70-year-old madrassa teacher under fire after student leaks 'molestation' video

[dildilpak]

I don't think IK comments on every misdemeanour committed by an individual in India, usually it will be collective repression of minorities which is enabled by a compliant state apparatus, so this comparison is misleading.

Religious leaders, I agree should have been far more vocal as this case is directly parallel to their organisations.

So how about the killings/oppression of Ahmedis, Shias, Hazaras or conversion of Hindu/Christian minor girls in Sindh- will you blame that on a ‘compliant state apparatus’ too or is that blame now conveniently placed on individuals?

I used to be a huge IK fan but no more - he is completely under the thumb of the hardliners.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

So how about the killings/oppression of Ahmedis, Shias, Hazaras or conversion of Hindu/Christian minor girls in Sindh- will you blame that on a ‘compliant state apparatus’ too or is that blame now conveniently placed on individuals?

I used to be a huge IK fan but no more - he is completely under the thumb of the hardliners.

Any oppression has to be dealt with by the courts, and ultimately the courts have to be overseen by the govt. The State has the authority to change laws as well if they want to support Shias/Ahmadis/Hazaras or Christians, but in a democracy they will be mindful of public opinion. Only a dictatorship can override the public wishes, as we see in various middle eastern countries.

 

[dildilpak]

Any oppression has to be dealt with by the courts, and ultimately the courts have to be overseen by the govt. The State has the authority to change laws as well if they want to support Shias/Ahmadis/Hazaras or Christians, but in a democracy they will be mindful of public opinion. Only a dictatorship can override the public wishes, as we see in various middle eastern countries.

But what if the hardline public opinion itself is flawed? Case in example - the inhumane treatment of Ahmedis or the Blasphemy law? Is it ok for the lawmakers to wash off their hands & lay it down on the ignorant, illiterate public?

But coming back to this case & many others involving the mullahs the laws are present, yet there is clearly a lack of government will to crack down fearing a public backlash.Till the victim didnt decide to expose his oppressor, no policeman would have taken him seriously. Instead of handing the mullah over to the police, the masjid folks just fired him & let him walk out. Even now i bet the police are not investigating if there are more potential victims. If you have to allege systematic collusion of a compliant state apparatus there can be no better examples than these mullahs who can virtually get away with anything in Pakistan in the name of religion.

 

[MenInG]

Guys stay on topic.

Thread is about issue related to madrassahs

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

But what if the hardline public opinion itself is flawed? Case in example - the inhumane treatment of Ahmedis or the Blasphemy law? Is it ok for the lawmakers to wash off their hands & lay it down on the ignorant, illiterate public?

But coming back to this case & many others involving the mullahs the laws are present, yet there is clearly a lack of government will to crack down fearing a public backlash.Till the victim didnt decide to expose his oppressor, no policeman would have taken him seriously. Instead of handing the mullah over to the police, the masjid folks just fired him & let him walk out. Even now i bet the police are not investigating if there are more potential victims. If you have to allege systematic collusion of a compliant state apparatus there can be no better examples than these mullahs who can virtually get away with anything in Pakistan in the name of religion.

We can speculate on what we think might happen other cases, but in the specific one you are talking about the maulvi was exposed, arrested and has been successfully charged. Beyond that we can say this might happen or we can bet something else might happen, but it's conjecture at this point.

The Blasphemy Law has been discussed here many times, and with Pakistan invoking religion as a key pillar of it's constitution, there is going to be a problem repealing it any time soon, at least while Pakistan is a democracy. Any change is going to require public support, and Pakistan public doesn't seem ready to remove religion from their statutes.

 

[saeedhk]

There are approximately 1.8 billion Muslims in the world. I don't think its possible for there to be no Muslim criminals. The bolded part is the perfect example of "bigotry of high expectations".

BTW there are also many cases of kids being abused in secular public schools, would it be fair to blame all teachers or all schools for that?

What that guy did is vile and he deserves the worst punishment possible but why is everyone pretending this only happens in religious schools?

