Islamabad
President Dr Arif Alvi on Saturday urged the political leadership of France “not to entrench the discriminatory attitudes against Muslim into laws” and warned that such steps would lead to serious repercussions in the shape of hatred and conflict.
“You [France] need to bring people together and not to stamp a religion in a certain manner to create disharmony and bias”,” he said at an international conference on religious freedom and minorities rights.
The President’s statement came in reference to the bill passed by the French parliament’s lower house on Tuesday with overwhelming majority that would strengthen oversight of mosques, in an act of discrimination against Muslims. Hosted by the Presidency, the event was attended by Minister for Religious Affairs Pir Noorul Haq Qadri, Parliamentary Secretary Shunila Ruth and European Union Ambassador to Pakistan Androulla Kaminara.
President Alvi said the French legislation was not in line with the United Nations Charter and contradicted the spirit of social harmony that Europe previously instilled in its society.
“Let there not be a retrogressive step for situations which arise out of animosity and for situations which are carried forward by the people who do not know about the real islam,” he said. Dr Alvi said the damage might not be evident at present, but would ultimately end up in a terrible scenario of hatred and hostility.
“To label the entire religion in a different manner and to start taking precautions against the entire community sparks the fact that if not now, it will have very bad repercussions in the next 10 years,” he said.
He said the West was being communicated by the government of Pakistan that blasphemy of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in the name of freedom of expression and religion was considered by entire Muslims Ummah an insult to the revered personality.
