Ultimatum to US: ‘Criminalise blasphemy or lose consulate’
Several Muslim parties and a Christian group held rallies on Sunday to protest against a movie released in America.
Around 10,000 people participated in the main rally organised on The Mall by the Tehreek Hurmat-i-Rasool (THR). The participants marched from Nila Gumbad to Masjid-i-Shuhada on The Mall. Despite a ban on rallies on The Mall, the road remained blocked for vehicular traffic from noon to 6pm.
The rally was addressed by Jamatud Dawa chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, THR head Ameer Hamza, JD leader Hafiz Abdul Rehman Makki, Pakistan Muslim League (Zia) head Ijazul Haq, Jamaat Ulema Islam-Sami (JUI-S) leader Asim Makhdoom and Jamaat Ahle Hadith ameer Hafiz Abdul Ghaffar Ropari.
One of the participants of the rally, Abdullah Ismail, passed away after he was taken to Mayo Hospital. Witnesses said he had complained of feeling unwell from the smoke from US flags burnt at the rally.
Hafiz Saeed alleged that the film, Innocence of Muslims, had been produced with the backing of US establishment. He said the director, the producer and all those involved in the production and release of the movie must be hanged publicly. “The US must make a law against blasphemy – or we will not let the US consulates in Pakistan function,” he said.
He said a resolution condemning the movie in the parliament was not enough. Instead, President Asif Ali Zardari must announce jihad against countries like the US that supported attacks on Islam. The Organisation of Islamic Countries Conference should announce a boycott of US goods. Ijazul Haq, the PML-Z chief, said the people had shown their loyalty to Islam. He said the government leader’s silence was shameful. He said no one had dared commit blasphemy during his father Ziaul Haq’s rule.
Shabab-i-Milli, the youth wing of the Jamaat-i-Islami, also held a rally near Punjab University’s new campus.
Speaking to the gathering, Jamaat-i-Islami Ameer Munawar Hasan said the film had been produced by a Zionist with US support.
He said, “If the US claims to be a civilised nation, why does it stoop to insult other religions and civilisations?”
JI general secretary Liaqat Baloch said the US stooges ruling the Muslim world were on the run now. They had met a humiliating fate in Tunisia, Egypt and Turkey. He said Pakistan was on the threshold of a revolution.
A small protest rally against the film was also taken out by a group of Christian from Model Colony, Gulberg. The rally concluded at Seven Up Chowk having marched through Mecca Colony.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 17th, 2012.
COMMENTS (264)
It's just a movie that should be protected under free speech. There are many movies, books, and tv shows that express personal opinion or what some see as facts. If this movie should be banned because of its content I believe disrespecting Christianity should be banned as well. I also believe burning the American flag the symbol out our great country should be absolutely not tolerated, but I don't control the stupidity of Americans. To put blame on a low budget terrible film like this one for terrorism is asinine. Look at the facts and use common sense.
They better hope they can get anti-blasphemy laws passed. Because Islam cannot stand in the face of reasoned criticism.
@bosty: "makes us wonder how strong a faith can be if such a silly film can cause it damage."
I think you touched a really raw nerve, right there....
@M.Ahmer Ali: "Would you like to explain that when a film is made then is passed and permitted by the film censor board to become releasable or unreleasable and who controls the film censor board?"
It's EXACTLY why the US government has no responsibility whatsoever in this "film", that apparently has never been released, nor viewed by anyone, and the only existing trace of it is this 13 mn "trailer" put on youtube (by who ???), and certainly not with the official approval of any US official.
I wouldn't dare say the same thing about the videos broadcasted by the official islamic medias targeting the jews (cf the link in my previous message).
Where do all these American flags come from? Do you have a stock pile of them just for burning? I have no Pakisani flags, or Egyprian flags, or Iranian flags, or Iraqi,or Afghanastani flags and wouldn''t know where to buy one even if I wanted to burn it in effigy.
