Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2018) |
Sipah-e-Muhammad سپاہ محمد صلی الله علیہ وآلہ وسلم | |
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| Leader | Syed Ghulam Raza Naqvi (imprisoned 1996, freed 2014) |
| Founded | 1994 (officially) |
| Headquarters | Thokar Niaz Beg, Lahore, Pakistan |
| Ideology | Protection of Shi'a community, armed resistance to Wahhabi/Takfiri terrorism and target killing |
| Religion | Shia Islam |
| Colors | Black and Yellow |
| Slogan | "Humiliation of us is impossible." (Arabic: هيهات منا الذلة) |
| Parliament of Pakistan | 0 / 342
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 Pakistan portal |
Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan (S.M.P) (Urdu: سپاہ محمد پاکستان; Arabic: سباه محمد الباكستانيه; English: Soldiers of Muhammad) is a Shia militant organisation and a former political party based in Pakistan that was formed in 1993 or 1994 as a response to sectarian violence against Pakistani Shia Muslims orchestrated by Deobandi militant movement such as Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (also known Lashkar-e-Jhangvi). On August 14, 2001, it was banned by President Pervez Musharraf as a terrorist organisation.[citation needed]
History
Shia leader Maulana Mureed Abbas Yazdani formed Sipa-e-Muhammad Pakistan in 1993; it is believed to be armed wing of Tehreek-e-Jafria Pakistan. It is involved in assassination of Sipah-e-Sahaba-linked sectarian clerics and other figures that are responsible for the ongoing anti-Shia violence in Pakistan. It is accused of killing of central leadership of Sipa-e-Sahabah starting from Haq Nawaz Jhangvi to recent[when?] assassinations in Karachi and Rawalpindi. Its headquarters is in Thokar Niaz Beg, Lahore and its leader was Ghulam Raza Naqvi who was imprisoned in 1996 and released in 2014.[citation needed] Since his death in 2016, it is unclear who leads the group.
Activities
Sipah-e-Muhammad's primary aim was to target the sectarian leadership of the banned terrorist Deobandi militia Sipah-e-Sahaba or Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. However, with the subsequent rise in the violence against Shia Muslims, it was thought to be reforming.[clarification needed][1]
The movement was strong in various Shia communities in Pakistan, and in the majority Shia town of Thokar Niaz Beg ran a "virtual state within a state" in the 1990s.[2]
Affiliations
Sipah-e-Muhammad is alleged to have ties with the Iran[3].
Designation as a terrorist organization
The Government of Pakistan designated Sipah-e-Muhammad a terrorist organization in 2002;[citation needed] it is classified as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under U.S. law.[citation needed] As a result, its finances are blocked worldwide by the U.S government.[citation needed]
See also
- Shia Islam in Pakistan
- Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen
- Shia Ulema Council
- Tehrik-e-Jafaria
- Imamia Students Organisation
References
- ^ Daily Times.com Vengeance, frictions reviving LJ and Sipah-e-Muhammad. April 7th, 2004
- ^ Ravinder Kaur (5 November 2005). Religion, Violence and Political Mobilisation in South Asia. SAGE Publications. pp. 154–. ISBN 978-0-7619-3431-8.
- ^ "'200 Iranian-trained Sipah-e-Muhammad activists hunting down ASWJ workers'". www.pakistantoday.com.pk. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
- 1993 establishments in Pakistan
- Islamic political parties in Pakistan
- Shia Islamist groups
- Religious paramilitary organizations
- Shia Islam in Pakistan
- Organisations designated as terrorist by Pakistan
- Organizations designated as terrorist by the United States
- Jihadist groups in Pakistan
- Violence against Shia Muslims in Pakistan