29 August 2004	Sunday	12 Rajab 1425

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KARACHI, Aug 28: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and Ittehad Tanzeemat Madaris, an organization of religious institutions of all schools of thought, on Saturday evening announced to hold countrywide demonstrations on Sept 11 against the US and its allies for holding the entire Muslim world responsible for the 9/11 tragedy and taking punitive action against it.

The decision was announced by MMA secretary-general Fazlur Rehman at a crowded press conference held at the Idara Noor-i-Haq after the joint meeting of the MMA and the ITM.

The meeting, which was called to deliberate and formulate joint strategy in the context of the government interference in Madaris (religious seminaries) and arrests of ulema, called upon all the MMA workers to organize rallies and demonstrations in all district headquarters, and appealed to the people to join the protest.

Flanked by MMA President Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Allama Hasan Turabi, Maulana Abdul Karim Abid, Sahibzada Abul-Khair Zubair and other MMA leaders, Maulana Fazl said that the government should not compel the religious organizations to launch a movement against it. If the government failed to stop interfering in Madaris and reopening the settled issue of Hudood and blasphemy laws they would be left with no option but to bring people on the streets, he added.

Earlier, announcing the decisions of the meeting, Maulana Fazl said that they had decided to form a joint forum for mutual consultation and formulate a strategy for the future.

He recalled that special investigative reports of 9/11 incident had not pinpointed any country responsible for the tragedy. Therefore, he added, the aggression against Afghanistan by the US and its allies' was nothing but an act of terrorism.

Likewise, he said, after recognition at the official level by Britain and the US that the reports about Iraq having mass destructive weapons were fictitious their attack on Iraq was world terrorism.

Announcing support to the resistance movement of Iraqi people, he said that the meeting also condemned Jewish repression of Muslims in Palestine.

The rallies and demonstrations, he said, would condemn excesses being perpetrated against humanity in Guantanamo Bay, Faluja and other places under the US control, and called upon human rights organisations to take notice of it. The ongoing Wana operation would also be condemned, he added.

The MMA secretary-general said that in compliance of the US agenda, the government was building pressure against the Madaris. By accusing them of terrorism, raids were being carried out and sanctity of the Madaris trampled, he added.