JuD founding member shot dead by terrorists

12-Nov-2006, 1427-10-19
LAHORE – 18 Shawwal, 1427 – November 11, 2006

A founding member of Jama`at-ud-Da`wah, and a close associate and friend of Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, Ameer of Jama`at-ud-Da`wah, Abdullah Mujahid, was shot dead by terrorists in the Taj Bagh area of Ghazi Abad police precinct when he was returning from the Masjid after offering Fajr (pre-dawn) prayers.Inna-Lilla-He-Wainna-Ilaihi-Raji`oon. Hafiz Saeed has termed the murder a blatant act of terrorism.



According to details, three armed men tried to stop Abdullah Mujahid`s vehicle when it was passing through the Taj Bagh area. The terrorists shot Abdullah Mujahid when he did not stop his vehicle at their command. Abdullah Mujahid died when a bullet hit him on the face and became lodged in his jugular vein. The killers panicked and began firing randomly in all direction when Abdullah Mujahid`s companion, Farooq, who was traveling in the vehicle with him, and Abdullah Mujahid`s relatives, Idrees and Abd-ur-Rahman, who were traveling on a motorbike behind the vehicle, began screaming for help. A stray bullet from the terrorists` guns hit one of their companions, who was later identified as one, Safdar Hussein, with an address of Pattoki, a small town about a 100 kilometers from Lahore. He was taken into custody and is now recovering from his wounds.



Abdullah Mujahid`s body was later removed from his vehicle which had hit a tree and stopped after he had died from the bullet wound. His body was taken to Mayo Hospital for postmortem. The dead body was handed over to relatives at evening and he was buried in Dharampura. His funeral prayer (Namaz-e-janaza) was led by Ameer Jama`at-ud-Da`wah Hafiz Muhammad Saeed. Hundreds of Jama`at-ud-Da`wah workers attended the funeral prayer. Abdullah Mujahid was affiliated with Jama`at-ud-Da`wah ever since its inception back in 1985 and was thought to be very close to Hafiz Saeed, the founder of Jama`at-ud-Da`wah. He was a highly successful businessman by profession and had a thriving automotive spare parts business. He was well-known for calling out Azan before prayers during Jama`at-ud-Da`wah congregations. He was also renowned for his beautiful recitation of Islamic nasheeds (Islamic inspirational songs).



This is the fourth tragic, and shocking, loss for Jama`at-ud-Da`wah. Three high profile personalities; Maulana Hafiz Ibraheem Salafi, Abu Saeed Zulfiqar, and Dr. Khawaja Javed have become victims of similar terrorism in the past. Surprisingly, three of the murders took place while the victims were on their way, or returning from a Masjid, after offering Fajr prayers.



Hafiz Saeed said the nation`s security and law enforcement agencies have failed miserably in providing safety to the populace and to maintain law and order. He said no serious action had been taken by security agencies in the past in pursuing the terrorists and urged the law enforcement authorities to thoroughly interrogate the arrested terrorist and punish him in accordance with the magnitude of the crime this time around, so that the terrorists will never again have the courage to commit such heinous crimes.



Hafiz Saeed also urged Jama`at-ud-Da`wah`s workers to remain calm and reminded them that martyrdom brings glory to Muslims and is not a loss for them, although it is understandable and natural that one is saddened and shocked by the sudden loss of close friends and erstwhile companions.



Hafiz Abd-us-Salam, Hafiz Abd-ur-Rahman Makki, Maulana Ameer Hamza, Hafiz Saifullah Mansoor, Yahya Mujahid, Abu-al-Hashim, Hafiz Khalid Waleed, and other members of Jama`at-ud-Da`wah`s central leadership also expressed their deep grief at the martyrdom of Abdullah Mujahid at hands of terrorists