News
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Extremism leading society towards decline, say president and PM* Musharraf urges clerics to teach compassion to people
* Says only govt can give call for jihad
* Aziz says govt will not allow any person to defame Islam and PakistanISLAMABAD: President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Sunday urged the nation to shun extremism, saying that some individuals had hijacked Islam and were creating disturbance in society.
“Those having no understanding of Islam have hijacked the religion. We have to correct ourselves if we want to attract people to Islam,” President Musharraf said in his address at the inaugural session of the National Seerat Conference organised by the Ministry of Religious Affairs here.
Musharraf said that extremism was leading Pakistan towards socio-economic decline and called for promoting tolerance, unity and harmony among various sects and with other religions. The president urged clerics to teach compassion and tolerance to people.
President Musharraf urged the people to follow the teachings of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) to restore the image of Islam. “Today, we are being humiliated in the world in various realms because we are not following Prophet Mohammed’s (pbuh) teachings,” he added.
On the recent action by students of Jamia Hafsa madrassa in Islamabad, President Musharraf said the government was avoiding any action against Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa in view of its respect for women and mosques. “I fear only Allah, we can do much,” he added.
About the prevailing situation in the Muslim world, Musharraf said that several Muslim countries lacked modern education, especially in science and technology. He urged resource-rich Muslim countries to help their less-developed brethren states for unity in the Ummah.
The president said that suicide bombings in the name of Islam were bringing a bad name to the religion. “We should coexist with other religions peacefully. Islam was spread by setting examples, not by use of force,” he said. Musharraf said that Islam had great respect for jihad but it should be against poverty and for the welfare of the people. He said only the government could give the call for jihad. Meanwhile, urging clerics to help the government eliminate extremism and terrorism from society, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said the government would not allow any person to bring a bad name to Islam and Pakistan.
Addressing the concluding session of the Seerat Conference, Aziz said that Pakistan was created in the name of Islam and the government would always make policies according to Islam and in the interest of Pakistan.
On madrassa reforms in Pakistan, the prime minister said that 13,000 madrassas had been registered across the country so far. agencies
Courtesy DailyTimes.com.pk