KARACHI: Prominent religious scholars and administrators of madressahs have expressed resentment over linking seminaries with terrorism and called upon all religio-political parties to hold a grand convention of ulema to chalk out a strategy to launch a movement to safeguard the honour of the Prophet (peace be upon him).

Speaking at the Hurmat-i-Rasool Ulema Convention at Markaz-i-Taqva Gulshan-i-Iqbal organised by the Jamaatud Dawa (JuD), they said that if 40 heads of states could gather in France to express solidarity with the magazine that published controversial caricatures, why Muslim rulers could not get united to protect the honour of their Prophet (peace be upon him).

Know more: Terror suspicions draw spotlight on Pakistan's madrassahs

JuD chief Prof Hafiz Mohammad Saeed called upon ulema and leaders of religious parties to put pressure on Muslim rulers to force them to play their role against rising incidents of blasphemy.

He said that adoption of a resolution in the National Assembly against the French magazine was not enough and said if the rulers took a firm stand on the issue then they should not fear anything for Allah be with them.

The ulema — Zar Wali Khan, Moahmmad Naeem, Shah Ovais Noorani, Asadullah Bhutto, Abdul Karim Abid, Khwaja Abdul Mannan, Amir Hamza, Shaikh Afzal Haider and Shaikh Anas Madani — said the enemy wanted to pit Muslims against Muslims over frivolous issues to keep them divided. Muslim rulers should play their role to protect the interests of Muslim ummah, they said.

Defunct MMA irked by action against seminaries

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl’s Sindh chapter secretary general Maulana Rashid Mehmood Soomro has said that dividing the nation on religious, ethnic and provincial lines is a global agenda and unity of religious forces is the need of the hour.

The Maulana, who was presiding over a joint meeting of the parties of the defunct Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) at the JUI-F secretariat Al-Markaz-i-Islami on Monday, expressed concern over the conspiracy to turn the country into a secular state and said they would meet the challenge squarely and would not tolerate any action against seminaries.

After the passage of the 21st amendment to the Constitution, the government had launched action against madressahs and mosques across the country, Sindh in particular, and sealed hundreds of madressahs on the pretext of non-registration, he said.

He said that religious parties must come forward to protect madressahs and mosques.

Shah Ovais Noorani said that a conspiracy was being hatched to turn the country into a secular state which would be foiled by the unity of religious parties. He condemned action against madressahs and mosques.

Jamaat-i-Islami leader Dr Mairajul Huda Siddqui said the fears expressed on the eve of the passage of the 21st amendment were proving true. Ulema were being implicated in fictitious cases and harassed under the Loudspeaker Act, he said.

The meeting was also addressed by Qazi Ahmad Noorani, Mustaqeem Noorani, Qari Mohammad Usman, Mohammad Aslam Ghauri, Maulana Abdul Karim Abid, Maulana Ali Mohammad Abuturab and Maulana Mohammad Yusuf Qasuri of the Jamiat Ahle Hadith and Allama Nazir Taqvi of the Shia Ulema Council.

Published in Dawn March 10th, 2015

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