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Extremists threaten Daily Aaj Kal
Elements of the Lal Masjid on Friday protested after Friday prayers against the editorial position of national Daily Aaj Kal which routinely writes against religious extremism and fanaticism in the country. Raising clenched fists in front of TV cameras, the clerics condemned the editorial position of the paper, and pointed to the publication of a cartoon in Daily Aaj Kal which showed the leader of the women students of Lal Masjid, Umme Hassaan, in a burqa, "educating" female students to wage jihad and martyrdom, a position she has reiterated many times in public. The clerics chanted slogans and warned the editor-in-chief and publisher not to "test their patience". Aamir Siddique, Naib Khateeb of Lal Masjid, addressed the protest demonstration after Friday prayers and said that their "movement" cannot be stopped by any such "propaganda". He said those responsible for the bloodshed in Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa would have to pay the price. "This is an attack on the freedom of the press," said the editor of the paper, who called upon all media bodies to rise to the occasion and be counted. The management of the paper immediately informed the administration in Islamabad, provoking a strong reaction against the extremists from the government. Posted by: Fred 2008-07-12 |
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