Sarfraz Ahmed Naeemi Shaheed, ( ur, ), (16 February 1948 – 12 June 2009) was a

Sunni Islam Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagre ...

ic cleric from Pakistan who was well known for his moderate and anti-terrorist views.Taliban critic slain in Pakistan suicide bombing
the ''

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'', Published 13 June 2009, Retrieved 4 June 2018 He was killed in a suicide bombing in

Jamia Naeemia Lahore Jamia Naeemia Lahore is an Islamic University in Lahore associated with the Sunni Barelvi movement. Founded by Mufti Muhammad Husain Naeemi, father of Sarfraz Ahmed Naeemi. It serves as the largest Sunni institution for the Barelvi movement in P ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

, Pakistan on 12 June 2009, after publicly denouncing the

Tehrik-i-Taliban The Pakistani Taliban (), formally called the Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan (Urdu/ ps, , lit=Student Movement of Pakistan, TTP), is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Afghan–Pakistani bor ...

's terrorist actions and ideologies as unislamic. Bomb kills senior Pakistan cleric

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

, Published 12 June 2009, Retrieved 4 June 2018

Life

Sarfraz Ahmed Naeemi, son of Mufti Muhammad Hussain Naeemi, was born on 16 February 1948. His ancestors had migrated to Pakistan from

Moradabad Moradabad () is a city, commissionary and municipal corporation in Moradabad district of Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Moradabad is situated on the banks of the Ramganga river, at a distance of from the national capital, New Delhi and 344 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. He was the senior cleric at the Jaamia Naeemia

madrasah Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...

, Pakistan. He became the principal of Jamia Naeemia in 1998 after the death of his father. The school is located in Garhi Shahu neighbourhood of

. He got his early education from Jamia Naeemia and then did PhD from the Punjab University besides a short course from

Al-Azhar University , image = جامعة_الأزهر_بالقاهرة.jpg , image_size = 250 , caption = Al-Azhar University portal , motto = , established = *970/972 first foundat ...

, in Egypt. Naeemi has been described as "a humble, moderate and widely respected scholar". He had a reputation of being one of the most progressive clerics in Pakistan. He knew

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

ongoing operation by Pakistan army in

Swat In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...

, and for labelling the activities of the Taliban " un-Islamic". In May 2009 he was quoted by

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was estab ...

as having said, "The military must eliminate the Taliban once and for all otherwise they will capture the entire country which would be a big catastrophe". Also in May 2009, he took part in a conference of Islamic scholars convened by the government which criticised suicide attacks and the beheading of innocent Muslims as un-Islamic. He advocated equal access to education for women and the use of computers in schools, ideas in contrast with Taliban's harsh interpretation of Islam. Naeemi had also organised demonstrations against the Taliban as well organising an alliance of religious organisations to oppose the Taliban. Last month the Sunni Ittehad Council announced that they "strongly condemn the Taliban and urge the Pakistan military to eliminate them at the earliest", the council also said it would "unveil the real face of the Taliban before the public" by exposing their brutality. He had also passed a

fatwā A fatwā ( ; ar, فتوى; plural ''fatāwā'' ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (''sharia'') given by a qualified '' Faqih'' (Islamic jurist) in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist i ...

denouncing suicide bombings, as well as criticising Taliban leader

Sufi Muhammad Sufi Muhammad bin Alhazrat Hassan (1933 – 11 July 2019) was a Pakistani cleric and Sunni Salafi Islamist militant, the founder of Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM), a militant group (declared a terrorist outfit and banned in 2002) ...

by saying he "should wear bangles if he is hiding like a woman". Naeemi had said "Those who commit suicide attacks for attaining paradise will go to hell, as they kill many innocent people". According to Khalid Zaheer, a Pakistani professor and religious scholar "His argument was simple: Religion does not stand for violence. You can't take the life of any individual, or your own life. And you can't wage

jihad Jihad (; ar, جهاد, jihād ) is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with Go ...

