KARACHI: UN urged to declare blasphemy a crime: Another big rally held
By Habib Khan Ghori
KARACHI, Feb 26: The UN Security Council should deliberate upon all instances of blasphemy and declare it a cognizable crime. It should also be made obligatory for every UN member to punish an offender, who would commit the crime.
This was demanded by Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, during his telephonic address from Islamabad to a big protest rally held at Shahrah-i-Quaideen here on Sunday.
The rally was organized by the Aalami Majlis Tahaffuz Khatm-i-Nabuwwat, Karachi, as part of the ongoing protest campaign against the publication of sacrilegious sketches by certain European newspapers.
Several resolutions condemning the newspapers and offenders were adopted at the rally, which also declared those who were advocating and defending the act of blasphemy and the offenders as the biggest enemies of Islam and Muslims.
Participants of the rally vowed to lay down their lives for the sanctity of the holy Prophet Mohammad (PBUH)’s name and respect.
They also urged the government to boycott the products from the countries where the newspapers published the sketches, and appealed to all Muslim countries to sever diplomatic relations with the European Union.
The protesters converged at the Shamzai Chowrangi from where they started a march up to Shahrah-i-Quaideen where a public meeting was held.
Presided over by Maulana Ahmad Mian Hammadi, the meeting was addressed by Hafiz Hussain Ahmad, Maulana Saeed Jalalpuri, Maulana Mohammad Talha, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Nadeem, Qari Mohammad Usman, Justice (r) Mohammad Taqi Usmani, Dr Khalid Mehmood Soomro, Maulana Amjad Khan, Maulana Imdadullah, Maulana Asfandyar and many other leaders.
Many processions were taken out from different parts of the city and its outskirts which joined in the main rally. Almost all roads around the Quaid-i-Azam mausoleum were packed with protesters before the protesters settled at the venue of the rally. Crowds of protesters had to assemble in the courtyard of the mausoleum until they found some place at the venue.
Waving party flags, as well as banners and placards inscribed with slogans against the act of blasphemy, the participants were chanting slogans of boycott of European goods by all Islamic countries. They were also condemning the incident of the desecration holy Quran and burning of churches in Sukkur.
The leaders who addressed the rally slammed the bomb attacks on the holy places, including mausoleums of Hazrat Salman Farsi, Hazrat Imam Abu Hanifa and Hazrat Hasan Askari, in Iraq, and termed the attacks ‘worst sort of terrorism’ aimed at pitting Shia and Sunni sects against each other.
Condemning the conspiracy to foment sectarianism in the country to weaken the whole Ummah, they urged the government to investigate all such incidents to find out the motive and expose the perpetrators of the conspiracy.
Through a resolution, they deplored the government’s propaganda against Madressahs and asked it to refrain from taking any action against them. They demanded immediate lifting of all restrictions on religious seminaries and their students.
They warned the rulers against amending or repealing the Blasphemy Act, saying that any such move could destroy peace and harmony in the country.
Hafiz Hussain Ahmad, speaking on the occasion, urged Chief Justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of any act of blasphemy committed in the country. In this context, he referred to the instances of kite-flying, wedding meals, etc. If the SC did not take the notice, ulema would initiate legal proceedings, under article 295 of the constitution, against the cartoonists, editors of the newspapers and the publications involved in blasphemy, as well as the head of the European Union, he added.
He condemned the government for arresting and detaining opposition leaders, including Qazi Hussain Ahmad Maulana Fazlur Rehman, to prevent them from leading the anti-blasphemy and Namoos-i-Risalat rallies.
President Bush, who is responsible for the killing of innocent men, women and children in Afghanistan, Iraq and certain other parts of the world, would not be allowed to land in Pakistan on March 3, he declared, adding that the day would be observed as ‘the day of protest’ both at national and international level.
Maulana Allah Wasaya said that the act of blasphemy reflected the extremely low moral values demonstrated by the offenders. He said that the violators of the sanctity of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) were culprits of not only Islam and its followers, but the entire humanity as no religion allowed anyone to resort to such a mean act.
Justice (r) Taqi Usmani said that this heinous act had brought unity in the file and rank of the Ummah. He said that the reaction by Muslims, who were expressing their strong sense of shock and anguish over the attack on the sanctity of their holy Prophet (PBUH), as well as the Prophethood, was justified.
Maulana Amjad Khan said that boycott of Danish goods should be continued until it punished the offenders.
Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Qasmi called for legislation for ensuring protection to Namoos-i-Risalat.
KARACHI, Feb 26: The UN Security Council should deliberate upon all instances of blasphemy and declare it a cognizable crime. It should also be made obligatory for every UN member to punish an offender, who would commit the crime.
