NA unanimously condemns blasphemous caricatures' publication in France

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Monday unanimously condemned the publication of blasphemous caricatures in France and the resurgence of Islamophobic acts in some countries.

The House adopted a resolution moved by Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi that while taking a serious note of the republication of blasphemous caricatures depicting the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and the desecration of the Holy Quran in Norway and Sweden, it “condemns in (the) strongest terms the resurgence of blasphemous and Islamophobic acts by mischievous elements in some parts of the world”.

It also expressed serious concerns at the “highly concerning statements and hate-mongering especially by leaders like [French] President Emmanuel Macron justifying unlawful propagation and insult to sentiments of more than a billion Muslims through such hate-driven acts under the garb of freedom of expression”.

The resolution read: “The assembly condemns unequivocally the practice of blasphemy and of insulting prophets of Islam, Christianity and Judaism alike”. It denounced acts of terror carried out in the name of any religion and deplored the “equating of Islam and Muslims with terrorism”.

In order to effectively address the issue, it urged the government to recall the Pakistani envoy from Paris, work within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for designating March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia and ask the OIC countries to boycott French goods.

The resolution also called upon all non-OIC countries to provide legal avenues to the Muslims residing in their territory for the redressal of their genuine grievances and urged the United Nations Secretary General and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to immediately initiate a global dialogue for inter-faith harmony and the countering of rising Islamophobia.

It deplored equating of Islam and Muslims with terrorism, which goes against the international consensus and spirit of mutual respect and peaceful co-existence.

The National Assembly called on the OIC Secretary General to continue monitoring the phenomena of Islamophobia and take necessary actions for presenting Islamic countries' common position on the matter, especially the issue of blasphemous caricatures of the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad [Peace Be Upon Him] and desecration of the Holy Quran.

It urged all non-OIC countries to review anti-Muslim discriminatory policies and to refrain from practices that fan intolerance, discrimination, hatred or associate Islam with terror or extremism and ban unlawful provocations.