Woman in red mosque hoped to die "glorious martyr"

[Saddle Bronc 124]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6907141.stm

'I hoped to be a glorious martyr'

A woman who was inside Islamabad's Red Mosque when it was stormed by Pakistani troops on 10 July has given the BBC one of the first accounts of the final hours of the siege. Unwilling to be named, the survivor said she was not held hostage by militants inside.

More than 100 people died in the army operation - she was one of only 30 women to walk out alive after soldiers went in. Following are excerpts from the interview with Rafia Riaz of the BBC's Urdu service.

I was not in contact with my family. The last time I contacted them, I told them that the army would not start an operation.

They asked me to come back home, but I said that I would never come back as I wished to be martyred. My brother said that he would force me to return, but I told him that he could be beaten up if he came near the seminary...

A girl who came with us was taken home forcibly. She was crying and told the teacher that she didn't want to go back. The teacher asked her to go back with her parents.

We felt sorry for her as we came here with the passion of jihad [holy war] and to preach Islam, and now because there was a problem the girls had gone back. We did not appreciate the parents behaviour.

The teacher said that no one was being stopped from going home, and she asked parents to go and find their children to take them home. Very few girls left because they were afraid - those who left were either minors or they were forced to leave by their parents...

We were shocked that they cut off the electricity and also cut off the water and gas supply. What could we do? We were only praying to God to show them the right path.

Not enough explosives

They were throwing lots tear gas shells. We were continually cleaning our eyes with water. Glass windows were breaking, doors were breaking. We couldn't sleep, sometimes one would sleep for an hour, or half an hour, the others would stay awake. That way we managed...

We wanted to carry out suicide attacks. We didn't have enough ammunition to fight face to face. We had a small number of arms with which our mujahideen brothers were fighting.

We asked the teacher to provide us with arms necessary for suicide attacks. She said that we didn't have sufficient explosives. Yes, we had a passion and we were willing to go to all lengths...

After the evening prayer we found out that Maulana Aziz - the chief cleric - had been arrested while he was trying to flee wearing a burka. We were told that he'd been called to speak to the prime minister.

When we asked our teacher why Maulana Aziz had left in a burka she said that the prime minister advised him to do so. She said that he had been told to come out in disguise so that he wouldn't be killed...

We thought that they only wanted to arrest Maulana Aziz, but at night when the firing started we realised that they had other intentions...

On Thursday night [5 July], they attacked the kitchen and we were forced to survive on leaves and honey. They set fire to our room so we shifted to the next room. Police sprinkled petrol everywhere outside.

When we woke up on Saturday [7 July] our teacher told us that they had found lots of honey from the Red Mosque area. We made juice out of it and our brother brought leaves for us. All of us were without food from the day before so we ate leaves and honey juice...

Korans burning

We had been told by our teacher that they had put explosives in the building and that we shouldn't die in this manner, but that we should come outside to face the bullets or even surrender. It was better to come out rather than die under the debris...

We came outside with our hands raised and saw that the doors were closed and they were on the roof. There was no way to leave. We told them that we had surrendered and they should not shoot at us. A policeman showed us the way out and finally, we were taken outside...

They took us to another room and gave us food. We were crying a lot because Korans were burning inside the Red Mosque which was on fire.

We pleaded with them to let us take the Koran. We were very sad to see them being burnt in front of our own eyes. At sunset we were told that we were going to be sent home, and at night, we left the area...

After meeting my father, I was overcome by grief as I had hoped to be a martyr and come back alive.

Now they've attacked the Red Mosque and Jamia Hafsa [the seminary attached to it], I hope the whole country will have Red Mosques. I will work for jihad, and open a madrassa and train people for jihad.

Notes:

• It never registered with this woman that Aziz Ghazi DID NOT want to die a martyr personally, despite of his exhorting his students to do so (in a manner also typical of Khomeini and Ahmedinejad--the latter was the chief trainer of "martyr soldiers" during 1980-1988 Iran/Iraq war); his exiting in a burqa only proved once-and-for-all that he is a chopfrack and a coward to boot.
  
• her rationalising about the burning Korans as a source of "grief", when they were very obviously piled up (by the Ghazi brothers and their closer minions) for just that purpose (as Aziz Ghazi can use this detail to incite)
  

Edited July 20, 2007 by CherryXS

[almaty 19]

the woman is definitely disturbed and needs help...

[Fandango 1,440]

This mindset is the reason why fighting people like this is so difficult

[Saddle Bronc 124]

This mindset is the reason why fighting people like this is so difficult

Pakistani governments have inculcated (since 1958 at least) an attitude of "hate India" rather than of "love Pakistan"--even into those who were born after Partition (many of my Bangla acquaintances have told me this was also true in the eastern wing--now Bangladesh--until 1971).

No surprise that it only deteriorated from there.

[almaty 19]

sad...Pakistan has allot of issues..

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Khaleda Zia, the erstwhile PM of Bangladesh (who was a Pakistani from Partition till 1971--her husband was one of those who took up arms against "Operation Searchlight" and later president of Bangladesh), could teach them quite a few lessons about "the right path to follow".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6906234.stm

In reply to Dean: there is no hope of Pakistan ever coming to resolution of its issues until someone born after 1966 takes over the government--and then, only if he/she takes to the path embraced by Suhrawardy of "love Pakistan" rather than the "hate India" approach of all Pakistani governments since-and-including Ayub Khan.

Edited July 20, 2007 by CherryXS

[almaty 19]

thanks for the explanation brother sriniv

[mawilson 2,133]

This mindset is the reason why fighting people like this is so difficult

I have a solution.

"Everyone who wants to die a martyr, please step forward."

[Saddle Bronc 124]

I have a solution.

"Everyone who wants to die a martyr, please step forward."

Amending to your solution.

"Also, those who preach constantly to others to die as martyrs (such as the Ghazis, and Ahmedinejad), please step forward."

Edited July 20, 2007 by CherryXS

[GaryC 7]

I have a solution.

"Everyone who wants to die a martyr, please step forward."

Amending to your solution.

"Also, those who preach constantly to others to die as martyrs (such as the Ghazis, and Ahmedinejad), please step forward."