 |
|
Angry
Pakistani students burn an Israeli flag in Karachi protesting
Sheikh Yassin’s assassination
|
By
Asif Farooqi, IOL Correspondent
ISLAMABAD,
March 22 (IslamOnline.net) - Waking up to the sad news of Israel’s
assassination of Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Pakistan
braced for mass demonstrations, while scholars said the deceased
leader would remain a source of inspiration for all Muslims.
Pakistani
students from the Islami Jamiat-e-Talba group burnt an Israeli flag
during a rally in Karachi while other demonstrators offered prayers
for the wheel
chair-bound Yassin.
Mutahidda
Majles e Amal (MMA), a multi-party alliance of religious groups, plans
to declare March 22 a "day of condemnation" to be marked
each year with protests against Israel and the United States.
"We
would have protest rallies in every part of the country today and this
day every year to condemn the Israel and U.S.," Qazi Hussein
Ahmed, MMA vice president, told IslamOnline.net.
Qazi,
also chief of Jamaat e Islami Pakistan, said parliament would not
function on Monday in respect of deceased Sheikh Yasin, a long-time struggler
against Israeli occupation.
"Sheikh
Yassin was a symbol of Palestine and Intifadah who lit the candle of
hope and Jihad in Muslim all over the world," he stressed.
The
assassination has provoked a wave of international
condemnation, particularly from European countries.
Source
Of Inspiration
Qazi
said that not only Sheikh Yassin’s life but also his death would be
a source of inspiration for every Muslim and his mission would be
carried through with courage and bravery, which were his only weapons.
The
death of martyr Sheikh Yassin would breathe a new life into the
Palestinian cause and freedom movement, he added.
The
Islamic leader announced that protests would be followed by special
prayers for Sheikh Yassin on Friday.
"Pakistanis
would remember the great leader on Friday in seminars and
discussions," he added.
Qazi
said that meeting Sheikh Yassin was his cherished dream but travel
restriction and physical disability of the deceased leader stood in
its way.
Sheikh
Yassin was
confined to a wheelchair due to a childhood injury at the age
of 12 that left him paralyzed to the day of his assassination.
Qazi
said he was in touch with Yassin over phone and had exchange of views
on many occasions.
"Sheikh
Yassin was always kind and loving to me and to everyone who seek his
blessing and respects," he recalled.
Life-Time
Lesson
Other
Muslim leaders in Pakistan joined in the condemnation, with some
deeming the assassination of the Hamas spiritual leader a
"life-time" lesson to world Muslims.
"Words
could not describe the expression of shock and sadness on the
leader’s death," said Mufti e Azam Pakistan Maulana Rafi
Usmani.
Usmani,
a member of the Islamic Ideological Council, underlined that the
"martyrdom of Sheikh Yassin has brought the freedom further
closer to the Palestinians".
He
asserted that his life and death are a lesson for each Muslim, adding
"we should follow his teachings to get the success in our
personal and public life."
Mufti
Nizamuddin Sham Zai said that assassinating Sheikh Yassin was a
proof of the "Zionist’s barbarianism".
"The
way he has been killed, proves who is real terrorist of the
world," said the Muslim scholar.
He
stressed that Muslims all over the world would continue to take
inspiration from the great leader.
"Sheikh
Yasin has lit the light of Jihad which continues to spread light in
every nook and corner of the universe," Zai said.
Umer
Sadiq, a renowned Islamic scholar and parliamentary leader of MMA in
Sindh Assembly, said Yassin gave an Islamic face to a freedom
movement.
"This
was his biggest contribution in service to Islam and the cause of
Palestinian people," he noted.
