Guardian of Islamabad’s Red Mosque: A Profile of Moulana Abdul Aziz
Guardian of Islamabad’s Red Mosque: A Profile of Moulana Abdul Aziz
Introduction
With the fall of Kabul on August 15 and the reestablishment of the Afghan Taliban government, an uptick in Islamist terrorism in neighboring Pakistan appears inevitable. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is taking the lead in perpetrating terrorist strikes in Pakistan with a sharp surge of attacks in the Pakistani provinces of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan observed since August (Terrorism Monitor, August 13). Besides terrorism, Islamist activism is also making inroads in Pakistani urban centers, including through the Red Mosque prayer leader (imam), Moulana Abdul Aziz. He is no newcomer in the resilient jihadist and Islamist landscape of Pakistan because he and his wife, Umme Hassan, and younger brother, Abdul Rashid Ghazi, wreaked havoc in 2007 during the Red Mosque crisis, which led to the launch of a Pakistani military operation in July 2007, resulting in 102 fatalities, including 10 Special Forces personnel (Dawn, July 13, 2007). With the return of the Afghan Taliban next door, Aziz is back on the scene in Pakistan with open support for the Afghan Taliban’s Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and vowing to implement Sharia law in Pakistan.
Aziz’s Background and Burka Embarrassment
Born into an ultra-orthodox Deobandi clerical family in the rural and underdeveloped Rojhan subdivision of the Rajanpur district of Punjab province in 1963, Aziz received his early education in Islamabad where his father, Molvi Abdullah, was then located. He had been given control of the central mosque of Islamabad (commonly known as Lal Masjid, or “Red Mosque,” because of its red brick structure) by then-military ruler of Pakistan General, Ayub Khan. Aziz later attended Jamia Dar ul Islamia and received a degree in Islamic theology (Terrorism Monitor, July 19, 2007). [1]
As adherents of the Deobandi sect, Aziz’s family was known for its radical Islamist views. It is not known how Ayub Khan knew Molvi Abdullah, but under Khan’s patronage he managed to attain influence during those times. Under the leadership of Molvi Abdullah and his eldest son, Aziz, the Red Mosque eventually became a transit point for mujahadeen travelling to fight against Soviet forces in Afghanistan during the Afghan War from 1979-1989 (Dawn, July 13, 2007).
At that time, foreign Islamist fighters flocked to Pakistan, which was serving as the main conduit for the Afghan Jihad. Molvi Abdullah trained Aziz as his future heir until Abdullah’s death in 1998 outside Red Mosque, when unknown armed assailants shot him dead (Reuters Asia, 2007). As expected, Aziz swore in as the new imam of the Red Mosque and his younger brother, Abdul Rashid, who was initially not interested in Islamism or jihadism, joined as Aziz’s deputy and the principal of Faridia Madrasah (a religious seminary associated with the Red Mosque conglomerate of seminaries). [2]
It turned out unexpectedly that Abdul Rashid became far more radical in approach than Aziz, with his militant vigilante activities in 2007 leading to the point that Pakistan’s military leadership under General Musharraf launched a military operation to curb the violent activities at the Red Mosque. Aziz was forced to join Abdul Rashid, but managed to flee the mosque before the start of the operation. As he was escaping the besieged mosque while wearing a burka as disguise, he was caught, much to his own embarrassment. The incident was highlighted by the then-military government, which made Aziz a laughing stock (Dawn, July 5, 2007).
Aziz was arrested and cases of terrorism and arson were lodged against him. However, Abdul Rashid and his militants were killed in a pitched battle with Pakistani Special Forces who were sent to take back control of the mosque. Aziz, meanwhile, remained in prison for the next two years, but was released on bail by the courts in 2009. He then, once again, assumed the role of prayer leader at the Red Mosque.