Instead of using this tragedy to score points, best thing would be to focus on stopping kids from being exploited in schools where those schools be religious or not.

Exactly. So the next time when Muslims are in the news for the wrong reasons, don't cry Islamophobia.

 

[MenInG]

LAHORE: A sessions court on Tuesday granted interim bail till June 30 to three sons of former JUI-F leader Mufti Azizur Rehman in a seminary student sexual assault case.

The court sought record of the case from the police till the next date of hearing.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Nauman Muhammad Naeem heard the bail applications of Latifur Rehman, Waseemur Rehman and Wasiur Rehman, sons of Mufti Azizur Rehman.

A counsel for the petitioners argued before the court that the police had registered a sexual assault and criminal intimidation case against Mufti Rehman and others.

He submitted that the police had also nominated various unknown persons in the matter and it was feared that police might arrest his clients.

The lawyer submitted that his clients did not have any link to the case and pleaded with the court to grant bail to them.

At this, the court restrained the police from arresting the petitioners till June 30 and sought a record of the case from it.

On June 17, the North Cantonment police had registered a case under charges of sexual assault and criminal intimidation against Mufti Rehman and others.

The case was registered after a video of the cleric, which showed him sexually assaulting a student at a seminary, provoked outrage on social media.

Thereafter, the police raided the madressah to look for Aziz and his sons as it was reported he frequently stayed there.

In his video, the student said Aziz had "sexually abused" him and then the cleric's sons started "blackmailing and threatening to kill" him.

"If justice is not done, I will commit suicide," the student had warned.

Superintendent Asadullah Farooq said Aziz and his sons had been asked to leave the madressah and the institution was not responsible for any of their acts.

Once police registered a case against Aziz, he fled from the madressah to avoid arrest and sought refuge in the houses of some of his students. The police said Aziz went into hiding in different areas, including Township, Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, and Mianwali.

They said that Aziz and his sons were traced via the location of their mobile phones. They were hiding in Mianwali when the police finally arrested them.

On Monday police said that he "confessed to his crime during interrogation".

Aziz and his sons were presented before the Cantt court, police said. During the proceedings, the police requested the court for physical remand of the cleric.

The court, in response, granted the permission to carry out a four-day physical remand of the accused, while also ordering a DNA test and medical examination.

According to the police, Aziz, the former superintendent of the Jamia Manzor Al-Islamia in Lahore Cantt, confessed that the viral video featured him and it was stealthily filmed by his student.

The cleric also confessed that he had lured the student with passing marks in exams and had later sexually abused him. He also said that once the video went viral, he was fearful of the repercussions.

Aziz told the police that his sons had threatened the student and told him not to speak to anyone about it. However, despite the threats, the student went ahead and posted the video online.

The cleric also said that he issued a video statement because he did not want to leave the madressah, adding that following the video leak, the administration of the madressah urged him to leave his job.

Before his Monday confession, Aziz had claimed that the video was two-and-a-half years to three years old and that the student was being "used against" him.

"I declare under oath that I did not do such an act while in my senses. I was given something intoxicating and I was not in my senses," he had claimed in a video message.

Meanwhile, JUI Lahore's secretary-general also issued a notice stating that after the video, the party had suspended the membership of Mufti Azizur Rehman and that it would remain revoked till the investigation concludes.

GEO

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Exactly. So the next time when Muslims are in the news for the wrong reasons, don't cry Islamophobia.

What a childish reply. Like saying next time someone accuses a Christian of burning the Quran, don't cry persecution of minorities.

 

[El Generico]

Exactly. So the next time when Muslims are in the news for the wrong reasons, don't cry Islamophobia.

Huh? So if a small percentage from a large group does something then it's fine to demonize the entire group?

So going by your logic its fine to be anti-Semitic because Israel commits war crimes? It's fine to hate all Hindus because of what groups like RSS do? Your line of thinking can be and has been used to justify discrimination against pretty much anybody.

 

[saeedhk]

Huh? So if a small percentage from a large group does something then it's fine to demonize the entire group?

