Protests against blasphemy

LAHORE
Religious parties continued their protest against a French magazine for publishing blasphemous caricatures.
Many protests and meetings were held to condemn a systematic blasphemy campaign against Islam and demanded the Muslim rulers to pass a universal legislation carrying Islamic death punishment for blasphemers, like that of 295-C PPC, to check campaign against Islam and sacred figures of all other religions.
Religious leaders and organisations announced a countrywide movement against blasphemy by the western societies in the name of freedom of expression, and called for a protest day on Friday (today). These leaders included Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Sirajul Haq, convener of Tehrik Hurmat Rasool (THR), an alliance of nearly two dozen religious parties, Maulana Ameer Hamza, Jamaatud Dawa ameer Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, Tanzim Islami ameer Hafiz Akif Saeed and others.
These leaders appealed the people to take to the streets with a resolve to sacrifice for the sanctity of Holy Prophet (PBUH). The leaders urged the heads of Muslim armies to play their role in getting a universal anti blasphemy legislation passed. Earlier, the people of Idara-e-Sirat Mustaqeem staged a rally against the blasphemous caricatures. They marched from the Punjab Assembly to the Lahore Press Club near the US consulate. The participants led by Allama Ashraf Asif Jalali were raising slogans against the western regimes for supporting the blasphemy and demanded Islamic punishment of death to the blasphemers.
Addressing the protesters, Allama Ashraf Asif Jalali said the silence of Muslim rulers and OIC’s silence over this deliberate blasphemy attempts was highly condemnable and said if OIC was unable to represent the sentiments of Muslim world it should be disbanded immediately and a new organisation should be formed to protect the interests of Muslims.
The police deployed outside the US consulate prevented the protesters from marching towards the street where the consulate is located. Later, the protesters dispersed peacefully.
Meanwhile, addressing the JI central workshop at Mansoora, JI naib ameer Hafiz Muhammad Idrees said the publication of blasphemous caricatures in notorious French weekly as a response to the attack of last week was the biggest act of terrorism which hurt the sentiments of two billion Muslims in the world.
He stressed the Muslims to sink their differences and forge unity in their ranks to safeguard the sanctity of Holy Prophet (PBUH).