NGOs rally condemns increasing fanaticism

Civil society organisations on Thursday staged a protest rally against the students and administration of Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa for what they termed establishing a "state within state", vowing to defeat it with the help of moderate forces and enlightened Ulema.
The NGOs representatives gathered at the Embassy road from where they took out the rally, which was culminated at Parliament House. The demonstrators, chanting slogans against the religious extremism and fanaticism, slammed the government for not taking the Lal Masjid issue seriously and giving the madrasah students a free hand.
They were carrying placards and banners inscribed with slogans like "where is the writ of state", "Islam spread by love not at gunpoint", "we will not let government abdicate its responsibility to protect our rights and freedom" and "There is no compulsion in religion".
The protestors also questioned the government about the legitimacy of establishing a self-styled Shariah court by what they called religious extremism. They feared that such elements would create troubles for the masses if the government took it lightly.
The protesting NGOs activists sought the support of general public, particularly moderate forces to defeat such people and vowed to continue their democratic fight till getting right of the religious freedom. Addressing the rally, Dr Farzana Bari of Patan Development Organisation condemned the act of the burqa-clad female and stick-wielding male students of Jamia Hafsa and Lal Masjid.
"Nobody has the right to impose ones ideas on others saying that we all are Muslims and do know what Islam teaches us," she said. Shehnaz Bokhari of Aurat Foundation asked the government to stop the illegal activities of the seminary students in the Federal Capital and provide protection to citizens.
She said that the citizens feel themselves insecure due to new wave of extremism and sectarianism adding that it was the responsibility of the government to provide protection to lives, and properties of the people.
The protesters urged the people to rise against these extremist religious bigoted forces. They said that civil society organisations believed that the students of Jamia Hafsa were playing in the hands of religious extremists, who wish to impose their fascist ideology upon the state and its apparatus.
Activist of Women Action Forum, HRCP, SDPI, Pattan Foundation, ActionAid, Rozen, Aurat Foundation, SPO, The Network and Sungi Foundation took part in the protest.