ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Saturday urged the political leadership of France not to entrench the discriminatory attitudes against Muslim into laws and warned that such steps would lead to serious repercussions in the shape of hatred and conflict.

“You [France] need to bring people together and not to stamp a religion in a certain manner to create disharmony and bias,” he said at an international conference on religious freedom and minorities rights.

The president’s statement came in reference to a bill passed by the French parliament’s lower house on Tuesday with an overwhelming majority that would strengthen oversight of mosques in an act of discrimination against Muslims.

Hosted by the Presidency, the event was attended by Minister for Religious Affairs Pir Noorul Haq Qadri, Parliamentary Secretary Shunila Ruth and European Union Ambassador to Pakistan Androulla Kaminara. Besides, Member of the US Democratic Central State Committee Ayesha Khan and Implementation of Minority Rights Forum Chairman Samuel Pyara also addressed the moot attended by representatives of the minority communities and international organisations, religious scholars and bishops.

President Alvi said the French legislation was not in line with the United Nations charter and contradicted the spirit of social harmony that Europe previously instilled in its society. Let there not be a retrogressive step for situations which arise out of animosity and for situations which are carried forward by the people who do not know about the real Islam, he said.

Dr Alvi said the damage might not be evident at present but would ultimately end up in a terrible scenario of hatred and hostility. To label the entire religion in a different manner and to start taking precautions against the entire community sparks the fact that if not now, it will have very bad repercussions in the next 10 years, he said.

He said the West was being communicated by the government of Pakistan that blasphemy of Prophet Muhammad in the name of freedom of expression and religion was considered by entire Muslims Ummah an insult to the revered personality.

He said laws existed in the West about protection of certain ideas such as Holocaust, the violation of which created disharmony. Similarly, the laws [about Islam’s Prophet] should make sure that this does not happen, he added. President Alvi said the government believed in an emerging Pakistan with peace and harmony among people with all religions, faiths and colours merged into the ideals of peace and prosperity.

“In Pakistan, we believe today, there is morality behind every decision. At the same time, it is in our self-interest that the people of Pakistan must be together and, in all laws, and everything we do, we must ensure that we will promptly fight incidents raising differences.”

The president said there could be accidents and incidents attempting to create disharmony but the nation would fight those very promptly, adding it was a continuous struggle to maintain peace. Minister Noorul Haq Qadri said the country’s religion of majority population and the Constitution guaranteed protection of rights of minorities.

He said the government was drafting a legislation against forced religious conversions.

EU Ambassador Androulla Kaminara said the EU would continue to partner with Pakistan in promoting development and religious harmony under the EU-Pak Strategic Engagement 2019.

She said schools and universities could promote religious tolerance, adding EU in Pakistan would collaborate for a positive change in the lives of people.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2021