Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Religious Harmony and Pakistani Diaspora in the Middle East and Muslim countries, Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi on Thursday expressed concerns about the unjustified social media smear campaign against Saudi leadership. He, in a statement, stressed the need to effectively counter the tactics, aimed at creating emotional confusion and gulf among admirers of Saudi Arabia.
He specifically referred to a controversy, following the visit of Indian delegation, led by Union Minister Smriti Irani, to Madina Munawarah during her two-day official visit to the Kingdom. The purpose of the visit was to sign a bilateral agreement allocating a quota of 175,025 pilgrims for this year’s annual Hajj pilgrimage, he added. Ashrafi, who is also the chairman of Pakistan Ulema Council, referred to a verse from the Holy Quran related to the prohibition of non-Muslims’ visit, and clarified that this applied to just Masjid-e-Haram, according to the views of several Ulema and Mashaykh. He cited religious decrees from Saudi Mufti Azam Ibn Baz and other prominent scholars, affirming that non-Muslims could indeed visit Madina Munawarah. Emphasizing the historical context, Ashrafi highlighted instances from the era of the second Caliph Hazrat Umar (RA) when non-Muslims visited the Madina for trade purposes. He also mentioned that even Christians from Najran visited Madina even during the lifetime the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). Ashrafi discussed the two aspects of the visit, considering both Shariah and political dimensions.
