Ashrafi decries sacrilege of Holy Quran on pretext of 'freedom of expression'

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Interfaith Harmony and Middle East Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi said on Tuesday the desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden was not freedom of expression, but an attempt to disrupt world peace.

Addressing a press conference, Mr Ashrafi, who is also the chairman of the Pakistan Ulema Council, said the Swedish government should take action against the perpetrator and award him an exemplary punishment to stop the reoccurrence of such disgraceful incidents in the future.

He said the desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden had hurt the religious feelings of almost 1.5 billion Muslims across the world.

"We must register our protest before the international community in a good and peaceful manner so that the world realises that it was not an issue of freedom of speech but a serious matter of faith for the Muslim Ummah," he added.

He urged the world community to take adequate measures against Islamophobia.

Mr Ashrafi backed the religious decree issued by renowned scholar Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani and other religious scholars against the rebellious activities of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), saying terrorist attacks on national security institutions were unacceptable and violated Islamic Shariah.

He said any kind of armed activity in the pretext of Jihad was not permissible both under Shariah law and the Constitution.
Ashrafi, quoting Mufti Taqi Usmani, said that the constitution of Pakistan was purely based on the Quran and Sunnah.

He said, on coming Friday, the joint declaration issued by the Ulema and Mashaykh would be highlighted, and resolutions would be adopted to condemn the abhorrent incident of desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden.

Ashrafi said peace and security were the two main components needed to get the country out of the prevailing economic crisis.
He said it was crucial to sit together at one table to strengthen Pakistan socially and economically. It was not possible to conduct the elections from time to time as the country was facing a severe financial crunch these days, he added.

Mr Ashrafi urged Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan to resolve issues through dialogue, adding that a "Charter of Pakistan" on social and economic affairs was urgently needed because "the solution to all issues lies in the economic pact."

In the end, he urged the philanthropists to financially support the impoverished segment of society, as they were living below the poverty line due to the rapid inflation in the country.