ISLAMABAD: The Coun­­cil of Islamic Ideo­logy (CII) on Wednesday condemned the culture of mob vigilantism in the country and reiterated its call for the establishment of special courts to try such cases.

But there was a consensus at the meeting that desecration of Holy Quran did occur in Sargodha on Saturday (May 25) and condemned both sides for the mayhem that followed.

The meeting was chaired by the CCI’s new head, Dr Muhammad Raghib Hussain Naimi.

An angry mob went on the rampage in Sargodha’s Mujahid Colony on Saturday after rumours started circulating that some shredded pages of the Holy Quran had been found outside the home of a Christian.

A statement issued by the council said: “The Council condemned the sacrilege of the [Holy]Quran and those who attacked the Christian families and their homes.”

The CII sought severe punishment for both sides.

It reiterated its earlier recommendation that special courts be set up to try such crimes.

“There is an urgent need to impart awareness and knowledge among citizens that they cannot take law into their own hands, especially since mob justice is against the teachings of Quran and Sunnah, as well as the Constitution.” Dr Naimi said.

Referring to Paigham-i-Pakistan, a national document, the CII chief said if people take the law into their own hands, the state should take immediate action.

The CII had suggested to the government in September to establish special courts so that speedy justice could be meted out to the perpetrators of Jaranwala-like incidents.

The CII meeting at that time was chaired by Dr Qibla Ayaz, its former chairman. It stated that Islam and all other religions lay stress on human dignity, advising adherents of all religions against going for “mob justice without trials”.

The meeting was specially summoned to discuss an incident in Jaranwala area of Faisalabad on Aug 16 last year that was similar to the one in Sargodha last week.

The CII had made similar suggestions in Dec 2021 after a mob lynched Priyantha Kumara Diyawadanaa, a Sri Lankan expert working at a factory in Sialkot, on the basis of allegations that he had committed blasphemy.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2024