So going by your logic its fine to be anti-Semitic because Israel commits war crimes? It's fine to hate all Hindus because of what groups like RSS do? Your line of thinking can be and has been used to justify discrimination against pretty much anybody.

I said if Muslims commit crime and they are reported by the media, do not cry Islamophobia.

 

[El Generico]

I said if Muslims commit crime and they are reported by the media, do not cry Islamophobia.

Who does? Any examples of people crying Islamophobia when crimes committed by Muslims are reported?

 

[saeedhk]

Who does? Any examples of people crying Islamophobia when crimes committed by Muslims are reported?

One of the posts above where a poster said media portrays Muslims in bad light.

 

[Justcrazy]

Bro, i am a Pakistani muslim myself and do agree with your basic point abt the hidden agenda of Western media in maligning Islam, so ‘you dont need to preach the converted’….However in this particular case, the context and the setting raises valid questions about child exploitation in these Madarsa establishments is a real issue in our country. Majority of these Molvis are uneducated and corrupt individuals who are just exploiting young innocent children. They need to get some harsh penalties to set an example.

In all my posts have I written anywhere that they should not be punished? Yes punish them whatever the penal code that is the country, but punish them as Criminals NOT Muslims , because Islam is NOT promoting such things.

What role does religion plays here ?

 

[Justcrazy]

You were talking about the context of pederast religious figures.

Regardless, it's incorrect to think of the average white Brit, for example, as Christian. Many barely consider themselves as such. When Muslims are generally referred to as such, it is due to some sort of terrorist or terrorist-adjacent activity. When there are white nationalist attacks, they are referred to as white nationalists. Are you against that, too?

White refers to ethnicity not religion.

 

[Justcrazy]

Read my post. Religion is being mentioned because the culprit is a preacher of the religion. If you do not want any negative light, the best way would be for Muslims to stop engaging in negative/criminal behavior. Till then, we will continue to see such news.

If he is a preacher that is why religion is mentioned? Will I show you headlines where Muslim was mentioned even though the person was NOT a preacher?

 

[Last Monetarist]

https://www.dawn.com/news/1631809/mufti-azizur-rehman-should-be-given-exemplary-punishment-tahir-ashrafi

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Religious Harmony Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi on Sunday said former JUI-F leader and cleric Mufti Azizur Rehman, who is accused of sexually assaulting one of his students, should be given exemplary punishment.

Addressing a press conference, Ashrafi said child abuse was a crime whether it happened in a madressah, a college or a university, and called for public punishments for those convicted of child and sexual abuse.

Rehman was arrested at a house in Mianwali on June 20 after a disturbing video clip showing the cleric allegedly sexually assaulting one of his students was widely shared on social media. He had gone into hiding after the Lahore police registered a case against him but was subsequently apprehended along with his sons.

Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Inam Ghani, after the cleric's arrest, had said that police would take it as a "test case".

In his presser, Ashrafi, who was flanked by other religious scholars, also said ulema fully supported the recent statement of Prime Minister Imran Khan regarding women's dressing and hijab.

The premier’s controversial remarks in a recent interview on HBO, in which he stated that “if a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on the men, unless they’re robots,” had triggered widespread criticism from civil society and political circles, which accused him of victim-blaming and equating women's dressing to rising incidents of rape.

Ashrafi said Islam was the protector of women's rights and insisted that the prime minister's remarks about women's dressing were "legal and in accordance with the Holy Quran and Sunnah”.

He said the premier's comments were targeted by some elements for "political reasons", adding that the instructions in the Quran about hijab were equally applicable to men — that they should keep their eyes down.

Ashrafi said the government should set up a helpline to register secret complaints about sexual assaults of children. He suggested that public punishment should be given by setting up special courts to prevent cases of child abuse.

He added that pictures of offenders who abused children or women should be shown on television channels and published in newspapers. He also appealed to the chief justice of Pakistan to award public and immediate sentences to such culprits.

He urged parents to educate their children on how they should react and how they should seek help if somebody attempted to abuse them.

