July 03, 2007
Nine Killed At Pakistani Mosque
Tensions flared between militant students and government forces at Pakistan's Red Mosque today, resulting in clashes that have killed at least nine people and injured many more.
Students at the mosque, some of them heavily armed and wearing gas masks, fought back against police trying to erect a barbed wire fence and sandbags to surround the mosque. The police fired on the crowd with tear gas, and a gun battle ensued. A man reportedly issued a call for suicide bombers over the mosque's sound system, saying, "They have attacked our mosque, the time for sacrifice has come."
A cease-fire was declared at sundown, but students are still occupying the mosque's library. An official said the government was "considering all options" to disperse the students.
Clerics at the mosque have grown increasingly vocal over the last several months, challenging the military government and pushing it toward religious fundamentalism. In April, they called on the government to adopt strict Islamic law -- Sharia -- or face violent consequences, including suicide attacks.
They also issued a fatwa against a female minister, who was photographed touching a man after going parachuting in France. Female students featured heavily in today's clashes, with women in burqas pictured holding guns to arm themselves against government forces.
