Friday sermons will be on govt instructions: CII

Chairman Qibla Ayaz says draft of 100 topics prepared

ISLAMABAD:

Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Chairman Dr Qibla Ayaz has said that 100 topics have been selected for Friday sermons in mosques on the direction of President Arif Alvi to ensure the formation of a better society, and a preliminary draft has been prepared in this regard.

According to the Express News, the two-day meeting of the CII ended on Monday after which a delegation led by the CII chairman called on Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Briefing the media after the meeting, Ayaz said, “The prime minister has assured that the recommendations of the CII will be implemented in phases.”

He said that eight members of the council have resigned but the council will not be inactive with the retirement of its members.

“The new members will be appointed soon to replace these members,” he said. “It is expected that the eight retiring members will include two judges, a woman, an economist and an administrative expert.”

The proposed names will be submitted to the Ministry of Law soon, he added.

He said eight CII members, including Maulana Muhammad Hanif Jalandhari, Justice (retd) Muhammad Raza Khan, Muhammad Shafiq Khan Pasroori, Dr Pir Fazil Ayaz Qasmi, Justice (retd) Syed Manzoor Hussain Gilani, Allama Syed Iftikhar Hussain Naqvi, Ahmed Javed, and Dr Farkhunda Zia were going to retire on May 31.

The prime minister also appreciated the steps taken by the CII for making the laws compatible with Islamic teachings, he said.

He said the CII delegation lauded the prime minister for his stance taken on different issues, including Islamophobia, blasphemy and Palestine.

Ayaz said the CII, in its 224th meeting earlier in the day, discussed a 12-point agenda.

He said the meeting perused the recommendations of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony regarding interfaith harmony and accorded approval with some amendments.

He said the CII also approved the draft law on contempt of corpse incidents.

The council, he said, also discussed inclusion of the verses from the Holy Quran and Ahadees [the sayings of Holy Prophet (PBUH)] in the advertisements and urged the newspapers' readers to ensure their respect.

The meeting expressed solidarity with the people of Palestine, and the victims of attacks on a school and mosque in Kabul, he added.

The council, he said, was of the opinion that impeding objectionable posts on social media was the responsibility of relevant institutions. (With input from APP)