia faith. The minister is regarded as the only powerful figure in Pakistan’s otherwise weak civilian setup.
Dialogue:
After the negotiations between the Deobandi scholars and the government and CDA team led by Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, the latter agreed to rebuild the masjid at the site. It has agreed to refrain from demolishing other mosques in Islamabad.
Deobandi school is one of the Islam’s other four schools of thought: Barelvi, Ahle-Hadith, Shia. Deoband owns majority of the religious seminaries and masajids in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad. They built majority among them during the regime of military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq, who himself was said have the inclinations towards Deoband.
