Lal Masjid Massacre

By: Showkat Ali

Lal Masjid Massacre

You have seen us on the news
Heard many stories
Mostly negative
Don’t blame you if you hate us
But now its time to hear our views

You have seen men with beards and turbans
Women with faces covered and sticks in one hand
Children shouting militant slogans
We don’t blame you if you are scared

Who are we?
Are we mad, raving lunatics?
Intent of destruction and mayhem
Or are we human and Muslim just like you?

You have seen the house of Allah surrounded
Helicopters and armed soldiers
Used to attack us in our place of worship and home
You have seen bodies flooding out
Most believed the official version
But some sincere Muslims have doubts
Questions and criticisms

Do we not deserve justice and a fair hearing?
Or is it ok for us to be butchered like animals at Qurbani?
Over hundred plus dead and even more wounded
Mass graves and cover ups
Some witnesses say 1500 martyred
what was our crime and who convicted us in what court?

If you’re willing to listen and think for yourself
Then here is our story

We are Muslims
Just like you
Believe in Allah and his book and Prophet
We accept all the verses and hadith
Regardless of the change in time and place
Islam is not only in our hearts
But in our actions too

We saw the evil all around just like you do
We felt angry and sad like everyone else
Pakistan established in the name of Islam
But where is Islam in society we asked?

Musharaff came
some people applauded
Need for change from the Bhuttos and the Nawaz Sharifs
what has he delivered?
A partner in America’s war against Islam
Thousands of Muslims dead
And open vice and evil everywhere

Brothels even next to masjids
Corruption so open
Modernisation and progress some say
It’s the price we pay
For being Secular

Islam inside people’s hearts
While the decadent values tear our nation apart
Polarisation
Islamists and Secularists
With millions in the middle

So we took a stand
Against those who do evil
Used our hands
To change the condition of the people
We expected the Government to attack us
But we expected better from our brothers and sisters

Do you not wish to live in a better society?
Free from corruption and evil
Based upon the Prophets Sunnah
Where your daughters can walk without being molested
Your sons can get jobs without paying bribes
And the nation’s wealth will be utilised for the ummah

So we suffered the consequences of our sincerity to Allah
We have no regrets
After all death is decreed by the creator
We leave this world working for Allah’s deen
You and us will meet again soon
Where the only currency will be good deeds
So take advantage of the time you have left
And read the Quran and Sunnah with an open mind
And act upon its commands
InshAllah