Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that the government is intending to propose an international convention on defamation of religions to protect the sentiments of 1.25 billion Muslims across the world.

Addressing the opening session of a two-day conference titled ‘Finality of the Prophethood and Responsibilities of Muslims in the light of teachings of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him)’ at the Convention Centre on Tuesday, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the government would set up a ‘special chair’ at the country’s three universities under High Education Commission (HEC) to study the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). “There is a need to study how the State of Madina converted into a super power in 11 years,” he said. He added that Ahmer Bilal Sufi, an expert on international law, would be made PM’s special envoy to visit various countries and seek their support for the proposed convention, adding that Pakistan would spearhead this convention so that there was an international law to deal with the sensitive issue.

The prime minister spoke at length about the way of life and strong character of Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and said Almighty Allah, Who is ‘Rabbul Alamin’, Himself described Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as Rehmatul-lil-Alamin (PBUH). He said there was a need to study the life of Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as to how he made the poor Arabs to rule world and reach India and Central Asia from Morocco in just 30 years.

“History has no example of a person except Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who created a state which lasted for 700 years,” he maintained. He regretted that after every few years there was a condemnable trend of blasphemous acts in the West under the garb of freedom of expression, which causes strong protests in the Muslim world, including Pakistan.

The prime minister recalled that after such an incident in Holland, his government took up the issue with the Holland authorities and succeeded in the cancellation of a blasphemous cartoon competition. Later, Pakistan also raised this issue at the OIC and the UN levels, which led to a declaration by the EU Court of Human Rights forbidding religious defamation under the guise of expression of freedom, he added.

Published in Daily Times, November 21^st 2018.