To a question, Ashrafi said that religious scholars across the country were with the government on the issue of Muharram observance. The prime minister has ordered the expansion of peace committees for Muharram, he added.

Ashraf said a committee was working on a proposal about amending the Waqf Property Act, and added that some elements were doing politics on the Waqf Property Board issue.

“We are the guards of mosques and madressahs and no one can frighten us,” he told the press conference, noting that police had not visited any mosque or madressah even once in the three years of the PTI government.

Speaking about regulating the media, the SAPM highlighted the need for a mechanism to filter what he called negative content. “We are not against modern media, but there should be a system for filtering the content being shown there,” he said, adding that mobile phone technology had its own problems and also spread "obscenity".

About the decision to not allow the United States to set up bases in the country, Ashrafi said the government had represented the public sentiment through the move. He said Pakistan had always helped the Afghan people and it was a facilitator for peace in Afghanistan, but the problems were created by the "Afghan people and political parties".

He urged the media not to create "suspicion" about the curriculum for madressahs, saying the Muttahida Ulema Board’s job was only to stop “anarchist material”. He insisted that no restrictions would be imposed on teaching science subjects in seminaries.

 

[Last Monetarist]

https://www.dawn.com/news/1631995/in-dramatic-about-face-mufti-aziz-denies-sexually-assaulting-student-says-police-pressuring-him-to-confess

In a dramatic volte-face, former JUI-F leader and cleric Mufti Azizur Rehman on Monday denied sexually assaulting one of his students — contradicting his earlier confession allegedly made during the police interrogation — and told a judicial magistrate that the police were pressurising him to admit to the crime.

North Cantonment police had on June 17 registered the FIR on charges of sexual assault and criminal intimidation against Mufti Rehman on the complaint of a student of Jamia Manzoorul Islam, Lahore.

Police had arrested the cleric, accused of molesting his student, and his two sons in separate raids in Mianwali on June 20.

The police had later produced him before the local court and sought seven-day physical remand, which was approved by the magistrate.

At the time, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) investigations Shariq Jamal Khan had told Dawn.com, that the cleric had confessed he had made the student a target of his lust with the lure of passing him [in his exams]. The cleric had added that he was scared once the video went viral on social media and his sons had attempted to threaten the student and stop him from mentioning the incident to anyone, the DIG said.

On Monday, police produced Mufti Azizur Rehman before the judicial magistrate at a local court in Lahore to record his statement. He, however, redacted the earlier statement that was attributed to him by the police. He told the Judicial Magistrate Rana Rashid Ali that the seminary had conspired against him and the police were pressurising him for a confession.

After recording his statement, the magistrate sent the accused on judicial remand for 14 days. The court also sought a report from the police on the challan of the case at the next hearing.

 

[Tubs]

White refers to ethnicity not religion.

Great observation. You were obviously talking about a Western context, so I made sure I Was talking about white, Western Christians. And I was pointing out that most White English people don't consider themselves Christian. I also showed how white nationalists are labelled terrorists, many of which subscribe to some Christian basis.

 

[MenInG]

Cleric Mufti Aziz-ur-Rehman has matched positively with the individual seen in a video showing sexual molestation of a seminary student, said Lahore Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Investigations Shariq Jamal on Monday.

The cleric had confessed to the crime on June 21 in which he said that “The video of molestation is of me; I made a mistake and I'm embarrassed about it.”

The cleric's face was matched using digital forensic techniques. Jamal told The Express Tribune that no evidence of editing was found in the video clip according to the forensic analysis.

"Physical features of suspect Mufti Aziz and the victim also matched in forensic analysis" Jamal added. "The DNA report, however, tested negative as the incident was very old," added the police official.

On June 16, the police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the 70-year-old on the survivor’s complaint.

Mufti Aziz, also the Lahore vice ameer of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) at the time, had threatened to kill the survivor.

The survivor's statement

The survivor maintained in the FIR that, “I was admitted into the madrassa in 2013 and had been attending it since. He blamed me for making another student take my exam due to which I was banned from giving exams with the Wafaqul Madrassa for three years.”

