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2010 Ahmadiyya mosques massacre

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May 2010 Lahore attacks
LocationLahore, Pakistan
Date28 May 2010
14:00[1] – (UTC+5)
Attack type
Grenades & Shooting
Deaths98+[2]
Injured120+[3]
PerpetratorsTehrik-i-Taliban Punjab[1]

The May 2010 Lahore attacks occurred on 28 May 2010 in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, during Friday prayers. Two mosques, Darul-ul-Zikr and Bait-ul-Noor, of the minority Ahmadiyya Muslim Community came under attack in a hostage situation after firing and grenades.[1] Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attacks and were also blamed by the Pakistani Police.

Background

The Ahmadiyya movement was started in 1889 and follows the teachings of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad who they believe was sent by God as a prophet "to end religious wars, condemn bloodshed and reinstitute morality, justice and peace." It is estimated there are between 3 - 4 million Ahmadis in Pakistan.[2]

The Ahmadiyya Muslims have previously been targeted by Sunni groups, while they have also suffered discrimination in Pakistan in the past.[4] The Ahmadis are not recognized as Muslim by Pakistan because they do not recognize the finality of the prophethood of Muhammad, a core tenet of mainstream Islam.[1] They were declared non-Muslim in Pakistan in 1973 and were legally banned from identifying themselves as Muslim in 1984 by the government despite Ahmadis calling themselves Muslim and following the rituals of Islam.[5]

Human Rights group in Pakistan said that they had warned of threats to the Ahmadi community center in Model Town for more than a year, saying the government took inadequate steps to provide security.[2][6] The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Asma Jahangir; an independent expert on minority issues, Gay McDougall; and the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Philip Alston, claimed that because Ahmadis have been declared non-Muslims and have been subject to a number of restrictions, in many instances institutionalized discrimination, opinion makers are emboldened to seek to fuel hatred, and perpetrators of attacks against religious minorities find cannon fodder.[6]

Lahore has also been the site of various interval attacks by militants, including on visiting Sri Lankan cricketers and the police academy, amongst others.

Attack

The perpetrators lobbed grenades and started firing as they attacked two mosques of the minority Ahmadi sect in different residential neighbourhoods. Security officers were then involved in a gun battle with fighters ouside one of the mosques in Garhi Shahu district.[4] The near simultaneous attacks were at Darul Al Zikr, Garhi Shahu and Bait Al Noor Lahore Model Town, 15 km apart.[7]

The attackers at Garhi Shahu, including three suicide bombers, first killed the security guards,[8] before storming into the prayer halls firing guns, throwing grenades and taking hostages. The assault at Model Town involved four attackers opening fire on worshippers before exploding hand grenades. Sajjad Bhutta, the deputy commissioner of Lahore, said the death toll at Garhi Shahu was higher because three attackers blew themselves up with suicide vests packed with explosives when police tried to enter the building.[4] The attackers killed anyone among the hostages who moved.[5]

One attacker was reportedly killed and two were arrested[9] while seven were still holed up in one of the mosques. The Model Town mosque was declared safe,[9] though up to 3000 people were reported to be holed up in the mosque during the firing.[10] This was the deadliest attack in Lahore of its kind, and one of the most severe in terms of lives lost in the history of persecution against Ahmadis.[citation needed]

Investigation

Rana Sana Ullah Khan, the minister of law in Punjab Province, said the attackers stayed with the Tablighi Jamaat, a Muslim missionary group, described by some experts as the antechamber to the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Its headquarters are in Raiwind, on the outskirts of Lahore. He also added that he believed the attackers, who operated as commandos, had been trained in Waziristan.[1]

Responsibility

The Punjabi Taliban, a subset wing of the Pakistani Taliban reportedly laid claim to the attacks. It is allegedly composed of groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi which were previously sponsored by the Government of Pakistan.[1] A text message sent to many journalists and signed by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and Punjabi wing of Al-Qaeda stated "This is a final warning to the [Ahmedi community] to leave Pakistan or prepare for death at the hands of the Prophet Muhammad's devotees."[11]

Lahore police stated that the attacks were carried out by six militants belonging to Pakistani Taliban, who were trained in the town of Miranshah in North Waziristan. They were aged between 17 and 28 and arrived in Lahore on May 21.[12]

Reactions

United Nations In a joint statement with three UN human rights "experts," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said "Members of this religious community have faced continuous threats, discrimination and violent attacks in Pakistan. There is a real risk that similar violence might happen again unless advocacy of religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence is adequately addressed. The Government must take every step to ensure the security of members of all religious minorities and their places of worship so as to prevent any recurrence of today’s dreadful incident." Ban's spokesperson expressed condemndation and extended his condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government.[6]

United States The American ambassador to Pakistan, Anne W. Patterson, issued an unusually strong statement saying Pakistan had witnessed an increase in "provocative statements that promote intolerance and are an incitement to extremist violence."[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Perlez, Jane (May 28, 2010). "Attackers Hit Mosques of Islamic Sect in Pakistan". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
  2. ^ a b c By the CNN Wire Staff. "At least 80 killed in Lahore attacks". CNN.com. Retrieved 2010-05-29. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  3. ^ 82 killed as worship places of Ahmadis attacked in Lahore, Geo TV, May 29, 2010
  4. ^ a b c "Deaths in Pakistan mosques raids". Al Jazeera English. May 28, 2010. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
  5. ^ a b "Pakistan mosque attacks in Lahore kill scores". BBC. May 28, 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2010.
  6. ^ a b c UN News Centre
  7. ^ "Lahore attacks leave over 80 dead". geo.tv. 28 May 2010.
  8. ^ Worshippers slaughtered in deadly 'final warning', The Independent, May 29, 2010
  9. ^ a b CNN-IBN. 28 May 2010. 16:32 IST
  10. ^ NDTV. 28 May 2010. 16:06–16:15 IST.
  11. ^ Waraich, Omar (May 28, 2010). "Sectarian Attacks on Lahore Mosques Kill More than 80". Time (magazine). Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  12. ^ Perlez, Jane (May 29, 2010). "Pakistani Taliban Carried Out Attack on Lahore Mosques, Police Say". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
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