Moderate Muslims of Pakistan need to confront the extremists but from the standpoint of true interpretations of Islam.
SWANSEA, UK: This is with reference to Naveen Naqvi’s article “Fighting for a progressive Pakistan” (January 11). There is no doubt that Islam and its Holy Prophet (pbuh) have enemies who would do and say malicious things. However, death sentence for any criticism of the Prophet (pbuh) is quite un-Islamic, because the Prophet himself never ordered a death sentence for anyone who attacked or insulted him during his lifetime.
He always forgave such people in the hope that they would realise the wrongs of their ways and rectify themselves. Indeed, God sent him to mankind not to judge or punish us, but to warn us about the hereafter, since God wanted to give us every opportunity to rectify ourselves. When someone is killed, that opportunity is taken away from that person, and only God Himself has the right to do so. The blasphemy laws of Pakistan need to be amended for this very reason. The moderate Muslims of Pakistan need to confront the extremists not from a western ideological standpoint, but from the standpoint of the true interpretations of Islam.
Syed Z Hasan
Published in The Express Tribune, January 13th, 2011.