Shah further stated in his FIR that, “Mufti Aziz promised passing me in exams in exchange for keeping immoral relations with me.”

The complainant stated that the cleric and his sons – Altaf, Atique, Lateef - and three other individuals have been threatening to murder him for releasing the video.

A video message was also leaked with the footage by the teary-eyed survivor, in which he claims that: “My attacker’s sons have threatened to kill me for exposing him [Mufti Aziz]”.

In distress, the victim shared that he is in hiding, adding that, “It is better I die” out of fear of retribution in the recording.

The video spread shock-waves on Pakistani Twitter as netizens not only called for immediate action to be taken against Aziz but also clear out pedophiles in religious seminaries across the country.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2308904/cleric-aziz-positively-identified-as-individual-in-video-police

 

[MenInG]

LAHORE: The forensic report of a video showing a bearded man sexually abusing a boy has confirmed that the individuals who appeared in it were Mufti Aziz and a seminary student.

The report, seen by The News, concluded that “no editing features were found in the visual content” of the videos.

“After forensic facial analysis, it was confirmed that the facial features of the victim and the accused named Aziz-ur-Rehman matched the facial features of the persons of interest seen in the videos,” Lahore Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Investigations Shariq Jamal said Monday.

“No evidence of editing was found in the video clip according to the forensic analysis report,” he added.

However, the DNA test of the accused came back negative as the crime happened two to three years ago and DNA analysis is time-barred.

Mufti Aziz had earlier pleaded innocence in his response after the video, in which he could be seen molesting his student, had gone viral. But after his arrest from Mianwali, he had confessed to his crime during police interrogation.

However, later on, he retracted his statement in court.

The survivor, in the FIR, had alleged that Aziz had banned him from examination for three years on allegations of appearing for another student in the exam. When the student begged for mercy, Mufti Aziz asked for sexual favours by promising to get him passing marks and lifting the ban on him.

However, Aziz did not fulfil his promises, the student said.

When he lodged complaints before various authorities, no one believed him, saying that Mufti Aziz was an old man. “I made the videos as evidence,” he asserted.

Mufti Aziz is currently in jail on judicial remand.

GEO

 

[MenInG]

LAHORE: The judicial remand of Mufti Aziz-ur-Rehman — the cleric accused of sexually abusing a madrassa student — has been extended for 14 days, Geo News reported Monday.

A case related to sexual misconduct against a student was heard at the Cantt Court of Lahore. Judicial Magistrate Rana Rashid Ali heard the case.

The court not only extended the judicial remand of Aziz-ur-Rehman for another 14 days but also directed the police to submit a charge sheet of the case at the earliest.

It should be recalled that Rahman was arrested from Mianwali after a video showing him sexually abusing a seminary student went viral on social media.

The student had said Rehman sexually abused him, while the cleric's sons started blackmailing and threatening to kill him. "If justice is not done, I will commit suicide," the survivor had said in the FIR.

Once police registered a case against Aziz, he fled from the madrassa he was working at to avoid arrest and sought refuge at the houses of some of his students. Police had said Aziz went into hiding in different areas, including Township, Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, and Mianwali.

They said that Aziz and his sons were traced via their mobile phone locations. They were hiding in Mianwali when the police finally arrested them.

The police said that he "confessed to his crime during interrogation".

According to the police, Aziz, the former superintendent of the Jamia Manzor Al-Islamia in Lahore Cantt, confessed that the viral video showed him and said it was "stealthily filmed" by his student.

The cleric also confessed that he had lured the student with passing marks in exams and had later sexually abused him. He also said that once the video went viral, he was fearful of the repercussions.

Aziz told the police that his sons had threatened the student and told him not to speak to anyone about it. However, despite the threats, the student went ahead and posted the video online.

The cleric also said that he issued a video statement because he did not want to leave the madrassa, adding that following the video leak, the administration of the madrassa urged him to leave his job.

