‘UN must introduce blasphemy penalty’ | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

‘UN must introduce blasphemy penalty’

LAHORE: Teachers who work at Jamaatud Dawa schools and madrassas participated in a rally on The Mall on Sunday against an anti-Islam film.

The protesters marched from Nila Gumbad to Masjid-i-Shuhada carrying JD flags, placards and banners and shouting slogans condemning the United States.

JD chief Hafiz Saeed alleged in his speech that US President Barack Obama was instigating people to make blasphemous movies and caricatures. He said that Muslims had been accused of causing a clash between civilisations, but the makers of blasphemous movies and those refusing to ban them were instigating war. He said if the US Constitution gave people the right to blaspheme, “the constitution of Muslims” mandated the death sentence for these blasphemers.

He said Muslim rulers should push the United Nations to get its member states to legislate a death penalty for blasphemy. Muslims countries should set a deadline for such action, and if it did not come, they should sever diplomatic relations with the Untied States.

Saeed said that if the UN did not introduce the death penalty for blasphemy, the US, Israel and Pope Benedict would be responsible for unrest the world over.

The US and the UN both consider the Jamaatud Dawa to be a terrorist group.

The Express Tribune