Abdul Rashid Ghazi

Allamah Mawlānā Abdul Rashid Ghazi
عبد الرشید غازی
Abdul Rashid Ghazi in c. 2007
Chief Executive of Faridia University
In office 1998–2007
Preceded by	None (office vacant)
Succeeded by	Muhammad Abdul Aziz
Khatib of Lal Masjid
In office 1998–2007
Preceded by	Muhammad Abdullah Ghazi
Succeeded by	Muhammad Abdul Aziz
Chairman of Defense of Human Rights Pakistan (DHR)
In office 2002–2007
Preceded by	None (office created)
Succeeded by	Amina Masood Janjua
Personal life
Born	(1964-01-29)29 January 1964 Basti-Abdullah, West Pakistan (present-day Punjab, Pakistan)
Died	10 July 2007(2007-07-10) (aged 43) Lal Masjid, Islamabad, Pakistan
Cause of death	Assassination (gunshot wounds)
Resting place	Jamia Abdullah Bin Ghazi, Punjab 28°32'49"N 69°47'25"E
Nationality	Pakistani
Children	Haroon Rashid Ghazi Haris Rashid Ghazi Hamza Rashid Ghazi
Alma mater	Quaid-i-Azam University
Occupation	Diplomat Islamic scholar
Relations	Muhammad Abdullah Ghazi (father) Muhammad Abdul Aziz (brother)
Signature
Religious life
Religion	Islam
Denomination	Sunni
Jurisprudence	Hanafi
Movement	Deobandi
Military career
Battles / wars	Soviet–Afghan War Siege of Lal Masjid †

Abdul Rashid Ghazi^[a] (c. 29 January 1964 – 10 July 2007)^[1] was a Pakistani Islamic scholar and diplomat-turned Islamist dissident who served as Khatib of Lal Masjid, the Chief Executive of Jamia Faridia University, the Chairman of Defense of Human Rights Pakistan (DHR), a member of UNICEF Committee on Preventive healthcare and the President of Idara Aalia Tanzeem ul Madaris and Al-Qassim Foundation. Prior to this he had worked for the Ministry of Education and UNESCO, a specialized agency of the United Nations.^[2]

He was the son of Muhammad Abdullah Ghazi, and younger brother of Abdul Aziz Ghazi.^[3]

Abdul Rashid was assassinated during Operation Sunrise after Pakistan Army Special Service Group stormed the Lal Masjid in Islamabad.^[4]

He was an ethnic Baloch, descending from the Sadwani (Sodvani) clan of the Mazari tribe, in the town of Basti-Abdullah near Rojhan in Rajanpur, the border district of Punjab province of Pakistan.^[5]

In his youth, Abdul Rashid defied his father's wish that he receive formal Islamic education as he wanted to live a modern life. He completed his Master of Science degree in history from Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad in 1987–1988.^[4] A photo of him and his classmates still hangs on the history department's wall.^[4] According to one of his professors, "He was a normal, modern student and a lively fellow who was well adjusted to a co-educational system."^[4] Remembered by his friends as "a bright student and an active member of a progressive student organisation", "He could have been a diplomat in the foreign office or an educationist", his friend once stated in an interview.^[6]

He was non-religious during that time, hardly if ever going to the mosque and reading authors like Karl Marx, Max Weber and Henry Kissinger, "his greatest ambition was to become a diplomat at the United Nations", a friend added,^[6] to the extent that he stopped talking to his father, who was antagonized by his "Westernized" lifestyle.^[6]

Declan Walsh also quotes peoples who knew him during this time, saying that he was a secularized student reading the likes of Nietzsche and Rousseau, mingling with women and being fond of singing.^[7]

Having completed his M.Sc. in History, he secured a position at the Pakistan National Commission and later joined the Ministry of Education in Islamabad as a Grade-17 officer, where he briefly served as the editor of its monthly magazine, Piyami.^[2]

He subsequently joined the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN).^[8]

He initially served at UNESCO's National Office in Islamabad, Later, he was briefly transferred to the organization's Regional Bureau for Education in Asia, located in Thailand.^[9][10]

Subsequently, he was posted to New Delhi, India, where he briefly served as Chargé d'Affaires and also became involved with the UNESCO-designated World Heritage Sites, including the Taj Mahal.^[11]

In his later career, he was stationed at the Maison de l'UNESCO in Paris, France, serving as a Representative and Diplomat. He was also as a member of the Pakistani Delegation to UNESCO linked with Embassy of Pakistan in Paris.^[4][12]

In 1988, during the Soviet–Afghan War, Ghazi and his brother Abdul Aziz traveled to Paktia Province of Afghanistan, where they briefly participated in combat.^[3] According to a friend who fought alongside Ghazi, they engaged in several clashes with Soviet forces near the Afghanistan–Pakistan border.^[7]

In one incident, Ghazi narrowly survived a land mine explosion, after which he adopted the honorific title Ghazi (Arabic: "warrior").^[7] Journalist Declan Walsh cites a companion of Ghazi who stated that he was primarily motivated by the excitement and adventure of war rather than religious ideology and notes that this attitude was not uncommon among young men joining the anti-Soviet resistance.^[8]

