THE CONTROVERSIAL MOSQUE

Projects funded by the Saudi government always been looked askance at in Pakistan, especially the construction of mosques and Madrassas (Seminaries). A recent case is with an under constructed mosque at Hazara University, Mansehra.

The University has recently received the Kingdom’s financial aid for the construction of a mosque, and other buildings, but the local population seems not pleased with this generosity.

Most of the people are of the view that the mosque would be used for the propagation of Wahabid ideology and in spreading hatred towards the Muslims of other sects. A local resident expressed his views in these words ”Atai masjid di tameer firqawarana tasadum da bais bun si’’, construction of the mosque will flare up sectarian conflict in the area.

A local Barelvi Muslim voiced his concerns in a similar way, “Saudis have no right to use the educational institute as a hub of their brand of Islam, we will resist and raise our voices against it”.

On the other hand the university administration has a different story to tell.”Some elements don’t want development in the area therefore they give sectarian colour to the construction project”, said a staff member at the University.

Hazara University has been passing through turbulent times since its inception, at first it was turned into ruins by a catastrophic earthquake, then frequent strikes paralyzed it, afterwards it caught media attention for the notorious Pushtoon-Hazarawal clashes, now a controversial mosque has become the bone of contention.

It is the collective responsibility of the administration and the local community to reflect upon the matter, and sought out a possible solution in order to avoid a conflict in the near future.

We hope that the problem will be solved peacefully and the institute will continue its academic activities without further disturbance.