Demands that UN make laws against sacrilege of all religious personalities. Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq. PHOTO: INP
“The path that the West has chosen will take the world to a third world war,” Siraj said on Friday.
He was addressing thousands of people at a rally, organised to protest against the insulting caricatures published in Western publications, particularly French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
The JI chief demanded that the United Nations make laws to discourage blasphemy of all religious personalities. He said France must apologise for hurting sentiments of billions of Muslims across the world.
Addressing the rally, Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique said the life of a Muslim is useless if he cannot protect the honour and dignity of his Prophet (pbuh). Earlier, the rally marched from Faizabad Flyover through Islamabad Highway to the Blue Area of the capital.
Meanwhile, activists of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) also held a protest in Islamabad and assembled outside Lal Masjid after Friday prayers.
ASWJ head Maulana Muhammad Ludhianvi condemned the caricatures and urged the Muslim world to play a role in making international laws to discourage blasphemy. The ASWJ leaders also demanded expulsion of the French ambassador.
Hundreds of people also came together in various parts of Faisalabad to stage a protest demonstration against the French magazine.
The protests were organised by various religious organisations, including Tehreek-e-Ahle Sunnat and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam. The protesters carried placards inscribed with slogans against the publication. They said they would not hesitate to sacrifice their lives to protect the honour, prestige and esteem of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
Tehreek-e-Ahle Sunnat chairman Qazi Muhammad Faiz Rasool Rizvi said Western countries had conspired to incense Muslims by publishing the caricatures in an effort to alter the ideology of Islam. He said love for the Prophet (pbuh) was a basic tenet of Islam.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Faisalabad president Abdus Shakoor Rizvi condemned the publication of the offensive caricatures. He said anti-Islam elements should stop hatching such conspiracies or be ready to face consequences.
Shutter down in Quetta
Business and trade activities in the provincial capital of Balochistan came to a standstill due to a shutter-down strike called by different religious and political parties to protest against the caricatures.
The strike was jointly called by Jamaatud Dawa, Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam-Nazaryati, Jamaat-e-Islami, ASWJ, Mutheda Mahaz Balochistan and Khilji Quomi Ethad. The Anjuman-e-Tajeran, traders’ union Balochistan, also backed the strike call.
The religious parties took out separate procession and held protest demonstrations near the Quetta Press Club. The protestors demanded that Pakistan snap diplomatic relations with France and put pressure on international community to punish all who played with the sentiments of Muslim world.
Hindu community protests
Thousands of people took to streets on Friday in several districts of Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas divisions to protest against the French magazine. One of the protests in Tando Allahyar district was organised by the local Hindu community. Dozens of Hindu residents marched from Rama Pir temple to Liaquat gate to protest against the act of blasphemy.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 24th, 2015.
COMMENTS (18)
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@Lyari ka year
If God is willing to intervene to help people like you win a war, then why hasn't he intervened already? Why not strike down the cartoonists and prevent the inevitable suffering to innocents that your war will cause.
@Lyari ka year: Lol if thats the case then our children will be able to fend off any attack as the adults will be too busy on the ground laughing.
"The JI chief ... said France must apologize for hurting sentiments of billions of Muslims across the world."
The JI types of muslims insult the West and abuses western generosity, The West does not expect any apology from savages, nor do we react like savages when we don't get one.
Feel free to live by 7th century laws in your 3rd world countries.
Similarly, in Western countries we are free to live and follow OUR laws, NOT YOURS.
The west has chosen liberty and common sense and will NOT abide, Nor respect in Western countries YOUR laws which are directly responsible for the 3rd world misery you live in.
Get help for your psych complexes.
Never bring a knife to a gun fight.
Islam is for Muslims to follow not for non-muslims.
@abreez our swords will be more powerful than drones because we are believers. They are not. PBUh
The Talking-Beards don't think very hard before talking. "3rd World War"? For publishing drawings?? What is he on?
It's funny that they say nothing when the Saudis threaten to demolish the Prophet's grave. But when someone makes a cartoon they threaten a world war.
World is not that stupid...yet. But mullas def. are to believe and preach such things.
These guys need to grow up. Religious parties should be banned.
No concept of economic growth, law and order, human rights, but some comics drawn half way around the world and suddenly we have protests for 2 straight weeks.
No wonder Pakistan is going backwards.
While I cannot support let alone identify with people who draw caricatures of others cultures/religions, what I cannot understand is why Muslims can get violently moved at all provocations? Are the Muslims trained to be so insecure that they feel mere words of the "un-informed" can insult or belittle their Gods? After all, are Gods not way above human contempt? Protest by all means, but threat and violence only makes your case weaker and provokes more idiots to foment trouble.
This Siraj ul haq has habit of gabbing, he talks too much.................
The mullahs have taken over the narrative of this country long enough. Time to take the loudspeaker and pulpit away from them.
What a joke!!
Our country is in turmoil and we are threatening the world with the 3rd world War. For Allah's sake look at your own country. Let us make our country strong and great and then talk about these affairs.
Also remember that we are a country where Our Air Force have not been able to develop a single jet engine since the creation of Pakistan, our Army have not produced a single local Sniper rifle and any local automatic rifle at all, our navy is still begging for radars and they cannot even develop a 1 KM range torpedo. Strll for JF17 we are begging Russia to give us a newer engine than RD93 what they are providing right now. Our Al-Khalid tank runs on Chinese chassis and Ukrainian engine.
We are making ourself a joke. Believe me if we will try to threaten the world then we will be wiped out from the planet. Our economic , social and intellectual contribution is already non existent and it will remain so like that when we will not make our priorities straight.
The path that the West has chosen will take the world to a third world war and we will fight that war on horseback with swords.