against your own state." Naeemi was the driving force behind the Tahaffuz-e-Namoos-e-Risalat Mahaz (TNRM), a group of over 20 Sunni parties raising voice against the violence committed by the Taliban. In January 2009 Tahaffuz-e-Namoos-e-Risalat Mahaz (TNRM) held a conference in Jamia Naeemia and issued a

fatwa A fatwā ( ; ar, فتوى; plural ''fatāwā'' ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (''sharia'') given by a qualified '' Faqih'' (Islamic jurist) in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist i ...

making

Jihad Jihad (; ar, جهاد, jihād ) is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with Go ...

obligatory for all Pakistani citizens in case of an attack by India. In addition it called on Pakistan government to stop cooperating with United States in the event of war with India. The clerics also called upon Pakistan government to "unveil the Indian conspiracies hatched against Pakistan before the world". He was known for his stance on global Muslim issues like victimisation and suppression of Muslim movements and invasions on Muslim countries. He raised his voice against

Pervez Musharraf General Pervez Musharraf ( ur, , Parvez Muśharraf; born 11 August 1943) is a former Pakistani politician and four-star general of the Pakistan Army who became the tenth president of Pakistan after the successful military takeover of the ...

's decision to provide logistic support to US-led coalition in the war on terror for which he was first removed from his job as Khateeb in the government-run Auqaf Department and then arrested briefly.Mufti Sarfraz Naeemi's profile

The News International ''The News International'', published in broadsheet size, is one of the largest English language newspapers in Pakistan. It is published daily from Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi/Islamabad. An overseas edition is published from London that cater ...

, Published 13 June 2009, Retrieved 4 June 2018 Naeemi frequently argued that

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and

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were supporting the Taliban in order to destabilise Pakistan and seize control of its nuclear arsenal.Slaying of Cleric Sarfaraz Naeemi Shows Taliban Widening Its Targets in Pakistan

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

, Published 17 June 2009, Retrieved 4 June 2018

Assassination

For making these statements, he had received death threats. He had refused police protection. On the day of his death he was greeting visitors in his office after Friday prayers when the suicide bomber managed to get inside and detonate himself at around 3 pm.Moderate Cleric Among 9 Killed in Pakistan Blasts

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

, Published 12 June 2009, Retrieved 5 June 2018 According to witnesses the attacker was clean shaven, about 18–20 years old & appeared to be from southern part of

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

province. Four others were also killed and 10 people were injured in the attack. According to provincial police chief Tariq Saleem Dogar, "Sarfraz Naeemi was seriously injured and shifted to hospital where he passed away".

Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan The Pakistani Taliban (), formally called the Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan (Urdu/ ps, , lit=Student Movement of Pakistan, TTP), is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Afghan–Pakistani bo ...

claimed responsibility for the attack. He was buried the following day among anti-Taliban chants of his followers.Pakistani Military Launches Airstrikes on Taliban Strongholds

, Published 13 June 2009, Retrieved 5 June 2018

Aftermath

Shortly after the blast, hundreds of mourners gathered at the mosque and chanted "Death to Taliban". Widespread protests were noted in Lahore after the attacks. Security was increased around all major seminaries and mosques in the city. All Pakistan traders association announced a countrywide strike for the following day. Naeemi's son Raghib filed a complaint the following day with the police saying "

Baitullah Mehsud Baitullah Mehsud (Pashto/ ur, ; – 5 August 2009) was one of founder and a leading member of TTP in Waziristan, Pakistan, and the leader of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). He formed the TTP from an alliance of about five militant groups ...

