‘Islam does not allow Sialkot-like incidents’

World knows that insulting any religion was not freedom of expression, says SAPM on Interfaith Harmony

ISLAMABAD:

Special Representative to Prime Minister on Interfaith Harmony and Middle East Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi on Sunday described Islam as a religion of peace that does not allow insulting any religion or permits others to commit blasphemy.

Addressing the Ulema-o-Mashaikh Convention at Canal Park Sammundri Road, Ashrafi said the world knew that insulting any religion was not freedom of expression nor did Islam allow incidents like Sialkot.

However, it is clear that blasphemy hurts the religious feelings and sentiments of the Muslims, he added.

“Sporadic incidents of violence could not reflect the true picture of religious harmony in Pakistan,” Ashrafi further said. He strongly condemned the lynching of Sri Lankan national in Sialkot, adding that the government had further beefed up the security of minorities and foreign nationals.

The PM’s special representative highlighted that Islam did not allow taking law into one’s own hands or burning property of anyone nor harming a persin because this practice was totally against Shariat.

“Islam has given a legal procedure to take any accused person to task if they have committed blasphemy or any other offence,” he said.

Ashrafi appealed to the Ulema to portray the true picture of Islam so that Sialkot-like incidents do not happen in the future again.