The senior imam at Scotland's biggest mosque has praised Mumtaz Qadri who was executed last month for killing former Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer.
Imam Maulana Habib Ur Rehman of Glasgow Central Mosque used the popular messaging platform, WhatsApp, to show his support for Qadri.
Qadri, a former police bodyguard, shot Taseer 28 times in an upscale market in Islamabad in 2011. He later admitted the killing, saying he objected to the politician’s calls to reform controversial blasphemy laws — a hugely sensitive issue in Pakistan.
Salman Taseer’s killer Mumtaz Qadri executed
In messages seen by the BBC, Imam Maulana Habib Ur Rehman said that he is 'disturbed' and 'upset' at the news of Qadri's execution, before writing, "Rahmatullahi alai", a religious blessing usually given to devout Muslims and meaning may God's mercy be upon him.
In another message he said, "I cannot hide my pain today. A true Muslim was punished for doing which [sic] the collective will of the nation failed to carry out."
However, the imam said the messages had been taken out of context and that he was expressing his opposition to capital punishment.
As the most senior imam at Glasgow Central Mosque, Maulana Habib Ur Rehman plays the important role of leading prayers and giving religious guidance and teachings. It was confirmed by the BBC that the messages came from the imam himself.
Pakistan on alert as Salmaan Taseer's killer hanged
Many took to Twitter appalled by the imam's sentiments towards Qadri.
Appalling: Imam at Scotland's largest mosque praises executed Muslim terrorist https://t.co/hJ0svXoIRC #Pakistan #MumtazQadri #SalmaanTaseer
— WestminsterInstitute (@Westminster_Ins) March 25, 2016
#Scotland: Largest mosque's Imam praised #MumtazQadri, assassin of Pak's Punjab province governor, Salmaan Taseer. https://t.co/I3V3lsNvWN
— Mary Magdalen (@Gr8LakesCzarina) March 25, 2016
Glasgow Imam praises killer Qadri by saying he "could not hide his pain" over the execution of Mumtaz Qadri https://t.co/gNY1Tmd0hP
— Manzoor Chandio منظور چانڊيو (@manzoor_chandio) March 25, 2016
Imam of of Glasgow Central Mosque praises Mumtaz Qadri, Pakistani bodyguard who killed Salman Taseer https://t.co/vML4Rrii7j
— Sen McGlinn (@senmcglinn) March 25, 2016
Mumtaz Qadri was a cold blooded killer not a 'national hero' no excuse 4 anyone 2 'praise' him let alone an Imam https://t.co/i7mqzMC3l1
— Darya Khan Hisbani (@Hisbani_DK) March 25, 2016
Not Only in #Pakistan, It's world wide Now..
— IMRAN ASHNA (@muhemran) March 25, 2016
Glasgow mosque leader praises #MumtazQadrihttps://t.co/t33W0V1gC7 https://t.co/OppJxnmDPh
Scotland mosque leader's praise for Mumtaz Qadri raises eyebrows https://t.co/3RrBj1YMoL
— Mohammad Ilyas Khan (@MohammadIlyasKh) March 25, 2016
https://twitter.com/rexmaxington/status/713498467977400320
Qadri was hanged on February 29 in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi. Qadri, a former police commando, assassinated Taseer in Islamabad’s Kohsar Market on January 4, 2011 for his support to a blasphemy accused. An Anti-Terrorism Court convicted and condemned him to death – a ruling also upheld by the Islamabad High Court and Supreme Court.
This article originally appeared on BBC.
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