Holy Quran Sanctity Day observed

Rallies demand an end to hurting sentiments of Muslims

KARACHI:

The Holy Quran Sanctity Day was observed in Karachi on Friday against the desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden. After Friday prayers, rallies and processions were taken out in different areas of the city. A large protest was also held outside the Karachi Press Club. The heinous act of desecrating the Holy Quran in Sweden was condemned.

On the call of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, people from all walks of life strongly condemned the incident of desecration of The Holy Quran by a cursed person in Sweden at the official and nonofficial levels across the country.

Various political, religious, social organisations, traders, civil society organised rallies, protest processions and demonstrations against the desecration of THe HOly Quran. Various leaders addressed these protests and said that the desecration of Holy Quran in Sweden is unacceptable. Islam commands respect for all books and prophets. The leaders demanded government to counter this nefarious conspiracy at the diplomatic level, close the embassy and boycott the products on incident of desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden. Meanwhile, on the appeal of Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Sirajul Haq about 500 protests to place in Karachi in connection with the Day of Condemnation against the desecration of the Holy Quran.

The participants of the demonstrations carried banners and placards in their hands which condemned desecration of the Holy Quran under Swede government watch. Jamat-e-Ahlesunnat Pakistan Amir Allama Syed Shah Abdul Haq Qadri addressing a large public gathering at Jamia Memon Masjid Jodia Bazar said that some quarters were stoking hatred against Islam. Playing with the sentiments of the Muslim community in the name of freedom of expression should be stopped, he said.

Meanwhile, the leaders and workers of Khatman-e-Nabuwat organised a grand protest rally, led by Maulana Muhammad Ijaz Mustafa and Maulana Qazi Ehsan Ahmed, to condemn the incident. The Jamia Alliance staged a protest on the Day of Sanctity of the Holy Quran, in which members of the coordination committee Abdul Rauf Siddiqui and Khalid Sultan participated from MQM-P. Siddiqui said the Organisation of Islamic Countries should convene an emergency meeting and announce its joint plan of action regarding the heinous and shameful act of hurting the sentiments of two billion Muslims. A protest rally for the sanctity of Quran was organized under the Student Affairs Department of NED University. NED ViceChancellor Professor Dr Sarosh Lodhi said Quran is the philosophy of life, it is the book that teaches to stand against oppression. According to Umar Muawiya, the spokesperson of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) Pakistan, the martyrdom day of Usman Ghani (RA) was celebrated with respect and devotion on the 18th of Zulhajj, corresponding to Friday, July 7.

ASWJ President Allama Aurangzeb Farooqui while addressing the participants of a rally at Tibet Centre in Karachi said that desecration of the Holy Quran might push Muslims to take extreme measures that may cause harm.