A COUPLE of months ago three religious scholars of Jamia Binoria were killed in broad daylight on Sharea Faisal near Nursery in Karachi.

To make funeral arrangements and to accommodate the visiting mourners, the road opposite to Binoria Town mosque was closed initially for three days. But the road remained blocked even after three days, creating traffic jams and hurdles for shopkeepers to do their business smoothly.

As I write this letter, the road is still closed for vehicles and pedestrians and it appears that it will now remain permanently closed. No doubt Binoria Town mosque has produced religious scholars of high stature and they are spreading the message of Islam not only in Pakistan but also in other parts of the world.

Binoria Town mosque is also famous for dispensing fatwas on religious, social and day-to-day issues. I would like to question the learned scholars of Jamia Binoria if it is legal and permissible in Islam to block or encroach upon a road in the name of security for their own safety, thus putting the lives of other people in danger?

If not, then I expect the mosque administration to remove all the barricades raised outside Binoria Town mosque immediately and pave way for free movement of traffic and pedestrians. One person’s pain can never be other person’s gain — at least not in Islam.

M. RAFIQUE ZAKARIA Karachi