Madrasa madness over Shari'a

NY Times:

A months-long standoff between the Pakistani government and Islamic militants holed up in a mosque in the heart of the capital erupted in violence on Tuesday. The fierce clashes between security forces and students left at least nine people dead and scores wounded.

...

The crackle of gunfire and the arc of tear gas could be heard and seen from blocks away soon after the confrontation began in the afternoon around Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, a prominent place of worship in the capital. Students attacked a nearby government building where security forces had taken up positions, setting fires and sending black smoke billowing into the sky.

...

The leader of the madrasa for young men, Abdur Rashid Ghazi, has used the students over the last six months to challenge the leadership of Pakistan’s president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf. Mr. Ghazi, who apparently has the backing of a number of militant groups, insists that Pakistan follow Islamic law and keep good relations with the Taliban, whose influence the United States has consistently asked General Musharraf to confront more aggressively.

Since January, the students have staged a sit-in at a children’s library. In March, they seized three Pakistani women accused of running a brothel. Last month, the male students barricaded three police officers inside the school. Ten days ago, the students kidnapped six masseuses from mainland China working in Islamabad.

At each provocation, moderate Pakistanis have expressed frustration with General Musharraf’s reluctance to take on the madrasa leaders. His caution, they say, has only encouraged further challenges and demonstrated the folly of not drawing a harder line with the extremists.

Western diplomats, too, say they have been surprised at the unwillingness of the Musharraf government to confront the school, which says it has thousands of students enrolled, many from poor families.

General Musharraf was asked directly why he had not yet acted when he addressed a media workshop in Islamabad last week. He replied that the government might storm the building, but added that he would not want the news media to show the dead that could result from an attack, apparently fearing the popular reaction and response by militants.

The clashes Tuesday, bloody as they were, did not appear to be definitive, since the leaders of the madrasa and many students remained in the buildings through nightfall.

...

The nuts in charge of this madrasa need to be removed. They are creating more enemies of civilization. Anyone who wants Shari'a law is a danger to the world and to himself. The nuts who want this barbaric code don't just want it for themselves, but for the whole world including the US. It is a code where cruel and unusual punishment is the usual. Shari'a is the driving force for the religious bigotry of the Taliban and al Qaeda. Musharraf needs to show he is willing to confront and defeat this evil.

The Belmont Club compiles more on the mad madrasa inside the red mosque. You get a better sense of why Musharraf holds back, but it is not comforting. Bill Roggio also has a good review of events in Islamabad.

Update: Reuters reports that 500 radical Muslim students surrendered at the mosque.

...

Growing numbers of students took up an offer of safe passage and 5,000 rupees ($85) and left the mosque as a deadline for students to surrender passed at 1.00 p.m. (0800 GMT).

More than 500 people, 100 of them women and children, had left the mosque but between 2,000 and 5,000 people remained inside, officials said.

The men who surrendered were herded onto trucks while women and children were released.

...

Releasing the women may be a big mistake. They have been some of the most aggressive in abusing people who did not submit to their weird religious beliefs. There is also the possibility of jihadis in drag using the women clothes as an escape hatch.

Update II: From the told you so collection comes this headline from the BBC:

Mosque leader in burqa escape bid

The leader of a radical mosque besieged by Pakistani security forces in Islamabad has been caught trying to escape wearing a woman's burqa.

Security forces seized Maulana Abdul Aziz as he tried to leave the Red Mosque amid a crowd of women.

...

Islamist in drag are becoming a little too obvious these days. I do think they should make him wear womens clothes in prison though.