Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan

Sipah-e-Muhammad

سپاہ محمد صلی الله علیہ وآلہ وسلم
Sipah-e-Muhammad سپاہ محمد صلی الله علیہ وآلہ وسلم
Leader	Allama Syed Mureed Abbas Yazdani X
Founders	Allama Syed Mureed Abbas Yazdani; Maulana Syed Ghulam Raza Naqvi; Moulana Munawwar Abbas Alvi
Founded	1994 (officially)
Succeeded by	Liwa Zainebiyoun
Headquarters	Thokar Niaz Beg, Lahore, Pakistan
Ideology	Protection of Shia Muslim community from Takfiris
Religion	Shia Islam
National affiliation	Tehreek-e-Jafaria Pakistan (allegedly)
Colors	Black and Yellow;
Slogan	"Far from us is Oppression ." (Arabic: هيهات منا الذلة)
Parliament of Pakistan	0 / 342
Party flag

Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan (S.M.P) (Urdu: سپاہ محمد پاکستان; Arabic: سباه محمد الباكستانيه; English: Soldiers of Muhammad) was a Shia organisation and political party in Pakistan which turned into an assassination/militant organization it has claimed credit for a series of target Killings of the leaders of Anti-Shia groups Sipah-e-Sahaba and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.^[6]^[7] It was founded by Pakistani Shia cleric Allama Syed Mureed Abbas Yazdani in 1993 to counter the anti-Shia violence in Pakistan and Its headquartered in Thokar Niaz Beg, Lahore.^[5]

History

Maulana Syed Mureed Abbas Yazdani with his colleagues separated from Tehreek-e-Jafria Pakistan and formed the Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan in 1993 or 1994 in order to protect Shia Muslim community of Pakistan and to counter sectarian violence against the Pakistani Shia Muslims orchestrated by Takfiri deobandi groups such as Sipah-e-Sahaba or Lashkar-e-Jhangvi It is involved in assassination of sectarian clerics, activist's and other figures that are responsible for the anti-Shia violence in Pakistan.^[8]^[9] It is believed to be the armed wing of Tehreek-e-Jafria Pakistan. Its leader was Ghulam Raza Naqvi who was imprisoned in 1996 and released in 2014.^{[citation needed]} Since his death in 2016, it is unclear who leads the group.

Yazdani's nephew Malik Muhammad Wasi Ul Baqar was attempting to take control of Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan.

Activities

Aim

Sipah-e-Muhammad's primary aim was to target the sectarian leadership of the banned Deobandi terrorist organizations Sipah-e-Sahaba or Lashkar-e-Jhangvi in retaliatory actions for targeting Shia Muslim community.^[10] However, with the subsequent rise in the violence against Shia Muslims, it was claimed to be reforming.^{[clarification needed]}^[11]

The movement has strong presence in the Shia communities in Pakistan, and in the majority Shia town of Lahore, Thokar Niaz Beg , the party ran a "virtual state within a state" mainly in the 1990s it was a stronghold of it.^[5]

Target killings and militancy

According to Stanford University "Mapping Militant Organizations writing the "primary methods" of Sipah-e-Muhammad are targeted killings of prominent Anti-Shia Sunnis – the notable targets of such killings of Sipah-e-Muhammad are Zia ur Rehman Farooqi, Azam Tariq, Riaz Basra and Ali Sher Hyderi. The top leaders of Sipah-e-Sahaba or Lashkar-e-Jhangvi were targeted for their beliefs and activities against the Shia Muslim community of Pakistan.^[4]

Affiliations

Sipah-e-Muhammad is alleged to have ties with Iran^[12] and to an extent, the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba is also seen as attempt by the Saudi Arabia to assert Anti-Shia influence in Pakistan to prevent the influence of Khomeinist Iranian Revolution in the country.^[13]^[14]^[15]

Designation

The Government of Pakistan designated Sipah-e-Muhammad a terrorist organization in 2002;^{[citation needed]} it is classified as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under U.S. law, ^{[citation needed]} and its finances are blocked worldwide by the US government.^{[citation needed]}

