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Jamia Hafsa (جامعة حفصة) is a madrassa adjacent to the Lal Masjid complex in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. Known for getting involved in publicity stunts like burning CDs and kidnapping Chinese nationals and accusing them of running an undercover brothel. The mosque and its seminaries are overseen by cleric Abdul Aziz Ghazi.
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The seminary, and the adjoining Lal Mosque, was owned by two brothers and clerics, Maulana Abdul Aziz and Abdul Rashid Ghazi, until the Lal Masjid operation started and in the ensuing struggle, older brother Abdul Aziz was arrested and younger one Rashid Ghazi was killed.
History
Jamia Hafsa is the largest school in the Islamic world educating female students. Although they are taught subjects like mathematics and geography, they are not tested on them. Their exams are only on matters relating to Islam.
In 2014, the madrassa renamed its women's library to honor Osama bin Laden, whom it calls a martyr.
Vigilantism
On February 21, 2007, the Hafsa students occupied an Islamabad children's public library. The occupation was said to be due to the demolition of mosques in the capital by the CDA (capital development authority) due to their illegal construction and alleged security risk.
On March 28, 2007, an alleged brothel house in the locality was raided by female students from the madrassa. The owner of the house, her daughter and her daughter-in-law were abducted by the students and held hostage at the madrassa. Two policemen were also abducted after two female madrassa teachers were arrested in connection with the raid; the policemen were later released in return for the teachers.
Controversy
In April 2007, Maulana Abdul Aziz announced that a Qazi court composed of ten Lal Masjid Muftis (judges) would henceforth enforce sharia law over the area under its control, and threatened suicide attacks by his followers in the country in the event of a government intervention against the madrassa.
The majority ulema of Pakistan viewed cleric Qari Hanif Jalandhri as an agent of the government due to his support of Ijaz-ul-Haq.
Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa students raided a Chinese massage center in Sector F-8/3 and took hostage five Chinese nationals, including three women and two men, Two vehicles full of armed seminary students raided the massage center, abducted staff and brought them to the mosque.Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) officials reached the seminary and were trying to secure the release of the abducted Chinese through dialogue. Earlier, the students had abducted the alleged brothel owner and released her after a couple of days. They had also abducted and later released two police personnel.
In May 2007, baton-wielding students from a mosque associated with the movement took four Pakistan police as hostages, demanding the release of ten associates who had been arrested by intelligence officers. This kind of controversy finally led to the siege of the Jamia Hafsa and Lal Masjid started on July 3, 2007.
None of the notable Muslim scholars or pro-Taliban/Al-Qaeda lobbies associated themselves with the Jamia Hafsa administration, many raised questions about the motives of the administration behind certain acts.