Pakistani Cleric Demands Brothel Shutdown

This story was written by Farhan Bokhari, reporting for CBS News in Pakistan.

Friday's warning from Maulana Abdul Aziz, a preacher at the Red mosque in Islamabad, follows a two-month long controversy. Hundreds of burqa-clad women from a religious seminary adjoining Aziz's mosque have forcibly occupied a government-owned library in protest at official orders to raze a number of mosques.

The government says the mosques were built without permission from municipal authorities. But, Islamists claim, the action is prompted by Musharraf's zealous pursuit of pro-U.S. policies and the Pakistani government's clampdown upon groups considered sympathetic to al Qaeda and the Taliban.

Last week, the issue came to light once again when women from the religious seminary abducted three women, accusing them of running a brothel. The three women were subsequently released after local police detained four female teachers from the seminary.

On Friday, in a further provocation to Musharraf's government, Aziz also announced the establishment of an Islamic court that would be run by up to 10 clerics and will award punishments in line with Sharia law.

During an afternoon sermon before the Friday prayers, Aziz also threatened to back suicide attacks by his followers "if the government launched an operation" against the mosque. His remarks followed weeks of popular speculation suggesting the government was quietly preparing to send the police and paramilitary troops to seize control of the mosque and the women's seminary, and ending a growing embarrassment for Musharraf.

Nearly 3,000 worshippers gathered at the mosque to hear Aziz speak Friday. On normal days, up to 200 men live in the mosque and its surrounding buildings which are all located within a compound. "This is a well fortified place," an Islamabad police officer who asked not to be named told CBS News.

Western diplomats said Aziz's increasingly vociferous calls were largely meant to defy Musharraf, who has openly proclaimed his intention to take Pakistan toward greater moderation and to end influence of hardline Islamists.

However, Pakistani officials remain concerned over a likely backlash from Islamists across the country if troops were sent to curb the situation at the Red mosque.

"It's a Catch-22 situation for Musharraf — it's damned if you do, damned if you don't," said one Western diplomat who spoke to CBS News on the condition that he would not be named. The diplomat warned unrest in Islamabad was likely to cause concern over the safety of the foreign diplomatic corps, almost all of whom are based in the capital.
By Farhan Bokhari