In 1997, Ghazi traveled to Kandahar with his father and a delegation of religious scholars, where they met with Taliban leader Mullah Omar and Osama bin Laden.^[13]

Ghazi, when referring to these events, stated: "The meeting inspired me to work for the establishment of Islamic state." He recalled that at the end of the meeting, he picked up and drank water from a cup which bin Laden had used. An amused bin Laden asked Ghazi why he had done so, to which Ghazi replied: "I drank from your glass so that Allah would make me a great warrior like you".^[14]

In October 1998, Ghazi's father was assassinated in the courtyard of Lal Masjid as he returning from teaching a class at Jamia Faridia.^[14] Due to a lack of confidence in Pakistan's legal system, Abdul Aziz, the elder brother of Ghazi, initially declined to file a First Information Report (FIR). However, Ghazi proceeded to file the FIR, prompting a police investigation into the case. After persistent efforts, a suspect was arrested and subsequently identified by an eyewitness during an identification parade.^[15]

Despite this, the suspect was inexplicably released the following day. Ghazi protested the release, warning the authorities that he would pursue legal action if the suspect was not promptly re-arrested. As pressure mounted, he reportedly faced threats, including a warning to withdraw the case or risk suffering a fate similar to that of his father.^[16]

According to those close to him, this experience marked a turning point in his life, leading to his disillusionment with the legal system.^[4]

Ghazi adopted the trappings of an Islamist, wearing a pakol (wool hat) and a checkered Palestinian keffiyeh over white robes, and was appointed as the Khatib of Lal Masjid, Ghazi however still retained the courteous manner and open-minded curiosity of his student years and was known to welcome foreign visitors at his quarters, charming and cajoling them.^[17]

Ghazi also cultivated ties with political, religious, and militant figures, including Harkat-ul-Mujahideen leader Fazlur Rehman Khalil, and Jaish-e-Mohammed leader Masood Azhar, who made a rare public appearance at Lal Masjid in 2002.^[18]

Ghazi also allied with Sipah-e-Sahaba leader Azam Tariq.^[14] In 2003, following Tariq's assassination, Ghazi led his funeral prayers inside Lal Masjid.^[19]

Ghazi's political allies also included Jamaat-e-Islami leader Qazi Hussain Ahmad, JUI-F’s Fazal-ur-Rehman, and JUI-S’s Samiul Haq.^[20][21]

In 2001, when the country's religious parties formed a coalition to protest the war in Afghanistan, Ghazi emerged as a central figure in the movement. He played a key role in organizing demonstrations across Islamabad and was appointed as the coalition's chief spokesperson. Ghazi publicly pledged support for the Taliban.^[16]

Ghazi would later also play a prominent role in leading protests against the Invasion of Iraq.^[8]

In 2006, Ghazi also led protests against Pope Benedict XVI's Regensburg lecture.^[22]

Ghazi and his close associate Khalid Khawaja were prominent activists involved in various social causes, including addressing enforced disappearances in Pakistan. In 2002, they co-founded the human rights group Defense of Human Rights Pakistan (Urdu: تحافظ حقوق إنساني).^[11][23][24] Ghazi served as the organization's first chairman while Khawaja was its spokesman.^[25]

The organization became involved in the alleged child abduction case of Molly Campbell, providing her shelter at the Jamia Hafsa during her parental custody trial.^[26][27]

Ghazi led the organization until his death, after which activist Amina Masood Janjua succeeded him in the role.^[28]

Ghazi also served as Chief Executive (Rector/President) of Faridia University, an Islamic university situated near the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan.^[8] he is credited with modernization of the institute where alongside the traditional Dars-i Nizami, he introduced new academic programmes including information technology, Islamic Economics and himself taught English and Philosophy.^[6]

In 2002, Ghazi extended an invitation to Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan to attend the Khatam-e-Bukhari ceremony at his seminary, Jamia Faridia. Subsequently, Khan also generously supported the construction of a park adjacent to the seminary and facilitated the creation of a forest pedestrian path leading from the seminary to Faisal Mosque, which was named in his honor.^[29]

In 2003, he inaugurated the Al Faridia Model School, a free for all high school offering classes from 7th till matriculation.^[8]

Farid Esack recounts to have met Ghazi multiple times at the Faridia University seminary, Ghazi peppered the South African with questions about Nelson Mandela's life in prison, and they chatted for hours about revolutionaries like Che Guevara and Fidel Castro. "He certainly saw himself in that mold, as the righteous moral rebel." Esack said, both of them are also said to have debated their conflicting opinions on Islam, "My vision of an inclusive polity influenced by progressive Islamic values is very different than Ghazi's, of course, but his theology should not be reduced to a caricature, as it so often was, especially in the West", Esack recounted.^[30]

