Pakistani Seminary Students Protest Eviction of Mosques and Seminaries

The Associated Press reported yesterday on an unusual protest in Islamabad, Pakistan by 200 female seminary students wearing burqas and carrying canes. Government authorities have begun to demolish more than 84 mosques and seminaries built without permission on state land. The protest is supported by Abdul Rashid Ghazi, a prominent critic of Pakistan's support for the war on terror led by the United States. Pakistan's President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has said that mosques or madrassas in "encroached areas" would be relocated, and that the government will "move against" extremists at mosques who promote hatred and encourage suicide bombers.