Hardline political party calls for Bible ban in Pakistan
Islamabad: A hardline Pakistani political party today demanded a ban on the Bible and set a 30-day deadline for the Supreme Court to take action in this regard.
Maulana Abdur Raoof Farooqi, a leader of a faction of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam led by Samiul Haq, claimed the Bible "contains blasphemous passages that are a cause of humiliation for Muslims".
He said his party wants the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of this issue, said a report on the website of The Express Tribune.
If the Chief Justice does not accept their request within a month, Farooqi said he would present the issue to an independent tribunal that may comprise judges from the Federal Shariah Court.
Farooqui said he wants the matter to be resolved judicially so that Christians have the right to defend their position. He said that if this petition to the apex court was unsuccessful, "pages from the Bible will be burned all over the world."
Pakistan People's Party legislator Pervez Rafique, a member of the central organising committee of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, said the apex court should not take any action of the JUI-S' request to ban the Bible.
"We totally condemn this demand from their party. It is against religious freedom and violates the right to practice our religion as granted by the UN Charter," said Rafique.
"How can they ban the Bible that is followed throughout the world?" he added.
Read more at: Hardline political party calls for Bible ban in Pakistan
Islamabad: A hardline Pakistani political party today demanded a ban on the Bible and set a 30-day deadline for the Supreme Court to take action in this regard.
Maulana Abdur Raoof Farooqi, a leader of a faction of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam led by Samiul Haq, claimed the Bible "contains blasphemous passages that are a cause of humiliation for Muslims".
He said his party wants the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of this issue, said a report on the website of The Express Tribune.
If the Chief Justice does not accept their request within a month, Farooqi said he would present the issue to an independent tribunal that may comprise judges from the Federal Shariah Court.
Farooqui said he wants the matter to be resolved judicially so that Christians have the right to defend their position. He said that if this petition to the apex court was unsuccessful, "pages from the Bible will be burned all over the world."
Pakistan People's Party legislator Pervez Rafique, a member of the central organising committee of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, said the apex court should not take any action of the JUI-S' request to ban the Bible.
"We totally condemn this demand from their party. It is against religious freedom and violates the right to practice our religion as granted by the UN Charter," said Rafique.
"How can they ban the Bible that is followed throughout the world?" he added.
Read more at: Hardline political party calls for Bible ban in Pakistan
