Daily Times

Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal wants to introduce an official curriculum for weekly Friday sermons at mosques to combat extremism and shape public opinion in favour of democracy. This is a welcome step but it is fraught with uncertainties. One is not certain if it is just minister’s lip service to sooth the public before Muharram or the government really means the business.

The institution of pulpit has just displayed its immense power in the NA-120 by-election. The free use of mosques has enabled Labaik Ya Rasoolullah and Milli Muslim League candidates to secure third and fourth positions, respectively.

Both parties did not exist in 2013 and came to limelight only in 2017. They have captured 11 percent of the votes polled in NA-120. Mosques in the constituency are stated to be power base of these candidates, who belonged to two different schools of thoughts. Of course, Friday congregations attract big crowds and the sermon delivered there is a powerful tool to shape public opinion leaving a telling effect on the participants. It is up to the prayer leader to choose the subject and words for the sermon, and most of the time, they like to play to the gallery ignoring the realities of extremism and terrorism.

The government’s announcement to introduce official sermons for Friday congregations may backfire if the decision has no active backing from unelected state institutions. We have seen that the government was able to control the use of public address systems of mosques under the National Action Plan. The ban is quite active and is working well across the country. The measure, however, does not deter the clerics from delivering pro-extremism sermon from the pulpit. If the Friday sermon order is implemented only half-heartedly, it will be ineffective and counter-productive. The Sindh government had tried to enforce official sermons in mosques in January but the attempt failed to make any inroads because of a vehement opposition by religious parties of all schools of thought.

What has led the government to take this important measure? There could be two reasons. One, the recent back-to-back statements by Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif and Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi regarding the need to put our house in order may be related to the decision to introduce official curriculum for weekly sermons. Two, the month of Muharram also factors into such measures but announcements made before the start of the month are usually forgotten once Ashura is over. The seriousness of the government in enforcing the official sermons will be gauged in the coming days. With the start of Muharram, we often hear words like interfaith harmony and tolerance etc. This time, it is hoped, the introduction of official sermons is not for public consumption, but for putting our house in order.

While formulating the curriculum, the government must consider that the sermons serve to spread peace, interfaith and sectarian harmony, tolerance and acceptance for religious differences. They must preach against bloodshed, terrorism and extremism, citing glowing examples from the Holy Quran and the life of Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). The flouters must be held with an iron hand.

The writer is an Islamabad based investigative journalist. He can be reached at shrnaqvi3@gmail.com

Published in Daily Times, September 21^st 2017.