In 2005, Ghazi attended the graduation ceremony at Darul Uloom Karachi as a guest speaker. During this event, he met Pakistani jurist Mufti Taqi Usmani. Later, when Usmani visited Islamabad, he toured Ghazi's seminary and commended his administration.^[31]

Ghazi also collaborated with the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization, International Center for Religion & Diplomacy (ICRD), supporting their madrasa reform initiatives in Pakistan.^[29]

Following the devastating 2005 Kashmir earthquake, Ghazi played a significant role in the relief efforts, providing essential aid to the affected communities, including the distribution of food and tents to displaced individuals.^[32]

In response to the disaster, Ghazi established the Al-Qasim Foundation (Urdu: القاسم فاؤنڈیشن), a relief organization that mobilized volunteer students from local seminaries, with its headquarters based at Jamia Faridia. Under his leadership, the foundation distributed relief goods valued at approximately Rs 100 million to earthquake victims.^[33]

Ghazi personally oversaw multiple relief operations and made several trips to the earthquake-stricken areas of Kashmir. In one notable incident, he narrowly avoided a fatal accident by missing a scheduled flight on a MI-17 transport helicopter, which later crashed in the mountainous region of Kashmir.^[34][35]

In 2003, Ghazi joined UNICEF, a United Nations led humanitarian organization, where he was a member of committee formed to raise awareness regarding preventive healthcare including HIV.^[36]

The following year, Ghazi joined a delegation of religious leaders, led by United Nations official Bettina Schunter, to travel to South Africa to learn about HIV prevention. This trip was aimed at improving the efforts of religious leaders in combating the spread of HIV in their communities.^[8]

In late 2005, shortly after dawn, Ghazi was returning from teaching a class at Jamia Faridia. While driving along the Seventh Avenue in Islamabad near the Margalla Hills, individuals in a nearby vehicle opened fire on him. Ghazi and his bodyguards, armed with assault rifles, returned fire, forcing the assailants to flee the scene.^[13]

Following this incident, Ghazi began carrying an AK-74 for protection and kept the weapon in his car, near his work desk, and even by his bedside.^[37]

On 3 July 2007, during the Siege of Lal Masjid, Pakistan Army Special Forces (SF) including the Pakistan Rangers, and Special Service Group (SSG) surrounded the Red Mosque in Islamabad.^[38]

Ghazi himself remained inside with a few students. He called for a safe way in which he would not be humiliated like his brother, but officials denied his requests.^[39]

The Pakistan Ministry of Interior reported that he was killed on 10 July 2007 during Operation Sunrise.^[40]

On 11 July 2007, Ghazi's brother, Abdul Aziz, who was arrested during the siege, led Ghazi's funeral at their native village of Basti-Abdullah with a large number of people from all the provinces of the country in attendance.^[41]

Ghazi is buried at Jamia Abdullah Bin Ghazi, Basti-Abdullah situated a short distance from Rojhan in Rajanpur District.^[42][43]

A few days after his death, his famous saying "We can be martyred but we will not surrender" was featured as quote of the day on Time magazine's website.^[44]

Ghazi often wore a red-and-black-patterned hat known as the Mazari cap, honoring his Baloch roots. After his death, the hat was dubbed the "Ghazi Topi".^[2]

On 20 September 2007, Osama bin Laden released a new tape called "Come to Jihad" with his voice over previously released footage of him. In the tape bin Laden called on Pakistanis, especially the soldiers, to overthrow President Pervez Musharraf, promising what he called retaliation for the storming of the Red Mosque, stating that "twenty years after the soil of Pakistan soaked up the blood of one of the greatest jihadi fighters, the Imam Abdallah Azzam, today Pakistan is witness to the death of another great Muslim, Imam Abdul al-Rashid Ghazi."^[45]

On 2 September 2013, a first information report (FIR) was registered against Pervez Musharraf by Islamabad High Court for his role in the assassination of Ghazi during the Operation Sunrise in 2007.^[46][47]

The former president was arrested in the murder case.^[48][49]

In August 2007, Al Jazeera English aired a documentary titled Witness- Inside the Red Mosque, featuring reporter Rageh Omaar. The film, which contained the final interview with Ghazi before his assassination, was nominated for an International Emmy Award in 2008.^[50][51]

• Hayat Shaheed E Islam (Urdu: حیات شہیدِ اسلام),: Maktaba Faridia, 2003. Biography of his father co-authored with Mufti Riaz Munsoor.

• Nine Lives Of Pakistan. National Geographic Books, Declan Walsh (2020)
• Negotiating the Siege of the Lal Masjid, Oxford University Press, Adam Dolnik, Khuram Iqbal (2015)
• The Pakistan Anti-Hero. Vanguard Publications, Nadeem F. Paracha (2016)
• To Live Or to Perish Forever. Random House Publishers India Pvt. Limited, Nicholas Schmidle (2009)
• The China–Pakistan Axis. C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd, Andrew Small (2015)

• List of Deobandis

• Pakistani army storms Red Mosque; is killed at Wikinews
• Abdul Rashid Ghazi's channel on YouTube