Jamaat-e-Islami hails Putin’s anti-blasphemy stance

Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Sirajul Haq on Monday hailed Russian President Vladimir Putin's stance against blasphemy.

In an open letter to Putin, he thanked him for drawing the world's attention to Muslims' feelings against offensive language or publication of blasphemous caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Last week, the Russian president said that insulting the Prophet (PBUH) is a violation of freedom of religion and a violation of the holy feelings of people who profess Islam.

Read more: Disrespecting Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is not freedom of expression: Putin

"This freedom must be founded on respect for everyone whose feelings may be affected," Putin said at his annual news conference last Thursday.

"On behalf of the people of Pakistan, and members of my party, I would like to reiterate our commitment to upholding values of respect, harmony, dialogue, and peaceful coexistence," Siraj said, adding, "We believe in cooperation among various civilisations to promote the well-being of all the humanity."

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"We believe it will be a great service to humanity if world leaders like yourself take it upon themselves to promote understanding among different civilisations," he said, asking the Russian president to play a "leading role" in mitigating a rising phenomenon of Islamophobia, particularly in the West.

"As a leading figure on the global stage, your voice will find resonance in East and West. You can play a leading role in mitigating Islamophobia, as well as hostility towards other minority communities around the world. We can be called civilised when we care to protect those who are the most vulnerable in our societies," the JI amir insisted.