PESHAWAR, Aug 10: Federal Religious Affairs Minister Mohammad Ejazul Haq has appealed to Muslim scholars to counter the Western propaganda against Islam and highlight the human-friendly image of the religion in the secular world.

Speaking at a luncheon here on Tuesday, he said an anti-Muslim lobby in the United States and Europe had been portraying Islam as a religion of fanatics who were opposed to human progress and societal development.

"It is time the Muslim writers countered the false propaganda against the Muslims and their religion," he stressed. Referring to the Hudood laws, the minister said there were no uncertainties about the eternal righteousness of the Islamic laws but, he maintained, some of the laws compiled by human beings could be modified.

"Islam asks us to embrace wisdom, wherever one may find it. It also orders us to oppose ignorance which is the enemy of wisdom. We should emphasize the fact that Islam is a religion of peace and cooperation with the followers of other religions".

He said the government was aware of the apprehensions expressed by certain quarters about the interpretation of Hudood laws. The government, he added, would convince them and remove their apprehensions.

Talking about some Haj-related issues, he said the government would supervise the process as a regulatory authority and keep itself away from matters such as the provision of residential facility, tickets for intending pilgrims, etc.

"We have involved the private sector. We do not want to earn a bad name by handing over these things to government officials," he added. Several ministers and politicians attended the luncheon hosted by Jamaat-i-Islami MNA Amir Muqam.