ISLAMABAD: The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), a body that advises the Pakistan government on the compatibility of laws with Islam, said on Wednesday committing violence against someone over mere allegations of blasphemy was "inhumane" and against the teachings of Islam.
The ruling comes after a number of lynching incidents in Pakistan recently, most notably of a Sri Lankan factory manager who was killed in the city of Sialkot over blasphemy allegations last December, and a middle-aged man who was beaten and stoned to death in Khanewal this month.
“Subjecting any person to violence on allegations of dishonouring religion, desecration of the Holy Quran and [disregarding] Namoos-i-Risalat (honour of Prophet Muhammad PBUH) is against Shariah, inhumane and contrary to Islamic principles,” the CCI said in a statement.
“The recent incidents that took place … are extremely concerning. This meeting which comprised members of the CCI and various other ulemas (religious scholars) once again expresses deep sorrow over these incidents and condemns them,” it added.
The council called on authorities to hand strict punishments to perpetrators of the Sialkot lynching so that the public’s confidence in the legal and judicial system of the country could be boosted.
“The bigger issue is that of the implementation of the law and uncertainty about [the suspects] being punished,” the CII added.
The Council said verses of the Holy Quran and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) relating to humanity and protecting lives and properties should be put up in mosques, imam bargahs, monasteries and educational institutions throughout the country to create awareness among people.
The body also called for the formation of a national commission comprising psychologists and experts on sociology, law and religion to make “short-term and long-term recommendations for the prevention of such incidents (that involve violence over blasphemy allegations) so as to end them.”
