Daily Times

LAHORE: All the governments should bring changes in their conducts to defeat extremism and terrorism and Muslim countries in particular should realise that elements responsible for attacks in Madina Munawara can never be sympathisers of Muslim Ummah, said Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) Chairman Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi. Addressing seminary students on the eve of speech contest held at Jamia Masjid Mahaz bin Jabal, Islamabad on Thursday Ashrafi said that all the religions and holy books preach peace, security, tolerance and forbearance. He said the contemporary and conventional science studies are also very important for students studying in seminaries adding that modern branches of contemporary knowledge are also very important for all seminary students to understand rising concerns of modern world relating Islam and Muslims on account of extremism and terrorism. Islam invites for interfaith and intersect harmony along with dialogue and Islam urged to honour and respect believers of all other religions of the world, said Ashrafi. “Islam stresses for girls education and emphasised for women rights. Holy Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) urged believers to educate their girls and fulfill responsibilities related to women,” he said. Ashrafi urged Ulema, Imams and students studying in seminaries to educate general public to distinguish the concept of ‘Jihad’ and terrorism. The extremist elements responsible for attacks on innocent people in European countries are not serving Islam and Muslims in any case but difficulties have developed for Muslim communities across the world due to terrorism, he said. Some elements are defaming Islam and Muslims on account of extremism and terrorism, said Ashrafi, adding that governments of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan should keep check on forces patronising extremist elements in their societies. Ashrafi vowed to continue sequence of writing and speech contests for seminary students with an objective to educate students and teachers of seminaries with contemporary studies and to transform their thinking and ideologies in accordance with the teachings of Quran and Sunnah.