@M.Ahmer Ali: "First of all any muslim of the world shall not any blasphemous movie against any non-muslims’ religion of the world because Islam teaches us honor and respect the other non-muslims’ religions of the world and would you like to explain that suppose if any muslim makes any blasphemous movie against Christianity or any other non-muslims’ religion then what shall you do?????"
One thing we don't do is behead people or otherwise kill, burn the property of, or otherwise persecute other Muslims for your insane beliefs. Please explain to the rest of us civilized people how your "Islam teaches us honor" coincides with that?
people stop being mean to perwez amin, a person has already corrected him so it quite unnecessary to gang up and rant about how wrong he is
@Maqbool Basha: Many Americans would favor not buying any more cheap, poorly made crap from Pakistan.
@abc: The United States is not subordinate to nor are the answerable to the UN.
@us: If anyone has a right to be bitter, it is Christians and Jews. You folks have been persecuting them for years. Your imprisonment and execution of Christians is what offends me and you talk about a movie? Get real. Hundreds of thousands of muslims dancing in the streets after 3000 Americans were murdered by muslims in 2001 is offensive. The feigned outrage of third world countries grows tiresome
We should be fine with these folks not wanting our consulates there. We should close all embassies in Pakistan and withdraw all financial and military aid. We should also revoke all visas of anyone from Palestine and send those folks back home.Then, the next time an American is killed in their country, we should invade the country and send them back into the stone age.
Well, this was a start... Another 1.5 Billion and we're good to go!
@joni: Shoulda been done long ago
What I find offensive is that these radicals find a silly, poorly made film MORE offensive than the riots and murdering of innocent people simply because they happen to be Americans. Then if that isn't disgusting enough, to call it a "gift". I doubt that the death of the man who inhaled fumes from our American flag will be looked upon as karma, but maybe it should be. Only one thing is certain.... Violence solves NOTHING and it certainly does not do anything to help the Muslim people who wish to promote their religion as a "peaceful" one. Why can't people stop blaming an entire country over the actions of a select few? Why are the people in the Middle East so quick to burn and pillage?? It is THEIR COUNTRY after all, not ours that is suffering the damage. Don't they have better things to do with their time???????????
@Parvez Amin:
You are sadly mistaken, my friend. The constitution places almost no restrictions on speech and offending someone is not among them. We are free to offend each other. It is a very precious freedom. If you don't like the movie, don't watch, or make movie of your own. The antedote for bad speech is more speech.
@Parvez Amin: you're wrong, in America there are no exceptions to offense. words should never be an excuse to murder a fellow human being.
@Parvez Amin: Anyone can claim to be insulted, offended, or provoked by pretty much anything. There is no freedom of speech if speech is limited by possible offense, insult, or claimed provocation of others. That's tyranny, not freedom. That's mob rule, not freedom. In the USA one of our most basic rights is the freedom of speech. We hope that people use that freedom respectfully, but some don't. By law, their freedom of speech is protected also, as is everyone else's rights to disagree with what was said. The only limits on freedom of speech are when something one says clearly causes immediate and unnecessary danger to others - such as yelling 'fire' in a crowded area when there is no fire. In that situation, panicked people trying to flee all too often accidentally wind up crushing others. Otherwise, we expect that people are mature and civilized enough, however, that they will not take out frustration or anger at something someone says by destroying property, or physically attacking the offensive person - or even worse, by attacking other innocent people. When they aren't, they are the ones who wind up in court and who are punished, not the person exercising their freedom of speech.
@joni
Please stop using oil from the Middle East.
Stop supporting tyrants like Hosni Mubarak.
The oil is not yours , and your dollars mean nothing without that oil
So just stop taking the oil from the middle east
@honey bee
Love Oil, but hate Muslims? Yeah think about that bud.
You know why it's called petrodollars? It's not their oil.
What you all fail to understand is that the anger is not really about the film, but US interference in the region which has been going on long long before 9/11.
This US interference for oil which comes in the forms of various wars and support for tyrants is what these "extremists" are saying must end.
Anger against the film and now cartoon was just the unifying principle to express this more direct demand.
It is therefore a disservice to mischaracterize this anger and display a willing ignorance .
