Protestors decided an apology was not enough and began demanding his arrest.

Led by a new generation of activists using a combination of public gatherings, social media and legal measures, citizens in Islamabad have made surprising gains against one of Pakistan’s most notorious and powerful clerics, Abdul Aziz of the Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) in the heart of Islamabad. Abdul Aziz has long supported militancy and extremist groups openly. He gained notoriety during the siege of the Red Mosque in 2007 by the police and military to rout out militants who were using the mosque as sanctuary under his patronage.

While the nation mourned the Dec. 16 tragedy at the Army Public School in Peshawar, Abdul Aziz took to the airwaves to declare on television that he did not condemn the attack or its perpetrators. His statements sparked widespread anger and a small citizen protest that grew until it turned into a larger call to reclaim public spaces such as mosques from extremists. The hashtag #ReclaimYourMosques, used in the protests against Abdul Aziz, became a rallying call for those who had felt helpless against powerful religious leaders using mosques to preach violence and hate.

On Dec.. 18, when protestors first arrived in front of the Red Mosque to demand that Abdul Aziz condemn the attacks and issue an apology, the area was guarded heavily by police in riot gear. It seemed odd that such a large force was required to contain some 100 people carrying only candles and placards. A policewoman seemed sincere when she explained to me that they were there only to protect us from what they feared might be a potential backlash from the defenders of the mosque.

Police repeatedly asked protestors to move away due to threats to the crowd from the mosque. No one moved; the demonstrators were determined. As news of the protest spread through social media using the initial hashtags #LalMasjidProtest and #LalMasjidVigil, there was an online outpouring of solidarity with the cause and particular admiration for the organizer, Jibran Nasir, an activist from Karachi. People seemed inspired by the courage Jibran demonstrated by taking the protest to one of the most dangerous doorsteps in the country.

In response, Abdul Aziz issued an apology. Still, in his Friday sermon the next day, he referred to the Taliban as brothers. Around the same, he and his supporters issued threats to protestors either in person at the mosque or by filing complaints with the police.

Consequently, protestors decided an apology was not enough and began demanding his arrest on grounds of intimidation and incitement to violence against the demonstrators.  They rallied outside the local police station to record an official complaint against him and continued a sit-in until the police registered a case. Despite alleged threats from a spokesman of the Pakistani Taliban (also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan), protestors in Islamabad continued their demonstrations at the mosque for several days and have persisted in their online campaign since then.

In response to an arrest warrant for Abdul Aziz, he declared that he would resist any attempted arrest. It remains to be seen how the authorities will handle the challenge.

New cadre of activists, new techniques

But it is apparent that a new cadre of activists is emerging. While the old guard of civil society activists supports and participates, the protests are led and attended mostly by a younger generation of Pakistanis in their 20s and 30s who haven’t been publicly active in the past. They use Facebook and Twitter to relay information, organize participants and persuade traditional television and print media to cover the protests.  

The activists issue specific demands, such as in the case of the apology, and are backing their rhetoric with legal action. They are using public and media pressure to ensure the state acts on their constitutional demands. So far their formula has yielded some results, including the dramatic precedent of citizens pressing charges against a prominent religious leader.

What began as a spontaneous protest in response to anger over the statements of one cleric is aiming to recover ground lost to extremist narratives in Pakistan.

Unfortunately, the opponents of the protestors still have far greater numbers in their ranks and are better organized and resourced. The civil society protestors belong to the more elite echelons of society. Many speeches are in English. It is hard to find the level of fiery Urdu oratory at these protests that hard-liners have used in the past to mobilize large swaths of the Pakistani population.

And divisions already are emerging among the civil society protestors. In some cases, the age divide comes into play, or political and organizational allegiances create rifts. There are ideological arguments too – hard-line calls for lynching Abdul Aziz make more moderate protestors profoundly uncomfortable.

But for now, this determined group of citizens is united in their cause of bringing to justice clerics like Abdul Aziz and others who pursue extremist agendas, some of whom operate under the protection and patronage of the state.

It remains to be seen if the protestors will be successful in having Abdul Aziz arrested and convicted. But a public conversation has begun about reclaiming mosques for constructive discourse and for an alternative narrative that preaches tolerance for diversity.   

Sehar Tariq is USIP’s country representative in Pakistan.