GEO

 

[Last Monetarist]

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2316854/madrassa-administrator-arrested-for-sexually-assaulting-minor-girl-in-rawalpindi

Mufti Shahnawaz Ahmed, the prime accused in a case of alleged sexual assault and torture of 16-year-old madrassa student, has been arrested in Rawalpindi.

In a first information report (FIR) lodged with the Pirwadhai police station on August 17, the victim’s mother had said that her daughter was allegedly sexually assaulted and tortured by Mufti Ahmed with the help of his female colleague at his seminary a few days ago.

She said that her daughter had been studying in the madrassa for the last seven years and one day she received a call from the seminary administration, informing her that her daughter had fallen unconscious.

When the victim was brought home there were bruises on her face, she said in the complaint.

The complainant further stated that her daughter was taken to Mufti Shahnawaz’s room, where he tried to rape her and when she resisted he tortured her and forced her to consume a “tea-like drink”, which left her unconscious.

Mufti Shahnawaz and his accomplice had fled the scene after committing the horrifying crime and police had been searching for them for the last five days.

In a major headway on Monday, Rawalpindi police arrested the prime accused and his son, brother, nephew, and seminary deputy for allegedly assisting Mufti Shahnawaz to evade arrest.

Co-accused, Ishrat, one the other hand has been released on interim bail. All the accused will be produced in court tomorrow, the police said.

Police teams under supervision of SP Rawal Ziaud Din conducted raids in Rawalpindi, Chakri, Hassan Abdal, Mansehra and other areas to arrest the suspects.

On Monday afternoon, Mufti Shahnawaz reached a local Rawalpindi court and was granted interim bail in the case.

According to a police spokesperson, the accused was later arrested under “Section 212/224 TPP” for resisting arrest.

In addition, ‘Section 37-B’ for indecent exposure to a child and ‘Section (II) 506’ for hurling life threats have also been included in the case against the accused, the spokesperson added.

The mother had also told the police that the accused would also brandish weapons and threaten to kill her daughter and blowing up her house with explosives.

 

[Third_Umpire]

Pope, priests, mullahs....what do they share in common?

 

[YousafTheBeast]

Pope, priests, mullahs....what do they share in common?

Wait, if you’re saying religion is the cause then does that mean atheists don’t rape?

 

[Giannis]

Pope, priests, mullahs....what do they share in common?

Teachers, Doctors, Coaches, Older relatives/acquaintances can also be added to that list. What they share in common is positions of power and positions where adults have access/contact to children so there are going to be more cases where pedophiles who happen to be in these positions exploit children.

 

[MenInG]

LAHORE: A local court in the provincial capital has indicted Mufti Aziz-ur-Rehman and six others, including his sons, in the sexual assault case of a madrassah student.

The court has summoned the witnesses in the case at the next hearing, as Aziz and the others indicted have refused to confess to the charges.

The former JUI-F leader, on June 21, had confessed to his crime during interrogation, police had said. Aziz had admitted that the viral video featured him and it was stealthily filmed by his student.

Police registers case against Aziz
It should be recalled that the police had registered a case against Aziz, his sons, and two other unidentified men on June 17, after a video of the cleric, which showed him sexually assaulting a student, provoked outrage on social media.

Thereafter, the police raided the madrassah to look for Aziz and his sons as it was reported he frequently stayed at the seminary.

In his video, the student said Aziz had "sexually abused" him and then the cleric's sons started "blackmailing and threatening to kill" him.

"If justice is not done, I will commit suicide," the student had warned.

Superintendent Asadullah Farooq said Aziz and his sons had been asked to leave the madrassah and the institution was not responsible for any of their acts.

Mufti says he was 'intoxicated'
Before his confession, Aziz had claimed that the video was two-and-a-half years to three-year-old and that the student was being "used against" him.

"I declare under oath that I did not do such an act in my consciousness. I was given something intoxicating and I was not conscious," he had claimed in a video message.

When the incident came to light, JUI Lahore's secretary-general had issued a notice, stating the party had suspended the membership of Mufti Aziz and that it would remain revoked till the investigation concludes.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/373937-mu...rged-with-sexual-assault-of-madrassah-student