In Surah Al-Annam, the Lord says, “And do not abuse those whom they worship besides Allah that they will dishonor in the glory of Allah.” Quaid-e-Azzam had also assured to protect the religious rights of minorities as well as provide them religious freedom in many of his decrees. Whenever there is any untoward incident with a minority in Pakistan, it is raised internationally that the image of Pakistan is severely affected and the Western world uses it against Pakistan. Recently, the way Christian property was damaged in Jaranwala tehsil of Faisalabad He became an embarrassment to Muslims at every level.
There was an immediate response from the United States and the European Union, calling for the protection of Christians and compensation for the loss of their property. In this incident of intolerance, the burning of several churches in Jaranwala and the destruction of the houses of the Christian community is not considered good by any Muslim. In this regard, the law enforcement agencies should have acted immediately and played their role and taken immediate action against those who desecrated the Quran and brought them to justice.
No Muslim can tolerate the desecration of the Qur’an and the Holy Quran. But in the non-Muslim world, especially in the West, there are incidents of burning the Qur’an and insulting the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).But no one crawls on the ears of human rights advocates. These circumstances have played a fundamental role in the growth of intolerance in the Muslim world. However, it should not be forgotten that Pakistan has strict laws against blasphemous messengers and those who desecrate the Quran, so the public should not take the law into their own hands until the accused are punished under these laws. It is the responsibility of the state to take the best measures to protect the life and property of minorities and enforce the writ of law.
Had these measures been implemented in Jaranwala in a timely manner, the situation would not have gone out of control. But fortunately, we always have government actions after the event has happened. There is no plan to prevent such incidents. When the incident takes place, it is said that such and such a ruler has taken notice. Taking notice does not solve problems, steps have to be taken to remedy them. Stakeholders are engaged and foremost made. What was the administration doing when churches were being burnt, Christian homes were being damaged in a small town? It appears that the neighboring enemy country hatched a conspiracy to defame Pakistan and divert attention from the incidents of persecution of Christians in their country and the feelings of Muslims were provoked by regular planning in Jaranwala.
Therefore, the state must immediately lay hands on the real culprits and bring them to book. The damage caused to the property and churches of Christian brothers should be immediately compensated and legal action should be taken against those who desecrate the Holy Quran. The existing law in this regard should be implemented effectively so that no criminal can escape. In addition, steps should be taken to prevent the spread of intolerance at the national level. Islam is a religion of peace that teaches love, love and human compassion. We have to take guidance from Iswah Hasana and spread this message to our Muslim brothers. Education has to be made public and scholars have to play their role to implement the true spirit of Islam.
Intolerance and Islam
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