Top clerics blame US government for anti-Islam film | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Top clerics blame US government for anti-Islam film

ISLAMABAD: The US government is responsible for the anti-Islam movie ‘Innocence of Muslims’, leading Pakistani Ulema declared on Wednesday.

Conference leaders said that since President Barack Obama specifically said during the UN General Assembly session that the movie could not be banned because of constitutional provisions for freedom of expression, this was clear evidence against the US government’s stance that it had nothing to do with the movie.

The conference urged the government to block Nato supply lines, adding that Nato container drivers should refuse to carry these supplies in order to ‘display love for the last Prophet (PBUH)’.

Titled ‘Qaumi Majlis-e-Mushawarat for Tahufuz-e-Hurmat-e-Rasool’ (National Consultation on Protection of the Sanctity of the Last Prophet Hazrat Muhammad – PBUH), the conference was organised by Jamaatud Dawa (JUD). All religious parties which belonged to the now defunct Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal and Defence of Pakistan Council attended the conference.

Chief of his own faction of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Syed Munawar Hasan, JuD chief Hafiz Saeed, Defence of Pakistan Council chairman (DPC) Maulana Samiul Haq, former JI chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Sahibzada Abul Khair Zubair, former ISI chief Hamid Gul and Agha Murtaza Poya were prominent participants of the conference.

Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad demanded of the government to immediately release the protesters arrested on Youm-e-Ishq-e-Rasool (PBUH). A unanimous declaration passed by the conference urged the Muslim world to play its due role in making international laws on blasphemy with a death sentence for blasphemers.

The conference also unanimously resolved that if the UN failed to introduce proper legislation regarding blasphemy against prophets, the Muslim world should alienate themselves from this organisation and form their own ‘Muslim United Nations’ and ‘Common Defence and Economic Council’.

The declaration predicted that such anti-Islam movies could cause a ‘clash between civilisations’ and a third world war. It also stated that freedom of expression was merely used as a tool against Muslims.

The conference demanded the US take action against those behind the movie, and if it was reluctant to do so, the Muslim world should cut off all diplomatic ties with the US.

The conference decided that a delegation comprising political and religious leaders would be sent on a visit to the rest of the Muslim world to make them cognizant of their responsibilities regarding the protection of the sanctity of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

The Express Tribune