@Parvez Amin: Your comment offends me deeply. I demand that you be tried and punished, immediately.
@Parvez Amin: "Freedom of speech ends where the words and actions offend, insult and provoke others" NO IT DOES NOT
so, wait. we should stop all aid to Pakistan and blockade all imports, sounds like... wonder how long it would take before they decided maybe they need the US after all...
@Jamshed: First of all all of the us aid is spent on the illetrate rulers of pakistan. Which already means that we are living without the neednof any aid and other than that if the gawadar port is made, which probably will not because of the americans, we could get 4 times the revenue and budget to control Pakistan. Why does it happen in usa why isnt china or germany invovled in such acts?
@M.Ahmer Ali: Response to Question 1: Who controls the film censor board: The MPAA, or the Motion Picture Association of America, a private, voluntary entity not enforced by law. Meaning, there is no government control involved. Response to Question 2: Actually, if there were a film blaspheming Christianity (aren't there plenty already?) we'd react exactly as you've stated; keep silence and show patience and tolerance. True followers of ANY faith show patience and tolerance. Anyone who attacks with violence, death and hatred is not a true follower of their faith, and thus is the real blasphemer.
@Nabil: An interesting analogy, but it is not the same principle. Racial Profiling and Sexual Harassment can lead to physical or socioeconomic harm, a direct threat upon a person's life. Those protections are in place to prevent false arrest, false imprisonment, sexual assault, rape, and infringement upon other amendments in the Bill of Rights. If the producer of this incendiary film had attacked Muslim persons then he would be charged with a Hate Crime. His attack is limited to speech (speech Americans were not even aware of until these protests, because few Youtube videos receive wide distribution), and thus is protected. If we disagree, we are more than free to voice our opposition (or even make a responding video), but any reaction that incites violence or harm becomes the true crime.
So those marginals want us to change our constitution because you do not like a movie or our freedom of speech? Instead of protesting... be happy. Go get yourself a good burger with lots of bacon, stone your women for being raped, and keep up the good work you are doing with your "peacefull religion" as you say it is
@Supa: President Obama supports freedom of speech and freedom of religion, the first amendment in our Bill of Rights, which includes those citizens who do not identify with any religion. I do agree with you that "blasphemous" films have been made in America, but even as a devout Christian, Bill Maher's film (actually titled "Religulous") doesn't shake my faith. In fact it strengthens it, because it engages me to explore my faith and find interior peace. Even if I disagree, I believe first and foremost that he is free to express his opinions, and it's more important and betters my person to engage in civil discourse through an open mind and non-violence. A child is easily provoked, but a mature person walks through the valley of the shadow of death and is not shaken by fear nor stirred into violence (lol, James Bond).
@M.Ahmer Ali: Would you like to explain that when a film is made then is passed and permitted by the film censor board to become releasable or unreleasable and who controls the film censor board?
Funniest thing I've read all day. What on earth is a film censor board?
It is quite heartening to read some of the comments of those who "get it", but from an American perspective we are bemused by some of the more ridiculous assumptions made about how things work here, and to be truthful this episode makes us wonder how strong a faith can be if such a silly film can cause it damage.
Even a child, in less than 2 minutes, can watch that video and see that the people who made it not only had no resources, but also had no knowledge about cinema, which questions their IQ in the first place. So a group of people world wide, with the only visible common thread being called "Islam", determine that the correct action should be to start executing ambassadors, etc., or for that matter, any American they can get their hands on. The Middle East is the last remaining piece of the planet where no improvement in human rights has occurred since before the Ottoman Empire existed. It would be for the best if the protesters stepped up the attacks to a level where the U.S. could finally step and finish the ongoing onslaught of barbarian behavior.
@Parvez Amin: Actually that's not true. Freedom of s
Speech means just that. How you feel about it is on you. I do hope that we separate the two countries. You can stay in the 13 century, we shall move on.
@Parvez Amin: There is nothing the filmmaker nor the producer can be charged with under US law. They could have made an equally insulting film about Jesus, Moses or non-religious figures like President Obama. Some years ago a photographer exhibited a photo of a crucifix immersed in a jar of urine. He was not prosecuted, and there were no violent protests. This is called "freedom of speech" and like most Americans I deplore this film and will not view it but do not believe our laws should be changed.
