Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan
Encyclopedia
Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) is a militant Sunni Deobandi
organization, and a formerly registered Pakistani
political party
, established in the early 1980s in Jhang
by Maulana
Haq Nawaz Jhangvi
its stated goal is to primarily to deter major Shia influence in Pakistan in the wake of the Iranian Revolution
.. Although its critics accuse it of being a anti Shia anti Barelvi
hate group Formerly known as Anjuman-e-Sipah-e-Sahaba and the Army of the Friends of Sahaba, the organization was banned by President Pervez Musharraf
in 2002 as a terrorist organization under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997. Many accuse it of being a hate group.
When Jhangvi was assassinated in 1990, Maulana Azam Tariq assumed leadership of the group. Tariq led the group until October 2003 when he was killed by gunmen.
An SSP leader was a minister in the Coalition Government in Punjab
in 1993 and the group had actively contested elections. The group supported a proclamation to establish Pakistan as a Deobandi republic. In 2003, the organization was reestablished under the Millat-e-Islamia Pakistan but was again banned in November of that year. Sipah-e-Sahaba currently operates openly under the newly adopted name of "Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat".
In April 2006 a grand Barelvi congregation celebrating the birthday of the Holy Prophet on Eid Milad un Nabi was suicide-bombed . Out of the 1,500 that had gathered, 57 died and over 100 were injured. The attackers were identified as members of the hardline Sunni sectarian group, Sipah-e-Sahaba. They believe celebration of the prophet's birthday is a sin .
According to Shahbaz Bhatti
, the federal minister for minorities in Pakistan, the August 2009 Gojra riots
against Pakistan's Christian minority
were organized and perpetrated by Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan. Police arrested more than 65 people for their alleged involvement in the violence. The arrested men include Qari Abdul Khaliq Kashmiri, a leader of the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan.
In August 2009 Maulana Ali Sher Hyderi, the fourth chief of SSP, was killed while traveling by car through Khairpur district
in Sindh province en route to Hyderabad
.
Another leader Abdul Rauf was killed by security officials in February or March 2010.
In June 2010, Sipah-e-Sahaba was linked to sectarian violence in Karachi
, where clashes followed a rally held by organizers of the banned group. According to Shiite cleric Allama Abbas Komaili, at least nine Shias were killed within two weeks of unrest, while a local leader of the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat was also gunned down.
Deobandi
Deobandi is a movement of Sunni Islam. The movement began at Darul Uloom Deoband in Deoband, India, where its foundation was laid on 30 May 1866.-History:...
organization, and a formerly registered Pakistani
Pakistani
Pakistani may refer to:Person associated with Pakistan* Demographics of Pakistan* List of PakistanisPakistani as a language:* Urdu, national language of Pakistan* Languages of PakistanOther:* Pakistani cuisine- See also :...
political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
, established in the early 1980s in Jhang
Jhang
- Demographics :According to 1981 census of Pakistan population of Jhang was 1,970,944 with the 434,495 housing units in Jhang. In 1998 census, population of Jhang was 2,834,545, whose annually growth rate was 2.16%. Male population was 1,474,099 and female population was 1,360,446...
by Maulana
Maulana
Mawlānā is an Arabic word literally meaning "our lord" or "our master" ....
Haq Nawaz Jhangvi
Haq Nawaz Jhangvi
Haq Nawaz Jhangvi who was the son of Wali Muhammad was a controversial Pakistani cleric, who founded the Islamic organization Sipah-e-Sahaba in the 1980s. Jhangvi was born in 1954 in the town of Jhang. After completing his primary education in Arabic and Theology, he left for Multan where he...
its stated goal is to primarily to deter major Shia influence in Pakistan in the wake of the Iranian Revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
.. Although its critics accuse it of being a anti Shia anti Barelvi
Barelvi
Barelvi is a term used for the movement of Sufi , Sunni Islam originating in the Indian subcontinent.The Movement is known as Ahle Sunnat movement to its followers....
hate group Formerly known as Anjuman-e-Sipah-e-Sahaba and the Army of the Friends of Sahaba, the organization was banned by President Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
in 2002 as a terrorist organization under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997. Many accuse it of being a hate group.
History
Maulana Haq Nawaz Jhangvi, Maulana Zia-ur-Rehman Farooqi, Maulana Eesar-ul-Haq Qasmi and Maulana Azam Tariq formed the SSP in 1985 originally under the name of Anjuman Sipah-e-Sahaba.When Jhangvi was assassinated in 1990, Maulana Azam Tariq assumed leadership of the group. Tariq led the group until October 2003 when he was killed by gunmen.
