Ashraf urges ulema to speak up against sectarian violence

They kill people as if it's a normal thing and then justify it in the name of religion, says prime minister.


Ema Anis November 14, 2012

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf held a roundtable conference with religious scholars on Wednesday, where he urged ulema of all sects to speak up against sectarian violence “before it is too late”.

Highlighting the importance of statements given out by the ulema, the prime minister said that religious leaders have more influence over the masses as compared to politicians.

“You can give a more influential statement when people try to justify crime in the name of religion,” he said while referring to incidents of targeted killings across the country which are termed as a conflict between the Shia-Sunni sects. “They [terrorists] kill people as if it’s a normal thing. They spill people’s blood, slit their throats... and the worst part if that they justify it in the name of religion.”

“If you keep giving them space, then I can say that even you’re not safe. Our mosques, imambargahs are not safe today either. Our schools are not safe. Offices of law enforcement agencies and hospitals are targeted,” he stated.

Every time a target killing takes place, it is said that either Shias are killing Sunnis or Sunnis are killing Shias but, the prime minister emphasised, that two sects have been living together peacefully for a long time and it can happen now as well. He vowed that the government will go to the last limits to fight against the menace.

The premier also urged the people of the country to take action. “Every Pakistani, no matter which religion or sect he belongs to or where he lives, should stand up against them [terrorists] before it is too late.”

COMMENTS (28)

shakrullah | 11 years ago | Reply

@Syed:

You are spot-on . Sectarian conflict is what the ulema thrive on , from which they derive

their socio-political clout . They are the cause of the problem, and it is being simple-

minded to expect solutions from them . Ulema put up sham 'ittihad banil-mulimeen' , only when they launch campaigns for grabbing political power. Being

fake , it never lasts long and does little to reduce sectarian violence . Ulema

must be seen as what they really are : the instigators and perpetrators of sectarianism . Imagine sectarian strife is miraculously eliminated from our society . What will it mean for our ulema ?

It will be a death-knell for them .They will fade away as a socio-poiltical force Asking

them for sectarian harmony is to ask them commit hara-kiri .

sabi | 11 years ago | Reply

@Mohammed Abbasi: "Great statement – BUT look at this in a realistic way, are these ULEMA – Real Islamic Scholars or politicians after POWER… Most of them do not care for Pakistan or its future let alone Islam – so maybe its time the government, media, military ceased treating them as part of the solution – they are part of the problem" looking at their behaviours I doubt whether they believe in life hereafter (although I believe so).

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