Hate speech: ‘Men who attacked Charlie Hebdo are heroes’
Rally slams French magazine for publishing caricatures.
Members of various religious organisation held a rally in support of the attack on Charlie Hebdo. PHOTO: ABID NAWAZ/EXPRESS
LAHORE:
Various organisations from the Barelvi school of thought on Thursday staged a rally in front of the US Consulate against French magazine Charlie Hebdo for publishing blasphemous caricatures.
More than 500 people carrying placards marched from The Mall to the US Consulate. They shouted slogans extolling the attack at the publication’s office in Paris leaving left 12 people, including its editor and seven other employees, dead. They also offered funeral prayers for Saïd Kouachi and Chérif Kouachi, two brothers who were killed during a manhunt on January 9 for attacking the magazine.
Activists from the Tehreek Sirat-i-Mustaqeem, the Namoos-i-Risalat Mahaz and the Sunni Tehreek attended the rally. Tehreek Sirat-i-Mustaqeem leader Maulana Ashraf Asif Jalali led the rally. Mian Waleed Ahmed Sharaqpuri, Maulana Muhammad Shadab Raza Qadri, Maulana Muhammad Ali Naqashbandi and Maulana Raza-i-Mustafa were among the prominent participants.
Jalali said those who had attacked the magazine were “heroes”. He said they were neither Pakistanis nor had they obtained religious education from Pakistani madrassahs. “They were Muslims and we praise them for whatever they have done.”
The protesters assembled at Charing Cross shouting slogans against the US, UK, Israel and France. They carried placards inscribed with quotes ‘Down with Charlie Hebdo’, ‘Down with Charlie Hebdo’.
They walked behind a truck that had a loudspeaker attached to it. Speeches condemning the magazine, the US, UK, Israel and France were played on the loudspeaker.
The rally stopped briefly in front of the CM Secretariat where a speaker addressed the crowd using a loudspeaker. A few minutes before the rally, Home Minister Col (retd) Shuja Khanzada had told a press conference that the government had amended various laws to clamp down misuse of loudspeakers to discourage hate speech.
Stringent security measures had been adopted at and around the rally and at the US Consulate.
“We condemn blasphemy and Charlie Hebdo,” Jalali said addressing the protesters in front of the US Consulate. He said they could sacrifice their lives but would not accept blasphemy.
He accused the US of funding the publication. He said non-Muslims should respect the sentiments of Muslims and avoid committing blasphemy.
“The West is deliberately indulging in blasphemy to hurt Muslims around the world. Blasphemy too is a kind of terrorism and the West should stop it.”
Jalali said that the magazine had published similar caricatures in 2006, 2011 and 2013. He also condemned those who had held a vigil for slain governor Salmaan Taseer. He praised Malik Mumtaz Qadri, the confessed killer of Taseer. “He is our hero.” The Tehreek Sirat-i-Mustaqeem leader requested Pakistanis to take out rallies against the West on Friday (today). He also appealed to the Saudi Arabian government to organise a ‘Medina March’ against a rally that had recently been organised in France to show solidarity with the magazine.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 16th, 2015.
Various organisations from the Barelvi school of thought on Thursday staged a rally in front of the US Consulate against French magazine Charlie Hebdo for publishing blasphemous caricatures.
More than 500 people carrying placards marched from The Mall to the US Consulate. They shouted slogans extolling the attack at the publication’s office in Paris leaving left 12 people, including its editor and seven other employees, dead. They also offered funeral prayers for Saïd Kouachi and Chérif Kouachi, two brothers who were killed during a manhunt on January 9 for attacking the magazine.
Activists from the Tehreek Sirat-i-Mustaqeem, the Namoos-i-Risalat Mahaz and the Sunni Tehreek attended the rally. Tehreek Sirat-i-Mustaqeem leader Maulana Ashraf Asif Jalali led the rally. Mian Waleed Ahmed Sharaqpuri, Maulana Muhammad Shadab Raza Qadri, Maulana Muhammad Ali Naqashbandi and Maulana Raza-i-Mustafa were among the prominent participants.
Jalali said those who had attacked the magazine were “heroes”. He said they were neither Pakistanis nor had they obtained religious education from Pakistani madrassahs. “They were Muslims and we praise them for whatever they have done.”
The protesters assembled at Charing Cross shouting slogans against the US, UK, Israel and France. They carried placards inscribed with quotes ‘Down with Charlie Hebdo’, ‘Down with Charlie Hebdo’.
They walked behind a truck that had a loudspeaker attached to it. Speeches condemning the magazine, the US, UK, Israel and France were played on the loudspeaker.
The rally stopped briefly in front of the CM Secretariat where a speaker addressed the crowd using a loudspeaker. A few minutes before the rally, Home Minister Col (retd) Shuja Khanzada had told a press conference that the government had amended various laws to clamp down misuse of loudspeakers to discourage hate speech.
Stringent security measures had been adopted at and around the rally and at the US Consulate.
“We condemn blasphemy and Charlie Hebdo,” Jalali said addressing the protesters in front of the US Consulate. He said they could sacrifice their lives but would not accept blasphemy.
He accused the US of funding the publication. He said non-Muslims should respect the sentiments of Muslims and avoid committing blasphemy.
“The West is deliberately indulging in blasphemy to hurt Muslims around the world. Blasphemy too is a kind of terrorism and the West should stop it.”
Jalali said that the magazine had published similar caricatures in 2006, 2011 and 2013. He also condemned those who had held a vigil for slain governor Salmaan Taseer. He praised Malik Mumtaz Qadri, the confessed killer of Taseer. “He is our hero.” The Tehreek Sirat-i-Mustaqeem leader requested Pakistanis to take out rallies against the West on Friday (today). He also appealed to the Saudi Arabian government to organise a ‘Medina March’ against a rally that had recently been organised in France to show solidarity with the magazine.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 16th, 2015.