An SSP leader was a minister in the Coalition Government in Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
in 1993 and the group had actively contested elections. The group supported a proclamation to establish Pakistan as a Deobandi republic. In 2003, the organization was reestablished under the Millat-e-Islamia Pakistan but was again banned in November of that year. Sipah-e-Sahaba currently operates openly under the newly adopted name of "Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat".
In April 2006 a grand Barelvi congregation celebrating the birthday of the Holy Prophet on Eid Milad un Nabi was suicide-bombed . Out of the 1,500 that had gathered, 57 died and over 100 were injured. The attackers were identified as members of the hardline Sunni sectarian group, Sipah-e-Sahaba. They believe celebration of the prophet's birthday is a sin .
According to Shahbaz Bhatti
Shahbaz Bhatti
Clement Shahbaz Bhatti , popularly known as Shahbaz Bhatti, was a Pakistani politician and elected member of the National Assembly from 2008. He was the first Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs from November 2008 until his assassination on 2 March 2011 in Islamabad...
, the federal minister for minorities in Pakistan, the August 2009 Gojra riots
2009 Gojra riots
The 2009 Gojra riots were a series of attacks targeting Christians in Gojra town in Punjab province of Pakistan. These resulted in the deaths of eight Christians including four women and a child.-Background:...
against Pakistan's Christian minority
Christianity in Pakistan
Christianity is the largest religious minority in Pakistan. The total number of Christians in Pakistan is approximately 2,800,000 in 2008, or 1.6% of the population. Of these, approximately half are Roman Catholic and half Protestant...
were organized and perpetrated by Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan. Police arrested more than 65 people for their alleged involvement in the violence. The arrested men include Qari Abdul Khaliq Kashmiri, a leader of the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan.
In August 2009 Maulana Ali Sher Hyderi, the fourth chief of SSP, was killed while traveling by car through Khairpur district
Khairpur District
Khairpur District is a district in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The district has an area of 15,910 square kilometres and is headquartered at the city of Khairpur.-Location:...
in Sindh province en route to Hyderabad
Hyderabad, Sindh
is the second largest city in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is the seventh largest city in the country. The city was founded in 1768 by Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro upon the ruins of a Mauryan fishing village along the bank of the Indus known as Neroon Kot...
.
Another leader Abdul Rauf was killed by security officials in February or March 2010.
In June 2010, Sipah-e-Sahaba was linked to sectarian violence in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, where clashes followed a rally held by organizers of the banned group. According to Shiite cleric Allama Abbas Komaili, at least nine Shias were killed within two weeks of unrest, while a local leader of the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat was also gunned down.
Links to other groups
- In 1996 elements within the SSP who did not believe the organization violent enough left to form the Lashkar-e-JhangviLashkar-e-JhangviLashkar-e-Jhangvi is a militant organization. Formed in 1996, it has operated in Pakistan since Sipah-e-Sahaba activist Riaz Basra broke away from the SSP over differences with his seniors...
(LJ). In February 2003, Azam Tariq denied accusations that LJ was its armed militant branch and emphasized that the SSP "had nothing to do" with the LJ. - In October 2000 Maulana Masood Azhar, founder of Jaish-e-MohammedJaish-e-MohammedJaish-e-Mohammed is a Pakistani-based, militant Islamic group established by Maulana Masood Azhar in March 2000...
(JeM), was quoted as saying that "Sipah-e-Sahaba stands shoulder to shoulder with Jaish-e-Muhammad in Jehad." A leaked U.S. diplomatic cable described JeM as "another SSP breakaway Deobandi organization." - A diplomatic cable, originally dated October 23, 2009 and later leaked to the media, from the U.S. embassy in Islamabad indicated that Qari HussainQari HussainQari Hussain Ahmad Mehsud was a top lieutenant in the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and the organizer of the group's suicide bombing squads. He was a cousin of Hakimullah Mehsud.- Operations :...
, a leading militant of the Tehrik-i-Taliban PakistanTehrik-i-Taliban PakistanTehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan , alternatively referred to as the Pakistani Taliban, is an umbrella organization of various Islamist militant groups based in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas along the Afghan border in Pakistan. Most, but not all, Pakistani Taliban groups coalesce under the TTP...
(TTP), had roots in the SSP and that "many of the TTP’s foot soldiers are from SSP ranks."
Further reading
- Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan: Terrorist Group as described at the Southeast Asian Terrorism Portal