ISLAMABAD, Sept 22: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) on Friday held countrywide rallies to condemn the statement of Pope Benedict XVI against the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and the concept of Jihad.

MMA spokesman Shahid Shamsi said that rallies were held in 78 cities and towns, including Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Hyderabad, and Islamabad.

MMA president Qazi Hussain was scheduled to lead Islamabad rally but his flight from Lahore landed late and alliance’s deputy parliamentary leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmed had to lead the rally at Aabpara Chowk.

Hafiz Hussain termed the Pope’s statement a continuation of US President George W. Bush’s statement following 9/11 attacks that he was fighting the war of civilisations pointing to Crusades.

He urged the Christian community world over to make their religious chief accountable for harming the inter-faith harmony in such an ugly way. He demanded that the Pope Benedict XVI should tell the world as to why he had given a statement seemingly a follow up of US president’s anti-Muslim utterances.

The MMA leader regretted that while the Pope was trying to create a gulf between Christians and Muslims, “our faith cannot be completed without our belief that the Holy Christ was a messenger of Allah”.

Referring to the recent statement of President Gen Pervez Musharraf in which he had said that he had offered unfettered cooperation to the US on its threat of bombing Pakistan, the MMA leader said it seemed to be a mere afterthought and an unbelievable allegation against a super power. It was unbelievable because attacking a nuclear state meant another world war, he said.