Pricing people: Bilour’s bounty just adds to a list of many others
Maulana Mohammad Yusuf Qureshi, a former prayer leader, is best known for such announcements.
PESHAWAR:
In his first public appearance since his controversial statements, Ghulam Ahmed Bilour was seen at the city’s historic Mahabat Khan Mosque for Friday prayers.
Since the federal railways minister announced a $100,000 bounty for the US filmmaker of a sacrilegious movie, “Innocence of Muslims”, his secular Awami National Party (ANP) and the federal government have begun distancing themselves from the statements. However, in an interesting move, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan have announced that they had removed Bilour’s name from their hit-list.
Before Bilour’s statements, there was an eerie silence as to whether someone would announce a bounty for the filmmaker.
In previous years, Maulana Mohammad Yusuf Qureshi, prayer leader at Mahabat Khan Mosque, was known for announcing price tags on people. There have been three notable occasions on which he has done this. However, in recent years, paralysis has left Qureshi unable to make any comments.
Approximately two weeks ago, he was brought to a Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) rally in a wheelchair. Although there were many people who were expecting that he would make a speech, he did not, and only offered prayers on stage.
In 2006, Qureshi made headlines across the world during the Danish newspaper cartoon controversy, when a sketch of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was published. He announced that he would pay Rs1.5 million to anyone who would kill the Danish cartoonist. Playing on sentiments to further global outrage, he then increased the amount to $1 million.
Qureshi announced another bounty in 2007, again of $1 million, for British author Salman Rushdie, shortly after Rushdie was knighted. Around this time, Qureshi had also conferred the title of ‘Amirul Mujahedeen’ to Osama Bin Laden.
In 2010, Qureshi came up with another bounty offering of Rs500,000 for the killer of a Pakistani Christian woman Asiya Bibi, who is still behind bars on charges of blasphemy. Most recently, he announced a bounty of Rs1.5 million for US pastor Terry Jones, who said he would desecrate the Holy Quran earlier this year.
Qureshi, who has been leading prayers at the Mahabat Khan Mosque since 1965, has always maintained a controversial stance. During Ziaul Haq’s martial law, he was sacked from his position at the mosque following his opposition to the national mourning of the death of Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev by the then governor General Fazl Haq. In a booklet, Qureshi maintains that at that time Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour and Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao also supported him.
2012, Ghulam Ahmed Bilour: $100,000 for the filmmaker of ‘Innocence of Muslims’
2012, Maulana Mohammad Yusuf Qureshi: Rs1.5 million for US pastor Terry Jones
2010, Qureshi: Rs500,000 for Pakistani Christian women Asiya Bibi
2007, Qureshi: $1 million for British author Salman Rushdie
2006, Qureshi: $1 million for Danish cartoonist who sketched Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
Published in The Express Tribune, September 29th, 2012.
In his first public appearance since his controversial statements, Ghulam Ahmed Bilour was seen at the city’s historic Mahabat Khan Mosque for Friday prayers.
Since the federal railways minister announced a $100,000 bounty for the US filmmaker of a sacrilegious movie, “Innocence of Muslims”, his secular Awami National Party (ANP) and the federal government have begun distancing themselves from the statements. However, in an interesting move, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan have announced that they had removed Bilour’s name from their hit-list.
Before Bilour’s statements, there was an eerie silence as to whether someone would announce a bounty for the filmmaker.
In previous years, Maulana Mohammad Yusuf Qureshi, prayer leader at Mahabat Khan Mosque, was known for announcing price tags on people. There have been three notable occasions on which he has done this. However, in recent years, paralysis has left Qureshi unable to make any comments.
Approximately two weeks ago, he was brought to a Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) rally in a wheelchair. Although there were many people who were expecting that he would make a speech, he did not, and only offered prayers on stage.
In 2006, Qureshi made headlines across the world during the Danish newspaper cartoon controversy, when a sketch of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was published. He announced that he would pay Rs1.5 million to anyone who would kill the Danish cartoonist. Playing on sentiments to further global outrage, he then increased the amount to $1 million.
Qureshi announced another bounty in 2007, again of $1 million, for British author Salman Rushdie, shortly after Rushdie was knighted. Around this time, Qureshi had also conferred the title of ‘Amirul Mujahedeen’ to Osama Bin Laden.
In 2010, Qureshi came up with another bounty offering of Rs500,000 for the killer of a Pakistani Christian woman Asiya Bibi, who is still behind bars on charges of blasphemy. Most recently, he announced a bounty of Rs1.5 million for US pastor Terry Jones, who said he would desecrate the Holy Quran earlier this year.
Qureshi, who has been leading prayers at the Mahabat Khan Mosque since 1965, has always maintained a controversial stance. During Ziaul Haq’s martial law, he was sacked from his position at the mosque following his opposition to the national mourning of the death of Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev by the then governor General Fazl Haq. In a booklet, Qureshi maintains that at that time Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour and Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao also supported him.
2012, Ghulam Ahmed Bilour: $100,000 for the filmmaker of ‘Innocence of Muslims’
2012, Maulana Mohammad Yusuf Qureshi: Rs1.5 million for US pastor Terry Jones
2010, Qureshi: Rs500,000 for Pakistani Christian women Asiya Bibi
2007, Qureshi: $1 million for British author Salman Rushdie
2006, Qureshi: $1 million for Danish cartoonist who sketched Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
Published in The Express Tribune, September 29th, 2012.