ISLAMABAD: The Council on Islamic Ideology (CII) on Wednesday called for swift action against those involved in the lynching that claimed the life of a Sri Lankan citizen, saying violence against anyone over allegations of blasphemy violates Islamic principles and Sharia law .
A CII meeting chaired by its chairman Qibla Ayaz and attended by 17 religious scholars also condemned similar violent incidents in Khanewal, Swabi and Kahror Pacca.
In December last year, a violent mob killed Sri Lankan national Priyantha Kumara in Sialkot on charges of blasphemy. The CII said that everyone involved in the incident should be brought to justice at the earliest so that the nation’s confidence in the country’s legal and judicial system can be restored.
According to an official handout, the assembly noted that the real culprits who committed blasphemy should be brought to justice immediately and that there should be no delay on the part of the party courts.
The CII also proposed the formation of a commission that would draw up recommendations to prevent such violent incidents.
The forum said the proposed commission should include psychologists in addition to experts in sociology, law and religion.
The meeting said the commission would come up with short- and long-term proposals aimed at preventing such incidents in the country. It would also come up with suggestions to bring about changes in people’s behavior.
The meeting also recommended that hadiths and verses of the Holy Quran on humanity and the protection of life and property (with their translation) should be prominently displayed in mosques, shrines, imambargahs and educational institutions.
Discussions and dialogues on this subject should be held in these institutions from time to time in the light of the hadiths and verses of the holy book for the guidance of the public.
The forum also said that TV stations should provide time slots for holding and broadcasting such discussions.
Published in Dawn, February 24, 2022