1st Amendment to the US Constitution: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Please note that our (I'm a US citizen) right to both freedom of (and, if one so wishes, from) religion AND speech were considered important enough to be placed together in the FIRST amendment. It will be awfully hard to convince any American that either should be curtailed just to asuage anothers hurt feelings. Learning to accept an insult without taking it personally, and sometimes even forgiving the person for it, is often considered a mark of maturity and adulthood for many of us.
So important do we consider our freedom of speech that some of us take Voltaire's words as a personal oath: "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it."
i'm sorry that more of them didn't inhale the fumes from the burning flags.
@us: It does not take much to get a billion muslems out in the street burnig there cars and business ,
@Shahid: It is funny that you disagree with US policies, but when the Muslims move here they forget their faith. Women drive; go out by themselves, drink and smoke. Where is your faith then? Why are so many Muslims forgetting their faith when they are here? It is because they have a choice? Is it because they really do not believe in their faith? I am a Christian and there are many times that Christ has been insulated. I do not go out and burn houses, kill people or have demands. You don’t want the US in your country fine. But don’t call us when you are in trouble
I watched the trailer of this video, which, fortunately can be used in America to express an opinion. We have been assaulted on our own soil by people who think their beliefs are the only ones that count. Now they are saying we have no right to disagree with their belief, that this somehow has "infringed on their rights"? The maker of this video, in my view, is neither "right" or "wrong" to have an opinion. This "my god is better than your god" thinking has to stop and real communication has to begin if we are ever to have peaceful and pleasant lives. This country was founded on the premise of freedom of expression and freedom of choosing what to believe. To be "religious" is a choice, to be "non-religious" is a choice. We can do and be who we choose to be. If this government chooses to use prior illegal actions to haul this video maker into court to appease the radicals of any persuasion, then our first amendment will be down the tubes, and then?
@MZJ: If America started minding it's own business and stopped helping other countries, half the world world starve to death or die of disease.
Abdullah Amin died as a result of the "smoke from the US Flag" !! Sad it is on one sense, but also quite hilarious -- probably for the first time in recorded history that a flag of a country "kills" a person -- but this just goes to show how powerful America is ... when even its flag is lethal medicine...
@Not Likely: if you believe in freedom of speech why dont you publish a film about denial of the holocaust just for fun.... lets see if the "freedom" is given for you to do that... its a joke and dont even try and justify it....
The movie says more about the producer than it does about Islam. It is so bad, the producer is insulting himself more than being blasephemous to Islam. If you choose to be so offended, you should first look at what is tolerated by yourself, your country, and your peers. Ironically, the biggest offender to Islam are the violent Jihadists who prey mostly on other Muslims. And many of those violent Jihadist gained widespread support in the Islamic world in one form or another. Ironically, a country with a Christian majority is leading the fight against organizations which have made it routine to kill other Muslims. Many in Islamic countries still do not understand they are willful victims. How can they tolerate and idolize those among them who prey on them? Idolotry is forbidden in Islam, but Bin Laden was a living idol.
@Nabil. The principle is not the same because race, sex, etc aren't a choice. Religion is a choice and a belief..it is not discrimination to have a negative view of it or its followers. (although we do have laws against persecution based on religion) in the same way as you will have a negative view of your politcal opponents etc. you are allowed to not like and not respect others beliefs.
@Mubashir: Very well spoken. I agree that Muslims should not let the rantings of another cause such turmoil. They should teach with love, peace, and forgiveness. Finally, someone with some sense spoke what needed to be said. Proud of your response. Thank you.
@sabi:
"If you mean blasphemy law then ,it is not supported by Quran,sunnah.fiqah,hadith,or by any companion of Holy prophet (pubh).If you think it is islamic law then burden of proof lies on your shoulders."
Yes, there is plenty of support for blasphemy laws in the quran, sunnah and the hadith if you take the effort to do an objective study of the scriptures.