is responsible for planning and motivating the attack that killed my father", and accused him of murder. The following day a general strike was observed in Pakistan. Karachi the commercial capital of the country was virtually shut down. About 200 activists of Jamaat Ahle Sunnat, a moderate Muslim sect, staged a mock funeral procession for the Taliban. They chanted "Down with the Taliban, Taliban is the enemy of Islam, death for the killers of Sarfraz Naeemi." Mohammad Arif, 35, a former Naeemi student who now works as a prayer leader at the mosque said "We have no doubts that Taliban have killed our leader, Our demand to the government is that they should kill each and every Taliban. We demand that their chief

should be arrested and hanged in public. This is the only option to save this country." In neighbouring India, Muslim groups also protested against the killing of Naeemi and the activities of the Pakistani Taliban. The head of the Muslim Students Organization of India, Shahnawaz Warsi, said "We came together to protest the ongoing killings of Sunni scholars by the

Wahhabi Wahhabism ( ar, ٱلْوَهَّابِيَةُ, translit=al-Wahhābiyyah) is a Sunni Islamic revivalist and fundamentalist movement associated with the reformist doctrines of the 18th-century Arabian Islamic scholar, theologian, preacher, an ...

Talibani terrorists in Pakistan". "We support the Pakistani government in its war against these terrorists. Terrorists are nothing but enemy of Islam and have presented their distorted version of Islam," a leader of the protests said.

Reaction

The killing of Sarfraz Naeemi was strongly condemned by Prime Minister

Yousaf Raza Gillani Yusuf Raza Gilani (Urdu: ; born 9 June 1952), is a Pakistani politician who served as 18th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 25 March 2008, until his retroactive disqualification and ouster by the Supreme Court of Pakistan on 26 April 2012. He ...

Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...

chairman of

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI; ur, , ) is a political party in Pakistan. It was founded in 1996 by Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, who served as the country's prime minister from 2018 to 2022. The PTI is one of the thre ...

party also condemned the killing. The French foreign minister

Bernard Kouchner Bernard Kouchner KBE (born 1 November 1939) is a French politician and doctor. He is the co-founder of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and Médecins du Monde. From 2007 until 2010, he was the French Minister of Foreign and European Affairs ...

condemned the killing calling Naeemi "a well-known Sunni cleric who was respected for his moderate views on Islam". In a late night broadcast to the nation President

Asif Ali Zardari Asif Ali Zardari ( ur, ; sd, ; born 26 July 1955) is a Pakistani politician who is the president of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians and was the co-chairperson of Pakistan People's Party. He served as the 11th president of Pakistan ...

singled out the killing of Naeemi and condemned it calling Taliban brutal and out to destroy Pakistan. Zardari condemns 'brutal' Taliban

, Published 13 June 2009, Retrieved 5 June 2018 On 14 June United States drones struck the stronghold of

in apparent retaliation for this and other recent attacks. The Pakistani military also launched air strikes against Taliban in response to this and other recent attacks. On 15 June Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani announced the highest civil award for Naeemi, the

National Assembly of Pakistan The National Assembly ( ur, , translit=Aiwān-e-Zairīñ, , or ur, قومی اسمبلی, Romanization, romanized: ''Qaumi Assembly'') is the lower house, lower legislative house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Pakistan, which al ...

also passed a resolution condemning the killing and applauding Naeemi's works.

Awards and recognition

* Sitara-i-Shujaat (Star of Bravery) by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.President Mamnoon confers civil awards on Yaum-i-Pakistan
Dawn (newspaper), Published 23 March 2018, Retrieved 4 June 2018

References

External links

Al Jazeera English Al Jazeera English (AJE; ar, الجزيرة‎, translit=al-jazīrah, , literally "The Peninsula", referring to the Qatar Peninsula) is an international 24-hour English-language news channel owned by the Al Jazeera Media Network, which is own ...

In pictures: Pakistan blasts kill cleric

{{DEFAULTSORT:Naeemi, Sarfraz Ahmed 1948 births 2009 deaths Assassinated Pakistani Islamic scholars Terrorist incidents in Pakistan in 2009 Islamic terrorism in Pakistan Muhajir people Pakistani Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam People from Lahore University of the Punjab alumni People killed by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan Barelvis