References

^ Nikki R Keddie; Rudolph P Matthee (2002). Iran and the Surrounding World: Interactions in Culture and Cultural Politics. University of Washington Press. pp. 338–. ISBN 978-0-295-98206-9.
^ Omar, Ahmed. "The interesting timing of Pakistan's Zainebiyoun designation amid Iran-Israel standoff". Middle East Monitor. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
^ Robillard, Michael (2021). "Syria". In Paul Burke; Doaa' Elnakhala; Seumas Miller (eds.). Global Jihadist Terrorism: Terrorist Groups, Zones of Armed Conflict and National Counter-Terrorism Strategies. Northampton: Edward Elgar Publishing. pp. 167–187. ISBN 978-1-80037-129-3.
^ ^a ^b "MAPPING MILITANT ORGANIZATIONS. Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan". Stanford University. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c Ravinder Kaur (5 November 2005). Religion, Violence and Political Mobilisation in South Asia. SAGE Publications. pp. 154–. ISBN 978-0-7619-3431-8.
^ "'200 Iranian-trained Sipah-e-Muhammad activists hunting down ASWJ workers'". www.pakistantoday.com.pk. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
^ "Pakistan's Sunni-Shia Rift | MEO". Archived from the original on 2019-12-15.
^ Jamestown Foundation Sipah-e-Sahaba: Fomenting Sectarian Violence in Pakistan. Jamestown Foundation
^ "'200 Iranian-trained Sipah-e-Muhammad activists hunting down ASWJ workers'". www.pakistantoday.com.pk. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
^ "Ahlulbayt News Agency". Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
^ Daily Times.com Vengeance, frictions reviving LJ and Sipah-e-Muhammad. April 7th, 2004
^ "'200 Iranian-trained Sipah-e-Muhammad activists hunting down ASWJ workers'". www.pakistantoday.com.pk. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
^ Jamestown Foundation Sipah-e-Sahaba: Fomenting Sectarian Violence in Pakistan. Jamestown Foundation
^ Alex Vatanka, Influence of iranian revolution in Pakistan: Security, Diplomacy Islamist Influence, I.B.Tauris (1989), pp. 148 & 155
^ Wigger, Leo (2019-09-26). ""Why Pakistan holds a key in the Iranian-Saudi confrontation"". magazine.zenith.me. Retrieved 2019-10-01.

[KeddieMatthee2002-1] Nikki R Keddie; Rudolph P Matthee (2002). Iran and the Surrounding World: Interactions in Culture and Cultural Politics. University of Washington Press. pp. 338–. ISBN 978-0-295-98206-9.

[2] Omar, Ahmed. "The interesting timing of Pakistan's Zainebiyoun designation amid Iran-Israel standoff". Middle East Monitor. Retrieved 2024-04-25.

[Robillard_2021_167–187-3] Robillard, Michael (2021). "Syria". In Paul Burke; Doaa' Elnakhala; Seumas Miller (eds.). Global Jihadist Terrorism: Terrorist Groups, Zones of Armed Conflict and National Counter-Terrorism Strategies. Northampton: Edward Elgar Publishing. pp. 167–187. ISBN 978-1-80037-129-3.

[Stanford-mapping-4] "MAPPING MILITANT ORGANIZATIONS. Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan". Stanford University. Retrieved 10 August 2023.

[Kaur2005-5] Ravinder Kaur (5 November 2005). Religion, Violence and Political Mobilisation in South Asia. SAGE Publications. pp. 154–. ISBN 978-0-7619-3431-8.

[6] "'200 Iranian-trained Sipah-e-Muhammad activists hunting down ASWJ workers'". www.pakistantoday.com.pk. Retrieved 2018-07-26.

[7] "Pakistan's Sunni-Shia Rift | MEO". Archived from the original on 2019-12-15.

[8] Jamestown Foundation Sipah-e-Sahaba: Fomenting Sectarian Violence in Pakistan. Jamestown Foundation

[9] "'200 Iranian-trained Sipah-e-Muhammad activists hunting down ASWJ workers'". www.pakistantoday.com.pk. Retrieved 2018-07-26.

[10] "Ahlulbayt News Agency". Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2016.

[11] Daily Times.com Vengeance, frictions reviving LJ and Sipah-e-Muhammad. April 7th, 2004

[12] "'200 Iranian-trained Sipah-e-Muhammad activists hunting down ASWJ workers'". www.pakistantoday.com.pk. Retrieved 2018-07-26.

[13] Jamestown Foundation Sipah-e-Sahaba: Fomenting Sectarian Violence in Pakistan. Jamestown Foundation

[14] Alex Vatanka, Influence of iranian revolution in Pakistan: Security, Diplomacy Islamist Influence, I.B.Tauris (1989), pp. 148 & 155

[auto-15] Wigger, Leo (2019-09-26). ""Why Pakistan holds a key in the Iranian-Saudi confrontation"". magazine.zenith.me. Retrieved 2019-10-01.

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