Aziz’s Relations with Al-Qaeda, Islamic State, and Other Militants
Aziz’s father, Molvi Abdullah, had longtime relations with the al-Qaeda leadership when they all remained active in supporting the mujahideen in the Afghan War during the 1980s. With the return of al-Qaeda to Afghanistan in the mid-1990s from Sudan, the relationship was reinvigorated. During the Red Mosque siege and its aftermath in July 2007, for example, al-Qaeda issued statements condemning the military operation against the Red Mosque militants, including those belonging to Ghazi Force, which was a terrorist group established by remnants of the Red Mosque militants. They had sought refuge at al-Qaeda safe havens in the tribal areas of Pakistan in 2007 and launched a number of terrorist attacks in Islamabad thereafter (BBC Asia, July 27, 2007).
Aziz’s father was a staunch supporter of Islamist militant movements across the globe. Following his lead, Aziz continued to support al-Qaeda, the Afghan Taliban and at one time Islamic State (IS) during its peak in 2015 and 2016. In 2014, on Aziz’s instigation, the female students of Jamia Hafsa religious seminary raised IS flags at the mosque, demanded the proclamation of an Islamic Caliphate in Pakistan, and pledged allegiance to the then-IS caliph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (Express Tribune, December 14, 2014).
Like his father, Aziz had also developed strong relationships with Pakistani Islamist terrorist groups. He befriended a range of such groups operating in Kashmir such as Jaish e Mohammad, Harkat ul Mujahideen (HuM) and the anti-Shia sectarian militants in Lashkar e Jhangvi. Above all, however, he openly supports TTP, which is the most lethal of all Islamist terrorist groups operating in Pakistan. All of the TTP leaders have paid visits to Aziz during times of need. HuM amir, Fazal ur Rehman Khalil, even attempted to negotiate with the government during the Red Mosque crisis in 2007 and remained a frequent visitor of Red Mosque to hold meetings with Aziz. [3]
Aziz has remained a firm supporter of the Afghan Taliban and held demonstrations outside the Red Mosque and also in Islamabad in support of the Afghan Taliban’s victory against the U.S. and Afghan forces. Furthermore, Aziz celebrated the fall of Kabul on August 15 by congratulating Afghan Taliban leadership and raising Afghan Taliban flags at the Red Mosque. Aziz has remained in the headlines since the Afghan Taliban’s takeover of Kabul as well. Students of Jamia Hafsa Madrasah also demonstrated in front of the Red Mosque in support of the Afghan Taliban by hoisting flags and chanting anti-American slogans. Aziz also demanded implementation of sharia along similar lines in Pakistan as that of the Taliban in Afghanistan without any delay (India Today, August 22).
His open support to the Afghan Taliban indeed perturbed the Pakistani government, which has since managed to shut down his pro-Afghan Taliban activities by directing the Islamabad police to act against Aziz. A heavy contingent of police, for example, reached the Red Mosque and the flags were removed. The mosque area was also put under surveillance by the police (Dawn, August 21).
Conclusion
Aziz can best be described as an opportunistic pro-jihadist imam, who plays his cards whenever he sees any jihadist development unfolding, be it in Pakistan’s neighborhood or further abroad. Unlike his younger brother, Abdul Rashid, who was killed by the Pakistani military in 2007, Aziz does not confront the security forces violently, although he neither condemns Islamist terrorist attacks. Rather, Aziz holds demonstrations in support of violent Islamist and sectarian terrorist groups. His ambitions appear to be seeking media attention and remaining in the public eye in order to stay afloat in the jihadist landscape of Pakistan.
Thus far, Aziz has been successful in managing his credentials in the Pakistani jihadist scene. He has regained his position of imam at the Red Mosque, which was given to another imam during his time in prison. He is again on the streets of Islamabad glorifying the Afghan Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan. Currently, Aziz’s fate is uncertain. He has not been able to create as much havoc in Islamabad as his brother had done during the Red Mosque crisis of 2007, but it can be expected that he will strengthen his position among jihadists because of the growing Islamist tendencies in Pakistan after the takeover of Afghanistan by the Afghan Taliban in August. Pakistani security officials and policy makers will need to contain Aziz’s activities to curb an upsurge of Islamist violent activities in Pakistan.
Notes
- Discussions with Azaz Syed, a senior journalist based in Islamabad, October 18, 2021.
- Discussions with a retired police officer who served in Islamabad on October 18, 2021.
- Discussions with Azaz Syed on October 18, 2021.
